!tention, a story of boy-life during the peninsular war, by george manville fenn. ________________________________________________________________________ a young private, penton gray, known as pen, is injured during an engagement in the peninsular war. when he comes to he finds that the boy bugler, punch, from his regiment, is lying injured close by. the british troops are near, but the area where the boys are is occupied by the french, who are the enemy. the boys need to recover from their wounds, and then to get back to their regiment. they have numerous adventures, and meet several people who help them, including the deposed spanish king. eventually they reach their regiment where they are interviewed by the commanding officer, who realises that the young private has actually had the education normally needed for an officer, and that he has the knowledge needful to lead the troops through the mountains to take the french in the rear. this engagement is very successful, leading to the routing of the french. as a result private gray is made up to officer rank. the book is well written, and is an enjoyable read or listen. ________________________________________________________________________ !tention, a story of boy-life during the peninsular war, by george manville fenn. chapter one. to save a comrade. a sharp volley, which ran echoing along the ravine, then another, just as the faint bluish smoke from some hundred or two muskets floated up into the bright sunshine from amidst the scattered chestnuts and cork-trees that filled the lower part of the beautiful gorge, where, now hidden, now flashing out and scattering the rays of the sun, a torrent roared and foamed along its rocky course onward towards its junction with the great spanish river whose destination was the sea. again another ragged volley; and this was followed by a few dull, heavy-sounding single shots, which came evidently from a skirmishing party which was working its way along the steep slope across the river. there was no responsive platoon reply to the volley, but the skirmishing shots were answered directly by _crack! crack! crack_! the reports that sounded strangely different to those heavy, dull musket-shots which came from near at hand, and hardly needed glimpses of dark-green uniforms that dotted the hither slope of the mountain-side to proclaim that they were delivered by riflemen who a few minutes before were, almost in single line, making their way along a rugged mountain-path. a second glance showed that they formed the rear-guard of a body of sharpshooters, beyond whom in the distance could be made out now and then glints of bright scarlet, which at times looked almost orange in the brilliant sunshine--orange flashed with silver, as the sun played upon musket-barrel and fixed bayonet more than shoulder-high. the country spain, amidst the towering pyrenees; the scarlet that of a british column making its way along a rugged mule-path, from which those that traversed it looked down upon a scene of earthly beauty, and upwards at the celestial blue, beyond which towered the rugged peaks where here and there patches of the past winter's snow gleamed and sparkled in the sun. strategy had indicated retreat; and the black-green, tipped at collar and cuff with scarlet, of england's rifle-regiment was covering the retiring line, when the blue-coated columns of the french general's division had pressed on and delivered the wild volleys and scattered shots of the skirmishers which drew forth the sharp, vicious, snapping reply of the retreating rear-guard. "at last!" said one of the riflemen, rising from where he had knelt on one knee to take cover behind a bush, and there stand driving down a cartridge with a peculiarly sharp, ringing sound of iron against iron, before finishing off with a few heavy thuds, returning the bright rod to its loops, and raising the pan of the lock to see that it was well primed with the coarse powder of the day. "yes--at last!" said his nearest comrade, who with a few more had halted at a subaltern's command to wait in cover for a shot or two at their pursuing foe. "are we going to hold this place?" "no," said the young officer. "hear that, my man?" for a note or two of a bugle rang out sweet and clear in the beautiful valley, suggesting to one of the men a similar scene in an english dell; but he sighed to himself as it struck him that this was a different hunt, and that they, the men of the --th, the one rifle-regiment of the british army, were the hunted, and that those who followed were the french. a few more cracks from the rifles as the retreat was continued, and then the french musketry ceased; but the last of the sharpshooters obtained glimpses of the blue coats of the french coming quickly on. "have you sickened them, my lads?" said the young officer, as he led his men after the retreating main body of their friends. "no, sir," said the young private addressed; "they seem to have lost touch of us. the mule-track has led right away to the left here." "to be sure--yes. then they will begin again directly. keep your face well to the enemy, and take advantage of every bit of cover.--here, bugler, keep close up to me." the sturdy-looking boy addressed had just closed up to his officer's side when, as they were about to plunge into a low-growing patch of trees, there was another volley, the bullets pattering amongst the branches, twigs and leaves cut from above the men's heads falling thickly. "forward, my lads--double!" and the subaltern led his men through the trees to where the mountain-side opened out a little more; and, pointing with his sword to a dense patch a little farther on, he shouted, "take cover there! we must hold that patch.--here, bugler!--where's that boy?" no one answered, the men hurriedly following the speaker at the double; but the young private who had replied to the subaltern's questions, having fallen back to where he was running with a companion in the rear, looked over his shoulder, and then, startled by the feeling that the boy had not passed through the clump, he stopped short, his companion imitating his example and replying to the eager question addressed to him: "i dunno, mate. i thought he was with his officer. come on; we don't want to be prisoners." he started again as he spoke, not hearing, or certainly not heeding, his comrade's angry words-- "he must be back there in the wood." carrying his rifle at the trail, he dashed back into the wood, hearing, as he ran, shouts as of orders being given by the enemy; but he ran on right through the clump of trees to where the mule-path meandered along by the edge of the precipice, and lay open before him to the next patch of woodland which screened the following enemy from view. but the path was not unoccupied, for there, about fifty yards from him, he caught sight of his unfortunate young comrade, who, bugle in hand, was just struggling to his feet; and then, as he stood upright, he made a couple of steps forward, but only to stagger and reel for a moment; when, as his comrade uttered a cry, the boy tottered over the edge of the path, fell a few yards, and then rolled down the steep slope out of sight. the young rifleman did not stop to think, but occupied the brief moments in running to his comrade's help; and, just as a volley came crashing from the open wood beyond the path, he dropped down over the side, striving hard to keep his feet and to check his downward progress to where he felt that the boy must have fallen. catching vainly at branch and rock, he went on, down and down, till he was brought up short by a great mossy block of stone just as another volley was fired, apparently from the mule-track high above him; and half-unconsciously, in the confusion and excitement of the moment, he lay perfectly still, cowering amongst the sparse growth in the hope that he might not be seen from the shelf-like mule-track above, though expectant all the while that the next shot fired would be at him. but, as it happened, that next shot was accompanied by many more; and as, fearing to move, he strained his eyes upward, he could see the grey smoke rising, and hear the sound of a bugle, followed by the rush of feet, and he knew that, so far, he had not been seen, but that the strong body of the enemy were hurrying along the mule-track in full pursuit of his friends. "just as if i had been running," muttered the young rifleman; and he stole his left hand slowly upwards, from where he was lying in a most awkward position, to rest it upon his breast as if to check the heavy beating of his heart. "ah!" he panted at last, as with strained eyes and ears he waited for some sign of his presence behind the advancing enemy being known. "where's that boy?" he muttered hoarsely; and he tried to look about without moving, so as not to expose himself to any who might be passing along the rocky ledge. the next minute the necessity for caution was emphasised, for there was a hoarse command from somewhere above, followed by the heavy tramp of feet which told only too plainly that he was being cut off from his regiment by another body of the enemy. "i couldn't help it," he said. "i couldn't leave that poor fellow behind." he had hardly uttered this thought when, apparently from just beyond the rugged mass of stone which had checked his descent, there came a low groan, followed by a few words, amongst which the listener made out, "the cowards!" "that you, punch?" whispered the young rifleman excitedly. "eh, who's that?" was the faint reply. "hist! lie still. i'll try and get to you directly." "that you, private gray?" "yes, yes," was whispered back, and the speaker felt his heart leap within his breast; "but lie still for a few moments." "oh, do come! i'm--i've got it bad." the young private felt his heart sink again as he recalled the way in which the boy had staggered and fallen from the edge of the track above him. then, in answer to the appeal for help, he passed his rifle over his body, and, wrenching himself round, he managed to lower himself beyond the mass of rock so as to get beneath and obtain its shelter from those passing along the ledge, but only to slip suddenly for a yard or two, with the result that the shrubs over which he had passed sprang up again and supplied the shelter which he sought. "punch! punch! where are you?" he whispered, as, satisfied now that he could not be seen from above, he raised his head a little and tried to make out him whom he sought. but all was perfectly still about where he lay, while the sound of musketry came rolling and echoing along the narrow ravine; and above the trees, in the direction in which his friends must be, there was a rising and ever-thickening cloud of smoke. then for a few minutes the firing ceased, and in the midst of the intense silence there arose from the bushes just above the listener's head a quick twittering of premonitory notes, followed by the sharp, clear, ringing song of a bird, which thrilled the lad with a feeling of hope in the midst of what the moment before had been a silence that was awful. then from close at hand came a low, piteous groan, and a familiar voice muttered, "the cowards--to leave a comrade like this!" chapter two. poor punch. private gray, of his majesty's --th rifles,--wrenched himself round once more, pressed aside a clump of heathery growth, crawled quickly about a couple of yards, and found himself lying face to face with the bugler of his company. "why, punch, lad!" he said, "not hurt much, are you?" "that you, private gray?" "yes. but tell me, are you wounded?" "yes!" half-groaned the boy; and then with a sudden access of excitement, "here, i say, where's my bugle?" "oh, never mind your bugle. where are you hurt?" cried the boy's comrade. "in my bugle--i mean, somewhere in my back. but where's my instrument?" "there it is, in the grass, hanging by the cord." "oh, that's better," groaned the boy. "i thought all our chaps had gone on and left me to die." "and now you see that they hav'n't," said the boy's companion. "there, don't try to move. we mustn't be seen." "yes," almost babbled the boy, speaking piteously, "i thought they had all gone, and left me here. i did try to ketch up to them; but--oh, i am so faint and sick that it's all going round and round! here, private gray, you are a good chap, shove the cord over my head, and take care the enemy don't get my bugle. ah! water--water, please! it's all going round and round." penton gray made no effort now to look round for danger, but, unstopping his water-bottle, he crept closer to his companion in adversity, passed the strap of the boy's shako from under his chin, thrust his cap from his head to lie amongst the grass, and then opened the collar of his coatee and began to trickle a little water between the poor fellow's lips and sprinkled a little upon his temples. "ah!" sighed the boy, as he began to revive, "that's good! i don't mind now." "but you are hurt. where's your wound?" said the young private eagerly. "somewhere just under the shoulder," replied the boy. "'tain't bleeding much, is it?" "i don't know yet.--i won't hurt you more than i can help." "whatcher going to do?" "draw off your jacket so that i can see whether the hurt's bad." "'tain't very," said the boy, speaking feebly of body but stout of heart. "i don't mind, comrade. soldiers don't mind a wound.--oh, i say!" he cried, with more vigour than he had previously evinced. "did i hurt you?" "yes, you just did. were you cutting it with your knife?" "no," said his comrade with a half-laugh, as he drew his hand from where he had passed it under the boy's shoulder. "that's what cut you, punch," and he held up a ragged-looking bullet which had dropped into his fingers as he manipulated the wound. "thought you was cutting me with your knife," said the boy, speaking with some energy now. "but, i say, don't you chuck that away; i want that.--what did they want to shoot me there for--the cowards! just as if i was running away, when i was only obeying orders. if they had shot me in front i could have seen to it myself.--i say, does it bleed much?" "no, my lad; but it's an ugly place." "well, who wants it to be handsome? i ain't a girl. think you can stop it, private?" "i think i can bind it up, punch, and the bleeding will stop of itself." "that's good. i say, though, private--sure to die after it, ain't i?" "yes, some day," said the young soldier, smiling encouragingly at the speaker; and then by the help of a shirt-sleeve and a bandage which he drew from his knapsack, the young soldier managed pretty deftly to bind up his comrade's wound, and then place him in a more comfortable position, lying upon his side. "thank ye!" said the boy with a sigh. "but, i say, you have give it me hot." "i am very sorry, boy." "oh, never mind that. but just wipe my face; it's all as wet as wet, and the drops keep running together and tickling." this little service was performed, and then the boy turned his head uneasily aside. "what is it, punch?" "that there bullet--where is it?" "i have got it safe." "that's right. now, where's my bugle?" "there it is, quite safe too." "yes, that's right," said the boy faintly. "i don't want to lose that; but--oh, i say, look at that there dent! what'll the colonel say when he sees that?" "shall i tell you, punch?" said the young man, who bent over him, watching every change in his face. "yes--no. i know: `careless young whelp,' or something; and the sergeant--" "never mind the sergeant," said the young sharpshooter. "i want to tell you what the colonel will say, like the gentleman he is." "then, what'll he say?" said the wounded lad drowsily. "that he has a very brave boy in his regiment, and--poor chap, he has fainted again! my word, what a position to be in! our fellows will never be able to get back, and if i shout for help it means hospital for him, prison for me. what shall i do?" there was nothing to be done, as pen gray soon realised as he lay upon his side in the shade of the steep valley, watching his wounded comrade, who gradually sank into the sleep of exhaustion, while the private listened for every sound that might suggest the coming on or retreating of the french troops. his hopes rose once, for it seemed to him that the tide of war was ebbing and flowing lower down the valley, and his spirits rose as the mountain-breeze brought the sounds of firing apparently nearer and nearer, till he felt that the english troops had not only rallied, but were driving back the french over the ground by which they had come. but as the day wore on he found that his hopes were false; and, to make their position worse, fresh troops had come down the valley and were halted about a quarter of a mile from where he and his sleeping companion lay; while, lower down, the firing, which had grown fiercer and fiercer, gradually died out. he was intently straining his ears, when to his surprise the afternoon sun began to flash upon the weapons of armed men, and once more his hopes revived in the belief that the french were being driven back; but to his astonishment and dismay, as they came more and more into sight, a halt seemed to have been called, and they too settled down into a bivouac, and communications by means of mounted men took place between them and the halted party higher up the valley; the young rifleman, by using great care, watching the going to and fro unseen. evening was coming on, and pen gray was still watching and wondering whether it would be possible to take advantage of the darkness, when it fell, to try and pass down the valley, circumvent the enemy, and overtake their friends, when the wounded boy's eyes unclosed, and he lay gazing wonderingly in his comrade's eyes. "better, punch?" said pen softly. "what's the matter?" was the reply; and the boy gazed in his face in a dazed, half-stupid way. "don't you remember, lad?" "no," was the reply. "where's the ridgment?" "over yonder. somewhere about the mouth of the valley, i expect." "oh, all right. what time is it?" "i should think about five. why?" "why?" said the boy. "because there will be a row. why are we here?" "waiting till you are better before trying to join our company." "better? have we been resting, then, because my feet were so bad with the marching?" pen was silent as he half-knelt there, listening wonderingly to his comrade's half-delirious queries, and asking himself whether he had better tell the boy their real position. "so much marching," continued the boy, "and those blisters. ah, i remember! i say, private, didn't i get a bullet into me, and fall right down here? yes, that's it. here, private gray, what are you going to do?" "ah, what are we going to do?" said the young man sadly. "i was in hopes that you would be so much better, or rather i hoped you might, that we could creep along after dark and get back to our men; but i am afraid--" "so'm i," said the boy bitterly, as he tried to move himself a little, and then sank back with a faint groan. "couldn't do it, unless two of our fellows got me in a sergeant's sash and carried me." "i'd try and carry you on my back," said pen, "if you could bear it." "couldn't," said the boy abruptly. "i say, where do you think our lads are?" "beaten, perhaps taken prisoners," said pen bitterly. "serve 'em right--cowards! to go and leave us behind like this!" "don't talk so much." "why?" "it will make you feverish; and it's of no use to complain. they couldn't help leaving us. besides, i was not left." "then how come you to be here?" said the boy sharply. "i came after you, to help you." "more old stupid you! didn't you know when you were safe?" pen raised his brows a little and looked half-perplexed, half-amused at the irritable face of his comrade, who wrinkled up his forehead with pain, drew a hard breath, and then whispered softly, "i say, comrade, i oughtn't to have said that there, ought i?" pen was silent. "you saw me go down, didn't you?" pen bowed his head. "and you ran back to pick me up? ah!" he ejaculated, drawing his breath hard. "wound hurt you much, my lad?" "ye-es," said the lad, wincing; "just as if some one was boring a hole through my shoulder with a red-hot ramrod." "punch, my lad, i don't think it's a bad wound, for while you were asleep i looked, and found that it had stopped bleeding." "stopped? that's a good job; ain't it, comrade?" "yes; and with a healthy young fellow like you a wound soon begins to heal up if the wounded man lies quiet." "but i'm only a boy, private." "then the wound will heal all the more readily." "i say, how do you know all this?" said the boy, looking at him curiously. "by reading." "reading! ah, i can't read--not much; only little words. well, then, if you know that, i have got to lie still, then, till the hole's grown up. i say, have you got that bullet safe?" "oh yes." "don't you lose it, mind, because i mean to keep that to show people at home. even if i am a boy i should like people to know that i have been in the wars. so i have got to lie still and get well? won't be bad if you could get me a bundle or two of hay and a greatcoat to cover over me. the wind will come down pretty cold from the mountains; but i sha'n't mind that so long as the bears don't come too. i shall be all right, so you had better be off and get back to the regiment, and tell them where you have left me. i say, you will get promoted for it." "nonsense, punch! what for?" "sticking to a comrade like this. i have been thinking about it, and i call it fine of you running back to help me, with the frenchies coming on. yes, i know. don't make faces about it. the colonel will have you made corporal for trying to save me." "of course!" said pen sarcastically. "why, i'm not much older than you--the youngest private in the regiment; more likely to be in trouble for not keeping in the ranks, and shirking the enemy's fire." "don't you tell me," said the boy sharply. "i'll let the colonel and everybody know, if ever i get back to the ranks again." "what's that?" said pen sharply. "if ever you get back to the ranks again! why, you are not going to set up a faint heart, are you?" "'tain't my heart's faint, but my head feels sick and swimmy. but, i say, do you think you ought to do any more about stopping up the hole so as to give a fellow a chance?" "i'll do all i can, punch," said pen; "but you know i'm not a surgeon." "course i do," said the boy, laughing, but evidently fighting hard to hide his suffering. "you are better than a doctor." "better, eh?" "yes, ever so much, because you are here and the doctor isn't." the boy lay silent for a few minutes, evidently thinking deeply. "i say, private," he said at last, "i can't settle this all out about what's going to be done; but i think this will be best." "what?" "what i said before. you had better wait till night, and then creep off and follow our men's track. it will be awkward in the dark, but you ought to be able to find out somehow, because there's only one road all along by the side of this little river. you just keep along that while it's dark, and trust to luck when it's daytime again. only, look here, my water-bottle's empty, so, as soon as you think it's dark enough, down you go to the river, fill it, and bring it back, and i shall be all right till our fellows fight their way back and pick me up." "and if they are not able to--what then?" said pen, smiling. "well, i shall wait till i get so hungry i can't wait any longer, and then i will cry _chy-ike_ till the frenchies come and pick me up. but, i say, they won't stick a bayonet through me, will they?" "what, through a wounded boy!" said pen angrily. "no, they are not so bad as that." "thank ye! i like that, private. i have often wished i was a man; but now i'm lying here, with a hole in my back, i'm rather glad that i am only a boy. now then, catch hold of my water-bottle. it will soon be dark enough for you to get down to the river; and you mustn't lose any time. oh, there's one thing more, though. you had better take my bugle; we mustn't let the enemy have that. i think as much of my bugle as bony's chaps do of their eagles. you will take care of it, won't you?" "yes, when i carry it," said pen quietly. "well, you are going to carry it now, aren't you?" "no," said pen quietly. "oh, you mean, not till you have fetched the water?" pen shook his head. "what do you mean, then?" "to do my duty, boy." "of course you do; but don't be so jolly fond of calling me boy. you said yourself a little while ago that you weren't much older than i am. but, i say, you had better go now; and i suppose i oughtn't to talk, for it makes my head turn swimmy, and we are wasting time; and--oh, gray," the boy groaned, "i--i can't help it. i never felt so bad as this. there, do go now. get the water, and if i am asleep when you come back, don't wake me so that i feel the pain again. but--but--shake hands first, and say good-bye." the boy uttered a faint cry of agony as he tried to stretch out his hand, which only sank down helplessly by his side. "well, good-bye," he panted, as pen's dropped slowly upon the quivering limb. "well, why don't you go?" "because it isn't time yet," said pen meaningly, as after a glance round he drew some of the overhanging twigs of the nearest shrub closer together, and then passed his hand across the boy's forehead, and afterwards held his wrist. "thank you, doctor," said the boy, smiling. "that seems to have done me good. now then, aren't you going?" "no," said pen, with a sigh. "i say--why?" "you know as well as i do," replied pen. "you mean that you won't go and leave me here alone? that's what you mean." "yes, punch; you are quite right. but look here. suppose i was lying here wounded, would you go off and leave me at night on this cold mountain-side, knowing how those brutes of wolves hang about the rear of the army? you have heard them of a night, haven't you?" "yes," said the boy, shudderingly drawing his breath through his tightly closed teeth. "i say, comrade, what do you want to talk like that for?" "because i want you to answer my question: would you go off and leave me here alone?" "no, i'm blessed if i would," said the boy, speaking now in a voice full of animation. "i couldn't do it, comrade, and it wouldn't be like a soldier's son." "but i am not a soldier's son, punch." "no," said the boy, "and that's what our lads say. they don't like you, and they say--there, i won't tell you what." "yes, tell me, punch. i should like to know." "they say that they have not got anything else against you, only you have no business here in the ranks." "why do they say that?" "because, when they are talking about it, they say you are a gentleman and a scholard." "but i thought i was always friendly and sociable with them." "so you are, private gray," cried the boy excitedly; "and if ever i get back to the ranks alive i'll tell them you are the best comrade in the regiment, and how you wouldn't leave me in the lurch." "and i shall make you promise, punch, that you never say a word." "all right," said the boy, with a faint smile, "i'll promise. i won't say a word; but," he continued, with a shudder which did not conceal his smile, "they will be sure to find it out and get to like you as much as i do now." "what's the matter, punch?" said pen shortly. "cold?" "head's hot as fire, so's my shoulder; but everywhere else i am like ice. and there's that swimming coming in my head again.--i don't mind. it's all right, comrade; i shall be better soon, but just now--just now--" the boy's voice trailed off into silence, and a few minutes later young private penton gray, of his majesty's newly raised --th rifles, nearly all fresh bearers of the weapon which was to do so much to win the battles of the peninsular war, prepared to keep his night-watch on the chilly mountain-side by stripping off his coatee and unrolling his carefully folded greatcoat to cover the wounded lad. and that night-watch was where he could hear the howling and answering howls of the loathsome beasts that seemed to him to say: "this way, comrades: here, and here, for men are lying wounded and slain; the watch-fires are distant, and there are none to hinder us where the banquet is spread. come, brothers, come!" chapter three. where the wolves howl. "ugh!" a long, shivering shudder following upon the low, dismal howl of a wolf. "bah! how cold it is lying out here in this chilly wind which comes down from the mountain tops! i say, what an idiot i was to strip myself and turn my greatcoat into a counterpane! no, i won't be a humbug; that wasn't the cold. it was sheer fright--cowardice--and i should have felt just the same if i had had a blanket over me. the brutes! there is something so horrible about it. the very idea of their coming down from the mountains to follow the trail of the fighting, and hunt out the dead or the wounded who have been forgotten or have crawled somewhere for shelter." pen gray lay thinking in the darkness, straining his ears the while to try and convince himself that the faint sound he heard was not a movement made by a prowling wolf scenting them out; and as he lay listening, he pictured to himself the gaunt, grisly beast creeping up to spring upon him. "only fancy!" he said sadly. "that wasn't the breathing of one of the beasts, only the wind again that comes sighing down from the mountains.--i wish i was more plucky." he stretched out his hand and laid his rifle amongst the shrubs with its muzzle pointed in the direction from whence the sighing sound had come. "i'll put an end to one of them," he muttered bitterly, "if i don't miss him in the dark. pooh! they won't come here, or if they do i have only to jump up and the cowardly beasts will dash off at once; but it is horrid lying here in the darkness, so solitary and so strange. i wouldn't care so much if the stars would come out, but they won't to-night. to-night? why, it must be nearly morning, for i have been lying here hours and hours. and how dark it is in this valley, with the mountains towering up on each side. i wish the day would come, but it always does seem ten times as long when you are waiting and expecting it. it is getting cold though. seems to go right through to one's bones.--poor boy," he continued, as he stretched out one hand and gently passed it beneath his companion's covering. "he's warm enough. no--too hot; and i suppose that's fever from his wound. poor chap! such a boy too! but as brave as brave. he must be a couple of years younger than i am; but he's more of a man. oh, i do wish it was morning, so that i could try and do something. there must be cottages somewhere-- shepherds' or goat-herds'--where as soon as the people understand that we are not french they might give me some black-bread and an onion or two." the young soldier laughed a soft, low, mocking kind of laugh. "black-bread and an onion! how queer it seems! why, there was a time when i wouldn't have touched such stuff, while now it sounds like a feast. but let's see; let's think about what i have got to do. as soon as it's daylight i must find a cottage and try to make the people understand what's the matter, and get them to help me to carry poor punch into shelter. another night like this would kill him. i don't know, though. i always used to think that lying down in one's wet clothes, and perhaps rain coming in the night, would give me a cold; but it doesn't. i must get him into shelter, though, somehow. oh, if morning would only come! the black darkness makes one feel so horribly lonely.--what nonsense! i have got poor punch here. but he has the best of it; he can sleep, and here i haven't even closed my eyes. being hungry, i suppose.--i wonder where our lads are. gone right off perhaps. i hope we haven't lost many. but the firing was very sharp, and i suppose the french have kept up the pursuit, and they are all miles and miles away." at that moment there was a sharp flash with the report of a musket, and its echoes seemed to be thrown back from the steep slope across the torrent, while almost simultaneously, as gray raised himself upon his elbow, there was another report, and another, and another, followed by more, some of which seemed distant and the others close at hand; while, as the echoes zigzagged across the valley, and the lad stretched out his hand to draw himself up into a sitting position, oddly enough that hand touched something icy, and he snatched it back with a feeling of annoyance, for he realised that it was only the icy metal that formed his wounded companion's bugle, and he lay listening to the faint notes of another instrument calling upon the men to assemble. "why, it's a night attack," thought pen excitedly, and unconsciously he began to breathe hard as he listened intently, while he fully grasped the fact that there were men of the french brigade dotted about in all directions. "and there was i thinking that we were quite alone!" he said to himself. then by degrees his short experience of a few months of the british occupation on the borders of portugal and spain taught him that he had been listening to a night alarm, for from out of the darkness came the low buzz of voices, another bugle was sounded, distant orders rang out, and then by degrees the low murmur of voices died away, and once more all was still. "i was in hopes," thought gray, "that our fellows were making a night attack, giving the enemy a surprise. why, there must be hundreds within reach. that puts an end to my going hunting about for help as soon as the day breaks, unless i mean us to be taken prisoners. why, if i moved from here i should be seen.--asleep, punch?" he said softly. there was no reply, and the speaker shuddered as he stretched out his hand to feel for his companion's forehead; but at the first touch there was an impatient movement, and a feeling of relief shot through the lad's breast, for imagination had been busy, and was ready to suggest that something horrible might have happened in the night. "oh, i do wish i wasn't such a coward," he muttered. "he's all right, only a bit feverish. what shall i do? try and go to sleep till morning? what's the good of talking? i am sure i couldn't, even if i did try." then the weary hours slowly crept along, the watcher trying hard to settle in his own mind which was the east, but failing dismally, for the windings of the valley had been such that he could only guess at the direction where the dawn might appear. there were no more of the dismal bowlings of the wolves, though, the scattered firing having effectually driven them away; but there were moments when it seemed to the young watcher that the night was being indefinitely prolonged, and he sighed again and again as he strained his eyes to pierce the darkness, and went on trying to form some plan as to his next movement. "i wonder how long we could lie in hiding here," he said to himself, "without food. poor punch in his state wouldn't miss his ration; but by-and-by, if the french don't find us, this bitter cold will have passed away, and we shall be lying here in the scorching sunshine--for it can be hot in these stuffy valleys--and the poor boy will be raving for water--yes, water. who was that chap who was tortured by having it close to him and not being able to reach it? tantalus, of course! i am forgetting all my classics. well, soldiers don't want cock-and-bull stories out of lempriere. i wonder, though, whether i could crawl down among the bushes to the edge of the torrent and fill our water-bottles, and get back up here again without being seen. but perhaps, when the day comes, and if they don't see us, the french will move off, and then i need only wait patiently and try and find some cottage.--yes, what is it?" he raised himself upon his arm again, for punch had begun to mutter; but there was no reply. "talking in his sleep," said pen with a sigh. "good for him that he can sleep! oh, surely it must be near morning now!" the lad sprang to his knees and placed one hand over his eyes as he strained himself round, for all at once he caught sight of a tiny speck as of glowing fire right overhead, and he stared in amazement. "why, that can't be daylight!" he thought. "it would appear, of course, low down in the east, just a faint streak of dawn. that must be some dull star peering through the clouds. why, there are two of them," he said in a whisper; "no, three. why, it is day coming!" and he uttered a faint cry of joy as he crouched low again and gazed, so to speak, with all his might at the wondrous scene of beauty formed by the myriad specks of orange light which began to spread overhead, and grow and grow till the mighty dome that seemed supported in a vast curve by the mountains on either side of the valley became one blaze of light. "punch," whispered pen excitedly, "it's morning! look, look! how stupid!" he muttered. "why should i wake him to pain and misery? yes, it is morning, sure enough," he muttered again, for a bugle rang out apparently close at hand, and was answered from first one direction and then another, the echoes taking up the notes softly and repeating them again and again till it seemed to the listener as if he must be lying with quite an army close at hand awakening to the day. the light rapidly increased, and pen began to look in various directions for danger, wondering the while whether some patch of forest would offer itself as an asylum somewhere close at hand; but he only uttered a sigh of relief as he grasped the fact that, while high above them the golden light was gleaming down from the sun-flecked clouds, the gorges were still full of purple gloom, and clouds of thick mist were slowly gathering in the valley-bottom and were being wafted along by the breath of morn and following the course of the river. to his great relief too, as the minutes glided by, he found that great patches of the rolling smoke-like mist rose higher and higher till a soft, dank cloud enveloped them where they lay, and through it he could hear faintly uttered orders and the tramp of men apparently gathering and passing along the shelf-like mule-path. "and i was longing for the sun to rise!" thought pen.--"ah, there's an officer;" for somewhere just overhead there was the sharp click of an iron-shod hoof among the rocks. "he must have seen us if it hadn't been for this mist," thought the lad. "now if it will only last for half an hour we may be safe." the mist did last for quite that space of time--in fact, until pen gray was realising that the east lay right away to his right--for a golden shaft of light suddenly shot horizontally from a gap in the mountains, turning the heavy mists it pierced into masses of opalescent hues; and, there before him, he suddenly caught sight of a cameo-like figure which stood out from where he knew that the shelf-like mule-path must run. the great bar of golden light enveloped both rider and horse, and flashed from the officer's raised sword and the horse's trappings. then the rolling cloud of mist swept on and blotted him from sight, and pen crouched closer and closer to his sleeping comrade, and lay with bated breath listening to the tramp, tramp of the passing men not a hundred feet above his head, and praying now that the wreaths of mist might screen them, as they did till what seemed to him to be a strong brigade had gone on in the direction taken by his friends. but he did not begin to breathe freely till the tramping of hoofs told to his experienced ears that a strong baggage-train of mules was on its way. then came the tramp of men again. "rear-guard," he thought; and then his heart sank once more, for the tramping men swept by in the midst of a dense grey cloud, which looked like smoke as it rolled right onward, and as if by magic the sun burst out and filled the valley with a blaze of light. "they must see us now," groaned pen; and he closed his eyes in his despair. chapter four. "water, or i shall die!" pen's heart beat heavily as he lay listening to the tramping of feet upon the rocky shelf, and at last the sounds seemed so close that he drew himself together ready to spring to his feet and do what he could to protect his injured comrade. for in his strange position the idea was strong upon him that their first recognition by the enemy might be made with the presentation of a bayonet's point. but his anticipations proved to be only the work of an excited brain; and, as he lay perfectly still once more, the heavy tramp, tramp, a good deal wanting in the regularity of the british troops, died out, and he relieved the oppression that bore down upon his breast with a deep sigh. nothing was visible as the sounds died out; and, waiting till he felt that he was safe, he changed his position slightly so as to try and make out whether the rear-guard of the enemy had quite disappeared. in an instant he had shrunk down again amongst the bushes, for there, about a hundred yards away, at the point of an angle where the mule-path struck off suddenly to the left, and at a spot that had undoubtedly been chosen for its command of the road backward, he became aware of the presence of an outpost of seven or eight men. this was startling, for it put a check upon any attempt at movement upon his own part. pen lay thinking for a few moments, during which he made sure that his comrade was still plunged in a deep, stupor-like sleep. then, after a little investigation, he settled how he could move slightly without drawing the attention of the vedette; and, taking advantage thereof, crawled cautiously about a couple of yards with the greatest care. then, looking back as he slowly raised his head, which he covered with a few leafy twigs, he was by no means surprised to see at the edge of the mule-path about a quarter of a mile away another vedette. this shut off any attempt at retreat in that direction, and he was about to move again when he was startled by a flash of light reflected from a musket-barrel whose bearer was one acting as the leader of a third vedette moving up the side of the valley across the river, and which soon came to a halt at about the same height above the stream as that which he occupied himself. the lad could not control a movement of impatience as the little knot of infantry settled themselves exactly opposite to his own hiding-place, and in a position from which the french soldiers must be able to control one slope of the valley for a mile in each direction. "it's maddening!" thought pen. "i sha'n't be able to stir, and i dare say they'll have more vedettes stationed about. it means giving up, and nothing else." very slowly and cautiously he wrenched himself round, and then rolled over twice so as to bring himself alongside of his sleeping comrade; and then, as he resumed his reconnoitring, where he was just able to command the farther side of the valley away to his right and in a direction where he hoped to find the land clear, he started again. "why, they are everywhere!" said the lad half-aloud and with a faint groan of dismay; for there, higher up the opposite side, were a couple of sentries who seemed to be looking straight down upon him. "why, they must have seen me!" he muttered; and for quite an hour now he lay without stirring, half in the expectation of seeing the low bushes in motion and a little party of the blue-coated enemy coming across to secure fresh prisoners. but the time wore on, with the chill of the night dying out in the warm sunshine now beginning to search pen's side of the valley with the bright shafts of light, which suggested to him the necessity for covering his well-kept rifle with the leafy twigs he was able to gather cautiously so as not to betray his presence. he was in the act of doing this when, turning his head slightly, a flash of light began to play right into his eyes, and he stopped short once more to try and make out whether this had been seen by either of the enemy on duty, for he now awoke to the fact that poor punch's bugle was lying quite exposed. the fact was so startling that, instead of trying to reach its cord and draw the glistening instrument towards him, he lay perfectly still again, sweeping the sides of the valley as far as he could in search of danger, but searching in vain, till the thought occurred to him that he might achieve the object he had in view by cautiously taking out his knife and cutting twig after twig so that they might fall across the curving polished copper. this he contrived to do, and then lay still once more, breathing freely in the full hope that if he gave up further attempt at movement he might escape detection. "besides," he said to himself, with a bitter smile playing upon his lips, "if they do make us out they may not trouble, for they will think we are dead." he lay still then, waiting for punch to awaken so that he could warn him to lie perfectly quiet. the hours glided by, with the sun rising higher and setting the watcher thinking, in spite of his misery, weariness, and the pangs of hunger that attacked him, of what a wonderfully beautiful contrast there was between the night and the day. with nothing else that he could do, he recalled the horrors of the past hours, the alternating chills of cold and despair, and the howlings of the wolves; and he uttered more than one sigh of relief as his eyes swept the peaks away across the valley, which here and there sent forth flashes of light from a few scattered patches of melting snow, the beautiful violet shadows of the transverse gullies through which sparkling rivulets descended with many a fall to join the main stream, which dashed onward with the dull, musical roar which rose and fell, now quite loud, then almost dying completely away. the valley formed a very paradise to the unfortunate fugitive, and he muttered bitterly: "how beautiful it would have been under other circumstances, when such a wondrous scene of peace was not disfigured by war! so bitterly cold last night," thought the young private impatiently, for he was fighting now against two assaults, both of which came upon him when he was trying hard to lie perfectly still and maintain his equanimity while the pangs of hunger and thirst were growing poignant. "it seems so easy," he muttered, "to lie still and keep silence, and here i am feeling that i must move and do something, and wanting so horribly to talk. it would be better if that poor boy would only awaken and speak to me. and there's that water, too," he continued, as the faint plashing, rippling sound rose to his ears from below. "oh, how i could drink! i wish the wind would rise, so that i couldn't hear that dull plashing sound. how terribly hot the sun is; and it's getting worse!" then a horrible thought struck him, that punch might suddenly wake up and begin to talk aloud, feverish and delirious from his sufferings; and then when pen's troubles were at their very worst, and he could hardly contain himself and keep from creeping downwards to the water's edge, it seemed as if a cloud swept over him, and all was blank, for how long he could not tell, but his fingers closed sharply to clutch the twigs and grass amongst which he lay as he started into full consciousness. "why, i have been asleep!" he muttered. "i must have been;" and he stared wildly around. there was a great shadow there, and now the sun is beating down upon that little gully and lighting up the flashing waters of the fall. "why, i must have been sleeping for hours, and it must be quite midday." his eyes now sought the positions of the different vedettes, and all was so brilliant and clear that he saw where the men had stood up their muskets against bush or tree, noted the flash from bayonets and the duller gleam from musket-barrels. in one case, too, the men were sheltering themselves beneath a tree, and this sent an additional pang of suffering through the lad, as he felt for the first time that the sun was playing with burning force upon his neck. "it's of no use," he said. "even if they see me, i must move." but he made the movement with the mental excuse that it was to see how his wounded companion fared. it only meant seizing hold of a clump of wiry heather twice over and drawing himself to where his face was close to the sleeper. then he resigned himself again with a sigh to try and bear his position. "he's best off," he muttered, "bad as he is, for he can't feel what i do." how the rest of that day of scorching sunshine and cruel thirst passed onward pen gray could not afterwards recall. for the most part it was like a feverish dream, till he awoke to the fact that the sun was sinking fast, and that from time to time a gentle breath of cool air was wafted down from the mountains. then the hunger began to torture him again, though at times the thirst was less. his brain was clearer, though, and he lay alternately watching the vedettes and noting that they had somewhat changed their positions, and trying to perfect his plans as to what he must do as soon as the shades of night should render it possible for him to move unseen. finally, the last sentry was completely blotted out by the gathering darkness; and, uttering the words aloud, "now for it!" pen tried to raise himself to his knees before proceeding to carry out his plan, when he sank back again with an ejaculation half of wonder, half of dread. for a feeling of utter numbness shot through him, paralysing every movement; while, prickling and stinging, every fibre of his frame literally quivered as he lay there in despair, feeling that all his planning had been in vain, and that now the time had arrived when he might carry out his attempt in safety the power of movement had absolutely gone. how long he lay like this he could not tell, but it was until the night-breeze was coming down briskly from the mountains, and the sound of the plashing water far below sent a sudden feeling of excitement through his nerves. "water!" he muttered. "water, or i shall die!" chapter five. hard work. it was like coming back to life. in an instant pen felt full of energy and excitement once more. the pangs of hunger supplemented those of thirst; and, almost raging against them now, he felt that he must fight, and he rose with an effort to his feet, with the tingling numbness feeling for the moment worse than ever, but only to prick and spur him into action. "ah!" he ejaculated, "it is like life coming back." turning to where his comrade lay breathing heavily, he snatched off the leafy twigs with which he had sheltered him. "asleep, punch?" he said; but he was only answered by a low sigh. "poor boy!" he muttered; "but i must." he snatched off, full of energy now, his jacket and overcoat, and resumed them. then, picking up his rifle, he slackened the sling and passed it over his shoulder. in doing this he kicked against the bugle, and slung the cord across the other shoulder. then, tightening the strap of his shako beneath his chin, he drew a deep breath and looked first in the one direction and then in another in search of the vedettes; but all was darkness for a while, and he was beginning to feel the calm of certainty as regarded their being perfectly free from observation, when, from the nearest point where he had made out the watchers, he suddenly became aware of how close one party was by seeing the faint spark of light which the next minute deepened into a glow, and the wind wafted to his nostrils the odour of coarse, strong tobacco. "ah, nearer than i thought," said the lad to himself, and, looking round once more, he made out another faint glow of light; and then, bending over his comrade, he felt about for his hands and glided his own to the boy's wrists, which felt dank and cold, as he stood thinking for a moment or two of the poor fellow's condition. "i can't help it. my only hope is that he is quite insensible to pain. he must be, or he couldn't sleep like this. it must be done." pen's plans had been carefully laid, and he had not anticipated any difficulty. "it's only a matter of strength," he said to himself, "and i feel desperate and strong enough now to do anything." but it meant several failures, and he was checked by groan after groan before he at last managed to seat himself with his back to the wounded boy, after propping him up against one of the gnarled little oak-trunks amongst which they had been lying. again and again he had been hindered by the rifle slung across his back. more than once, too, he had despairingly told himself that he must cast it aside, but only to feel that at any cost a soldier must hold to his arms. then it was the cartouche-box; this, drawn round before him, he was troubled by the position of his haversack, and ready to rage with despair at the difficulties which he had to overcome. at last, though, he sat there shivering, and listening to try and make out whether the poor boy's moanings had been heard, before drawing a deep breath and beginning to drag the poor fellow's wrists over his shoulders. then, making one tremendous heave as he threw himself forward, he had punch well upon his back and staggered up, finding himself plunging down the slope headlong as he struggled to keep his feet, but in vain; for his balance was gone, and a heavy fall was saved by his going head first into the tangled branches of a scrub oak, where he was brought up short with his shako driven down over his eyes. penton regained his balance and his breath--to stand listening for some sound of the enemy having taken the alarm, but all was quite still--and, freeing his rifle, he began to use it in the darkness as a staff of support, and to feel his way amongst the shrubs and stones downward always, the butt saving him from more than one fall, for he could not take a step without making sure of a safe place for his feet before he ventured farther. it was a long and tedious task; but in the silence of the night the sound of the rushing water acted as a guide, and by slow degrees, and after many a rest, he felt at last that he must be getting nearer to the river. but, unfortunately, the lower he plunged downwards the deeper grew the obscurity, while the moisture from the rushing stream made the tangled growth more dense. consequently, he had several times over to stop and fight his way out of some thicket and make a fresh start. at such times he took advantage more than once of some low-growing horizontal oak-boughs, which barred his way and afforded him a resting-place, across which he could lean and make the bough an easy support for his burden. it had seemed but a short distance down to the stream from where he scrutinised his probable path overhead, and doubtless without burden and by the light of day half an hour would have been sufficient to carry him to the river's brink; but it was in all probability that nearer three hours had elapsed before his farther progress was checked by his finding himself in the midst of a perfect chaos of rocks, just beyond which the water was falling heavily; and, utterly exhausted, he was glad to lower his burden softly down upon a bed of loose shingle and dry sand. "there's nothing for it but to wait for day," he said half-aloud, and then--after, as best he could in the darkness, placing the wounded boy in a comfortable position and again covering him with his outer garments--he began to feel his way cautiously onward till he found that every time and in whatever direction he thrust down the butt of his rifle it plashed into rushing water which came down so heavily that it splashed up again into his face, and in spite of the darkness he could feel that he was standing somewhere at the foot of a fall where a heavy volume of water was being dashed down from a considerable height. pen's first proceeding now was to go down upon his knees as close to the torrent as he could get, and there refill his water-bottle, before (after securing it) he leaned forward and lowered his face until his lips touched the flowing water, and he drank till his terrible thirst was assuaged. this great desire satisfied, he rose again, to stand listening to the heavy rush and roar of the falls, which were evidently close at hand, and whose proximity produced a strange feeling of awe, suggestive, as it were, of a terrible danger which paralysed him for the time being and held him motionless lest at his next step he should be swept away. the feeling passed off directly as the thought came that his comrade was insensible and dependent upon him for help; and it struck him now that he might not be able in that thick darkness to find the spot where he had left him. this idea came upon him with such force as he made a step first in one direction and then in another that he began to lose nerve. "oh, it won't do to play the coward now," he muttered. "i must find him--i must! i must try till i do." but there is something terribly confusing in thick darkness. it is as if a natural instinct is awakened that compels the one who is lost to go wrong; and before pen gray had correctly retraced his steps from where he had lain down to drink he had probably passed close to his insensible companion at least a score of times, while the sense of confusion, the nearness of danger and a terrible death, grew and grew till in utter despair and exhaustion he staggered a few steps and sank down almost breathless. "it is no good," he groaned to himself. "i can do no more. i must wait till daylight." as he lay stretched out upon his back, panting heavily from weakness, it seemed to him that the roar of the falling water had redoubled, and the fancy came upon him that there was a tone of mocking triumph over his helplessness. in fact, the exertion which he had been called upon to make, the want of sleep, and possibly the exposure during many hours to the burning sun, had slightly affected his brain, so that his wild imagination conjured up non-existent dangers till all was blank, for he sank into the deep sleep of exhaustion, and lay at last open-eyed, wondering, and asking himself whether the foaming water that was plunging down a few yards away was part of some dream, in which he was lying in a fairy-like glen gazing at a rainbow, a little iris that spanned in a bridge of beauty the sparkling water, coming and going as the soft breeze rose and fell, while the sun sent shafts of light through the dew-sprinkled leaves of the many shrubs and trees that overhung the flowing water and nearly filled the glen. sleep still held him in its slackening grasp, and he lay motionless, enjoying the pleasant sense of coolness and rest till his attention was caught by a black-and-white bird which suddenly came into sight by alighting upon a rock in the midst of the rushing stream. it was one of many scattered here and there, and so nearly covered by the water that every now and then, as the black-and-white bird hurried here and there, its legs were nearly covered; but it seemed quite at home, and hurried away, wading easily and seldom using its wings, till all at once, as pen watched, he saw the little creature take a step, give its tail a flick, and disappear, not diving but regularly walking into deep water, to reappear a few yards away, stepping on to another rock, running here and there for a few moments, and again disappearing in the most unaccountable way. "it is all a dream," thought pen. "ducks dive, but no bird could walk under water like that. why, it's swimming and using its wings like a fish's fins. i must be asleep." at that moment the bird stepped on to another rock, to stand heel-deep; and as it was passing out of sight with a quick fluttering of its wings, which did not seem to be wetted in the least, pen made an effort to raise himself on his elbow, felt a dull, aching sensation of strain, and lost sight of the object that had caught his attention. he found, however, that it was no dream, for across the little torrent and high up the steep, precipitous bank before him he could see a goat contentedly browsing upon the tender green twigs of the bushes; while, at his next movement, as he tried to raise himself a little more, there within touch, and half behind him, lay the companion whose very existence had been blotted out of his mind; and he uttered a cry of joy--or rather felt that he did, for the sound was covered by the roar of the falling water--and dragged himself painfully to where he could lay one hand upon the bugle-boy's breast. "why, punch," he felt that he cried, as the events of the past hours came back with a rush, "i thought i'd lost you. no, i fancied--i--here, am i going mad?" he felt that he shouted that question aloud, and then, sending a pang through his strained shoulder, he clapped his hands to his forehead and looked down wildly at the still insensible boy. "here, punch! punch!" he repeated inaudibly. "speak--answer! i--oh, how stupid!" he muttered--"i am awake, and it is the roar of that water that seems to sweep away every other sound. yes, that must be it;" for just then he saw that the goat had raised its head as it gazed across at him, and stretched out its neck. "why, it's bleating," he said to himself, "and i can't hear a sound." the efforts he had made seemed to enable him to think more clearly, and his next act was to rise to his knees stiffly and painfully, and then begin to work his joints a little before bending over his companion and shrinkingly laying his hand upon his breast. this had the desired effect--one which sent a strange feeling of relief through the young private's breast--for the wondering, questioning eyes he now met looked bright and intelligent, making him bend lower till he could speak loudly in the boy's ear the simple question, "how are you?" he could hardly hear the words himself, but that they had been heard by him for whom they were intended was evident, for punch's lips moved in reply, and the next moment, to pen's delight, he raised one hand to his parched lips and made a sign as of drinking. "ah, you are better!" cried pen excitedly, and this time he felt that he almost heard his own words above the deep-toned, musical roar. chapter six. pen's patient. punch's appealing sign was sufficient to chase away the imaginative notions that had beset pen's awakening. his hand went at once to the water-bottle slung to his side, and, as he held the mouth to his comrade's lips and forgot the pain he suffered in his strained and stiffening joints, he watched with a feeling of pleasure the avidity with which the boy drank; and as he saw the strange bird flit by once more he recalled having heard of such a bird living in the west country. "yes," he said to himself, "i remember now--the dipper. busy after water-beetles and perhaps after tiny fish.--you are better, punch, or you wouldn't drink like that;" and he carefully lowered the boy's head as he ceased drinking. "yes, and though i can't hear you, you have come to your senses again, or you would not look at me like that.--ah, i forgot all about them!" for a sound other than that produced by the falling waters came faintly to his ear. it was from somewhere far above, and echoed twice. "yes, i had forgotten all about them." he began looking anxiously about him, taking in the while that he was close to the river where it ran in a deep, precipitous gully; and as he looked up now to right and then to left, eagerly and searchingly, for the danger that he knew could not be far away, his eyes ranged through densely wooded slopes, lit up here and there by the morning sunshine, and always sweeping the sides of the valley in search of the vedettes, but without avail, not even the rugged mule-path that ran along the side being visible. "they are not likely to see us here," pen said to himself, "and they can't have seen me coming down. oh, what a job it was! i feel as if i must have been walking in my sleep half the time, and i am so stiff i can hardly move. but i did it, and we must be safe if we can keep out of sight; and that ought to be easy, for they are not likely to come down here. now, what's to be done?" that was a hard question to answer; but growing once more full of energy now that he was satisfied that there was no immediate danger, pen stepped back lamely, as if every muscle were strained, to his companion's side, to be greeted with a smile and a movement of the boy's lips. "now, let's see to your wound," he said, with his lips to the boy's ear; and he passed one hand under punch's wounded shoulder to try and turn him over. this time, as punch's lips parted and his face grew convulsed with pain, pen's ears mastered the roar, and he heard the sufferer's cry. "hurt you too much?" he said, as he once more put his lips to the boy's ear. the answer was a nod. "well," thought pen, "he must be better, so i'll let him be; but we can't stop here. i must try and get him through the trees and away from this horrible noise. but i can't do it now. at least, i don't think i can. then, what's next?" the inaudible reply to the question came from somewhere inside, and he bent closer over punch once more. "aren't you hungry?" he roared in his ear. the boy shook his head. "well, i am," shouted pen.--"oh, how stupid! this is like telling the enemy where we are, if they are anywhere within hearing. hullo, what does this mean?" for he suddenly caught sight of the goat springing from stone to stone low down the stream as if coming to their side of the rushing water; and with the thought filling his mind that a tame goat like this must have an owner who was more likely to be an enemy of strangers than a friend, pen began searching the rugged slopes on both sides of the river, but in vain. the goat, which had crossed, was now coming slowly towards them, appearing to be quite alone, though soon proving itself to be quite accustomed to the presence of human beings, for it ended by trotting over the sand and shingle at the river's edge till it had approached them quite closely, to stand bleating at them, doubtless imploringly, though no sound was heard. this lasted for a few minutes, and then the goat moved away, passing punch, and disappearing upward through the dense growth, and apparently making its way up by the side of the great fall. no sooner was it out of sight than a thought struck pen; and, making a sign to his companion that meant "i won't be long," he shouldered his rifle and began to climb upwards in the direction taken by the goat. he was beginning to regret now that he had not started sooner, for there was no sign of the little beast, and he was about to turn when, just to his right, he noted faint signs of what seemed to be a slightly used track which was easy to follow, and, stepping out, he observed the trees were more open, and at the end of a few minutes he found himself level with the top of the falls, where the river was gliding along in a deep, glassy sheet before making its plunge over the smooth, worn rocks into a basin below. he had just grasped this when he saw that the faint track bore off to the right, and caught sight of the goat again moving amongst the trees, and for the next few minutes he had no difficulty in keeping it in sight, and, in addition, finding that it was making for what seemed to be the edge of another stream which issued from a patch of woodland on its way to the main torrent. "i must get him here if i can," thought pen, for the roar of the falling waters was subdued into a gentle murmur, and to his surprise he caught sight of a shed-like building amongst the trees, fenced in by piled-up pieces of stone evidently taken from the smaller stream which he approached; and it was plain that this was the spot for which the goat had been making. the young rifleman stopped short, trying to make out whether the place was inhabited; but he could see no sign save that the goat was making for the stone fence, on to which the active beast leaped, balanced itself carefully for a few moments, and then sprang down on the other side, to be greeted by a burst of bleating that came from apparently two of its kind within. pen stood screened by the trees for a time, fully expecting to see some occupant of the hut make his appearance; but the bleating ceased directly, and, approaching carefully, the young private stood at last by the rough stone wall, looking down on a scene which fully explained the reason for the goat's visit. she had returned to her kids; and after climbing the wall a very little search showed the visitor that the goat and her young ones were the sole occupants of the deserted place. it was the rough home of a peasant who had apparently forsaken it upon the approach of the french soldiery. everything was of the simplest kind; but situated as pen gray was it presented itself in a palatial guise, for there was everything that he could wish for at a time like that. as before said, it was a shed-like structure; but there was bed and fireplace, a pile of wood outside the door, and, above all, a roof to cover those who sought shelter. "yes, i must bring him here somehow," thought pen as he caught sight of a cleanly scrubbed pail and a tin or two hanging upon nails in the wall. but he saw far more than this, for his senses were sharpened by hunger; and with a smile of satisfaction he hurried out, noting as he passed them that the kids, keen of appetite, were satisfying their desire for food; and, hurrying onwards, he made his way back to where he had left his companion lying in the dry, sandy patch of shingle; and some hours of that forenoon were taken up in the painful task of bearing the wounded lad by slow degrees to where, after much painful effort, they could both look down upon the nearly hidden shed. "how are you now, punch?" asked pen, turning his head upwards. there was no reply. "why, punch," cried pen, "you are not asleep, are you?" "asleep!" said the boy bitterly; and then, in a faint whisper, "set me down." pen took a step forward to where he could take hold of a stunted oak-bough whose bark felt soft and strange; and, holding tightly with one hand, he held his burden with the other while he sank slowly, the branch bending the while till he was kneeling. then he slid his load down amongst the undergrowth and quickly opened his water-bottle and held it to the boy's lips. "feel faint, lad?" he said. again there was no answer; but punch swallowed a few mouthfuls. "ah, that's better," he said. "head's swimming." "well, you shall lie still for a few minutes till you think you can bear it, and then i want you to get down to that hut." punch looked up at him with misty eyes, wonderingly. "hut!" he said faintly. "what hut?" "the one i told you about. you will be able to see it when you are better. there's a rough bed there where you will be able to lie and rest till your wound heals." "hut!" "oh, never mind now. will you have some more water?" the boy shook his head. "not going to die, am i?" he said feebly. "die! no!" cried pen, with his heart sinking. "a chap like you isn't going to die over a bit of a wound." "don't," said the boy faintly, but with a tone of protest in his words. "don't gammon a fellow! i am not going to mind if i am. our chaps don't make a fuss about it when their time comes." "no," said pen sharply; "but your time hasn't come yet." the boy looked up at him with a peculiar smile. "saying that to comfort a fellow," he almost whispered; "only, i say, comrade, you did stick to me, and you won't--won't--" "won't what?" said pen sharply. "leave you now? is it likely?" "not a bit yet," said the poor fellow faintly; "but i didn't mean that." "then what did you mean?" cried pen wonderingly. the poor lad made a snatch at his companion's arm, and tried to draw him down. "what is it?" said pen anxiously now, for he was startled by the look in the boy's eyes. "want to whisper," came in a broken voice. "no; you can't have anything to whisper now," said pen. "there, let me give you a little more water." the boy shook his head. "want to whisper," he murmured in a harsh, low voice. "well, what is it? but you had better not. shut your eyes and have a bit of a nap till you are rested and the faintness has gone. i shall be rested, too, then, and i can get you down into the hut, where i tell you there's a bed, and, better still, punch, a draught of sweet warm milk." "gammon!" said the boy again; and he hung more heavily upon pen's arm.--"want to whisper." "well, what is it?" said pen, trying hard to master the feeling of despair that was creeping over him. "them wolves!" whispered the boy. "don't let them get me, comrade, when i'm gone." "you shut your eyes and go to sleep," cried pen angrily. "no," said the boy, speaking more strongly now. "i aren't a baby, and i know what i'm saying. you tell me you won't let them have me, and then i will go to sleep; and then if i don't wake up no more--" "what!" cried pen, speaking with a simulated anger, "you won't be such a coward as to go and leave me all alone here?" the boy started; his eyes brightened a little, and he gazed half-wonderingly in his companion's face. "i--i didn't think of that, comrade," he faltered. "i was thinking i was going like some of our poor chaps; but i don't want to shirk. there, i'll try not." "of course you will," said pen harshly. "now then, try and have a nap." the boy closed his eyes, and in less than a minute he was breathing steadily and well, but evidently suffering now and then in his sleep, for the hand that clasped pen's gave a sudden jerk at intervals. quite an hour, during which the watcher did not stir, till there was a sharper twitch and the boy's eyes opened, to look wonderingly in his companion's as if he could not recall where he was. "have a little water now, punch?" "drop," he said; but the drop proved to be a thirsty draught, and he spoke quite in his senses now as he put a brief question. "is it far?" he said. "to the hut? no. do you think you can bear me to get you on my back again?" "yes. going to. look sharp!" but as soon as the boy felt his companion take hold of his hand after restopping the water-bottle, punch whispered, "stop!" "what is it? would you like to wait a little longer?" "no. give me a bullet out of a cartridge." "a bullet? what for?" "to bite," said the boy with a grim smile. pen hesitated for a moment in doubt, looking in the boy's smiling eyes the while. then, as a flash of recollection of stories he had heard passed through his mind, he hastily drew a cartridge from his box, broke the little roll open, scattering the powder and setting the bullet free before passing it to his companion, who nodded in silence as he seized the piece of lead between his teeth. then, nodding again, he raised one hand, which pen took, and seizing one of the branches of the gnarled tree he bent it down till he got it close to his companion, and bade him hold on with all his might. punch's fingers closed tightly upon the bough, which acted like a spring and helped to raise its holder sufficiently high for pen to get him once more upon his shoulders, which he had freed from straps thrown down beside his rifle. "try and bear it," he panted, as he heard the low, hissing breath from the poor fellow's lips, and felt him quiver and wince. "i know it's bad," he added encouragingly, "but it won't take me long." it did not, for in a very few minutes he had reached the rough stone wall, to which he shifted his burden, stood for a few moments panting, and then climbed over, took the sufferer in his arms, and staggered into the waiting shelter, where the next minute punch was lying insensible upon the bed. "ha!" ejaculated pen as he passed the back of his hand across his streaming forehead. this suggested another action, but it was the palm of his hand that he laid across his companion's brow. "all wet!" he muttered. "he can't be very feverish for the perspiration to come like that." then he started violently, for a shadow crossed the open door, and he involuntarily threw up one hand to draw his slung rifle from his shoulder, and then his teeth snapped together. there was no rifle there. it was lying with his cartouche-box right away by the stunted oak, as he mentally called the cork-tree. the next minute he was breathing freely, for the deep-toned bleat of the goat arose, and he looked out, to see that it was answerable for the shadow. "ah, you will have to pay for this," he muttered, as he started to run to where his weapon lay, his mind full now of thoughts that in his efforts over his comrade had been absent. he was full of expectation that one or other of the vedettes might have caught sight of him bearing his load to the hut; and, with the full determination to get his rifle and hurry back to defend himself and his companion for as long as the cartridges held out, he started with a run up the slope, which proved to be only the stagger of one who was utterly exhausted, and degenerated almost into a crawl. he was back at last, to find that punch had not moved, but seemed to be sleeping heavily as he lay upon his sound shoulder; and, satisfied by this, pen laid his rifle and belts across the foot of the bed and drew a deep breath. "i can't help it," he nearly groaned. "it isn't selfish; but if i don't have something i can do no more." then, strangely enough, he uttered a mocking laugh as he stepped to a rough shelf and took a little pail-like vessel with one stave prolonged into a handle from the place where it had been left clean by the last occupant of the hut, and as he stepped with it to the open door something within it rattled. he looked down at it in surprise and wonder, and it was some moments before he grasped the fact that the piece of what resembled blackened clay was hard, dry cake. "ah!" he half-shouted as he raised it to his lips and tried to bite off a piece, but only to break off what felt like wood, which refused to crumble but gradually began to soften. then, smiling grimly, he thrust the cake within his jacket and stepped out, forgetting his pain and stiffness, to find to his dismay that there was no sign of the goat. "how stupid!" he muttered the next minute. "my head won't go. i can't think." and, recalling the goat's former visit to the rough shelter, he hurried to where he had been a witness of its object, and to his great delight found the animal standing with half-closed eyes nibbling at some of the plentiful herbage while one of its kids was partaking of its evening meal. pen advanced cautiously with the little wooden vessel, ready to seize the animal by one of its horns if it attempted to escape, as it turned sharply and stared at him in wonder; but it only sniffed as if in recognition at the little pail, and resumed its browsing. but the kid was disposed to resent the interruption of the stranger, and some little force had to be used to thrust it away, returning again and again to begin to make some pretence of butting at the intruder. pen laughed aloud at the absurdity of his task as he finally got rid of the little animal, and made his first essay at milking, finding to his great delight that he was successful, while the goat-mother took it all as a matter of course, and did not move while her new friend refreshed himself with a hearty draught of the contents of the little pail; and then, snatching at a happy thought, drew the hardened cake from his breast and placed it so that it could soak up the soft warm milk which flowed into the vessel. "ah!" sighed the young soldier, "who'd have thought that taking the king's shilling would bring a fellow to this? now for poor punch. well, we sha'n't starve to-night." once more as he turned from the goat the thought assailed him that one of the vedettes might be in sight; but all was still and beautiful as he stepped back slowly, eating with avidity portions of the gradually softening black-bread, and feeling the while that life and hope and strength were gradually coming back. "now for poor punch!" he muttered again; and, entering the rough shelter once more, he stood looking down upon the wounded boy, who was sleeping heavily, so soundly that pen felt that it would be a cruelty to rouse him. so, partaking sparingly of his novel meal, he placed a part upon a stool within reach of the rough pallet. "wounded men don't want food," he muttered. "it's nature's way of keeping off fever; and i must keep watch again, and give him a little milk when he wakes. yes, when he wakes--when he wakes," he muttered, as he settled himself upon the earthen floor within touch of his sleeping comrade. "mustn't close the door," he continued, with a little laugh, "for there doesn't seem to be one; and, besides, it would make the place dark. why, there's a star peeping out over the shoulder of the mountain, and that soft, low, deep hum is the falling water. why, that must be the star i used to see at home in the old days; and, oh, how beautiful and restful everything seems! but i mustn't go to sleep.--are you asleep, punch?" he whispered softly. "poor fellow! that's right. sleep and nature will help you with your wound; but i must keep awake. it would never do for you to rouse up and find me fast. no," he half-sighed. "poor lad, you mustn't go yet where so many other poor fellows have gone. a boy like you! well! it's the--fortune--fortune-- of war--and--and--" nature would take no denial. pen gray drew one long, deep, restful breath as if wide-awake, and then slowly and as if grudgingly respired. fast asleep. chapter seven. more about him. it was bright daylight, and pen gray started up in alarm, his mind in a state of confusion consequent upon the heaviness of his sleep and the feeling of trouble that something--he knew not what--had happened. for a few moments he was divided between the ideas that the enemy had come to arrest him and that his companion had passed away in his sleep. but these were only the ragged shadows of the night, for the boy was still sleeping soundly, the food remained untouched, and, upon cautiously looking outside, there was nothing to be seen but the beauties of a sunny morn. pen drew a deep breath as he returned to the hut, troubled with a sensation of weariness and strain, but still light-hearted and hopeful. there was something invigorating in the mountain air even deep down there in the valley, and he was ready to smile at his position as his eyes lit upon the little pail. "oh, i say," he said to himself, "it is like temptation placed in one's way! how horribly hungry i am! well, no wonder; but i must play fair." taking out his knife, he was about to divide the piece of cake, which had so swollen up in the milk that there seemed to be a goodly portion for two; but, setting his teeth hard, he shut the knife with a snap and pulled himself together. "come," he muttered, "i haven't gone through all this drilling for months to snatch the first chance to forget it. i will begin the day by waiting until poor punch wakes." he gave another look at his companion to make sure that he was still sleeping soundly and was no worse; and then, after glancing at the priming of his rifle, he stepped out to reconnoitre, keeping cautiously within shelter of the trees, but not obtaining a glimpse of any of the vedettes. "looks as if they have gone," he thought, and he stepped to the edge of another patch of woodland to again sweep the valley-sides as far as was possible. this led him to the edge of the river, where, as soon as he appeared, he was conscious of the fact that scores of semi-transparent-looking fish had darted away from close to his feet, to take shelter beneath stones and the bank higher up the stream, which glided down towards the fall pure as crystal and sparkling in the sun. "trout!" he exclaimed. "something to forage for; and then a fire. doesn't look like starving." pen took another good look round, but nothing like a vedette or single sentry was in view; and after a few moments of hesitation he snatched at the opportunity. stepping back into the shelter of the woods, he hurriedly stripped, after hanging his rifle from a broken branch, and then dashing out into the sunshine he leaped at once into the beautiful, clear, sparkling water, which flashed up at his plunge. then striking out, he swam with vigorous strokes right into the depths, and felt that he was being carried steadily downward towards the fall. this was something to make him put forth his strength; and as he struck out upstream so as to reach the bank again there was something wondrously invigorating in the cool, crisp water which sent thrills of strength through his exhausted frame, making the lad laugh aloud as he fought against the pressure of the water, won, and waded ashore nearly a hundred yards below where he had plunged in. "what a stream!" he exclaimed as he shook the streaming water from his tense muscles. "i must mind another time. how cold it was! but how hot the sun feels! double!" he ejaculated, and he started along the bank in a military trot, reached the spot again where he had made his plunge, looked round, indulged in another run in the brilliant sunshine, and, pretty well half-dried by his efforts, stepped back into the wood and rapidly resumed his clothes. "why, it has pretty well taken the stiffness out of me," he muttered, "and i feel ready for anything, only i'm nearly famished. here, i can't wait," he added, as he finished dressing, smartening himself up into soldierly trim, and giving his feet a stamp or two as he resumed his boots. "now, how about poor punch? he can't be worse, for he seemed to have slept so well. it seems hard, but i must wake him up." to the lad's great satisfaction, as he reached the door of the rough cabin, he found that the wounded boy was just unclosing his eyes to look at him wonderingly as if unable to make out what it all meant. "gray," he said faintly. "yes. how are you, lad?" "i--i don't quite know," was the reply, given in a faint voice.--"oh, i recollect now. yes. there, it stings--my wound." "yes, i'll bathe it and see to it soon," said pen eagerly; "but you are no worse." "ain't i? i--i thought i was. i say, look here, gray; what does this mean? i can't lift this arm at all. it hurts so." "yes. stiff with your wound; but it will be better when i have done it up." "think so?" "yes." "but look here." "yes, i am looking." "this arm isn't wounded. look at that." "yes, i see; you lifted it up and it fell down again." "yes. there's no strength in it. it ain't dead yet?" "didn't seem like it," said pen, smiling cheerily. "you lifted it up." "yes, i know; but it fell back again. and what's the matter with my voice?" "nothing." "yes, there is," cried the boy peevishly. "it's all gone squeaky again, like it was before it changed and turned gruff. i say, gray, am i going to be very bad, and never get well again?" "not you! what nonsense!" "but i am so weak." "well, you have seen plenty of our poor fellows in hospital, haven't you?" "yes, some of them," said the boy feebly. "well, weren't they weak?" "yes, i forgot all that; but i wasn't so bad as this yesterday. it was yesterday, wasn't it?" "yes. don't you remember?" "no. how was it?" "there, don't you bother your brains about that." "but i want to know." "and i want you to do all you can to get well." "course you do. 'tisn't fever, is it?" "fever! no! yes, you were feverish. every one is after a wound. now then," and he took out and opened his knife. "wound! wound!" said the boy, watching him. "whatcher going to do with your knife? take your bay'net if you want to finish a fellow off." "well, i don't," said pen, laughing. "'tain't anything to laugh at, comrade." "yes, it is, when you talk nonsense. now then, breakfast." "don't gammon," said the poor fellow feebly. "my head isn't all swimmy now. beginning to remember. didn't you carry me down here?" "to be sure, and precious heavy you were!" "good chap!" said the boy, sighing. "you always was a trump; but don't play with a poor fellow. there can't be no breakfast." "oh, can't there? i'll show you; and i want to begin. i say, punch, i'm nearly starved." "i'm not," said the poor fellow sadly. "i couldn't eat." "oh, well, you have got to, so look sharp, or i shall go mad." "whatcher mean?" "i told you i'm starving. i have hardly touched anything for two days except water." "well, go on then. what is there for breakfast?" "bread." "ugh! don't! black dry bread! it makes me feel sick." "bread and milk." "where did you get the milk?" "never you mind," said pen, plunging his knife into the dark sop which half-filled the little pail. "now then, you have got to eat first." "no, don't ask me; i can't touch it," and the boy closed his eyes against the piece of saturated bread that his companion held out to him on the knife. "you must," said pen; "so look sharp." "i can't, i tell you." "well, then, i shall have to starve." "no, no; go on." "after you." it took a good deal of pressure, but at last the truth of the french saying about its being only the first step that costs was proved, for after the first mouthful, of which the poor fellow shudderingly partook, the boy consented to open his mouth again, after holding out until his amateur surgeon and nurse had consented to share the meal, which proved refreshing to the patient, who partook of a little; while, bearing in mind that he could at all events restore the fluid food, pen ate ravenously, his spirits rising with every mouthful. "it will go hard," he said to himself, "if i can't forage something else. there are the trout, to begin with. i know i can catch some of them in the shallows, and that too without rod or line. that is," he added, "if we are not found out and marched off as prisoners." "whatcher thinking about?" said punch drowsily. "catching fish, and making a fire to cook them." "there's my flint and steel in my satchel, but where's your fish?" "in the river." "but you can't catch 'em." "oh, can't i, punch?" "oh yes, i know," piped the boy. "they are trout. i saw some the other day when we crossed that stream. i saw some run under the stones, and wanted to creep up and tiddle one, only i couldn't leave the ranks." "ah, well, there are no ranks to leave now, punch, and we shall have plenty of time to tiddle the trout, as you call it, for we shall have to stay here till you get well." "i say, don't talk, please. want to go to sleep." "that's right," said pen cheerfully. "sleep away, and i won't bathe your wound till you wake again." the boy made no answer, but dropped off at once. "that's better," thought pen, "and while he sleeps i will see whether i can't get some of the trout." he waited until his companion was breathing heavily, and then he seated himself by the door and began to carefully clean his rifle and accoutrements, which soldierly task at an end, he stood over the sleeping boy a few minutes, and then stepped outside the dark hut to plunge into the sunshine; but, recollecting himself, he stepped in amongst the trees, and keeping close in their shelter moved from spot to spot spending nearly half an hour searching every eminence for signs of danger. "the coast seems clear," he said to himself, "and the enemy may have moved on; but i must be careful. i want to join our fellows, of course; but if i'm made prisoner it will be the death of poor punch, for they are not very careful about prisoners, and--" pen stopped short as he held on to the bough of one of the stunted trees growing in the rocky bottom and peered out to sweep the side of the valley where he felt that the mule-track ought to be. he started back as if the bullet that had been fired from a musket had cut the leaves above his head and stood listening to the roll of echoes which followed the shot. then there was another, and another, followed by scores, telling him that a sharp skirmish had begun; and after a while he could just make out a faint cloud of smoke above the trees, where the dim vapour was slowly rising. "yes," he said, "that's where i thought the mule-path must be. but what a height it is up! and what does it mean? are our fellows coming back and driving the enemy before them, or is it the other way on?" there was no telling; but when, about an hour later, the firing had grown nearer and then slowly become more and more distant till it died away, pen had learned one thing, and that was the necessity for keeping carefully in hiding, for the enemy must be somewhere near. he stepped back into the hut after silence once more reigned in the false scene of peace, and found that the peppering of the musketry had had no effect upon the sleeper, who did not stir when he leant over him and laid his hand upon the poor fellow's forehead, which was cool and moist. "ha!" sighed pen, "he's not going to die; but he will be as weak as weak for a month to come, and i ought to have been with our fellows instead of hiding here, for i have no business to be doing ambulance work, and so they would tell me. ah!" he ejaculated, as he started to the door again, for from somewhere much farther away there came the deep roll of a platoon of musketry, which was repeated again and again, but always more distant, though growing, while still more faintly, into the sounds of a sharp engagement, till it died quite away. "i never thought of that. that first firing i heard must have been the enemy. i wonder i didn't think so before. i am sure now. there wasn't a single shot that i could have said was from a rifle. but it is impossible to say for certain which side is holding the valley. at any rate our fellows were not there." chapter eight. the king's shilling. "ha, ha, ha, ha!" a bright, ringing specimen of a youth's laugh, given out by one who is healthy, strong, and fairly content, allowing for drawbacks, with the utterer's position in life. "whatcher laughing at?" followed in the querulous tones of one who was to a great extent at the opposite pole of life. "you, punch." "i don't see nothing to laugh at, sick and weak as i am." "yes, you are weak enough, and don't know the difference as i do." "difference! there ain't no difference. i'm a regular invalid, as they calls them, and just as bad as some of our poor chaps who go back to live on the top of a wooden leg all the rest of their lives." "stuff and nonsense, punch! you are getting better and stronger every day." "i ain't. look at that arm; it's as thin as a mop-stick." "well, it is thin, certainly; but a chap of your age, growing fast, generally is thin." "ya! growing! how can a fellow grow with a hole in his back?" "you haven't got a hole in your back. it's healing up fast." "'taint." "yes, it is. you haven't seen it, and i have every day. i say it's healing beautifully." "ah, you'll say next that i ain't weak." "no, i shan't." "well, that's because you are always trying to make me think that i am better than i am." "well, what of that? i don't want to put you out of heart." "no, but you needn't gammon me. i know i ain't as weak as a rat, because i am ten times weaker. i have got no wind at all; and i do wish you wouldn't be always wallacking me down to that big waterfall. i'm always pumped out before i get half-way there, and quite done up before i get back. what's the good of going there?" "beautiful place, punchy, and the mountain air seems to come down with the water and fill you full of strength." "does you perhaps, but it don't do me no good. beautiful place indeed! ugly great hole!" "'tisn't; it's lovely. i don't believe we shall ever see a more beautiful spot in our lives." "it makes me horrible. i feel sometimes as if i could jump in and put myself out of my misery. just two steps, and a fellow would be washed away to nowhere." "why, you have regularly got the grumps to-day, punch; just, too, when you were getting better than ever." "i ain't, i tell you. i had a look at myself this morning while you were snoring, and i am as thin as a scarecrow. my poor old mother wouldn't know me again if ever i got back; and i sha'n't never see our old place no more." "yes, you will, punch--grown up into a fine, manly-looking british rifleman, for you will be too big to blow your bugle then. you might believe me." "bugle! yes, i didn't give it a rub yesterday. just hand it off that peg." pen reached the bugle from where it hung by its green cord, and the lines in punch's young forehead began to fade as he gave the instrument a touch with his sleeve, and then placed the mouthpiece to his lips, filled out his sadly pale, hollow cheeks, and looked as if he were going to blow with all his might, when he was checked by pen clapping his hand over the glistening copper bell. "whatcher doing of?" cried the boy angrily. "stopping you. there, you see you are better. you couldn't have attempted that a while ago." "ya! think i'm such a silly as to bring the enemy down upon us?" "well, i didn't know." "then you ought to. i should just like to give the call, though, to set our dear old lads going along the mountain-side there skirmishing and peppering the frog-eating warmints till they ran for their lives." "hurrah!" shouted pen. "who's trying to bring the enemy down upon us now, when we know there are some of them sneaking about in vedettes as they hold both ends of the valley. now you say you are not better if you dare." "oh, i don't want to fall out," grumbled the invalid. "you think you know, but you ain't got a wound in your back to feel when a cold wind comes off the mountains. i think i ought to know best." "but you don't, punch. those pains will die out in time, and you will go on growing, and keeping thin perhaps for a bit; but your muscles will fill out by-and-by, same as mine do in this beautiful air." "needn't be so precious proud of them," said the boy sourly. "i'm not. there, have another fish." "sha'n't. i'm sick to death on them. they are only spanish or portuguee trout, and not half so good as roach and dace out of a good old english pond." pen laughed merrily again. "ah, grin away! i think i ought to know." "yes--better than to grumble when i have broiled the fish so nicely over the wood embers with sticks i cut for skewers. they were delicious, and i ate till i felt ashamed." "so you ought to be." "to enjoy myself so," continued pen, "while you, with your mouth so out of taste and no appetite, could hardly eat a bit." "well, who's to have a happetite with a wound like mine? i shall never get no better till i get a mug of real old english beer." "never mind; you get plenty of milk." "ya! nasty, sickly stuff! i'll never touch it again." "well then, beautiful sparkling water." "who wants sparkling water? 'tain't like english. it's so thin and cold." "come, come; you must own that you are mending fast, punch." "who wants to be mended," snarled the poor fellow, "and go through life like my old woman's cracked chayney plate with the rivet in it! i was a strong lad once, and could beat any drummer in the regiment in a race, while now i ought to be in horspital." "no, you ought not. i'll tell you what you want, punch." "oh, i know." "no, you don't. you want to get just a little stronger, so as you can walk ten miles in a day." "ten miles! why, i used to do twenty easy." "so you will again, lad; but i mean in a night, for we shall have to lie up all day and march all night so as to keep clear of the enemy." "then you mean for us to try and get out of this wretched hole?" "i mean for us to go on tramp as soon as you are quite strong enough; and then you will think it's a beautiful valley. why, punch, i have crept about here of a night while you have been asleep, so that i have got to know the place by heart, and i should like to have the chance of leading our fellows into places i know where they could hold it against ten times or twenty times their number of frenchmen who might try to drive them out." "you have got to know that?" said punch with a show of animation that had grown strange to the poor fellow. "yes," cried pen triumphantly. "well, then, all i have got to say is you waren't playing fair." "of course it wasn't. seeing you were so weak you couldn't walk." "there now, you are laughing at a fellow; but you don't play fair." "don't i? in what way?" "why, you promised while i have been so bad that you would read to me a bit." "and i couldn't, punch, because we have got nothing to read." "and then you promised that you would tell me how it was you come to take the king's shilling." "well, yes, i did; but you don't want to know that." "yes, i do. i have been wanting to know ever since." "why, boy?" "because it seems so queer that a lad like you should join the ranks." "why queer? you are too young yet, but you will be in the ranks some day as a full private." "yes, some day; but then, you see, my father was a soldier. yours warn't, was he?" "no-o," said pen, frowning and looking straight away before him out of the hut-door. "well, then, why don't you speak out?" "because i don't feel much disposed. it is rather a tender subject, punch." "there, i always knew there was something. look here; you and me's friends and comrades, ain't we?" "i think so, punch. i have tried to be." "so you have. nobody could have been better. i have lain awake lots of times and thought about what you did. you haven't minded my saying such nasty things as i have sometimes?" "not i, punch. sick people are often irritable." "yes," said the boy eagerly, "that's it. i have said lots of things to you that i didn't mean; but it's when my back's been very bad, and it seemed to spur me on to be spiteful, and i have been very sorry sometimes, only i was ashamed to tell you. but you haven't done anything to be ashamed of?" pen was silent for a few moments. "ashamed? no--yes." "well, you can't have been both," said the boy. "whatcher mean by that?" "there have been times, punch, when i have felt ashamed of what i have done." "why, what have you done? i don't believe it was ever anything bad. you say what it was. i'll never tell." "enlisted for a soldier." "what?" cried the boy. "why, that ain't nothing to be ashamed of. what stuff! why, that's something to be proud of, specially in our rifles. in the other regiments we have got out here the lads are proud of being in scarlet. let 'em. but i know better. there isn't one of them who wouldn't be proud to be in our dark-green, and to shoulder a rifle. besides, we have got our bit of scarlet on the collar and cuffs, and that's quite enough. why, you are laughing at me! you couldn't be ashamed of being in our regiment. i know what it was--you ran away from home?" "it was no longer home to me, punch." "why, didn't you live there?" "yes; but it didn't seem like home any longer. it was like this, punch. my father and mother had died." "oh," said the boy softly, "that's bad. very good uns, waren't they?" pen bowed his head. "then it waren't your home any longer?" "yes and no, punch," said the lad gravely. "there you go again! don't aggravate a fellow when he is sick and weak. i ain't a scholar like you, and when you puts it into me with your `yes and no' it makes my head ache. it can't be yes and no too." "well, punch," said pen, smiling, "it was mine by rights, but i was under age." "what's under age?" "not twenty-one." "of course not. you told me months ago that you was only eighteen. anybody could see that, because you ain't got no whiskers. but what has that got to do with it?" "well, i don't see why i should tell you all this, punch, for it's all about law." "but i want to know," said the boy, "because it's all about you." "well, it's like this: my father left my uncle to be executor and my trustee." "oh, i say, whatcher talking about? you said your father was a good un, didn't you?" "i did." "well, then, he couldn't have left your uncle to be your executioner when you hadn't done nothing." "executor, punch," said the lad, laughing. "well, that's what i said, didn't i?" "no; that's a very different thing. an executor is one who executes." "well, i know that. hangs people who ain't soldiers, and shoots them as is. court-martial, you know." "punch, you are getting in a muddle." "glad of it," said the boy, "for i thought it was, and i don't like to hear you talk like that." "then let's put it right. an executor is one who executes the commands of a person who is dead." "oh, i see," said the boy. "dead without being executed." "look here, punch," said pen, laughing, "you had better be still and listen, and i will try and make it plain to you. my uncle was my father's executor, who had to see that the property he left was rightfully distributed." "oh, i see," said punch. "and my father made him my trustee, to take charge of the money that was to be mine when i became twenty-one." "all right; go on. i am getting it now." "then he had to see to my education, and advise me till i grew up." "well, that was all right, only if i had been your old man, seeing what a chap you are, i shouldn't have called in no uncle. i should have said, `young penton gray has got his head screwed on proper, and he will do what's right.' i suppose, then, your uncle didn't." "i thought not, punch." "then, of course, he didn't. what did he do, then?" "made me leave school," said pen. "oh, well, that don't sound very bad. made you leave school? well, i never was at school but once, but i'd have given anything to be made to come away." "ah, perhaps you would, punch. but then there are schools and schools." "well, i know that," said the boy irritably; "but don't tease a fellow, it makes me so wild now i'm all weak like." "well, then, let's say no more about it." "what! leave off telling of me?" "yes, while you are irritable." "i ain't irritable; not a bit. it's only that i want to know." "very well, then, punch; i will cut it short." "no, you don't, so come now! you promised to tell me all about it, so play fair." "very well, then, you must listen patiently." "that's what i'm a-doing of, only you will keep talking in riddles like about your executioners and trustees. i want you to tell me just in plain english." "very well, then, punch. i was at a military school, and i didn't want to be fetched away." "oh, i see," cried the boy. "you mean one of them big schools where they makes young officers?" "yes." "like woolwich and addiscombe?" "yes." "you were going to be a soldier, then--i mean, an officer?" "an officer is a soldier, punch." "of course he is. oh, well, i don't wonder you didn't want to be fetched away. learning to be an officer, eh? that's fine. didn't your uncle want you to be a soldier, then?" "no. he wanted me to go as a private pupil with a lawyer." "what, and get to be a lawyer?" cried the boy excitedly. "oh, i say, you weren't going to stand that?" "no, punch. perhaps i should have obeyed him, only i knew that it had always been my father's wish that i should go into the army, and he had left the money for my education and to buy a commission when i left the military school." "here, i know," cried the boy excitedly; "you needn't tell me no more. i heard a story once about a wicked uncle. i know--your one bought the commission and kept it for himself." "no, punch; that wouldn't work out right. when i begged him to let me stay at the military school he mocked at me, and laughed, and said that my poor father must have been mad to think of throwing away money like that; and over and over again he insisted that i should go on with my studies of the law, and give up all notion of wearing a red coat, for he could see that that was all i thought about." "well?" said the boy. "well, punch?" "and then you punched his head, and ran away from home." "no, i did not." "then you ought to have done. i would if anybody said my poor father was mad; and, besides, your uncle must have been a bad un to want to make you a lawyer. i suppose he was a lawyer too." "yes." "there, if i didn't think so! but he must have been a bad un. said you wanted to be a soldier so as to wear the uniform? well, if you did want to, that's only nat'ral. a soldier's always proud of his uniform. i heard our colonel say that it was the king's livery and something to be proud on. i am proud of mine, even if it has got a bit raggy-taggy with sleeping out in it in all sorts of weather, and rooshing through bushes and mud, and crossing streams. but soldiers don't think of that sort of thing, and we shall all have new things served out by-and-by. well, go on." "oh, that's about all, punch." "you get on. i know better. tain't half all. i want you to come to the cutting off and taking the shilling." "oh, you want to hear that?" "why, of course i do. why, it's all the juicy part. don't hang fire. let's have it with a rush now. fix bayonets, and at them!" "why, punch," said pen, laughing, "don't you tell me again that you are not getting better!" "i waren't going to now. this warms a fellow up a bit. i say, your uncle is a bad un, and no mistake. there, forward!" "but i have nearly told all, punch. life got so miserable at home, and i was so sick of the law, that i led such a life with my uncle through begging him to let me go back to the school, that he, one day--" "well, whatcher stopping for?" cried the boy, whose cheeks were flushed and eyes sparkling with excitement. "i don't like talking about it," replied pen. "i suppose i was wrong, for my father had left all the management of my affairs in his brother-in-law's hands." "why, you said your uncle's hands just now!" "yes, punch; in my mother's brother's hands, so he was my uncle." "well, go on." "and i had been begging him to alter his plans." "yes, and let you go back to the school?" "and i suppose he was tired out with what he called my obstinacy, and he told me that if ever i dared to mention the army again he would give me a sound flogging." "and you up and said you would like to catch him at it?" cried punch excitedly. "no, punch; but i lost my temper." "enough to make you! then you knocked him down?" "no, punch, but i told him he was forgetting the commands my father had given him, and that i would never go to the lawyer's office again." "well, and what then?" "then, punch? oh, i don't like to talk about it. it makes me feel hot all over even to think." "of course it does. it makes me hot too; but then, you see, i'm weak. but do go on. what happened then?" "he knocked me down," said the lad hoarsely. "oh!" cried the boy, trying to spring up from his rough couch, but sinking back with the great beads of perspiration standing upon his brown forehead. "don't you tell me you stood that!" "no, punch; i couldn't. that night i went right away from home, just as i stood, made my way to london, and the next day i went to king street, westminster, and saw where the recruiting sergeants were marching up and down." "i know," cried the boy, "with their canes under their arms and their colours flying." "yes, punch, and i picked out the one in the new regiment, the --th rifles." "yes," cried punch, "the rifle green with the red collars and cuffs." pen, half-excited by his recollections, half-amused at the boy's intense interest, nodded again. "and took the king's shilling," cried punch; "and i know, but i want you to tell me--you joined ours just to show that uncle that you wanted to serve the king, and not for the sake of the scarlet coat." "yes, punch, that was why; and that's all." chapter nine. how to treat an enemy. "well, but is that all?" said punch. "yes, and now you are tired and had better have a nap, and by the time you wake i will have some more milk for you." "bother the old milk! i'm sick of it; and i don't want to go to sleep. i feel sometimes as if i had nearly slept my head off. a fellow can't be always sleeping. now, look here; i tell you what you have got to do some day. you must serve that uncle of yours out." "let him rest. you are tired and weak." "no, i ain't. all that about you has done me good. i did not know that you had had such a lot of trouble, sir." "ah, what's that, punch!" cried pen sharply. "don't you say `sir' to me again!" "shall if i like. ain't you a gentleman?" "no, sir. only private penton gray, of the --th rifles." "well, you are a-saying `sir' to me." "yes, but i don't mean it as you do. while i am in the regiment we are equals." "oh yes, i like that!" said the boy with a faint laugh. "wish we was. only private penton gray of the --th! well, ain't that being a gentleman? don't our chaps all carry rifles? they are not like the line regiments with their common brown besses. sharpshooters, that's what we are. but they didn't shoot sharp enough the other day, or else we shouldn't be here. i have been thinking when i have been lying half-asleep that there were so many frenchies that they got our lads between two fires and shot 'em all down." "i hope not, punch. what makes you think that?" "because if they had been all right they would have been after us before now to cut us out, and--and--i say, my head's beginning to swim again." "exactly, you are tired out and must go to sleep again." "but i tell you i don't--" the poor boy stopped short, to gaze appealingly in his companion's eyes as if asking for help, and the help pen gave was to lay his hand gently on his eyelids and keep it there till he felt that the sufferer had sunk into a deep sleep. the next day the poor fellow had quite a serious relapse, and lay looking so feeble that once more pen in his alarm stood watching and blaming himself for rousing the boy into such a state of excitement that he seemed to have caused him serious harm. but just as punch seemed at the worst he brightened up again. "look here," he said, "i ain't bad. i know what it is." "so do i," replied pen. "you have been trying your strength too much." "wrong!" cried the boy faintly. "it was you give me too much to eat. you ought to have treated me like a doctor would, or as if i was a prisoner, and given me dry bread." "ah!" sighed pen. "but where was the bread to come from?" "jusso," said punch, with a faint little laugh; "and you can't make bread without flour, can you? but don't you think i'm going to die, because i am ever so much better to-day, and shall be all right soon. now, go on talking to me again about your uncle." "no," said pen, "you have heard too much of my troubles already." "oh no, i ain't. i want to hear you talk about it." "then you will have to wait, punch." "all right, then. i shall lie and think till my head begins to go round and round, and i shall go on thinking about myself till i get all miserable and go backwards. you don't want that, do you?" "you know i don't." "very well, then, let's have some more uncle. it's like doctor's stuff to me. i've been thinking that you might wait a bit, and then go and see that lawyer chap and punch his head, only that would be such a common sort of way. it would be all right if it was me, but it wouldn't do for you. this would be better. i have thought it out." "yes, you think too much, punch," said pen, laying his hand upon his companion's forehead. "i wish you wouldn't do that," cried the boy pettishly. "it's nice and cool now." "yes, it is better now. that last sleep did you good." "not it, for i was thinking all the time." "nonsense! you were fast asleep." "yesterday," said the boy; "but i was only shamming to-day, so that i could think, and i have been thinking that this would do. you must wait till we have whopped the french and gone back to england, and got our new uniforms served out, and burnt all our rags. then we must go and see your uncle, and--" "that'll do, punch. i want to see to your wound now." "what for? it's going on all right. here, whatcher doing of? you ain't going to cut up that other sleeve of your shirt, are you?" "yes; it is quite time that you had a fresh bandage." "ah, that's because you keep getting it into your head that i'm worse and that i'm going to die; and it's all wrong, for i am going to be all right. the frenchies thought they'd done for me; but i won't die, out of spite. i am going to get strong again, and as soon as the colonel lets me carry a rifle i will let some of them have it, and--oh, very well; if you must do it, i suppose i must lie still; only get it over. but--ya! i don't mean to die. what's the good of it, when there's so much for us to do in walloping the french? but when we do get back to the regiment you see how i will stick up for you, and what a lot i will make the chaps think of you!" "will you keep your tongue quiet, punch?" "no, i sha'n't," said the boy with a mocking laugh. "there, you needn't tie that so tight so as to make it hurt me, because i shall go on talking all the same--worse. you always begin to shy and kick out like one of those old mules when i begin talking to you like this. you hates to hear the truth. i shall tell the chaps every blessed thing." but, all the same, punch lay perfectly still now until the dressing of his wound was at an end; and then very faintly, almost in a whisper, he said, "yes; our chaps never knew what a good chap--" "ah! asleep again!" said pen, with a sigh of relief. "there must be slight delirium, and i suppose i shall be doing no good by trying to stop him. poor fellow! he doesn't know how he hurts me when he goes wandering on like this. i wish i could think out some way of getting a change of food. plenty of milk, plenty of fish. i have been as far as i dared in every direction, but there isn't a trace of a cottage. i don't want much--only one of those black-bread cakes now and then. any one would have thought that the people in a country like this would have kept plenty of fowls. perhaps they do where there are any cottages. ah, there's no shamming now. he's fast enough asleep, and perhaps when he awakes he will be more himself." but poor punch's sleep only lasted about half an hour, and then he woke up with his eyes glittering and with a strangely eager look in his countenance, as he stretched out the one hand that he could use. "yes," he said, "that's it. i know what you will have to do. go to that uncle of yours--" "punch, lad," cried pen, laying his hand softly upon the one that had closed upon his wrist, "don't talk now." "i won't much, only it stops my head from going round. i just want to say--" "yes, i know; but i have been watching a deal while you slept." "what for?" cried the boy. "to make sure that the enemy did not surprise us." "ah, you are a good chap," said the boy, pressing his wrist. "and i am very tired, and when you talk my head begins to go round too." "does it? well, then, i won't say much; only i have got this into my head, and something seems to make me tell you." "leave it till to-morrow morning, then." "no; it must come now, for fear i should forget it. what you have to do is to go to your uncle like an officer and a gentleman--" "punch, punch!" "all right; i have just done. pistols like an officer--same as they uses when they fights duels. then you walks straight up to him, with your head in the air, and you says to him, `you don't desarve it, sir, but i won't take any dirty advantage of you; so there's the pistols,' you says. `which will you choose? for we are going to settle this little affair.' then i'll tell you how it is. old pat reilly--who was a corporal once, before he was put back into the ranks--i heerd him telling our chaps over their pipes how he went with the doctor of the regiment he was in to carry his tools to mend the one of them who was hurt. he called it--he was an irishman, you know--a jool; and he said when you fight a jool, and marches so many paces, and somebody--not the doctor, but what they calls the second--only i think pat made a mistake, because there can't be two seconds; one of them must be a first or a third--" "there, punch, tell me the rest to-morrow." "no," said the boy obstinately; but his voice was growing weaker. "i have just done, and i shall be better then, for what i wanted to say will have left off worrying me. let's see what it was. oh, i know. you stands opposite to your uncle, turns sideways, raises your pistol, takes a good aim at him, and shoots him dead. now then, what do you say to that?" "that i don't want to shoot him dead, punch." "you don't?" "no." "why, isn't he your enemy?" "i don't know." "then i suppose that won't do." "i'm afraid not, punch." "then you must wait a little longer till you get promoted for bravery in the field. you will be captain gray then, and then you can go to him, and look him full in the face, and smile at him as if you felt that he was no better than a worm, and ask him what he thinks of that." "what! of my captain's uniform, punch?" "no, i mean you smiling down at him as if he wasn't worth your notice." "ah, that sounds better, punch." "then, you think that will do?" "yes." "then, now i will go to sleep." "ah, and get better, punch." "oh yes, i am going to get better now." with a sigh of satisfaction, the boy closed his eyes, utterly exhausted, and lay breathing steadily and well, while pen stood leaning over him waiting till he felt sure that the boy was asleep; and then, as he laid his hand lightly upon his patient's brow, a sense of hopefulness came over him on feeling that he was cool and calm. "there are moments," he thought to himself, "when it seems as if i ought to give up as prisoners, for it is impossible to go on like this. poor fellow, he wants suitable food, and think how i will i don't know what i could do to get him better food. i should be to blame if i stand by and see him die for want of proper nourishment." and it seemed to him that his depressing thoughts had affected his eyes, for the cabin had grown dull and gloomy, and his despair became more deep. "oh, it's no use to give way," he muttered. "there must be food of some kind to be found if i knew where to forage for it. why not kill one of the kids?" he stopped short in his planning and took a step forward, to pass round the rough heather pallet, thus bringing him out of the shadow into the light and face to face with a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, who was resting one hand upon the doorpost and peering in at the occupant of the rough bed, but who now uttered a faint cry and turned to run. chapter ten. talking in his sleep. "no, no! pray, pray, stop!" cried pen, dashing out after his strange visitor, who was making for the edge of the nearest patch of wood. the imploring tone of his words had its effect, though the tongue was foreign that fell upon the girl's ears, and she stopped slowly, to look back at him; and, then as it seemed to dawn upon her what her pursuer was, she slowly raised her hands imploringly towards him, the gesture seeming to speak of itself, and say, "don't hurt me! i am only a helpless girl." then she looked up at him in wonder, for pen raised his in turn, as he exclaimed, "don't run away. i want your help." the girl shook her head. "_ingles_." "_si, si, ingles, ingles_. don't go. i won't hurt you." "_si, si, ingles_," said the girl with some animation now. "ah, she understands that!" thought pen; and then aloud, "help! wounded!" and he pointed at the open door. the girl looked at him, then at the door, and then shook her head. "can you understand french?" cried pen eagerly; and the girl shook her head again. "how stupid to ask like that!" muttered pen; and then aloud, "help! wounded." the girl shook her head once more, and then started and struggled slightly as pen caught her by the arm. "don't fight," he cried. "help! help!" and he gesticulated towards the hut as he pointed through the door at the dimly seen bed, while the girl held back at arm's-length, gazing at him wildly, until a happy thought struck him, for he recalled the words that he had more than once heard used by the villagers while he and his fellows were foraging. "_el pano_," he cried; "_el pano_--bread, bread!" and he pointed to the dimly seen boy and then to his own mouth. "_si, el pano_!" cried the girl, ceasing her faint struggle. "_si, si_!" cried pen again, and he joined his hands together for a moment before slowly beckoning their visitor to follow him into the cottage. he stepped in, and then turned to look back, but only to find that the girl still held aloof, and then turned to look round again as if in search of help. as she once more glanced in his direction with eyes that were full of doubt, pen walked round to the back of the rough pallet, placing the bed between them, and then beckoned to the girl to come nearer as he pointed downward at his sleeping patient. their visitor still held aloof, till pen raised his hands towards her, joining them imploringly, and his heart leaped with satisfaction as she began slowly and cautiously to approach. and now for his part he sank upon his knees, and as she watched him, looking ready to dart away at any moment, he placed one finger upon his lips and raised his left hand as if to ask for silence, while he uttered softly the one word, "hush!" to his great satisfaction the girl now approached till her shadow fell across the bed, and, supporting herself by one hand, she peered in. "i'd give something if i could speak spanish now," thought pen. "what can i do to make her understand that he is wounded? she ought to be able to see. ah, i know!" he pointed quickly to his rifle, which was leaning against the bed, and then downward at where the last-applied bandage displayed one end. then, pointing to poor punch's face, he looked at the girl sadly and shook his head. it was growing quite dusk inside the hut, but pen was able to see the girl's face light up as, without a moment's hesitation now she stepped quickly through the rough portal and bent down so that she could lightly touch the sleeper's hand, which she took in hers as she bent lower and then rose slowly, to meet pen's inquiring look; and as she shook her head at him sadly he saw that her eyes were filling with tears. "sick," he whispered; "dying. _el pano, el pano_;" and his next movement was telling though grotesque, for he opened his mouth and made signs of eating, before pointing downward at the boy. "_si, si_," cried the girl quickly, and, turning to the door again, she passed through, signing to him to follow, but only to turn back, point to the little pail that stood upon the floor by the bed's head, and indicate that she wanted it. pen grasped her meaning, caught up the pail, handed it to her, and quite simply and naturally sank upon one knee and bent over to lightly kiss the girl's extended hand, which closed upon the edge of the little vessel. she shrank quickly, and a look of half-dread, half-annoyance came upon her countenance; but, as pen drew back, her face smoothed and she nodded quickly, pointed in the direction of the big fall, made two or three significant gestures that might or might not have meant, "i'll soon be back," and then whispered, "_el pano, el pano_;" and ran off over the rugged stones as swiftly as one of her own mountain goats. "ha!" said pen softly, as he sighed with satisfaction, "_el pano_ means bread, plain enough, and she must have understood that. gone," he added, as the girl disappeared. "then there must be another cottage somewhere in that direction, and i am going to hope that she will come back soon with something to eat. who could have thought it?--but suppose she has gone to join some of the french who are about here, and comes back with a party to take us prisoners!--oh, she wouldn't be so treacherous; she can't look upon us as enemies. we are not fighting against her people. but i don't know; they must look upon us as made up of enemies. no, no, she was only frightened, and no wonder, to find us in her hut, for it must be hers or her people's. else she wouldn't have come here. no, a girl like that, a simple country girl, would only think of helping two poor lads in distress, and she will come back and bring us some bread." as pen stood watching the place where the girl had disappeared his hand went involuntarily to his pocket, where he jingled a few _pesetas_ that he had left; and then, as he canvassed to himself the possibility of the girl's return before long, he went slowly back into the hut and stood looking down at the sleeper. "bread and milk," he said softly. "it will be like life to him. but how queer it seems that i should be worrying myself nearly to death, giving up my clothes to make him comfortable, playing doctor and nurse, and nearly starving myself, for a boy for whom i never cared a bit. i couldn't have done any more for him if he had been my brother. why, when i used to hear him speak it jarred upon me, he seemed so coarse and common. it's human nature, i suppose, and i'm not going to doubt that poor girl again. she looks common and simple too--a spanish peasant, i suppose, who had come to milk and see to the goats after perhaps being frightened away by the firing. a girl of seventeen or eighteen, i should say. well, spanish girls would be just as tender-hearted as ours at home. of course; and she did just the same as one of them would have done. she looked sorry for poor punch, and i saw one tear trickle over and fall down.--there, punch, boy; we shall be all right now if the french don't come." pen stepped out in the open and seated himself upon a piece of mossy rock where he could gaze in the direction where he had last seen his visitor. but it was all dull and misty now. there was the distant murmur of the great fall, the sharp, sibilant chirrup of crickets. the great planet which had seemed like a friend to him before had risen from behind the distant mountain, and there was a peculiar sweet, warm perfume in the air that made him feel drowsy and content. "ah," he sighed, "they say that when things are at their worst they begin to mend. they are mending now, and this valley never felt, never looked, so beautiful before. how one seems to breathe in the sweet, soft, dewy night-air! it's lovely. i don't think i ever felt so truly happy. there, it's of no use for me to watch that patch of wood, for i could not see our visitor unless she was coming with a lantern; and perhaps she has had miles to go. well, watching the spot is doing no good, and if she's coming she will find her way, and she is more likely not to lose heart if i'm in the hut, for i might scare her away. here, let's go in and see how poor old punch is getting on! but i never thought--i never could have imagined--when i was getting up my `lessons for to-morrow morning' that the time would come when i should be waiting and watching in a spanish peasant's hut for some one to come and bring me in for a wounded comrade a cake of black-bread to keep us both alive." pen gray walked softly in the direction of the dimly seen hut through heathery brush, rustling at every step and seeming to have the effect of making him walk on tiptoe for fear he should break the silence of the soft southern evening. the lad stopped and listened eagerly, for there was a distant shout that suggested the hailing of a french soldier who had lost his way in the forest. then it was repeated, "ahoy-y-hoy-hoy-y-y!" and answered from far away, and it brought up a suggestion of watchful enemies searching for others in the darkened woods. then came another shout, and an ejaculation of impatience from the listener. "i ought to have known it was an owl. hallo! what's that? has she come back by some other way?" for the sound of a voice came to him from inside the rough hut, making him hurry over the short distance that separated him from the door, where he stood for a moment or two listening, and he heard distinctly, "not me! i mean to make a big fight for it out of spite. shoot me down--a boy--for obeying orders! cowards! how would they like it themselves?" "why, punch, lad," said pen, stepping to the bedside and leaning over his comrade, "what's the matter? talking in your sleep?" there was no reply, but the muttering voice ceased, and pen laid his hand upon the boy's forehead, as he said to himself, "poor fellow! a good mess of bread-and-milk would save his life. i wonder how long she will be!" chapter eleven. punch's commissariat. it was far longer than pen anticipated, for the darkness grew deeper, the forest sounds fainter and fainter, and there were times when the watcher went out to listen and returned again and again to find punch sleeping more restfully, while the very fact that the boy seemed so calm appeared to affect his comrade with a strange sense of drowsiness, out of which he kept on rousing himself, muttering the while with annoyance, "i can't have her come and find me asleep. it's so stupid. she must be here soon." and after a trot up and down in the direction in which he had seen the girl pass, and back, he felt better. "sleep is queer," he said to himself. "i felt a few minutes ago as if i couldn't possibly keep awake." he softly touched punch's temples again, to find them now quite cool, and seating himself at the foot of the rough pallet he began to think hopefully of the future, and then with his back propped against the rough woodwork he stared wonderingly at the glowing orange disc of the sun, which was peering over the mountains and sending its level rays right through the open doorway of the hut. pen gazed at the soft, warm glow wonderingly, for everything seemed strange and incomprehensible. there was the sun, and here was he lying back with his shoulders against the woodwork of the rough bed. but what did it all mean? then came the self-evolved answer, "why, i have been asleep!" springing from the bed, he just glanced at his softly breathing companion as he ran out to look once more in the direction taken by the girl. then he stepped back again in the hope that she might have returned during the night and brought some bread; but all was still, and not a sign of anybody having been there. pen's heart sank. "grasping at shadows," he muttered. "here have i been wasting time over sleep instead of hunting for food." ignorant for the time being of the cause of the wretched feeling of depression which now stole over him, and with no friendly voice at hand to say, "heart sinking? despondent? why, of course you are ready to think anything is about to occur now that you are literally starving!" pen had accepted the first ill thought that had occurred to him, and this was that his companion had turned worse in the night and was dying. bending over the poor fellow once more, he thrust a hand within the breast of his shirt, and his spirits sank lower, for there was no regular throbbing beat in response, for the simple reason that in his hurry and confusion of intellect he had not felt in the right place. "oh!" he gasped, and his own voice startled him with its husky, despairing tone, while he bent lower, and it seemed to him that he could not detect the boy's breath playing upon his cheek. "oh, what have i done?" he panted, and catching at the boy's shoulders he began to draw him up into a sitting position, with some wild idea that this would enable him to regain his breath. but the next moment he had lowered him back upon the rough pallet, for a cry punch uttered proved that he was very much alive. "i say," he cried, "whatcher doing of? don't! you hurt?" "oh, punch," cried pen, panting hard now, "how you frightened me!" "why, i never did nothink," cried the boy in an ill-used tone. "no, no. lie still. i only thought you were getting worse. you were so still, and i could not hear you breathe." "but you shouldn't," grumbled the wounded boy surlily, as he screwed first one shoulder up to his ear and then the other. "hff! you did hurt! what did you expect? think i ought to be snoring? i say, though, give a fellow some more of that milk, will you? i'm thirsty. couldn't you get some bread--not to eat, but to sop in it?" "i don't think i could eat anything, but--" the boy stopped short as he lay passing his tongue over his fever-cracked lips, for the doorway of the miserable cabin was suddenly darkened, and pen sprang round to find himself face to face with his visitor of the previous evening, who stood before him with the wooden vessel in one hand and a coarse-looking bread-cake in the other. she looked searchingly and suspiciously at pen for a few moments; and then, as if seeing no cause for fear, she stepped quickly in, placed the food she had brought upon the rough shelf, and then bent over punch and laid one work-roughened hand upon the boy's forehead, while he stared up at her wonderingly. the girl turned to look round at pen, and uttered a few words hurriedly in her spanish patois. then, as if recollecting herself, she caught the bread-cake from where she had placed it, broke a piece off, and put it in the young rifleman's hand, speaking again quickly, every word being incomprehensible, though her movements were plain enough as she signed to him to eat. "yes, i know what you mean," said pen smiling; "but i want the bread for him," and he pointed to the wounded boy. the peasant-girl showed on the instant that though she could not understand the stranger's words his signs were clear enough. she broke off another piece of the bread and took down the little wooden-handled pail, which was half-full of warm milk. this she held up to pen, and signed to him to drink; but he shook his head and pointed to punch. this produced a quick, decisive nod of the head, as the girl wrinkled up her forehead and signed in an insistent way that pen should drink first. he obeyed, and then the girl seated herself upon the bed and began to sop pieces of the bread and hold them to punch's lips. "thenkye," he said faintly, and for the first time for many days the boy showed his white teeth, as he smiled up in their visitor's face. "'tis good," he said, and his lips parted to receive another fragment of the milk-softened bread, which was given in company with a bright girlish smile and a few more words. "i say," said punch, slowly turning his head from side to side, "i suppose you can't understand plain english, can you?" the girl's voice sounded very pleasant, as she laughingly replied. "ah," said punch, "and i can't understand plain spanish. but i know what you mean, and i will try to eat.--'tis good. give us a bit more." for the next ten minutes or so the peasant-girl remained seated upon the bedside attending to the wounded boy, breaking off the softer portions of the cake, soaking them in the warm milk, and placing them to the sufferer's lips, and more than once handing portions of the cake to pen and giving him the clean wood vessel so that he might drink, while the sun lit up the interior of the hut and lent a peculiar brightness to the intently gazing eyes of its three occupants, till the rustic breakfast came to an end, this being when punch kept his lips closed, gazed up straight in the girl's face, and smiled and shook his head. "good!" said the girl in her native tongue, and she nodded and laughed in satisfaction before playfully making believe to close the boy's eyes, and ending by keeping her hand across the lids so that he might understand that he was now to sleep. to this punch responded by taking the girl's hand in his and holding it for a few moments against his cheek before it was withdrawn, when the poor wounded lad turned his face away so that no one should see that a weak tear was stealing down his sun-browned cheek. but the girl saw it, and her own eyes were wet as she turned quickly to pen, pointed to the bread and milk, signed to him that he should go on eating, and then hurried out into the bright sunshine, pen following, to see that she was making straight for the waterfall. the next minute she had disappeared amongst the trees. "well, punch," cried pen, as he stepped back to the hut, "feel better for your breakfast?" "better? yes, of course. but i say, she didn't see me snivelling, did she?" "yes, i think so; and it made her snivel too, as you call it. of course she was sorry to see you so weak and bad." "ah!" said punch, after a few moments' silence, during which he had lain with his eyes shut. "what is it? does your wound hurt you?" "no; i forgot all about it. i say, i should like to give that girl something, because it was real kind of her; but i ain't got nothing but a sixpence with a hole in it, and she wouldn't care for that, because it's english." "well, i don't know, punch. i dare say she would. a good-hearted girl like that wouldn't look upon its value, but would keep it out of remembrance of our meeting." "think so?" said punch eagerly, and with his eyes sparkling. "oh, don't i wish i could talk spanish!" "oh, never mind that," said pen. "think about getting well. but, all the same, i wish i could make her understand so that she could guide me to where our fellows are." "eh?" cried the boy eagerly. "you ain't a-going to run away and leave me here, are you?" "is it likely, punch?" "of course not," cried the boy. "never you mind what i say. i get muddly and stupid in my head sometimes, and then i say things i don't mean." "of course you do; i understand. it's weakness," said pen cheerily; "but you are getting better." "think so, comrade? you see, i ain't had no doctor." "yes, you have. nature's a fine doctor; and if we can keep in hiding here a few days more, and that girl will keep on bringing us bread and milk, you will soon be in marching order; so we are not going to be in the dumps. we will find our fellows somehow." "to be sure we will," said punch cheerfully, as he wrenched himself a little over, wincing with pain the while. "what is it, punch? wound hurt you again?" "yes; horrid," said the boy with a sigh. "then, why don't you lie still? you should tell me you wanted to move." "yes, all right; i will next time. it did give me a stinger. sets a fellow thinking what some of our poor chaps must feel who get shot down and lie out in the mountains without a comrade to help them--a comrade like you. i shall never--" "look here, punch," interrupted pen, "i don't like butter." "i do," said the boy, with his eyes dancing merrily. "wished i had had some with that bread's morning." "now, you know what i mean," cried pen; "and mind this, if you get talking like that to me again i will go off and leave you." "ha, ha!" said the boy softly, "don't believe you. all right then, i won't say any more if you don't like it; but i shall think about it all the more." "there you go again," cried pen. "what is it you want? what are you trying to get? you are hurting yourself again." "oh, i was only trying to get at that there sixpence," said the poor fellow, with a dismal look in his face. "i'm half-afraid it's lost.-- no, it ain't! i just touched it then." "then don't touch it any more." "but i want it." "no, you don't, not till that girl comes; and you had better keep it till we say good-bye." "think so?" said punch. pen nodded. "you think she will come again, then?" "she is sure to." "ah," said punch, rather drowsily now, "i say, how nice it feels for any one to be kind to you when you are bad." "very," said pen thoughtfully. "pain gone off?" "yes; i am all right now. think she will come back soon?" "no, not for hours and hours." "oh, i say, pen. think it would be safe for me to go to sleep?" "yes, quite." "then i think i will, for i feel as if i could sleep for a week." "go to sleep then. it's the best thing you can do." "well, i will. only, promise me one thing: if she comes while i'm asleep, i--i--want you--promise--promise--wake--" "poor fellow!" said pen, "he's as weak as weak. but that breakfast has been like life to him. well, there's some truth in what they say, that when things come to the worst they begin to mend." a few minutes later, after noting that his poor wounded comrade had sunk into a deep sleep, pen stole gently out among the trees, keeping a sharp lookout for danger as he swept the slopes of the valley in search of signs of the enemy, for he felt that it was too much to hope for the dark-green or scarlet of one of their own men. but the valley now seemed thoroughly deserted, and a restful feeling began to steal through the lad's being, for everything looked peaceful and beautiful, and as if the horrors of war had never visited the land. the sun was rising higher, and he was glad to take shelter beneath the rugged boughs of a gnarled old cork-tree, where he stood listening to the low, soft, musical murmur of the fall. and as he pictured the clear, bright, foaming water flashing back the sun's rays, and in imagination saw the shadowy forms of the trout darting here and there, he took a step or two outward, but checked himself directly and turned back to where he could command the door of the hut, for a feeling of doubt crossed his mind as to what might happen if he went away; and before long he stole back to the side of the rough pallet, where he found punch sleeping heavily, feeling, as he seated himself upon a rough stool, that he could do nothing more but wait and watch. but it was with a feeling of hope, for there was something to look forward to in the coming of the peasant-girl. "and that can't be for hours yet," thought the lad; and then his mind drifted off to england, and the various changes of his life, and the causes of his being there. and then, as he listened to the soft hum of insect-life that floated through the open door, his eyelids grew heavy as if he had caught the drowsy infection from his companion. weak as he was from light feeding, he too dropped asleep, so that the long, weary time that he had been wondering how he should be able to pass was but as a minute, for the sun was setting when he next unclosed his eyes, to meet the mirthful gaze of punch, who burst into a feeble laugh as he exclaimed, "why, you have been asleep!" chapter twelve. a rustle among the trees. "asleep!" cried pen, starting up and hurrying to the door. "yes; i have been watching ever so long. i woke up hours ago, all in a fright, thinking that gal had come back; and i seemed to see her come in at the door and look round, and then go again." "ah, you saw her!" said pen, looking sharply to right and left as if in expectation of some trace of her coming. "no," said punch, "it's no use to look. i have done that lots of times. hurt my shoulder, too, screwing myself round. she ain't been and left nothing." "but you saw her?" cried pen. "well," said punch, in a hesitating way, "i did and i didn't, like as you may say. she seemed to come; not as i saw her at first--i only felt her, like. it was the same as i seemed to see things when i have been off my head a bit." "yes," said pen, "i understand." "do you?" said punch dreamily. "well, i don't. i didn't see her, only it was like a shadow going out of the door; but i feel as sure as sure that she came and stood close to me for ever so long, and i think i saw her back as she went out; and then i quite woke up and lay and listened, hoping that she would come again." "i hope it was only a dream, punch," said pen; "but i had no business to go to sleep like that." "why not? you waren't on sentry-go; and there was nothing to do." "i ought to have kept awake." "no, you oughtn't. i was jolly glad to see you sleep; and i lay here and thought of what a lot of times you must have kept awake and watched over me when i was so bad, and--here, whatcher going to do?" "going away till you have done talking nonsense." "oh, all right. i won't say no more. you are such a touchy chap. don't go away. give us a drink." "ah, now you are talking sense," said pen, as he made for the shelf upon which the little wooden vessel stood. "here, punch," he said, "you mustn't drink this. it has turned sour." "jolly glad of it. chuck it away and fetch me a good drink of water. only, i say, i'd give it a good rinse out first." "yes," said pen dryly, "i think it would be as well. now, you don't think that i should have given you water out of a dirty pail?" "well, how should i know?" said the boy querulously. "but, where are you going to get it from?" "out of the pool just below the waterfall." "ah, it will be nice and cool from there," said the boy, passing his tongue over his dry lips. "i was afraid that you might get it from where the sun had been on it all day." "were you?" said pen, smiling. "here, i say, don't grin at a fellow like that," said the boy peevishly. "you do keep catching a chap up so. oh, i am so thirsty! it's as if i had been eating charcoal cinders all day; and my wound's all as hot and dry as if it was being burnt." "yes, i had no business to have been asleep," said pen. "i'll fetch the water, and when you have had a good drink i will bathe your wound." "ah, do; there's a good chap. but don't keep on in that aggravating way, saying you oughtn't to have gone to sleep. i wanted you to go to sleep; and it wasn't a dream about her coming and looking at me while i was asleep. i dessay my eyes were shut, but i felt somebody come, and it only aggravates me for you to say nobody did." "then i won't say it any more, punch," cried pen as he hurried out of the door. "but you dreamt it, all the same," he continued to himself as he hurried along the track in the direction of the fall, keeping a sharp lookout the while, partly in search of danger, partly in the faint hope that he might catch sight of their late compassionate visitor, who might be on the way bearing a fresh addition to their scanty store. but he encountered no sign of either friend or enemy. one minute he was making his way amongst the gnarled cork-trees, the next he passed out to where the soft, deep, lulling, musical sound of the fall burst upon his ears; and soon after he was upon his knees drinking deeply of the fresh, cool water, before rinsing out and carefully filling the wooden _seau_, which he was in the act of raising from the pool when he started, for there was a movement amongst the bushes upon the steep slope on the other side of the falls. pen's heart beat heavily, for, fugitive as he was, the rustling leaves suggested an enemy bent upon taking aim at him or trapping him as a prisoner. he turned to make his way back to the hut, and then as the water splashed from the little wooden pail, he paused. "what a coward i am!" he muttered, and, sheltering himself among the trees, he began to thread his way between them towards where he could pass among the rocks that filled the bed of the stream below the falls so as to reach the other side and make sure of the cause of the movement amidst the low growth. "i dare say it was only goats," he said. "time enough to run when i see a frenchman; but i wish i had brought my piece." keeping a sharp lookout for danger, he reached the other side of the little river, and then climbed up the rocky bank, gained the top in safety, and once more started violently, for he came suddenly upon a goat which was browsing amongst the bushes and sprang out in alarm. "yes, i am a coward!" muttered the lad with a forced laugh; and, stepping back directly, he lowered himself down the bank, recrossed the stream, filled the little pail, and made his way to where his wounded companion was waiting for him impatiently. "oh, i say, you have been a time!" grumbled the boy, "and i am so thirsty." "yes, punch, i have been a while. i had rilled the pail, when there was a rustle among the trees, and i thought one of the frenchies was about to pounce upon me." "and was it?" "no, only a goat amongst the bushes; and that made me longer. there, let me hold you up--no, no, don't try yourself. that's the way. did it hurt you much?" the boy drank with avidity, and then drew a long breath. "oh, 'tis good!" he said. "nice and cool too. what, did it hurt? yes, tidy; but i ain't going to howl about that. good job it wasn't a frenchy. don't want them to find us now we are amongst friends. if that gal will only bring us a bit to eat for about another day i shall be all right then. sha'n't i, comrade?" "better, i hope, punch," said pen, smiling; "but you won't be all right for some time yet." "gammon!" cried the boy. "i shall. it only wants plenty of pluck, and a wound soon gets well. i mean to be fit to go on again precious soon, and i will. i say, give us a bit more of that cake, and--i say--what's the spanish for butter?" pen shook his head. "well, cheese, then? that will do. i want to ask her to bring us some. it's a good sign, ain't it, when a chap begins to get hungry?" "of course it is. all you have got to do is to lie still, and not worry your wound by trying to move." "yes, it is all very fine, but you ain't got a wound, and don't know how hard it is to lie still. i try and try, and i know how it hurts me if i do move, but i feel as if i must move all the same. i say, i wish we had got a book! i could keep quiet if you read to me." "i wish i had one, punch, but i must talk to you instead." "well, tell us a story." "i can't, punch." "yes, you can; you did tell me your story about how you came to take the shilling." "well, yes, i did tell you that." "of course you did, comrade. well, that's right. tell us again." "nonsense! you don't want to hear that again." "oh, don't i? but i do. i could listen to that a hundred times over. it sets me thinking about how i should like to punch somebody's head-- your somebody, i mean. tell us all about it again." "no, no; don't ask me to do that, punch," said pen, wrinkling up his forehead. "why? it don't hurt your feelings, does it?" "well, yes, it does set me thinking about the past." "all right, then; i won't ask you. here, i know--give us my bugle and the bit of flannel and stuff out of the haversack. i want to give it a polish up again." "why, you made it quite bright last time, punch. it doesn't want cleaning. you can't be always polishing it." "yes, i can. i want to keep on polishing till i have rubbed out that bruise in the side. it's coming better already. give us hold on it." pen hesitated, but seeing how likely it was to quiet his patient's restlessness, he placed the bright instrument beside him, and with it the piece of cloth with which he scoured it, and the leather for a polisher, and then sat thoughtfully down to watch the satisfied look of intentness in the boy's countenance as he held the copper horn so close to his face that he could breathe upon it without moving his head, and then go on polish, polish, slowly, till by degrees the movement of his hand became more slow, his eyes gradually closed, his head fell sideways, and he sank to sleep. "poor fellow!" said pen thoughtfully. "but he can't be worse, or he wouldn't sleep like that." pen rose carefully so as not to disturb the sleeper, and cautiously peered outside the hut-door, keeping well out of sight till he had assured himself that there was no enemy visible upon the slopes of the valley, and then, taking a few steps under the shelter of the trees, he scanned the valley again from another point of view, while he listened intently, trying to catch the sound of the tramping of feet or the voice of command such as would indicate the nearness of the enemy. but all was still, all looked peaceful and beautiful; and after stepping back to peer through the hut-door again to see that punch had not stirred, he passed round to the back, where he could gaze in the direction of the fall and of the track by which the peasant-girl had hurried away. "i wonder whether she will come back again," thought pen; and then feeling sure that they would have another visit from their new friend, he went slowly back to the hut and seated himself where he could watch the still-sleeping boy and think; for there was much to dwell upon in the solitude of that mountain valley--about home, and whether he should ever get back there and see england again, or be one of the unfortunates who were shot down and hastily laid beneath a foreign soil; about how long it would be before punch was strong enough to tramp slowly by his side in search of their own corps or of some other regiment where they would be welcome enough until they could join their own. these were not inspiriting thoughts, and he knew it must be weeks before the poor fellow's wound would be sufficiently healed. then other mental suggestions came to worry him as to whether he was pursuing the right course; as a companion he felt that he was, but as a soldier he was in doubt about the way in which his conduct would be looked upon by his superiors. "can't help it," he muttered. "i didn't want to skulk. i couldn't leave the poor fellow alone--perhaps to the wolves." the day went by very slowly. it was hot, and the air felt full of drowsiness, and the more pen forced himself to be wakeful the more the silence seemed to press him down like a weight of sleep to which he was forced to yield from time to time, only to start awake again with a guilty look at his companion, followed by a feeling of relief on finding that punch's eyes were still closed and not gazing at him mockingly. slow as it was, the evening began to approach at last, and with it the intense longing for the change that would be afforded by the sight of their visitor. but the time glided on, and with it came doubts which were growing into feelings of surety which were clinched by a sudden movement on the part of the wounded boy, whose long afternoon-sleep was brought to an end with an impatient ejaculation. "there! i knew how it would be," he said. "she won't come now." "never mind, punch," said pen, trying to speak cheerily. "there's a little more bread, and i will go now and see if i can find the goat, and try and get some milk." "not you," said the boy peevishly. "she will know you are a stranger, and won't let you try again. i know what them she-billy goats are. i have watched them over and over again. leave the bread alone, and let's go to sleep. we shall want it for breakfast, and water will do. i mean to have one good long snooze ready for to-morrow, and then i am going to get up and march." "nonsense, punch," cried pen. "you can't." "can't i?" said the boy mockingly. "i must, and, besides, british soldiers don't know such a thing as can't." "ah!" cried pen excitedly, as he started up and made for the door, for there was the rustling sound of feet amongst the bushes; and directly after, hot and panting with exertion, the peasant-girl appeared at the opening that was growing dim in the failing light. chapter thirteen. "look out, comrade!" "hooray!" cried punch, wrenching his head round and stretching one hand towards their visitor, who stepped in, put the basket she carried upon the bed, and placed her hand upon her side, breathing hard as if she were in pain. "why, you have been running," cried punch, looking at her reproachfully. "it was all right on you, and you are a good little lass to come, but you shouldn't have run so fast. 'tain't good." as the girl began to recover her breath she showed her white teeth and nodded merrily at the wounded boy; and then, as if she had grasped his meaning, she turned to pen, caught up the basket, and began rapidly to take out its contents, which consisted first of bunches of grapes, a few oranges, and from beneath them a piece of thin cheese and another cake, which lay at the bottom in company with a rough-looking drinking-mug. these were all arranged upon the bed close beside punch, while the girl, as she emptied her basket, kept on talking to pen in a hurried way, which he took to mean as an apology for her present being so common and simple. upon this base pen made what he considered a suitable reply, thanking the girl warmly for her compassion and kindness to two unfortunate strangers. "i wish i could make you understand," he said; "but we are both most grateful and we shall never forget it, and--what's the matter?" for all at once, as the girl was listening eagerly to his words and trying to understand them, nodding smilingly at him the while, a sudden change came over her countenance as she gazed fixedly past the young soldier at the little square opening in the hut-wall behind him which served as a window, and then turned to snatch her basket from the bed. "what is it?" cried pen. "look out, comrade--the window behind," said punch. pen turned on the instant, but the dim window gave no enlightenment, and he looked back now at the girl, who was about to pass through the door, but darted back again to run round the foot of the bed, so as to place it between her and the swarthy-looking spanish peasant-lad who suddenly appeared to block the doorway, a fierce look of savage triumph in his eyes, as he planted his hands upon his hips and burst out into an angry tirade which made the girl shrink back against the wall. not a word was intelligible to the lookers-on, but all the same the scene told its own tale. punch's lips parted, his face turned white, and he lay back helpless, with his fingers clenched, while pen's chest began to heave and he stood there irresolute, breathing hard as if he had been running, knowing well as he did what the young spaniard's words must mean. what followed passed very quickly, for the young spaniard stepped quickly into the hut, thrust pen aside, stepped round to the foot of the bed, and caught the shrinking girl savagely by the wrist. she shrank from him, but he uttered what sounded more like a snarl than words, and began to drag her back round the foot of the bed towards the door. pen felt as if something were burning in his chest, and he breathed harder, for there was a twofold struggle taking place therein between the desire to interfere and the feeling of prudence that told him he had no right to meddle under the circumstances in which he was placed. prudence meant well, and there was something very frank and brave in her suggestions; but she had the worst of it, for the girl began to resist and retort upon her assailant angrily, her eyes flashing as she struggled bravely to drag her wrist away; but she was almost helpless against the strong muscles of the man, and the next moment she turned upon pen an appealing look, as she uttered one word which could only mean "help!" pen took that to be the meaning, and the hot feeling in his young english breast burst, metaphorically, into flame. springing at the young spaniard, he literally wrested the girl from his grasp; and as she sprang now to catch at punch's extended hand, pen closed with her assailant, there was a brief struggle, and the spaniard was driven here and there for a few moments before he caught his heel against the rough sill at the bottom of the doorway and went down heavily outside, but only to spring up again with his teeth bared like those of some wild beast as he sprang at pen. a piercing shriek came from the girl's lips, and she tried to free herself from punch's detaining hand; but the boy held fast, checking the girl in her brave effort to throw herself between the contending pair, while punch uttered the warning cry, "look out! mind, comrade! knife! knife!" the next instant there was a dull thud, and the spaniard fell heavily in the doorway, while pen stood breathing hard, shaking his now open hand, which was rapidly growing discoloured. "has he cut you, comrade?" cried punch in a husky voice. "no. all right!" panted pen with a half-laugh. "it's only the skin off--his teeth. i hit first," but he muttered to himself, "cowardly brute! it was very near.--no, no, my girl," he said now, aloud, as the girl stripped a little handkerchief from her neck and came up to him timidly, as if to bind up his bleeding knuckles. "i will go down to the stream. that will soon stop;" and he brushed past her, to again face the spaniard, who was approaching him cautiously now, knife in hand, apparently about to spring. "oh, that's it, is it?" said pen sternly, and still facing the spaniard he took a couple of steps backward towards the wall of the hut. his assailant did not read his intention, and uttered a snarl of triumph as he continued his cautious tactics and went on advancing, swinging himself from side to side as if about to spring; and a dull gleam of light flashed from the knife he held in his hand. but the hand pen had thrust out behind him had not been idle; and punch, who lay helplessly upon the bed, uttered a sigh of satisfaction, for with one quick movement pen threw forward his right again to where it came closely in contact with his left, which joined on in throwing forward horizontally the rifle pen had caught from where it stood in the corner of the hut, the muzzle delivering a dull blow in the spaniard's chest. there was a sharp _click, click_, and pen thundered out, "drop that knife and run, before it's--fire!" the man could not understand a word of english, but he plainly comprehended the young soldier's meaning, for his right hand relinquished its grasp, the knife fell with a dull sound upon the earthen floor, and its owner turned and dashed away, while the girl stood with her hands clasped as she uttered a low sigh full of relief, and then sank down in a heap upon the floor, sobbing as if her heart would break. "one for him, comrade," cried punch hoarsely. "how would it be to spend a cartridge over his head? make him run the faster." "no need, punch. this is a bad bit of luck." "bad luck!" said punch. "i call it fine. only i couldn't come and help. yes, fine! teach him what british soldier means. oh, can't you say something to tell that poor girl not to cry like that? say, old man," said the boy, dropping into a whisper, "didn't see it before. why, he must be her chap!" chapter fourteen. punch will talk. "yes, i suppose you are right, punch," said pen, frowning. "thick-headed idiot. i have quite taken the skin off my knuckles. poor girl," he continued, "she has been cruelly punished for doing a womanly action." "yes; but he's got it too, and serve him right. oh, didn't i want to help! but, my word, he will never forget what a british fist is. yours will soon be all right. oh, i wish she wouldn't go on crying like that! do say something to her and tell her we are very sorry she got into a scrape." "no, you say something," said pen quietly. but there was no need, for the girl suddenly sprang up, hurriedly dashing away her tears, her eyes flashing as if she were ashamed of being seen crying; and, looking sharply from one to the other, she frowned, stamped her little foot upon the earthen floor, and pointed through the open door. "_juan malo_!" she cried, and, springing to where the knife lay, she caught it up, ran outside, and sent it flying in amongst the trees. then coming back, she approached pen. "_juan malo_!" she cried. "_malo_--_malo_!" "_mal_--bad," said pen, smiling. "that's latin as well as spanish. _si_," he continued, to the girl, "_juan mal_--_malo_." the girl nodded quickly and pointed to his hand. "_navajo_?" she said. "what does that mean?" said pen. "knife?" and he shook his head. "no, no, no, no," he said, and to give effect to his words he energetically struck the injured hand into its fellow-palm, and then held up the knuckles, which had begun to bleed again. the girl smiled and nodded, and she made again to take the handkerchief from her neck to bind it up. "no, no, no!" cried pen, laughing and shaking his head. the girl looked a little annoyed, and smiled again, and pointed to the provisions she had brought. "_queso, pano_," she said. "_las uvas_;" and she caught up one of the bunches of grapes, picked off a few, and placed them in punch's hand. then turning quickly to the door, she stopped to look round. "_juan malo_!" she cried; and the next minute she was out of sight. "ah!" said punch with a sigh, "wish i was a spaniel and could tell her what a good little lass she is, or that i was a scholar like you are; i'd know how you do it. why, you quite began to talk her lingo at once. think that chap's waiting to begin bullying her again?" "i hope not, punch." "so do i. perhaps he won't for fear that she should tell you, and him have to run up against your fist again." "it's a bad job, punch, and i want to go down to the stream to bathe my hand. i dare say i should see him if he were hanging about, for the girl came from that way." "but you needn't say it's a bad job," said punch. "there's nothing to mind." "i hope not," said pen thoughtfully. "perhaps there's nothing to mind. it would have been a deal worse if the french had found out that we were here." "yes, ever so much," said punch. "here, have some of these grapes; they are fine. do you know, that bit of a spurt did me good. i feel better now as long as i lie quite still. just as if i had been shamming, and ought to get up, and--and--oh, no i don't," said the poor fellow softly, as he made an effort to change his position, the slight movement bringing forth an ejaculation of pain. "just like a red-hot bayonet." "poor old chap!" said pen, gently altering the injured lad's position. "you must be careful, and wait." "but i don't want to wait," cried the boy peevishly. "it has made me feel as weak as a great gal. i don't believe that one would have made so much fuss as i do." "there, there, don't worry about it. go on eating the grapes." "no," said the boy piteously. "don't feel to want them now. the shoot that went through me turned me quite sick. i say, comrade, i sha'n't want to get up and go on to-morrow. i suppose i must wait another day." "yes, punch," said pen, laying his uninjured hand upon the boy's forehead, which felt cold and dank with the perspiration produced by the pain. "but, i say, do have some of these grapes." "yes, if you will," said pen, picking up the little bunch that the wounded boy had let fall upon the bed. "try. they will take off the feeling of sickness. can you eat some of the bread too?" "no," said punch, shaking his head; but he did, and by degrees the pain died out, and he began to chat about the encounter, and how eager he felt to get out into the open country again. "i say, comrade," he said at last, "i never liked to tell you before, but when it's been dark i have been an awful coward and lain coming out wet with scare, thinking i was going to die and that you would have to scrape a hole for me somewhere and cover me up with stones. i didn't like to tell you before, because i knew you would laugh at me and tell me it was all nonsense for being such a coward. d'ye see, that bullet made a hole in my back and let all the pluck out of me. but your set-to with that chap seemed to tell me that it hadn't all gone, for i felt ready for anything again, and that there was nothing the matter with me, only being as weak as a rat." "to be sure!" cried pen, laying his hand upon the boy's shoulder. "that is all that's the matter with you. you have got to wait till your strength comes back again, and then, punch, you and i are going to see if we can't join the regiment again." "that's right," cried the boy, with his dull eyes brightening; "and if we don't find them we will go on our travels till we do. why, it will be fine, won't it, as soon as i get over being such a cripple. we shall have 'ventures, sha'n't we?" "to be sure," replied pen; "and you want to get strong, don't you?" "oh, don't i just! i should just like to be strong enough to meet that brown spaniel chap and chuck my cap at him." "what for?" "what for? set his monkey up and make him come at me. i should just like it. i have licked chaps as big as he is before now--our chaps, and one of the noughty-fourths who was always bragging about and crowing over me. i don't mind telling you now, i was a bit afraid of him till one day when he gave me one on the nose and made it bleed. that made me so savage i forgot all about his being big and stronger, and i went in at him hot and strong, and the next thing i knew was corporal grady was patting me on the back, and there was quite a crowd of our chaps standing laughing, and the corporal says, `bedad, punchard, boy, ye licked him foine! yes, _foine_,' he said, just like that. `now, go and wash your face, and be proud of it,' just like that. and then i remember--" "yes, but remember that another time," said pen quietly. "you are talking too much," and he laid his hand on the boy's forehead again. "oh, but i just want to tell you this." "tell me to-morrow, punch. you are growing excited and feverish." "how do you know? you ain't a doctor." "no; but i know that your forehead was cold and wet a few minutes ago, and that it is hot and burning now." "well, that only means that it's getting dry." "no; it means doing yourself harm when you want to get well." "well, i must talk," pleaded the boy. "yes, a little." "what am i to do? i can't be always going to sleep." "no; but go as much as you can, and you will get well the quicker." "all right," said punch sadly. "'bey orders; so here goes. but i do wish that the chap as gave me this bullet had got it hisself. i say, comrade," added the boy, after lying silent for a few minutes. "what is it? what do you want?" "just unhook that there cord and hang my bugle on that other peg. ah, that's better; i can see it now. stop a minute--give us hold." the boy's eyes brightened as pen handed him the instrument, and he looked at it with pride, while directly after, obeying the impulse that seized him, he placed the mouthpiece to his lips, drew a deep breath, and with expanding cheeks was about to give forth a blast when pen snatched it from his hands. "whatcher doing of?" cried the boy angrily. "stopping you from bringing the french down upon us," cried pen sharply. "what were you thinking about?" "i wasn't thinking at all," said the boy slowly, as his brow wrinkled up in a puzzled way. "well, i was a fool! got a sort of idea in my head that some of our fellows might hear it and come down and find us." "i wish they would," said pen sadly; "but i don't think there's a doubt of it, punch, we are surrounded by the french. there, i'm sorry i was so rough with you, only you were going to make a mistake." "sarve me jolly well right," said the boy. "i must have been quite off my chump. there, hang it up. i won't do it again." it was quite dark now, and in the silence pen soon after heard a low, deep breathing which told him that his wounded companion had once more sunk asleep, while on his part a busy brain and a smarting hand tended to reproduce the evening scene, and with it a series of mental questions as to what would be the result; and so startling were some of the suggestions that came to trouble the watcher that he placed himself by the side of the bed farthest from the door and laid his rifle across the foot ready to hand, as he half-expected to see the dim, oblong square of the open doorway darkened by an approaching enemy stealing upon them, knife-armed and silent, ready to take revenge for the blow, urged thereto by a feeling of jealous hatred against one who had never meant him the slightest harm. that night pen never closed his eyes, and it was with a sigh of relief that he saw the first pale light of day stealing down into the rocky vale. chapter fifteen. juan's revenge. "oh, you have come back again, then," grumbled punch, as pen met his weary eyes and the dismal face that was turned sideways to watch the door of the hut. "thought you had gone for good and forgotten all about a poor fellow." "no, you didn't, punch," said pen, slowly standing his rifle up in a corner close at hand, as he sank utterly exhausted upon the foot of the bed. "yes, i did. i expected that you had come across some place where there was plenty to eat, and some one was giving you bottles of spanish wine, and that you had forgotten all about your poor comrade lying here." "there, i am too tired to argue with you, punch," said pen with a sigh. "you have drunk all the water, then?" "course i have, hours ago, and eat the last of the bread, and i should have eat that bit of hard, dry cheese, only i let it slip out of my fingers and it bounced like a bit of wood under the bed. well, whatcher brought for us to eat?" "nothing, i am sorry to say." "well, but what are we going to do? we can't starve." "i am afraid we can, punch, if things are going on like this." "but they ain't to go on like this. i won't lie here and starve. nice thing for a poor fellow tied up here so bad that he couldn't pick up a bit of wittles again as had tumbled down, and you gone off roaming about where you liked, leaving your poor wounded comrade to die! oh, i do call it a shame!" cried the lad piteously. "yes, it does seem a shame, punch," said pen gently; "but i can fetch some water. are you very thirsty?" "thirsty? course i am! burnt up! it has been like an oven here all day." pen caught up the wooden _seau_ and hurried out through the wood, to return in a few minutes with the vessel brimful of cold, clear water, which he set down ready, and then after carefully raising the poor boy into a sitting position he lifted the well-filled drinking-cup to his lips and replenished it again twice before the poor fellow would give up. "ah!" he sighed, "that's better! which way did you go this time?" "out there to the west, where the sun goes down, punch." "well, didn't you find no farmhouses nor cottages where they'd give you a bit of something to eat?" "not one; only rough mountain-land, with a goat here and there." "well, why didn't you catch one, or drive your bayonet into it? if we couldn't cook it we could have eaten it raw." "i tried to, punch, but the two or three i saw had been hunted by the enemy till they were perfectly wild, and i never got near one." "but you didn't see no enemy this time, did you?" "yes; they are dotted about everywhere, and i have been crawling about all day through the woods so as not to be seen. it's worse there than in any direction i have been this week. the french are holding the country wherever i have been." "oh, i do call this a nice game," groaned the wounded boy. "here, give us another cup of water. it does fill one up, and i have been feeling as hollow as a drum." pen handed him the cup once more, and punch drank with as much avidity as if it were his first. "yes," he sighed, "i do call it a nice game! i say, though, comrade, don't you think if you'd waited till it was dark, and then tried, you could have got through their lines to some place and have begged a bit of bread?" "perhaps, punch, if i had not been taken." "well, then, why didn't you try?" "well, we have had that over times enough," said pen quietly, "and i think you know." "course i do," said the boy, changing his tone; "only this wound, and being so hungry, do make me such a beast. if it had been you going on like this, lying wounded here, and it was me waiting on you, and feeding you, and tying you up, i should have been sick of it a week ago, and left you to take your chance." "no, you wouldn't, punch, old chap; it isn't in you," said pen, "so we won't argue about that. i only want you to feel that i have done everything i could." "'cept cutting off and leaving me to take my chance. you haven't done that." "no, i haven't done that, punch." "and i suppose you ain't going to," said the boy, "and i ought to tell you you are a fool for your pains." "but you are not going to do that, punch." "no, i suppose not; and i wish i wasn't such a beast--such an ungrateful brute. it is all that sore place; and it don't get no better. but, i say, why don't you go out straight and find the first lot of frenchies you can, and say to them like a man, `here, i give myself up as a prisoner'?" "i told you, punch, what i believe," replied pen. "yes; you said you were afraid that they wouldn't have me carried away on account of my wound." "well, that's what i do believe, punch. i don't want to be hard on the french, but they are a very rough lot here in this wild mountain-land, and i don't believe they would burden themselves with wounded." "well, it wouldn't matter," said the boy dismally. "of course they wouldn't carry me about; but they would put me out of my misery, and a good job too." pen said nothing, but his face wrinkled up with lines which made him look ten years older, as he laid his hand upon his comrade's fevered brow. "ha!" sighed punch, "that does a fellow good. i don't believe any poor chap ever had such a comrade as you are; and i lie here sometimes wondering how you can do so much for such an--" "will you be quiet, punch?" cried pen, snatching away his hand. "yes, yes--please don't take it away." "then be quiet. you know how i hate you to talk like this." "yes, all right; i have done. but, i say, do you think it's likely that gal will come again? she must know that what she brought wouldn't last." "i think, poor lass, she must have got into such trouble with her people that she daren't come again." "her people!" cried the boy. "it's that ugly black-looking nigger of a sweetheart of hers. you had a good sight of him that night when you took aim with your rifle. why didn't you pull the trigger? a chap like that's no good in the world." "just the same as you would if you had had hold of the rifle yourself, punch--eh?" "there you go again," said the boy sulkily. "what a chap you are! you are always pitching it at me like that. why, of course i should have shot him like a man." "would you?" said pen, smiling. "oh, well, i don't know. perhaps i shouldn't. such a chap as that makes you feel as you couldn't be too hard on him. but it wouldn't be quite the right thing, i suppose. there, don't bother. it makes my sore place ache. but, oh, shouldn't i like to tell him what i think of him! i say, don't you think she may come to-night?" "no, punch; i have almost ceased to hope. besides, i don't want to depend on people's charity, though i like to see it i want to be able to do something for ourselves. no, i don't think she will come any more." "i do," said the boy confidently. "i am beginning to think that she will come after all. she is sure to. she must know how jolly hungry i should be. she looked so kind. a gal like that wouldn't leave us to starve. she is a nice, soft-hearted one, she is, though she is spanish. i wouldn't take no notice, but i see the tears come in her eyes, and one of them dropped on my hand when she leaned over me and looked so sorry because i was in pain. it's a pity she ain't english and lived somewhere at home where one might expect to see her again. it is very sad and shocking to have to live in a country like this." "do you feel so hungry now, punch?" "yes, horrid. give us a bit of that cheese to nibble. then i must have another drink, and try and go to sleep. feel as though i could now you have come back. i was afraid i was never going to see you again." "i don't believe you thought i had forsaken you, punch." "not me! you couldn't have done it. 'tain't in you, comrade, i know. but i tell you what i did think: that the frenchies had got hold of you and made you prisoner. then i lay here feeling that i could not move myself, and trying to work it out as to what you'd do--whether you would try and make them come and fetch me to be a prisoner too, or whether you would think it wouldn't be safe, and you would be afraid to speak for fear they should come and bayonet me. and so i went on. oh, i say, comrade, it does make a chap feel queer to lie here without being able to help hisself. i got to think at last that i wished i was dead and out of my misery." "yes, punch, lad, i know. it was very hard to bear, but i couldn't help being so long. i was working for you--for both of us--all the time." "course you was, comrade! i know. and now you've come back, and it's all right again. give us another drink of water. it's better than nothing--ever so much better, because there's plenty of it--and i shall go to sleep and do as i did last night when i was so hungry--get dreaming away about there being plenty of good things to eat. i seemed to see a regular feast--roast-meat and fruit and beautiful white bread; only it was as rum as rum. i kept on eating all the time, only nothing seemed to have any taste in it. and, hooray! what did i say! there she is! but," the boy added, his eager tones of delight seeming to die away in despair, "she ain't brought no basket!" for, eager and panting with her exertions, her eyes bright with excitement, the peasant-girl suddenly dashed in through the open door, caught pen by the breast with one hand, and pointed with the other in the direction from which she had come, as she whispered excitedly, "_los franceses_!" then, loosening her grasp, she turned quickly to the boy and passed one hand beneath his neck, signing to pen to help her raise the wounded lad from the bed, while pen hurried to the door to look out. "yes," he whispered quickly, as he turned back, "she means the enemy are coming, and wants me to carry you to a place of safety.--all right, my lass; i understand.--here, punch, i won't hurt you more than i can help. clasp your hands round my neck, and i will carry you.--here, girl, take my rifle!" he held out the piece, and the girl caught it in her hand, while pen drew his companion into a sitting position, stooped down, and turned his back to the bed. "all right; i won't squeak, comrade. up with me. for'ard!" but the boy could not control his muscles, the contractions in his face showing plainly enough the agony he felt as with one quick movement pen raised himself, pressing the clinging hands to his breast, and swung the poor fellow upon his back. the girl nodded sharply, as, rifle in hand, she made for the door, beckoning to pen to follow quickly; and then, with a look of despair, she stopped short, her actions showing plainly enough what she must be saying, for there was a quick rush among the trees outside, and the young spaniard dashed to the front of the hut, made a snatch at the rifle the girl was bearing, and tore it from her grasp as he drove her back into the hut and barred the way, uttering a loud hail the while. "too late! we are too late, punch," said pen bitterly. "here they are! prisoners, my lad. i can do no more." for, as he spoke, about a dozen of the enemy doubled up to the front of the hut, and the young spaniard who had betrayed the two lads stood before pen, showing his white teeth in a malignant grin of triumph, as he held the girl by the wrist. chapter sixteen. prisoners. "are you in much pain, punch?" said pen, as, with his wrists tied tightly behind him, he knelt beside his comrade, who lay now just outside the door of the hut, a couple of french chasseurs on guard. the officer in command of the little party had taken possession of the hut for temporary bivouac, and his men had lighted a fire, whose flames picturesquely lit up the surrounding trees, beneath which the new-comers had stretched themselves and were now partaking of bread, grapes, and the water a couple of their party had fetched from the stream. the young spaniard was seated aloof from the girl, whose back was half-turned from him as she sat there seeming to have lost all interest in the scene and those whom she had tried to warn of the danger they were in. from time to time the spanish lad spoke to her, but she only jerked her head away from him, looking more indifferent than ever. "are you in much pain, punch?" asked pen again; for the boy had not replied, and pen leaned more towards him, to gaze in his face searchingly. "oh, pretty tidy," replied the boy at last; "but it's better now. you seemed to wake up my wound, but it's going to sleep again. i say, though, i didn't show nothing, did i?" "no, you bore it bravely." "did i? that's right. i was afraid, though, that i should have to howl; but i am all right now. and i say, comrade, look here; some chaps miche--you know, sham bad--so as to get into hospital to be fed up and get off duty, and they do it too, you know." "yes, i know," said pen, watching the lad anxiously. "but don't talk so much." "must; i want to tell you, i am going to miche--sham, you know--the other way on." "what do you mean?" said pen. "why, make-believe i'm all right. make these froggies think my wound's only a scratch. then perhaps they will march me off along with you as a prisoner. i don't want them to--you know." "march you off!" said pen bitterly. "why, you know you can't stand." "can't! i've got to. you'll let me hold tight of your arm. i've got to, comrade, and i will. it means setting one's teeth pretty hard. only wish i had got a bullet to bite. it would come easy then. look here, wait a bit, and then you back up a bit closer to me. haven't tied my hands like yours. just you edge close so as i can slip my fingers into your box. i want to get out one cartridge for the sake of the bullet." "you can't, punch. didn't you see they slipped off the belt, and that young spaniard's got it along with my rifle?" "so he has! i didn't know. now then, wasn't i right when i said you ought to have fired at him and brought him down? well, i must have a bullet somehow. i know. i will try and get the girl to get hold of the case; only i don't know how it's to be done without knowing what to say. can't you put me up to it, comrade?" "no, punch." "but you might give a fellow a bit of advice." "my advice is to lie still and wait." "well, that's pretty advice, that is, comrade. wait till they comes and makes an end of a fellow if he breaks down, for i am beginning to think that i sha'n't be able to go through with it." "let's wait and see what happens, punch. we have done our best, and we can do no more." just then pen's attention was taken up by the young officer, who came to the door of the hut, yawned, and stood looking about at his men before slowly sauntering round the bivouac as if to see that all was right, the sentries drawing themselves up stiffly as he passed on, till he caught sight of the spanish girl and the lad seated together in the full light cast by the fire. then turning sharply to one of his men, the young officer pointed at the spaniard and gave an order in a low, imperious tone. two of his men advanced to the lit-up group, and one of them gave the lad a sharp clap on the shoulder which made him spring up angrily, while the other chasseur snatched the english rifle from his hand, the first chasseur seizing the cartridge-belt and case. there was a brief struggle, but it was two to one, and the spaniard, as pen watched the encounter eagerly, was sent staggering back, catching his heel in a bush and falling heavily, but only to rebound on the instant, springing up knife now in hand and making at the nearest soldier. "ha!" gasped punch excitedly, as he saw the gleam of the knife; and then he drew in his breath with a hiss, for it was almost momentary: one of the two french soldiers who had approached him to obey his officer's orders and disarm the informer just raised his musket and made a drive with the butt at the knife-armed spaniard, who received the metal plate of the stock full in his temple and rolled over, half-stunned, amongst the bushes. another order rang out from the officer, and before the young spaniard could recover himself a couple more of the soldiers had pounced upon him, and a minute later he was firmly bound, as helpless a prisoner as the young rifleman who watched the scene. "say, comrade," whispered punch, "that's done me good. but do you see that?" "see it? why, of course i saw it. that's not what he bargained for when he led the frenchmen here." "no, i don't mean that," whispered punch impatiently. "i meant the gal." "the girl?" said pen. "what about her?" "where is she?" whispered punch. "why, she was--" "yes, _was_," whispered punch again; "but where is she now? she went off like a shot into the woods." "ah!" exclaimed pen, with a look of relief in his eyes. "yes, she's gone; and now i want to know what's going to be next. here comes the officer. what'll be his first order? to shoot us, and that young spaniel too?" "no," said pen. "but don't talk; he's close here." the officer approached his prisoners now, closely followed by one of his men, whose _galons_ showed that he was a sergeant. "badly wounded, eh?" said the officer in french. "yes, sir; too bad to stand." "the worse for him," said the officer. "well, we can't take wounded men with us; we have enough of our own." "yes, sir," said the sergeant; and pen felt the blood seem to run cold through his veins. and then curiously enough there was a feeling of relief in the knowledge that his wounded comrade could not understand the words he had grasped at once. "we shall go back to camp in half an hour," continued the officer; and then running his eye over pen as he sat up by punch's side, "this fellow all right?" "yes, sir." "see to his fastenings. i leave him to you." "but surely, sir," cried pen, in very good french, "you are not going to have my poor companion shot in cold blood because he has the misfortune to be wounded?" "eh, do you understand french?" "yes, sir; every word you have said." "but you are not an officer?" "i have my feelings, sir, and i appeal to you as an officer and a gentleman to save that poor fellow. it would be murder, and not the act of a soldier." "humph!" grunted the officer. "you boys should have stayed at home.-- here, sergeant, carry the lad into camp. find room for him in the ambulance.--there, sir, are you satisfied now?" he continued to pen. "yes, sir," replied pen quickly; "satisfied that i am in the presence of a brave french officer. god bless you for this!" the officer nodded and turned away, the sergeant stopping by the prisoners. "here, i say," whispered punch, "what was all that talking about?" "only arranging about how you were to be carried into camp, punch," replied pen. "gammon! don't you try and gull me. i know," panted the boy excitedly. "i could not understand the lingo; but you were begging him not to have me shot, and he gave orders to this 'ere sergeant to carry out what he said. you are trying to hide it from me so as i shouldn't know. but you needn't. i should like to have gone out like our other chaps have-- shot fair in the field; but if it's to be shot as a prisoner, well, i mean to take it like a man." the boy's voice faltered for a few moments as he uttered the last words, and then he added almost in a whisper, "i mean, if i can, for i'm awful weak just now. but you'll stand by me, comrade, and i think i will go through it as i ought. and you will tell the lads when you get back that i didn't show the white feather, but went out just like a fellow ought?" "that won't be now, punch," said pen, leaning over him. "i am not deceiving you. i appealed to the officer, and he gave orders at once that you were to be carried by the men to their camp and placed in one of the ambulance wagons." "honour?" cried punch excitedly. "honour bright," replied pen. "but that means taking me away from you," cried the boy, with his voice breaking. "yes; but to go into hospital and be well treated." "oh, but i don't want to go like that," cried the boy wildly. "can't you ask the officer--can't you tell him that--oh, here--you--we two mustn't--mustn't be--" for the sergeant now joined them with a couple of men carrying a rough litter; and as punch, almost speechless now, caught at his wrist and clung to him tightly, he looked down in the prisoner's wildly appealing eyes. "why, what's the matter with the boy?" growled the sergeant roughly. "does he think he's going to be shot?" "he's badly hurt, sir," said pen quietly, "and can't bear being separated from me." "oh, that's it, is it, sir?" said the sergeant. "my faith, but you speak good french! tell him that i'll see that he's all right. what's his hurt--bayonet?" "no," said pen, smiling. "a french bullet--one of your men aimed too well." "ha, ha! yes, we know how to shoot. poor fellow! why, i have just such a boy as he.--lift him up gently, lads.--humph! he has fainted." for poor punch had held out bravely to the last; but nature was too strong even for his british pluck. chapter seventeen. in misery. "i say, pen, are you there?" "yes, i'm here. what do you want?" "want you to turn me round so as i can look out of the door. what made you put me like this?" "it wasn't my doing. you were put so that you might be more comfortable." "but i am not more comfortable, and it's so jolly dark. i like to be able to look out of the door if i wake in the night." "hush! don't talk so loudly." "why not? there's nobody to hear. but just turn me over first." "hush! there are three or four other people to hear," whispered pen. "you are half-asleep yet. don't you understand, punch?" "understand--understand what?" said the poor fellow, subduing his voice in obedience to his companion's words. "i must tell you, i suppose." "tell me? why, of course! oh, i begin to understand now. have i been off my head a bit?" "yes; you were very much upset when the french officer was with us, and fainted away." "phee-ew!" whistled the boy softly. "oh, it's all coming back now. the french came, and knocked over that spanish chap, and i thought that they were going to take me away and shoot me. why, they didn't, then! that's all right. yes, i remember now. my head was all in a muddledum. i got thinking i was never going to see you any more. when was it-- just now?" "no, punch, it was two nights ago, and the doctor thought--" "the doctor? why, you have been my doctor. i say--" "don't get excited. lie quite still, and i will tell you." "ah, do. i am all in a muddle still; only you might turn me round, so that i can look straight out of the door, and i could breathe the fresh air then. i am being quite stuffercated like this." "yes, the hut is dreadfully hot," said pen with a sigh. "there are six other poor wounded fellows lying here." "six other wounded fellows lying here! whatcher talking about?" "only this, punch," said pen, with his lips close to the boy's ear. "you were carried to the little camp where those french came from that made us prisoners, and there you were put in an ambulance wagon with six more poor fellows, and the mules dragged us right away to a village where a detachment of the french army was in occupation. do you understand?" "i think so. but you said something about doctors." "yes. there are several surgeons in this village, and wounded men in every hut. there has been fighting going on, and a good many more wounded men were brought in yesterday." "halt!" said punch in a quick, short whisper. "steady! did we win?" "i don't know, but i think not. i've seen nothing but wounded men and the doctors and the french orderlies. the french officer was very nice, and let me stay with you in the ambulance; and when we came to a halt and i helped to carry you and the other wounded into this hut, one of the doctors ordered me to stop and help, so that i have been able to attend to you as well as the others." "good chap! that was lucky. then this ain't our hut at all?" "no." "what's become of that gal, then?" "she escaped somewhere in the darkness," replied pen. "and what about that spanish beggar? ah, i recollect that now. he brought the french to take us prisoners." "i haven't seen any more of him, punch, since they led him away." "serve him right! and so i've been lying here in this hut ever since?" "yes, quite insensible, and i don't think you even knew when the french surgeon dressed your wound and took out a ragged bit of the cartridge." "took out what?" "a piece of the wad that was driven in, and kept the wound from healing." "well, you have been carrying on nice games without me knowing of it!" said the boy. "and it hasn't done me a bit of good." "the doctor says it has. he told me yesterday evening that you would soon get right now." "and shall i?" "yes, i hope so." "so do i. but it does seem rum that all this should be done without my knowing of it." "well, you have been quite insensible." "i suppose so. but where are we now, then?" "i don't know, punch, except that this is a little spanish village which the french have been occupying as a sort of hospital." "but where's all the fighting?" "i don't know, punch, much more than you do. there was some firing last night. i heard a good deal of tramping close at hand, as if some more men were marching in, and then more and more came through the night, and i heard firing again about a couple of hours ago; but it seemed to be miles away." "and you don't know who's beat?" "i know nothing, i tell you, only that everything has been very quiet for the last hour or so." "perhaps because you have been asleep," said punch. "no; i have been quite awake, fetching water from a mountain-stream here for the poor fellows who keep asking for more and more." "do they know we are english?" "i don't think so. poor fellows! their wounds keep them from thinking about such a thing as that; and, besides, i am just able to understand what they say, and to say a few words when they ask for drink or to be moved a little." "oh," said punch, "that comes of being able to talk french. wish i could. here, i say, you said the doctor had been doing up my wound again. think i could walk now?" "i am sure you couldn't." "i ain't," said the boy. "perhaps i could if i tried." "but why do you ask?" said pen. "because it's so jolly nice and dark; and, besides, it's all so quiet. couldn't we slip off and find the way to our troops?" "that's what i've been thinking, punch, ever since you have been lying here." "of course you would," said the boy in an eager whisper. "and why not? i think i could manage it, and i'm game." "you must wait, punch, and with me think ourselves lucky that we are still together. wait and get strong enough, and then we will try." "oh, all right. i shall do what you tell me. but i say, what's become of your rifle and belt?" "i don't know. i saw them once. they were with some muskets and bayonets laid in the mule-wagon under the straw on one side. but i haven't seen them since." "that's a pity," sighed the boy faintly; and soon after pen found, when he whispered to him, that he was breathing softly and regularly, while his head felt fairly cool in spite of the stifling air of the crowded hut. punch did not stir till long after sunrise, and when he did it was to see that, utterly exhausted, his companion had sunk into a deep sleep, for the rest of that terrible night had been spent in trying to assuage the agony of first one and then another of the most badly wounded who were lying around. every now and then there had been a piteous appeal for water to slake the burning thirst, and twice over the lad had to pass through the terrible experience of holding the hand of some poor fellow who in the darkness had whispered his last few words as he passed away. later on a couple more wounded men had been borne in by the light of a lantern, by whose aid a place was found for them in the already too crowded hut, and it became pen's duty to hold the dim open lantern and cast the light so that a busy surgeon, who was already exhausted by his long and terrible duties, could do his best to bandage and stop some wound. it was just at daylight, in the midst of the terrible silence which had now fallen around, that pen's head had sunk slowly down till it rested upon punch's shoulder; and when the sun rose at last its horizontal rays lit up the dismal scene, with the elder lad's pallid and besmirched face, consequent upon the help he had been called upon to render, giving him the appearance of being one of the wounded men. chapter eighteen. war's horrors. but the morning brought not only the horizontal rays of the great sun which lit up the hut with its sad tale of death and suffering, but likewise a renewal of the fight of the previous day, and this time the tide of battle swept much nearer to the encampment of the wounded. punch started out of a state of dreamy calm, and wondered why the noise he heard had not roused up his sleeping comrade, for from apparently quite near at hand came the boom of artillery, a sound which for the moment drowned all others, even the hoarse, harshly uttered words of command, as large bodies of men swung past the doorway of the hut, and the fitful bugle-calls which a minute before had fallen on his ear. "ah," he muttered, "it's a big fight going on out there. i wonder if those are our guns;" and once more the air was rent by the dull, angry roar of artillery. "pen! pen! oh, i can't let him sleep! why doesn't he wake up? here, i say, comrade!" "eh, what is it?" and pen opened his eyes, to gaze wonderingly at punch's excited face. "don't you hear?" "hear? yes, yes," and the dreamy look vanished from the other's eyes. the two lads waited, listening, and then punch put his lips close to pen's ear. "i am sure we are winning," he said. "hear that?" "how can i help hearing it?" "well, it's english guns, i know." "think so?" "yes, and they will be here soon." pen shook his head. "afraid not," he said; "and--ah, all right.--punch, lad, i'm wanted." for just then a man came hurriedly into the hut and made him a sign. "what does he want?" grumbled punch. "it's the surgeon," said pen, and he hurried away. for some hours--long, hot, weary hours--punch saw little of his fellow-prisoner, the morning wearing on and the atmosphere of the hovel becoming unbearably close, while all the time outside in the brilliant sunshine, evidently just on the other side of a stretch of purple hilly land, a battle was in progress, the rattle of musketry breaking into the heavy volume of sound made by the field-guns, while every now and again on the sun-baked, dusty stretch which lay beyond the doorway, where the shadows were dark, a mounted man galloped past. "wish my comrade would come back," he muttered; and it was long ere his wish was fulfilled. but the time came at last, and pen was standing there before him, holding in his hands a tin drinking-cup and a piece of bread. "take hold," he said hoarsely, looking away. "where you been?" said punch. "working in the ambulance. i--i--" and pen staggered, and sat down suddenly on the ground. "what's the matter? not hit?" "no, no." "had anything yourself?" "bother!" said pen. "make haste. toss off that water. i want the cup." "had anything yourself?" repeated punch firmly. "well, no." "then i sha'n't touch a drop until you have half and take some of that bread." "but--" "it's no good, pen. i sha'n't and i won't--so there!" pen hesitated. "very well," he said; "half." and he drank some of the water. "it's very good--makes one feel better," and he ate a morsel or two of bread. "i had a job to get it." "what did that fellow want?" asked punch as he attacked his share. "me to help with the wounded," said pen huskily. "so you thought me long?" "course i did. but the wounded--are there many?" "heaps," said pen. "but don't talk so loudly." "poor chaps," said punch, "they can't hear what we say. how are things going? there, they are at it again." "i think the french are giving ground," said pen in a whisper. "hooray!" "hush!" "what, mayn't i say hooray?" "no, you mayn't. i have picked up a little since i went away. i fancy our men have been coming on to try and take this village, but i couldn't make out much for the smoke; and, besides, i have been with that surgeon nearly all the time." "yes," said punch. "well, will they do it?" pen shook his head. "don't think so," he said. "they have tried it twice. i heard what was being done. our people were driven back, and--" he said no more, but turned to the door; and punch strained his eyes in the same direction, as from away to the right, beyond a group of cottages, came a bugle-call, shrill, piercing, then again and again, while punch started upright with a cry, catching pen's arm. "i say, hear that? that's our charge. don't you hear? they are coming on again!" the effort punch had made caused a pain so intense that he fell back with a groan. "you can leave me, pen, old chap," he said. "don't mind me; don't look. but--but it's the english charge. go to them. they are coming--they are, i tell you. don't look like that, and--and--there, listen!" the two lads were not the only ones in that hut to listen then and to note that the conflict was drawing nearer and nearer. punch, indeed, was right, and a short time after pen crouched down closer to his companion, for now, quite close at hand, came volley after volley, the _zip, zip_ of the ricochetting bullets seeming to clear the way for the charge. then more volleys. the dust was ploughed up, and punch started as a bullet came with a soft _plug_ in the hut-wall, and pen's heart felt ready to stop beating as there was a hoarse command outside, and half-a-dozen french infantry dashed into the building, to fill the doorway, two lying down and their comrades kneeling and standing. "don't speak," whispered pen, for the boy had wrenched himself round and was gazing intently at the backs of the soldiers. "don't speak." silence, before a grim happening. then a roar from outside, exultant and fierce, and in the wide-open space beyond the hut-door the two lads saw a large body of the enemy in retreat before the serried ranks of british infantry who came on at the double, their bayonets flashing in the sun's rays, and cheering as they swept onward. the muskets in the doorway flashed, and the hut was filled with smoke. "pen, i must whisper it--hooroar!" there was a long interval then, with distant shouting and scattered firing, and it was long ere the cloud of smoke was dissipated sufficiently for the two lads to make out that now the doorway was untenanted except by a french chasseur who lay athwart the threshold on his back, his hand still clutching at the sling of his piece. "think we have won?" whispered punch, looking away. "don't know," muttered pen; but the knowledge that was wanted came soon enough, for an hour later it became evident that the gallant attempt of the british commander to take the village had been foiled. the british cheer they had heard still echoed in their ears, but it was not repeated, and it was speedily apparent that the fight had swept away to their left; and from scraps of information dropped by the members of the bearer-party who brought more wounded into the already crowded hut, and took away the silent figure lying prone in the entrance, pen made out that the french had made a stand and had finally succeeded in driving back their foes. in obedience to an order from the grim-featured surgeon, he left punch's side again soon after, and it was dark ere he returned, to find the boy fast asleep. he sank down and listened, feeling now but little fatigue, starting up, however, once more, every sense on the alert, as there came a series of sharp commands at the hut-door, and he realised that he must have dropped off, for it was late in the evening, and outside the soft moonlight was making the scene look weird and strange. chapter nineteen. another breakdown. punch heard the voices too, and he reached out and felt for his comrade's hand. "what is it?" he whispered. "have they won? not going to shoot me, are they?" "no, no," said pen, "but"--and he dropped his voice--"i think we are all going on." he was quite right, and all through that night the slow business of setting a division on the march was under way, and the long, long train of baggage wagons drawn by the little wiry mules of the country began to move. the ambulance train followed, with its terrible burden heavily increased with the results of the late engagement, while as before--thanks to the service he had been able to render--pen was able to accompany the heavily laden wagon in which punch lay. "so we were beaten," said the boy sadly--as the wheels of the lumbering vehicle creaked loudly, for the route was rough and stony--and pen nodded. "beaten. yes," and his voice was graver than before at the thought of what he had seen since they had been prisoners. on, on, on, through the dark hours, with punch falling off every now and again into a fitful sleep--a sleep broken by sudden intervals of half-consciousness, when pen's heart was wrung by the broken words uttered by his companion: "not going to shoot me, are they? don't let them do that, comrade." while, as the weary procession continued its way on to the next village, where they were about to halt, pen had another distraction, for as he trudged painfully on by the side of the creaking wagon a hand was suddenly placed on his arm. he turned sharply. "eh, what?" he cried. "well?" said a half-familiar voice, and in the dim light he recognised the features of the young french captain who had listened to his appeal to save the bugler's life. "rough work, sir," said pen. "yes. your fellows played a bold game in trying to dislodge us. nearly succeeded, _ma foi_! but we drove them back." "yes," said pen. "how's your friend?" asked the captain. "better." "that's well. and now tell me, where did you learn to speak french so well?" "from my tutor," answered pen. "your tutor! and you a simple soldier! well, well! you english are full of surprises." pen laughed. "i suppose so," he said; "but we are not alone in that." the french captain chatted a little longer, and then once more pen was alone--alone but for the strange accompaniment of sounds incident to the night march: the neighing of horses, the scraps of quick talking which fell on his ear, along with that never-ceasing creak, rumble, and jolt of the wagons, a creaking and jolting which seemed to the tired brain as though they would go on for ever and ever. he was aroused out of a strange waking dream, in which the past and the present were weirdly blended, by a voice which called him by name, and he tried to shake himself free from the tangle of confused thought which hemmed him in. "aren't you there?" came the voice again. "yes, punch, yes. what is it?" "ah, that's all right! i wanted to tell you that i feel such a lot better." "glad to hear it, punch." "yes, i feel as if i could get out of this now." "you had better not try," said pen with a forced laugh. "i think--i think--" and then the confusion came again. "what do you think?" said punch. "think?" cried the other. "i--what do you mean?" in the darkness of the heavy vehicle, punch's face betrayed a feeling of alarm, and he tried to figure it out. something in pen's voice frightened him. "he is not the same," he muttered; and his impression was substantiated when a halt was called just about the time of dawn, for pen dropped like a log by the wagon-side; and when punch, with great pain to himself, struggled into a sitting position, and then clambered down to his comrade, he found to his horror that his worst fears were realised. pen's forehead was burning, and the poor lad was muttering incoherently, and not in a condition to pay heed to the words of his companion. "gray, gray! can't you hear? what's wrong?" the village which was the new headquarters was higher up in the mountains; and whether it was the fresher air operating beneficially, or whether the period of natural recovery had arrived, certain it was that punch found himself able to move about again; and during the days and weeks that followed he it was who took the post of nurse and attended to the wants of pen--wants, alas! too few, for the sufferer was a victim to something worse than a mere shot-wound susceptible to efficient dressing, for the most dangerous, perhaps, of all fevers had laid him low. the period passed as in a long dream, and the thought of rejoining the british column had for a time ceased to animate punch's brain. but youth and a strong constitution rose superior in pen's case to all the evils of circumstance and environment, and one afternoon the old clear look came back to his eyes. "ah, punch," he said, "better?" "better?" said the boy. "i--i am well; but you--how are you now?" "i--have i been ill?" "ill!" cried punch, and he turned and looked at an orderly who was hurrying past. "he asks if he has been ill!--why, pen, you have had a fever which has lasted for weeks." pen tried to sit up, and he would have dismally failed in the attempt had not punch encircled him with his arm. "why--why," he said faintly, "i am as weak as weak!" "yes, that you are." "but, punch, what has been happening?" "i don't know. i can't understand what all these people say; but they let me fetch water for them and attend to you; and to-day there has been a lot going on--troops marching past." "yes," said pen; "that means there has been another fight." "no, i don't think so." "why not?" "because i have heard no firing. but hadn't you better go to sleep again?" pen smiled, but he took the advice and lay back. "perhaps i had," he said faintly; and as punch watched him he fell into a restful doze. so it was during the days that followed, each one bringing back more strength to the invalid, and likewise each day a further contingent of the wounded in the battle of a month before being passed as fit for service again and drafted to the front; while each day, too, pen found that the strength that used to be his was returning little by little, and he listened eagerly one night when punch bent over him and whispered something in his ear. "you know i have been talking about it to you," said the boy, "for several nights past; and when i wasn't talking about it i was thinking of it. but now--now i think the time has come." "to escape?" cried pen eagerly. "you mean it?" "yes; i have been watching what has gone on. we are almost alone here, with only wounded and surgeons. the rest have gone; and--and behind this village there is a forest of those scrubby-barked oak-trees." "cork-trees," said pen. "oh, that's it!" and the boy drew himself up. "but do you think you are strong enough yet?" "strong enough? of course." and pen rose, to stand at his companion's side. "do you know the way?" "yes," and punch felt for and took his companion's hand, trying to see his face in the pitchy darkness. "it is to the right of the camp." "then let's go." "wait," said punch, and he glided off into the blackness, leaving pen standing there alone. but it was not for long. in a minute or two the boy was back once more, and this time he held something in his arms. "ready?" he asked in a whisper. "yes. what for?" "stoop.--that's it. i watched, and took them--not english ones, but they will shoot, i expect," and softly he slipped the sling of a musket over pen's shoulders, following that by handing him a cartouche-box and belt. "i have got a gun for myself too. better than a bugle. there!" and in the darkness there was the sound of a belt being tightly drawn through a buckle. "are you ready?" "yes," said pen. "where's your hand?" "here." "right!" and the younger lad gripped his friend's extended palm. "now, it's this way. i planned it all when you were so ill, and said to myself that it would be the way when you got better. come along." softly and silently the two slipped off in the darkness, making for the belt of forest where the gloomy leafage made only a slight blur against the black velvet sky. chapter twenty. hunted. "what's the matter, punch? wound beginning to hurt you again?" "no," said the boy surlily. "what is it, then? what are you thinking about?" "thinking about you being so grumpy." "grumpy! well, isn't it enough to make a fellow feel low-spirited when he has been ill for weeks, wandering about here on these mountain-sides, hunted as if we were wild beasts, almost starving, and afraid to go near any of the people?" "no," replied punch with quite a snarl. "if you had had a bullet in your back like i did there's something to grumble about. i don't believe you ever knew how it hurt." "oh yes, i did, punch," said pen quietly, "for many a time i have felt for you when i have seen you wincing and your face twitching with pain." "of course you did. i know. you couldn't have been nicer than you were. but what have you got to grumble about now you're better?" "our bad luck in not getting back to some of our people." "well, i should like that too, only i don't much mind. you see, i can't help feeling as jolly as a sand-boy." "i don't know that sand-boys have anything much to be jolly about, punch," said pen, brightening up. "more do i--but it's what people say," said punch; "only, i do feel jolly. to be out here in the sunshine--and the moonshine, too, of a night--and having a sort of feeling that i can sit down now without my back aching and smarting, and feeling that i want to run and jump and shout. you know what it is to feel better, now, as well as i do. this ain't home, of course; but everything looks wonderful nice, and every morning i wake up it all seems to me as if i was having a regular long holiday. i say, do say you are enjoying yourself too." "i can't, punch. there are too many drawbacks." "oh, never mind them." "but i can't help it. you know i have been dreadfully weak." "but you shouldn't worry about that. i don't mind a bit now you are getting well." "what, not when we are faint with hunger?" "no, not a bit. it makes me laugh. it seems such a jolly game to think we have got to hunt for our victuals. oh, i think we are having a regular fine time. it's a splendid place! come on." "no, no; we had better rest a little more." "not me! let's get some chestnuts. ain't it a shame to grumble when you get plenty of them as you can eat raw or make a fire and roast them? starve, indeed! then look at the grapes we have had; and you never know what we shall find next. why, it was only yesterday that woman gave us some bread, and pointed to the onions, and told us to take more; leastways she jabbered and kept on pointing again. of course, we haven't done as well as we did in the hut, when the girl brought us bread and cheese and milk; but i couldn't enjoy it then with all that stinging in my back. and everything's good now except when you look so grumpy." "well, punch, most of my grumpiness has been on your account, and i will cheer up now. if i could only meet some one to talk to and understand us, so that we could find out where our people are, i wouldn't care." "well, never mind all that, and don't care. i don't. here we are having a big holiday in the country. we have got away from the french, and we are not prisoners. i am all alive and kicking again, and i feel more than ever that i don't care for anything now you are getting more and more well. there's only one thing as would make me as grumpy as you are." "what's that, punch?" "to feel that my wound was getting bad again. i say, you don't think it will, do you?" "no; why should i? it's all healing up beautifully." "then i don't care for anything," cried the boy joyously. "yes, i do. i feel horrid wild sometimes to think they took away my bugle; leastways, i suppose they did. i never saw it no more; and it don't seem natural not to have that to polish up. i have got a musket, though; and, i say, why don't we have a day's shooting, and knock over a kid or a pig?" "because it would be somebody's kid or pig, and we should be hunted down worse than ever, for, instead of the french being after us for escaped prisoners, we should rouse the people against us for killing their property." "yes, that would be bad," said punch; "but it would only be because we are hungry." "yes, but the people wouldn't study that." "think they would knife us for it?" said the boy thoughtfully. "i hope not; but they would treat us as enemies, and it would go bad with us, i feel sure." "well, we are rested now," said punch. "let's get on again a bit." "which way shall we go?" said pen. "i dunno; anywhere so's not to run against the french. i have had enough of them. let's chance it." pen laughed merrily, his comrade's easy-going, reckless way having its humorous side, and cheering him up at a time when their helpless condition made him ready to despair. "well," he said, "if we are to chance it, punch, let's get out of this wood and try to go downhill." "what for?" "easier travelling," said pen. "we may reach another pleasant valley, and find a village where the people will let us beg some bread and fruit." "yes, of course," said punch, frowning; "but it don't seem nice-- begging." "well, we have no money to buy. what are we to do?" "grab," said punch laconically. "what--steal?" cried pen. "steal! gammon! aren't we soldiers? soldiers forage. 'tain't stealing. we must live in an enemy's country." "but the spaniards are not our enemies." "there, now you are harguing, and i hate to hargue when you are hungry. what i say is, we are soldiers and in a strange country, and that we must take what we want. it's only foraging; so come on." "come along then, punch," said pen good-humouredly. "but you are spoiling my morals, and--" "pst!" whispered punch. "lie down." he set the example, throwing himself prone amongst the rough growth that sprang up along the mountain-slope; and pen followed his example. "what can you see?" he whispered, as he crept closer to his comrade's side, noting the while that as he lay upon his chest the boy had made ready his musket and prepared to take aim. "you had better not shoot." "then tell them that too," whispered punch. "them! who?" "didn't you see?" "i saw nothing." "i did--bayonets, just below yonder. soldiers marching." "soldiers?" whispered pen joyfully. "they may be some of our men." "that they are not. they are french." french they undoubtedly were; for as the lads peered cautiously from their hiding-place, and listened to the rustling and tramp of many feet, an order rang out which betrayed the nationality of what seemed to be a large body of men coming in their direction. "keep snug," whispered punch, "and they won't see us. it's too close here." pen gripped his companion's arm, and lay trying to catch sight of the marching men for some minutes with a satisfied feeling that the troops were bearing away from them. but his heart sank directly after; a bugle-call rang out, the men again changed their direction, the line extended, and it became plain that they would pass right over the ground where the two lads lay. "i am afraid they will see us, punch," whispered pen. "what's to be done?" "run for it. look here, make straight for that wood up the slope," whispered punch. "you go first, and i will follow." "but that's uphill," whispered pen. "bad for them as for us," replied the boy. "up with you; right for the wood. once there, we are safe." punch had said he hated to argue, and it was no time for argument then as to the best course. pen gazed in the direction of the approaching party, but they were invisible; and, turning to his comrade, "now then," he said, "off!" springing up, he started at a quick run in and out amongst the bushes and rocks in the direction of the forest indicated by his companion, conscious the next minute, as he glanced back in turning a block of stone, that punch was imitating his tactics, carrying his musket at the trail and bending low as he ran. "keep your head down, punch," he said softly, as the boy raced up alongside. "we can't see them, so they can't see us." "don't talk--run," whispered punch. "that's right--round to your left. don't mind me if i hang back a bit. i am short-winded yet. i shall follow you." for answer, pen slackened pace, and let punch pass him. "whatcher doing?" whispered the boy. "you go first," replied pen, "just as fast as you can. i will keep close behind you." punch uttered a low growl, but he did not stop to argue, and they ran on and on, getting out of breath but lighter hearted, as they both felt that every minute carried them nearer to safety, for the risky part where the slope was all stone and low bush was nearly passed, the dense patch of forest nearer at hand offering to them shelter so thick that, once there, their enemies would have hard work to judge which direction had been taken; and then all at once, when all danger seemed to be past, there came a shout from behind, and then a shot. "stoop! stoop, punch! more to the left!" "all right. come on," was whispered back; and, as punch bore in the direction indicated by his comrade, there came shout after shout, shot after shot, and the next minute, as the fugitives tore on heedless of everything but their effort to reach the shelter in advance, it was perfectly evident to them that the bullets fired were whizzing in their direction. twigs were cut and fell; there was the loud _spat, spat_ of the bullets striking the rocks; and then, when they were almost within touch of the dark shadows spread by the trees, there came a scattered volley, and both lads went down heavily, disappearing from the sight of their pursuers, who sent up a yell of triumph. "punch," panted pen, "not hurt?" the answer was a hoarse utterance, as the boy struggled to his feet and then dropped again on all-fours. "no, no," he gasped. "come on! come on! we are close there." pen was breathing hard as he too followed his comrade's movements just as if forced thereto by the natural instinct that prompted imitation; but the moment he reached his feet he dropped down again heavily, and then began to crawl awkwardly forward so that he might from time to time catch a glimpse of punch's retiring form. "come on, come on!" kept reaching his ears; and then he felt dizzy and sick at heart. it seemed to be growing dark all at once, but he set it down to the closing-in of the overshadowing trees. and then minutes passed of confusion, exertion, and a feeling as of suffocation consequent upon the difficulty of catching his breath. then at last--he could not tell how long after--punch was whispering in his ear as they lay side by side so close together that the boy's breath came hot upon his cheek. "oh, how slow you have been! but this 'ere will do--must do, for we can get no farther. why, you were worse than me. hurt yourself when you went down?" pen was about to reply, when a french voice shouted, "forward! right through the forest!" there was the trampling of feet, the crackling of dead twigs, and punch's hand gripped his companion's arm with painful force, as the two lads lay breathless, with their faces buried in the thick covering of past years' dead leaves, till the trampling died away and the fugitives dared to raise their faces a little in the fight for breath. chapter twenty one. hide-and-seek. "oh, i say," whispered punch, in a half-suffocated tone, "my word! talk about near as a toucher! it's all right, comrade; but if i had held my breath half a jiffy longer i should have gone off pop. don't you call this a game? hide-and-seek and whoop is nothing to it! garn with you, you thick-headed old frog-soup eaters! wait till i get my breath. i want to laugh.--can't hear 'em now; can you?" "no," said pen faintly. "will they come back?" "not they," replied punch chuckling. "couldn't find the way again if they tried. but we shall have to stay here now till it's dark. it don't matter. i want to cool down and get my wind. i say, though, catch your foot on a stone?" "no," replied pen, breathing hard. "thought you did. you did go down--quelch! what you breathing like that for? you did get out of breath! turn over on your back. there's nobody to see us now. i say, isn't it nice and shady! talk about a hiding-place! look at the beautiful great, long green leaves. hooray! chestnuts. we have dropped just into the right place for foraging. wait a bit and we will creep right into the forest and make a little fire, and have a roast. what? oh, it's all right. they have gone straight on and can't hear me. here! i say: why, comrade, you did hurt yourself when you went down. here, what is it? oh, i am sorry! ain't broke anything, have you?" "my leg, punch--my leg," said pen faintly. "broke your leg, comrade?" cried the boy. "no, no," said pen faintly; "not so bad as that. one of the bullets, i think, scraped my leg when they fired." "shot!" cried punch in an excited voice full of agony. "oh, comrade, not you! don't say that!" the lad talked fast, but he was acting all the time. leaving his musket amongst the leaves, he had crept to pen's side, and was eagerly examining his comrade's now helpless leg. "can't help it," he whispered, as he searched for and drew out his knife. "i will rip it down the seam, and we will sew it up again some time." and then muttering to himself, "scraped! it's a bad wound! we must get the bullet out. no--no bullet here." and then, making use of the little knowledge he had picked up, punch tore off strips of cotton from his own and his companion's garments, and tightly bandaged the bleeding wound. "it's a bad job, comrade," he said cheerily; "but it might have been worse if the frenchies could shoot. there's no bones broke, and you are not going to grumble; but i'd have given anything if it hadn't been your turn now. hurt much." "quite enough, punch," said pen with a rather piteous smile. "it's quite right; my turn now; but don't stop. you've stopped the bleeding, so get on." "what say?" "go on now," said pen, "while there's a chance to escape. those fellows will be sure to come back this way, and you will lose your opportunity if you wait." "poor chap!" said punch, as if speaking to himself, and he laid a hand on pen's wet forehead. "look at that now! i have made a nasty mark; but i couldn't help it, for there was no water here for a wash. but, poor chap, he won't know. he's worse than i thought, though; talking like that--quite off his head." "i am not, punch, but you will send me off it if you go on like that. do as i tell you, boy. escape while there's a chance." "he's quite queer," said punch, "and getting worse; but i suppose i can't do anything more." "no; you can do no more, so don't waste your chance of escape. it will be horrible for you to be made prisoner again, so off with you while the coast's clear. do you hear me?" "hear you! yes, you needn't shout and tell the johnnies that we are hiding here." "no, no, of course not; it was very foolish, but the pain of the wound and your obstinacy made me excited. now then, shake hands, and, there's a good fellow, go." "likely!" said punch, wiping the pain-drops from pen's face. "what do you mean by that?" said pen angrily. "what do i mean by what? you are a bit cracked like, or else you wouldn't talk like this." "not tell you to run while there's a chance?" "not tell me to run like this when there's a chance!" replied punch. "jigger the chance! so you just hold your tongue and lie quiet. sha'n't go! there." "but, punch, don't be foolish, there's a good fellow." "no, i won't; and don't you be foolish. pst! hear that? they are coming back." "there's time still," said pen, lowering his voice. "oh, is there? you just look here. here they are, coming nearer and nearer. do you want them to come and take us both?" "no, no, no," whispered pen. "then just you hold your tongue," said punch, nestling down close to his comrade's side, for the rustle and tramp of many feet began to grow nearer again; and as punch lay upon his back with his eyes turned in the direction of the approaching sound he soon after caught a glimpse or two of sunlight flashed from the barrels of muskets far down the forest aisles, as their bearers seemed to be coming right for where they lay. "look here," said punch softly, "they look as if they are coming straight here; but there's a chance for us yet, so let's take it, and if they don't find us--mind, i didn't want you to be hit; but as you are, and i suppose was to be, i am jolly glad of it, for it gives a fellow a chance. and what's the good of me talking?" said the boy to himself now. "he's gone right off, swoonded, as they call it. poor old chap! it does seem queer. but it might have been worse, as i said before. wanted me to run away, did you? likely, wasn't it? why, if i had run it would have served me jolly well right if somebody had shot me down again. not likely, comrade! i mayn't be a man, but my father was a british soldier, and that's what's the matter with me." punch lay talking to himself, but not loudly enough to startle a bird which came flitting from tree to tree in advance of the approaching soldiers, and checked its flight in one of the low branches of a great overhanging chestnut, and then kept on changing its position as it peered down at the two recumbent figures, its movements startling the bugler, who now began in a whisper to address the bird. "here," he said, "what game do you call that? you don't mean to say you have come here like this to show the johnny crapauds where we are, so that they may take us prisoners? no, i thought not. it wouldn't be fair, and i don't suppose they have even seen you; but it did look like it. here they come, though, and in another minute they will see us, and--oh, poor gray! it will be bad for him, poor chap; and--no, they don't. they are wheeling off to the left; but if they look this way they must see us, and if they had been english lads that's just what they would have done. why, they couldn't help seeing us--a set of bat-eyed bull-frogs; that's what i call them. yah! go on home! i don't think much of you. now then, they are not coming here, and i don't care where they go as long as they don't find us. now, what's next to be done? what i want is another goat-herd's hut, so as i can carry my poor old comrade into shelter. now, where is it to be found? i don't know, but it's got to be done; and ain't it rum that my poor old mate here should have his dose, and me have to play the nurse twice over!" chapter twenty two. "unlucky beggars." "if one wasn't in such trouble," said punch to himself, as he lay in the growing darkness beneath the great chestnut-tree, "one would have time to think what a beautiful country this is. but of all the unlucky beggars that ever lived, private pen gray and bugler bob punchard is about the two worst. only think of it: we had just got out of all that trouble with my wound and gray's fever, then he gets hit and i got to nurse him all over again. well, that's all clear enough.--how are you now, comrade?" he said aloud, as after cautiously gazing round in search of danger, he raised his head and bent over his wounded companion. there was no reply, and punch went on softly, "it's my turn now to say what you said to me. sleepy, are you? well, go on, and have plenty of it. it's the best thing for you. what did you say? nature sets to work to mend you again? no, he didn't. i forget now, but that's what he meant. now, i wonder whether it's safe for me to go away and leave him. no, of course it isn't, for i may tumble up against the french, who will make me a prisoner, and i sha'n't be able to make them understand that my comrade is lying wounded under this tree, and if i could i don't want to. that's one thing. another is that if i start off and leave him here i sha'n't be able to find him again. then, what am i going for? to try and find water, for my throat's like sand, and something to eat better than these chestnuts, for i don't believe they are anything like ripe. oh dear! this is a rum start altogether. i don't know what to do. this is coming to the wars, and no mistake! there never was really such unlucky chaps as we are. it will be dark before long. then i shall seem to be quite alone. to be all alone here in a great wood like this is enough to make any fellow feel scared. it's just the sort of place where the wolves will be. well, if they do come, we have got two muskets, and if it isn't too dark i will have two wolves, and that will keep the others off as long as they have got the ones i shot to eat.--did you speak, comrade?" he whispered, as he once more bent over pen. "no, he's fast asleep. wish i was, so as to forget all about it, for the sun's quite down now, and i don't know how i am to get through such a night as this. however, here goes to try. ugh! how cold it is turning!" the boy shivered as the wind that came down from the mountains seemed bitterly cold to one who had been drenched in perspiration by the exertion and excitement that he had passed through. "poor old private gray!" he muttered. "he will be feeling it worse than me if he don't turn feverish." the boy hesitated for a few moments, and then, stripping off his jacket, he crept as close to his wounded companion as he could, and then carefully spread the ragged uniform coat over their breasts. "ought to have got his off too," he muttered, "but i mustn't. must make the best of it and try and go to sleep, keeping him warm. but no fellow could go to sleep at a time like this." it was a rash assertion, for many minutes had not passed before the boy was sleeping soundly the sleep of utter weariness and exhaustion; and the next time he unclosed his eyes as he lay there upon his back, not having moved since he lay down, it was to gaze wonderingly at the beautiful play of morning light upon the long, glossy, dark-green leaves over his head; for the sun had just risen and was bronzing the leaves with ruddy gold. the birds were singing somewhere at the edge of the forest, and all seemed so wonderful and strange that the boy muttered to himself as he asked the question, "where am i?" so deep had been his sleep that it seemed to be one great puzzle. he knew it was cold, and he wondered at that, for now and then he felt a faint glow of warm sunshine. then, like a flash, recollection came back, and he turned his head to gaze at his companion, but only to wrench himself away and roll over and over a yard or two, before sitting up quickly, trembling violently. for he was chilled with horror by the thought that his companion had passed away during the night. it was some minutes before he dared speak. "pen!" he whispered, at last. "gray!" he waited, with the horror deepening, for there his companion lay upon his back motionless, and though he strained his neck towards him he could detect no movement of his breath, while his own staring eyes began to grow dim, and the outstretched figure before him looked misty and strange. "he's dead! he's dead!" groaned the poor fellow. "and me lying sleeping there, never taking any notice of him when he called for help-- for he must have called--and me pretending to be his comrade all the time! 'tain't how he treated me. oh, pen! pen gray, old chap! speak to me, if it's only just one word! oh, if i had not laid down! i ought to have stood up and watched him; but i did think it was to keep him warm. no, you didn't!" he cried angrily, addressing himself. "you did it to warm yourself." at last, recovering his nerve somewhat, the boy began to crawl on hands and knees towards the motionless figure, till he was near enough to lay his hand upon his companion's breast. then twice over he stretched it out slowly and cautiously, but only to snatch it back, till a feeling of rage at his cowardice ran through him, and he softly lowered it down, let it rest there for a few moments, and then with a thrill of joy he exclaimed, "why, it's all fancy! he is alive." "yes, what? who spoke?" "i did," cried punch, springing to his feet. "hooray, comrade! it's all right. i woke up, and began to think--pst! pst!" he whispered, as he dropped down upon hands and knees again. for there was a rush of feet, and a patch of undergrowth a short distance beyond the spread of the great chestnut boughs was violently agitated. "why, it's only goats," muttered punch angrily. "i scared them by jumping up. wish i had got one of their young uns here." "what is it? who's that? you, punch?" "yes, comrade; it's all right. but how are you? all right?" "yes--no. i have been asleep and dreaming. what does it all mean, punch? what's the matter with my leg?" "can't you recollect, comrade?" pen was silent for a few moments, and then: "yes," he said softly, "i understand now. i was hurt. why, it's morning! i haven't been to sleep all the night, have i?" "yes, comrade, and,"--punch hesitated for a moment, and then with an effort--"so have i." "i am glad of it," sighed pen. then he winced, for he had made an effort to rise, but sank back again, feeling faint. "help me, punch," he said. "whatcher want?" "to sit up with my back against the tree." punch hesitated, and then obeyed. "ah, that's better," sighed pen. "i am not much hurt." "oh yes, you are," said punch, shaking his head. "nonsense! i recollect all about it now. can you get me some water?" "i'll try," was the reply; "but can you really sit up like that?" "yes, of course. we shall be able to go on again soon." "wha-at!" cried punch. "oh yes, i dare say! you can't go on. but i know what i am going to do. if the french are gone i am going to hunt round till i find one of them cottages. there must be one somewhere about, because i just started some goats. and look there! why, of course there must be some people living near here." and the boy pointed to a dozen or so of pigs busily rooting about amongst the dead leaves of the forest, evidently searching for chestnuts and last year's acorns shed by the evergreen oaks. "now, look here," continued the boy. "soon as i am sure that you can sit up and wait, i am just off to look out for some place where i can carry you." "i can sit up," replied pen. "i have got a nasty wound that will take some time to heal; but it's nothing to mind, punch, for it's the sort of thing that will get well without a doctor. but you must find shelter or beg shelter for us till i can tramp again." "but i can carry yer, comrade." "a little way perhaps. there, don't stop to talk. go and do the best you can." "but is it safe to leave you?" protested punch. "yes; there is nothing to mind, unless some of the french fellows find me." "that does it, then," said punch sturdily. "i sha'n't go." "you must, i tell you." "i don't care; i ain't going to leave you." "do you want me to starve, or perish with cold in the night." "course i don't!" "then do as i tell you." "but suppose the french come?" "well, if they do we must chance it; but if you are careful in going and coming i don't think they will find me; and i don't suppose you will be long." "that i won't," cried the boy confidently. "here goes, then--i am to do it?" "yes." "then here's off." "no, don't do that," cried pen. "why not? hadn't i better take the muskets?" "no. you are more likely to get help for me if you go without arms; and, besides, punch," added pen, with a faint smile, "i might want the muskets to defend myself against the wolves." "all right," replied the boy, replacing the two clumsy french pieces by his comrade's side. "keep up your spirits, old chap; i won't be long." the next minute the boy had plunged into the thicket-like outskirts of the forest, where he stopped short to look back and mentally mark the great chestnut-tree. "i shall know that," he said, "from ever so far off. it is easy to 'member by the trunk, which goes up twisted like a screw. now then, which way had i better go?" punch had a look round as far as the density of the foliage would allow him, and then gave his head a scratch. "oh dear!" he muttered, "who's to know which way to go? it's regular blind-man's buff. how many horses has your father got? shut your eyes, comrade. now then. three! what colour? black, white, and grey. turn round three times and catch who you may." the boy, with his eyes tightly closed and his arms spread out on either side, turned round the three times of the game, and then opened his eyes and strode right away. "there can't be no better way than chancing it," he said. "but hold hard! where's my tree?" he was standing close to a beautifully shaped ilex, and for a few moments he could not make out the great spiral-barked chestnut, till, just as he began to fancy that he had lost his way at once, he caught sight of its glossy bronzed leaves behind the greyish green ilex. "that's all right," he said. "now then, here's luck." it was a bitter fight with grim giant despair as the boy tramped on, and time after time, faint with hunger, suffering from misery, he was about to throw himself down upon the earth, utterly broken in spirit, but he fought on bravely. "i never saw such a country!" he muttered. "there ought to be plenty of towns and villages and people, but it's all desert and stones and scrubby trees. any one would think that you couldn't walk anywhere without finding something to eat, and there's nothing but the goats and pigs, and as soon as they catch sight of you away they go." over and over again he climbed hillsides to reach spots where he could look down, in the full expectation of seeing some village or cluster of huts. but it was all the same, there was nothing to be seen; till, growing alarmed lest he should find that he had lost touch with his landmarks, he began to retrace his steps in utter despair, but only to drop down on his knees at last and bury his face in his hands, to give way to the emotion that for a few moments he could not master. "there," he muttered, recovering himself, "i could not help it, but there was no one to see. just like a silly great gal. it is being hungry, i suppose, and weak with my wound; and, my word, it does sting! but there's some one at last!" the boy looked sharply round. "why, you idgit!" he gasped, "you've lost him again. no, it's all right," he cried, and he started off at a trot in the direction of a short, plump-looking figure in rusty black, who, bent of head and book in hand, was slowly descending a slope away to his right. chapter twenty three. the use of latin. "there! ahoy!" shouted punch, and the black figure slowly raised his head and began to look round till he was gazing in quite the opposite direction to where the boy was hurrying towards him, and punch had a full view of the stranger's back and a ruddy-brown roll of fat flesh which seemed to be supporting a curious old hat, looking like a rusty old stove-pipe, perched horizontally upon the wearer's head. "hi! not that way! look this!" cried punch as he closed up. "here, i say, where's the nearest village?" the stove-pipe turned slowly round, and punch found himself face to face with a plump-looking little man who slowly closed the book he carried and tucked it inside his shabby gown. "morning!" said punch. the little man bowed slowly and with some show of dignity, and then gazed sternly in the boy's face and waited. "i said good-morning, sir," said the boy; and then to himself, "what a rum-looking little chap!--can you tell me--" punch got no further, for the little stranger shook his head, frowned more sternly, and shrugged his shoulders as he made as if to take out his book again. "i ain't a beggar, sir," cried the boy. "i only want you to--oh, he can't understand me!" he groaned. "look here, can you understand this?" and he commenced in dumb motions to give the stranger a difficult problem to solve. but it proved to be not too difficult, for the little man smiled, nodded his head, and imitated punch's suggestive pantomime of eating and drinking. then, laying one hand upon the boy's shoulder, he pointed with the other down the slope and tried to guide him in that direction. "all right," said punch, nodding, "i understand. that's where you live; but not yet. come this way." and, catching the little stranger by the arm, punch pointed towards the forest and tried to draw his companion in that direction. the plump little man shook his head and suggested that they should go in the other direction. "oh, a mercy me!" cried punch excitedly. "why, don't you understand? look here, sir, i can see what you are. you are a priest. i have seen folks like you more than once. now, just look here." the little man shrugged his shoulders again, shook his head, and then looked compassionately at the boy. "that's better," said punch. "now, sir, do try and understand, there's a good fellow. just look here!" the boy tapped him on the shoulder now, and pointed towards the wood. "now, look here, sir; it's like this." punch made-believe to present a musket, after giving a sharp _click, click_ with his tongue in imitation of the cocking of the piece, cried _bang_! and then gave a jump, clapped his hand to his right leg, staggered, threw himself down, and then struggled up into a sitting position, to sit up nursing his leg, which he made-believe to bind up with a bandage. then, holding out his hand to the little priest, he caught hold of him, dragged himself up, but let himself fall back, rolled over, and lay looking at him helplessly. "understand that?" he cried, as he sprang to his feet again. "you must be jolly stupid if you can't. now then, look here, sir," he continued, pointing and gesticulating with great energy, "my poor comrade is lying over yonder under a tree, wounded and starving. come and help me to fetch him, there's a good old chap." the priest looked at him fixedly, and then, taking his cue from the boy, he pointed in the direction punch had indicated, nodded, clapped the boy on the shoulder, and began to walk by his side. "there, i thought i could make you understand," cried punch eagerly. "but you might say something. ain't deaf and dumb, are you?" the little priest shook his head, muttered to himself, and then, bending down, he tapped his own leg, and looking questioningly in his would-be guide's face, he began to limp. "yes, yes, yes!" cried punch excitedly. and, imitating his companion, he bent down, tapped his own leg, then limped as if walking with the greatest of difficulty and made-believe to sink down helplessly. "good! i understand," said the little priest in spanish. "wounded. lead on." punch held out his hand, which the little stranger took, and suffered himself to be led in the direction of the great chestnut, shaking his head and looking questioningly more than once at the boy, as punch hesitated and seemed to be in doubt, and ran here and there trying to make out his bearings, successfully as it happened, for he caught sight at last of the object of his search, hurried back to the little priest's side, to stand panting and faint, passing his hand over his dripping face, utterly exhausted. "can't help it, sir," he said piteously. "i have been wounded. just let me get my breath, and then we will go on again. i am sure now. oh, i do wish i could make you understand better!" added the boy piteously. "there's my poor comrade yonder, perhaps dying by this time, and me turning like this!" for just then he reeled and would have fallen if the little priest had not caught him by the arms and lowered him slowly down. "thank you, sir," said punch, with a sob half-choking his utterance. "it's all on account of my wound, sir. there, i'm better now. come on." he tried to struggle up, but the little priest shook his head and pressed him back. "thank you, sir. it's very good of you; but i want to get on. he's getting tired of waiting, you know." and punch pointed excitedly in the direction of the tree. the journey was continued soon after, with punch's arm locked in that of his new-found friend; and in due time punch staggered through the trees to where pen lay, now meeting his gaze with a wild look of misery and despair. "it's all right, comrade," cried punch. "i have found somebody at last. he must live somewhere near here, but i can't make him understand anything, only that you were lying wounded. did you think i had forgotten you?" "no," said pen faintly, "i never thought that." "look here," said punch, "say something to him in french. tell him i want to get you to a cottage, and say we are starving." pen obeyed, and faintly muttered a few words in french; but the priest shook his head. "_frances_?" he said. "no, no," replied pen. "_ingles_." "ah, _ingles_!" said the priest, smiling; and he went down on one knee to softly touch the rough bandage that was about the wounded leg. then, to the surprise of both boys, he carefully raised pen into a sitting position, signed to punch to hold him up, and then taking off his curiously fashioned hat and hanging it upon a broken branch of the tree, the boys saw that nature had furnished him with the tonsure of the priest without the barber's aid, and they had the opportunity now of seeing that it was a pleasantly wrinkled rosy face, with a pair of good-humoured-looking eyes that gazed up in theirs. "what's he going to do?" said punch in a whisper. he comprehended the next minute, and eagerly lent his aid, for the little priest, twisting up his gown and securing it round his waist, began to prove himself a worthy descendant of the good samaritan, though wanting in the ability to set the wounded traveller upon his own ass. going down, though, upon one knee, he took hold of first one hand and then the other, and, with punch's assistance to his own natural strength, he got pen upon his back, hitching him up a little, and then a little more, till he had drawn the wounded lad's arms across his chest. this done, he knelt there on one knee, panting, before drawing a deep breath prior to rising with his burden. then he tried to stand up, but without success. he waited, then tried again; but once more without success, for the weight was greater than he had anticipated. "can't you manage it, sir?" said punch. "here, let me try." the little priest shook his head, but released one of pen's hands and caught hold of punch by the shoulder. "yes, i know, sir," cried punch, and after waiting till their new friend was ready, the boy brought his strength to bear as well, and the little priest stood up, gave his load a hitch or two to balance it well upon his shoulders, and then looked sharply at punch and then at his hat. "carry your hat, sir?" cried punch excitedly, "of course i will. it will be all right." the priest shook his head. "what? oh, you mean stick it on, sir? all right, sir; i understand. what, is that wrong? oh, t'other side first! there you are, then, sir. will that do?" the priest shook his head, bent a little forward so as to well balance his load, and then, setting one hand at liberty, he put his hat on correctly, grasped both pen's hands once more, and then began to march out of the forest. "i'm blessed!" muttered punch. "didn't know they carried pickaback in spain. the little chap's as strong as a horse--pony, i mean.--does it hurt you much, comrade?" "not much, punch. don't talk to me, though; only, thank goodness that we have found a friend!" the little priest trudged sturdily on with his load, taking a direction along the edge of the forest, which punch noted was different from any that he had traversed during his search, while at the same time it became plain to him that their new friend was finding his load rather hard work to carry, for first a little dew began to appear; this dew gradually grew into tiny beads, the tiny beads ran into drops, and the drops gathered together till they began to trickle and run. at this point the little priest stopped short by the side of a rugged, gnarled tree, and, bending a little lower, rested his hands upon a horizontal branch. "look here, sir," said punch, "let me have a try now. i ain't up to it much, but it would give you a rest." the priest shook his head, drew a deep breath, and trudged on again, proving his strength to be greater than could have been imagined to exist in such a little, plump, almost dwarf-like form, for with an occasional rest he tramped on for the best part of an hour, till at last he paused just at the edge of a deep slope, and struck off a little way to his left to where a beaten track led to a good-sized cottage. "why couldn't i find all this?" thought punch, as he gazed down into a valley dotted with huts, evidently a village fairly well inhabited. "why, it was as easy as easy, only i didn't know the way." "ah!" ejaculated the priest, as he thrust open the door, stepped into a very humbly furnished room, crossed at once to a rough pallet, and gently lowered his burden upon the simple bed. "the saints be praised!" he said in latin; and the words and the new position had such a reviving effect upon the wounded rifleman that he caught at one of the priest's hands and held to it firmly. "god bless you for this!" he said, for unconsciously the priest's words had been the opening of the door of communication between him and those he had brought to his home; for though the words possessed a pronunciation that was unfamiliar, the old latin tongue recalled to pen years of study in the past, and he snatched at the opportunity of saying a few words that the old man could understand. a pleasant smile beamed on the utterly wearied out old fellow's countenance as he bent over pen and patted him gently on the shoulder. "good, good!" he said in latin; and he set himself about the task of supplying them with food. this was simple enough, consisting as it did of bread and herbs--just such a repast as might have been expected from some ascetic holy man dwelling in the mountains; but the herbs in this case were silvery-brown skinned spanish onions with salt. then taking up a small earthen jar, he passed out of the dark room into the sunshine; and as soon as the boys were alone punch turned eagerly to his companion. "not worse, are you, comrade?" he said anxiously. "no, punch, not worse. but has he gone to fetch water?" "yes, i think so. but just you tell me: does your leg hurt you much?" "quite enough," replied pen, breaking off a portion of the bread and placing a few fragments between his lips. "but don't talk to me now. i am starving." "yes, i know that," cried punch; "and call this 'ere bread! it's all solid crust, when it ought to be crumb for a chap like you. look here, you could eat one of these onions, couldn't you?" "no, no; not now. go on; never mind me." "but i do mind you," cried the boy. "and how can i go on eating without you? i say, though, what a chap you are! what was that you said to him?" "bless you for this!" "yes, i guessed that was it; but how did you say it so as to make him understand? i talked to him enough, but he couldn't make out a word of what i said. was that there spanish?" "no, punch; latin." "ah, you seem to know everything." at that moment a shadow fell athwart the door, and the speaker made a dash at one of the muskets he had stood up against the wall on entering the priest's cottage. "oh, i beg your pardon, sir!" he cried hastily. "i didn't know it was you." the old man smiled, and entered with the dripping jar which he had just filled from a neighbouring spring, and held it towards the boy. "me drink, sir? thank ye, sir," cried punch; and, taking the jar, he was raising it towards his parched mouth, but before it was half-way there he recollected himself, and carried it to the priest's pallet, where he went down on his knees and held it to pen's lips, so that the poor fellow, who was burning with feverish pain, was able to drink long and deeply. pen was still drinking when punch started and spilt a few drops of the water as he turned hastily to look up at their host, who had laid a soft brown hand upon his head, and was looking down at him with a pleasant smile. "what did he do that for, comrade?" "i don't know," said pen, drawing a deep breath, as he withdrew his lips from the water. "yes, i do," he added quickly. "he meant that he was pleased because you let me drink first." "course i did. i don't see anything to be pleased about in that. but have a drop more, comrade. quick, look sharp, before i go mad and snatches it away from you, for i never felt like this before." "go on then now, punch." "but--" "go on then now; i can wait." "ah, then!" ejaculated the boy, with a deep sigh that was almost a groan; and with trembling hands he held the jar to his lips and drank, and recovered his breath and drank again as if it was impossible to satisfy his burning thirst. then recovering himself, he held the jar against pen's lips. "talk about wine," he said; "why, it ain't in it! i don't wonder that he looks so fat and happy, though he is dressed up like an old scarecrow. fancy living here with a pump of water like this close at hand!--had enough now?--that's right. now you go on breaking off bits of that bread and dipping it in the water while i cuts up one of these." he took his knife from his pocket and began to peel one of the onions, when their host placed the little vessel of salt close to his hand. "thank you, sir," cried punch. "you are a real gentleman." the priest smiled and nodded, and watched the two lads as pen took an earthenware bowl that their host placed close to his hand after half-filling it with water so that he could steep the bread, while punch deftly peeled one of the onions, not scrupling about littering the floor, and then proceeded to quarter it and then divide the segments again, dipping one in the salt and placing it between his wounded companion's lips. "good! good!" said the priest again, smiling with satisfaction, and laying his hand once more upon punch's head. "_bonum! bonum_!" "bone 'em!" said punch. "why, he give it to me!" "he means it was good, punch," said pen, smiling. "good! yes," cried the boy, crunching up one of the savoury pieces of vegetable. "that's what he means, is it? thought he meant i had stolen it.--_bonum_, eh, sir? i should just think it is! wants a bit more salt; but my word, it's fine! have a bit more, comrade. you eat while there's a chance. never mind me. i can keep both of us going. talk about a dinner or a supper; i could keep on till dark! only wish, though, i'd got one of their spanish shillings to pay for it; but those french beggars took care of them for me. i can give him my knife, though; and i will too, as soon as i have done with it. how do you feel now, comrade?" "better, punch, better," replied pen. "thank you," he continued, as his companion broke off more bread for him and then began to peel another onion. "but you are paying more attention to me than you are to yourself." "course i am, comrade. didn't you pay more attention to me when i was wounded?" then turning to the priest, he pointed to the bread with his knife, and then tapped the onion he had begun to quarter with the blade. "splendid, sir," he said, smiling. "_bonum! bonum_!" the priest nodded, and then rose from where he had been seated watching the boys and walked through the open door, to stand just outside sweeping the scattered houses of the little village with his eyes, and remaining there, so as to leave his two guests to themselves. "you are beginning to get a bit better, comrade?" asked punch anxiously. "yes, punch, yes," was the reply. "so am i. feel as if i am growing as strong as a horse again. why, comrade, it was worth getting as hungry, thirsty, and tired as that, so as to enjoy such a meal. i don't mean speaking for you, because i know you must be feeling that gnaw, gnaw, grinding pain in your wound. but do go on eating, and when you have had enough you shut-up shop and go off to sleep. then i will ask that old chap to give me a bit of rag and let me wash and tie up your wound. i say, comrade, i hope he didn't see me laugh at him. did you?" "see you laugh at him? no. did you?" "yes; couldn't help it, when he was carrying you, bent down like he was, with that queer shako of his. when i was behind he looked something like a bear, and i couldn't help having a good grin. mum, though; here he comes." the old priest now came slowly in and stood watching the two lads, who hurriedly finished their meal. "stand up, punch," said pen. "what for? i was just going to clear away." "stand up, i tell you!" "all right;" and the boy rose immediately, staring hard at his companion, as pen, with a quiver of emotion in his utterance, laid his hand over the remains of the black-bread, and said, gazing hard at the old priest the while, "_benedictus, benedicat_. amen." "ah!" said the priest, with a long-drawn breath of satisfaction; "_benedictus, benedicat_ amen." then, taking a step towards them, he laid his hand upon the heads of his two guests in turn and said a few words in an undertone. next, pointing to the rough pallet-bed, he signed to punch that he should lie down beside his companion. "what, take a snooze there, sir?" said punch. "thank you, sir. but not yet.--you tell him in your latin stuff, comrade, that i want to do a bit of doctoring first." "i'll try," said pen wearily, already half-asleep; when, to the surprise of both, the old man went outside and returned with a little wooden tub of water which he brought to the bedside, and then, in spite of a half-hearted protestation on the part of punch, he proceeded to carefully attend to the wound. "well, it's very good of you, sir," said the boy at last, after doing his best to help, "and i wish i could make you understand what i say. but you have done it a deal better than i could have done, and i am sure if my comrade could have kept himself awake he would be ready enough to say something in latin that would mean you are a trump, and he's very much obliged. but, you see, all i know, sir, about latin--" "latin!" said the old priest, beaming upon him with wondering eyes. "yes, sir--latin, sir, as i learnt of him;" and then, pointing to the carefully bandaged limb, "_bonum_, sir; _bonum_!" the priest nodded, as he pointed to the pallet, where there was room for punch to lie down by his sleeping companion; but the boy shook his head. "no, sir," he said, "that's your roost; i do know that," and, before his host could interfere, the boy placed one musket within reach of pen's hand, the other beside the door, across which he stretched himself. it was now nearly dark, and after placing his little home in something like order, the old man turned to where punch had been resting upon one arm a few minutes before, watching his movements, but was now prone upon the beaten-earth floor fast asleep, with a look of restfulness upon his young, sunburnt countenance. the old man stepped carefully across him, to stand outside peering through the evening gloom down into the silent village before, satisfied and content, he turned back into the hut, closing the door carefully after him, placing across it a heavy oaken bar, before stepping back across punch, to stand in the middle of the floor deep in thought. then his hand began to move, from force of habit, searching for and bringing out from beneath his gown a little, worn snuff-box, which squeaked faintly as he turned the lid and refreshed himself with two pinches of its brown contents. this was done very slowly and deliberately in the semi-darkness, and finally the box was replaced and a few grains of the dust flicked away. "ah!" ejaculated the old man with a long-drawn sigh, as he looked from one to the other of his guests. "english," he muttered. "soldiers, but friends and defenders against the french. english--heretics! but," he added softly, as if recalling something that had passed, "_benedictus, benedicat_. amen!" then, crossing softly to one corner of the room, he drew open what seemed to be the door of a cupboard; but it was too dark to show that in place of staircase there was a broad step-ladder. this the old man ascended, and directly after the ill-fitting boards which formed the ceiling of his humble living-room creaked as he stepped upon them, and then there was a faint rustling as if he were removing leaves and stems of the indian corn that was laid in company with other stores in what was undoubtedly a little loft, whose air was heavy with various odours suggesting the presence of vegetables and fruit. the oaken boards creaked once more as if the old man was stretching himself upon them with a sigh of weariness and satisfaction. "amen!" he said softly, and directly after a ray of light shot across the place, coming through the wooden bars in the gable of the sloping roof, for the moon had just risen over the shoulder of the mountain to light up the valley beneath, where the priest's hut clung to its rocky wall; to light up, too, the little loft and its contents, and, above all, the features of the sleeping man, gentle-looking in their repose. and could the lads he had befriended have gazed upon him then they would have seen nothing that appeared grotesque. chapter twenty four. through a knot-hole. "yes, what is it?" cried pen, starting up on the bed at a touch from his companion, who had laid his hand gently on the sleeping lad's forehead, and then sinking back again with a faint ejaculation of pain. "don't be scared, comrade; it's only me. does it hurt you?" "yes, my leg's horribly stiff and painful." "poor chap! never mind. i will bathe it and dress it by-and-by if that old priest don't do it. when you jumped up like that i thought you fancied it was the french coming." "i did, punch," said pen with a faint smile. "i seem to have been dreaming all night that they were after us, and i could not get away because my leg hurt me so." "then lie down again," said punch. "things ain't so bad as that. but, i say, comrade, i can't help it; i am as bad as ever again." "bad! your wound?" "no, no; that's getting all right. but that old chap seems to have shut us up here and gone. didn't happen to see, did you, where he put the bread and onions? i am quite hollow inside." "no, punch. i fell asleep, and i can't recollect how or when." "that's a pity, 'cause i know we should be welcome, and i can't make out where he put the forage when he cleared away." it was the sunrise of a bright morning, and the sounds of bleating goats came plainly to the listeners' ears as the nimble animals were making their way up the valley-side to their pasture. then all at once came the sharp creak of a board, and punch dashed at his musket, caught it up, cocked it, and stood ready to use it in defence of his companion. there was another creak or two, evidently from overhead, and as punch stood there on the alert, his brows knit and teeth clenched, pen softly stole his hand in the direction of his own musket and raised himself up on the bed ready to help. again there came a creak or two, a rustling in the corner of the room as of some one descending from above, and, though invisible, the muzzles of the two pieces were slowly lowered in the direction of the noise, till with a crack the door in the corner was thrust inward and the little old priest stood looking wonderingly from one to the other as he raised his hand. it was as if this were a signal to disarm, when the two muskets were hurriedly replaced, and punch advanced towards the corner of the room, offering to shake hands. the priest smiled, took the boy's fingers, and then, thrusting to the door, he crossed to the bed, felt pen's forehead, and afterwards pointed to the wounded leg. the next minute he went to the door, removed the great bar, and admitted the bright light and fresh air of the morning in company with the louder bleating of the goats, which animals evidently came trotting up to the old man as he stepped back to look searchingly round. then, after speaking kindly to them, he drove them away, returned into the room directly after with water, and proceeded to busily attend to pen's wound. "that's good of him," said punch petulantly, "and i am glad to see him do it, comrade; but i wish he'd thought to attend to my wound too--i mean, give me the chance to dress it myself with bread and onion poultice. i don't know when i felt so hollow inside." but he had not long to wait, for, evidently well satisfied with the state of pen's injury, the priest finished attending to him as tenderly as if his touch were that of a woman, and then punch was at rest, for the old man placed the last night's simple fare before them, signed to them to eat, and, leaving them to themselves, went outside again, to sweep the valley below with a long and scrutinising gaze. twice over during the next two days pen made an effort to rise, telling his companion when they were alone that if he had a stick he thought he could manage to limp along a short distance at a time, for it was very evident that the old man, their host, was uneasy in his own mind about their presence. "he evidently wants to get rid of us, punch." "think so?" said the boy. "yes. see how he keeps fidgeting in and out to go on looking round to see if anybody's coming." "yes, i have noticed that," said punch. "he thinks the french are coming after us, and that he will get into trouble for keeping us here." "yes; it's plain enough, so let's go." "but you can't, comrade." "yes, i can." "not without making your wound worse. that's what you would have said to me." "then i must make it worse," said pen angrily. "next time he comes in i'll try to make him explain which way we ought to go to find some of our people." "well, we can only try," replied punch, "for 'tain't nice living on anybody when you can't pay, and i do feel ashamed to eat as i do without being able to find money for it. 'tain't as if he was an enemy. i'd let him see then." "go and open the door, punch, and let the fresh air in. the sun does make this place so hot!" "can't, comrade." "why not?" "i did try while you was asleep; but he's locked us in." "nonsense! he fastens the door with that big bar, and there it is standing up by the side." "yes, but there's another one outside somewhere, for i tried, and the door won't move. i think he's gone to tell somebody we are here, and he has shut us up so that we sha'n't get away while he's gone." "no, no," said pen impatiently. "the old man means well to us; i am sure of that." "that's what i keep thinking, comrade; but then i keep thinking, too, that he's going to get something given him for taking two prisoners to give up to the french." "nonsense! it is cowardly and ungenerous to think so." "then what's he been gone such a long time for? it's hours since he went away and shut us in." "hours?" "yes; you don't know, because you sleep so much." "well, i don't believe he'd betray us. the old man's too good and generous for that." "then, why has he made prisoners of us?" said punch sourly. "why has he shut us up?" "to keep anybody else from coming in," said pen decisively. "what time can it be now?" "getting on towards sunset. pst! here he comes--or somebody else." all doubts as to who it was were put an end to the next minute, for the familiar step of the old priest approached the door. they plainly heard what seemed to be another bar removed, and the old man stood before them with a big basket on his arm, and remained looking back as if to see whether he had been followed. then, apparently satisfied, he came in, closed the door, and smilingly placed the contents of the basket before them. he had evidently been some distance, and looked hot and weary; but he was quite ready to listen to pen's lame efforts to make known his desires that they should now say good-bye, and, with his help as to direction, continue their journey. the little man stood up smiling before pen, listening patiently to the lad's blundering latin, probably not understanding half, and only replying with a word or two from time to time, these words from their pronunciation puzzling pen in turn; but it was evident to punch, the listener, that on the whole a mutual understanding was arrived at, for all at once the priest offered pen his arm, and as the lad took it he helped him to walk across the room and back to the pallet, where he pressed him back so that he sat down in spite of himself, when the old man patted him on the shoulder, smiling gently, and then going down on one knee passed his hand softly over the wound, and, looking up, shook his head sadly. "what does he mean by that, punch?" said pen excitedly, as he sat, looking pinched of face and half-wild with excitement. "it means, comrade, that you ain't fit to go on the march. that's what he means; i can make him out. he is saying as you must give it up, and i don't think now as he means any harm.--i say, you don't, do you, old chap?" he continued, turning sharply on the priest. it seemed as if their host comprehended the boy's words, for he patted punch on the shoulder, smiling, and pointed to the basket, which he opened and displayed its contents. punch only caught a glimpse thereof; but he saw that there were bread and onions and goat's-milk cheese before he turned sharply round, startled by a quick tapping at the closed door. it was not only he who was startled, for the priest turned sharply and hurried to the door. "oh, comrade," cried punch in an excited whisper, "don't say that he's against us after all!" but with the sturdy boy it was a word and a blow, for he made for his loaded musket and caught it up. "hist!" ejaculated the priest, turning upon him and raising one hand. "oh, i don't care for that," whispered punch, "and i don't mind what you are. if you sold us to the enemy you shall have the first shot." the priest shook his hand at him as if to bid him be silent; and then, placing his lips close to the door, he said something in spanish, and listened to a reply that came in a hurried voice. "ah!" ejaculated the priest; and then he whispered again. the next minute he was busy barring the closed door; and this done, he turned to the boys, to cross the room and open wide the cupboard-like door in the corner. then, returning to pen, he helped him to rise again, guided his halting steps, and half-carrying him to the step-like ladder urged him with a word or two to climb up. "what does he mean, comrade?" whispered punch. "he means there's somebody coming, and we are to go upstairs." "let's stop here, comrade, and fight it out." "no, he means well," replied pen; and, making a brave effort, he began to climb the ladder, pulling himself up, but panting heavily the while and drawing his breath with pain. as soon as the old man saw that he was being obeyed he turned to punch, caught up pen's musket, and signed to the boy to follow him. "well, you can't mean to give us up," said punch excitedly, "or you wouldn't want me to keep my gun and his." disposition to resist passed away the next moment, for the old man pressed the second musket into his hand and urged him towards the door. "can you get up, comrade?" whispered punch, who was now all excited action. "yes," came in a hoarse whisper, and a loud creak came from the ceiling. "ketch hold of these guns then. he wants me to bring the forage-basket.--got 'em?" he continued, as he placed the two pieces together and held them up against the ladder. "_bonum_!" ejaculated the priest, who stood close up, as the two muskets were drawn upwards and disappeared. "right, sir," said punch in answer, and he took hold of the basket, raised it above his head, took a step or two, then whispered, "basket! got it, comrade?" "yes," and it was drawn up after the muskets, the boards overhead creaking loudly the while. "anything else, master?--what, take this 'ere jar of water? right! of course! here, comrade, you must look out now. lean down and catch hold of the jar; and take care as you don't slop it over." "_presto_!" whispered the priest. "hi, presto!" muttered punch. "that's what the conjuror said," he continued to himself, "and it means, `look sharp!' got it, comrade?" "yes," came in pen's eager whisper. "oh, i say," muttered punch, "i don't want my face washed!" "_bonum! presto_!" whispered the priest, as punch shrank back with his face dripping; and, pressing the boy into the opening, he closed the door upon him and then hurried to the cottage entrance, took down the bar, throw the door wide, and then began slowly to strike a light, after placing a lamp upon the rough table. by this time punch had reached the little loft-like chamber, where pen was lying beside the water-vessel. "what game's this, comrade?" he whispered, breathless with his exertions. "hist! hist!" came from below. "it's all very fine," muttered punch to himself; and he changed his position, with the result that the boards upon which he knelt creaked once more. "hist! hist!" came again from below. "oh, all right then. i hear you," muttered the boy; and he cautiously drew himself to where he could place his eye to a large hole from which a knot in the plank had fallen out, so that he could now see what was going on below. "here, this caps me," he said to himself. "i don't want to think he's a bad un, but he's took down the bar and shoved the door wide-open. it don't mean, do it, that he's sent for some one to come and take us? no, or he wouldn't have given us our guns." _nick, nick, nick, nick_, went the flint against the steel; and the boy watched the sparks flying till one of them seemed to settle lightly in the priest's tinder-box, and the next minute that single spark began to glow as the old man deliberately breathed upon it till the tinder grew plain before the watcher's eyes, and the shape of the old man's bald head, with its roll of fat across the back of the neck, stood out like a silhouette. then there was a rustling sound, and the boy saw the point of a match applied, and marked that that point was formed of pale yellow brimstone, which began to turn of a lambent blue as it melted and quivered, and anon grew a flame-colour as the burning mineral fired the match. a deep, heavy breath as of relief rose now through the floor as the old man applied the burning match to the wick of his oil-lamp, and punch drew back from the knot-hole, for the loft was dimly lit up by the rays which came through the cracks of the badly laid floor, so that it seemed to him as if this could be no hiding-place, for any one in the room below must for certain be aware of the presence of any one in the loft. in spite of himself, punch started and extended his hand to catch at his comrade's arm, for he could see him plainly, though dimly, lying with the muskets on one side, the basket and jar of water upon the other, while half-behind him, where he himself lay, there was the black trap-like opening through which he had climbed. the boy's was a very slight movement, but it was sufficient to make a board creak, and a warning "hist!" came once more from below; while, as he looked downward, the boy found that he could see what the old man was doing, as he drew his lamp across the rough table and bent over a little open book, while he began muttering softly, half-aloud, as he read from his book of hours. punch softly pressed his comrade's arm, and then there was a slight movement and the pressure was returned. "wonder whether he can see too," thought punch; and then in spite of himself he started, and his breath seemed to come thick and short, for plainly from a short distance off came the unmistakable tramp of marching men. "then he has sold us after all," thought the boy, and by slow degrees he strained himself over so that he could look through the knot-hole again. to his great surprise the priest had not stirred, but was bending over his book, and his muttered words rose softly to the boy's ear, while the old man seemed to be in profound ignorance of the approaching steps. chapter twenty five. in the night. nearer and nearer came the sound of marching, and it was all punch could do to keep from rising to his knees and changing his position; but he mastered himself into a state of content by sending and receiving signals with his companion, each giving and taking a long, firm pressure, as at last the invisible body of approaching men reached the cottage door, and an authoritative voice uttered the sharp command, "_halte_!" punch's eye was now glued to the hole. he felt that if anybody looked up he would be sure to see it glittering in the lamplight; but the fascination to learn what was to be their fate was too strong to be resisted. from his coign of vantage he could command the doorway and the legs of a small detachment of men, two of whom separated themselves and came full into sight, one being an officer, from the sword he bore, the other a rough, clumsy-looking peasant. and now for the first time the little priest appeared to be aware of the presence of strangers, for he slowly lowered the hand which held the book, raised his head, and seemed to be looking wonderingly at his visitors. "ah!" he said, as if just awakened from his studies; and he uttered some words, which sounded like a question, to the peasant, who made a rough obeisance and replied in apologetic tones, as if making an excuse for his presence there. and now the officer uttered an impatient ejaculation and took another step into the room, saying in french, "i am sorry to interrupt your devotions, father; but this fellow tells me that he saw a couple of our english prisoners take refuge here." "i do not speak french, my son," replied the old man calmly. "bah! i forgot," ejaculated the officer; and then in a halting way he stumbled through the same sentence in a very bad translation as he rendered it into spanish. "ah!" said the old man, rising slowly; and punch saw him look as if wonderingly at the rough peasant, who seemed to shrink back, half-startled, from the priest's stern gaze. there was a few moments' silence, during which the two fugitives clutched each other's hands so tightly that punch's nerves literally quivered as he listened for the sharp cracking of the boards, which he seemed to know must betray them to their pursuers. but no sound came; and, as the perspiration stood out in big drops upon his face in the close heat of the little loft, both he and his companion could feel the horrible tickling sensation of the beads joining together and trickling down their necks. then after what seemed to be quite an interval, the old man's voice arose in deep, stern tones, as he exclaimed, "what lie is this, my son, that you have uttered to these strangers?" "i--i, father--" faltered the man, shrinking back a step and dropping the soft cap he was turning in his hands upon the beaten floor, and then stooping hastily to snatch it up again--"i--father--i--" "i say, what lie is this you have told these strangers for the sake of gaining a few accursed pieces of silver? go, before i--ah!" for there was a quick movement on the part of the peasant, and he dashed out of the door. "_halte_!" yelled the french officer, following the peasant outside; and then, giving a sharp command, the scattered reports of some half-dozen muskets rang out on the night-air, the two fugitives starting as at each shot the flash of the musket lit up the loft where they lay. then a short question or two, and their replies came through the open doorway, and it became evident to the listeners that the peasant had escaped. "bah!" ejaculated the officer, as punch saw him stride through the doorway into the room again. "look here, father," he said in his bad spanish, "i paid this scoundrel to guide me to the place where he said two englishmen were in hiding; but he did not tell me it was with his priest. as he has brought us here i must search." "for the escaped prisoners?" the old man said, drawing himself up with dignity. "i do not speak your language, sir, but i think that is what you mean. can you repeat your words in latin? you might make your wishes more plain." "latin? no, i have forgotten all that," said the officer impatiently in more clumsy spanish than before. "the english prisoners--my men must search," and the fugitives, unable though they were to comprehend the words, naturally grasped their meaning and held their breath till they felt they must draw it again with a sound that would betray their presence. then, with a slight laugh, the old priest laid his book upon the table and took up the smoky oil-lamp. as he did so, punch could see his face plainly, for it was lit up by the lamp, and the boy could perceive the mocking mirth in his eyes as he raised it above his head with his left hand, and walked slowly towards the door which covered the ladder-like staircase; and then as punch felt that all was over, the old man slowly passed the light across and moved to the rough fireplace, and so on all round the room, before raising the light above his head once more, and with a comprehensive movement waving his right hand slowly round the place as if to say, "you see there are no prisoners here." "bah!" ejaculated the french officer, and, turning angrily, he marched out through the open doorway. punch was beginning to breathe again, but to his horror the officer marched back into the room, for he had recollected himself. he was the french gentleman still. "_pardon, mon pere_!" he said sharply, keeping now to his own tongue. "_bon soir_!" then, marching out again, he gave a short command, and, from where punch's eye was still glued to the opening, he saw the soldiers turn rightabout face, disappear through the open doorway, and then, _beat, beat, beat_, the sound of marching began again, this time to die slowly away, and he looked and listened till the pressure of pen's hand upon his arm grew almost painful. but he did not wince, till a movement on the part of the priest drew his attention to what was passing beneath; and he saw him set down the lamp and cross to the door, which he closed and barred, and then dropped upon his knees, as his head sank down upon his clasped-together hands. chapter twenty six. contrabandistas. "think they have gone, comrade?" whispered punch, after they had listened for some minutes, and the tramp of the french soldiers had quite died away. "yes; but speak low. he will come and tell us when he thinks it is safe." "all right, i'll whisper; but i must talk. i can't bear it any longer, i do feel so savage with myself." "why, what about?" "to think about that old chap. i wanted to trust him, but i kept on feeling that he was going to sell us; and all the time he's been doing everything he could for us. but, i say, it was comic to see him carrying you. here, i mustn't talk about it, or i shall be bursting out laughing." "hush! don't!" whispered pen. "all right. but, i say, don't you think we might have a go at the prog? there's all sorts of good things in that basket; and i want a drink of water too. but you needn't have poured a lot of it down my back. i know you couldn't help it, but it was horrid wet all the same." "don't touch anything, punch; and be quiet. he will be coming up soon, i dare say." "wish he'd come, then," said the boy wearily. "i say, how's your leg?" "hurts," said pen curtly. "poor old chap! can't you turn yourself round?" "no. it's worse when i try to move it." "that's bad; but, i say, you see now we couldn't have gone away unless i carried you." "but it seems so unfair to be staying here," said pen bitterly. "i believe now i could limp along very slowly." "i don't," said punch. "you see, those frenchies have made up their minds to catch us, and i believe if they caught sight of us creeping along now they would let go at us again; and as we have had a bullet apiece, we don't want any more." "hist!" whispered pen; "they think we are here still, and they are coming back." "nonsense! fancy!" "listen." "oh, murder!" whispered punch. "this is hard!" for he could distinctly hear hurried steps approaching the cottage, and he placed his eye to the knot-hole again to see what effect it was having upon the old man. but he was so still as he crouched there in the lamplight that it seemed as if he had dropped asleep, worn out by his efforts, till all at once the footsteps ceased and there was a sharp tapping on the door, given in a peculiar way, first a rap, then a pause, then two raps close together, another pause, and then _rap, rap, rap_, quickly. the old man sprang to his feet, unbarred the door, and seized it to throw it open. "it's all over, comrade," whispered punch. "well, let's fill our pockets with the prog. i don't want to starve any more." he placed his eye to the knot-hole again, and then turned his head to whisper to his companion. "'tain't the frenchmen," he said. "it's one of the spanish chaps with a red handkercher tied round his head, and him and the old priest is friends, for they are a hugging one another. this chap has got a short gun, and now he's lighting a cigarette at the lamp. can you hear me?" "yes; go on." "there's four more of them outside the door, and they have all got short guns. one of them's holding one of them horse-donkeys. oh, i say, comrade!" continued the boy, as a quick whispering went on and the aromatic, pungent odour of tobacco floated up between the boards. "what is it, punch? oh, go on--tell me! you can see, and i'm lying here on my back and can make out nothing. what does it all mean?" "well, i don't like to tell you, comrade?" whispered the boy huskily. "oh yes; tell me. i can bear it." "well, it seems to me, comrade, as we have got out of the frying-pan into the fire." "why, what do you mean?" "that we thought the old chap was going to sell us to the french when all the time it was to some of those spanish thieves, and it's them as has come now to take us away.--here, wait a minute." "i can't, punch. i can't bear it." "i'm afraid you will have to, comrade--both on us--like englishmen. but if we are to be shot for furriners i should like it to have been as soldiers, and by soldiers who know how to use their guns, and not by spanish what-do-you-call-'ems--robbers and thieves--with little short blunderbusters." there was a few moments' pause, during which hurried talking went on. then a couple more fierce-looking spaniards came in, saluted the priest, lit cigarettes at the lamp, and propped the short carbines they carried against the cottage-wall before joining in the conversation. "what are they doing now, punch?" "talking about shooting or something," whispered the boy, "and that old ruffian's laughing and pointing up at the ceiling to tell them he has got us safe. oh, murder in irish!" continued the boy. "he's took up the lamp and he's showing them the way. here, private gray, try and pull yourself together and let's make a fight for it, if we only have a shot apiece. they are coming up to fetch us now." pen stretched out his hand in the dim loft to seize his musket, but he could not reach it, while in his excitement the boy did not notice his comrade's helplessness, but seized his own weapon and stood up ready as the light and shadows danced in the gloomy loft, and prepared to give the armed strangers a warm reception. and now the door at the foot of the ladder creaked and the light of the lamp struck up as the old man began to ascend the few steps till he could reach up, thrusting the lamp he carried before him, and placing it upon the floor, pushing it farther along towards the two boys; and then, drawing himself up, he lifted the light and held it so that those who followed him could see their way. at that moment he caught sight of punch's attitude, and a smile broke out across his face. "no, no!" he said eagerly. "_amigos! contrabandistas_." "what does he mean by that, pen?" "that they are friends." and the head of the first friend now appeared above the trap in the shape of the first-comer, a handsome, swarthy-looking spaniard, whose dark eyes flashed as his face was lit up by the priest's lamp, which shot the scarlet silk handkerchief about his head with hues of orange. "_buenos ingles, amigos_," he cried, as he noted the presented musket; and then volubly he asked if either of them spoke french. "yes," cried pen eagerly; and the rest was easy, for the man went on in that tongue: "my friend the priest tells me that you have had a narrow escape from the french soldiers who had shot you down. but you are safe now. we are friends to the english. do you want to join your people?" "yes, yes," cried pen eagerly. "can you help us? are any of our regiments near?" "not very," replied the spanish smuggler, "for the french are holding nearly all the passes; but we will help you and get you up into the mountains, where you will be safe with us. but our good friend the _padre_ tells me that one of you is badly hurt, and he wants me to look at your wound." "oh, it's not very bad," said pen warmly. "ah, i must see," said the man, who had seated himself at the edge of the opening up which he had come, and proceeded to light a fresh cigarette. the next moment, as he began puffing away, he seemed to recollect himself, and drew out a cigar, which he offered with a polite gesture to the old priest. the old man set down the lamp which he had held for his visitor to light his cigarette, and smiled as he shook his head. then, thrusting a hand into his gown, he took out his snuff-box, made the lid squeak loudly, and proceeded to help himself to a bounteous pinch. "it is you who have the wound," continued the smuggler. "you are, i suppose, an officer and a gentleman?" "no," said pen, "only a common english soldier." "but you speak french like a gentleman. ah, well, no matter. you are wounded--fighting for my country against the brigand french, and we are friends and brothers. i have had many a fight with them, my friend, and i know what their bullets do, so that i perhaps can dress your wound better than the _padre_--brave old man! he can cure our souls--eh, father?" he added, in spanish--"but i can cure bodies better than he, sometimes, when the french bullets have not been too bad.--now, father," he added, "hold the lamp and let us see." the priest nodded as he took up the lamp again in answer to the request made to him in his own tongue; and he now spoke a few words to the smuggler which resulted in the picturesque-looking man shaking his head. "the good father," he said to pen, "asks me if i think the french soldiers will come back; but i think not. if they do we shall have warning from my men, who are watching them, for we are expecting friends to meet us here--friends who may come to-night, perhaps many nights hence--for us to guide them through the passes." then, drawing up his legs, he stepped into the loft and called down the stairway to the men below. there was a short reply, and steps were heard as if the two men had stepped out into the open. "now, my friend," said the smuggler, as he went down on one knee and leaned over pen, whose hand he took, afterwards feeling his temples and looking keenly into his eyes as the priest threw the light full in the wounded lad's face. "why," he said, "you are suffering from something else besides your wound. my men will bring some wine. i see you have water here. you are faint. there, let me place you more comfortably.--that's better. i'll see to your wound soon.--and you, my friend," he continued, turning to punch, who started and shook his head. "no parly frenchy," he said. "never mind," continued the smuggler. "your friend can.--tell him to eat some of the bread and fruit, and i will give him some of our grape medicine as soon as my men bring the skin.--a good hearty draught would do you good too, father," he added, turning to the old man and laying his hand with an affectionate gesture upon the priest's arm. "you have been working too hard, and must have had quite a scare. i am very glad we have come." a deep-toned voice came now from the room below, the smuggler replied, and there was a sound of ascending steps; then another of the smugglers appeared at the opening in the floor, thrusting something so peculiar and strange through the aperture that, as it subsided upon the edge in the full light cast by the smoky lamp, punch whispered: "why, it's a raw kid, comrade, and i don't believe it's dead!" pen laughed, and punch's eyes dilated as he saw the smuggler, who was standing with his head and shoulders in the opening, take what looked like a drinking-horn from his breast and place it upon the floor; and then it seemed to the boy that he untied a thong that was about one of the kid's legs, and the next moment it appeared as if the animal had begun to bleed, its vital juice trickling softly into the horn cup, for it was his first acquaintance with a skin of rich spanish wine. "there, my friend," said the smuggler, taking up the half-filled cup, "they say this is bad for fever, but i never knew it do harm to a man whose lifeblood had been drained. drink: it will put some spirit in you before i perhaps put you to a good deal of pain." and the next moment he was holding the wine-cup to the wounded lad's lips. "there," said the smuggler at last, as he finished his self-imposed task, "i think you have borne it bravely." "oh, nonsense," said pen quietly. "surely a soldier should be able to bear a little pain." "i suppose so," said his new surgeon; "but i am afraid that some of my countrymen would have shouted aloud at what i have done to you. i know some of my men have when i have tied them up after they have been unlucky enough to get one of the french guards' bullets in them. there now, the best thing you can do is to go to sleep;" and, having improvised a pillow for him with one of his follower's cloaks, the spaniard descended to the priest's room, where several of his men were assembled; and after the priest had seen that punch had been supplied from the basket, he followed his friend to where the men were gathered, leaving the boys in the semi-darkness, for he took down the lamp, whose rays once more shone up through the knot-hole and between the ill-fitting boards. "feel better, comrade?" asked punch. but there was no reply. "i say, you aren't gone to sleep already, are you?" still no answer, and, creeping closer, punch passed his hand gently over pen's arm and touched his face; but this evoked no movement, only the drawing and expiration of a deep breath which came warmly to the boy's hand as he whispered: "well, he must be better or he wouldn't have gone to sleep like that. don't think i could. and, my word, that chap did serve him out!" the low sound of voices from below now attracted the boy's attention; and, turning to the knot-hole, he looked down into the priest's room to see that it was nearly full of the dark, fierce-looking spaniards, who were listening to the old padre, whose face shone with animation, lit up as it was by the lamp, while he talked earnestly to those who bent forward to listen to his words. it was a picturesque scene, for the moon was now shining brightly, its rays striking in through the open door and throwing up the figures of several of the _contrabandistas_ for whom there was no room within the cottage, but who pressed forward as if to listen to the priest's words. "why, he must be preaching to them," said punch to himself at last, "but i can't understand a word. this spanish seems queer stuff. what does _el rey_ mean, i wonder. dunno," he muttered, as he yawned drowsily. "seems queer that eating and drinking should make you sleepy. well, i ain't obliged to listen to what that old fellow says. wonder whether private gray knows what _el rey_ means? better not ask him, though, now he's asleep. phew! it is hot up here! _buzz, buzz, buzz_! what is he talking about? seems to make me sleepier to listen to him.--i say, not awake, are you, comrade?" there was no reply, and soon after punch's heavy breathing was heard in addition to the low murmur of the priest's voice, for the boy too, worn out with what he had gone through during the past hours, was fast asleep. chapter twenty seven. the new friend. punch woke up with a start to find that it was broad daylight, for the sun was up, the goats on the valley-side were bleating, and a loud musical bell was giving forth its constantly iterated sounds. punch looked down the knot-hole through which the bright morning rays were streaming up as well as between the ill-fitting boards; but as far as he could make out there was no one below, and he remained peering down for some minutes, recalling all that had taken place overnight, till, turning slightly, he caught sight of the basket of provisions. "it makes one feel hungry again," muttered the boy, and his hand was stretched out to draw the basket to his side. "no, no," he continued, pulling back his hand; "let's have fair-play.--awake, comrade?--fast asleep. that looks well. my word, how i slept after that supper! wish he would wake up, though. be no harm in filling up with water," and, creeping softly to where the jar had been placed for safety, he took a long, deep draught. "ah!" he ejaculated, "that will keep the hungries quiet for a bit;" and then he chuckled to himself as his eye wandered about the loft, and he noted how the priest used it for a storeroom, one of his chief stores being onions. "and so the french are holding the country everywhere, are they? and we are to lie snug here for a bit, and then that spanish chap is going to show us the way to get to our regiment again. well, we have tumbled among friends at last; but i hope we sha'n't have to lie here till all the fighting's done, for my comrade and me owe the frenchies something, and we should both like to get a chance to pay it.--here, i say, private gray, you might wake up now. water's only water, after all, and i want my breakfast. i shouldn't mind if there was none, but it's aggravating to your inside to see it lying there.--hallo! there's somebody coming," for he heard voices from somewhere outside. "that's the old father," muttered the boy. "yes, and that's that big spanish chap. didn't he look fine with his silk handkercher round his head and his pistols in his scarf? i suppose he's captain of the band. what did gray say they were--smugglers? why, they couldn't be. smugglers have vessels by the seaside. i do know that. there's no seaside here up in the mountains. what have they got to smuggle?" "punch, you there?" came in a sharp whisper. "yes," whispered back the boy. "all right. wake up. here's your doctor coming to see to your wound." the next minute the voices sounded from the room below, and the smuggler's voice was raised and he called up in french: "are you awake there, my friends?" and upon receiving an answer in the affirmative he began to ascend the step-ladder cautiously, and apparently quite at home. as soon as he stood stooping in the loft he drew back a rough shutter and admitted a little of the sunshine. "good-morning!" he said. "how's the wound? kept you awake all night?" pen explained that he had only just woke up. "well, that means you are getting better," said the smuggler; and the boys scanned the speaker's handsome, manly-looking face. just then fresh steps were heard upon the ladder, and the pleasant-countenanced priest appeared, carefully bearing a large bowl of water, and with a long strip of coarse linen hanging over his arm. he smilingly nodded at the two lads, and then knelt by the side of the bowl and watched attentively while pen's wound was dressed and carefully bandaged with the coarse strip of linen, after which a few words passed in spanish between the priest and the smuggler, who directly after addressed pen. "he was asking me about getting you down to breakfast, but i tell him that you will be better if you lie quite still for a bit, perhaps for a few days, i don't think the french will come here again. they are more likely to forget all about you, for they are always on the move; but you could do no good if you came down, and i shall not stir for some days yet, unless my friends come, and i don't expect they will. it would be too risky. so you lie here patiently and give your wound a chance to get well before i try to take you through the pass. besides, your friends are a long way off, and they will be sure to come nearer before long. you can make yourself very comfortable here, can't you, and eat and drink and sleep?" "but it is not fair to the father," said pen, "and we have no money to pay him for our lodging." "you englishmen are brave fellows," said the smuggler with a merry laugh. "you like to pay your way, while those french thieves plunder and steal and ill-use every one they come near. don't you make yourself uncomfortable about that, my lad. as you hinted just now, the holy father is poor, and it may seem to you hard that you should live upon him; but you english are our friends, and so is the father. make yourselves quite comfortable. you are very welcome, and we are glad to have you as our guests.--eh, _padre mio_!" he continued, relapsing into his own tongue. "they are quite welcome, are they not?" the priest nodded and smiled as he bent down and patted both the lads on the shoulder, punch contenting himself with what he did not understand, for it seemed very friendly, while pen took the hand that rested on his shoulder and raised it to his lips. then the old man slowly descended, and the smuggler turned and continued talking pleasantly to pen. "i have told him," he said, "that i am going to have breakfast with you here, as my men have gone up to the mountains with the mules, and i don't want to show myself and get a shot sent after me, for some of the frenchmen are down in the village still. be quiet for a day or two, and if my friends come before you are able to march we will get you on one of my mules. hallo!" he added, "the father's making a fire to cook us some breakfast. i shouldn't wonder if he bakes us a cake and makes us a cup of good fragrant coffee. he generally contents himself with bread and herbs and a glass of water; but he knows my weaknesses--and i know his," added the smuggler, laughing. "he never objects to a glass of good wine." the smuggler's surmises were right, for before very long the old man paid several visits to the loft, and ended by seating himself with the others and partaking of a roughly prepared but excellent breakfast, which included newly made cake, fried bacon and eggs, with a capital bowl of coffee and goat's-milk. "well, my friend," said the smuggler, turning to punch, "have you made a good meal?" punch looked uncomfortable, gave his head a scratch, and frowned. "tell him, comrade, i can't jabber french," he said. "he asks if you have made a good breakfast, punch." "tell him it's splendid." the wounded lad interpreted between them; while the smuggler now addressed himself to his patient. "and you?" he said. "i suppose i may tell the father that his breakfast was capital, and that you can make yourself happy here till you get better?" "yes; and tell him, please, that our only regret is that we cannot show our gratitude more." "tut, tut! there is no need. the father has helped you because you are brave young englishmen who are over here risking your lives for our countrymen in trying to drive out the french invaders who have come down like a swarm of locusts upon our land. you understand very well, i suppose,"--continued the spaniard, rolling up a cigarette and offering it to pen, who took it and waited while the smuggler rolled up another for punch and again another for himself before turning and taking a smouldering brand of wood from the priest, who had fetched it from the hearth below--"you understand very well why the french are here?" "not very well," said pen. "i am an english soldier here with my people to fight against the french, who have placed a french king in your country." "yes," said the spaniard, frowning, as he sent a curl of fragrant smoke eddying towards the shutter-opening in the sloping roof, where as it rose soft and grey it began to glow with gold as it reached the sunshine that streamed across the little square; "they have thrust upon us another of the usurper's kin, and this napoleon has imprisoned our lawful ruler in valencay." "i didn't know all this," replied pen; "but i like to hear." "good!" said the smuggler, nodding and speaking eagerly. "and you are an englishman and fighting on our side. i know all this, and that your wellesley is a brave general who is only waiting his time to sweep our enemies back to their own country. you are a friend who has suffered in our cause, and i can confide in you. you will be glad to hear that the prisoner has escaped." "yes," said pen, forgetting the pain of his wound for the time in the interest of what he heard, while punch yawned and did not seem happy with his cigarette. "but what prisoner?" "the king, ferdinand." pen had never heard of any ferdinand except one that he had read of in shakespeare; but he said softly, "i am glad." "yes," said the smuggler, "and i and my friends are glad--glad that, poor smugglers though we are, and no soldiers, we can be of service to his majesty. he has escaped from the french prison and is on his way to the pyrenees, where we can help him onward to madrid. for we as _contrabandistas_ know all the passes through the frontier; and i and my followers are waiting till he reaches the appointed spot, where some of our brothers will bring him on to meet us, who will be ready to guide him and his friends farther on their way to the capital, or place them in safety in one of our hiding-places, our stores, of which we have many here in the mountains. he is long in coming, but he is on his way, and the last news i heard is that he is hidden by my friends at one of our _caches_ a score or so of leagues away. he may be here to-night if the pass seems clear. it may be many nights; but he will come, and if the french arrive--well, they will have to fight," said the smuggler, with a smile; and he lightly tapped the butt of one of his pistols. "it is hard for a king to have to steal away and hide; but every league he passes through the mountains here he will find more friends; and we shall try, some of us, to guide your english generals to where they can strike at our french foes. yes, my young friend," continued the captain, rolling up a fresh cigarette, "and we shall serve our king well in all this, and if some of us fall--well, it will be in a good cause, and better than spending our lives in carrying smuggled goods--silks and laces, _eau de vie_, cigars and tobacco duty free across these hills. there, we are _contrabandistas_, and we are used to risking our lives, for on either side of the mountains the governments shoot us down. but we are patriots all the same, and we are risking our lives for our king just as if we were of the best. so get well, you two brave soldier lads. i see you have your guns, and maybe, as we have helped you, we may ask you to help us. you need not mind, for you will be fighting against your enemies the french. come, light up your cigarette again. you must be tired of my long story." "tired! no," said pen. "i am glad to hear it, for i have often thought and wondered why we english had come here to fight, and all i knew was that napoleon was conquering everywhere and trying to master the world." "which he will never do," said the smuggler, laughing. "strong as he is, and masterful, he will never succeed, and you know why?" "no, i can't say that," replied pen, wincing. "then i will tell you. because the more he conquers the more enemies he makes, and nowhere friends. there, you are growing weary." "oh no," cried pen. "i shrank because i felt my wound a little more. i am glad to hear all this." "but your friend--no?" said the _contrabandista_. "that's because he cannot understand what you say; but i shall tell him all that you have said when we are alone, and then he will be as much your friend as i am, and quite as ready to fight in your cause, though he is a boy." "good!" said the spaniard. "and some day i shall put you both to the proof." chapter twenty eight. punch proves sturdy. "thank you," said punch. "i didn't want to bother you, you know, comrade, only you see i ain't like you--i don't know a dozen languages, french and latin, and all the rest of them; and when you get on talking to that _contrabando_ chap it worries me. seems as if you are saying all sorts of things about me. he will keep looking at me all the time he's talking. i've got to know a bit now that it's meant for you, but he will keep fixing his eyes like a pair of gimlets, and screwing them into me; and then he goes on talking, and it makes you feel uncomfortable like. now, you see, there was the other day, a week--no, it was nine days--ago, when you said when he was telling you all about the spanish king coming here--" "nine days ago, punch! nonsense! we can't have been here nine days." "oh yes, we can. it's ten, because there was the day before, when he came first and doctored your leg." "well, you seem very sure about it; but i think you are wrong." "i ain't," said punch sturdily. "lookye here," and he thrust his hand into his pocket and brought it out again full of little pebbles. "well, what have they got to do with it?" "everything. i puts a fresh one into my pocket every day we stops." "what for?" "to count up with. each of those means two shillings that we owe the old gentleman for our prog. knowing what a gentleman you are in your ideas, i says to myself you will want to pay him some day--a shilling apiece a day; that's what i put it at, and that means we owe him a pound; and if we are going to stop here much longer i must try another dodge, especially if we are going on the march, for i don't want to go tramping along with half a hundredweight of stones in my pocket." "you're a rum fellow, punch," said pen, smiling. "that's what my mother used to say; and i am glad of it. it does a fellow good to see you burst out laughing. why, i haven't seen you grin like that not since the day when i went down with the bullet in my back. here, i know what i'll do. i'll chuck all these stones, and make a scratch for every day on the stock of my musket. 'tain't as if it was a bri'sh rifle and the sergeant coming round and giving you hooroar for not keeping your arms in order. that would be a good way, wouldn't it, because the musket-stock wouldn't weigh any heavier when you had done than when you had begun." "well, are you satisfied now, punch, that he isn't talking about you?" "well, you say he ain't, and that's enough; but i want to know, all the same, why that there spanish king don't come." "so does he. you saw how earnest he was yesterday when he came and talked to me, after seeing to my leg, and telling me that he shouldn't do any more to it." "telled you that, did he? i am glad. and that means it's nearly well." "it means it's so far well that i am to exercise it all i can." "glad of it. but you ought to have telled me. that is good news. but how are you going to exercise it if we are under orders not to go outside this place for fear of the people seeing us and splitting upon the father?" "yes, that is awkward, punch." "awkward! i call it more than awkward, for we did nearly get the poor old chap into a bad scrape that first night. tell you what, though. you ask mr contrabando to come some night and show us the way." "show us the way where?" "anywhere. up into the passes, as he calls them, right up in the mountains, so that we shall know which way to go when we want to join the bri'sh army." "it would be hardly fair to him, punch," said pen. "never mind that. it would be fair to us, and it would be exercising your leg. pretty muddle we should be in when the order comes to march and your poor old leg won't go." "ah, well, we shall see, punch," said pen. "ah, i would; and soon. it strikes me sometimes that he's getting rather tired of his job, him and all his chaps too. i've watched them when they come here of an evening to ask questions of the father and lay their heads together; and i can't understand their jibber-jabber, but it's plain enough to see that they are grumpy and don't like it, and the way they goes on screwing up those bits of paper and lighting up and smoking away is enough to make you ill to watch them. 'tain't as if they were good honest pipes. why, they must smoke as much paper as they do 'bacco. think their captain is going to give it up as a bad job?" "no, punch." "well, anyhow, i think you might ask him to take us out with him a bit. if you don't like to do it on account of yourself, because, as you say, he might think it ungrateful, you put it all on to me. look here. you says, if you can put it into french, as you wouldn't mind it a bit. you says as it's your comrade as wants to stretch his legs awful bad. yes, and you tell him this too, that i keeps on worrying you about having pins and needles in my back." "stuff, punch!" "that it ain't, honour bright. it's lying on my back so much up there in that there cock-loft. it all goes dead-like where the bullet went in. it's just as if it lay there still, and swelled up nearly as big as a cannon ball, and that lump goes all dead and dumb in needles and pins like for ever so long. there, you try it on him that way. you say i'm so sick of it as never was." "and it was only yesterday, punch, you told me that you were thoroughly happy and contented here, and the country was so beautiful and we were living so well that you didn't mind if we stayed here for months." "'twaren't yesterday. it was the day before the day before that. you have got all the time mixed up. i don't know where you would have been if i hadn't counted up." "well, never mind when it was. you can't deny that you said something like that." "ah, but i wasn't so tired then. i am all right again now, and so are you, and i want to be at it. who's going to be contented shut-up here like a prisoner?" "not bad sort of imprisonment, punch." "oh no, that's all right enough, comrade; but i want to get back to our chaps. they'll be crossing us off as killed and wounded, and your people at home will be thinking you are dead. i want to get back to the fighting again. why, if we go on like this, one of these days they will be sarving out the promotions, and then where do we come in? i say, the captain didn't come to see us last week. think he will to-night?" "i hope so, and bring us news." "so do i. but isn't it about time that mr padre came back?" "must be very near," said pen. "quite," said punch. "he gets all the fun, going out for his walks, a-roving up and down amongst the trees with his book in his hand. here, if he don't volunteer to take us for a walk--something more than a bit of a tramp up and down in the darkness--i shall vote that we run away. there, if you don't talk to him i shall." "don't, punch." "why not?" "because i don't want us to seem ungrateful." "oh, all right then.--i say, here he comes!" cried punch the next minute; and the old man trudged up to the door with the basket he had taken away empty evidently well-filled again. the priest looked tired as he came in, and according to his custom looked questioningly at the boys, who could only respond with a shake of the head; and this made the old man sigh. "_paz_!" he said sadly; and, smiling cheerfully, he displayed the contents of his basket, stored the provisions he had brought in, and then according to his wont proceeded to set out the evening meal up in the loft. this meal seemed to have lost its zest to the weary fugitives, and quite late in the evening, when the lads, after sitting talking together in whispers so as not to awaken the priest, who, evidently tired out by his afternoon expedition, had lain down upon the pallet and was sleeping heavily, were about to follow his example for want of something better to do, he suddenly sprang up, ascended to the loft, and told punch that he was going out again on the watch to see if the friends expected were coming along the pass, and ended by telling them that they had better lie down to rest. "that's settled it for me," said punch, as the old man went out and closed the door. "i can't sleep now. i want to follow him and stretch my legs." "but you can't do that, punch." "ho! couldn't i? why, i could set off and run like i haven't done since i was shot down." "but you can't, punch," said pen gravely. "it's quite possible that the captain may come and ask where the father is. i think we ought to stay." "oh, very well, then, we will stop; but i don't call this half living. i want to go and attack somebody or have them attack us. why, it's like being dead, going on this round--yes, dead, and just as if they had forgot to bury us because they've got too much to do. are you going to lie down to sleep?" "no," said pen, "i feel as wakeful as you are." "i say, look at that now! of course we can't go to sleep. well, we might have a walk up and down outside in the dark. no one could see us, and it would make us sleepy again." "very well; only we mustn't go out of sight of the door, in case the captain should come." "yah! he won't come," grumbled punch; and he descended to the lower room, scraped the faintly glowing wood-ashes together, and then went to the door, peered out, and listened, and afterwards, followed by his comrade, he began to tramp up and down the shelf-like ledge upon which the priest's cottage was built. it was very dark, for the sky was so overcast that not a star was visible; and, as if feeling depressed by the silence, neither was disposed for talk, and the consequence was that at the end of about half an hour pen caught his companion by the arm and stopped short. his reason was plain enough, for punch uttered a faint "hist!" and led the way to the cottage door, where they both stopped and listened to a sound which had grown plainer--that of steps coming swiftly towards them. they hardly had time to softly close the door and climb up to the loft before the door was thrown open, there was a quick step below, and a soft whistle which they well knew now was uttered at the foot of the steps. pen replied in the way he had learned, and directly after came the question, "where's the father?" "he went out an hour ago," pen replied. "which way?" "by the upper pass," replied pen. there was a sharp ejaculation, expressive of impatience, the steps crossed the room again, the door creaked as it was shut to, and then the steps died away. "there, punch, you see i was right," said pen. "who's to see anybody's right when it's as black as your hat?" replied the boy impatiently. "well, i think it's right if you don't. what shall we do--go to sleep now?" "go to sleep?" growled the boy irritably. "go to wake you mean! i tell you what i am just fit for." "well, what?" said pen good-humouredly. "sentry-go. no fear of anybody catching me asleep who came on his rounds. i used to think that was the very worst part of being a soldier, but i could just enjoy it now. 'tis miserable work, though, isn't it?" "no," replied pen thoughtfully. "but you get very sleepy over it, don't you?" "i never did," said pen gravely, as they both settled themselves upon the floor of the loft, and the bundles of straw and dried-fern litter which the priest had added for their comfort rustled loudly while they placed themselves in restful postures. "i used to find it a capital time to think, punch." "what about?" "the old days when i was a boy at school, and the troubles i had had. then i used to question myself." "how did you do that?" "how did i do that? why, i used to ask myself questions as to whether i hadn't done a very foolish thing in enlisting for a soldier." "and then of course you used to say no," cried punch. "anybody could answer that question. why didn't you ask yourself some good tough questions that you couldn't answer--regular puzzlers?" "i always found that puzzle enough, punch," said pen gravely; "and i have never been able to answer it yet." "well, that's a rum un," said punch, with a sort of laugh. "you have often called me a queer fellow. you do puzzle me. why, of course you did right. you are not down-hearted because we have had a bit of a venture or two? it's all experience, and you like it as much as i do, even if i do grumble a bit sometimes because it's so dull. something's sure to turn up before long, and--what did you do that for?" "pst!" whispered pen; and punch was silence itself, for he too caught the hurrying of many feet, and low voices in eager converse coming nearer and nearer; and the next minute there was the heavy thump as of a fist upon the door, which was thrust open so roughly that it banged against the wall. and then midst the sounds of heavy breathing and the scuffling of feet as of men bearing in a heavy burden, the room below seemed to be rapidly filling up, and the door was closed and barred. chapter twenty nine. the royal visitor. the two lads grasped hands as they listened in the intense darkness to what seemed to be a scene of extreme excitement, the actors in it having evidently been hurrying to reach the cottage, which they had gained in a state of exhaustion; for those who spoke gave utterance to their words as if panting and breathless with their exertions, while from their whispering it seemed evident that they were afraid of being overheard. the two listeners dared not stir, for the least movement would have betrayed them to those below, and before many minutes had elapsed they felt certain that the present invaders of the cottage were strangers. all at once some one gave vent to a piteous sigh and an ejaculation or two as if of pain; and this was followed by what sounded to be words that were full of pity and compassion, mingled with great deference, towards the sufferer. pen could make out nothing more in the hurried and whispered conversation than that it was in spanish, and for the time being he felt somewhat dazed as to who the new-comers were. he was too much startled to try and puzzle out matters calmly, and for a while he devoted himself to the preservation of utter silence. at last, though, a few more utterances below, spoken in a deferential tone, followed by a sharp, angry command or two, sent a flash through his brain, and he pressed punch's arm with greater energy in an effort to try and convey to his companion the thought that he knew who the fresh-comers must be. "if they would only strike a light," he thought to himself, "i might get a peep through the knot-hole"--which was always carefully kept clear for inspection of what took place below--"and i could see then at a glance whether this was the expected king with his followers." but the darkness remained profound. "if it is the escaped spanish king," he said to himself, "it will be plain to see. it must be, and they have been pursued by the french, or they wouldn't be afraid to speak aloud." then he began to doubt again, for the spanish king and his followers, who needed a guide to lead them through the intricate passes of the mountains, would not have known their way to the cottage. "nonsense!" he thought to himself, as fresh doubts arose. "the old priest or the captain must have met them and brought them here." then all was silent for a time, till it was evident that some one was moving by the fireplace; and then there was the sound of some one blowing. this was followed by a faint glow of light; the blowing sound increased, and it was evident that the wood-ashes possessed sufficient life to be fanned into flame, which increased as the embers were evidently being drawn together by a piece of metal; and before another minute had elapsed pen made out through the knot-hole that the instrument used for reviving the fire was the blade of a sword. then some one sighed deeply and uttered a few words in an imperious tone whose effect was to set some one fanning the fire with more energy, when the cracks in the boarded floor began to show, and the watcher above began to get glimpses of those below him. a few minutes later the embers began to crackle, the members of the party below grew more visible, and some one uttered a few words in an eager tone--words which evoked an ejaculation or two of satisfaction, followed by an eager conversation that sounded like a dispute. this was followed by an angry, imperious command, and this again by what sounded to pen like a word or two of protest. then the sharp, commanding voice beat down the respectful objection, one of the flaming brands seemed to rise from the hearth, and directly after the smoky wick of the _padre's_ lamp flamed up. and now pen had a view of the crowded room which completely dashed his belief in the party being the spanish king and his followers, for he was looking down upon the heads of a gathering of rough-looking, unshorn, peasant-like men, for the most part in cloaks. some wore the regular handkerchief tied round their heads and had their sombrero hats held in hand or laid by their sides. all, too, were well armed, wearing swords and rough scarves or belts which contained pistols. this scene was enough to sweep away all thought of this being a king and his courtiers, for nothing could have been less suggestive thereof, and the lad looked in vain for one of them who might have been wounded or so wearied out that he had been carried in. then for a moment pen let his thoughts run in another direction, but only for a few moments. these were evidently not any of the smuggler's men. he had seen too many of them during his sojourn at the priest's hut not to know what they were like--that is to say, men accustomed to the mountains; for they were all in their way jaunty of mien. their arms, too, were different, and once more the thought began to gain entrance that his former surmise was right, and that these bearers of swords who had spoken in such deferential tones to one of their party were after all faithful followers or courtiers who had assumed disguises that would enable them to pass over the mountains unnoticed. which then was the king? "if some of them would speak," said pen to himself, "it would be easier to tell." but the silence, save for a faint crack or two from the burning wood, remained profound. at last the watcher was beginning to come to a conclusion and settle in his own mind that one of the party who was bending forward towards the fire with his cloak drawn about his face might be the king; and his belief grew stronger as a flickering flame from the tiny fire played upon this man's high boots, one of which displayed a rusty spur. the next minute all doubt was at an end, for one of the men nearest the door uttered a sharp ejaculation which resulted in the occupants of the _padre's_ dwelling springing to their feet. swords leapt from their scabbards, and some of the men drew their cloaks about their left arms, while others snatched pistols from their belts, and there followed the sharp clicking of their locks. it was evident they were on the alert for anticipated danger, and pen's eyes glistened, for he could hear no sound. but he noted one thing, and that was that the booted and spurred individual in the cloak did not stir from where he was seated upon the priest's stool by the fire. then, with a gesture of impatience, pen saw him throw back his cloak and put his hand to his belt to draw forth a pistol which refused to come. then with an angry word he gave a fierce tug, with the result that the weapon came out so suddenly that its holder's arm flew up, the pistol exploded with a loud crash, the bullet with which it was loaded passed upward through the boarded ceiling, and pen started and made a snatch at the spot where his musket was propped up against the wall, while punch leaped from where he had crouched and came down again upon the ill-fitting boards, which cracked loudly as if the boy were going through. chapter thirty. an awkward position. there was a burst of excitement, hurried ejaculations, and half-a-dozen pistols were rapidly discharged by their holders at the ceiling; while directly after, in obedience to a command uttered by one of the party, a dash was made for the corner door, which was dragged open, and, sword in hand, several of the men climbed to the loft. the boards creaked, there was a hurried scuffle, and first punch and then pen were compelled to descend into the room below, dragged before the leader, forced upon their knees, and surrounded by a circle of sword-points, whose bearers gazed at their leader, awaiting his command to strike. the leader sank back in his seat, nursing the pistol he had accidentally discharged. then with his eyes half-closed he slowly raised it to take aim at pen, who gazed at him firmly and without seeming to blench, while punch uttered a low, growling ejaculation full of rage as he made a struggle to escape, but was forced back upon his knees, to start and wince as he felt the point of a sword touch his neck. then he cried aloud, "never mind, comrade! let 'em see we are bri'sh soldiers and mean to die game." pen did not withdraw his eyes from the man who held his life in hand, and reached out behind him to grasp punch's arm; but his effort was vain. just then the seated man seemed to recollect himself, for he threw the empty pistol upon the floor and tugged another from his belt, cocked it, and then swung himself round, directing the pistol at the door, which was dashed open by the old priest, who ran in and stood, panting hard, between the prisoners and the holder of the pistol. he was too breathless to speak, but he gesticulated violently before grasping pen's shoulder with one hand and waving the other round as if to drive back those who held the prisoners upon their knees. he tried to speak, but the words would not come; and then there was another diversion, for a fresh-comer dashed in through the open door, and, regardless of the swords directed at him, forced his way to where the prisoners were awaiting their fate. he, too, was breathless with running, for he sank quickly on one knee, caught at the hand which held the pistol and raised it quickly to his lips, as he exclaimed in french: "no, no, your majesty! not that!" "they are spies," shouted the tired-looking spaniard who had given the command which had sent his followers to make the seizure in the loft. "no spies," cried the _contrabandista_. "our and his majesty's friends--wounded english soldiers who had been fighting upon our side." there was a burst of ejaculations; swords were sheathed, and the dethroned spanish monarch uncocked his pistol and thrust it back into his belt. "they have had a narrow escape," he said bitterly. "why were you not here with the friends you promised?" "they are outside awaiting my orders, your majesty," said the smuggler bluntly. "may i remind you that you are not to your time, neither have you come by the pass i promised you to watch." "bah! how could i, when i was driven by these wretched french, who are ten times our number? we had to reach the trysting-place how we could, and it was natural that these boys should be looked upon as spies. now then, where are you going to take us? the french soldiers cannot be far behind." "no, sire; they are very near." "and your men--where are they?" "out yonder, sire, between you and your pursuers." "then are we to continue our flight to-night?" "i cannot tell yet, sire. not if my men can hold the enemy at bay. it may be that they will fall back here, but i cannot say yet. i did intend to lead you through the forest and along a path i know by the mountain-side; but it is possible that the french are there before us." "and are these your plans of which you boasted?" cried the king bitterly. "no, sire," replied the _contrabandista_ bluntly. "your majesty's delay has upset all those." the king made an angry gesticulation. "how could i help it?" he said bitterly. "man, we have been hemmed in on all sides. there, i spoke hastily. you are a tried friend. act as you think best. you must not withdraw your help." "your majesty trusts me, then, again?" "trust you? of course," said the king, holding out his hand, which the smuggler took reverently and raised to his lips. then dropping it he turned sharply to the priest and the two prisoners. "all a mistake, my friends. there," he added, with a smile, "i see you are not afraid;" and noting punch's questioning look, he patted him on the shoulder before turning to pen again. "where are your guns?" he said. pen pointed up to the loft. "get them, then, quickly. we shall have to leave here now." he had hardly spoken before a murmur arose and swords were drawn, for there was a quick step outside, a voice cried "_el rey_!" and one of the smuggler's followers pressed through to whisper a few words. "ah!" cried the recipient, who turned and said a few words in spanish to the king, who rose to his feet, drew his rough cloak around him, and stood as if prepared for anything that might come. just then pen's voice was heard, and, quite free now, punch stepped to the door and took the two muskets that were passed down to him. then pen descended with the cartouche-boxes and belts, and handed one to punch in exchange for a musket, and the two lads stood ready. the smuggler smiled approval as he saw his young friends' prompt action, and nodded his head. "can you walk?" he said. pen nodded. "and can you fire a few shots on our behalf?" "try us," replied pen. "but it rather goes against the grain after what we have received. you only came in time." "yes, i know," replied the smuggler. "but there are many mistakes in war, and we are all friends now." the _contrabandista_ turned from him sharply and hurried to the door, where another of his followers appeared, who whispered a few words to him, received an order, and stepped back, while his leader turned to the father and said something, which resulted in the old man joining the two lads and pressing their hands, looking at them sadly. the next minute the smuggler signed to them to join his follower who was waiting by the door, while he stepped to the king, spoke to him firmly for a few minutes, and then led the way out into the darkness, with the two english lads, who were conscious that they were being followed by the royal fugitive and his men, out along the shelf in the direction of the forest-path, which they had just gained when a distant shot rang out, to be repeated by the echoes and followed by another and another, ample indication that there was danger very near at hand. the captain said a few words to his follower, and then turned to pen. "keep with this man," he said, "when i am not here. i must go back and see what is going on." the lads heard his steps for a minute amongst the crackling husks of the past year's chestnuts and parched twigs. then they were merged with those of the party following. "i say," whispered punch, "how's your leg?" "i had almost forgotten it," replied pen in a whisper. "that's good, comrade. but, i say, all that set a fellow thinking." "yes; don't talk about it," replied pen. "all right. but i say, isn't this lovely--on the march again with a loaded gun over your shoulder? if i had got my bugle back, and one's officer alongside, i should be just happy. think we shall have a chance of a shot or two?" the smuggler, who was leading the way, stopped short and turned upon punch with a deep, low growl. "eh?" replied punch. "it's no good, comrade; i can't understand a word." the man growled again, and laid his hand sharply upon the boy's lips. "here, don't do that!" cried punch. "how do i know when you washed that last?" "be quiet, punch. the man means we may be nearing the enemy." "why don't he say so, then?" grumbled punch; and their guide grunted as if satisfied with the effect of pen's words, and led on again in and out a rugged, winding path, sometimes ascending, sometimes descending, but never at fault in spite of the darkness. sometimes he stopped short to listen as if to find out how near the king's party were behind, and when satisfied he led on again, giving the two lads a friendly tap or two upon the shoulder after finding that any attempt at other communication was in vain. at last after what must have been about a couple of hours' tramp along the extremely rugged path, made profoundly dark by the overhanging low, gnarled trees, he stopped short again and laid his hand in turn upon the lips of the boys, and then touched pen's musket, which he made him ground, took hold of his hands in turn and laid them on the muzzle, and then stood still. "what's he up to now?" whispered punch, with his lips close to his comrade's ear. "i think he means we are to halt and keep guard." "oh, that's it, is it?" muttered punch; and he stood fast, while the smuggler patted him on the shoulder and went off quickly, leaving the boys alone, with punch muttering and fuming in his intense desire to speak. but he mastered himself and stood firm, listening as the steps of the party behind came nearer and nearer till they were close at hand. this was too much for punch. "lookye here," he whispered; "they will be ready to march over us directly. how are we going to tell them to halt?" "be silent. perhaps they will have the sense to see that they ought to stop. most likely there are some amongst them who understand french." pen proved to be right in his surmise, for directly after a portion of the following party were close to them, and the foremost asked a question in spanish. "_halte_!" said pen sharply, and at a venture; but it proved sufficient. and as he stood in the dim, shadowy, overhung path the word was passed along to the rear, and the dull sound of footsteps died out. "bravo!" whispered punch. "they are beginning to understand english after all. i say, ain't that our chaps coming back?" pen heard nothing for a few moments. then there was the faint crack of a twig breaking beneath some one's feet, and the smuggler who was acting as their guide rejoined them. "_los franceses_," said the man, in a whisper; and he dropped the carbine he carried with its butt upon the stony earth, rested his hands upon the muzzle, and stood in silence gazing right away, and evidently listening and keenly on the alert, for he turned sharply upon punch, who could not keep his tongue quiet. "oh, bother! all right," growled the boy. "here, comrade," he whispered to pen; "aren't these 'ere cork-trees?" "perhaps. i'm not sure," whispered his companion impatiently. "why do you ask? what does it matter now?" "lots. just you cut one of them. cut a good big bung off and stuff it into my mouth; for i can't help it, i feel as if i must talk." "urrrrrrr!" growled the guide; and then, "hist! hist!" for there was a whispering behind, and directly after the _contrabandista_ captain joined them, to ask a low question in spanish. "the enemy are in front. they are before us," said the smuggler in french to pen. then he spoke to his follower, who immediately began to retrace his steps, while the leader followed him with the two lads, who were led back to where the king was waiting in the midst of his followers; and now a short colloquy took place which resulted in all facing round and following the two smugglers, who retraced their path for the next half-hour, and then suddenly struck off along a rugged track whose difficulty was such that it was quite plain to the two lads that they were striking off right up into the mountains. it was a wearisome route that was only followed with great difficulty, and now it was that pen's wounded leg began to give him such intense pain that there were moments when he felt that he must break down. but it came to an end at last, just before daybreak, in the midst of what seemed to be an amphitheatre of stones, or what might have been some quarry or place where prospecting had taken place in search of some one or other of the minerals which abounded in parts of the sterile land. and now a halt was made, the smuggler picking out a spot which was rough with bushes; and here he signed to the two lads to lie down and rest, a silent command so welcome that pen sank at full length at once, the rugged couch seeming to him so welcome that it felt to him like down. a few specks of orange light high up in the sky told that sunrise was very near at hand, and for a few minutes pen gazed upwards, rapt in wonder by the beauty of the sight. but as he lay and listened to the low murmur of voices, these gradually grew fainter and apparently more distant, while the ruddy specks of light paled and there seemed to be nothing more, for pain and exhaustion had had their way. thoughts of spaniards, officers and men, and the _contrabandistas_ with their arms of knife and carbine, were quite as naught, danger non-existent, and for the time being sleep was lord of all. chapter thirty one. a dream of a ramrod. it seemed to pen to be a dream, and then by some kind of mental change it appeared to be all reality. in the first instance he felt that he was lying in the loft over the priest's room, trying to sleep, but he could not get himself into a comfortable position because punch had gone down below to clean his musket and wanted him to come down too and submit his weapon to the same process. but it had happened that he wanted to go to sleep horribly, and he had refused to go down; with the consequence that as he lay just over the knot-hole punch kept on poking his ramrod through the opening to waken him up, and the hard rod was being forced through the dry leaves of the indian corn to reach his leg exactly where the bullet had ploughed, while in the most aggravating way punch would keep on sawing the ramrod to and fro and giving him the most acute pain. then the boy seemed to leave off in a tiff and tell him that he might sleep for a month for aught he cared, and that he would not try to waken him any more. then somehow, as the pain ceased, he did not go to sleep, but went right off up the mountain-side in the darkness, guiding the king and his followers into a place of safety; still it was not so safe but that he could hear the french coming and firing at them now and then. however, he went on and on, feeling puzzled all the time that he should know the way through the mountains so well, and he took the king to rest under the great chestnut-tree, and then on again to where the french were firing, and one of them brought him down with the bullet that ploughed his leg. but that did not seem to matter, for, as if he knew every bit of the country by heart, he led the king to the goat-herd's cottage, and advised him to lie down and have a good rest on the rough bed, because the peasant-girl would be there before long with a basket of food. the king said that he did not care to sleep because he was so dreadfully thirsty, and what he wanted was a bowl of goat's-milk. then somehow he went to where the goat was waiting to be milked, and for a long time the milk would not come, but when it did and he was trying to fill the little wooden _seau_ it was all full of beautiful cold water from the foot of the falls where the trout were rushing about. then somehow punch kept on sawing his ramrod to and fro along the wound in his leg, and the more he tried to catch hold of the iron rod the more punch kept on snatching it away; and they were going through the darkness again, with the king and his followers close behind, on the way to safety; while pen felt that he was quite happy now, because he had saved the king, who was so pleased that he made him sir arthur wellesley and gave him command of the british army. whereupon punch exclaimed, "i never saw such a fellow as you are to sleep! do wake up. here's mr contrabando waiting to speak to you, and he looks as if he wanted to go away." "punch!" exclaimed pen, starting up. "punch it is. are you awake now?" "awake? yes. have i been dreaming?" "i d'know whether you have been dreaming or not, but you have been snoring till i was ashamed of you, and the more i stirred you up the more you would keep on saying, `ramrod.'" "bah! nonsense!" "that's what i thought, comrade. but steady! here he is again." "ah, my young friend!" said the _contrabandista_, holding out his hand. "better after your long sleep?" "better? yes," replied pen eagerly. "leg's very stiff; but i am ready to go on. are we to march again?" "well, no, there's not much chance of that, for we are pretty well surrounded by the enemy, and here we shall have to stay unless we can beat them off." "where are we? what place is this?" asked pen rather confusedly. "one of our hiding-places, my friend, where we store up our goods and stable the mules when the pass near here is blocked up by snow or the frontier guards. well, how do you feel now? ready to go into hiding where you will be safe, or are you ready to help us against your enemies the french?" "will there be fighting?" asked pen eagerly. "you may be pretty sure of that; but i don't want to force you two wounded young fellows into taking part therein unless you are willing." "i am willing," said pen decisively; "but it's only fair that i should ask my comrade, who is only one of the buglers of my regiment." "oh, of course," said the smuggler captain, "a non-combatant. he carries a musket, i see, like yourself." "yes," replied pen, with a smile, "but it is only a french piece. we belong to a rifle-regiment by rights." "yes; i have heard of it," said the smuggler. "well, i will ask him," said pen, "for he doesn't understand a word we are saying.--punch," he continued, addressing the boy, "the _contrabandista_ wants to know whether we will fire a few shots against the french who are trying to take the spanish king." "where do they want to take him?" cried the boy eagerly. "back to prison." "why, of course we will," said the boy sharply. "what do you want to ask that for?" "because he knows that you are not a private soldier, but a bugle-boy." "well, i can't help that, can i? i am a-growing, and i dare say i could hit a haystack as well as a good many of our chaps. they ain't all of them so clever because they are a bit older than i am." "well, don't get into a tiff, punch. this isn't a time to show your temper." "who's a-showing temper? i can't help being a boy. what does he want to chuck that in a fellow's teeth for?" "quiet! quiet!" said pen, smiling. "then i am to tell him that you are ready to have a shot or two at the enemy?" "well, i do call you a pretty comrade!" said the boy indignantly. "i should have thought you would have said yes at once, instead of parlyvooing about it like that.--right, sir!" cried the boy, catching up his musket, giving it two or three military slaps, and drawing himself up as if he had just heard the command, "present arms!" "_bon_!" said the smuggler, smiling; and he gave the boy a friendly slap on the shoulder. "ah!" ejaculated punch, "that's better," as the smuggler now turned away to speak to a group of his men who were standing keeping watch behind some rocks a short distance away.--"i say, comrade--you did tell me once, but i forgetted it--what does _bong_ mean?" "good." "ho! all right. _bong_! i shall remember that next time. fire a few shots! i am game to go on shooting as long as the cartridges last; and my box is full. how's yours?" "only half," replied pen. "oh, well, fair-play's a jewel; share and share alike. here, catch hold. that looks like fair measure. we don't want to count them, do we?" "oh no, that's quite near enough." "will we fire a few shots at the french?" continued punch eagerly. "i should just think we will! father always said to me, `pay your debts, my boy, as long as the money lasts;' and though it ain't silver and copper here, it's cartridges and--there! ain't it rum, comrade? now, i wonder whether you feel the same. the very thought of paying has made the pain in my back come again. i say, how's your leg?" chapter thirty two. a cavernous breakfast. "i say, comrade," whispered punch; "are we going to begin soon?" the boys were seated upon a huge block of stone watching the coming and going of the _contrabandistas_, several of whom formed a group in a nook of the natural amphitheatre-like chasm in which they had made their halt. this seemed to be the entrance to a gully, down which, as they waited, the lads had seen the smuggler-leader pass to and fro several times over, and as far as they could make out away to their left lay the track by which they had approached during the night; but they could not be sure. that which had led them to this idea was the fact that it seemed as if sentries had been stationed somewhere down there, one of whom had come hurriedly into the amphitheatre as if in search of his chief. "i say, comrade," said punch, repeating his question rather impatiently, "aren't we going to begin soon? i feel just like old o'grady." "how's that, punch?" "what he calls `spoiling for a fight, me boy.'" "oh, you needn't feel like that, punch," said pen, smiling. "well, don't you?" "no. i never do. i never want to kill anybody." "you don't? that ain't being a good soldier." "i can't help that, punch. of course, when one's in for it i fire away like the rest; but when i'm cool i somehow don't like the feeling that one has killed or wounded some brave man." "oh, get out," cried the boy, "with your `killed or wounded some brave man!' they ain't brave men--only frenchies." "why, punch, there are as brave men amongst the french as amongst the english." "get out! i don't believe that," said the boy. "there can't be. if there were, how could our general with his little bit of an army drive the big army of frenchies about as he does? ask any of our fellows, and they will tell you that one englishman is worth a dozen frenchies. why, you must have heard them say so." "oh yes, i have, punch," said pen, laughing, as he nursed his leg, which reminded him of his wound from time to time. "but i don't believe it. it's only bluster and brag, of which i think our fellows ought to be ashamed. why, you've more than once seen the french soldiers drive our men back." "well, yes," said punch grudgingly. "but that's when there have been more of them." "not always, punch." "why is it, then?" "oh, when they have had better positions and our officers have been outflanked." "now you are dodging away from what we were talking about," said punch. "you were saying that you didn't like shooting the men." "well, i don't." "that's because you don't understand things," cried the boy triumphantly. "you see, although i am only a boy, and younger than you are, i am an older soldier." "are you, punch?" said pen, smiling. "course i am! why, you've only been about a year in the regiment." "yes, about a year." "well," cried the boy triumphantly, "i was born in it, so i'm just as old a soldier as i am years old. you needn't mind shooting as many of them as you can. they are the king's enemies, and it is your duty to. don't the song say, `god save the king?' well, every british soldier has got to help and kill as many enemies as he can. but i say, we are going to fight for the spanish king, then? well, all right; he's our king's friend. but where is he now? i haven't seen anything of him this morning. i hope he hasn't run away and left us to do the fighting." "oh no," said pen, "i don't think so. our smuggler friend said we were surrounded by the french." "surrounded, eh?" cried punch. "so much the better! won't matter which way we fire then, we shall be sure to bring some one down. glad you think the spanish king ain't run away though. if i was a king i know what i should do, comrade," continued punch, nursing his musket and giving it an affectionate rub and pat here and there. "leg hurt you, comrade?" "no, only now and then," said pen, smiling. "but what would you do if you were a king?" "lead my army like a man." "nonsense! what are the generals for?" "oh, you would want your generals, of course, and the more brave generals the king has--like sir arthur wellesley--the better. i say, he's an irishman, isn't he?" "yes, i believe so," replied pen. "yes," continued punch after a minute. "they are splendid fellows to fight. i wonder whether he's spoiling for one now. old o'grady would say he was. you should hear him sometimes when he's on the talk. how he let go, my boy, about the oirish! well, they are good soldiers, and i wish, my boy, old o was here to help. o, o, and it's o with me, i am so hungry! ain't they going to give us anything to eat?" "perhaps not, punch, for it's very doubtful whether our friends keep their provisions here." "oh, i say!" cried the boy, with his face resembling that of the brave man in _chevy chase_ who was in doleful dump, "that's a thing i'd see to if i was a king and led my army. i would have my men get a good feed before they advanced. they would fight ever so much better. yes, if i was a king i'd lead my own men. they'd like seeing him, and fight for him all the better. of course i wouldn't have him do all the dirty work, but--look there, comrade; there's mr contrabando making signals to you. we are going to begin. come on!" the boy sprang to his feet, and the companions marched sharply towards the opening where the group of smugglers were gathered. "bah!" ejaculated punch contemptuously. "what a pity it is! i don't believe that they will do much good with dumpy tools like them;" and the boy literally glared at the short carbines the smugglers had slung across their shoulders. "of course a rifle would be best, but a good musket and bayonet is worth a dozen of those blunderbusters. what do they call them? bell-mouthed? why, they are just like so many trumpet-things out of the band stuck upon a stick. why, it stands to reason that they can't go bang. it will only be a sort of a _pooh_!" and the boy pursed up his lips and held his hand to his mouth as if it were his lost bugle, and emitted a soft, low note--_poooooh_! "_dejeuner, mes amis_!" said the smuggler, as the boys advanced; and he led the way past a group of his followers along the narrow passage-like opening to where it became a hewn-out tunnel which showed the marks of picks, and on into a rock-chamber of great extent, in one corner of which a fire was blazing cheerfully, with the smoke rising to an outlet in the roof. directly after the aromatic scent of hot coffee smote the nostrils of the hungry lads, as well as the aroma of newly fried ham, while away at one side to the right they caught sight of the strangers of the past night, pen recognising at once the now uncloaked leader who had presented a pistol at his head. "here, i say," whispered punch excitedly, "hold me up, comrade, or i shall faint." "what's the matter?" said pen anxiously. "you feel that dreadful pain again? is it your wound?" "pain? yes," whispered punch; "but it ain't there;" and he thrust his hand into his pocket to feel for his knife. it was a rough meal, roughly served, but so abundant that it was evident that the smugglers were adepts in looking after the commissariat department. in one part of the cavern-like place the king and his followers were being amply supplied, while right on the other side-- partly hidden by a couple of stacks piled-up in the centre of the great chamber, and formed in the one case of spirit-kegs, in the other of carefully bound up bales that might have been of silk or velvet--were grouped together near the fire some scores of the _contrabandistas_ who seemed to be always coming and going--coming to receive portions of food, and going to make place for others of the band. and it was beyond these stacks of smuggled goods that their _contrabandista_ friend signed to the lads to seat themselves. one of the men brought them coffee and freshly fried ham and cake, which the captain shared with them and joined heartily in the meal. "i say, pen," whispered punch, "do tell him in `parlyvoo' that i say he's a trump! fight for him and the king! i should just think we will! d'ye 'ear? tell him." "no," said pen. "let him know what we feel towards him by what we do, punch, not what we say." "all right. have it your own way," said the boy. "but, i say, i do like this ham. i suppose it's made of some of them little pigs we see running about in the woods. talk about that goat's mutton! why, 'tain't half so good as ours made of sheep, even though they do serve it out and call it kid. why, when we have had it sometimes for rations, you couldn't get your teeth into it. kid, indeed! grandfather kid! i'm sure of that. i say, pass the coffee, comrade. only fancy! milk and sugar too! oh no, go on; drink first. age before honesty. i wonder whether this was smuggled.--what's the matter now?" for in answer to a shrill whistle that rang loudly in echoes from the roof, every _contrabandista_ in the place sprang up and seized his carbine, their captain setting the example. "no, no," he said, turning to the two lads. "finish your breakfast, and eat well, boys. it may be a long time before you get another chance. there's plenty of time before the firing begins, and i will come back for you and station you where you can fight for spain." he walked quickly across to where the king's followers had started up and stood sword in hand, their chief remaining seated upon an upturned keg, looking calm and stern; but at the same time his eyes wandered proudly over the roughly disguised devoted little band who were ready to defend him to the last. pen watched the _contrabandista_ as he advanced and saluted the dethroned monarch without a trace of anything servile; the spanish gentleman spoke as he addressed his sovereign in a low tone, but his words were not audible to the young rifleman. still the latter could interpret them to himself by the spaniard's gestures. "what's he a-saying of?" whispered punch; and as he spoke the boy surreptitiously cut open a cake, turned it into a sandwich, and thrust it into his haversack. "i can't hear, punch," replied pen; "and if i could i shouldn't understand, for he's speaking in spanish. but he's evidently telling him that his people may finish their breakfast in peace, for, like us, they are not wanted yet." as pen spoke the officers sheathed their swords, and two or three of them replaced pistols in their sashes. then the _contrabandista_ turned and walked sharply across the cavern-like chamber to overtake his men, and as he disappeared, distant but sharp and echoing _rap, rap, rap_, came the reports of firearms, and punch looked sharply at his companion. "muskets, ain't they?" he said excitedly. "i think so," replied pen. "must be, comrade. those blunderbusters--_trabookoos_ don't they call them?--couldn't go off with a bang like that. all right; we are ready. but, i say, a soldier should always make his hay when the sun shines. fill your pockets and haversack, comrade.--there they go again! i am glad. it's like the old days once more. it will be `forward!' directly--a skirmishing advance. oh, bad luck, as old o'grady says, to the spalpeen who stole my bugle! the game's begun." chapter thirty three. at bay. the king's party remained perfectly still during the first few shots, and then, unable to contain themselves, they seemed to the lads to be preparing for immediate action. the tall, stern-looking spaniard who had seemed to be their leader the previous night, and who had given the orders which resulted in the boys being dragged down into the priest's room, now with a due show of deference approached the king, who remained seated, and seemed to be begging his sovereign to go in the direction he pointed, where a dark passage evidently led onward right into the inner portions of the cavern or deserted mine. the conversation, which was carried on in spanish, would not have been comprehended by the two lads even if they had understood that tongue; but in spite of the spaniard going even so far as to follow up his request and persuasion by catching at the king's arm and trying to draw him in the direction he indicated, that refugee shook his head violently, wrested his wrist away, drew his sword, placed himself in front of his followers, and signed to them to advance towards the entrance. "well done!" whispered punch. "he is something like a king after all. he means fighting, he does!" "hush," whispered back pen, "or you will be heard." "not us," replied punch, who began busying himself most unnecessarily with his musket, placing the butt between his feet, pulling out the ramrod and running it down the barrel to tap the end of the cartridge as if to make sure that it was well driven home. satisfied with this, he drew the iron rod again, thrust it into the loops, threw the piece muzzle forward, opened the pan to see that it was full of powder, shut it down again, and made a careful examination of the flint. for these were the days long prior to the birth of the copper percussion-cap, and plenty of preliminaries had to be gone through before the musket could be fired. satisfied now that everything possible had been done, he whispered a suggestion to his companion that he too should make an examination. "i did," replied pen, "a few minutes ago." "but hadn't you better look again?" whispered punch. "no, no," cried his companion impatiently. "look at them; they are all advancing to the entrance, and we oughtn't to be left behind." "we ain't a-going to be," said the boy through his set teeth. "come on." "no," replied pen. "come on, i say," cried the boy again. "we have only got muskets, but we are riflemen all the same, and our dooty is to go right in front skirmishing to clear the way." "our orders were," said pen, "to wait here till our captain fetched us to the front and did what he told us." "but he ain't come," protested punch. "not yet," replied pen. "do you want him to come and find that we have broken faith with him and are not here?" "course i don't," cried the boy, speaking now excitedly. "but suppose he ain't coming? how do we know that he aren't got a bullet in him and has gone down? he can't come then." pen was silent. "and look here," continued punch; "when he gave us those orders he told that other lot--the spaniel reserve, you may call them--to stop yonder till he come. well, that's the king, ain't it? he's ordered an advance, and he's leading it hisself. where's his cloud of riflemen feeling the way for him? are we to stop in the rear? i thought you did know better than that, comrade. i do. this comes of you only being a year in the regiment and me going on learning for years and years. i say our place is in the front; so come on." "yes, punch; you must be right," said pen unwillingly, "forwards then. double!" "that's your sort!" and falling into step and carrying their muskets at the trail, the two lads ran forward, their steps drowned for the moment by the heavy firing going on away beyond the entrance; and they were nearly close up to the little spanish party before their advance was observed, and then one of the spaniards shouted a command which resulted in his fellows of the king's bodyguard of friends turning suddenly upon them to form a _chevaux-de-frise_ of sword-blades for the protection of their sovereign. for the moment, in the excitement, the two lads' lives were in peril; but pen did not flinch, and, though suffering acute pain from his wound, ran on, his left arm almost brushing the little hedge of sword-points, and only slackening his speed when he was a dozen yards in front and came right upon the smuggler-leader, pistol in one hand, long spanish knife in the other. instead of angrily denouncing them for their disobedience to his order, he signed to them to stop, and ran on to meet the king's party, holding up his hand; and then, taking the lead, he turned off a little way to his left toward a huge pile of stones and mine-refuse, where he placed them, as it were, behind a bank which would act as a defence if a rush upon them were made from the front. the two lads watched him, panting the while with excitement, listening as they watched to the fierce burst of firing that was now being sustained. the king gave way at once to the smuggler's orders, planting himself with his followers ready for an anticipated assault; and, apparently satisfied, the smuggler waved the hand that grasped his knife and ran forward again with the two young englishmen. this time it was the pistol that he waved to them as if bidding them follow, and he ran on some forty or fifty yards to where the entrance widened out and another heap of mine-rubbish offered itself upon the other side as a rough earthwork for defence, and where the two lads could find a temporary parapet which commanded the entry for nearly a hundred yards. here he bade the two lads kneel where, perfectly safe themselves, they could do something to protect their spanish friends behind on their left. "do your best," he said hoarsely. "they are driving my men back fast; but if you can keep up a steady fire, little as it will be, it will act as a surprise and maybe check their advance. but take care and mind not to injure any of my men." he said no more, but ran forward again along the still unoccupied way, till a curve of the great rift hid him from their sight. "what did he say?" whispered punch excitedly, as pen now looked round and diagonally across the way to the great chamber, and could see the other rough stonework, above which appeared a little line of swords. "said we were to be careful not to hurt him and his friends if they were beaten back." "no fear," said punch; "we can tell them by their red handkerchiefs round their heads and their little footy guns. we've got nothing to do, then, yet." "for a while, punch; but they are coming on fast. hark at them!" for the firing grew louder and louder, and was evidently coming nearer. "and only two of us as a covering-party!" muttered punch. "oh, don't i wish all our chaps were here!" "or half of them," said pen. "yes, or half of them, comrade. why, i'd say thank ye if it was only old o'grady, me boy. he can load and fire faster than any chap in our company. here, look at that!" for the sunlight shone plainly upon the red silk handkerchief of a spaniard who suddenly ran into sight, stopped short, and turned to discharge his carbine as if at some invisible pursuers, and then dropped his piece, threw up his hands, and fell heavily across the way, which was now tenanted by a spanish defender of the king. "only wounded perhaps," panted punch; and pen watched the fallen man hopefully in the expectation of seeing him make an effort to crawl out of the line of fire; but the two lads now became fully conscious of the fact that bullets were pattering faster and faster right into the gully-like passage and striking the walls, some to bury themselves, others to flatten and fall down, bringing with them fragments of stone and dust. the musketry of the attacking party and the replies of pistol and carbine blended now in a regular roll, but it was evident that the defenders were stubbornly holding their own; while the muskets that rested on the stones in front of the two lads remained silent, and punch uttered an impatient ejaculation as he looked sharply round at pen. "oh, do give us a chance," he cried. "here, comrade, oughtn't we two to run to cover a little way in advance?" "no," said pen excitedly. "now then, look out! here they come!" as the words left his lips, first one and then another, and directly after three more, of the _contrabandistas_ ran round the curve well into sight and divided, some to one side, some to the other, seeking the shelter of the rocky wall, and fired back apparently at their pursuing enemy before beginning to reload. they were nearly a hundred yards from the two boys, who crouched, trembling with excitement, waiting impatiently to afford the little help they could by bringing their muskets to bear. then, as the firing went on, there was another little rush of retiring men, half-a-dozen coming one by one into sight, to turn, seek the cover of the wall, and fire back as if in the hope of checking pursuit. but a couple of these went down, and it soon became evident from the firing that the advance was steadily continued. another ten minutes of wild excitement followed, and then there was a rush of the spaniards, who continued their predecessors' tactics, firing back and sheltering themselves; but the enemy were still hidden from the two lads. "let's--oh, do let's cross over to the other side," cried punch. "there's two places there where we could get shelter;" and he pointed to a couple of heaps of stone that diagonally were about forty yards in advance. but as he spoke there was another rush of their friends round the curve, with the same tactics, while those who had come before now dashed across the great passage and occupied the two rough stoneworks themselves. "too late!" muttered punch amidst the roar of musketry which now seemed to have increased in a vast degree, multiplied as the shots were by echoing repetitions as they crossed and recrossed from wall to wall. "no!" shouted pen. "fire!" for half-a-dozen french chasseurs suddenly came running into sight in pursuit of the last little party of the spaniards, dropped upon one knee, and, rapidly taking aim, fired at and brought down a couple more of the retreating men. there was a sharp flash from punch's piece, and a report from pen's which sounded like an echo from the first, and two of the half-dozen chasseurs rolled over in the dust, while their comrades turned on the instant and ran back out of sight, followed by a tremendous yell of triumph from the spaniards, who had now manned the two heaps of stones on the other side. there was another yell, and another which seemed to fill the entry to the old mine with a hundred echoes, while as the boys were busily reloading a figure they did not recognise came running towards their coign of vantage at the top of his speed. "quick, punch! an enemy! bayonets!" cried pen. "tain't," grumbled punch. "nearly ready. it's contrabando." the next minute the spaniard was behind them, slapping each on the back. "bravo! bravissimo!" he shouted, making his voice heard above the enemy's firing, for his men now were making no reply. "_continuez! continuez_!" he cried, and then dashed off forward again and, heedless of the flying bullets, crossed to where his men were lying down behind the two farther heaps of stones, evidently encouraging some of them to occupy better places ready for the enemy when they made their attack in force. chapter thirty four. keeping the bridge. slight as was the check--two shots only--the sight of a couple of their men going down was sufficient to stop the advance of the attacking party for a few minutes; but the firing continued in the blind, unreasoning way of excited soldiery until the leaders had forced it upon the notice of their eager men that they were firing down a wide gully-like spot where, consequent on the curve, none of those they sought to shoot down were in sight. but this state of excitement lasted only a few minutes, and then, headed by an officer, about a dozen of the enemy dashed into view. "now then," whispered punch; but it was not necessary, for the two muskets the lads had laid ready went off almost as one, and a couple of the french chasseurs stumbled forward and fell headlong almost within touch of their dead or wounded comrades. once more that was enough to make the others turn tail and dash back, leaving their leader behind shaking his sword after them as they ran; and then, in contempt and rage, he stopped short and bent down over each of the poor fellows who had fallen. pen could see him lay his hand upon their breasts before coolly sheathing his sword and stopping in bravado to take out a cigarette, light it, and then, calmly smoking, turn his back upon his enemies and walk round the curve and disappear. "there, punch," said pen, finishing the loading of his musket; "don't you tell me again that the french have no brave men amongst them." "well," said the boy slowly, "after that i won't. do you know, it made me feel queer." "it made me feel i don't know how," said pen--"half-choking in the throat." "oh, it didn't make me feel like that," said punch thoughtfully. "i had finished reloading before he had felt all his fellows to see if they were dead, and i could have brought him down as easy as kiss my hand, but somehow i felt as if it would be a shame, like hitting a chap when he's down, and so i didn't fire. then i looked at you, and i could see you hadn't opened your pan through looking at him. you don't think i ought to have fired, do you?" "you know i don't, punch," said pen shortly. "it would have been cowardly to have fired at a man like that." "but i say," said punch, "wasn't it cheek! it was as good as telling us that he didn't care a button for us." "i don't believe he does," said pen thoughtfully; "but, i say, punch, i shouldn't like to be one of his men." "what, them two as we brought down? of course not!" "no, no; i mean those who ran away and left him in the lurch. he's just the sort of captain who would be ready to lay about him with the flat of his sword." "and serve the cowardly beggars right," cried punch. "think they will come on again?" "come on again, with such a prize as the spanish king to be made a prisoner? yes, and before long too. there, be ready. there'll be another rush directly." there was, and almost before the words were out of pen's lips. this time, though, another officer, as far as the lads could make out, was leading the little detachment, which was about twice as strong as the last, and the lads fired once more, with the result that two of the attacking party went down; but instead of the rest turning tail in panic and rushing back, they followed their officer a dozen yards farther. then they began to waver, checked their pace, and stood hesitating; while, in spite of their officer excitedly shouting and waving his sword to make them advance, they came to a stand, with the brave fellow some distance in front, where the lads could hear him shout and rage before making a dash back at the leading files, evidently with the intention of flogging them into following him. but, damped by the fate of their fellows, it only wanted the appearance of flight, as they judged the officer's movement, to set them in motion, and they began to run back in panic, followed by the jeering yells of the _contrabandistas_, who hurried their pace by sending a scattered volley from their carbines, not a bullet from which took effect. "look at that, punch; there's another brave fellow!" "yes," cried the boy, finishing loading. "there, go on, load away, i don't want you to shoot him. yes, he's another plucky un. but, my word, look at him! he must be a-cussing and a-swearing like hooray. but i call that stupid. he needn't have done that. my word, ain't he in a jolly rage!" much to the surprise of pen, the officer did not imitate his fellow who paused to light a cigarette, but took the point of his sword in his left hand, stooped down with his back to his enemies, broke the blade in half across his knee, dashed the pieces to the ground, and then slowly walked back. "poor fellow!" said pen thoughtfully. "yes, and poor sword," said punch. "i suppose he will have to pay for that out of his own pocket, or have it stopped out of his pay. oh no; he's an officer, and finds his own swords. but he was a stupid. won't he be sorry for it when he cools down!" they were not long kept in suspense as to what would occur next, for just before he disappeared the lookers-on saw the officer suddenly turn aside to close up to the natural wail of the little ravine, giving place to the passage of the stronger party still who came on cheering and yelling as if to disconcert the sharpshooters who were committing such havoc in their little detachments. but their effort was in vain, for at a short interval the two young riflemen once more fired at the dense little party, which it was impossible to miss. two men in the front went down, three or four of their fellows leaped over their prostrate forms, and then several of those who followed stumbled and fell, panic ensued, and once more the company was in full flight, followed slowly by a couple of despondent-looking officers, one of whom turned while the carbine bullets were flying around him to shake his sword at his enemies, his fellow taking his cue from this act to contemptuously raise his _kepi_ in a mocking salute. "here, i won't say anything about the frenchmen any more," said punch. "why, those officers are splendid! they are just laughing at the contra-what-you-may-call-'ems, and telling them they can't shoot a bit. it's just what i thought," he continued, finishing his loading; "those little dumpy blunderbuss things are no good at all. i suppose that will about sicken them, won't it?" pen shook his head as he closed the pan of his musket with a sharp click. "the officers will not be satisfied till they have put a stop to our shooting, punch." "oh, but they can't," said the boy, with a laugh. "but, i say, i never thought i could shoot so well as this. ain't it easy!" "no," said pen quietly. "i think we shot well at first, but here with our muskets resting steady on the stones in front, and with so many men to shoot at, we can't help hitting some of them. hallo! here comes our friend." for now that the little gorge before them lay open the _contrabandista_ joined them, to begin addressing his words of eulogy to pen. "tell your comrade too," he continued, "how proud i am of the way in which you are holding the enemy in check. i have just come from the king, and he sends a message to you--a message, he says, to the two brave young englishmen, and he wants to know how he can reward you for all that you have done." "oh, we don't want rewarding," said pen quietly. "but tell me, is there any way by which the enemy can take us in the rear?" "no," said the smuggler quietly. "but it would be bad for you--and us-- if they could climb up to the top there and throw pieces of rock down. but they would want ladders to do that. i am afraid, though--no," he added; "there's nothing to be afraid of--that they will be coming on again, and you must keep up your firing till they are so sick of their losses that they will not be able to get any more of their men to advance." "and what then?" said pen. "why, then," said the smuggler, "we shall have to wait till it's dark and see if we can't steal by them and thread our way through the lower pass, leaving them to watch our empty _cache_." quite a quarter of an hour passed now, and it seemed as if the spirits of the french chasseurs were too much damped for their officers to get them to advance again. then there was another rush, with much the same result as before, and again another and another, and this was kept up at intervals for hours, till pen grew faint and heart-sick, his comrade dull and stubborn; and both were faint too, for the sun had been beating down with torrid violence so that the heated rocks grew too hot to touch, and the burning thirst caused by the want of air made the ravine seem to swim before pen's eyes. but they kept on, and with terrible repetition the scenes of the morning followed, until, as the two lads reloaded, they rested the hot musket-barrels before them upon the heated rock and looked full in each other's eyes. "well, punch," said pen hoarsely, "what are you thinking?" the boy was silent for a few moments, and then in the horrible stillness which was repeated between each attack he said slowly, "just the same as you are, comrade." "that your old wound throbs and burns just the same as mine does?" "oh, it does," said punch, "and has for ever so long; but i wasn't thinking that." "then you were thinking, the same as i was, that you were glad that this horrible business was nearly over, and that these spanish fellows, who have done nothing to help us, must now finish it themselves?" "well, not azackly," replied the boy. "what i was thinking was that it's all over now--as soon as we have had another shot apiece." "yes," said pen; "one more shot apiece, and we have fired our last cartridges." "but look here," said punch, "couldn't we manage with powder and shot from their blunderbusters?" "i don't know," said pen wearily. "i only know this, that i shall be too heart-sick and tired out to try." chapter thirty five. for the king. as the evening drew near, it was to the two young riflemen as if nature had joined hands with the enemy and had seemed to bid them stand back and rest while she took up their work and finished it to the bitter end. "it's just as if nature were fighting against us," said pen. "nature! who's she? what's she got to do with it?" grumbled punch. "phew! just feel here! the sun's as low down as that, and here's my musket-barrel so hot you can hardly touch it. but i don't know what you mean." "well, it doesn't matter," said pen bitterly. "i only meant that, now the enemy are not coming on, it's growing hotter and hotter, and one's so thirsty one feels ready to choke." "oh, i see now. it's just the same here. but why don't they come on. must be half an hour since they made their last charge, and if they don't come soon my gun will go off all of itself, and then if they come i sha'n't have a shot for them. think they will come now?" "yes," said pen; "but i believe they are waiting till it's dark and we sha'n't be able to see to shoot." "why, the cowards!" cried punch angrily. "the cowardly, mean beggars! perhaps you are right; but, i say, comrade, they wouldn't stop till it's dark if they knew that we had only got one cartridge apiece, and that we were so stupid and giddy that i am sure i couldn't hit. why, last time when they came on they seemed to me to be swimming round and round." "yes, it was horrible," said pen thoughtfully, as he tried to recollect the varied incidents of the last charge, and gave up in despair. "i wish it was all over, punch!" "well, don't be in such a hurry about that," said the boy. "i wish the fighting was over, but to wish it was _all_ over sounds ugly. you see, they must be precious savage with us for shooting as we have, and if they charge home, as you call it, and find that we haven't got a shot, i want to know what we are going to do then." "i don't feel as if it matters now," said pen despondently. "oh, don't you! but i do, comrade. it's bad enough to be wounded and a prisoner; that's all in the regular work; but these frenchies must be horribly wild now, and when we can't help ourselves it seems to me that we sha'n't be safe. you are tired, and your wound bothers you, and no wonder. it's that makes you talk so grumpy. but it seems to me as if it does matter. course soldiers have to take their chance, even if they are only buglers, and i took mine, and got it. now my wound's better, i don't feel like giving up. i feel as if i hadn't half had my innings. i haven't even got to be what you are--full private. but, i say, it ain't getting dark yet, is it?" "no, punch. but i feel so giddy i can hardly see." "look out, then!" cried the boy excitedly. "here they come; and you are all wrong." for the boy had caught sight of another rush being made, with the enemy scattered wildly; and catching up his musket, punch fired, while it was as if mechanically and hardly knowing what he was about that pen raised his piece and followed his companion's example. what ensued seemed to be part of a nightmare-like dream, during which pen once more followed his comrade's example; and, grasping his musket by the heated barrel he clubbed it and struck out wildly for a few minutes before he felt that he was borne down, trampled upon, and then lay half-conscious of what was going on. he was in no pain, but felt as if he were listening to something that was taking place at a distance. there were defiant shouts, there was the rushing of feet, there was firing. orders were being given in french; but what it all meant he could not grasp, till all at once it seemed to him that it was very dark, and a hot, wet hand was laid upon his forehead. then a voice came--a familiar voice; but this too seemed to be from far away, and it did not seem natural that he should be feeling the touch upon his forehead while the voice came from a distance. "i say, they haven't done for you, have they, comrade? oh, do try to speak. tell me where it hurts." "hurts! that you, punch?" "course it is. hooray! where's your wound? speak up, or i can't make it out in all this row. where have you got it?" "got what?" "why, i telled you. the wound." "my wound?" said pen dreamily. why, you know--in my leg. but it's better now. so am i. but what does it all mean? did something hit me on the head? "i didn't half see; but you went down a horrid kelch, and must have hit your head against the rocks." "yes, yes, i am beginning to understand now. but where are we? what's going on? fighting?" "fighting? i should just think there is! can't you hear?" "i can hear the shouting, but i don't quite understand yet." "never mind, then. i was afraid you were done for." "done for! what, killed?" "something of the kind," grumbled punch; "but don't bother about it now." "i must," said pen, with what was passing around seeming to lighten up. "here, tell me, are my arms fastened behind me?" "yes, and mine too. but i just wriggled one hand out so as to feel for you. we are prisoners, lad, and the frenchies have chivied right back to where the king and his men have been making a bit of a stand. i can't tell you all azackly, but that's something like it, and i think they are fighting now--bad luck to them, as o'grady would say!--right in yonder where we had our braxfas'. i say, it's better than i thought, comrade." "in what way, punch?" "why, i had made up my mind, though i didn't like to tell you, that they'd give us both the bay'net. but they haven't. perhaps, though, they are keeping us to shoot through the head because they caught us along with the smugglers. that's what they always do with them." "well,"--began pen drearily. "no, 'tain't. 'tain't well, nor anything like it." the boy ceased speaking, for the fight that had been raging in the interior of the cavern seemed to be growing fiercer; in fact, it soon became plain to the listeners that the tide of warfare was setting in their direction; the french, who had been driving the _contrabandista's_ followers backward into the cavern, and apparently carrying all before them, had met with a sudden check. for a fairly brief space they had felt that the day was their own, and eager to make up for the long check they had suffered, principally through the keen firing of the two boys, they had pressed on recklessly, while the undrilled _contrabandistas_, losing heart in turn, were beginning, in spite of the daring of their leader, who seemed to be in every part of their front at once, to drop back into the cavern, giving way more and more, till at last they had shrunk some distance into the old mine, bearing back with them the royal party, who had struggled to restrain them in vain. the part of the old workings to which they had retreated was almost in utter darkness, and just when the french were having their own way and the spanish party were giving up in despair, their enemies came to a stand, the french officers hesitating to continue the pursuit, fearing a trap, or that they might be led into so dangerous a position that they might meet with another reverse. they felt that where they were they thoroughly commanded the exit, and after a brief colloquy it was decided to give their men breathing-time while a party went back into the great cave, where the fire was still burning, and did what they could to contrive a supply of firebrands or torches before they made another advance. fortunately for the spanish party, the cessation of the attack on the part of the french gave the former breathing-time as well; and, wearied out though he was, and rather badly wounded, the _contrabandista_ hurriedly gathered his men together, and though ready to upbraid them bitterly for the way in which they had yielded to the french attack, he busied himself instead in trying to prepare them for a more stubborn resistance when the encounter was resumed. he had the advantage of his enemies in this, that they were all thoroughly well acquainted with the ramifications of the old mine, and it would be in his power, he felt, to lead the enemy on by giving way strategically and guiding them where, while they were meeting with great difficulties in tracing their flying foes, these latter would be able to escape through one of the old adits and carry with them the king and his followers. the _contrabandista_, too, had this further advantage--that he could easily refresh his exhausted men, who were now suffering cruelly from hunger and thirst. to this end he gave his orders quickly to several, who hurried away, to return at the end of a short time bearing a couple of skins of wine and bread from their regular store. these refreshments were hurriedly distributed, the king and his party not being forgotten; and after all partook most hastily, the men's leader busied himself in seeing to the worst of the wounded, sending several of these latter into hiding in a long vault where the mules of the party were stabled ready to resume their loads when the next raid was made across the passes. "now, my lads," he said, addressing his men, "i am not going to upbraid you with the want of courage you have shown, only to tell you that when the french come on again it will most likely be with lights. those are what i believe they are waiting for. the poor fools think that torches will enable them to see us and shoot us down, but they will be to our advantage. we shall be in the darkness; they will be in the light; and i am going to lead you in such an attack that i feel sure if you follow out my instructions we can make them flee. once get them on the run, it will be your duty to scatter them and not let them stop. yes," he added, turning sharply in the darkness to some one who had touched him on the shoulder; "who is it?" "it is i," said the officer who had taken the lead in the king's flight, and to whom the whole of the monarch's followers looked for direction. "his majesty wants to speak with you." "i'll come," replied the _contrabandista_. "do you know why he wants me?" "yes," replied the officer briefly. "i suppose it is to find fault with me for our want of success." "i believe that is the case," said the officer coldly. "ha!" ejaculated the _contrabandista_. "i have as good a right to blame his majesty for the meagreness of the help his followers have afforded me." "i have done my best," said the officer gravely, "and so have the rest. but this is no time for recriminations. i believe you, sir, are a faithful friend to his majesty; and i believe you think the same of me." "i do," replied the smuggler, "and his majesty is not to blame for thinking hard of one who has brought him into such a position as this." "be brief, please," said the officer, "and be frank with me before you join the king. he feels with me that we are completely trapped, and but a short time back he went so far as to ask me whether the time had not come for us all to make a desperate charge upon the enemy, and die like men." the smuggler uttered an ejaculation which the officer misconstrued. "i meant for us, sir," he said bitterly, "for i suppose it is possible that you and your men are sufficiently at home in these noisome passages to find hiding-places, and finally escape." the smuggler laughed scornfully. "you speak, sir," he said, "as if you believe that my men would leave his majesty to his fate." "their acts to-day have not inspired him with much confidence in them," said the officer coldly. "well, no," said the smuggler; "but you must consider that my men, who are perfect in their own pursuits and able enough to carry on a guerilla-like fight against the civil guards in the mountains, have for the first time in their lives been brought face to face with a body of well-drilled soldiers ten times their number, and armed with weapons far superior to ours." "that is true," said the officer quietly; "but i expected to have seen them do more to-day, and, with this strong place to hold, not so ready to give up as they were." "you take it, then," said the smuggler, "that we are beaten?" "his majesty has been the judge, and it is his opinion." "his majesty is a great and good king, then," said the smuggler, "but a bad judge. we are not beaten. we certainly have the worst of it, and my poor fellows have been a good deal disheartened, and matters would have gone far worse with us if it had not been for the clever marksmanship of those two boys." "ah!" exclaimed the officer, "i may as well come to that. his majesty speaks bitterly in the extreme about what he calls the cowardice which resulted in those two poor lads being mastered and taken prisoners, perhaps slain, before his eyes." "indeed!" said the smuggler sharply. "but i did not see that his majesty's followers did more to save them than my men." "there, we had better cease this unfruitful conversation. but before i take you to his majesty, who is waiting for us, tell me as man to man, perhaps face to face with death, what is really our position? you are beaten, and unable to do more to save the king?" the smuggler was silent for a few moments, busily tightening a bandage round his arm. "one moment, sir," he said. "would you mind tying this?" "a wound!" said the officer, starting. "yes, and it bleeds more freely than i could wish, for i want every drop of blood to spend in his majesty's service." the officer sheathed his sword quickly, bent forward, and, in spite of the darkness, carefully tightened the bandage. "i beg your pardon, senor el contrabandista. i trust you more than ever," he said. "but we are beaten, are we not?" "thanks, senor.--beaten? no! when my fellows have finished their bread and wine they will be more full of fight than ever. we smugglers have plenty of the fox in our nature, and we should not treasure up our rich contraband stores in a cave that has not two holes." "ha! you put life into me," cried the officer. "i wish to," said the smuggler. "tell his majesty that in a short time he will see the frenchmen coming on lighting their way with torches, and that he and his followers will show a good front; but do as we do--keep on retreating farther and farther through the black passages of this old copper-mine." "but retreating?" said the officer. "yes; they will keep pressing us on, driving us back, as they think, till they can make a rush and capture us to a man--king, noble, and simple smuggler; and when at last they make their final rush they will capture nothing but the darkness, for we shall have doubled round by one of the side-passages and be making our way back into the passes to find liberty and life." "but one moment," said a stern voice from the deeper darkness behind. "what of the entrance to this great cavern-mine? do you think these french officers are such poor tacticians that they will leave the entrance unguarded by a body of troops?" "one entrance, sire," said the smuggler deferentially. "your majesty!" said the officer, "i did not know that you were within hearing." "i had grown weary of waiting, count," said the king. "i came on, and i have heard all that i wished. senor contrabandista, i, your king, ask your pardon. i ask it as a bitterly stricken, hunted man who has been driven by his misfortunes to see enemies on every hand, and who has grown accustomed to lead a weary life, halting ever between doubt and despair." "your majesty trusts me then," said the smuggler, sinking upon one knee to seize the hand that was extended to him and pressing it to his lips. "ha!" ejaculated the monarch. "your plans are those of a general; but there is one thing presses hard upon me. for hours i was watching the way in which those two boys held the enemy at bay, fighting in my poor cause like heroes; and again and again as i stood watching, my fingers tingled to grasp my sword and lead my few brave fellows to lend them aid. but it was ever the same: i was hemmed in by those who were ready to give their lives in my defence, and i was forced to yield to their assurances that such an advance would be not merely to throw their lives away and my own, but giving life to the usurper, death to spain." "they spoke the truth, sire," said the smuggler gravely. "but tell me," cried the king with a piteous sigh, "can nothing be done? your men, you say, will be refreshed. my friends here are as ready as i am. before you commence the retreat, can we not, say, by a bold dash, drive them past where those two young englishmen lie prisoners at the back of the little stonework they defended so bravely till the last cartridge was fired away? you do not answer," said the king. "your majesty stung me to the heart," said the _contrabandista_, "in thinking that i played a coward's part in not rescuing those two lads." "i hoped i had condoned all that," said the king quickly. "you have, sire, and perhaps it is the weakness and vanity in my nature that makes me say in my defence, i and half-a-dozen of my men made as brave an effort as we could, twice over, when the french made their final rush, and each time my poor fellows helped me back with a bayonet-wound.--ah! what i expected!" he exclaimed hastily, for there was a flickering light away in front, followed by another and another, and the sound of hurrying feet, accompanied by the clicking of gun and pistol lock as the _contrabandistas_ gathered together, rested and refreshed, and ready for action once again. chapter thirty six. in the rout. it is one thing--or two things--to make plans mentally or upon paper, and another thing to carry them out. a general lays down his plan of campaign, but a dozen hazards of the war may tend to baffle and spoil courses which seem as they are laid down sure ways leading to success. the _contrabandista_ chief had made his arrangements in a way that when he explained them made his hearers believe that nothing could be better. his reluctant silence respecting the position of the two lads had impressed the spanish king with the belief that he considered the young riflemen's situation to be hopeless, and that he felt that he had done everything possible. in fact, he doubted their being alive, and the possibility, even if they still breathed where they were struck down, of forcing his way through the strong force of french that occupied the mine, and reaching their side. above all, he felt that he would not be justified in risking the lives of many men for the sake of two. and now the flickering lights in the distance told that the french had somehow contrived the means for making their way through the darkness easier. they had evidently been busy breaking up case and keg, starting the brands thoroughly in the fire, and keeping them well alight by their bearers brandishing them to and fro as they advanced, with the full intent of driving the spaniards into some cul-de-sac among the ancient workings of the mine, and there bayoneting them or forcing them to lay down their arms. all this was in accordance with the orders given by the french officers, and the chasseurs advanced perfect in their parts and with a bold front. but the _contrabandista's_ followers and those of the king were also as perfect in what they would do, and they knew exactly that they were to fire and bring down their adversaries as they had an opportunity given them by their exposure in the light, and after firing they were to lead the untouched on by an orderly retreat, thus tempting the enemy farther and farther into the winding intricacies of the old workings. those advancing and those in retreat began to carry out their orders with exactitude; the chasseurs cheered and advanced in about equal numbers, torch-bearers and musketeers with fixed bayonets, the former waving their burning brands, and all cheering loudly as in the distance they caught sight of those in retreat; but it was only to find as the rattle and echoing roll of carbine and pistol rang out and smoke began to rise, that they were forming excellent marks for those who fired, and before they had advanced, almost at a run, fifty yards, the mine-floor was becoming dotted with those who were wounded and fell. the distance between the advancing and retreating lines remained about the same, but the pace began to slacken, the run soon became a walk, and a very short time afterwards a stand on the part of those who attacked, and the smoke of the pieces began to grow more dense as the firing increased. orders kept on ringing out as the french officers shouted "forward!" but in vain, and the light that, as they ran, had flashed brilliantly, as they stood began to pale, and the well-drilled men who now saw a dense black curtain of smoke before them, riven here and there by flashes of light, began to hesitate, then to fall back, slowly at first, and before many paces to the rear had been taken they found the light begin to increase again and more men fell. that pause had been the turning-point, for from a slow falling back the pace grew swifter, the waving and tossing lights burned more brightly, and those who fired sent ragged volley after volley in amongst the now clearly seen chasseurs; while the spaniards, forgetful now of the commands they had received, kept on advancing, in fact, pursuers in their turn, firing more eagerly as each few steps took them clear of the cloud of smoke which they left behind. it was a completely unexpected change of position. the french officers shouted their commands, and the _contrabandista_ captain gave forth his, but in both cases it was in vain, for almost before he could realise the fact a panic had seized upon chasseur and torch-bearer alike, and soon all were in flight--a strangely weird medley of men whose way was lit up by the lights that were borne and blazed fiercely on their side, while their pace was hastened by the firing in their rear. it was only a matter of some few minutes before the french officers found that all their attempts to check the rout were in vain. the hurry of the flight increased till the darkness of the mine-passage was left behind and all raced onward through the great store-cavern and out into the narrow gully, now faint in the evening light, and on past the rough stone-piled defences, where the officers once more tried to check the headlong flight. here their orders began to have some effect, for there were dead and wounded lying in the way, and some from breathlessness, some from shame, now slackened their pace and stooped to form litters of their muskets, on which some poor wretch who was crying for help with extended hands was placed and carried onward. and somehow, in the confusion of the flight, as the fallen wounded were snatched up in the semi-darkness from where they lay, the last burning brand having been tossed aside as useless by those who could now see their way, two of the wounded who lay with their arms secured behind them with straps were lifted and borne onward, for those who were now obeying their officers' orders were too hurried and confused, hastened as they were in their movements by the rattle and crash of firearms in their rear, to scrutinise who the wounded were. it was sufficient for them that they were not wearers of the rough _contrabandista's_ garb; and so it was that the dark-green uniform of the bandaged wounded was enough, and the two young riflemen became prisoners and participators in the chasseurs' rout. chapter thirty seven. after "wiggling." "where do you suppose we are, punch?" "don't quite know," was the reply. "chap can't think with his arms strapped behind him and his wrists aching sometimes as if they were sawn off and at other times being all pins and needles. can you think?" "not very clearly; and it has been too dark to see much. but where should you say we are? quite in a new part of the country?" "no; i think we came nearly over the same ground as we were going after we left that good old chap's cottage; and if we waited till it was quite daylight, and we could start off, i think i could find my way back to where we left the old man." "so do i," said pen eagerly. "that must be the mountain that the _contrabandista_ captain took us up in the darkness." "why, that's what i was thinking," said punch; "and if we had gone on a little farther i think we should have got to the place where the frenchies attacked us. of course i ain't sure, because it was all in the darkness. but, i say, mr contrabando and his fellows have given up the pursuit. i haven't heard anything of them for hours now." "no," said pen; "we may be sure that they have given it up, else we shouldn't be halted here. i fancy, punch--but, like you, i can't be sure--that the frenchmen have been making for the place where they surprised us after being driven down the mountain pass." "that's it," said punch; "and our friends, after beating off the enemy, have gone back to their what-you-may-call-it quarters--mine, didn't they call it?" "yes." "well, then, that's what we have got to do--get away from here and go back and join mr contrabando again." "impossible, punch, even if we were free." "not it! why, i could do it in the dark if i could only get rid of these straps, now that the frenchies are beaten." "not beaten, punch; only driven back, and i feel pretty sure in thinking it out that they have come to a halt here in what i dare say is a good, strong place where they can defend themselves and wait for reinforcements before attacking again." "oh, they won't do that," said punch roughly. "they had such a sickener last night." "well, i can't be sure," said pen; "but as far as i can make out they have a lot of wounded men lying about here in this bit of a valley, and there are hundreds of them camped down about the fires. they wouldn't have lit those fires if it hadn't been a strong place." "i suppose not," said punch. "i never thought of that. because they would have been afraid to show the smugglers where they were, and it sounded when they were talking as if there were hundreds and hundreds of them--regiments, i think. one couldn't see in the night, but while i was lying awake i thought there were thousands of them." "say hundreds, punch. well, i haven't spoken to you much lately, for i thought you were asleep." "asleep! not me! that's what i thought about you; and i hoped you was, so that you could forget what a muddle we got into. well, i don't know how you feel now, but what i want to do is to get away from here." "don't talk so loud," said pen; "there are those fellows on sentry, and they keep on coming very near now and then." "that don't matter," said punch, "they can't understand what we talk about. what do you say to having a go at getting our arms loose?" "they would find it out, and only bind us up again." "yes, if we stopped to let 'em see." "then you think we could get away, punch?" "to be sure i do; only we should have to crawl. and the sooner the better, for once it gets light the sentries will have a shot at us, and we have had enough of that. i say, though, didn't they pick us up because they thought we were wounded?" "the men did; and then one of the officers saw our uniforms and that we were the two who had been taken prisoners when they made their rush." "oh, that was it, was it?" said punch. "well, what do you say? hadn't we better make a start?" "how?" said pen. "i have been trying again and again to get my arms loose, and i am growing more helpless than ever." punch gave a low grunt, raised his head a little, and tried to look round and pierce the darkness, seeing very little though but the fact that they were surrounded by wounded men, for the most part asleep, though here and there was one who kept trying to move himself into an easier position, but only to utter a low moan and relapse into a state of semi-insensibility. about a dozen paces away, though, he could just make out one of the sentries leaning upon his musket and with his back to them. satisfied with his scrutiny, punch shifted his position a little, drawing himself into a position where he could get his lips close to his companion's ear. "look here," he said, "can you bite?" "bite! nonsense! who could think of eating now?" "tchah!" whispered punch, "who wants to eat? i have been wiggling myself about quietly ever since they set me down, and i have got my hands a bit loose. now, i am just going to squirm myself a bit farther and turn over when i have got my hands about opposite your mouth, and i want you to set-to with your teeth and try hard to draw the tongue of the strap out of the buckle, for it's so loose now that i think you could do it." "ah! i'll try, punch," whispered pen. "then if you try," said the boy, "you'll do it. i know what you are." "don't talk, then," replied pen excitedly, "but turn over at once. why didn't you think of this before? we might have tried at once, and had a better chance, for it will be light before long." "didn't think of it. my arms hurt so that they made me stupid." giving himself a wrench, the boy managed to move forward a little, turned over, and then worked himself so that he placed his bandaged wrists close to his comrade's mouth, and then lay perfectly still, for the sentry turned suddenly as if he had heard the movement. apparently satisfied, though, that all was well, he changed his position again, and then, to the great satisfaction of the two prisoners, he shouldered his musket and began to pace up and down, coming and going, and halting at last at the far end of his beat. then, full of doubt but eager to make an effort, pen set to work, felt for the buckle, and after several tries got hold of the strap in his teeth, tugging at it fiercely and with his heart sinking more and more at every effort, for he seemed to make no progress. twice over, after tremendous efforts that he half-fancied loosened his teeth, he gave up what seemed to be an impossibility; but he was roused upon each occasion by an impatient movement on the part of punch. "it's of no use," he thought. "i am only punishing myself more and more;" and, fixing his teeth firmly once more in the leather, he gave one shake and tug such as a wild beast might have done in worrying an enemy. with one final drag he jerked his head back and lay still with his jaws throbbing and the sensation upon him that he had injured himself so that several of his teeth had given way. "it's no good. it's of no use, punch," he said to himself; for the boy shook his wrists sharply as if to urge him to begin again. "i can't do it, and i won't try;" when to his astonishment he felt that his comrade was moving and had forced himself back with a low, dull, rustling sound so that he could place his lips to his ear again; and to pen's surprise the boy whispered, "that last did it, and i got the strap quite loose. my! how my wrists do ache! just wait a bit, and then i will pull you over on to your face and have a turn at yours." pen felt too much confused to believe that his companion had succeeded, but he lay perfectly still, with his teeth still aching violently, till all at once he felt punch's hands busy about him, and he was jerked over upon his face. then he felt that the boy had raised himself up a little as if to take an observation of their surroundings before busying himself with the straps that bound his numbed wrists. "lie still," was whispered, "don't flinch; but i have got my knife out, and i am going to shove it under the strap. don't holloa if it hurts." pen set his aching teeth hard, and the next minute he felt the point of the long spanish clasp-knife which his comrade carried being thrust beneath one of the straps. "he will cut me," thought pen, for he knew that the pressure of the strap had made his flesh swell so that the leather was half-bedded in his arm; but setting his teeth harder--the pain he felt there was more intense--while, when the knife-blade was being forced under the strap he only suffered a dull sensation, and then grew conscious that as the knife was being thrust beneath the strap it steadily divided the bond, so that directly after there was a dull sound and the blade had forced its way so thoroughly that the severed portions fell apart; sensation was so much dulled in the numbed limbs that he was hardly conscious of what had been done, but he knew that one extremely tight ligature had ceased its duty, though he could hardly grasp the idea that one of his bonds was cut. then a peculiar throbbing sensation came on, so painful that it diverted the lad's attention from the continuation of punch's task, and before he could thoroughly grasp it pen found that the sharp blade had been thrust under another strap, dividing it so that the leather fell apart, and he was free. but upon his making an effort to put this to the proof it seemed as if his arms were like two senseless pieces of wood; but only for a few minutes, till they began to prove themselves limbs which were bearers of the most intense agony. _click_! went punch's closing knife-blade; and then he whispered, "that's done it! now, when you are ready, lead off right between those sleeping chaps. creep, you know, in case the sentry looks round." "a minute first," whispered pen; "my arms are like lead." "so's mine. i say, don't they ache?" pen made no reply, but lay breathing hard for a time; and then, raising his head a little so as to make sure of the safest direction to take, he turned towards his comrade and whispered, "now then: off!" chapter thirty eight. "hear that?" it was still dark, but there were faint suggestions of the coming day when pen began to creep in the direction of a black patch which he felt must be forest. this promised shelter; but he had first to thread his way amongst the wounded who lay sleeping around, and his difficulty was to avoid touching them, for they apparently lay thickest in the direction he had chosen. before he was aware of what he was doing he had laid his inert right hand upon an outstretched arm, which was drawn back with a sharp wince, and its owner uttered a groan. bearing to the left and whispering to punch to take care, pen crept on, to find himself almost in contact with another sufferer, who said something incoherently; and then a whisper from punch checked his companion. "come on," said pen hastily, "or they will give the alarm." "not they, poor chaps! they are too bad. that sentry isn't coming, is he?" pen glanced in the man's direction, but he was not visible, for some low bushes intervened. "i can't see him," said pen. "then look here, comrade; now's our time. it's all fair in war. every man for himself." "what do you mean? don't stop to talk, but come on." "all right; but just this," came back in a whisper. "they can't help themselves, and won't take any notice whatever we do, unless they think we are going to kill them. help yourself, comrade, the same as i do." pen hesitated for a moment. then, as he saw punch busily taking possession of musket and cartouche-belt, he followed his example. "it's for life, perhaps," he thought. he had no difficulty in furnishing himself with the required arms from a pile, and that too without any of the wounded seeming to pay the slightest attention. "ready?" whispered punch. "got a full box?" "yes," was the answer. "sling your musket then. look sharp, for it's getting light fast." directly after the two lads were crawling onward painfully upon hands and knees, for every yard sent a pang through pen's wrists, and he thoroughly appreciated his comrade's advice, for there were moments when he felt that had he been carrying the musket he would certainly have left it behind. he did not breathe freely till he had entered the dark patch of woodland, where it was fairly open, and they had pressed on but a short distance in the direction of the mountain, which high up began to look lighter against the sky, when he started violently, for the clear notes of a bugle rang out from somewhere beyond the spot where the wounded lay, to be answered away to left and right over and over again, teaching plainly enough that it was the reveille, and also that they were in close proximity to a very large body of troops. "just in time, comrade," said punch coolly, as he rose to his feet. "take care!" cried pen. "it isn't safe to stand up yet." "think not? oh, we shall be all right," replied the boy. "lead on. didn't you know? the reveille was going right behind and off to the left and right; so there's no troops in front, and all we have got to do is to get on as fast as we can up the mountain yonder. and it's no good; i must walk. my wristies are so bad that if i try to crawl any more on my hands they will drop off. ain't yours bad?" "terribly," replied pen. "come on, then; we must risk it. there, right incline. can't you see? there's a bit of a track yonder." "i didn't see it, punch," said pen, as they bore off to their right, where the way was more open, and they increased their pace now to a steady walk, a glance back showing them that they were apparently well screened by the low growth of trees which flourished in the bottom slopes of the mountains that they could now see more clearly rising in front. "we've done it, comrade," said punch cheerily, "and i call this a bit of luck." "don't talk so loudly." "oh, it don't matter," replied the boy. "they're making too much noise themselves to hear us. hark at them! listen to the buzz! why, it's just as if there's thousands of them down there, just as you thought; and we've hit on the right way, for those frenchies wouldn't come through here unless it was skirmishing with the enemy in front. their enemy's all behind, and they'll be thinking about making their way back to the mine." "to see if they can't make up for yesterday's reverses. i'm afraid, punch, it's all over with the poor king and his followers." "yes," said punch thoughtfully, as he trudged on as close as he could get to his companion. "it's a bad lookout for them, comrade; but somehow i seem to think more of mr contrabando. i liked him. good luck to the poor chap! and when we get a bit farther on we will pitch upon a snug spot where there's water, and make a bit of breakfast." "breakfast! how?" said pen, smiling; but, wearied out and faint with his sufferings, it was a very poor exhibition of mirth--a sort of smile and water, like that of a sun-gleam upon a drizzly day. "breakfast!" he said, half-scornfully, "you are always thinking of eating, punch." "that i ain't, only at bugle-time, when one blows `soup and tater' for breakfast or dinner. i say, do you know what the cavalry chaps say the trumpet call is for stables?" "no," said pen quietly; and then to humour his companion he tried to smile again, as the boy said, "oh, i know lots of them! this is what the trumpet says for the morning call:-- "ye lads that are able now come to the stable, and give all your horses some water and hay-y-y-y!" and the boy put his half-crippled fist to his lips and softly rang out the cavalry call. "punch!" whispered pen angrily, "how can you be such a fool?" "tchah! nobody can hear us. i wanted to cheer you up a bit. well, it has stirred you up. there: all right, comrade. for'ard! we are safe enough here. but, i say, what made you jump upon me and tell me i was always thinking about eating when i said breakfast?" "because this is no time to think of eating and drinking." "oh my! ain't it?" chuckled the boy. "why, when you are on the march in the enemy's country you ought to be always on the forage, and it's the time to think of breakfast whenever you get the chance." "of course," said pen. "well, ain't we got the chance? we was too busy to think of eating all yesterday, and while we were lying tied up there like a couple of calves in a farmer's cart." "well, are we much better off now, punch?" "much better--much better off! i should think we are! it was talking about poor mr contrabando that made me think of it. poor chap! i hope he will be able to repulse, as you call it, the frenchies at the next attack. he is well provisioned; that's one comfort. and didn't he provision us? my haversack's all right with what i helped myself to at breakfast yesterday. ain't yours?" pen clapped his hand to his side. "no," he said. "the band was torn off, and it's gone." "what a pity! never mind, comrade. mine's all right, and regular bulgy; and, as they say, what's enough for one is enough for two; so that will be all right. i say, ain't it getting against the collar?" "yes, we are on the mountain-slope, punch." "think we are not getting up the same mountain where the old mine is?" "no, punch. that must be off more to the right, i think." "yes, i suppose so. but of course we ain't sure; and i suppose we are not going anywhere near the old _padre's_ place?" "no, punch; that lies farther away still to the right." "yes. but, i say, how you seem to get it into your head where all the places lie! i can't. it seems to me as if you could make a map." "no, no. but i suppose if i wandered about here for long enough i should be able to make out some of the roads and tracks." "then i suppose you haven't been here long enough," said the boy banteringly. "if you had, you would be able to tell where the british army is, and lead right on to it at once." "that would be rather a hard job, punch, when troops are perhaps changing their quarters every day." "i say, hear that?" said the boy excitedly, as a distant call rang out. "yes, plain enough to hear," replied pen. "then we ought to turn back, oughtn't we?" "no. why?" "some of the frenchies in front. that was just before us, half a mile away." pen shook his head, and the boy looked at him wonderingly. "there! there it is again! let's get into hiding somewhere, or we shall be running right into them." for another clear bugle-note rang out as if in answer to the first. "that's nothing to mind, punch," said pen. "these notes came from behind, and were echoed from the mountain in front." "why, of course! but i can't help it. father always said that i had got the thickest head he ever see. i got thinking that we were going to run right into some french regiment. then it's all right, and we shall be able to divide our rations somewhere up yonder where the echoes are playing that game. i say, what a mistake might be made if some officer took an echo like that for the real thing!" "yes," said pen thoughtfully; and the two lads stopped and listened to different repetitions of the calls, which seemed fainter and fainter as the time went on; and the sun was well up, brightening as lovely a landscape of mountain, glen, and green slope as ever met human eye. but it was blurred to pen by the desolation and wildness of a country that was being ravaged by invasion and its train of the horrors of war. as the lads tramped on, seeing no sign of human habitation, not even a goat-herd's hut on the mountain-slopes, the sun grew hotter and the way more weary, till all at once punch pointed to a few goats just visible where the country was growing more rugged and wild. "see that, comrade?" he cried. "yes, goats," said pen wearily; and he stopped short, to throw himself down upon a heathery patch, and removed his cap to wipe his perspiring forehead. "no, no; don't sit down. don't stop yet," cried punch. "i didn't mean those old goats. look away to the left in that hollow. can't you see it sparkling?" and the boy pointed to the place where a little rivulet was trickling down the mountain-side to form a fall, the water making a bright leap into a fair-sized pool. "let's get up yonder first and sit down and see what i have got in my haversack. then a good drink of water, and we shall be able to go on, and perhaps find where our fellows are before night." "yes, punch--or march right into the lines of the french," said pen bitterly. "oh, well, we must take our chance of that, comrade. one's as likely as the other. there's the french troops about, and there's our english lads--the lads in red as well as the boys in green. no, it's no use to be down in the mouth. we are just as likely to find one as the other. i wonder how they are getting on up there in the old mine. shall we be near enough to hear if there's any fighting going on?" "perhaps," said pen, springing up. "but let's make for that water." but it was farther off than it had at first appeared, and it was nearly half an hour after they had startled the browsing goats when the two weary lads threw themselves down with a sigh of content beside the mountain pool, which supplied them with delicious draughts of clear cold water as an accompaniment to the contents of the haversack which punch's foresight had provided. "ah!" sighed the boy. "'lishus, wasn't it?" "yes, delicious," said pen. "only one thing agin it," said punch. "one thing against it," said pen, looking up, "why, it could not have been better." "yes," said the boy sadly. "it waren't half enough." "hark! listen!" said pen, holding up his hand. "guns firing!" exclaimed punch in a whisper. "think that's in the little valley that leads up to the old mine?" "it's impossible to say," replied pen. "it's firing, sure enough, and a long way off; but i can't tell whether it's being replied to or whether we are only listening to the echoes." "anyhow," said punch, "it's marching orders, and i suppose we ought to get farther away." "yes," replied pen with a sigh. "but how do you feel? ready to go on now?" "no, not a bit. i feel as if i want to take off my coat and bathe my arms in the water here, for they ache like hooray." "do it, then," said pen wearily, "and i must do the same to my wound as well; and then, punch, there's only one thing i can do more." "what's that, comrade?" "get in the shade under that grey-looking old olive, and have a few hours' sleep." "splendour!" said punch, taking off his coat. "hark at the firing!" "yes," said pen wearily, as he followed his comrade's example. "they may fire, but i am so done up that they can't keep me awake." the water proved to be a delicious balm for the bruised limbs and the wound--a balm so restful and calming to the nerves that somehow the sun had long set, and the evening star was shining brilliantly in the soft grey evening sky when the two sleepers, who had lain utterly unconscious for hours, started awake together, wondering what it all meant, and then prepared themselves to face the darkness of the coming night, not knowing what fate might bring; but pen felt a strange chill run through his breast with a shiver as punch exclaimed in a low, warning whisper, "i say, comrade, hear that? wolves?" chapter thirty nine. strung-up. "or dogs," said pen angrily. "what a fellow you are, punch! don't you think we had enough to make us low-spirited and miserable without you imagining that the first howl you hear comes from one of those horrible brutes?" "it's all very well," said punch with a shudder. "i have heard dogs enough in my time. why, i used to be once close to the kennel where they kept the foxhounds, and they used to set-to and sing sometimes all at once. then i have heard shut-up dogs howl all night, and other sorts begin to howl when it was moonlight; but i never heard a dog make a noise like that. i am sure it's wolves." "well, perhaps you are right, punch; but i suppose they never attack people except in the winter-time when they are starving and the ground's covered with snow; and this is summer, and they have no reason for coming down from the mountains." "oh, i say," exclaimed the boy, "haven't they just!" "will you hold your tongue, punch!" cried pen angrily. "this is a nice way to prepare ourselves for a tramp over the mountains, isn't it?" "are we going to tramp over the mountains in the night?" said the boy rather dolefully. "yes, and be glad of the opportunity to get farther away from the french before morning." "but won't it be very bad for your leg, comrade?" "no worse than it will be for your back, punch." "but wouldn't it be better if we had a good rest to-night?" "where?" said pen bluntly. "in some goat-keeper's cottage. we saw goats before we came here, and there must be people who keep them." "perhaps so," said pen; "but i have seen no cottages." "we ain't looked," said punch. "no, and i don't think it would be very wise to look for them in the dark. come, punch, don't be a coward." "i ain't one; but i can't stand going tramping about in these mountains with those horrid beasts hunting you, smelling you out and following you wherever you go." "i don't believe they would dare to come near us if we shouted at them," said pen firmly; "and we needn't be satisfied with that, for if they came near and we fired at them they would never come near us again." "yes, we have got the guns," said the boy; and he unslung the one he carried and began to try the charge with the ramrod. "hadn't you better see if yours is all right too?" he said. "perhaps i had," was the reply, "for we might have to use them for business that had nothing to do with wolves." as he spoke, pen followed his comrade's example, driving the cartridge and bullet well home, and then feeling whether the powder was up in the pan. "oh, i say," cried the boy huskily, "there they go again! they're coming down from high up the mountains. hadn't we better go lower down and try and find some cottage?" "i don't think so," said pen sturdily. "but we might find one, you know--an empty one, just the same as we did before, when my back was so bad. then we could shut ourselves in and laugh at the wolves if they came." "we don't want to laugh at the wolves," said pen jocularly. "and it might make them savage. i know i used to have a dog and i could always put him in a rage by laughing at him and calling him names." "and now you are laughing at me. i can't help it. i am ashamed perhaps; but, knowing what i do about the wolves, and what our chaps have seen--ugh! it's horrid! there they go again. let's get lower down." "to where the french are lying in camp, so that they may get hold of us again? nonsense, punch! what was the good of our slipping away if it was only to give ourselves up?" "but we didn't know then that we should run up against these wolves." "we are not going to run up against them, punch, but they are going to run away from us if we behave like men." "but, don't you see, i can't behave like a man when i'm only a boy? oh, there they go again!" half-whispered the poor fellow, who seemed thoroughly unnerved. "come along, there's a good chap." "no," said pen firmly. "you can't behave like a man, but you can behave like a brave boy, and that's what you are going to do. if we ever get back to our company you wouldn't like me to tell the lads that you were so frightened by the howling of the wolves that you let me go on alone to face them, and--" "here, i say," cried punch excitedly, "you don't mean to say that you would go on alone!" "i mean to say i would," said pen firmly; "but i shall not have to, because you are coming on along with me." "no, i ain't," said the boy stubbornly. "yes, you are." "you don't know," continued the boy, through his set teeth. "hanged if i do--so there!" pen laughed bitterly. "well, you are a queer fellow, punch," he said. "you stood by me yesterday and faced dozens of those french chasseurs, and fought till we had fired off our last cartridge, and then set-to to keep them off with the butt of your musket, though you were quite sure they would come on again and again." "perhaps i did," said the boy huskily, "because i felt i ought to as a soldier, and it was dooty; but 'tain't a soldier's dooty to get torn to pieces by wolves. ugh! it's horrid, and i can't bear it." "come on, punch. i am going." "no, don't! i say, pray don't, comrade!" cried the boy passionately; and he caught at pen's arm and clung to it with all his might. "i tell you i'd shoulder arms, keep touch with you, and keep step and march straight up to a regiment of the french, with the bullets flying all about our ears. i wouldn't show the white once till i dropped. you know i'd be game if it was obeying orders, and all our fellows coming on behind. i tell you i would, as true as true!" "what!" said pen, turning upon him firmly, "you would do that if you were ordered?" "that i would, and i wouldn't flinch a bit. you know i never did," cried the boy passionately. "didn't i always double beside my company-leader, and give the calls whenever i was told?" "yes; and now i am going to be your company-leader to-night. now then, my lad, forward!" pen jerked his arm free and stepped off at once, while his comrade staggered with the violence of the thrust he had received. then, recovering himself, he stood fast, struggling with the stubborn rage that filled his young breast, till pen was a dozen paces in front, marching sturdily on in the direction of the howls that they had heard, and without once looking back. then from out of the silence came the boy's voice. "you'll be sorry for this," he shouted. pen made no reply. "oh, it's too bad of him," muttered punch. "i say," he shouted, "you will be sorry for this, comrade. d'ye 'ear?" tramp, tramp, tramp went pen's feet over the stony ground. "oh, i say, comrade, this is too bad!" whimpered the boy; and then, giving his musket one or two angry slaps as if in an exaggerated salute, he shouldered the piece and marched steadily after his leader. pen halted till the boy closed up, and then started again. "there, punch," he said quietly, "i knew you better than you know yourself." the boy made no reply, but marched forward with his teeth set; and evidently now thoroughly strung-up to meet anything that was in store, he stared straight before him into the darkness and paid no heed to the distant howls that floated to them upon the night-air from time to time. chapter forty. friends or foes? "this is rather hard work, punch, lad," said pen, after a long silence; but the boy took no notice. "the ground's so rugged that i've nearly gone down half-a-dozen times. well, haven't you anything to say?" the boy kept his teeth firmly pressed together and marched on in silence; and the night tramp went on for quite a couple of hours, till, growing wearied out by the boy's determination, pen began again to try and break the icy reserve between them. "what a country this is!" he said. "to think of our going on hour after hour never once seeing a sign of any one's dwelling-place. ah, look at that!" he exclaimed excitedly. "do you see that light?" "yes," said punch sulkily, "a wolf's eye staring at us." "then he's got one shut," said pen, laughing softly. "i can only see one. why, you are thinking of nothing else but wolves. it's a little watch-fire far away." punch lowered his piece quickly and cocked it. "look out, comrade," he said, "some one will challenge directly. drop down together, don't us, if he does?" "i don't think they will be sentries right up here," said pen. "what then?" "shepherds," replied pen abruptly. he was about to add, "to keep off the wolves," but he checked himself in time, as he half-laughed and thought that it would scare his companion again. punch remained silent and marched on, keeping step, till they were getting very close to a tiny scrap of a smouldering fire; and then there was a rush of feet as if about a couple of dozen goats had been startled, to spring up and scatter away, with their horny hoofs pattering amongst the stones; and at the same moment the two lads became aware of the fact that after their habit the sturdy little animals had been sleeping around a couple of fierce-looking, goatskin-clothed, half-savage spanish goat-herds, one of whom kicked at the fire, making it burst into a temporary blaze which lit up their swarthy features and flashed in their eyes, and, what was more startling still, on the blades of the two long knives which they snatched from their belts. "_amigos, amigos_!" cried pen, and he grounded arms, punch following his example. "_amigos! no, franceses_," shouted one of the men, as the fire burnt up more brightly; and he pointed at pen's musket. "_no_," cried pen, "_ingleses_." and laying down his piece near the fire, he coolly seated himself and began to warm his hands. "come on, punch," he said, "sit down; and give me your haversack." the boy obeyed, and as the two men looked at them doubtingly pen took the haversack, held it out, thrust his hand within two or three times, and shook his head before pointing to his lips and making signs as if he wanted to eat. "_el pano, agua_," he said. the men turned to gaze into each other's eyes as if in doubt, and then began slowly to thrust their long, sharp knives into their belts; and it proved directly afterwards that pen's pantomime had been sufficiently good, for one of them strode away into the darkness, where the lads could make out a sort of wind-shade of piled-up stones, from which he returned directly afterwards with what proved to be a goatskin-bag, which he carried to his companion, and then went off again, to return from somewhere behind the stones, carrying a peculiar-looking earthen jar, which proved to be filled with water. just then punch drew the two muskets a little farther from the fire, and to pen's surprise took off his jacket and carefully covered their locks. "afraid of the damp," muttered pen to himself; and then he smiled up in the face of the fiercer-looking of the two goat-herds as the man placed a cake of coarse-looking bread in his hands and afterwards turned out from the bag a couple of large onions, to which he added a small bullock's horn whose opening was stopped with a ball of goatskin. "_bueno, bueno_!" said pen, taking the food which was offered to him with the grave courtesy of a gentleman; and, not to be outdone, he took the hand that gave and lightly raised it to his lips. the act of courtesy seemed to melt all chilling reserve, and the two men hurried to throw some heather-like twigs upon the fire, which began to burn up brightly, emitting a pleasant aromatic smoke. then, seating themselves, the more fierce-looking of the pair pointed to the bread and held up the jar so that they could drink. "_amigos, amigos_!" he said softly; and he took the jar in turn, drank to the lads, and gravely set it down between them; and then as pen broke bread punch started violently, for each of the men drew out his knife, and the boy's hand was stretched out towards the muskets, but withdrawn directly as he realised the meaning of the unsheathed knives, each of the goat-herds snatching up one of the onions and beginning to peel it for the guests, before hastening to stick the point of his knife into the vegetable and hand both to their visitors. "they scared me," said punch. "i say, don't the onions smell good! want a bit of salt, though." he had hardly said the word before the taller of the two men caught up the horn, drew out the ball-like wad which closed it up, and revealed within a reddish-looking powder which glistened in the light of the fire and proved to be rock-salt. it was a very rough and humble meal, but punch expressed his companion's feelings when he said it was 'lishus. "worth coming for--eh, punch?" said pen, "and risking the wolves." "here, i say, drop that, comrade. don't be hard on a fellow. one can't help having one's feelings. but i say, you looked half-scared too when these two spaniards whipped out their knives." "i was more than half, punch. but it was the same with them; they looked startled enough when we came upon them suddenly with our muskets and woke them out of sleep." "yes; they thought we was frenchies till you showed them we was friends." it was a rough but savoury meal, and wonderfully picturesque too, for the fire burned up briskly, shedding a bright light upon their hosts in their rough goatskin clothes, as they sat looking on as if pleased and amused at punch's voracity, while now the herd of goats that had scampered away into the darkness recovered from their panic and came slowly back one by one, to form a circle round the fire, where they stood, long-horned, shaggy, and full-bearded, looking in the half-light like so many satyrs of the classic times, blinking their eyes and watching the little feast as if awaiting their time to be invited to join in. "i say," said pen suddenly, "that was very thoughtful and right of you, punch, to cover over the muskets; but you had better put your jacket on again. these puffs of air that come down from the mountains blow very cold; when the fire flames up it seems to burn one cheek, while the wind blows on the other and feels quite icy. there's no chance of any damp making the locks rusty. put on your jacket, lad; put on your jacket." "that i don't," said the boy, in a half-whisper. "who thought anything about dew or damp?" "why, you did." "not likely, with the guns so close to the fire. did you think i meant that?" "why, of course." "nonsense! i didn't want these spaniels to take notice of them." "i don't understand you, punch." "why, didn't you tell them we was english?" "of course." "and at the same time," said punch, "put a couple of french muskets down before them, and us with french belts and cartridge-boxes on us all the time?" "oh, they wouldn't have noticed that." "i don't know," said punch. "these are rough-looking chaps, but they are not fools; and the french have knocked them about so that they hate them and feel ready to give them the knife at the slightest chance." "well, there's no harm in being particular, punch; but i don't think they will doubt us." "well, i don't doubt them," said punch. "what a jolly supper! i feel just like a new man. but won't it be a pity to leave here and go on the march again? you know, i can't help it, comrade; i shall begin thinking about the wolves again as soon as we start off into the darkness. hadn't we better lie down here and go to sleep till daylight?" "i don't know," said pen thoughtfully. "these men have been very friendly to us, but we are quite strangers, and if they doubt our being what we said ours would be a very awkward position if we went off to sleep. could you go off to sleep and trust them?" "deal sooner trust them than the wolves, comrade," said punch, yawning violently, an act which was so infectious that it made his companion yawn too. "how tiresome!" he exclaimed, "you make me sleepy, and if we don't jump up and start at once we shall never get off." "well then, don't," said punch appealingly. "let's risk it, comrade. these two wouldn't be such brutes as to use their knives on us when we were asleep. look here! what do they mean now?" for the two goat-herds came and patted them on the shoulders and signed to them to get up and follow. "why, they want us to go along with them, comrade," said the boy, picking up the two muskets. "here, ketch hold, in case they mean mischief. why, they don't want to take us into the dark so that the goats shouldn't see the murder, do they?" "i am going to do what you suggested, punch," replied pen, "risk it," and he followed their two hosts to the rough-looking stone shelter which kept off the wind and reflected the warmth of the fire. here they drew out a couple of tightly rolled-up skin-rugs, and made signs that the lads should take them. no words were spoken, the men's intention was plainly enough expressed; and a very short time afterwards each lad was lying down in the angle of the rough wall, snugly rolled in his skin-rug, with a french musket for companion; and to both it seemed as if only a few minutes had elapsed before they were gazing across a beautiful valley where mists were rising, wreath after wreath of half-transparent vapour, shot with many colours by the rays of the rising sun. chapter forty one. boots or booty? "there, punch," said pen, rising; "you didn't dream, did you, that our friends crept up with their knives in the night to make an end of you?" "no," cried the boy excitedly, as he turned to gaze after the men, who were some little distance away amongst the goats, "i didn't dream it. it was real. first one of them and then the other did come with his knife in his hand; but i cocked my musket, and they sneaked off again and pretended that they wanted to see to the fire." "and what then?" said pen. "well, there wasn't no what then," replied the boy, "and i must have gone to sleep." "that was all a dream, i believe, punch; and i suppose you had another dream or two about the wolves?" "yes, that was a dream. yes, it must have been. no, it was more a bit of fancy, for i half-woke up and saw the fire shining on a whole drove of the savage beasts; but i soon made out that they weren't wolves, because wolves don't have horns. so it was the goats. i say, look here. those two chaps have been milking. they don't mean it for us, do they?" the coming of the two goat-herds soon proved that they were hospitably bent, and the lads agreed between themselves that there were far worse breakfasts than black-bread cake and warm goat's-milk. this ended, a difficult task had to be mastered, and that was to try and obtain information such as would enable the two questioners to learn the whereabouts of the british troops. but it proved to be easier than might have been supposed. to pen's surprise he learned all he wanted by the use of three words--_soldado, frances_, and _ingles_--with the addition of a good deal of gesticulation. for, their breakfast ended, the two lads stood with their hosts, and pen patted his own breast and that of his companion, and then touched their muskets and belts. "_soldado_," he said. "_soldado_." the fiercer-looking of the two goat-herds caught his meaning directly, and touched them both in turn upon the breast before repeating the word _soldado_ (soldier). "that's all right, punch," said pen. "i have made him understand that we are soldiers." "tchah!" said punch scornfully. "these spaniels ain't fools. they knowed that without you telling them." "never mind," said pen. "let me have my own way, unless you would like to do it." "no, thank you," replied the boy, shrinking back, while pen now turned and pointed in the direction where he believed the french troops lay. "_soldado frances_?" he said in a questioning tone; and the man nodded quickly, caught hold of the lad's pointing arm, and pressed it a little to one side, as if to show him that he had not quite located their enemies correctly. "_soldado frances_!" he said, showing his white teeth in a smile; and then his face changed and he drew his knife. "_soldado frances_," he said fiercely. pen nodded, and signed to the man to replace his knife. "so far, so good, punch," said pen. "i don't know how we are going to get on about the next question." but again the task proved perfectly easy, for, laying his hand upon the goat-herd's arm, he repeated the words "_soldado ingles_." "_si_," said the man directly; and he patted the lad on his shoulder. "_soldado ingles_." "yes, that's all right," said pen; "but, now then, look here," and pointing with his hand to a spot higher up the mountain, he repeated the two spanish words with a questioning tone: "_soldado ingles_?" the man looked at him blankly, and pen pointed in another direction, repeating his question, and then again away down a far-reaching valley lying westward of where they stood. and now the spaniard's face lit up as if he fully grasped the meaning of the question. "_si, si, si_!" he cried, nodding quickly and pointing right away into the distant valley. "_soldado ingles! soldado ingles_!" he cried. "_muchos_, _muchos_." and then, thoroughly following the meaning of the lad's questions, he cried excitedly, as he pointed away down the valley, where an occasional flash of light suggested the presence of a river, "_soldado ingles, muchos, muchos_." and then he tapped the musket and belts and repeated his words again and again as he pointed away into the distance. "_bravo amigo_!" cried pen.--"there, punch, i don't think there's a doubt of it. the british forces lie somewhere over there." "then if the british forces lie over there," cried punch, almost pompously, "that's where the --th lies, for they always go first. why, we shall be at home again to-night if we have luck. my word, won't the chaps give us a hooroar when we march into camp? for, of course, they think we are dead! you listen what old o'grady says. you see if he don't say, `well done, me boys! ye are welkim as the flures of may.' i say, ask him how many miles it is to where our fellows lie." "no, punch, you do it." "no, i ain't going to try." "well, look here; these men have been very good to us, and we ought to show that we are grateful. how is it to be done?" "i don't know," said punch. "we ain't got no money, have we?" "not a _peseta_, punch. but i tell you what will please them. you must give them your knife." "give them my knife! likely! why, it's the best bit of stuff that was ever made. i wouldn't take a hundred pounds for it." "well, no one will offer it to you, punch, and you are not asked to sell it. i ask you to give it to them to pay for what they have done for us." "but give my knife! i wouldn't.--oh, well, all right. you know best, and if you think we ought to give it to them, there you are.--good-bye, old sharper! i am very sorry to part with you all the same." "never mind, punch. i'll give you a better one some day." "some day never comes," said the boy grumpily. "but i know you will if you can." pen took the knife, and, eager to get the matter over, he stepped to where the bigger goat-herd stood watching them, and opened and shut the big clasp-knife, picked up a piece of wood, and showed how keen the blade was, the man watching him curiously the while; and then pen closed it and placed it in the man's hand. the spaniard looked at him curiously for a moment, as if not quite grasping his meaning. "_por usted_," said pen; and the man nodded and smiled, but shook his head and gave him the knife back. "hooroar! he won't have it," cried punch. pen pressed it upon the man again, and punch groaned; but the man rejected it, once more thrusting the knife back with both hands, and then laughingly pointed down to pen's boots. "what does he mean by that, punch?" cried pen. "haw, haw, haw, haw!" laughed the boy. "he wants you to give him your boots." "nonsense!" "here, give us hold of my knife. hooroar! sharper, i have got you again! but he sha'n't have your boots; he shall have mine, and welcome.--look here, my cock spaniel," continued the boy excitedly, as he pocketed his knife, and dropping himself on the ground he began to unfasten his boots. but the man shook his head and signed to him that they would not do, pointing again and again to pen's. "no, no; you can't have them. these are better. you can have them and welcome." but there was a difference of opinion, the spaniard persisting in his demand for the pair that had taken his fancy. "here, i didn't think he was such a fool," cried punch. "these are the best;" and the boy thrust off his boots and held them out to the man, who still shook his head violently. "no, no, punch," said pen, who had quickly followed his companion's example; and he drew off his own boots and held them to the man, who seized them joyfully, showing them with a look of triumph to his fellow. "there, put yours on again, punch." "not me," said the boy. "think i'm going to tramp in boots and let you tramp over the rocks barefoot? blest if i do; so there! here, you put them on." "not i," said pen. "i don't believe they would fit me." "yes, they would. i do know that. you are years older than i am, but my feet's quite as big as yours; so now then. i tried yours when you was asleep one night, and they fitted me exactly, so of course these 'ere will fit you. here, catch hold." pen turned away so decisively that the boy stood scowling; but a thought struck him, and with a look of triumph he turned to the younger of the two goat-herds. "here you are, cocky," he cried; and to the man's keen delight punch thrust the pair of boots into his hands and gave him a hearty slap on the back. "it's all right, comrade," cried the boy. "foots soon gets hard when you ain't got no shoes. nature soles and heels them with her own leather. lots of our chaps have chucked their boots away, and don't mind a bit. there was plenty of foots in the world, me boy, before there was any brogues. i heered o'grady say that one day to one of our chaps who had had his boots stolen. i say, what are they going to do?" this soon became evident, for the elder goat-herd, on seeing that the lads were about to start in the direction of the valley, pressed upon pen a goatskin-bag which he took from a corner of the shelter, its contents being a couple of bread-cakes, a piece of cheese like dried brown leather, about a dozen onions, and the horn of salt. "come along, punch," cried pen cheerily. "they have given us a _quid pro quo_ at all events." "have they?" cried punch eagerly. "take care of it then. i have often longed for a bit when i felt so horribly hungry. old o'grady told me over and over again that a chew of 'bacco is splendid when you ain't got nothing to eat; so we will just try." "what are you talking about?" said pen, as they marched along the mountain-slope like some one of old who "went delicately," for the way was stony, and nature had not had time to commence the promised soleing and heeling process. "what was i talking about? you said they'd slipped some 'bacco into the bag." "nonsense!" cried pen. "i swear you did. you said quid something." "i said a few latin words that sounded like it." "well, look ye here, comrade; don't do it again. latin was all very well for that old _padre_--good old chap! bless his bald head! regular trump he was! and parlyvooing was all very well for mr contrabando; but plain english for bob punchard, sivvy play, as we say in french." chapter forty two. friend and enemy. the two lads started off light-hearted and hopeful, for if they could trust the goat-herds, whose information seemed to be perfectly correct, a day's journey downward to the river in the valley, though seeming far distant, must bring them pretty near the goal they sought--in other words, the headquarters of the army that had crossed over from portugal into spain to drive back the french usurper, the task having been given to england's most trusted general, wellesley, who was in time to come always to be better known as wellington. thanks to the goat-herds, the lads were well provisioned for a day; but at the same time, and again thanks to their hosts of the past night, they were sadly crippled for their task. it was not long before they began to feel how badly they were equipped, for the principal production of the part of the country they traversed seemed to be stones, from the smallest sharp-cornered pebble up to huge blocks half the size of a house. but for hours they trudged on sturdily, chatting cheerfully at first, then growing silent, and then making remarks which were started by punch. "say, comrade," he said, "is spain what they call a civilised country?" "yes, and one of the most famous in europe; at least, it used to be." "ah, used to be!" said punch sharply. "used. 'tain't now. i don't call a place civilised where they have got roads like this." "yes, it is rough," said pen. "rough! rough ain't the word for it," grumbled punch. "if we go on much farther like this i shall wear my feet to the bone. ain't it time we sat down and had a bit of dinner?" "no," replied pen. "we will sit down and rest if you like, but we must try and husband our provisions so as to make them last over till to-morrow night." "what's to-morrow night got to do with it? we ought to be along with the british army by to-night; and what's husbands got to do with it? we are not going to share our prog with anybody else, and if it's husbands, how do we know they won't bring their wives? bother! you will be telling me they are going to bring all their kids next." "is that meant for a joke, punch? let's go a little farther first. come along, step out." "step out indeed!" grumbled the boy. "i stepped out first thing--right out of my boots. i say, comrade, oughtn't the soles of our feet to begin to get hard by now?" "don't talk about it, punch." "oh, you can feel it too? if it's like this now, what's it going to be by to-night? i did not know that it was going to be so bad. if i had, blest if that goat-stalker should have had my boots! i'd have kept them, and shared them--one apiece--and every now and then we could have changed foots. it would have been better then, wouldn't it?" "i don't know, punch. don't think about it. let's go on till we get to the first spring, and then rest and bathe our feet." "all right." the boys kept on their painful walk for another hour; and then, the spring being found, they rested and bathed their tender soles, partook of a portion of their provisions, and went on again. that night the river seemed to be as far off as ever, and as they settled upon a sheltered spot for their night's rest, and ate their spare supper, punch hazarded the remark that they shouldn't overtake the army the next day. pen was more hopeful, and that night they fell asleep directly, with punch quite forgetful of the wolves. the morning found the travellers better prepared for the continuance of their journey, and they toiled on painfully, slept for another night in a patch of forest, and started off at the first blink of dawn so as to reach the river, which was now flowing swiftly westward on their left. their provisions were finished, all but a scrap of the bread which was so hard that they were glad to soak it in the river; but in spite of their pain they walked on more bravely, their sufferings being alleviated by the water, which was now always on their left, and down to whose bubbling surface they descended from time to time. "i say," said punch, all at once, "i hope those chaps were right, because we have come a long way, and i can't see no sign of the army. you must have patience, punch." "all right; but it's nearly all used up. i say, look here, do you think the army will be this side of the river?" "can't say, punch.--i hope so." "but suppose it's the other side. how are you going to get across? are we likely to come to a town and a bridge?" "no; we are too far away up in the mountains. but i dare say we shall be able to find a ford where we can cross." "oh!" said punch thoughtfully; and they journeyed on, beginning to suffer now from hunger in addition to weariness and pain; and just about midday, when the heat of the sun was beating down strongly in the river valley, punch limped off painfully to where an oak-tree spread its shady boughs, and threw himself prone. "it's all up, comrade," he said. "can't go no farther." "no, no; don't give way," said pen, who felt painfully disposed to follow his companion's example. "get well into the shade and have a few hours' sleep. it will be cooler by-and-by, and we shall get on better after a rest. there, try and go to sleep." "who's to sleep with a pair of red-hot feet and an empty cupboard? i can't," said punch. and he took hold of his ankles, drew them up, and sat chinese-tumbler fashion, rocking himself to and fro; while with a weary sigh pen sank down beside him and sat gazing into the sunny distance. "couldn't we get over to the other side?" said punch at last. "it's all rocks and stones and rough going this side, and all green and meadowlike over the other. can you swim?" "yes, pretty well," said pen; "but i should be too tired to try." "so can i, pretty tidy. i am tired, but not too tired to try. let's just rest a bit, and then swim across. it runs pretty fast, but 'tain't far, and if it carried us some way down, all the better." "very well, after a bit i don't mind if we try," said pen; "but i must rest first." then the boys were silent for a time, for punch, whose eyes were wandering as he scanned the distance of the verdant undulating slope on the other side of the river, suddenly burst out with: "yes, we had better get across, for our chaps are sure to be on the other side of the river." "why?" said pen drowsily. "'cause we are this. soldiering always seems to be going by the rules of contrary; and--there!" cried the boy excitedly, "what did i tell you? there they are!" "what, our men? where?" cried pen excitedly. "right over yonder, a mile away." "i can see nothing." "you don't half look," cried punch angrily, bending forward, nursing his tender feet and staring wildly into the distance. "i ketched sight of a bit of scarlet ever so far off, and that must mean bri'sh soldiers." "no; it might be something painted red--or a patch of poppies perhaps." "oh, go it!" cried punch angrily. "you will say next it is a jerrynium in a red pot, same as my mother always used to have in her window. it's red-coats, i tell you. there, can't you see them?" "no." "tchah! you are not looking right. look yonder--about a mile away from the top of that hill just to the right of that bit of a wood. now, do you see?" "no," said pen slowly. "yes, i do--men marching. do you see that flash in the sunlight. bayonets! punch, you are right!" "ah!" said the boy. "now then, what do you say to a swim across?" "yes, i am ready," said pen. "how far is it, do you think?" "about a hundred yards," replied the boy. "oh, we ought to do that easy. you see, it will be only paddle at first, and then wade till you get up to your chest, and then swim. perhaps we sha'n't have to swim at all. rough rivers like this are always shallow. when you are ready i am. we sha'n't have to take off our shoes and stockings; and if we get very wet, well, we can wring our clothes, and they will soon dry in the sun. look sharp and give the word. i am ready for anything with the british army in sight." there was no hesitation now. the lads took the precaution of securing their cartouche-boxes between the muzzle of their pieces and the ramrod; and, keeping the muskets still slung so that at any moment they could let them drop loose to hang from the shoulder, they stepped carefully down amongst the stones until the pleasantly cool water began to foam above their feet, and then waded carefully on till they were knee-deep and began to feel the pressure of the water against their legs. "ain't going to be deep," said punch cheerily. "don't it feel nice to your toddlers? how fast it runs, though! why, if it was deep enough to swim in it would carry you along faster than you could walk. it strikes me that we shall get across without having it up to one's waistbelt." the boy seemed pretty correct in his judgment, for as they carefully waded on--carefully, for the bottom was very uneven--they were nearly half across, and still the water was not so deep as the boy had prophesied. "there! what did i tell you?" he said; and then with his next step he caught at his companion's hand and went down to his chin. the result was that pen lost his balance, and the pair, half-struggling, half-swimming for about a dozen yards, were carried swiftly along to where a patch of rock showed itself in mid-stream with the water foaming all around. they were swept right round against the rocks, and found bottom directly, struggling up, with the swift stream only now to their knees. "what a hole!" cried pen, panting a little with his exertions. "i say, you must take care, punch." "oh yes, i will take care," said the boy, puffing and choking. "i don't know how much water i have swallowed. but it's all shallow now, and we are half-over. how about your cartridges? mine's all wet." "then i suppose mine are too," said pen. "never mind," cried punch cheerfully. "perhaps they will be all right if we lay them out to dry in the sun. now then, are you ready? it looks as if it will be all shallow the rest of the way." "i sha'n't trust it," said pen, "so let's keep hold of hands." they started again, yielding a little to the stream, and wading diagonally for the bank on punch's left, but making very slow progress, for pen noted that the water, which was rough and shallow where they were, seemed to flow calmly and swiftly onward a short distance away, and was evidently deep. "steady! steady!" cried pen, hanging away a little towards the bank from which they had started. "all right; i am steady enough, only one can't do as one likes. it's just as if all the water was pushing behind. ah! look out, comrade!" pen was already looking out, and he had need, for once more his companion had stepped as it were off a shelf into deep water, and the next moment, still grasping punch's hand with all his might, he was striking out; and then together they were being borne rapidly down by the stream. chapter forty three. fresh comrades. pen never could quite settle in his own mind how it all happened. he was conscious of the rush of water and the foam bubbling against his lips, while he clung tightly to his companion till they were swept against rocks, borne into eddies, whirled round now beneath the surface, now gasping for breath as darkness was turned into light; then feeling as if they were being dragged over rough pieces of rock that were slimy with weed as he caught at them with one hand, and then, still clinging to punch, who clung to him, they were being carried slowly over a shallow patch where the water raced beside their ears, till at last he struggled out, half-blind and dizzy, to find himself alone, with the sun beating hotly upon his head. he was giddy, breathless, confused in his excitement, as he pressed the water from his eyes; and then he uttered a cry, for about twenty yards from where he stood, with the water barely up to his ankles, he could see punch lying upon his face, gradually gliding away towards the spot where the stream was beginning to run smooth and deep. he could recall this part of his adventure, though, well enough: how he staggered and splashed to the place, where he could catch hold of the boy, and turn him over before getting hold of his belt and dragging him right out of the river on to the sandy bank where it was hot and dry. and then he could recall how a great despair came upon him, and he knelt helplessly gazing down at his comrade, with the horrible feeling upon him that he was dead. then all was misty again. the river was running onward with a swift rush towards its mouth, and he was conscious that he was safe upon the bank from which he had started. then he knew that he must have swooned away, and lay, for how long he could not tell; but the next thing that he remembered clearly was that he opened his eyes to see punch bending over him and rocking him to and fro according to the drill instructions they had both learned as to how to deal with a fellow-soldier who has been half-drowned. "oh, punch," he cried, in a voice that sounded to him like a hoarse whisper, "i thought you were dead!" the boy was blubbering as if his heart would break, and it was some moments before he half-sobbed and half-whimpered out, "why, you couldn't have done that, because it's what i was thinking about you. but, i say, comrade, you are all right, aren't you?" "i--i suppose so," gasped pen. "oh, don't talk like that," sobbed the boy. "this 'ere's the worst of all. do say as you are coming round. why, you must be, or else you couldn't talk. but, i say, did you save me, or did i save you? blest if i know! and here we are on the wrong side after all! what's to be done now?" "wring our clothes, i suppose, punch," said pen wearily, "or lie down and rest without." "well, i feel as if i should like to do that," said punch. "this 'ere sand is hot and dry enough to make us steam. i say, comrade," he continued, wiping his eyes and speaking in a piteous tone, "don't you take no notice of me and the water squeezing out of my eyes. i am so full of it that it's running out. but we are all right, comrade. i was beginning to think you had gone and left me all alone. but i say, this 'ere's a nice place, this spain! here, what's the matter with you?" continued punch excitedly. "don't turn like that, choking and pynting. oh, this 'ere's worse still! he's in a blessed fit!" he had seized pen by the shoulders now, and began shaking him violently, till pen began to struggle with him, forced him aside, and then pointing across the river, he gasped out, "cavalry! look, look!" the boy swung himself round, one hand felt for his musket, the other at his belt, where the bayonet should have been, for the word cavalry suggested to him preparations for receiving a charge. then, following the direction of his companion's pointing hand, he fully grasped what was meant, for coming down the slope across the river were a couple of english light dragoons, who had caught sight of the two figures on the opposite bank. the men were approaching cautiously, each with his carbine at the ready, and for the moment it seemed as if the vedette were about to place the lives of the two lads in fresh peril. but as they drew nearer the boys rose and shouted; though the rushing noise of the river drowned their words. as the boys continued to gesticulate, the men began to grasp the fact that they had been in the water, and what they were, for one of them began pointing along the stream and waving his hand, as he shouted again and again. "can't--understand--what--you--say!" yelled punch; and then putting his hand to his lips, he shouted with all his might, "english! help!" the word "help" evidently reached the ears of one of the dragoons, for, rising in his stirrups, he waved the hand that held his carbine and pointed downstream, yelling out something again. "i don't know, comrade," cried punch dolefully. "i think it was `come on!'" "i know now," cried pen. "it was `ford.'" then the drenched, exhausted pair staggered on over the dry sand, which suggested that at times the river must be twice its present width; and the vedette guided their horses carefully on amongst the stones of the farther bank, till, a few hundred yards lower down, where the river was clear of obstructions and ran swiftly on in a regular ripple, the two horses turned right and paced gently down into the water, which, half-way to their knees, splashed up as they made for the opposite bank, which the lads reached at the same time as the vedette. "why, hallo, my lads! we couldn't make out what you were. the --th, aren't you?" "yes." "what! have you been in the river?" "yes, tried to cross--'most drowned," said punch hoarsely. "you should have come down to this ford. where are you for?" "our corps, when we can find it," said pen. "oh, that's all right; about two miles away. come on." "not me!" said punch sturdily. "i have had enough of it." "what do you mean?" said the other dragoon who had not spoken. "afraid to cross?" "yes, that's it," said punch. "so would you be if you had had my dose. i'm nearly full of water now." "well, you look it," said the first dragoon, laughing. "here, take hold of our stirrup-leathers. we will take you across all right." punch hesitated. "shall we risk it, comrade?" he said. "yes, of course." and punch limped painfully to the side of the second dragoon, while pen took hold of the stirrup-leather of the first. "here, i say, this won't do," said the man, as their horses' hoofs sank in the hot, dry sand of the other side. "why, you are both regularly knocked up.--dismount!" he cried, and he and his companion dropped from their saddles. "there, my lads, mount. you can ride the rest of the way. hallo! limping?" he continued. "what does that mean? footsore, or a wound?" "wound," said pen quietly. "my comrade, there, has been worse than i. how far do you say it is to the camp?" "a couple of miles; but we will see you there safe. how have you been off for rations?" pen told him, and an end was put to their famishing state by a surprise of the dragoons' haversacks. about half an hour later the led horses entered the camp, and the boy's hearts were gladdened by the cheery notes of a cavalry call. "ah," whispered punch, as he leaned over from his seat in the saddle to whisper to pen, "that seems to do a fellow's heart good, comrade. but 'tain't so good as a bugle. if i could hear that again i should be just myself." chapter forty four. before the aquiline. three days in the english camp, and the two lads had pretty well recovered; but they were greatly disappointed to find that during the absence of the dragoons on vedette duty the --th and another regiment had been despatched for a reconnoitring expedition, so that the lads had encountered no old friends. "well, i suppose we oughtn't to grumble, comrade," said punch, "for every one makes no end of a fuss over us, and are always beginning to ask questions and set one telling them about all we did after we were left behind." "yes; i am rather tired of it," said pen. "i shall be only too glad when we are able to join the regiment." "oh, i shall be glad enough," said punch. "i want to see old o'grady, me boy; and, i say, do you think, if i was to make a sort of petition like, the colonel would put me in one of the companies now? of course i used to be proud enough of being bugler, but i want to be full private." "well, you have only got to wait till you get bigger," said pen, smiling. "bother bigger!" cried the boy. "why, i am growing fast, and last time i was measured i was only an inch shorter than the little chap we have got; and what difference does an inch make when a fellow can carry a rifle and can use it? you can't say that i ain't able, though it was only a musket." "no, punch; there isn't a man in the regiment could have done better than you did." "there, then!" cried the boy, with his eyes sparkling. "then i'm sure if you would speak up and say all that to the colonel he would let me go into one of the companies. i want to be in yours, but i would wait for my chance if they would only make me a full private at once." the boys were sitting talking together when an infantry sergeant came up and said, "here, youngsters, don't go away. smarten yourselves up a bit. you are to come with me to the officers' tent. i will be back in about ten minutes." the sergeant went off in his quick, business-like way, and punch began to grumble. "who's to smarten himself up," he cried petulantly, "when his uniform is all nohow and he's got no proper boots? these old uns they've give me don't fit, and they will be all to pieces directly; and yours ain't much better. i suppose they are going to question us again about where we have been and what we have done." "yes," said pen wearily, "and i am rather tired of it. it's like making a show of us." "oh, well, it don't hurt. they like to hear, and i dare say the officers will give orders that we are to have something to eat and drink." "punch, you think of nothing but eating and drinking," said pen again. "well, after being starved as we have, ain't it enough to make anybody think that a little more wouldn't do them any harm? hallo, he's soon back!" for he caught sight of the sergeant coming. "now, boys," he said, "ready?" "yes," said pen; and the keen-looking non-com looked both of them over in turn. "that the best you can do for yourselves?" he said sourly. "well, i suppose it is. you are clean, and you look as if you had been at work. you, punchard, can't you let those trousers down a little lower?" "no, sir; i did try last night. they have run up through being in the river when we were half-drowned." "humph! perhaps," said the sergeant. "i believe it was the growing so much." punch turned sharply to his comrade and gave him a wink, as much as to say, "hear that?" "now then, forward!" said the sergeant. "and look here, put on your best manners, boys. you are going before some of the biggest officers, so mind your p's and q's." a few minutes later the sergeant stopped short at the largest tent in the camp, stated his business to the sentry who was marching to and fro before a flag, and after waiting a few minutes a subaltern came out, spoke to the sergeant, and then told the boys to follow him. directly after, the pair were ushered into the presence of half-a-dozen officers in undress uniform, one of whom, a keen-looking, aquiline-nosed man, gave them in turn a sharp, searching look, which punch afterwards said went right through him and came back again. he then turned to a grey-haired officer and said shortly, "go on. i will listen." the grey-haired officer nodded and then turned to the two lads. "look here, boys," he said, "we have heard something about your adventures while you were away from your regiment. now, stories grow in telling, like snowballs. do you understand?" "oh yes, sir," said punch, "i know that;" and, apparently not in the slightest degree abashed by the presence in which he found himself, the boy eagerly scanned each officer in turn, before examining every item within the tent, and then letting his eyes wander out through the open doorway. "and you, my lad?" continued the officer, for pen had remained silent. "yes, sir," said the lad quietly. "well," said the officer, "we want the plain, simple account of where you have been, without any exaggeration, for i am afraid one of you--i don't know which, but i dare say i shall make a very shrewd guess before we have done--has been dressing up your adventures with rather a free hand." "i beg your pardon, sir," said pen quietly, "my comrade here, punchard, has told nothing but the simple truth, and i have only answered questions without the slightest exaggeration." "without the slightest exaggeration?" said the officer, looking searchingly at pen, and there was a touch of irony in his tone. "well, that is what i want from you now." pen coloured and remained silent while the officer asked a question or two of punch, but soon turned to the elder lad, who, warming as he went on, briefly and succinctly related the main points of what they had gone through. "very well said! well spoken, my lad," said the aquiline-nosed officer; and pen started, for, warming in his narration, pen had almost forgotten his presence. "how long have you been a private in the --th?" "a year, sir." "where were you before you enlisted?" "at blankton house school." "oh, i thought they called that college." "yes, sir, they do," said pen, smiling; "but it is only a preparation place." "yes, for the sons of gentlemen making ready for the army?" "yes, sir." "and how come you to be a private in his majesty's rifle-regiment?" pen was silent. "speak out, comrade," put in punch. "there ain't nothing to be ashamed of." "silence, sir!" cried the officer. "let your comrade speak for himself." then turning to pen, "your comrade says there was nothing to be ashamed of." "there is not, sir," said pen gravely. "well, then, keep nothing back." "it was this way, sir," said pen. "i was educated to be an officer, and then by a death in my family all my hopes were set aside, and i was placed in a lawyer's office to become a clerk. i couldn't bear it, sir." "and you ran away?" "no, sir. i appealed again and again for leave to return to my school and finish my education. my relative refused to listen to me, and i suppose i did wrong, for i went straight to where they were recruiting for the rifle-regiment, and the sergeant took me at once." "h'm!" said the officer, looking searchingly in the lad's eyes. "how came you to join so quiet-looking a regiment?" pen smiled rather bitterly. "it was because my relative, sir, always threw it in my teeth that it was for the sake of the scarlet uniform that i wanted to join the army." "h'm!" said the officer. "now, look here, my lad; i presume you have had your eyes about you during the time that you were a prisoner, when you were escaping, and when you were with the _contrabandista_ and had that adventure with the spanish gentleman whom you suppose to be the king. by the way, why did you suppose that he was the king?" "from the behaviour of his followers, sir, and from what i learned from the smuggler chief." "h'm. he was a spaniard, of course?" "yes, sir." "do you speak spanish?" "no, sir. we conversed in french." "do you speak french fluently?" "pretty easily, sir; but i am afraid my accent is atrocious." "but you should hear him talk latin, sir!" cried punch eagerly. "silence, boy!" snapped out the grey-haired officer; and the chief gave him a look and a smile. "well, he can, sir; that's quite true," cried punch angrily. "he talked to the old father, the _padre_, who was a regular friend to us." "silence, boy!" said the aquiline-nosed officer sternly now. "your comrade can say what he has to say modestly and well. that is a thing you cannot do, so do not interrupt again." "all right, sir. no, sir; beg pardon," said punch. "well," continued the officer, looking keenly and searchingly at pen, "you should have been able to carry in your mind a pretty good idea of the country you have passed through." "he can, sir," cried punch. "he has got it all in his head like a map." "my good boy," said the officer, biting his lip to add to the severity of his aspect, "if you interrupt again you will be placed under arrest." punch closed his lips so tightly that they formed a thin pink line right across the bottom of his face. "now, private gray, do you think that you do carry within your recollection a pretty good idea of the face of the country; or to put it more simply and plainly, do you think you could guide a regiment through the passes of this wild country and lead them safely to where you left the french encamped?" "i have not a doubt but that i could, sir." "in the dark?" "it would be rather harder in the dark, sir," replied pen, "but i feel confident that i could." "may i take it that you are willing to try?" "i am the king's servant, sir, and i will do my best." "that's enough," said the chief. "you can return to your quarters and hold yourself in readiness to do what i propose, and if you do this successfully--" the speaker stopped short, and pen took a step towards him. "what were you going to say?" said the officer. "let me try first, sir," said the lad, with his pale face, worn by what he had gone through of late, flushing up with excitement. "that will do," said the officer, "only be ready for your duty at any moment.--well, what do you wish to say?" pen stretched out his hand and laid it upon punch's shoulder, for the boy had been moving his lips almost continuously during the latter part of the conversation, and in addition making hideous grimaces as if he were in pain. "only this, sir," said pen; "my companion here went through all that i did. he was keenly observant, and would be of great assistance to me if at any turn i were in doubt." "then you would like to have him with you?" "yes, sir." "and you feel that you could trust him?" "oh yes, sir," replied pen. and the boys' eyes met--their hands too, for punch with his lips still pressed together took a step forward and caught pen by the hand and wrist. "take him with you, then," said the officer. "oh, thank--hooray! hooray!" cried punch, wildly excited now, for he had caught the tramp of men and seen that which made him dash towards the open tent-door. "bring back that boy!" cried the officer; and the sergeant, who was waiting outside, arrested punch and brought him before the group of officers. "how dare you, sir!" cried the chief wrathfully. "you are not to be trusted. i rescind that permission i was about to give." "oh, don't do that, sir! 'tain't fair!" cried the boy. "i couldn't help it, sir. it was our fellows, sir, marching into camp--the --th, sir--rifles, sir. ain't seen them, sir, since i was shot down. don't be hard on a fellow, sir! so glad to see them, sir. you might have done the same. i only wanted to give them a cheer." "then go out and cheer them, sir," said the officer, frowning severely, but with a twinkle of mirth in his eye.--"there, pen gray, you know your duty. it is an important one, and i have given it to you in the full belief that you will well serve your country and your king." chapter forty five. no more bugling. that same night not only a regiment but a very strong brigade of the british army marched upon the important service that was in hand. they marched only by night, and under pen's guidance the french forces that had been besieging the old mine were utterly routed. this happened at a time when provisions were failing, and the _contrabandista_ captain saw nothing before him but surrender, for he had found to his dismay that the adit through which he had hoped to lead the spanish monarch to safety had been blocked by the treacherous action of some follower--by whom, he could not tell, though he guessed that it was a question of bribery. there was nothing for it but to die in defence of his monarch, and this they were prepared to do; but no further fierce fighting had taken place, for the french general, after securing every exit by the aid of his reinforcements, felt satisfied that he had only to wait for either surrender or the dash out by a forlorn hope, ready to die sword in hand. then came shortly what was to him a thorough surprise, and the routing of his forces by the british troops in an encounter which laid open a large tract of country and proved to be one of the greatest successes of sir arthur wellesley's campaign. the natural sequence was a meeting in the english general's tent, where the king was being entertained by the general himself. here he expressed a desire to see again the brave young english youth to whom he owed so much, for he had learned the part pen gray had taken in his rescue. it was one afternoon of such a day as well made the peninsula deserve the name of sunny spain that the --th rifles were on duty ready to perform their task of acting as escort to the dethroned spanish monarch on his way back to his capital; and to the surprise of pen a message was brought to him to come with his companion to the general's tent. here he was received by the king in person, and with a few earnest thanks for all he had done, the monarch presented him with a ring which he took from his finger. he followed this up by taking his watch and chain and presenting them to punch, who took them in speechless wonder, looked from one to the other, and then whispered to pen, "he means this for you." the general heard his words, and said quietly, "no, my lad; keep your present. your friend and companion has yet to be paid for the modest and brave way in which he performed his duties in guiding our force.-- private gray, his majesty here is in full agreement with that which i am about to do. it is this--which is quite within my powers as general of his britannic majesty's forces. in exceptional cases promotion is given to young soldiers for bravery in the field. i have great pleasure in presenting you with your commission. ensign gray, i hope that some day i may call you captain. the way is open to you now. i wish you every success." "oh, i say!" cried punch, as soon as they were alone. the boy could say no more, for he was half-choking with emotion. but within an hour he was with pen again bursting with news and ready to announce, "no more bugling! hooray! i am the youngest full private in our corps!" the end. our soldier boy, by george manville fenn. ________________________________________________________________________ well, this certainly is a departure from the usual fenn style. suspense as always there certainly is, but the intended audience is much younger than his usual teenager one. the date is the peninsular war, in portugal. a british family of merchants in portugal are unaware of the intensity of the nearby fighting in the vicinity. they are at their country home, and go out for a few minutes, leaving their eight-year old son with the servants. the french attack, slay the servants, and leave the child with a severe injury to the head. later the th fusiliers come by, and the corporal sees the villa, and goes up there to see if he can get anything useful for his men to eat. he sees the slain servants, and comes across the little boy, whom he carries back to his wife, to see if she can bring him round. the boy does recover, becomes the mascot of the regiment, and eventually after a battle with the french, heroically rescues the colonel himself. the boy comes to believe that the corporal and his wife are his real parents. months go by, while the boy, who does not have the faintest memory of his real father and mother, becomes more and more the favourite of the regiment. the portuguese give a great party to celebrate the british victory, and at the ball there are present the trevors, the real father and mother of the boy. there are touching scenes as recognition dawns. so there is quite a lot of action for a short book. ________________________________________________________________________ our soldier boy, by george manville fenn. chapter one. "you, tom jones, let that pot-lid alone." it was a big brown-faced woman who said that crossly, and a big rough-looking bugler, in the uniform of the th fusiliers, with belts, buttons and facings looking very clean and bright, but the scarlet cloth ragged and stained from the rain and mud, and sleeping in it anywhere, often without shelter, who dropped the lid as if it were hot and shut in the steam once more, as the iron pot bubbled away where it hung from three sticks, over a wood fire. it was in a lovely part of portugal, and the regiment was halting among the mountains after a long weary tramp; fires had been lit for cooking, and the men were lying and sitting about, sleeping, cleaning their firelocks, pipeclaying their belts, and trying to make themselves look as smart as they could considering that they were all more or less ragged and torn after a fortnight's tramp in all weathers in pursuit of a portion of the french army which had been always a few hours ahead. but it was easy enough to follow their steps, for everywhere they had plundered, and destroyed; villages and pleasant homes were burned; and blackened ruins, cut-up gardens and vineyards met the soldiers' eyes wherever the enemy had been. there had been a straggling little village by the side of the mountain stream, where the th had halted at midday after their long march under a burning sun, at a spot where there was plenty of fresh water, and it was the pot over one of these cooking fires whose lid tom jones had lifted off. "on'y wanted to smell what was for dinner," he said. "what have you got, mother beane?" "never you mind. rare ohs for meddlers, and pump-handle sauce, perhaps; and look here, you sir, you come when we halt to-night and i'll mend some of them rags. you're a disgrace." "ain't worse than the rest of the fellows," said tom, grinning. "the colonel's horse went down 's morn'." "oh, dear, dear!" cried the woman excitedly; "is he hurt?" "broke both his knees, and bled ever so." "the colonel?" "now-w-w! his horse. colonel only went sliding down 'mong the stones, and ripped his jacket sleeve right up." "oh, that's a blessing," said the woman. "you go to him when we camp, and say mrs corp'ral beane's dooty and she's got a needle and silk ready, and may she mend his jacket." "all right, but you might tell us what's for dinner." "wait and see. and why don't you go and forage about and see if you can't find a bit o' fruit or some vegetables?" "'tarn't no good. old frog-soups clears everything." "yes," said the woman, with a sigh, as she re-arranged her battered old straw bonnet cocked up as if it were a hat, and took off the old scarlet uniform tail coat she wore over her very clean cotton gown, before going to the pot, wooden spoon in hand, to raise the lid and give the contents a stir round. "oh, i say, mother beane, it does smell good! what's in it?" "shoulder o' goat," said the woman. "yah! don't care much for goat," said the boy. "arn't half so good as mutton." "you must take what you can get, tom. two chickens." "why, that they ain't. i see 'em: they was an old cock and hen as we chivied into that burnt house this mornin', and corp'ral shot one, and mick toole run his bay'net through the other. reg'lar stringies." "never mind. i'm cooking 'em to make 'em taste like chicken, and it's time they were all back to mess. which way did my old man go?" "climbed up yonder. said he knowed there'd be a house up somewheres there." "and why didn't you go with him, sir?" said mrs corporal beane. "might have found a melon or some oranges." "not me," grumbled the boy. "frenchies don't leave nothing: hungry beggars. murd'rin' wermin. wish we could ketch 'em." "ah, so do i, and it makes my heart bleed to see what we do." "ah, but you wait a bit. we shall ketch 'em one o' these days." "you won't. you're too lazy." "that i ain't. i'd ha' gone foraging 's morning, and there's an old boot nail made a hole in one foot, and t'other's all blisters." "oh, my poor boy! and i haven't finished that pair of stockings i was knitting for you. look here, you go and sit down till the men come back, and bathe your feet in the stream." "did," said the boy, with a chuckle. "ah! where abouts? not above where we get our drinking water?" "course i didn't," said the boy scornfully. "i ain't a frenchy." "ahoy-y-y-y!" the hail came from high up in a woody ravine far above their heads, and the boy shaded his eyes and said excitedly--"here, look. it's joe beane, and he's found something good. got it on his shoulder." "what is it?" cried mrs beane. "a kid?" "no, it's a bag o' something. it's--no, he's hid among the trees again. it was a bag, though--looked whitish." "it's flour," cried mrs beane triumphantly. "oh, tom! we'll have cakes to-night, and you shall carry some to the officers' mess." "give us one if i do, mother beane?" "ah, pig! i never saw such a boy to eat." "well, how can i help it? i get so holler," grumbled the boy. "it's 'cause i'm growing." five minutes later a tall manly-looking soldier came down the rugged track, with his face and hands torn and bleeding, and dropped upon his knees before his astonished wife and a group of half a dozen men who hurried up. "oh, joe," cried the woman, "what have you got there?" "young shaver," panted the man. "found big house yonder, half burnt. five dead folk, and this here." "oh, joe!" cried the woman, taking her husband's burden from him, sinking upon her knees, and laying the head of a handsome little fellow of about eight against her breast, to begin rocking herself to and fro and sobbing bitterly. "oh, the wicked cruel wretches! to go and murder a poor little boy like this! look at his face! look at his hair, half burned off, and the rest all blood. oh! if you were men you'd ketch and kill some of 'em for this." a low growl arose from the soldiers around, and tom jones sniffed, drew his bugle round from where it hung at his back, and dropped two silent tears in its mouth. "you tom," cried mrs beane, "don't stand sniffing and snivelling there like a great bull calf. take the tin dipper and fetch it full of clean water. oh, joe, joe! it's too late. the poor little darling's dead." "warn't when i fun' him," said the corporal. "he'd crep' away a bit, and he moved one hand." "yes, and he's warm still," cried the woman excitedly. "here, you men, clear off. you go and serve out the mess, joe. never mind me." "but you'll want a bit o' dinner, missus; and i found two ripe melons up in the garden there, but i left 'em behind." "don't talk to me about melons and dinners," cried the woman angrily. "go and get your own, all of you; and how much longer's that boy going to be?" not many minutes before he appeared, not with the tin dipper but a whole bucketful of clear cold water, forgetting all about his sore feet; and while the men went and sat round the iron pot of savoury hotch-potch, tom jones stayed behind to help bathe and bandage the head of the handsome little fellow upon whose sunburned face more than one hot tear fell, as loving hands made him up a temporary bed of great-coats in the shade. "oh, tom, tom!" sobbed the big rough coarse woman, as she knelt there at last after doing all she could, "many's the time that i've prayed that i might have a little boy to call my own; but heaven knows best, and he might have lived to die like this." "he ain't a-going to die," said tom, sniffing again. "he is--he is; and no doctor near!" "no," said tom, with another sniff; "he's miles away, along o' them poor wounded chaps we left behind." "i can do nothing, nothing more--and he's somebody's bairn!" "yes," said the boy hoarsely, "and the frenchies killed 'em, for joe beane telled the men as the sight he see was horrid." "hush! ah, look," whispered the woman, and she bent over the poor little victim, who wailed faintly, "oh, don't--don't--ah!" then he lay silent and motionless, as his rough nurse softly laid her hand upon the fire-scorched forehead. "why, that there ain't portygeeze," whispered tom, staring. "well, old gal, what about him now?" "oh, i don't know, joe; i don't know. he just spoke a little." "poor little nipper. all right, my gal; you'll bring him round." tom had ceased sniffing and had turned to give a long stare at the men grouped round the pot, to see that they had done eating and were lighting their pipes. "might ha' arxed a pore chap to have had a bit, corporal," he said. "ay, we might, lad; but then you see we was all so hungry we mightn't, and you're only a boy." "yes, that's it," grumbled tom, wrenching his bugle round and giving it a vicious polish with his sleeve. "allus the same; on'y a boy; just as if i could help that!" "and such a hungry sort o' boy; holler all through. it's a waste to give you good food. that there stoo was evvinly." joe turned away from tom's sour puckered face, to bend over the insensible little patient with a look full of pity, as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "i should just liked to have been there, missus, with my bay'net fixed when they cut that little fellow down. here, i'll sit and have a pipe and keep the flies off him, while you go and pick a bit. the boys wouldn't touch a morsel till i'd put aside some for you and tom." that night the th was still marching on where they were to camp in the mountains, while on a rough kind of litter formed of a long basket strapped upon the back of a mule, with a couple of great-coats and a blanket for bed, lay the poor child whose life mrs beane was trying to save. it was a long and a weary forced march, for scouts had brought in news which made the officers hope to come in touch of the retreating army before morning, for the news had spread, and during the night the colonel and officers found opportunities for coming and asking mother beane about her little patient. but there was always the same reply, and colonel lavis did not have his uniform mended, neither were any stitches added to tom jones's new worsted stockings, for the corporal's wife had all her work to do to try and save her patient's life, and the shake of the head she gave at daybreak told more forcibly than words or the bitter tears she shed, that she had given up all hope. chapter two. the th was in high glee to a man, which is including about twenty men who were wounded not so badly but that they could shout "hurrah!" for there was a brush with the retreating french, who were driven from the strong camp they had formed, and the little patient had, to use mrs beane's words, "begun to pick up a bit." during the next week of marching and counter-marching the wounded boy began to pick up a good many bits, for the doctor had rejoined the regiment, and he did something to the little fellow's head where beneath the cruel cut he had received the bone was dinted in, and from that hour the change was wonderful. in another week he delighted mrs corporal beane by watching her constantly with wondering eyes, and suddenly asking her who she was. in her motherly delight she told him "mother beane," and he began calling her mother directly, while in another week corporal joe had taught the patient to call him dad, and wondering began. "haven't you asked him?" said joe. "yes, as much as i dared, old man, but i'm afraid to do much, because it seems to muddle his poor dear head, and he wrinkles up and tries to think, but he can't." "but don't he remember who cut him down?" said joe. "no." "nor yet about the house bein' set a-fire?" "no." "well, did you ask him his name?" "yes, and he only shook his head." "did you ask him who his father and mother was?" "yes, but he didn't know." "well, it's ama-a-azin'," said joe. but it was true. the boy's life had been saved just when it had been ebbing away, but that was all. with the cruel blow which struck him down all recollection of the past was cut away, and the boy had, as it were, to begin life all over again, not as a little child, for he could talk and chat merrily; but the dark cloud which came down so suddenly had shut everything else away. "well, it's ama-a-azin'," said joe to his wife, "and it seems to me as we found him and saved him alive and all as belonged to him was killed dead, why, he must belong to us. what do you say to keeping him?" "oh, joe, if we only could!" cried his wife. "ah, if we on'y could," said joe thoughtfully. "i know," cried mrs corporal; "i'll ask the colonel next time i take him his washing back." "you just don't," said joe; "because if you do he'll say as you mustn't." "oh!" sighed mrs corporal; "that's just what i'm 'fraid of." they were very silent as they sat by the camp-fire that night in an orange-grove, with the big stars peeping down at them, and tom jones, who took a great interest in what was said, sat and waited for ever so long, and then being tired out with the long day's tramp, lay down to listen, and dropped off fast asleep, just as joe beane said thoughtfully:-- "look here, missus, if i was on'y a private instead of being an officer i should say something, but as i am full corporal, why, i can't." "just think you are a private, joe, and say it," whispered his wife. "shall i?" he said slowly. "yes, joe, dear, do. he's such a nice boy." "ay, he is, missus." "and i love him a'ready." "well, i won't go so far as love him, 'cause i don't like boys, but i like him because he's such a good, happy-looking little chap, and how anyone as calls himself a man could have--" "yes, yes, you've said that before, joe," whispered his wife pettishly. "tell me what you'd say if you warn't a corporal." "why, i'd say nothing," said joe. "oh, how can you be so stupid as to go on like that! i thought you'd got something sensible in your head." "so i have," said joe gruffly, "on'y you're in such a hurry. i should say nothing to nobody, and go on just as if he warn't here." "oh, joe, dear, would you?" "yes, that's what i should say. we could manage right enough, and if at last the colonel should come with: `hallo there! what boy's that?'-- why, we could tell him then, and if he said: `send him away'--" "yes, and what then, joe?" cried mrs corporal excitedly. "why then," said joe, "we should have to obey orders." "ah, and he mightn't say that, joe, as he's such a nice little fellow." "course, he mightn't," replied joe. "hah!" ejaculated mrs corporal beane, and she said no more. but at the next halting-place she began to think: and the result of her thinking was that she got hold of an old uniform suit and by working very hard every time the regiment halted she contrived to cut the suit down till it roughly fitted the little invalid, braiding it like the drum and bugle boys', and making a little military cap as well, so that by the time he was able to trot along in the rear of the regiment he did not seem out of place. "joe," said mrs corporal one morning, "look at him; don't he look splendid? he's our soldier boy now, and i shall call him dick." "all right," said the corporal; "dick ain't bad, but you might ha' called him joe the second." chapter three. it was quite six weeks after dick had been found, and he was weak still, but that only troubled him by making him feel tired, and at such times there was always a ride ready for him on the top of a pack carried by a mule. and there he was happy enough, for he was rapidly growing into being the pet of the regiment, and first one of the men brought him fruit, and some one thing and some another; but mrs corporal was always pretty close at hand to take care that he was not spoiled or made ill, and corporal joe said over and over again to his wife, that it was "ama-a-azin'." "what's amazing, joe?" she said one day. "what do you keep saying that for?" "'cause it is," he said. "yes, but why, joe?" "'cause ever since i found that there boy you've been as proud as a peacock with two tails." "and enough to make me," said mrs corporal tartly. "there never was such a boy before. look at him!" and she pointed to where the little fellow, in full uniform, was perched on a mule-pack, and the baggage guard with fixed bayonets marched close beside. "yes," said joe drily, as he screwed up his face; "i've been a-looking at him a deal. his coatee fits horrid." "that it don't," said mrs corporal; "and it was the best i could do out of such old stuff." "well, it weer old," said her husband; "but it's all crinkles and creases, and that boy puzzles me." "why? how?" "'cause you'd think after he'd seen his people killed and the house burnt about his ears he'd ha' been frightened like; but he don't seem to mind nothing about it, not a bit." "ah, it is strange," said mrs corporal; "but there couldn't be a braver nor a better little chap." "that there couldn't," said the corporal proudly; "but i think i've found out what's the matter with him. that crack on the head made him an idjit." "for shame, joe!" cried his wife. "he's as clever and bright a little fellow as ever stepped." "so he is, missus; but he puzzles me. it's ama-a-azin'." the boy puzzled tom jones the bugler boy too, who whenever he got a chance came alongside of the mule or baggage wagon in the rear, and let the little invalid earn his bugle on condition that he did not try to blow it, and tom made this an excuse for solemnly asking the same questions over and over again. "i say, who's your father?" "corporal joe beane," said the boy promptly; "i say, tom, mayn't i have a blow now?" "what? no, of course not. you don't want to send the men at the double up a hill like this." "why not? i should like to run too, only i so soon get tired." "you shall have a blow some day. but i say, who's your mother?" "mrs corporal joe beane," was the prompt reply, and the boy drummed the mule's sides to make it go faster, but without effect. "well, where did you live before joe beane found you?" "i don't know," said the boy, shaking his head, and tom jones stared hard with his mouth open before asking his next question. "i say, how's your head?" "quite well, thank you," said the boy; "how's yours?" tom scratched his as if he did not know. "look here," he cried, after a pause, as a happy thought crossed his mind, and without pausing to state how his own head was, he fired off another question:--"i say, who did you live with before we found you?" "i don't know," said the boy, looking at him wonderingly, and as if he felt amused by his companion's questions. "you ask mother." "here! quick," whispered tom. "give me my bugle." "shan't. i want it," replied the boy coolly. "but you must. here's the colonel and half the officers reined up at the side to see us go by." he snatched the bugle away as he spoke and threw the cord over his shoulder, drawing himself up smartly, and keeping step with the guard. mrs corporal beane had caught sight of the group of officers they were approaching, and with her heart in her mouth as she called it, she hurried up to the side of the mule, catching up to it just as they came abreast of the colonel, a quiet stern-looking officer whose hair was sprinkled with grey. nothing escaped his sharp eyes, and he pressed his horse's side and rode close to the baggage mule. "what boy's that, my good woman?" "mine, sir," said mrs beane huskily. "indeed? is that the little fellow who was found in the burned village?" "yes, sir," faltered the woman, as she gazed in the colonel's stern frowning countenance. "humph!" he ejaculated, and drew rein for the rear of the regiment to file past. "and now my poor boy will be sent away, joe," said the agitated woman that night; but joe said nothing, not even when he felt his wife get up and go to where the little fellow was sleeping soundly, and he heard her utter a curious sobbing sound before she came to lie down again. but no orders were given next day for the boy to be sent to the rear, nor yet during the next week, during which the men were still hunting frogs, as they called it--frogs which took such big leaps that the toiling british soldiers could not come up to them. "oh, if they only would let us," joe used to say every night when he pulled off his boots to rest his feet. "it's my one wish, for we must give 'em a drubbing, or we shall never have the face to go back to old england again." joe had his wish sooner than he expected. it was in a wild mountainous part of the beautiful country, so full of forest and gorge that there was plenty of opportunity for the french to hide their force on the mountain slopes of a lovely valley and let the english regiment get well past them before they attacked. the result was a desperate fight which lasted a couple of hours before the th managed to extricate themselves with the loss of many killed and wounded, and in spite of every man fighting like a hero, they were beaten and had to suffer the miseries of a retreat as well as a defeat. but the th did not fall back many miles before the major of the regiment halted the main body of the men on the slopes of a rocky mount which he determined to hold and to give the scattered and wounded a chance to return, so a stand was made. for there was no hiding the fact; the poor th had been badly beaten, as an english regiment might reasonably be when every man was surprised and called upon to fight six, mostly hidden from him by rocks and trees. the enemy did not follow their advantage, so that the english had the whole of that night to rest and refresh, though there was not much of either, for upon the roll of the companies being called a hundred brave men did not answer; many were wounded; and, worst misfortune of all, the colonel was among the missing, and had been seen last fighting like a hero as he tried with a small company of men to save the baggage and ammunition. "and our poor boy, joe," sobbed mrs corporal that night, as she sat by the watch-fire, "trampled down and killed, just as i had begun to love him as much as if he had been my own." "cheer up, old lass," said joe, wincing as he spoke, for a bullet had ploughed a nasty furrow in one arm; "we don't know yet that he isn't all right. prisoner, perhaps. let's wait till morning, and see." mrs corporal sobbed, and of course waited, with the men under arms all night and expecting an attack. but the night passed away without any alarm, and soon after sunrise in the beautiful chestnut wood, about fifty of the missing crawled back into camp, but there was no news of the colonel, none of dick, and poor mrs corporal beane had another terrible trouble on her mind as she nursed and held water to her husband's feverish lips, for in the terrible fight at the surprise brave stout-hearted joe beane had been shot close to the colonel's side, and he remembered seeing that officer wave his sword, and hearing him cry, "forward, my lads; this way," but he could recollect no more. chapter four. dick could remember every thing that took place then, though all that had occurred before he was hurt still remained blank. he remembered the crashing volleys fired from both sides of the gorge, and the way in which the long line of the marching regiment faced both ways and fired again, before making a brave charge forward, led by their officers, to fight their way through the enemy in front, but only to be beaten back, withered as their formation was by the terrible fire on all sides. he remembered this, and how all of a sudden, as the mule he rode was carried along in the crowd, and he clung tightly to the bundle with which it was loaded, the poor beast suddenly stood still, uttered a strange squeal, and then reared up so that dick was nearly jerked off. but the poor animal, which had been pierced through the lungs by a bullet, came down again on all-fours, and then dashed off at full gallop towards the clouds of smoke in front, bore off to the left as some dimly-seen men stabbed at it with their bayonets, and tore on over rock and bush, higher and higher up the side of the gorge, with dick still clinging tightly to the ropes of the bundle, till all at once it uttered a shrill cry, reared up again, and then fell, throwing the boy down among the tangled growth, rolled over, once kicked out its legs for a few moments, and then lay perfectly still. dick lay as still for a few minutes, feeling too much startled to move. then he managed to crawl out of the rocky rift into which he had been thrown, and stood up, all ragged, with his red coatee split up the back, and one sleeve torn out at the shoulder. for a few minutes he stood listening to the shouting and firing far below and watched the smoke curling up; his face was all puckered up, and he rubbed himself where he was pricked and scratched. then he examined his damaged clothes, and lastly he climbed up to where the mule lay, on its side with its heels higher up the slope than its stretched-out neck and head. "poor old fellow!" he said. "did the shooting frighten you? come on, get up." but the mule did not stir, and the boy knelt down by it to raise its head a little, but only to let it sink back, and shrink away, in horror--the poor animal, who had always been ready to eat grass or pieces of unripe melon from his hand, lay dead, pierced by the bullet, and bayonetted in three places by the french. and now the tears which the little fellow had manfully kept back began to flow fast, and he knelt down by the poor beast's side, feeling stunned. and as he knelt there the firing went on, but in a scattered way, as the th fell back with the enemy in full pursuit, the boy turning at last to watch the progress of the fight far below and seeing the scarlet coats of his friends growing more and more distant in the smoke, and the blue uniforms of the french as they crowded after them, till the reports of the muskets grew faint; and the echoes from high up on either side of the gorge more soft till they died away. dick's first idea was to hurry off, but there was only one way, and that was down the wooded ravine; but he could not go that way, for the place between him and his friends was swarming with the french soldiers, and he shuddered at the thought of trying to get through them. he had of late seen and heard so much of their cruel acts. what should he do? he had hardly asked himself this question when he heard a shout, and his heart leaped--it was his friends coming back. no; he could see below him the uniforms of the french soldiers, and their bayonets flashing in the golden light of the sinking sun, and in fear he shrank back among the thick bushes and hid below the place where he had been thrown, to lie listening as the voices came nearer, a peep or two that he stole showing that the enemy were spread out low down by the rugged track, evidently very busy, and it seemed to the boy that they were hunting for him to kill him. he grew more and more sure of this as the voices came nearer, but at last he realised the truth--that the men were searching amongst the bushes for the wounded and dead. this went on for an hour, and dick's courage rose as he saw them carrying man after man down to the track, men in red and men in blue, and bearing them away, with the voices growing fewer and fewer. "and it will soon be dark," the boy said to himself, "and then i can go back and find mother and father." just then he heard shouts again, and he shrank back beneath the bushes, to listen, not understanding a word; but the voices came nearer and nearer and dick's heart sank, for there was a shout and two men ran up to within a dozen yards of where the boy lay. "they can see me, and are going to shoot," he thought, and he shut his eyes and shivered, and thought of the corporal and his wife. but no shot was fired; no bright keen bayonet plunged through the bushes; and taking courage the boy raised his head and peered upward towards where two french soldiers were busy doing something, and another came and joined them, to stand talking and laughing. then the boy grasped the fact that they had seen the mule, and were cutting the ropes and opening the pack to see if there was anything worth taking. at last the notes of a bugle came echoing up the ravine from side to side. the soldiers immediately rose from where they were busy, shouldered their muskets, and began to descend the slope, while dick lay listening to the crackling and brushing sounds as they forced their way through the bushes. there was another bugle call, and some time after another, sounding quite faint, and as the boy crept out of his hiding-place at last, to find the contents of the mule's pack, the belongings of the corporal's mess for the most part scattered about the ground, he looked keenly in search of danger! and how still it was! not a sound--even the cry of a bird; only a faint silvery rippling tinkle somewhere near; a sound which set the boy creeping, to find it low down between some rocks slippery with green moss which grew all about a tiny pool, into which after lying flat upon his chest he plunged his lips, and drank again and again to quench his thirst. chapter five. that long, deep draught of sweet, cool water seemed to send fresh life through dick, and he rose up, thinking that it would be easy now to get down to the track and find his way back to his friends, but he shook his head. no, he said, the frenchmen would be about, and he might lose his way in the dark. better wait a bit. but it was so horribly lonely, and the stillness made him shiver as if he were cold, and obeying a natural instinct to be near something, he climbed back to where the dead mule lay, dragged a blanket from where the french soldiers had tossed it, and threw it over him. then he crept close to the mule's side, to sit watching the light die out on the tops of the mountains and the stars begin to come out. his head began to sink sidewise, nodded once or twice, and in spite of the darkness and the horror of his situation he fell fast asleep, to begin dreaming of mother beane, of the camp-fire and the cooking, and tom jones the bugle boy making a horrible noise on his copper horn, as he would sometimes in play: and then he started into wakefulness, to crouch there listening, for the hoarse sound sounded again from somewhere below. the boy shuddered, for he knew it was not the note of the bugle, but a horrible long-drawn cry, faint and strange, and the cold drops began to gather on his forehead, for it sounded like the howling of a wolf, such a cry as he had heard mother beane talk about when telling him and tom jones about her adventures over the camp-fire. he listened and shuddered as the cry came again out of the darkness: and then the frightened feeling passed away. "'tisn't a wolf," he said, and he started to his feet. "where are you?" he shouted, wishing that he had not spoken in his excitement, for he felt that it might be a french soldier. then he began to feel his way slowly through the bushes, for it was no enemy who replied, but someone english calling out from the thick darkness of the night that terribly stirring word,--help. dick had only one thought then, a thought which overmastered fear. someone was in trouble and wanted help. it must be a wounded soldier, some one of his many friends who had chatted to him as he rode, for everyone in the regiment had a kind word to say. "hoi! where are you?" he shouted, and the voice answered from very near: but the bushes were thick, the rocks many, and the darkness deep, so that it was some time before dick could reach the spot and pass his hands over someone lying there. "water." that was the only answer to his question, "who is it?" dick remembered the terrible thirst brought on by his own excitement, and the delicious draught of water from the little pool, as he eagerly turned away, wondering whether he could find the water again in the dark. "of course i can," he said to himself the next minute, for he had only to listen to the musical trickling sound, and find the way by his ears. but the next trouble was not so easy to get over. what was he to fetch the water in? he laughed softly to himself. the mule had been loaded with things belonging to the corporal's mess, and he felt certain that he could find a tin. but he had first of all to find out where the dead mule lay, no easy task in a strange place, and in the dark: but he tried and tried again, twice over finding himself near the pool, and it was not until he had passed near it over and over again that he kicked against something thrown away by the french soldiers, and the rest was easy. the next minute he was upon his knees searching about among the tumbled-together things, till to his great joy he touched the very article he wanted, and armed with this he sought for and found the little pool, filled the tin, and started upon the difficult task of carrying the water down a slope amongst rocks and trees and roots and creepers which seemed to be frying to trip him up. at last after trying for long enough he stopped short in despair, feeling completely lost. half the water had been spilt, and he had called again--"where are you?" but there was no reply. and now a terrible feeling of dread came over him again, as the thought took possession of his mind that the wounded man was dead. so strong was this that it took away all the courage which had helped him so far, and in the poor fellow's misery and despair he felt that the only thing to do now was to sit down and let the tears run while he waited till it was morning. but that was not to be, for just when his courage was at its lowest ebb he started and nearly dropped the tin, for from out of the darkness close by there was a piteous moan, and as he sought cautiously for the place from whence it came, he was helped by a low muttering as of someone saying a prayer very slowly. and it was, for he heard the words, "thy will be done," and sank upon his knees by the sufferer's head without spilling another drop. dick did not speak, but waited for the prayer to be finished: but there was no farther sound, and he whispered gently: "i've brought the water." still there was no sound, and the boy began to think that he had come too late. he spoke again and again, but there was no reply, and after feeling about a little he dipped his fingers in the tin and let a few drops fall upon the poor fellow's dry lips. then more and more, as he found they moved. then he scooped up as much as his little hand would hold, guided it carefully and held it there so that a few drops trickled between the man's lips and the others ran over his face and neck, with a strangely reviving effect. for there was a low sigh or two, and he could hear the sound repeated of his patient trying to swallow, after which his mouth opened widely, so that he was able to pour in more water, which now was swallowed with avidity. all this had such a reviving effect that suddenly to dick's great delight there was a hoarse whisper-- "more--more. water--water." this was responded to at once, and after a few more tiny portions had been poured between the sufferer's lips a hoarse voice said:-- "heaven bless you, it has saved my life." "can you sit up a little and drink?" said dick eagerly. "i don't know--i'll try." there was a faint rustling, a piteous groan of pain, and then:-- "now quick. i can do no more. water." by touch dick found that his companion had raised himself on one elbow, and he guided the tin to his lips with one hand, passing the other round the poor fellow's head to try and support him, as he drank eagerly till the last drops were drained from the tin. "like life--like life," was sighed, and dick felt his patient sink down again with a sigh of content. "shall i fetch some more?" said the boy. "not yet. tell me. who are you? is it a woman?" dick laughed in his great joy at hearing the words. "no," he said: "it's only me." "you? who are you?" "dick. mrs corporal beane's dick." "oh, my boy, my boy, you have saved my life," moaned the sufferer, catching the little fellow's hand and pressing it to his fevered lips. "but who are you?" said the boy. "i don't know your voice." "don't you, my brave little fellow? yes, you do--the colonel, colonel lavis." "oh," said dick wonderingly, "and did somebody shoot you?" "yes. i was hit twice. i crawled away among the bushes and rocks after i fell, and then all was dark, and i was trying to creep to where i could hear water. but tell me, my brave lad. they drove the frenchmen off?" "no," said dick sadly, and as he told all he knew the colonel groaned again and again and to dick's horror he heard him mutter to himself:-- "better that i had died--better that i had died than suffer this. the defeat--the shame." then all was still in the darkness, the fear began to creep into dick's breast again, and he gently stretched out his hand to touch the colonel's, when to his great joy his hand was seized: then another hand touched it, and he felt it kissed and then held fast, drawing him forward so that he half lay across the wounded man's breast, and could feel the beating of his heart, lying thinking there till he heard a low sigh or two, followed by a steady regular breathing as if he slept. and at last, utterly wearied out, sleep came to the boy as well, and he lay dreaming there, keeping what might have been the chill of death from a brave man's breast, till the sun rose again and was beating down warmly upon the back of dick's head, when he opened his eyes to stare wonderingly at the stained and blackened face so close to his. dick did not dare to stir for fear of awakening the colonel again: but he was not asleep, for after a time he opened his eyes and smiled pleasantly. "the fortune of war, little comrade," he said. "yes, sir," said dick, and he stared at him, wondering that the stern, fierce officer who ordered the men about so could look so pleasant. "that's right," said the colonel: "we have been successful many times. but let's see, dick, you were brought into camp wounded." "yes," said dick. "my head was very bad." "of course. i remember all about it. how was it you were injured?" dick shook the head that had been hurt. "you don't know? but you speak well. who are your father and mother?" "corporal beane and mrs corporal." the colonel looked at the boy curiously. "yes," he said at last: "so i remember hearing. well, dick, you were wounded, and we helped you: now it is my turn and you have helped me." "yes," said dick. "i am thirsty, my boy: will you fetch me some water?" "yes," said dick, seizing the tin. "but look carefully round: the enemy may be holding the ground." "would they kill us if they saw us, sir?" "i hope not, boy: but if i can bear my wounds i'll keep in hiding, for my brave lads must make an effort to find us soon." "i'll mind," said dick, and he took a long look round, and then crept on hands and knees to the spring, looked at it longingly, but forebore to drink, and filling the tin he bore it to the colonel, who lay just as he had left him. "can you lift my head, boy?" he said. "set down the tin." not an easy thing to do without spilling the water, but dick succeeded, and then managed with the colonel's help to raise him a little so that he could reach the water, of which he drank with avidity and was once more lowered back, to lie faint and giddy for a few minutes, but he recovered soon and said he was better, speaking so freely and kindly to the boy that dick took courage. "i say," he said: "you've got such a dirty face." "have i, dick?" said the colonel, smiling. "yes, it's all over gunpowder, and all bloody. shall i wash it?" "please, dick, my boy," said the colonel, and dick took the tin to the spring as carefully as before, after looking up and down the great ravine, filled it, and this time had a good draught himself, and felt hungry as he took the refilled tin back, set it down by the colonel's head, and then began to purse up his lips and think what he should do. he was not long making up his mind, and tearing the lining out of his damaged sleeve to soak in the water and use for a sponge. "but i haven't a towel," he said. "there's a clean handkerchief in the breast pocket of my coat," said the colonel, smiling. "take it out." "that hurt you?" said dick, after unbuttoning the uniform and taking out the carefully folded handkerchief just as mrs corporal beane had brought it to him from the wash. "yes, but not very much," said the colonel. "go on, it will be cool and refreshing." he was in great pain, but he lay smiling with a very kindly, fatherly look at the clever little fellow, as dick carefully washed away the stains, having to go over the officer's face twice before it was quite clean, after which he dried it, and knelt there looking at the bright sword which was hanging by its golden knot to the colonel's right arm. "shall i take that off before i wash your hands?" the colonel nodded and smiled in the same fatherly way as the boy unloosed the sword-knot, laid the weapon close by and then washed and dried the wounded man's hands. "i say," said dick then, "i can tear this handkerchief when it's dry. shall i tie up your cuts?" "no," said the colonel sadly: "they must wait till the doctor comes, dick, if he ever does. they are not cuts, my boy, but bullet-holes, and they have ceased to bleed. now what is to be done next?" "get up, and let's find the men." "no, boy," said the colonel sadly. "i could not move. we must wait. but you are hungry. were there any rations on the mule?" "no," said dick, shaking his head: "they were on the other mule. we must wait: but i am so hungry. aren't you?" "no," said the colonel sadly, and his eyes wandered round, but he looked in vain. they were in a wild ravine, and not so much as a berry was in sight. "we must wait, dick," he said at last. "surely they will come in search of us soon." chapter six. the sun shone down hotter and hotter, and all was still but the twittering of a bird at times. dick took the blanket he had wrapped about him overnight and spread it over two pieces of rock so as to form a screen, propping it a little with a broken bough or two. so long as he was busy doing little things for the colonel, dick did not seem to mind so much, but just when the sun was highest and it was hotter than ever in the valley, the poor colonel grew more feverish. he asked for water often, and then all at once the boy felt frightened, for the wounded man began to talk and mutter wildly: then he began to shout to his men to come on and charge, and at last poor dick broke down. hunger, misery, loneliness and the heat, were too much for him: the wild nature of the colonel's words, and his fierce look when he felt for and waved his sword, making the little fellow shrink away and go and sit behind a stone, his head aching, and the terrible solitude there amongst the mountains seeming more than he could bear. but as the evening came on and a soft breeze sprang up, a change came over the wounded man, and dick heard himself called. he crept back to the colonel's side, and the wounded man took his hand, and he said, "can you be brave and strong?" "no, sir," faltered the boy, with his lip quivering, "but i'll try to be." "that is being brave, my boy. now look here, i have been asleep, and dreaming wild things, but i am cool and calm now. listen to me. you are faint and hungry, and you must not stay here any longer. you must go." "but i can't leave you all alone, sir." "you must, my boy. here is what i want you to do. throw the blanket over me and fill the tin with water." the boy did this and felt better, for it kept off the feeling of misery. "that is good," said the colonel. "now start off at once down the valley, and if you see any of the french soldiers before you, strike off to left or right and try and get by them, and don't go down to the track again till they are left behind." "and then find our men, sir?" cried the boy excitedly. "yes." "and tell them where you are, and bring some back to carry you to your tent?" "yes," said the colonel, smiling. "but suppose i can't find them, sir?" "then--" said the colonel, looking sadly at the boy, before closing his eyes, "then--we won't talk about that, my boy: a brave little fellow like you must find them." "yes, i'll try," said dick eagerly. "when shall i go?" "now," said the colonel, and the boy dashed off at once among the rocks and bushes, but in five minutes he was back again. "what, boy, do you give it up?" "no," said dick stoutly. "i was in such a hurry i didn't say good-bye, sir--and--and--" "well, what?" said the colonel, smiling, for the little fellow stopped. "i was afraid!" "afraid?" "you'd think i didn't mind, and wanted to get away and leave you." "but you do not, my boy?" "only to find someone to help you." the colonel caught his hand and drew him down closer and closer till he could kiss him, when the tears started to dick's eyes and he flung his arms round the wounded man's neck and clung to him and kissed him in return. "now go, dick," said the colonel. "i have just such a little fellow at home in england, and i want to see him again." "have you?" cried dick eagerly: "then i will find our men so that you shall." "hah," sighed the colonel as dick started off, and he watched the boy till he disappeared. then he sighed again, drew the blanket more over him and closed his eyes, and as the sun went down and the darkness fell he sank into a deep sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ it was just beginning to get dusk the next evening and the sentries about the little hill where the th lay had been doubled. for the french regiments not many hundred yards away had crept in closer, and were so placed that the english were surrounded, and their case was very desperate, for though they had plenty of water their provender was getting low, and the scouts sent out had reported to the major that it looked as if an attack was going to be made. so the wounded had been placed together behind a rough wall built of pieces of rock, and the men stationed, all hungry and desperate, ready to meet the enemy when they came and drive them back. "and oh, dear! it's weary work," said mrs corporal, who had had nothing to cook for the men, but made up for it by acting as nurse and helping the wounded. she was kneeling down by corporal beane when she spoke, and had been trying to comfort him, for he had done nothing but growl because the doctor said he must not think of getting up, and as she talked to him she said suddenly: "oh, if i could only know what has become of my boy." she stopped short, for at that moment a shot was fired, and corporal beane sat up and reached for his musket. "here they come," he cried. "i don't care what the doctor says--i won't lie here. give me my cartridge-box, old woman: i'm going to fight." there was another shot, close at hand, and then a shrill voice rang out:--"oh, don't shoot--don't shoot!" "_my boy dick_!" shouted mrs beane, and she rushed out, as torn and bleeding, the boy staggered up between two of the men, and the next minute was surrounded by the officers, but could not speak for exhaustion: but he made signs for water, drank some thirstily, and one of the sentries stated to the major that he had seen something crawling up towards his post and fired. "and then i see it, and fired too, sir," said the other. "poor boy," cried the major. "where are you hurt?" "i don't know--everywhere. i'm scratched, and i tumbled, and my knees are sore. but do go directly, oh! do go, or he'll be dead." it was some time before in his weak, half-starved state the poor boy could make them understand, for he had completely broken down: and it was not until he had swallowed a little biscuit soaked in wine, as he lay with his head in mrs beane's lap, that he at last told hysterically of how he had managed to crawl by the french outposts and reached his friends. his last words were, "why don't you go?--the colonel--you'll be too late." there was silence for a few minutes, all present watching the little messenger as he lay back insensible in mrs beane's arms. then the major walked away: the men were formed up in a hollow square: and he addressed them and told them that their colonel was lying wounded and dying away yonder, on the slope of the ravine, and he called for volunteers to fetch him in. they stepped forward to a man, and a strong company was told off under one of the captains, the doctor being of the party, and the men carrying a litter ready for their load. "but we must have the boy for a guide," said the major. there were difficulties in the way, and mrs corporal beane was consulted, for it was evident that dick was in too exhausted a state to be moved, and she said so as she paused for a few moments in the task of giving him food, a little at a time. "no, i'm not, sir," said the boy, to the great surprise of all present. "i can't walk, but if father came too he could carry me on his back, and i'll show you the way." there was a moment's silence, and mrs corporal sobbed. "he's wounded badly, my dear," she said, kissing him: "but i'm as stout and strong as father is, and i'll go and carry you." "with every man of us to help you," cried the captain, and in half an hour's time, aided by the darkness, the little party stole out of the fortified camp, and by great good fortune passed with dick's guidance beyond the enemy's lines. then every effort was made, and soon after daybreak the spot where the disastrous fight had been was reached. it was a sad group which surrounded the motionless figure lying covered with a blanket, which the doctor removed and knelt down; dick struggling to the other side, while the captain and his men waited to hear the worst. "we are not too late," said the doctor, rising: and after administering stimulants, the words proved true, for the colonel opened his eyes, looked wildly round, and then smiled as his gaze rested upon dick, who was holding his hand. "thank you, dick, boy," he said, in a faint whisper. "i knew you would." the cheer which rose from the men made the rocks echo again, and the captain turned from grasping his old friend's hand, and said sharply:-- "silence in the ranks--no, i mean, another cheer, my lads." and it was given. a short halt was made by the pool, while stimulants were administered again to the colonel, and mrs beane insisted on dick having more, the men eating their scanty rations by the pool. then the wounded man was carefully laid in the litter so that dick could lie there too, with his head the opposite way: the men raised their poles, and the march back was begun. it was just after dark that evening that they were proceeding very cautiously, when there was a sudden outburst of firing. the captain needed no telling what was going on, for the long expected attack was being made upon the weakened regiment upon the hill. he did not hesitate, but pressed on with his little band, quite unnoticed by the attacking force, coming upon their rear in the darkness just as they were receiving a check from the brave defenders of the camp, and the captain poured in volley after volley so unexpectedly that the french broke, and began to retreat before their foes. the major, grasping what had occurred, turned his defence into a brave attack, and the result was that in a few minutes the enemy was in full retreat, and soon after, this in their confusion became a rout. chapter seven. in a month's time, in spite of weakness, the colonel had sufficiently recovered to resume the command of his regiment, and dick was the hero and idol of the men. but poor mrs corporal beane was jealous and unhappy--jealous because the colonel made so much of dick; unhappy on account of the corporal, whose recovery was very slow. but the colonel, she owned, behaved very well to her. he said that he would not interfere much, as he looked upon herself as the boy's mother, but sooner or later they would find out who dick's parents were, and that he should stay with the regiment, but he must be looked after well. "as if he could be looked after better," mrs corporal said to her invalid husband. "i do look after you well, dick, don't i?" "yes, mother; of course you do," said the boy. "and love you too; and you love me and father, don't you?" "why, you know i do," said the boy, laughing, "and colonel lavis sent for the tailor this morning, and i was measured for a new uniform like the men in the band." "bless us and save us!" cried mrs beane. "well, that is handsome of him, but like a drummer, dick, not with gold lace?" "yes, scarlet and gold," said the little fellow proudly; "and i'm to learn to play." it would be a long story to tell of the terrible fights the th were in all through that terrible peninsular war: but dick was with the regiment and through it all, not fighting, but with the doctor and the men whose duty it was to look after the wounded, and many were the blessings called down upon the head of the brave boy, who seemed to bear a charmed life, as he ran here and there with water to hold to the lips of the poor fellows who were stricken down. but all things have an end, the bad like the good, and in the days of peace the th were being feasted at one of the towns by the portuguese gentry and some of the english merchants who had been nearly ruined by the war. dick was in it all, for he was strong and well as could be--happy too as a boy, but his memory was still a perfect blank about the past. he could recall everything which had happened since he was nursed back to health and strength, but nothing more; and poor corporal joe, who was never likely to be able to join the ranks again, and only too grateful at being allowed to act as the colonel's servant, never mentioned to the boy the day when he found him up at the burning house. "only set him thinking about them murdering camp-followers, missus, and make him unhappy, and we don't want that, do us?" "no, joe, dear," she cried; "i should think we don't." and so the time had nearly come for the remnant to march to the port and embark for england, when a farewell party was given to the officers by a mr and mrs trevor, the principal merchant and his lady, and out of compliment the colonel and officers sent the band up to the mansion to play in the garden during dinner, dick being told that he might go with the musicians to see the sight. everyone of note was there, and the sight was grand in the lit-up grounds. there was feasting and speech-making and thanks given to the brave men who had saved the country from the oppressor, and the colonel returned thanks. it was just then that the band-master turned to dick and said:-- "go up to the colonel and ask him if we shall play the dance music now." the band was stationed by one of the open windows, and dick, in his best uniform, had only to step in and go round behind the colonel's chair to whisper to him. "ah, dick, my boy," he said. "dance music? yes. stop; i'll ask our hostess. by the way, mrs trevor," he said, turning to the tall, sad-looking lady at whose side he was sitting, "let me introduce to you the greatest man in our corps, the brave little fellow who saved my life." mrs trevor turned smilingly round, when a sunburned gentleman on her other side gave utterance to a gasp and sprang from his chair. "my dear madam," cried the colonel, "are you ill?" for mrs trevor uttered a wild cry, as, to the astonishment of all, the little fellow in scarlet and gold sprang to her side and threw his arms about her neck. "_oh, mother_! why, father," he cried, "do you live here?" the boy's memory of the past had come back like a flash of light, and as he caught at mr trevor's hand he suddenly turned pale, shivered, and clapped his hands to the scar upon his head, for the horror of the scene before he was struck down by one of a gang of french camp-followers came back to him with terrible vividness. the banquet was nearly at an end when this scene took place and after warm congratulations from the visitors, they had the good taste to hurry away, and the band was dismissed, the colonel only stopping with the boy to help him relate how he was retained in the regiment. he heard in return an explanation from mr trevor, who told how it was that the burned house was their country villa among the mountains, where in ignorance of danger being near, the boy was left with the servants for a few hours, the father and mother returning to find only smoking ruins and the traces of a horrible massacre having taken place. so convinced were they that their son had perished in the fire with the servants that no search was made, and the trevors fled, glad to escape with their lives, mr trevor having a hard task to restore his wife to reason after the terrible shock. to them their child was dead, and they had felt that they would never thoroughly recover from the dreadful blow. "but you see, colonel, one never knows what is in store, and it is not right to despair. now, how can we thank you enough for all that you have done?" "i don't want thanks," said the colonel. "i ought to thank you for all that he so bravely did for me; and besides, dick, boy, there was someone else who--" he stopped, for a servant entered the room. "i beg pardon, sir, but there's a woman and a soldier outside. i told them you were engaged, but the woman said she would see you." "a woman and a soldier?" cried mr trevor--"will see me?" "i know," cried dick excitedly, "it's mother and father--i mean--i--" he too stopped short, and looked from one to the other. "i mean," he cried bravely, "my other father and mother, who saved me and brought me back to life." "where is he?" cried an angry voice in the hall. "i will see him. dick, my darling dick!" mrs trevor turned white, and a pang shot through her, as she saw her newly-recovered son rush to the door, throw it open and call out loudly:--"here i am, mother: this way." "oh, my darling!" cried mrs corporal: "i've just heard--oh, what does it mean? i--i beg your pardon, my lady, and you too, sir, and colonel, but--but they've been telling me--" "yes, it's all true," cried dick, interrupting her. "mother dear, this is my other mother, and father dear, this is corporal joe." "oh--oh--oh!" sobbed mrs corporal wildly; "after all this time, and me getting to love him and look upon him as my own! oh, my lady, my lady, you never would be so cruel as to take him away? it would be so wicked, so hard upon us now." "my own boy?" said mrs trevor gently, as dick stood gazing wildly from one to the other. "but for us never to see him again," cried mrs corporal fiercely, and she caught the boy by the arm. "don't say you won't love us still, dick dear!" "why should he say such cruel words to one who has been a second mother to him,--to one who brought him back to life? and why should you never see him again? we are going to england too, and while we have a home it shall be yours as well." mrs trevor took the rough woman's hand, leaned towards her, and kissed her cheek. "for saving my darling's life," she said softly, and then burst into tears. poor mrs corporal's anger melted at this, and she caught mrs trevor's hand in hers and kissed it again and again. "oh, my dear lady," she sobbed; "i'm a wicked, selfish woman, and he is your own flesh and blood. come with you to be where i could always see the dear, brave, darling boy? oh, i'd go down on my knees and be thankful, but i can't leave my poor man. i wouldn't if he was strong and well, and now he's wounded and broken and got to leave the regiment--no, not if we had to beg our bread from door to door. kiss me, my darling boy, once more, and then--oh joe, my man, i can't bear it! take me away, take me away." joe, who had stood back stiffly in the background near where dick's father was whispering with colonel lavis, took two steps to the front with a painful limp, saluted the company, and caught his half-blind wife in his arms. "it's quite right, my lass," he said huskily, "and--from my heart, my lady, i say thank god the dear lad's coming to his own. don't mind what the missus said--she--she, you see, loved him, and--good-bye, master dick, my lad--good--" "stop," said mr trevor, stepping towards him with his eyes moist, and clapping the invalided soldier on the shoulder. "corporal, your colonel says that you are as brave and true a man as ever stepped. i feel that it must be so. while i live the wounded soldier to whom we owe so much shall never want a home. dick, as they call you--frank, my boy, what do you say to this?" "say?" faltered the boy, as he stood trembling, and then he could not speak. the next moment he had rushed to his mother to kiss her passionately, giving her a look that seemed to say, "don't think i shall not love you more than ever;" and then he ran and caught joe's hand, holding it fast for a moment, before flinging his arms about poor mrs corporal's neck, to whisper something in her ear which made the poor woman wipe away her tears. "hah!" cried the colonel huskily, "this is peace indeed." that night mother and father stole hand in hand into the room next their own, where their son lay sleeping peacefully. they did not bend down to kiss him lest he should start awake, but they knelt by his side in thankfulness for the great joy which filled their hearts, before thinking sadly of those to whom they owed so much. strangely enough, just about the same time mrs corporal rose from her knees and said:-- "there, joe, old man, i won't cry another drop, for i feel now that it's right and what should be. but just in here somewhere there's a little place where he'll always seem to be--our soldier boy to the very end." [transcriber's note: obvious printer's errors have been corrected. hyphenation and accentuation have been standardised, all other inconsistencies are as in the original. the author's spelling has been maintained. there is no chapter iv in this book. the errata changes have been included in the file.] adventures in the rifle brigade, in the peninsula, france, and the netherlands, from to . by captain j. kincaid. london: t. and w. boone, strand. mdcccxxx. to major-gen. sir andrew barnard, k. c. b. colonel of the first battalion rifle brigade, and its leader during a long and brilliant period of its history, this volume is respectfully inscribed by his very obedient and very obliged humble servant, j. kincaid. advertisement. in tracing the following scenes, i have chiefly drawn on the reminiscences of my military life, and endeavoured faithfully to convey to the mind of the reader the impression which they made on my own at the time of their occurrence. should any errors, as to dates or trifling circumstances, have inadvertently crept into my narrative, i hope they will be ascribed to want of memory, rather than to any wilful intention to mislead. i am aware, that some objections may be taken to my style; for "rude am i in my speech, and little bless'd with the set phrase of peace: for, since these arms of mine had seven years' pith, till now, some nine moons wasted, they have us'd their dearest action in the tented field: and little of this world can i speak, more than pertains to feats of broil and battle; and therefore little shall i grace my cause in speaking for myself; yet, by your gracious patience, i will a round unvarnished tale deliver," contents. page chapter i. joined the rifles. walcheren expedition. a young soldier. a marine view. campaign in south beeveland. retreat to scotland. chap. ii. rejoin the regiment. embark for the peninsula. arrival in the tagus. the city of lisbon, with its contents. sail for figuera. landing extraordinary. billet ditto. the city of coimbra. a hard case. a cold case, in which a favourite scotch dance is introduced. climate. the duke of wellington. chap. iii. other people, myself, and my regiment. retreat to the lines of torres vedras. leave coimbra, followed by a select group of natives. ford the streets of condacia in good spirits. a provost-marshal and his favourites. a fall. convent of batalha. turned out of allenquer. passed through sobral. turned into arruda. quartering of the light division, and their quarters at arruda. burial of an only child. lines of torres vedras. difference of opinion between massena and myself. military customs. chap. v. campaign of opens. massena's retreat. wretched condition of the inhabitants on the line of march. affairs with the enemy, near pombal. description of a bivouac. action near redinha. destruction of condacia and action near it. burning of the village of illama, and misery of its inhabitants. action at foz d'aronce. confidential servants with donkey-assistants. chap. vi. passage of the mondego. swearing to a large amount. two prisoners, with their two views. two nuns, two pieces of dough, and two kisses. a halt. affair near frexedas. arrival near guarda. murder. a stray sentry. battle of sabugal. spanish and portuguese frontiers. blockade of almeida. battle-like. current value of lord wellington's nose. battle of fuentes d'onor. the day after the battle. a grave remark. the _padre's_ house. retreat of the enemy. chap. vii. march to estremadura. at soito, growing accommodations for man and beast. british taste displayed by portuguese wolves. false alarm. luxuries of roquingo camp. a chaplain of the forces. return towards the north. quarters near castello de vide. blockade of ciudad rodrigo. village of atalya; fleas abundant; food scarce. advance of the french army. affairs near guinaldo. our minister administered to. an unexpected visit from our general and his followers. end of the campaign of . winter quarters. chap. viii. siege of ciudad rodrigo. the garrison of an outwork relieved. spending an evening abroad. a musical study. an addition to soup. a short cut. storming of the town. a sweeping clause. advantages of leading a storming party. looking for a customer. disadvantages of being a stormed party. confusion of all parties. a waking dream. death of general crawford. accident. deaths. chap. ix. march to estremadura. a deserter shot. riding for an appetite. effect the cure of a sick lady. siege of badajos. trench-work. varieties during the siege. taste of the times. storming of the town. its fall. officers of a french battalion. not shot by accident. military shopkeepers. lost legs and cold hearts. affecting anecdote. my servant. a consignment to satan. march again for the north. sir sidney beckwith. chap. x. a farewell address to portalegré. history of a night in castello branco. regimental colours lost, with directions where to find them. cases in which a victory is sometimes won by those who lost it. advance to salamanca. the city. the british position on st. christoval. affair in position. marmont's change of position and retreat. a case of bad luck. advance to rueda, and customs there. retire to castrejon. affairs on the th and th of july. battle of salamanca, and defeat of the enemy. chap. xi. distinguished characters. a charge of dragoons. a charge against the nature of things. olmeda and the french general, ferez. advance towards madrid. adventures of my dinner. the town of segovia. el palacio del rio frio. the escurial. enter madrid. rejoicings. nearly happy. change of a horse. change of quarters. a change confounded. retire towards salamanca. boar-hunt, dinner-hunt, and bull-hunt. a portuguese funeral conducted by rifle undertakers. chap. xii. reach salamanca. retreat from it. pig hunting, an enemy to sleep-hunting. putting one's foot in it. affair on the th of november. bad legs sometimes last longer than good ones. a wet birth. prospectus of a day's work. a lost _déjûné_ better than a found one. advantages not taken. a disagreeable amusement, end of the campaign of . winter quarters. orders and disorders treated. farewell opinion of ancient allies. my house. chap. xiii. a review. assembly of the army. march to salamanca. to aldea nueva. to toro. an affair of the hussar brigade. to palencia. to the neighbourhood of burgos. to the banks of the ebro. fruitful sleeping place. to medina. a dance before it was due. smell the foe. affair at st. milan. a physical river. chap. xiv. battle of vittoria. defeat of the enemy. confusion among their followers. plunder. colonel cameron. pursuit, and the capture of their last gun. arrive near pampeluna. at villalba. an irish method of making a useless bed useful. chap. xv. march to intercept clausel. tafalla. olite. the dark end of a night march to casada. clausel's escape. sanguessa. my tent struck. return to villalba. weighty considerations on females. st. esteban. a severe dance. position at bera. soult's advance, and battle of the pyrenees. his defeat and subsequent actions. a morning's ride. chap. xvi. an anniversary dinner. affair with the enemy, and fall of st. sebastian. a building speculation. a fighting one, storming the heights of bera. a picture of france from the pyrenees. returns after an action. sold by my pay-serjeant. a recruit born at his post. between two fires, a sea and a land one. position of la rhune. my picture taken in a storm. refreshing invention for wintry weather. chap. xvii. battle of the nivelle, and defeat of the enemy. a bird of evil omen. chateau d'arcangues. prudence. an enemy's gratitude. passage of the nive, and battles near bayonne, from th to th december. chap. xviii. change of quarters. change of diet. suttlers. our new quarter. a long-going horse gone. new clothing. adam's lineal descendants. st. palais. action at tarbes. faubourg of toulouse. the green man. passage of the garonne. battle of toulouse. peace. castle sarrazin. a tender point. chap. xix. commencement of the war of . embark for rotterdam. ship's stock. ship struck. a pilot, a smuggler, and a lawyer. a boat without stock. join the regiment at brussels. chap. xx. relative situation of the troops. march from brussels. the prince and the beggar. battle of quatre-bras. chap. xxi. battle of waterloo, th june, . "a horse! a horse!" breakfast. position. disposition. meeting of _particular_ friends. dish of powder and ball. fricassee of swords. end of first course. pounding. brewing. peppering. cutting and maiming. fury. tantalizing. charging. cheering. chasing. opinionizing. anecdotes. the end. adventures in the rifle brigade. chapter i. joined the rifles. walcheren expedition. a young soldier. a marine view. campaign in south beeveland. retreat to scotland. i joined the second battalion rifle brigade, (then the ninety-fifth,) at hythe-barracks, in the spring of , and, in a month after, we proceeded to form a part of the expedition to holland, under the earl of chatham. with the usual quixotic feelings of a youngster, i remember how very desirous i was, on the march to deal, to impress the minds of the natives with a suitable notion of the magnitude of my importance, by carrying a donkey-load of pistols in my belt, and screwing my naturally placid countenance up to a pitch of ferocity beyond what it was calculated to bear. we embarked in the downs, on board the hussar frigate, and afterwards removed to the namur, a seventy-four, in which we were conveyed to our destination. i had never before been in a ship of war, and it appeared to me, the first night, as if the sailors and marines did not pull well together, excepting by the ears; for my hammock was slung over the descent into the cockpit, and i had scarcely turned-in when an officer of marines came and abused his sentry for not seeing the lights out below, according to orders. the sentry proceeded to explain, that the _middies_ would not put them out for him, when the naked shoulders and the head of one of them, illuminated with a red nightcap, made its appearance above the hatchway, and began to take a lively share in the argument. the marine officer, looking down, with some astonishment, demanded, "d--n you, sir, who are you?" to which the head and shoulders immediately rejoined, "and d--n and b--t you, sir, who are you?" we landed on the island of south beeveland, where we remained about three weeks, playing at soldiers, smoking _mynheer's_ long clay pipes, and drinking his _vrow's_ butter-milk, for which i paid liberally with my precious blood to their infernal musquitos; not to mention that i had all the extra valour shaken out of me by a horrible ague, which commenced a campaign on my carcass, and compelled me to retire upon scotland, for the aid of my native air, by virtue of which it was ultimately routed. i shall not carry my first chapter beyond my first campaign, as i am anxious that my reader should not expend more than his first breath upon an event which cost too many their last. chap. ii. rejoin the regiment. embark for the peninsula. arrival in the tagus. the city of lisbon, with its contents. sail for figuera. landing extraordinary. billet ditto. the city of coimbra. a hard case. a cold case, in which a favourite scotch dance is introduced. climate. the duke of wellington. i rejoined the battalion, at hythe, in the spring of , and, finding that the company to which i belonged had embarked, to join the first battalion in the peninsula, and that they were waiting at spithead for a fair wind, i immediately applied, and obtained permission, to join them. we were about the usual time at sea, and indulged in the usual amusements, beginning with keeping journals, in which i succeeded in inserting two remarks on the state of the weather, when i found my inclination for book-making superseded by the more disagreeable study of appearing eminently happy under an irresistible inclination towards sea-sickness. we anchored in the tagus in september;--no thanks to the ship, for she was a leaky one, and wishing foul winds to the skipper, for he was a bad one. to look at lisbon from the tagus, there are few cities in the universe that can promise so much, and none, i hope, that can keep it so badly. i only got on shore one day, for a few hours, and, as i never again had an opportunity of correcting the impression, i have no objection to its being considered an uncharitable one; but i wandered for a time amid the abominations of its streets and squares, in the vain hope that i had got involved among a congregation of stables and outhouses; but when i was, at length, compelled to admit it as the miserable apology for the fair city that i had seen from the harbour, i began to contemplate, with astonishment, and no little amusement, the very appropriate appearance of its inhabitants. the church, i concluded, had, on that occasion, indulged her numerous offspring with a holiday, for they occupied a much larger portion of the streets than all the world besides. some of them were languidly strolling about, and looking the sworn foes of time, while others crowded the doors of the different coffee-houses; the fat jolly-looking friars cooling themselves with lemonade, and the lean mustard-pot-faced ones sipping coffee out of thimble-sized cups, with as much caution as if it had been physic. the next class that attracted my attention was the numerous collection of well-starved dogs, who were indulging in all the luxury of extreme poverty on the endless dung-heaps. there, too, sat the industrious citizen, basking in the sunshine of his shop-door, and gathering in the flock which is so bountifully reared on his withered tribe of children. there strutted the spruce cavalier, with his upper-man furnished at the expense of his lower, and looking ridiculously imposing: and there--but sacred be their daughters, for the sake of _one_, who shed a lustre over her squalid sisterhood, sufficiently brilliant to redeem their whole nation from the odious sin of ugliness. i was looking for an official person, living somewhere near the convent d'estrella, and was endeavouring to express my wishes to a boy, when i heard a female voice, in broken english, from a balcony above, giving the information i desired. i looked up, and saw a young girl, dressed in white, who was loveliness itself! in the few words which passed between us, of lively unconstrained civility on her part, and pure confounded gratitude on mine, she seemed so perfectly after my own heart, that she lit a torch in it which burnt for two years and a half. it must not detract from her merits that she was almost the only one that i saw during that period in which it was my fate to tread war's roughest, rudest path,--daily staring his grim majesty out of countenance, and nightly slumbering on the cold earth, or in the tenantless mansion, for i felt as if she would have been the chosen companion of my waking dreams in _rosier_ walks, as i never recalled the fair vision to my aid, even in the worst of times, that it did not act upon my drooping spirits like a glass of brandy. it pleased the great disposer of naval events to remove us to another and a better ship, and to send us off for figuera, next day, with a foul wind. sailing at the rate of one mile in two hours, we reached figuera's bay at the end of eight days, and were welcomed by about a hundred hideous looking portuguese women, whose joy was so excessive that they waded up to their arm-pits through a heavy surf, and insisted on carrying us on shore on their backs! i never clearly ascertained whether they had been actuated by the purity of love or gold. our men were lodged for the night in a large barn, and the officers billetted in town. mine chanced to be on the house of a mad-woman, whose extraordinary appearance i never shall forget. her petticoats scarcely reached to the knee, and all above the lower part of the bosom was bare; and though she looked not more than middle aged, her skin seemed as if it had been regularly prepared to receive the impression of her last will and testament; her head was defended by a chevaux-de-frise of black wiry hair, which pointed fiercely in every direction, while her eyes looked like two burnt holes in a blanket. i had no sooner opened the door than she stuck her arms a-kimbo, and, opening a mouth, which stretched from ear to ear, she began vociferating "_bravo, bravissimo_!" being a stranger alike to the appearance and the manners of the natives, i thought it possible that the former might have been nothing out of the common run, and concluding that she was overjoyed at seeing her country reinforced, at that perilous moment, by a fellow upwards of six feet high, and thinking it necessary to sympathize in some degree in her patriotic feelings, i began to "_bravo_" too; but as her second shout ascended ten degrees, and kept increasing in that ratio, until it amounted to absolute frenzy, i faced to the right-about, and, before our _tête-à-tête_ had lasted the brief space of three-quarters of a minute, i disappeared with all possible haste, her terrific yells vibrating in my astonished ears long after i had turned the corner of the street; nor did i feel perfectly at ease until i found myself stretched on a bundle of straw in a corner of the barn occupied by the men. we proceeded, next morning, to join the army; and, as our route lay through the city of coimbra, we came to the magnanimous resolution of providing ourselves with all manner of comforts and equipments for the campaign on our arrival there; but, when we entered it, at the end of the second day, our disappointment was quite eclipsed by astonishment at finding ourselves the only living things in a city, which ought to have been furnished with twenty thousand souls. lord wellington was then in the course of his retreat from the frontiers of spain to the lines of torres vedras, and had compelled the inhabitants on the line of march to abandon their homes, and to destroy or carry away every thing that could be of service to the enemy. it was a measure that ultimately saved their country, though ruinous and distressing to those concerned, and on no class of individuals did it bear harder, for the moment, than our own little detachment, a company of rosy-cheeked, chubbed youths, who, after three months feeding on ship's dumplings, were thus thrust, at a moment of extreme activity, in the face of an advancing foe, supported by a pound of raw beef, drawn every day fresh from the bullock, and a mouldy biscuit. the difficulties we encountered were nothing out of the usual course of old campaigners; but, untrained and unprovided as i was, i still looked back upon the twelve or fourteen days following the battle of busaco as the most trying i have ever experienced, for we were on our legs from daylight until dark, in daily contact with the enemy; and, to satisfy the stomach of an ostrich, i had, as already stated, only a pound of beef, a pound of biscuit, and one glass of rum. a brother-officer was kind enough to strap my boat-cloak and portmanteau on the mule carrying his heavy baggage, which, on account of the proximity of the foe, was never permitted to be within a day's march of us, so that, in addition to my simple uniform, my only covering every night was the canopy of heaven, from whence the dews descended so refreshingly, that i generally awoke, at the end of an hour, chilled, and wet to the skin; and i could only purchase an equal length of additional repose by jumping up and running about, until i acquired a sleeping quantity of warmth. nothing in life can be more ridiculous than seeing a lean, lank fellow start from a profound sleep, at midnight, and begin lashing away at the highland fling, as if st. andrew himself had been playing the bagpipes; but it was a measure that i very often had recourse to, as the cleverest method of producing heat. in short, though the prudent general may preach the propriety of light baggage in the enemy's presence, i will ever maintain that there is marvellous small personal comfort in travelling so fast and so lightly as i did. the portuguese farmers will tell you that the beauty of their climate consists in their crops receiving from the nightly dews the refreshing influence of a summer's shower, and that they ripen in the daily sun. but _they_ are a sordid set of rascals! whereas _i_ speak with the enlightened views of a man of war, and say, that it is poor consolation to me, after having been deprived of my needful repose, and kept all night in a fever, dancing wet and cold, to be told that i shall be warm enough in the morning? it is like frying a person after he has been boiled; and i insisted upon it, that if their sun had been milder and their dews lighter that i should have found it much more pleasant. the duke of wellington. from the moment that i joined the army, so intense was my desire to get a look at this illustrious chief, that i never should have forgiven the frenchman that had killed me before i effected it. my curiosity did not remain long ungratified; for, as our post was next the enemy, i found, when anything was to be done, that it was his also. he was just such a man as i had figured in my mind's eye, and i thought that the stranger would betray a grievous want of penetration who could not select the duke of wellington from amid five hundred in the same uniform. chap. iii. other people, myself, and my regiment. retreat to the lines of torres vedras. leave coimbra, followed by a select group of natives. ford the streets of condacia in good spirit. a provost-marshal and his favourites. a fall. convent of batalha. turned out of allenquer. passed through sobral. turned into arruda. quartering of the light division, and their quarters at arruda. burial of an only child. lines of torres vedras. difference of opinion between massena and myself. military customs. having now brought myself regularly into the field, under the renowned wellington, should this narrative, by any accident, fall into the hands of others who served there, and who may be unreasonable enough to expect their names to be mentioned in it, let me tell them that they are most confoundedly mistaken! every man may write a book for himself, if he likes, but _this_ is mine; and, as i borrow no man's story, neither will i give any man a particle of credit for his deeds, as i have got so little for my own that i have none to spare. neither will i mention any regiment but my own, if i can possibly avoid it, for there is none other that i like so much, and none else so much deserves it; for we were the light regiment of the light division, and fired the first and last shot in almost every battle, siege, and skirmish, in which the army was engaged during the war. in stating the foregoing resolution, however, with regard to regiments, i beg to be understood as identifying our old and gallant associates, the forty-third and fifty-second, as a part of ourselves, for they bore their share in every thing, and i love them as i hope to do my better half, (when i come to be divided,) wherever _we_ were, _they_ were; and although the nature of our arm generally gave us more employment in the way of skirmishing, yet, whenever it came to a pinch, independent of a suitable mixture of them among us, we had only to look behind to see a line, in which we might place a degree of confidence, almost equal to our hopes in heaven; nor were we ever disappointed. there never was a corps of riflemen in the hands of such supporters! october st, .--we stood to our arms at day light this morning, on a hill in front of coimbra; and, as the enemy soon after came on in force, we retired before them through the city. the civil authorities, in making their own hurried escape, had totally forgotten that they had left a gaol full of rogues unprovided for, and who, as we were passing near them, made the most hideous screaming for relief. our quarter-master-general very humanely took some men, who broke open the doors, and the whole of them were soon seen howling along the bridge into the wide world, in the most delightful delirium, with the french dragoons at their heels. we retired, the same night, through condacia, where the commissariat were destroying quantities of stores that they were unable to carry off. they handed out shoes and shirts to any one that would take them, and the streets were literally running ankle deep with rum, in which the soldiers were dipping their cups and helping themselves as they marched along. the commissariat, some years afterwards, called for a return of the men who had received shirts and shoes on this occasion, with a view of making us pay for them, but we very briefly replied that the one half were dead, and the other half would be d----d before they would pay any thing. we retired this day to leria, and, at the entrance of the city, saw an english and a portuguese soldier dangling by the bough of a tree--the first summary example i had ever seen of martial law. a provost-marshal, on actual service, is a character of considerable pretensions, as he can flog at pleasure, always moves about with a guard of honour, and though he cannot altogether stop a man's breath without an order, yet, when he is ordered to hang a given number out of a crowd of plunderers, his _friends_ are not particularly designated, so that he can invite any one that he takes a fancy to, to follow him to the nearest tree, where he, without further ceremony, relieves him from the cares and troubles of this wicked world. there was only one _furnished_ shop remaining in the town at this time, and i went in to see what they had got to sell; but i had scarcely past the threshold when i heard a tremendous clatter at my heels, as if the opposite house had been pitched in at the door after me; and, on wheeling round to ascertain the cause, i found, when the dust cleared away, that a huge stone balcony, with iron railings, which had been over the door, overcharged with a collection of old wives looking at the troops, had tumbled down; and in spite of their vociferations for the aid of their patron saints, some them were considerably damaged. we halted one night near the convent of batalha, one of the finest buildings in portugal. it has, i believe, been clearly established, that a living man in ever so bad health is better than two dead ones; but it appears that the latter will vary in value according to circumstances, for we found here, in very high preservation, the body of king john of portugal, who founded the edifice in commemoration of some victory, god knows how long ago; and though he would have been reckoned a highly valuable antique, within a glass case, in an apothecary's hall in england, yet he was held so cheap in his own house, that the very finger which most probably pointed the way to the victory alluded to, is now in the baggage of the rifle brigade! reader, point not _thy_ finger at me, for i am not the man. retired on the morning of a very wet, stormy day to allenquer, a small town on the top of a mountain, surrounded by still higher ones; and, as the enemy had not shewn themselves the evening before, we took possession of the houses, with a tolerable prospect of being permitted the unusual treat of eating a dinner under cover. but by the time that the pound of beef was parboiled, and while an officer of dragoons was in the act of reporting that he had just patrolled six leagues to the front, without seeing any signs of an enemy, we saw the indefatigable rascals, on the mountain opposite our windows, just beginning to wind round us, with a mixture of cavalry and infantry; the wind blowing so strong, that the long tail of each particular horse stuck as stiffly out in the face of the one behind, as if the whole had been strung upon a cable and dragged by the leaders. we turned out a few companies, and kept them in check while the division was getting under arms, spilt the soup as usual, and transferring the smoking solids to the haversack, for future mastication, we continued our retreat. we past through the town of sobral, soon after dark, the same night; and, by the aid of some rushlights in a window, saw two apothecaries, the very counterparts of romeo's, who were the only remnants of the place, and had braved the horrors of war for the sake of the gallipots, and in the hopes that their profession would be held sacred. they were both on the same side of the counter, looking each other point blank in the face, their sharp noses not three inches apart, and neither daring to utter a syllable, but both listening intensely to the noise outside. whatever their courage might have been screwed up to before, it was evident that we were indebted for their presence now to their fears; and their appearance altogether was so ludicrous, that they excited universal shouts of laughter as they came within view of the successive divisions. our long retreat ended at midnight, on our arrival at the handsome little town of arruda, which was destined to be the piquet post of our division, in front of the fortified lines. the quartering of our division, whether by night or by day, was an affair of about five minutes. the quarter-master-general preceded the troops, accompanied by the brigade-majors and the quarter-masters of regiments; and after marking off certain houses for his general and staff, he split the remainder of the town between the majors of brigades: they in their turn provided for their generals and staff, and then made a wholesale division of streets among the quarter-masters of regiments, who, after providing for their commanding officers and staff, retailed the remaining houses, in equal proportions, among the companies; so that, by the time that the regiment arrived, there was nothing to be done beyond the quarter-master's simply telling each captain, "here's a certain number of houses for you." like all other places on the line of march, we found arruda totally deserted, and its inhabitants had fled in such a hurry, that the keys of their house doors were the only things they carried away; so that when we got admission, through our usual key,[ ] we were not a little gratified to find that the houses were not only regularly furnished, but most of them had some food in the larder, and a plentiful supply of good wines in the cellar; and, in short, that they only required a few lodgers capable of appreciating the good things which the gods had provided; and the deuce is in it if we were not the very folks who could! [footnote : transmitting a rifle-ball through the key-hole: it opens every lock.] unfortunately for ourselves, and still more so for the proprietors, we never dreamt of the possibility of our being able to keep possession of the town, as we thought it a matter of course that the enemy would attack our lines; and, as this was only an outpost, that it must fall into their hands; so that, in conformity with the system upon which we had all along been retreating, we destroyed every thing that we could not use ourselves, to prevent their benefiting by it. but, when we continued to hold the post beyond the expected period, our indiscretion was visited on our own heads, as we had destroyed in a day what would have made us luxurious for months. we were in hopes that, afterwards, the enemy would have forced the post, if only for an hour, that we might have saddled them with the mischief; but, as they never even made the attempt, it left it in the power of ill-natured people to say, that we had plundered one of our own towns. this was the only instance during the war in which the light division had reason to blush for their conduct, and even in that we had the law martial on our side, whatever gospel law might have said against it. the day after our arrival, mr. simmons and myself had the curiosity to look into the church, which was in nowise injured, and was fitted up in a style of magnificence becoming such a town. the body of a poor old woman was there, lying dead before the altar. it seemed as if she had been too infirm to join in the general flight, and had just dragged herself to that spot by a last effort of nature, and expired. we immediately determined, that as her's was the only body that we had found in the town, either alive or dead, that she should have more glory in the grave than she appeared to have enjoyed on this side of it; and, with our united exertions, we succeeded in raising a marble slab, which surmounted a monumental vault, and was beautifully embellished with armorial blazonry, and, depositing the body inside, we replaced it again carefully. if the personage to whom it belonged happened to have a tenant of his own for it soon afterwards, he must have been rather astonished at the manner in which the apartment was occupied. those who wish a description of the lines of torres vedras, must read _napier_, or some one else who knows all about them; for my part, i know nothing, excepting that i was told that one end of them rested on the tagus, and the other somewhere on the sea; and i saw, with my own eyes, a variety of redoubts and field-works on the various hills which stand between. this, however, i do know, that we have since kicked the french out of more formidable looking and stronger places; and, with all due deference be it spoken, i think that the prince of essling ought to have tried his luck against them, as he could only have been beaten by fighting, as he afterwards was without it! and if he thinks that he would have lost as many men by trying, as he did by not trying, he must allow me to differ in opinion with him!!! in very warm or very wet weather it was customary to put us under cover in the town during the day, but we were always moved back to our bivouac, on the heights, during the night; and it was rather amusing to observe the different notions of individual comfort, in the selection of furniture, which officers transferred from their _town house_ to their _no house_ on the heights. a sofa, or a mattress, one would have thought most likely to be put in requisition; but it was not unusual to see a full-length looking-glass preferred to either. the post of the company to which i belonged, on the heights, was near a redoubt, immediately behind arruda; there was a cattle-shed near it, which we cleaned out, and used as a sort of quarter. on turning out from breakfast one morning, we found that the butcher had been about to offer up the usual sacrifice of a bullock to the wants of the day; but it had broken loose, and, in trying to regain his victim, had caught it by the tail, which he twisted round his hand; and, when we made our appearance, they were performing a variety of evolutions at a gallop, to the great amusement of the soldiers; until an unlucky turn brought them down upon our house, which had been excavated out of the face of the hill, on which the upper part of the roof rested, and _in_ they went, heels over head, butcher, bullock, tail and all, bearing down the whole fabric with a tremendous crash. n.b. it was very fortunate that we happened to be outside; and very unfortunate, as we were now obliged to remain out. we certainly lived in _clover_ while we remained here; every thing we saw was our own, seeing no one there who had a more legitimate claim; and every field was a vineyard. ultimately it was considered too much trouble to pluck the grapes, as there were a number of poor native thieves in the habit of coming from the rear, every day, to steal some, so that a soldier had nothing to do but to watch one until he was marching off with his basket full, when he would very deliberately place his back against that of the portuguese, and relieve him of his load, without wasting any words about the bargain. the poor wretch would follow the soldier to the camp, in the hope of having his basket returned, as it generally was, when emptied. massena conceiving any attack upon our lines to be hopeless, as his troops were rapidly mouldering away with sickness and want, at length began to withdraw them nearer to the source of his supplies. he abandoned his position, opposite to us, on the night of the th of november, leaving some stuffed-straw gentlemen occupying their usual posts. some of them were cavalry, some infantry, and they seemed such respectable representatives of their spectral predecessors, that, in the haze of the following morning, we thought that they had been joined by some well-fed ones from the rear; and it was late in the day before we discovered the mistake and advanced in pursuit. in passing by the edge of a mill-pond, after dark, our adjutant and his horse tumbled in, and, as the latter had no tail to hold on by, they were both very nearly drowned. it was late ere we halted for the night, on the side of the road, near to allenquer, and i got under cover in a small house, which looked as if it had been honoured as the head-quarters of the tailor-general of the french army, for the floor was strewed with variegated threads, various complexioned buttons, with particles and remnants of _cabbage_; and, if it could not boast of the flesh and fowl of noah's ark, there was an abundance of the creeping things which it were to be wished that that commander had not left behind. we marched before daylight next morning, leaving a _rousing_ fire in the chimney, which shortly became too small to hold it; for we had not proceeded far before we perceived that the well-dried thatched roof had joined in the general blaze, a circumstance which caused us no little uneasiness, for our general, the late major-general robert crawford, had brought us up in the fear of our master; and, as he was a sort of person who would not see a fire, of that kind, in the same _light_ that we did, i was by no means satisfied that my commission lay snug in my pocket, until we had fairly marched it out of sight, and in which we were aided not a little by a slight fire of another kind, which he was required to watch with the advanced guard. on our arrival at vallé, on the th of nov. we found the enemy behind the rio maior, occupying the heights of santarem, and exchanged some shots with their advanced posts. in the course of the night we experienced one of those tremendous thunderstorms which used to precede the wellington victories, and which induced us to expect a general action on the following day. i had disposed myself to sleep in a beautiful green hollow way, and, before i had time even to dream of the effects of their heavy rains, i found myself floating most majestically towards the river, in a fair way of becoming food for the fishes. i ever after gave those inviting-looking spots a wide birth, as i found that they were regular watercourses. next morning our division crossed the river, and commenced a false attack on the enemy's left, with a view of making them show their force; and it was to have been turned into a real attack, if their position was found to be occupied by a rear guard only; but, after keeping up a smart skirmishing-fire the greater part of the day, lord wellington was satisfied that their whole army was present, we were consequently withdrawn. this affair terminated the campaign of . our division took possession of the village of vallé and its adjacents, and the rest of the army was placed in cantonments, under whatever cover the neighbouring country afforded. our battalion was stationed in some empty farm-houses, near the end of the bridge of santarem, which was nearly half a mile long; and our sentries and those of the enemy were within pistol-shot of each other on the bridge. i do not mean to insinuate that a country is never so much at peace as when at open war; but i do say that a soldier can no where sleep so soundly, nor is he any where so secure from surprise, as when within musket-shot of his enemy. we lay four months in this situation, divided only by a rivulet, without once exchanging shots. every evening, at the hour "when bucks to dinner go, and cits to sup," it was our practice to dress for sleep: we saddled our horses, buckled on our armour, and lay down, with the bare floor for a bed and a stone for a pillow, ready for any thing, and reckless of every thing but the honour of our corps and country; for i will say (to save the expense of a trumpeter) that a more devoted set of fellows were never associated. we stood to our arms every morning at an hour before daybreak, and remained there until a _grey horse_ could be seen a mile off, (which is the military criterion by which daylight is acknowledged, and the hour of surprise past,) when we proceeded to unharness, and to indulge in such _luxuries_ as our toilet and our table afforded. the maior, as far as the bridge of vallé, was navigable for the small craft from lisbon, so that our table, while we remained there, cut as respectable a figure, as regular supplies of rice, salt fish, and potatoes could make it; not to mention that our pig-skin was, at all times, at least three parts full of a common red wine, which used to be dignified by the name of _black-strap_. we had the utmost difficulty, however, in keeping up appearances in the way of dress. the jacket, in spite of shreds and patches, always maintained something of the original about it; but woe befel the regimental small-clothes, and they could only be replaced by very extraordinary apologies, of which i remember that i had two pair at this period, _one_ of a common brown portuguese cloth, and the _other_, or sunday's pair, of black velvet. we had no women with the regiment; and the ceremony of washing a shirt amounted to my servant's taking it by the collar, and giving it a couple of shakes in the water, and then hanging it up to dry. smoothing-irons were not the fashion of the times, and, if a fresh well-dressed aide-de-camp did occasionally come from england, we used to stare at him with about as much respect as hotspur did at his "waiting gentlewoman." the winter here was uncommonly mild. i am not the sort of person to put myself much in the way of ice, except on a warm summer's day; but the only inconvenience that i felt in bathing, in the middle of december, was the quantity of leeches that used to attach themselves to my personal supporters, obliging me to cut a few capers to shake them off, after leaving the water. our piquet-post, at the bridge, became a regular lounge, for the winter, to all manner of folks. i used to be much amused at seeing our naval officers come up from lisbon riding on mules, with huge ships' spy-glasses, like six-pounders, strapped across the backs of their saddles. their first question invariably was, "who is that fellow there," (pointing to the enemy's sentry, close to us,) and, on being told that he was a frenchman, "then why the devil don't you shoot him!" repeated acts of civility passed between the french and us during this tacit suspension of hostilities. the greyhounds of an officer followed a hare, on one occasion, into their lines, and they very politely returned them. i was one night on piquet, at the end of the bridge, when a ball came from the french sentry and struck the burning billet of wood round which we were sitting, and they sent in a flag of truce, next morning, to apologize for the accident, and to say that it had been done by a stupid fellow of a sentry, who imagined that people were advancing upon him. we admitted the apology, though we knew well enough that it had been done by a malicious rather than a stupid fellow, from the situation we occupied. general junot, one day reconnoitring, was severely wounded by a sentry, and lord wellington, knowing that they were at that time destitute of every thing in the shape of comfort, sent to request his acceptance of any thing that lisbon afforded that could be of any service to him; but the french general was too much of a politician to admit the want of any thing. chap. v. campaign of opens. massena's retreat. wretched condition of the inhabitants on the line of march. affairs with the enemy, near pombal. description of a bivouac. action near redinha. destruction of condacia and action near it. burning of the village of illama, and misery of its inhabitants. action at foz d'aronce. confidential servants with donkey-assistants. the campaign of commenced on the th of march, by the retreat of the enemy from santarem. lord wellington seemed to be perfectly acquainted with their intentions, for he sent to apprize our piquets, the evening before, that they were going off, and to desire that they should feel for them occasionally during the night, and give the earliest information of their having started. it was not, however, until daylight that we were quite certain of their having gone, and our division was instantly put in motion after them, passing through the town of santarem, around which their camp fires were still burning. santarem is finely situated, and probably had been a handsome town. i had never seen it in prosperity, and it now looked like a city of the plague, represented by empty dogs and empty houses; and, but for the tolling of a convent-bell by some unseen hand, its appearance was altogether inhuman. we halted for the night near pyrnes. this little town, and the few wretched inhabitants who had been induced to remain in it under the faithless promises of the french generals, shewed fearful signs of a late visit from a barbarous and merciless foe. young women were lying in their houses brutally violated,--the streets were strewed with broken furniture, intermixed with the putrid carcasses of murdered peasants, mules, and donkeys, and every description of filth, that filled the air with pestilential nausea. the few starved male inhabitants who were stalking amid the wreck of their friends and property, looked like so many skeletons who had been permitted to leave their graves for the purpose of taking vengeance on their oppressors, and the mangled body of every frenchman who was unfortunate or imprudent enough to stray from his column, shewed how religiously they performed their mission. march th.--we overtook their rear guard this evening, snugly put up for the night in a little village, the name of which i do not recollect, but a couple of six pounders, supported by a few of our rifles, induced them to extend their walk. march th.--while moving along the road this morning, we found a man, who had deserted from us a short time before, in the uniform of a french dragoon, with his head laid open by one of our bullets. he was still alive, exciting any thing but sympathy among his former associates. towards the afternoon we found the enemy in force, on the plain in front of pombal, where we exchanged some shots. march th.--they retired yesterday to the heights behind pombal, with their advanced posts occupying the town and moorish castle, which our battalion, assisted by some cácadores, attacked this morning, and drove them from with considerable loss. dispositions were then made for a general attack on their position, but the other divisions of our army did not arrive until too late in the evening. we bivouacked for the night in a ploughed field, under the castle, with our sentries within pistol shot, while it rained in torrents. as it is possible that some of my readers might never have had the misfortune to experience the comforts of a bivouac, and as the one which i am now in, contains but a small quantity of sleep, i shall devote a waking hour for their edification. when a regiment arrives at its ground for the night, it is formed in columns of companies, at full, half, or quarter distance, according to the space which circumstances will permit it to occupy. the officer commanding each company then receives his orders; and, after communicating whatever may be necessary to the men, he desires them to "pile arms, and make themselves comfortable for the night." now, i pray thee, most sanguine reader, suffer not thy fervid imagination to transport thee into elysian fields at the pleasing exhortation conveyed in the concluding part of the captain's address, but rest thee contentedly in the one where it is made, which in all probability is a ploughed one, and that, too, in a state of preparation to take a model of thy very beautiful person, under the melting influence of a shower of rain. the soldiers of each company have a hereditary claim to the ground next to their arms, as have their officers to a wider range on the same line, limited to the end of a bugle sound, if not by a neighbouring corps, or one that is not neighbourly, for the nearer a man is to his enemy, the nearer he likes to be to his friends. suffice it, that each individual knows his place as well as if he had been born on the estate, and takes immediate possession accordingly. in a ploughed or a stubble field there is scarcely a choice of quarters; but, whenever there is a sprinkling of trees, it is always an object to secure a good one, as it affords shelter from the sun by day and the dews by night, besides being a sort of home or sign post for a group of officers, as denoting the best place of entertainment; for they hang their spare clothing and accoutrements among the branches, barricade themselves on each side with their saddles, canteens, and portmanteaus, and, with a blazing fire in their front, they indulge, according to their various humours, in a complete state of gipsyfication. there are several degrees of comfort to be reckoned in a bivouac, two of which will suffice. the first, and worst, is to arrive at the end of a cold wet day, too dark to see your ground, and too near the enemy to be permitted to unpack the knapsacks or to take off accoutrements; where, unincumbered with baggage or eatables of any kind, you have the consolation of knowing that things are now at their worst, and that any change must be for the better. you keep yourself alive for a while, in collecting material to feed your fire with. you take a smell at your empty calibash, which recalls to your remembrance the delicious flavour of its last drop of wine. you curse your servant for not having contrived to send you something or other from the baggage, (though you know that it was impossible). you then damn the enemy for being so near you, though probably, as in the present instance, it was you that came so near them. and, finally, you take a whiff at the end of a cigar, if you have one, and keep grumbling through the smoke, like distant thunder through a cloud, until you tumble into a most warlike sleep. the next, and most common one, is, when you are not required to look quite so sharp, and when the light baggage and provisions come in at the heel of the regiment. if it is early in the day, the first thing to be done is to make some tea, the most sovereign restorative for jaded spirits. we then proceed to our various duties. the officers of each company form a mess of themselves. one remains in camp to attend to the duties of the regiment; a second attends to the mess: he goes to the regimental butcher, and bespeaks a portion of the only purchaseable commodities, hearts, livers, and kidneys; and also to see whether he cannot _do_ the commissary out of a few extra biscuit, or a canteen of brandy; and the remainder are gentlemen at large for the day. but while they go hunting among the neighbouring regiments for news, and the neighbouring houses for curiosity, they have always an eye to their mess, and omit no opportunity of adding to the general stock. dinner hour, for fear of accidents, is always the hour when dinner can be got ready; and the th section of the articles of war is always most rigidly attended to, by every good officer parading himself round the camp-kettle at the time fixed, with his haversack in his hand. a haversack on service is a sort of dumb waiter. the mess have a good many things in common, but the contents of the haversack are exclusively the property of its owner; and a well regulated one ought never to be without the following furniture, unless when the perishable part is consumed, in consequence of every other means of supply having failed, viz. a couple of biscuit, a sausage, a little tea and sugar, a knife, fork, and spoon, a tin cup, (which answers to the names of _tea-cup_, _soup-plate_, _wine-glass_, and _tumbler_,) a pair of socks, a piece of soap, a tooth-brush, towel, and comb, and half a dozen cigars. after doing justice to the dinner, if we feel in a humour for additional society, we transfer ourselves to some neighbouring mess, taking our cups, and whatever we mean to drink, along with us, for in those times there is nothing to be expected from our friends beyond the pleasure of their conversation: and, finally, we retire to rest. to avoid inconvenience by the tossing off of the bed-clothes, each officer has a blanket sewed up at the sides, like a sack, into which he scrambles, and, with a green sod or a smooth stone for a pillow, composes himself to sleep; and, under such a glorious reflecting canopy as the heavens, it would be a subject of mortification to an astronomer to see the celerity with which he tumbles into it. habit gives endurance, and fatigue is the best nightcap; no matter that the veteran's countenance is alternately stormed with torrents of rain, heavy dews, and hoar-frosts; no matter that his ears are assailed by a million mouths of chattering locusts, and by some villanous donkey, who every half hour pitches a _bray_ note, which, as a congregation of presbyterians follow their clerk, is instantly taken up by every mule and donkey in the army, and sent echoing from regiment to regiment, over hill and valley, until it dies away in the distance; no matter that the scorpion is lurking beneath his pillow, the snake winding his slimy way by his side, and the lizard galloping over his face, wiping his eyes with its long cold tail. all are unheeded, until the warning voice of the brazen instrument sounds to arms. strange it is, that the ear which is impervious to what would disturb the rest of the world besides, should alone be alive to one, and that, too, a sound which is likely to sooth the sleep of the citizens, or at most, to set them dreaming of their loves. but so it is: the first note of the melodious bugle places the soldier on his legs, like lightning; when, muttering a few curses at the unseasonableness of the hour, he plants himself on his alarm post, without knowing or caring about the cause. such is a bivouac; and our sleep-breaker having just sounded, the reader will find what occurred, by reading on. march th.--we stood to our arms before daylight. finding that the enemy had quitted the position in our front, we proceeded to follow them; and had not gone far before we heard the usual morning's salutation, of a couple of shots, between their rear and our advanced guard. on driving in their outposts, we found their whole army drawn out on the plain, near redinha, and instantly quarrelled with them on a large scale. as every body has read waverley and the scottish chiefs, and knows that one battle is just like another, inasmuch as they always conclude by one or both sides running away; and as it is nothing to me what this or t'other regiment did, nor do i care three buttons what this or t'other person thinks he did, i shall limit all my descriptions to such events as immediately concerned the important personage most interested in this history. be it known then, that i was one of a crowd of skirmishers who were enabling the french ones to carry the news of their own defeat through a thick wood, at an infantry canter, when i found myself all at once within a few yards of one of their regiments in line, which opened such a fire, that had i not, rifleman like, taken instant advantage of the cover of a good fir tree, my name would have unquestionably been transmitted to posterity by that night's gazette. and, however opposed it may be to the usual system of drill, i will maintain, from that day's experience, that the cleverest method of teaching a recruit to stand at attention, is to place him behind a tree and fire balls at him; as, had our late worthy disciplinarian, sir david dundas, himself, been looking on, i think that even _he_ must have admitted that he never saw any one stand so fiercely upright as i did behind mine, while the balls were rapping into it as fast as if a fellow had been hammering a nail on the opposite side, not to mention the numbers that were whistling past, within the eighth of an inch of every part of my body, both before and behind, particularly in the vicinity of my nose, for which the upper part of the tree could barely afford protection. this was a last and a desperate stand made by their rear-guard, for their own safety, immediately above the town, as their sole chance of escape depended upon their being able to hold the post until the only bridge across the river was clear of the other fugitives. but they could not hold it long enough; for, while we were undergoing a temporary sort of purgatory in their front, our comrades went working round their flanks, which quickly sent them flying, with us intermixed, at full cry, down the streets. whether in love or war, i have always considered that the pursuer has a decided advantage over the pursued. in the first, he may gain and cannot lose; but, in the latter, when one sees his enemy at full speed before him, one has such a peculiar conscious sort of feeling that he is on the right side, that i would not exchange places for any consideration. when we reached the bridge, the scene became exceedingly interesting, for it was choked up by the fugitives who were, as usual, impeding each other's progress, and we did not find that the application of our swords to those nearest to us tended at all towards lessening their disorder, for it induced about a hundred of them to rush into an adjoining house for shelter, but that was netting regularly out of the frying-pan into the fire, for the house happened to be really in flames, and too hot to hold them, so that the same hundred were quickly seen unkennelling again, half-cooked, into the very jaws of their consumers. john bull, however, is not a blood-thirsty person, so that those who could not better themselves, had only to submit to a simple transfer of personal property to ensure his protection. we, consequently, made many prisoners at the bridge, and followed their army about a league beyond it, keeping up a flying fight until dark. just as mr. simmons and myself had crossed the river, and were talking over the events of the day, not a yard asunder, there was a portuguese soldier in the act of passing between us, when a cannon-ball plunged into his belly--his head doubled down to his feet, and he stood for a moment in that posture before he rolled over a lifeless lump. march th.--arrived on the hill above condacia in time to see that handsome little town in flames. every species of barbarity continued to mark the enemy's retreating steps. they burnt every town or village through which they passed, and if we entered a church, which, by accident, had been spared, it was to see the murdered bodies of the peasantry on the altar. while lord wellington, with his staff, was on a hill a little in front of us, waiting the result of a flank-movement which he had directed, some of the enemy's sharpshooters stole, unperceived, very near to him and began firing, but, fortunately, without effect. we immediately detached a few of ours to meet them, but the others ran off on their approach. we lay by our arms until towards evening, when the enemy withdrew a short distance behind condacia, and we closed up to them. there was a continued popping between the advanced posts all night. march th.--finding, at daylight, that the enemy still continued to hold the strong ground before us, some divisions of the army were sent to turn their flanks, while ours attacked them in front. we drove them from one strong hold to another, over a large track of very difficult country, mountainous and rocky, and thickly intersected with stone walls, and were involved in one continued hard skirmish from daylight until dark. this was the most harassing day's fighting that i ever experienced. daylight left the two armies looking at each other, near the village of illama. the smoking roofs of the houses showed that the french had just quitted and, as usual, set fire to it, when the company to which i belonged was ordered on piquet there for the night. after posting our sentries, my brother-officer and myself had the curiosity to look into a house, and were shocked to find in it a mother and her child dead, and the father, with three more, living, but so much reduced by famine as to be unable to remove themselves from the flames. we carried them into the open air, and offered the old man our few remaining crumbs of biscuit, but he told us that he was too far gone to benefit by them, and begged that we would give them to his children. we lost no time in examining such of the other houses as were yet safe to enter, and rescued many more individuals from one horrible death, probably to reserve them for another equally so, and more lingering, as we had nothing to give them, and marched at daylight the following morning. our post that night was one of terrific grandeur. the hills behind were in a blaze of light with the british camp-fires, as were those in our front with the french ones. both hills were abrupt and lofty, not above eight hundred yards asunder, and we were in the burning village in the valley between. the roofs of houses every instant falling in, and the sparks and flames ascending to the clouds. the streets were strewed with the dying and the dead,--some had been murdered and some killed in action, which, together with the half-famished wretches whom we had saved from burning, contributed in making it a scene which was well-calculated to shake a stout heart, as was proved in the instance of one of our sentries, a well known "devil-may-care" sort of fellow. i know not what appearances the burning rafters might have reflected on the neighbouring trees at the time, but he had not been long on his post before he came running into the piquet, and swore, by all the saints in the calendar, that he saw six dead frenchmen advancing upon him with hatchets over their shoulders! we found by the buttons on the coats of some of the fallen foe, that we had this day been opposed to the french ninety-fifth regiment, (the same number as we were then,) and i cut off several of them, which i preserved as trophies. march th.--we overtook the enemy a little before dark this afternoon. they were drawn up behind the ceira, at fez d'aronce, with their rear-guard, under marshal ney, imprudently posted on our side of the river, a circumstance which lord wellington took immediate advantage of; and, by a furious attack, dislodged them, in such confusion, that they blew up the bridge before half of their own people had time to get over. those who were thereby left behind, not choosing to put themselves to the pain of being shot, took to the river, which received them so hospitably that few of them ever quitted it. their loss, on this occasion, must have been very great, and, we understood, at the time, that ney had been sent to france, in disgrace, in consequence of it. about the middle of the action, i observed some inexperienced light troops rushing up a deep road-way to certain destruction, and ran to warn them out of it, but i only arrived in time to partake the reward of their indiscretion, for i was instantly struck with a musket-ball above the left ear, which deposited me, at full length, in the mud. i know not how long i lay insensible, but, on recovering, my first _feeling_ was for my head, to ascertain if any part of it was still standing, for it appeared to me as if nothing remained above the mouth; but, after repeated applications of all my fingers and thumbs to the doubtful parts, i, at length, proved to myself, satisfactorily, that it had rather increased than diminished by the concussion; and, jumping on my legs, and hearing, by the whistling of the balls from both sides, that the rascals who had got me into the scrape had been driven back and left me there, i snatched my cap, which had saved my life, and which had been spun off my head to the distance of ten or twelve yards, and joined them, a short distance in the rear, when one of them, a soldier of the sixtieth, came and told me that an officer of ours had been killed, a short time before, pointing to the spot where i myself had fallen, and that he had tried to take his jacket off, but that the advance of the enemy had prevented him. i told him that i was the one that had been killed, and that i was deucedly obliged to him for his _kind_ intentions, while i felt still more so to the enemy for their timely advance, otherwise, i have no doubt, but my _friend_ would have taken a fancy to my trousers also, for i found that he had absolutely unbuttoned my jacket. there is nothing so gratifying to frail mortality as a good dinner when most wanted and least expected. it was perfectly dark before the action finished, but, on going to take advantage of the fires which the enemy had evacuated, we found their soup-kettles in full operation, and every man's mess of biscuit lying beside them, in stockings, as was the french mode of carrying them; and it is needless to say how unceremoniously we proceeded to do the honours of the feast. it ever after became a saying among the soldiers, whenever they were on short allowance, "well, d--n my eyes, we must either fall in with the french or the commissary to-day, i don't care which." as our baggage was always in the rear on occasions of this kind, the officers of each company had a portuguese boy, in charge of a donkey, on whom their little comforts depended. he carried our boat-cloaks and blankets, was provided with a small pig-skin for wine, a canteen for spirits, a small quantity of tea and sugar, a goat tied to the donkey, and two or three dollars in his pocket, for the purchase of bread, butter, or any other luxury which good fortune might throw in his way in the course of the day's march. we were never very scrupulous in exacting information regarding the source of his supplies; so that he had nothing to dread from our wrath, unless he had the misfortune to make his appearance empty-handed. they were singularly faithful and intelligent in making their way to us every evening, under the most difficult circumstances. this was the only night during massena's retreat in which ours failed to find us; and, wandering the greater part of the night in the intricate maze of camp-fires, it appeared that he slept, after all, among some dragoons, within twenty yards of us. chap. vi. passage of the mondego. swearing to a large amount. two prisoners, with their two views. two nuns, two pieces of dough, and two kisses. a halt. affair near frexedas. arrival near guarda. murder. a stray sentry. battle of sabugal. spanish and portuguese frontiers. blockade of almeida. battle-like. current value of lord wellington's nose. battle of fuentes d'onor. the day after the battle. a grave remark. the _padre's_ house. retreat of the enemy. march th.--found the enemy's rear-guard behind the mondego, at ponte de marcella, cannonaded them out of it, and then threw a temporary bridge across the river, and followed them until dark. the late sir alexander campbell, who commanded the division next to ours, by a wanton excess of zeal in expecting an order to follow, would not permit any thing belonging to us to pass the bridge, for fear of impeding the march of his troops; and, as he received no order to march, we were thereby prevented from getting any thing whatever to eat for the next thirty-six hours. i know not whether the curses of individuals are recorded under such circumstances, but, if they are, the gallant general will have found the united hearty ones of four thousand men registered against him for that particular act. march th.--we, this day, captured the aide-de-camp of general loison, together with his wife, who was dressed in a splendid hussar uniform. _he_ was a portuguese, and a traitor, and looked very like a man who would be hanged. _she_ was a spaniard, and very handsome, and looked very like a woman who would get married again. march th.--we had now been three days without any thing in the shape of bread, and meat without it, after a time, becomes almost loathsome. hearing that we were not likely to march quite so early as usual this morning, i started, before daylight, to a village about two miles off, in the face of the sierra d'estrella, in the hopes of being able to purchase something, as it lay out of the hostile line of movements. on my arrival there, i found some nuns who had fled from a neighbouring convent, waiting outside the building of the village-oven for some indian-corn-leaven, which they had carried there to be baked, and, when i explained my pressing wants, two of them, very kindly, transferred me their shares, for which i gave each a kiss and a dollar between. they took the former as an unusual favour; but looked at the latter, as much as to say, "our poverty, and not our will, consents." i ran off with my half-baked dough, and joined my comrades, just as they were getting under arms. march st.--we, this day, reached the town of mello, and had so far outmarched our commissary that we found it necessary to wait for him; and, in stopping to get a sight of our friends, we lost sight of our foes, a circumstance which i was by no means sorry for, as it enabled my shoulders, once more, to rejoice under the load of a couple of biscuits, and made me no longer ashamed to look a cow or a sheep in the face, now that they were not required to furnish more than their regulated proportions of my daily food. march th.--we had no difficulty in tracing the enemy, by the wrecks of houses and the butchered peasantry; and overtook their rear-guard, this day, busy grinding corn, in some windmills, near the village of frexedas. as their situation offered a fair opportunity for us to reap the fruits of their labours, we immediately attacked and drove them from it, and, after securing what we wanted, we withdrew again, across the valley, to the village of alverca, where we were not without some reasonable expectations that they would have returned the compliment, as we had only a few squadrons of dragoons in addition to our battalion, and we had seen them withdraw a much stronger force from the opposite village; but, by keeping a number of our men all night employed in making extensive fires on the hill above, it induced them to think that our force was much greater than it really was; and we remained unmolested. the only person we had hit in this affair was our adjutant, mr. stewart, who was shot through the head from a window. he was a gallant soldier, and deeply lamented. we placed his body in a chest, and buried it in front of colonel beckwith's quarters. march st.--at daylight, this morning, we moved to our right, along the ridge of mountains, to guarda: on our arrival there, we saw the imposing spectacle of the whole of the french army winding through the valley below, just out of gun-shot. on taking possession of one of the villages which they had just evacuated, we found the body of a well-dressed female, whom they had murdered by a horrible refinement in cruelty. she had been placed upon her back, alive, in the middle of the street, with the fragment of a rock upon her breast, which it required four of our men to remove. april st.--we overtook the enemy this afternoon, in position, behind the coa, at sabugal, with their advanced posts on our side of the river. i was sent on piquet for the night, and had my sentries within half-musket shot of theirs: it was wet, dark, and stormy when i went, about midnight, to visit them, and i was not a little annoyed to find one missing. recollecting who he was, a steady old soldier and the last man in the world to desert his post, i called his name aloud, when his answering voice, followed by the discharge of a musket, reached me nearly at the same time, from the direction of one of the french sentries; and, after some inquiry, i found that in walking his lonely round, in a brown study, no doubt, he had each turn taken ten or twelve paces to his front, and only half that number to the rear, until he had gradually worked himself up to within a few yards of his adversary; and it would be difficult to say which of the two was most astonished--the one at hearing a voice, or the other a shot so near, but all my rhetoric, aided by the testimony of the serjeant and the other sentries, could not convince the fellow that he was not on the identical spot on which i had posted him. april d.--we moved this day to the right, nearer to the bridge, and some shots were exchanged between the piquets. battle of sabugal, april d, . early this morning our division moved still farther to its right, and our brigade led the way across a ford, which took us up to the middle; while the balls from the enemy's advanced posts were hissing in the water around us, we drove in their light troops and commenced a furious assault upon their main body. thus far all was right; but a thick drizzling rain now came on, in consequence of which the third division, which was to have made a simultaneous attack to our left, missed their way, and a brigade of dragoons under sir william erskine, who were to have covered our right, went the lord knows where, but certainly not into the fight, although they started at the same time that we did, and had the _music_ of our rifles to guide them; and, even the second brigade of our own division could not afford us any support, for nearly an hour, so that we were thus unconsciously left with about fifteen hundred men, in the very impertinent attempt to carry a formidable position, on which stood as many thousands. the weather, which had deprived us of the aid of our friends, favoured us so far as to prevent the enemy from seeing the amount of our paltry force; and the conduct of our gallant fellows, led on by sir sidney beckwith, was so truly heroic, that, incredible as it may seem, we had the best of the fight throughout. our first attack was met by such overwhelming numbers, that we were forced back and followed by three heavy columns, before which we retired slowly, and keeping up a destructive fire, to the nearest rising ground, where we re-formed and instantly charged their advancing masses, sending them flying at the point of the bayonet, and entering their position along with them, where we were assailed by fresh forces. three times did the very same thing occur. in our third attempt we got possession of one of their howitzers, for which a desperate struggle was making, when we were at the same moment charged by infantry in front and cavalry on the right, and again compelled to fall back; but, fortunately, at this moment we were reinforced by the arrival of the second brigade, and, with their aid, we once more stormed their position and secured the well-earned howitzer, while the third division came at the same time upon their flank, and they were driven from the field in the greatest disorder. lord wellington's despatch on this occasion did ample justice to sir sidney beckwith and his brave brigade. never were troops more judiciously or more gallantly led. never was a leader more devotedly followed. in the course of the action a man of the name of knight fell dead at my feet, and though i heard a musket ball strike him, i could neither find blood nor wound. there was a little spaniel belonging to one of our officers running about the whole time, barking at the balls, and i saw him once smelling at a live shell, which exploded in his face without hurting him. the strife had scarcely ended among mortals, when it was taken up by the elements with terrific violence. the _scotch mist_ of the morning had now increased to torrents, enough to cool the fever of our late excitement, and accompanied by thunder and lightning. as a compliment for our exertions in the fight, we were sent into the town, and had the advantage of whatever cover its dilapidated state afforded. while those who had not had the chance of getting broken skins, had now the benefit of sleeping in wet ones. on the th of april we entered the frontiers of spain, and slept in a bed for the first time since i left the ship. passing from the portuguese to the spanish frontier is about equal to taking one step from the coal-hole into the parlour, for the cottages on the former are reared with filth, furnished with ditto, and peopled accordingly; whereas, those of spain, even within the same mile, are neatly whitewashed, both without and within, and the poorest of them can furnish a good bed, with clean linen, and the pillow-cases neatly adorned with pink and sky-blue ribbons, while their dear little girls look smiling and neat as their pillow-cases. after the action at sabugal, the enemy retired to the neighbourhood of ciudad rodrigo, without our getting another look at them, and we took up the line of the agueda and axava rivers, for the blockade of the fortress of almeida, in which they had left a garrison indifferently provisioned. the garrison had no means of providing for their cattle, but by turning them out to graze upon the glacis; and we sent a few of our rifles to practice against them, which very soon reduced them to salt provisions. towards the end of april the french army began to assemble on the opposite bank of the agueda to attempt the relief of the garrison, while ours began to assemble in position at fuentes d'onor to dispute it. our division still continued to hold the same line of outposts, and had several sharp affairs between the piquets at the bridge of marialva. as a general action seemed now to be inevitable, we anxiously longed for the return of lord wellington, who had been suddenly called to the corps of the army under marshal beresford, near badajos, as we would rather see his long nose in the fight than a reinforcement of ten thousand men any day. indeed, there was a charm not only about himself but all connected with him, for which no odds could compensate. the known abilities of sir george murray, the gallant bearing of the lamented pakenham, of lord fitzroy somerset, of the present duke of richmond, sir colin campbell, with others, the flower of our young nobility and gentry, who, under the auspices of such a chief, seemed always a group attendant on victory; and i'll venture to say that there was not a bosom in that army that did not beat more lightly, when we heard the joyful news of his arrival, the day before the enemy's advance. he had ordered us not to dispute the passage of the river, so that when the french army advanced, on the morning of the d of may, we retired slowly before them, across the plains of espeja, and drew into the position, where the whole army was now assembled. our division took post in reserve, in the left centre. towards evening, the enemy made a fierce attack on the village of fuentes, but were repulsed with loss. on the th, both armies looked at each other all day without exchanging shots. battle of fuentes d'onor, may th, . the day began to dawn, this fine may morning, with a rattling fire of musketry on the extreme right of our position, which the enemy had attacked, and to which point our division was rapidly moved. our battalion was thrown into a wood, a little to the left and front of the division engaged, and was instantly warmly opposed to the french skirmishers; in the course of which i was struck with a musket-ball on the left breast, which made me stagger a yard or two backward, and, as i felt no pain, i concluded that i was dangerously wounded; but it turned out to be owing to my not being hurt. while our operations here were confined to a tame skirmish, and our view to the oaks with which we were mingled, we found, by the evidence of our ears, that the division which we had come to support was involved in a more serious onset, for _there_ was the successive rattle of artillery, the wild hurrah of charging squadrons, and the repulsing volley of musketry; until lord wellington, finding his right too much extended, directed _that_ division to fall back behind the small river touronne, and ours to join the main body of the army. the execution of our movement presented a magnificent military spectacle, as the plain, between us and the right of the army, was by this time in possession of the french cavalry, and, while we were retiring through it with the order and precision of a common field-day, they kept dancing around us, and every instant threatening a charge, without daring to execute it. we took up our new position at a right angle with the then right of the british line, on which our left rested, and with our right on the touronne. the enemy followed our movement with a heavy column of infantry; but, when they came near enough to exchange shots, they did not seem to like our looks, as we occupied a low ridge of broken rocks, against which even a rat could scarcely have hoped to advance alive; and they again fell back, and opening a tremendous fire of artillery, which was returned by a battery of our guns. in the course of a short time, seeing no further demonstration against this part of the position, our division was withdrawn, and placed in reserve in rear of the centre. the battle continued to rage with fury in and about the village, whilst we were lying by our arms under a burning hot sun, some stray cannon-shot passing over and about us, whose progress we watched for want of other employment. one of them bounded along in the direction of an _amateur_, whom we had for some time been observing securely placed, as he imagined, behind a piece of rock, which stood about five feet above the ground, and over which nothing but his head was shown, sheltered from the sun by an umbrella. the shot in question touched the ground three or four times between us and him; he saw it coming--lowered his umbrella, and withdrew his head. its expiring bound carried it into the very spot where he had that instant disappeared. i hope he was not hurt; but the thing looked so ridiculous that it excited a shout of laughter, and we saw no more of him. a little before dusk, in the evening, our battalion was ordered forward to relieve the troops engaged in the village, part of which still remained in possession of the enemy, and i saw, by the mixed nature of the dead, in every part of the streets, that it had been successively in possession of both sides. the firing ceased with the daylight, and i was sent, with a section of men, in charge of one of the streets for the night. there was a wounded serjeant of highlanders lying on my post. a ball had passed through the back part of his head, from which the brain was oozing, and his only sign of life was a convulsive hiccough every two or three seconds. i sent for a medical friend to look at him, who told me that he could not survive; i then got a mattress from the nearest house, placed the poor fellow on it, and made use of one corner as a pillow for myself, on which, after the fatigues of the day, and though called occasionally to visit my sentries, i slept most soundly. the highlander died in the course of the night. when we stood to our arms, at daybreak next morning, we found the enemy busy throwing up a six-gun battery, immediately in front of our company's post, and we immediately set to work, with our whole hearts and souls, and placed a wall, about twelve feet thick, between us, which, no doubt, still remains there in the same garden, as a monument of what can be effected, in a few minutes, by a hundred modern men, when their personal safety is concerned; not but that the proprietor, in the midst of his admiration, would rather see a good bed of garlic on the spot, manured with the bodies of the architects. when the sun began to shine on the pacific disposition of the enemy, we proceeded to consign the dead to their last earthly mansions, giving every englishman a grave to himself, and putting as many frenchmen into one as it could conveniently accommodate. whilst in the superintendence of this melancholy duty, and ruminating on the words of the poet:-- "there's not a form of all that lie thus ghastly, wild and bare, tost, bleeding, in the stormy sky, black in the burning air, but to his knee some infant clung, but on his heart some fond heart hung!" i was grieved to think that the souls of deceased warriors should be so selfish as to take to flight in their regimentals, for i never saw the body of one with a rag on after battle. the day after one of those negative sort of victories is always one of intense interest. the movements on each side are most jealously watched, and each side is diligently occupied in strengthening such points as the fight of the preceding day had proved to be the most vulnerable. lord wellington was too deficient in his cavalry force to justify his following up his victory; and the enemy, on their parts, had been too roughly handled, in their last attempt, to think of repeating the experiment; so that, during the next two days, though both armies continued to hold the same ground, there was scarcely a shot exchanged. they had made a few prisoners, chiefly guardsmen and highlanders, whom they marched past the front of our position, in the most ostentatious way, on the forenoon of the th; and, the day following, a number of their regiments were paraded in the most imposing manner for review. they looked uncommonly well, and we were proud to think that we had beaten such fine-looking fellows so lately! our regiment had been so long and so often quartered in fuentes that it was like fighting for our fire-sides. the _padre's_ house stood at the top of the town. he was an old friend of ours, and an old fool, for he would not leave his house until it was too late to take anything with him; but, curious enough, although it had been repeatedly in the possession of both sides, and plundered, no doubt, by many expert artists, yet none of them thought of looking so high as the garret, which happened to be the repository of his money and provisions. he came to us the day after the battle, weeping over his supposed loss, like a sensitive christian, and i accompanied him to the house, to see whether there was not some consolation remaining for him; but, when he found his treasure safe, he could scarcely bear its restoration with becoming gravity. i helped him to carry off his bag of dollars, and he returned the compliment with a leg of mutton. the french army retired on the night of the th, leaving almeida to its fate; but, by an extraordinary piece of luck, the garrison made their escape the night after, in consequence of some mistake or miscarriage of an order, which prevented a british regiment from occupying the post intended for it. may th.--we advanced this morning, and occupied our former post at espeja, with some hopes of remaining quiet for a few days; but the alarm sounding at daylight on the following morning, we took post on the hill, in front of the village. it turned out to be only a patrole of french cavalry, who retired on receiving a few shots from our piquets, and we saw no more of them for a considerable time. chap. vii. march to estremadura. at soito, growing accommodations for man and beast. british taste displayed by portuguese wolves. false alarm. luxuries of roquingo camp. a chaplain of the forces. return towards the north. quarters near castello de vide. blockade of ciudad rodrigo. village of atalya; fleas abundant; food scarce. advance of the french army. affairs near guinaldo. our minister administered to. an unexpected visit from our general and his followers. end of the campaign of . winter quarters. lord wellington, soon after the battle of fuentes, was again called into estremadura, to superintend the operations of the corps of the army under marshal beresford, who had, in the mean time, fought the battle of albuera, and laid siege to badajos. in the beginning of june our division was ordered thither also, to be in readiness to aid his operations. we halted one night at the village of soito, where there are a great many chestnut trees of very extraordinary dimensions; the outside of the trunk keeps growing as the inside decays. i was one of a party of four persons who dined inside of one, and i saw two or three horses put up in several others. we halted, also, one night on the banks of the coa, near sabugal, and visited our late field of battle. we found that the dead had been nearly all torn from their graves, and devoured by wolves, who are in great force in that wild mountainous district, and shew very little respect either for man or beast. they seldom, indeed, attack a man; but if one happens to tie his horse to a tree, and leaves him unattended, for a short time, he must not be surprised if he finds, on his return, that he has parted with a good _rump steak_; _that_ is the piece that they always prefer; and it is, therefore, clear to me, that the first of the wolves must have been reared in england! we experienced, in the course of this very dark night, one of those ridiculous false alarms which will sometimes happen in the best organized body. some bullocks strayed, by accident, amongst the piles of arms, the falling clatter of which, frightened them so much that they went galloping over the sleeping soldiers. the officers' baggage-horses broke from their _moorings_, and joined in the general charge; and a cry immediately arose, that it was the french cavalry. the different regiments stood to their arms, and formed squares, looking as sharp as thunder for something to fire at; and it was a considerable time before the cause of the _row_ could be traced. the different followers of the army, in the mean time, were scampering off to the rear, spreading the most frightful reports. one woman of the d succeeded in getting three leagues off before daylight, and swore, "that, as god was her judge, she did not leave her regiment until she saw the last man of them cut to pieces!!!" on our arrival near elvas, we found that marshal beresford had raised the siege of badajos; and we were, therefore, encamped on the river caya, near roquingo. this was a sandy unsheltered district; and the weather was so excessively hot, that we had no enjoyment, but that of living three parts of the day up to the neck in a pool of water. up to this period it had been a matter of no small difficulty to ascertain, at any time, the day of the week; that of the month was altogether out of the question, and could only be reckoned by counting back to the date of the last battle; but our division was here joined by a chaplain, whose duty it was to remind us of these things. he might have been a very good man, but he was not prepossessing, either in his appearance or manners. i remember, the first sunday after his arrival, the troops were paraded for divine service, and had been some time waiting in square, when he at length rode into the centre of it, with his tall, lank, ungainly figure, mounted on a starved, untrimmed, unfurnished horse, and followed by a portuguese boy, with his canonicals and prayer-books on the back of a mule, with a hay-bridle, and having, by way of clothing, about half a pair of straw breeches. this spiritual comforter was the least calculated of any one that i ever saw to excite devotion in the minds of men, who had seen nothing in the shape of a divine for a year or two. in the beginning of august we began to retrace our steps towards the north. we halted a few days in portalegré, and a few more at castello de vide. the latter place is surrounded by extensive gardens, belonging to the richer citizens; in each of which there is a small summer-house, containing one or two apartments, in which the proprietor, as i can testify, may have the enjoyment of being fed upon by a more healthy and better appetized flea, than is to be met with in town houses in general. these _quintas_ fell to the lot of our battalion; and though their beds, on that account, had not much sleep in them, yet, as those who preferred the voice of the nightingale in a bed of cabbages, to the pinch of a flea in a bed of feathers, had the alternative at their option; i enjoyed my sojourn there very much. each garden had a bathing tank, with a plentiful supply of water, which at that season was really a luxury; and they abounded in choice fruits. i there formed an attachment to a mulberry-tree, which is still fondly cherished in my remembrance. we reached the scene of our former operations, in the north, towards the end of august. the french had advanced and blockaded almeida, during our absence, but they retired again on our approach, and we took up a more advanced position than before, for the blockade of ciudad rodrigo. our battalion occupied atalya, a little village at the foot of the sierra de gata, and in front of the river vadilla. on taking possession of my quarter, the people showed me an outhouse, which, they said, i might use as a stable, and i took my horse into it, but, seeing the floor strewed with what appeared to be a small brown seed, heaps of which lay in each corner, as if shovelled together in readiness to take to market, i took up a handful, out of curiosity, and, truly, they were a curiosity, for i found that they were all regular fleas, and that they were proceeding to eat both me and my horse, without the smallest ceremony. i rushed out of the place, and knocked them down by fistfuls, and never yet could comprehend the cause of their congregating together in such a place. this neighbourhood had been so long the theatre of war, and alternately forced to supply both armies, that the inhabitants, at length, began to dread starvation themselves, and concealed, for their private use, all that remained to them; so that, although they were bountiful in their assurances of good wishes, it was impossible to extract a loaf of their good bread, of which we were so wildly in want that we were obliged to conceal patroles on the different roads and footpaths, for many miles around, to search the peasants passing between the different villages, giving them an order on the commissary for whatever we took from them; and we were not too proud to take even a few potatoes out of an old woman's basket. on one occasion, when some of us were out shooting, we discovered about twenty hives of bees, in the face of a glen, concealed among the gumcestus, and, stopping up the mouth of one them, we carried it home on our shoulders, bees and all, and continued to levy contributions on the _depot_ as long as we remained there. towards the end of september, the garrison of ciudad rodrigo began to get on such "short commons" that _marmont_, who had succeeded _massena_, in the command of the french army, found it necessary to assemble the whole of his forces, to enable him to throw provisions into it. lord wellington was still pursuing his defensive system, and did not attempt to oppose him; but marmont, after having effected his object, thought that he might as well take that opportunity of beating up our quarters, in return for the trouble we had given him; and, accordingly, on the morning of the th, he attacked a brigade of the third division, stationed at el bedon, which, after a brilliant defence and retreat, conducted him opposite to the british position, in front of fuente guinaldo. he busied himself, the whole of the following day, in bringing up his troops for the attack. our division, in the mean time, remained on the banks of the vadillo, and had nearly been cut off, through the obstinacy of general crawford, who did not choose to obey an order he received to retire the day before; but we, nevertheless, succeeded in joining the army, by a circuitous route, on the afternoon of the th; and, the whole of both armies being now assembled, we considered a battle on the morrow as inevitable. lord wellington, however, was not disposed to accommodate them on this occasion; for, about the middle of the night, we received an order to stand to our arms, with as little noise as possible, and to commence retiring, the rest of the army having been already withdrawn, unknown to us; an instance of the rapidity and uncertainty of our movements which proved fatal to the liberty of several amateurs and followers of the army, who, seeing an army of sixty thousand men lying asleep around their camp-fires, at ten o'clock at night, naturally concluded that they might safely indulge in a bed in the village behind, until daylight, without the risk of being caught napping; but, long ere that time, they found themselves on the high road to ciudad rodrigo, in the rude grasp of an enemy. amongst others, was the chaplain of our division, whose outward man, as i have already said, conveyed no very exalted notion of the respectability of his profession, and who was treated with greater indignity than usually fell to the lot of prisoners, for, after keeping him a couple of days, and finding that, however gifted he might have been in spiritual lore, he was as ignorant as dominie sampson on military matters; and, conceiving good provisions to be thrown away upon him, they stripped him nearly naked and dismissed him, like the barber in gil blas, with a kick in the breech, and sent him in to us in a woful state. september th.--general crawford remained behind us this morning, with a troop of dragoons, to reconnoitre; and, while we were marching carelessly along the road, he and his dragoons galloped right into our column, with a cloud of french ones at his heels. luckily, the ground was in our favour; and, dispersing our men among the broken rocks, on both sides of the road, we sent them back somewhat faster than they came on. they were, however, soon replaced by their infantry, with whom we continued in an uninteresting skirmish all day. there was some sharp firing, the whole of the afternoon, to our left; and we retired, in the evening, to soito. this affair terminated the campaign of , as the enemy retired the same night, and we advanced next day to resume the blockade of rodrigo; and were suffered to remain quietly in cantonments until the commencement of a new year. in every interval between our active services, we indulged in all manner of childish trick and amusement, with an avidity and delight of which it is impossible to convey an adequate idea. we lived united, as men always are who are daily staring death in the face on the same side, and who, caring little about it, look upon each new day added to their lives as one more to rejoice in. we invited the villagers, every evening, to a dance at our quarters alternately. a spanish peasant girl has an address about her which i have never met with in the same class of any other country; and she at once enters into society with the ease and confidence of one who had been accustomed to it all her life. we used to flourish away at the bolero, fandango, and waltz, and wound up early in the evening with a supper of roasted chestnuts. our village _belles_, as already stated, made themselves perfectly at home in our society, and we, too, should have enjoyed theirs for a season; but, when month after month, and year after year, continued to roll along, without producing any change, we found that the cherry cheek and sparkling eye of rustic beauty furnished but a very poor apology for the illuminated portion of nature's fairest works, and ardently longed for an opportunity of once more feasting our eyes on a _lady_. in the month of december, we heard that the chief magistrate of rodrigo, with whom we were personally acquainted, had, with his daughter and two other young ladies, taken shelter in robledillo, a little town in the sierra de gata, which, being within our range, presented an attraction not to be resisted. half-a-dozen of us immediately resolved ourselves into a committee of ways and means. we had six months' pay due to us; so that the fandango might have been danced in either of our pockets without the smallest risk; but we had this consolation for our poverty, that there was nothing to be bought, even if we had the means. our only resource, therefore, was to lighten the cares of such of our brother-officers as were fortunate enough to have any thing to lose; and, at this moment of doubt and difficulty, a small flock of turkeys, belonging to our major, presented themselves, most imprudently, grazing opposite the windows of our council-chamber, two of which were instantly committed to the bottom of a sack, as a foundation to go upon. one of our spies, soon after, apprehended a sheep, the property of another officer, which was committed to the same place; and, getting the commissary to advance us a few extra loaves of bread, some ration beef, and a pig-skin full of wine, we placed a servant on a mule, with the whole concern tackled to him, and proceeded on our journey. in passing over the mountain, we saw a wild boar bowling along, in the midst of a snow-storm, and, voting them fitting companions, we suffered him to pass, (particularly as he did not come within shot). on our arrival at robledillo, we met with the most cordial reception from the old magistrate; who, entering into the spirit of our visit, provided us with quarters, and filled our room in the evening with every body worth seeing in the place. we were malicious enough, by way of amusement, to introduce a variety of absurd pastimes, under the pretence of their being english, and which, by virtue thereof, were implicitly adopted. we, therefore, passed a regular romping evening; and, at a late hour, having conducted the ladies to their homes, some friars, who were of the party, very kindly, intended doing us the same favour, and, with that view, had begun to precede us with their lanterns, but, in the frolic of the moment, we set upon them with snow-balls, some of which struck upon their broad shoulders, while others fizzed against their fiery faces, and, in their astonishment and alarm, all sanctimony was forgotten; their oaths flew as thick as our snow-balls, while they ran ducking their heads and dousing their lights, for better concealment; but we, nevertheless, persevered until we had pelted each to his own home. we were, afterwards, afraid that we had carried the joke rather too far, and entertained some doubts as to the propriety of holding our quarters for another day; but they set our minds at rest on that point, by paying us an early visit in the morning, and seemed to enjoy the joke in a manner that we could not have expected from the gravity of their looks. we passed two more days much in the same manner, and, on the third, returned to our cantonments, and found that our division had moved, during our absence, into some villages nearer to ciudad rodrigo, preparatory to the siege of that place. on inquiry, we found that we had never been suspected for the _abduction_ of the sheep and turkeys, but that the blame, on the contrary, had been attached to the poor soldiers, whose soup had been tasted every day to see if it savoured of such dainties. the proprietor of the turkeys was so particularly indignant that we thought it prudent not to acknowledge ourselves as the culprits until some time afterwards, when, as one of our party happened to be killed in action, we, very uncharitably, put the whole of it on his shoulders. chap. viii. siege of ciudad rodrigo. the garrison of an outwork relieved. spending an evening abroad. a musical study. an addition to soup. a short cut. storming of the town. a sweeping clause. advantages of leading a storming party. looking for a customer. disadvantages of being a stormed party. confusion of all parties. a waking dream. death of general crawford. accident. deaths. siege of ciudad rodrigo, january th, . the campaign of commenced with the siege of ciudad rodrigo, which was invested by our division on the th of january. there was a smartish frost, with some snow on the ground; and, when we arrived opposite the fortress, about midday, the garrison did not appear to think that we were in earnest, for a number of their officers came out, under the shelter of a stone-wall, within half musket-shot, and amused themselves in saluting and bowing to us in ridicule; but, ere the day was done, some of them had occasion to wear the laugh on the opposite side of the countenance. we lay by our arms until dark, when a party, consisting of a hundred volunteers from each regiment, under colonel colborne, of the fifty-second, stormed and carried the fort of st. francisco, after a short sharp action, in which the whole of its garrison were taken or destroyed. the officer who commanded it was a chattering little fellow, and acknowledged himself to have been one of our saluting friends of the morning. he kept, incessantly, repeating a few words of english which he had picked up during the assault, and the only ones, i fancy, that were spoken, viz. "dem eyes, b--t eyes!" and, in demanding the meaning of them, he required that we should, also, explain why we stormed a place without first besieging it; for, he said, that another officer would have relieved him of his charge at daylight, had _we_ not _relieved_ him of it sooner. the enemy had calculated that this outwork would have kept us at bay for a fortnight or three weeks; whereas, its capture, the first night, enabled us to break ground at once, within breaching distance of the walls of the town. they kept up a very heavy fire the whole night on the working parties; but, as they aimed at random, we did not suffer much; and made such good use of our time that, when daylight enabled them to see what we were doing, we had dug ourselves under tolerable cover. in addition to ours, the first, third, and fourth divisions were employed in the siege. each took the duties for twenty-four hours alternately, and returned to their cantonments during the interval. we were relieved by the first division, under sir thomas graham, on the morning of the th, and marched to our quarters. jan. th.--at ten o'clock this morning we resumed the duties of the siege. it still continued to be dry frosty weather; and, as we were obliged to ford the agueda, up to the middle, every man carried a pair of iced breeches into the trenches with him. my turn of duty did not arrive until eight in the evening, when i was ordered to take thirty men with shovels to dig holes for ourselves, as near as possible to the walls, for the delectable amusement of firing at the embrasures for the remainder of the night. the enemy threw frequent fire-balls among us, to see where we were; but, as we always lay snug until their blaze was extinguished, they were not much the wiser, except by finding, from having some one popt off from their guns every instant, that they had got some neighbours whom they would have been glad to get rid of. we were relieved as usual at ten next morning, and returned to our cantonments. january th.--entered on our third day's duty, and found the breaching batteries in full operation, and our approaches close to the walls on every side. when we arrived on the ground i was sent to take command of the highland company, which we had at that time in the regiment, and which was with the left wing, under colonel cameron. i found them on piquet, between the right of the trenches and the river, half of them posted at a mud-cottage, and the other half in a ruined convent, close under the walls. it was a very tolerable post when at it; but it is no joke travelling by daylight up to within a stone's throw of a wall, on which there is a parcel of fellows who have no other amusement but to fire at every body they see. we could not show our noses at any point without being fired at; but, as we were merely posted there to protect the right flank of the trenches from any sortie, we did not fire at them, and kept as quiet as could be, considering the deadly blast that was blowing around us. there are few situations in life where something cannot be learnt, and i, myself, stand indebted to my twenty-four hours' residence there, for a more correct knowledge of martial sounds than in the study of my whole life time besides. they must be an unmusical pair of ears that cannot inform the wearer whither a cannon or a musket played last, but the various _notes_, emanating from their respective mouths, admit of nice distinctions. my party was too small, and too well sheltered to repay the enemy for the expense of shells and round shot; but the quantity of grape and musketry aimed at our particular heads, made a good concert of first and second whistles, while the more sonorous voice of the round shot, travelling to our friends on the left, acted as a thorough bass; and there was not a shell, that passed over us to the trenches, that did not send back a fragment among us as soon as it burst, as if to gratify a curiosity that i was far from expressing. we went into the cottage soon after dark, to partake of something that had been prepared for dinner; and, when in the middle of it, a round shot passed through both walls, immediately over our heads, and garnished the soup with a greater quantity of our parent earth than was quite palatable. we were relieved, as usual, by the first division, at ten next morning; and, to avoid as much as possible the destructive fire from the walls, they sent forward only three or four men at a time, and we sent ours away in the same proportions. every thing is by comparison in this world, and it is curious to observe how men's feelings change with circumstances. in cool blood a man would rather go a little out of his way than expose himself to unnecessary danger; but we found, this morning, that by crossing the river where we then were, and running the gauntlet for a mile, exposed to the fire of two pieces of artillery, that we should be saved the distance of two or three miles in returning to our quarters. after coming out of such a _furnace_ as we had been frying in, the other fire was not considered a fire at all, and passed without a moment's hesitation. storming of ciudad rodrigo. january th, .--we moved to the scene of operations, about two o'clock this afternoon; and, as it was a day before our regular turn, we concluded that we were called there to lend a hand in finishing the job we had begun so well; nor were we disappointed, for we found that two practicable breaches had been effected, and that the place was to be stormed in the evening by the third and light divisions, the former by the right breach, and the latter by the left, while some portuguese troops were to attempt an escalade on the opposite sides of the town. about eight o'clock in the evening our division was accordingly formed for the assault, behind a convent, near the left breach, in the following order:--viz. st. four companies of our battalion, under colonel cameron, to line the crest of the glacis, and fire upon the ramparts. d. some companies of portuguese, carrying bags filled with hay and straw, for throwing into the ditch, to facilitate the passage of the storming party. d. the _forlorn hope_, consisting of an officer and twenty-five volunteers. th. the _storming party_, consisting of three officers and one hundred volunteers from each regiment, the officers from ours were captain mitchell, mr. johnstone, and myself, and the whole under the command of major napier, of the fifty-second. th. the main body of the division, under general crawford, with one brigade, under major-general vandeleur, and the other under colonel barnard. at a given signal the different columns advanced to the assault; the night was tolerably clear, and the enemy evidently expected us; for, as soon as we turned the corner of the convent-wall, the space between us and the breach became one blaze of light with their fire-balls, which, while they lighted us on to glory, lightened not a few of their lives and limbs; for the whole glacis was in consequence swept by a well directed fire of grape and musketry, and they are the devil's own brooms; but our gallant fellows walked through it, to the point of attack, with the most determined steadiness, excepting the portuguese sack-bearers, most of whom lay down behind their bags, to wait the result, while the few that were thrown into the ditch looked so like dead bodies, that, when i leapt into it, i tried to avoid them. the advantage of being on a storming party is considered as giving the prior claim to be _put out of pain_, for they receive the first fire, which is generally the best, not to mention that they are also expected to receive the earliest salutation from the beams of timber, hand-grenades, and other missiles, which the garrison are generally prepared to transfer from the top of the wall, to the tops of the heads of their foremost visitors. but i cannot say that i, myself, experienced any such preference, for every ball has a considerable distance to travel, and i have generally found them equally ready to pick up their man at the end, as at the beginning of their flight; luckily, too, the other preparations cannot always be accommodated to the moment, so that, on the whole, the _odds_ are pretty _even_, that, all concerned come in for an equal share of whatever happens to be going on. we had some difficulty at first in finding the breach, as we had entered the ditch opposite to a ravelin, which we mistook for a bastion. i tried first one side of it and then the other, and seeing one corner of it a good deal battered, with a ladder placed against it, i concluded that it must be the breach, and calling to the soldiers near me, to follow. i mounted with the most ferocious intent, carrying a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other; but, when i got up, i found nobody to fight with, except two of our own men, who were already laid dead across the top of the ladder. i saw, in a moment, that i had got into the wrong box, and was about to descend again, when i heard a shout from the opposite side, that the breach was there; and, moving in that direction, i dropped myself from the ravelin, and landed in the ditch, opposite to the foot of the breach, where i found the head of the storming party just beginning to fight their way into it. the combat was of short duration, and, in less than half an hour from the commencement of the attack, the place was in our possession. after carrying the breach, we met with no further opposition, and moved round the ramparts to see that they were perfectly clear of the enemy, previous to entering the town. i was fortunate enough to take the left-hand circuit, by accident, and thereby escaped the fate which befel a great portion of those who went to the right, and who were blown up, along with some of the third division, by the accidental explosion of a magazine. i was highly amused, in moving round the ramparts, to find some of the portuguese troops just commencing their escalade, on the opposite side, near the bridge, in ignorance of the place having already fallen. gallantly headed by their officers, they had got some ladders placed against the wall, while about two thousand voices from the rear were cheering, with all their might, for mutual encouragement; and, like most other troops, under similar circumstances, it appeared to me that their feet and their tongues went at a more equal pace after we gave them the hint. on going a little further, we came opposite to the ravelin, which had been my chief annoyance during my last days' piquet. it was still crowded by the enemy, who had now thrown down their arms, and endeavoured to excite our pity by virtue of their being "pauvres italianos;" but our men had, somehow, imbibed a horrible antipathy to the italians, and every appeal they made in that name was invariably answered with,--"you're italians, are you? then, d--n you, here's a shot for you;" and the action instantly followed the word. a town taken by storm presents a frightful scene of outrage. the soldiers no sooner obtain possession of it, than they think themselves at liberty to do what they please. it is enough for them that there _had_ been an enemy on the ramparts; and, without considering that the poor inhabitants may, nevertheless, be friends and allies, they, in the first moment of excitement, all share one common fate; and nothing but the most extraordinary exertions on the part of the officers can bring them back to a sense of their duty. we continued our course round the ramparts until we met the head of the column which had gone by the right, and then descended into the town. at the entrance of the first street, a french officer came out of a door and claimed my protection, giving me his sword. he told me that there was another officer in the same house who was afraid to venture out, and entreated that i would go in for him. i, accordingly, followed him up to the landing-place of a dark stair, and, while he was calling to his friend, by name, to come down, "as there was an english officer present who would protect him," a violent screaming broke through a door at my elbow. i pushed it open, and found the landlady struggling with an english soldier, whom i immediately transferred to the bottom of the stair head foremost. the french officer had followed me in at the door, and was so astonished at all he saw, that he held up his hands, turned up the whites of his eyes, and resolved himself into a state of the most eloquent silence. when he did recover the use of his tongue, it was to recommend his landlady to my notice, as the most amiable woman in existence. she, on her part, professed the most unbounded gratitude, and entreated that i would make her house my home forever; but, when i called upon her, a few days after, she denied having ever seen me before, and stuck to it most religiously. as the other officer could not be found, i descended into the street again with my prisoner; and, finding the current of soldiers setting towards the centre of the town, i followed the stream, which conducted me into the great square, on one side of which the late garrison were drawn up as prisoners, and the rest of it was filled with british and portuguese intermixed, without any order or regularity. i had been there but a very short time, when they all commenced firing, without any ostensible cause; some fired in at the doors and windows, some at the roofs of houses, and others at the clouds; and, at last, some heads began to be blown from their shoulders in the general hurricane, when the voice of sir thomas picton, with the power of twenty trumpets, began to proclaim damnation to every body, while colonel barnard, colonel cameron, and some other active officers, were carrying it into effect with a strong hand; for, seizing the broken barrels of muskets, which were lying about in great abundance, they belaboured every fellow, most unmercifully, about the head who attempted either to load or fire, and finally succeeded in reducing them to order. in the midst of the scuffle, however, three of the houses in the square were set on fire; and the confusion was such that nothing could be done to save them; but, by the extraordinary exertions of colonel barnard, during the whole of the night, the flames were prevented from communicating to the adjoining buildings. we succeeded in getting a great portion of our battalion together by one o'clock in the morning, and withdrew with them to the ramparts, where we lay by our arms until daylight. there is nothing in this life half so enviable as the feelings of a soldier after a victory. previous to a battle, there is a certain sort of something that pervades the mind which is not easily defined; it is neither akin to joy or fear, and, probably, _anxiety_ may be nearer to it than any other word in the dictionary: but, when the battle is over, and crowned with victory, he finds himself elevated for awhile into the regions of absolute bliss! it had ever been the summit of my ambition to attain a post at the head of a storming party:--my wish had now been accomplished, and gloriously ended; and i do think that, after all was over, and our men laid asleep on the ramparts, that i strutted about as important a personage, in my own opinion, as ever trod the face of the earth; and, had the ghost of the renowned jack-the-giant-killer itself passed that way at the time, i'll venture to say, that i would have given it a kick in the breech without the smallest ceremony. but, as the sun began to rise, i began to fall from the heroics; and, when he showed his face, i took a look at my own, and found that i was too unclean a spirit to worship, for i was covered with mud and dirt, with the greater part of my dress torn to rags. the fifth division, which had not been employed in the siege, marched in, and took charge of the town, on the morning of the th, and we prepared to return to our cantonments. lord wellington happened to be riding in at the gate at the time that we were marching out, and had the curiosity to ask the officer of the leading company, what regiment it was, for there was scarcely a vestige of uniform among the men, some of whom were dressed in frenchmen's coats, some in white breeches, and huge jack-boots, some with cocked hats and queues; most of their swords were fixed on the rifles, and stuck full of hams, tongues, and loaves of bread, and not a few were carrying bird-cages! there never was a better masked corps! general crawford fell on the glacis, at the head of our division, and was buried at the foot of the breach which they so gallantly carried. his funeral was attended by lord wellington, and all the officers of the division, by whom he was, ultimately, much liked. he had introduced a system of discipline into the light division which made them unrivalled. a very rigid exaction of the duties pointed out in his code of regulations made him very unpopular at its commencement, and it was not until a short time before he was lost to us for ever, that we were capable of appreciating his merits, and fully sensible of the incalculable advantages we derived from the perfection of his system. among other things carried from ciudad rodrigo, one of our men had the misfortune to carry his death in his hands, under the mistaken shape of amusement. he thought that it was a cannon-ball, and took it for the purpose of playing at the game of nine-holes, but it happened to be a live shell. in rolling it along it went over a bed of burning ashes, and ignited without his observing it. just as he had got it between his legs, and was in the act of discharging it a second time, it exploded, and nearly blew him to pieces. several men of our division, who had deserted while we were blockading ciudad rodrigo, were taken when it fell, and were sentenced to be shot. lord wellington extended mercy to every one who could procure any thing like a good character from his officers; but six of them, who could not, were paraded and shot, in front of the division, near the village of ituera. shooting appears to me to be a cruel kind of execution, for twenty balls may pierce a man's body without touching a vital spot. on the occasion alluded to, two of the men remained standing after the first fire, and the provost-marshal was obliged to put an end to their sufferings, by placing the muzzle of a piece at each of their heads. chap. ix. march to estremadura. a deserter shot. riding for an appetite. effect the cure of a sick lady. siege of badajos. trench-work. varieties during the siege. taste of the times. storming of the town. its fall. officers of a french battalion. not shot by accident. military shopkeepers. lost legs and cold hearts. affecting anecdote. my servant. a consignment to satan. march again for the north. sir sidney beckwith. we remained about six weeks in cantonments, after the fall of ciudad rodrigo; and, about the end of february, were again put in motion towards estremadura. march th.--arrived near castello de vide, and quartered in the neighbouring villages. another deserter, who had also been taken at the storming of ciudad rodrigo, was here shot, under the sentence of a court martial. when he was paraded for that purpose, he protested against their right to shoot him, until he first received the arrears of pay which was due at the time of his desertion. march th.--two of us rode out this afternoon to kill time until dinner hour (six); but, when we returned to our quarters, there was not a vestige of the regiment remaining, and our appetites were considerably whetted, by having an additional distance of fourteen miles to ride, in the dark, over roads on which we could not trust our horses out of a walk. we joined them, at about eleven at night, in the town of portalegré. march th.--quartered in the town of elvas. i received a billet on a neat little house, occupied by an old lady and her daughter, who were very desirous of evading such an incumbrance. for, after resisting my entrance, until successive applications of my foot had reduced the door to a condition which would no longer second their efforts, the old lady resolved to try me on another _tack_; and, opening the door, and, making a sign for me to make no noise, she told me, in a whisper, that her daughter was lying dangerously ill of a fever, in the only bed in the house, and that she was, therefore, excessively sorry that she could not accommodate me. as this information did not at all accord with my notions of consistency, after their having suffered the preceding half hour's bombardment, i requested to be shewn to the chamber of the invalid, saying that i was a _medico_, and might be of service to her. when she found remonstrance unavailing, she at length shewed me into a room up-stairs, where there was a very genteel-looking young girl, the very picture of _portuguese_ health, lying with her eyes shut, in full dress, on the top of the bed-clothes, where she had hurriedly thrown herself. seeing, at once, how matters stood, i walked up to the bed-side, and hit her a slap on the thigh with my hand, asking her, at the same time, how she felt herself? and never did prince hohenloe, himself, perform a miracle more cleverly; for she bounced almost as high as the ceiling, and flounced about the room, as well and as actively as ever she did, with a countenance in which shame, anger, and a great portion of natural humour were so amusingly blended, that i was tempted to provoke her still further by a salute. having thus satisfied the mother that i had been the means of restoring her daughter to her usual state of health, she thought it prudent to put the best face upon it, and, therefore, invited me to partake of their family dinner; in the course of which i succeeded so well in eating my way into their affections, that we parted next morning with mutual regret; they told me that i was the _best_ officer they had ever seen, and begged that i would always make their house my home; but i was never fated to see them again. we marched in the morning for badajos. siege of badajos. on the th of march, , the _third_, _fourth_, and _light divisions_, encamped around badajos, embracing the whole of the inland side of the town on the left bank of the guadiana, and commenced breaking ground before it immediately after dark the same night. the elements, on this occasion, adopted the cause of the besieged; for we had scarcely taken up our ground, when a heavy rain commenced, and continued, almost without intermission, for a fortnight; in consequence thereof, the pontoon-bridge, connecting us with our supplies from elvas, was carried away, by the rapid increase of the river, and the duties of the trenches were otherwise rendered extremely harassing. we had a smaller force employed than at rodrigo; and the scale of operations was so much greater, that it required every man to be actually in the trenches six hours every day, and the same length of time every night, which, with the time required to march to and from them, through fields more than ankle deep in a stiff mud, left us never more than eight hours out of the twenty-four in camp, and we never were dry the whole time. one day's trench-work is as like another as the days themselves; and like nothing better than serving an apprenticeship to the double calling of grave-digger and game-keeper, for we found ample employment both for the spade and the rifle. the only varieties during the siege were,--first, the storming of _picuvina_, a formidable outwork, occupying the centre of our operations. it was carried one evening, in the most gallant style, by major-general sir james kempt, at the head of the covering parties. secondly, a sortie made by the garrison, which they got the worst of, although they succeeded in stealing some of our pickaxes and shovels. thirdly, a _circumbendibus_ described by a few daring french dragoons, who succeeded in getting into the rear of our engineers' camp, at that time unguarded, and lightened some of the officers of their epaulettes. lastly, two field-pieces taken by the enemy to the opposite side of the river, enfilading one of our parallels, and materially disturbing the harmony within, as a cannon-shot is no very welcome guest among gentlemen who happen to be lodged in a straight ditch, without the power of _cutting_ it. our batteries were supplied with ammunition, by the portuguese militia, from elvas, a string of whom used to arrive every day, reaching nearly from the one place to the other (twelve miles), each man carrying a twenty-four pound shot, and cursing all the way and back again. the portuguese artillery, under british officers, was uncommonly good. i used to be much amused in looking at a twelve-gun breaching-battery of theirs. they knew the position of all the enemy's guns which could bear upon them, and had one man posted to watch them, to give notice of what was coming, whether a shot or a shell, who, accordingly, kept calling out, "_bomba, balla, balla, bomba_;" and they ducked their heads until the missile past: but, sometimes he would see a general discharge from all arms, when he threw himself down, screaming out "_jesus, todos, todos!_" meaning "every thing." an officer of ours was sent one morning, before daylight, with ten men, to dig holes for themselves, opposite to one of the enemy's guns, which had been doing a great deal of mischief the day before, and he had soon the satisfaction of knowing the effect of his practice, by seeing them stopping up the embrasure with sandbags. after waiting a little, he saw them beginning to remove the bags, when he made his men open upon it again, and they were instantly replaced without the guns being fired; presently he saw the huge cocked hat of a french officer make its appearance on the rampart, near to the embrasure; but knowing, by experience, that the _head_ was somewhere in the neighbourhood, he watched until the flash of a musket, through the long grass, showed the position of the owner, and, calling one of his best shots, he desired him to take deliberate aim at the spot, and lent his shoulder as a rest, to give it more elevation. bang went the shot, and it was the finishing flash for the frenchman, for they saw no more of _him_, although his cocked hat maintained its post until dark. in proportion as the grand crisis approached, the anxiety of the soldiers increased; not on account of any doubt or dread as to the result, but for fear that the place should be surrendered without standing an assault; for, singular as it may appear, although there was a certainty of about one man out of every three being knocked down, there were, perhaps, not three men, in the three divisions, who would not rather have braved all the chances than receive it tamely from the hands of the enemy. so great was the rage for passports into eternity, in our battalion, on that occasion, that even the officers' servants insisted on taking their places in the ranks; and i was obliged to leave my baggage in charge of a man who had been wounded some days before. on the th of april, three practicable breaches had been effected, and arrangements were made for assaulting the town that night. the third division, by escalade, at the castle; a brigade of the fifth division, by escalade, at the opposite side of the town; while the fourth and light divisions were to storm the breaches. the whole were ordered to be formed for the attack at eight o'clock. storming of badajos, april th, . our division formed for the attack of the left breach in the same order as at ciudad rodrigo; the command of it had now devolved upon our commandant, colonel barnard. i was then the acting adjutant of four companies, under colonel cameron, who were to line the crest of the glacis, and to fire at the ramparts and the top of the left breach. the enemy seemed aware of our intentions. the fire of artillery and musketry, which, for three weeks before, had been incessant, both from the town and trenches, had now entirely ceased, as if by mutual consent, and a deathlike silence, of nearly an hour, preceded the awful scene of carnage. the signal to advance was made about nine o'clock, and our four companies led the way. colonel cameron and myself had reconnoitred the ground so accurately by daylight, that we succeeded in bringing the head of our column to the very spot agreed on, opposite to the left breach, and then formed line to the left, without a word being spoken, each man lying down as he got into line, with the muzzle of his rifle over the edge of the ditch, between the pallisades, all ready to open. it was tolerably clear above, and we distinctly saw _their_ heads lining the ramparts; but there was a sort of haze on the ground which, with the colour of our dress, prevented them from seeing us, although only a few yards asunder. one of their sentries, however, challenged us twice, "_qui vive_," and, receiving no reply, he fired off his musket, which was followed by their drums beating to arms; but _we_ still remained perfectly quiet, and all was silence again for the space of five or ten minutes, when the head of the forlorn hope at length came up, and we took advantage of the first fire, while the enemy's heads were yet visible. the scene that ensued furnished as respectable a representation of hell itself as fire, and sword, and human sacrifices could make it; for, in one instant, every engine of destruction was in full operation. it is in vain to attempt a description of it. we were entirely excluded from the right breach by an inundation which the heavy rains had enabled the enemy to form; and the two others were rendered totally impracticable by their interior defences. the five succeeding hours were therefore past in the most gallant and hopeless attempts, on the part of individual officers, forming up fifty or a hundred men at a time at the foot of the breach, and endeavouring to carry it by desperate bravery; and, fatal as it proved to each gallant band, in succession, yet, fast as one dissolved, another was formed. we were informed, about twelve at night, that the third division had established themselves in the castle; but, as its situation and construction did not permit them to extend their operations beyond it at the moment, it did not in the least affect our opponents at the breach, whose defence continued as obstinate as ever. i was near colonel barnard after midnight, when he received repeated messages, from lord wellington, to withdraw from the breach, and to form the division for a renewal of the attack at daylight; but, as fresh attempts continued to be made, and the troops were still pressing forward into the ditch, it went against his gallant soul to order a retreat while yet a chance remained; but, after heading repeated attempts himself, he saw that it was hopeless, and the order was reluctantly given about two o'clock in the morning. we fell back about three hundred yards, and re-formed all that remained to us. our regiment, alone, had to lament the loss of twenty-two officers killed and wounded, ten of whom were killed, or afterwards died of their wounds. we had scarcely got our men together when we were informed of the success of the fifth division in their escalade, and that the enemy were, in consequence, abandoning the breaches, and we were immediately ordered forward to take possession of them. on our arrival, we found them entirely evacuated, and had not occasion to fire another shot; but we found the utmost difficulty, and even danger, in getting in in the dark, even without opposition. as soon as we succeeded in establishing our battalion inside, we sent piquets into the different streets and lanes leading from the breach, and kept the remainder in hand until day should throw some light on our situation. when i was in the act of posting one of the piquets, a man of ours brought me a prisoner, telling me that he was the governor; but the other immediately said that he had only called himself so, the better to ensure his protection; and then added, that he was the colonel of one of the french regiments, and that all his surviving officers were assembled at his quarters, in a street close by, and would surrender themselves to any officer who would go with him for that purpose. i accordingly took two or three men with me, and, accompanying him there, found fifteen or sixteen of them assembled, and all seeming very much surprised at the unexpected termination of the siege. they could not comprehend under what circumstances the town had been lost, and repeatedly asked me how i had got in; but i did not choose to explain further than simply telling them that i had entered at the breach, coupling the information with a look which was calculated to convey somewhat more than i knew myself; for, in truth, when i began to recollect that a few minutes before had seen me retiring from the breach, under a fanciful overload of degradation, i thought that i had now as good a right as any man to be astonished at finding myself _lording_ it over the officers of a french battalion; nor was i much wiser than they were, as to the manner of its accomplishment. they were all very much dejected, excepting their major, who was a big jolly-looking dutchman, with medals enough, on his left breast, to have furnished the window of a tolerable toy-shop. his accomplishments were after the manner of captain dougal dalgetty; and, while he cracked his joke, he was not inattentive to the cracking of the corks from the many wine-bottles which his colonel placed on the table successively, along with some cold meat, for general refreshment, prior to marching into captivity, and which i, though a free man, was not too proud to join them in. when i had allowed their chief a reasonable time to secure what valuables he wished, about his person, he told me that he had two horses in the stable, which, as he would no longer be permitted to keep, he recommended me to take; and, as a horse is the only thing on such occasions that an officer can permit himself to consider a legal prize, i caused one of them to be saddled, and his handsome black mare thereby became my charger during the remainder of the war. in proceeding with my prisoners towards the breach, i took, by mistake, a different road to that i came; and, as numbers of frenchmen were lurking about for a safe opportunity of surrendering themselves, about a hundred additional ones added themselves to my column, as we moved along, _jabbering_ their native dialect so loudly, as nearly to occasion a dire catastrophe, as it prevented me from hearing some one challenge in my front; but, fortunately, it was repeated, and i instantly answered; for colonel barnard and sir colin campbell had a piquet of our men, drawn across the street, on the point of sending a volley into us, thinking that we were a rallied body of the enemy. the whole of the garrison were marched off, as prisoners, to elvas, about ten o'clock in the morning, and our men were then permitted to fall out, to enjoy themselves for the remainder of the day, as a reward for having kept together so long as they were wanted. the whole of the three divisions were, by this time, loose in the town; and the usual frightful scene of plunder commenced, which the officers thought it necessary to avoid for the moment, by retiring to the camp. we went into the town on the morning of the th, to endeavour to collect our men, but only succeeded in part, as the same extraordinary scene of plunder and rioting still continued. wherever there was any thing to eat or drink, the only saleable commodities, the soldiers had turned the shopkeepers out of doors, and placed themselves regularly behind the counter, selling off the contents of the shop. by and bye, another and a stronger party would kick those out in their turn, and there was no end to the succession of self-elected shopkeepers, until lord wellington found that, to restore order, severe measures must be resorted to. on the third day, he caused a portuguese brigade to be marched in, and kept standing to their arms, in the great square, where the provost-martial erected a gallows, and proceeded to suspend a few of the delinquents, which very quickly cleared the town of the remainder, and enabled us to give a more satisfactory account of our battalion than we had hitherto been able to do. it is wonderful how such scenes as these will deaden men's finer feelings, and with what apathy it enables them to look upon the sufferings of their fellow creatures! the third day after the fall of the town, i rode, with colonel cameron, to take a bathe in the guadiana, and, in passing the verge of the camp of the th division, we saw two soldiers standing at the door of a small shed, or outhouse, shouting, waving their caps, and making signs that they wanted to speak to us. we rode up to see what they wanted, and found that the poor fellows had each lost a leg. they told us that a surgeon had dressed their wounds on the night of the assault, but that they had ever since been without food or assistance of any kind, although they, each day, had opportunities of soliciting the aid of many of their comrades, from whom they could obtain nothing but promises. in short, surrounded by thousands of their countrymen within call, and not more than three hundred yards from their own regiment, they were unable to interest any one in their behalf, and were literally starving. it is unnecessary to say that we instantly galloped back to the camp and had them removed to the hospital. on the morning of the th, when some of our officers were performing the last duties to their fallen comrades, one of them had collected the bodies of four of our young officers, who had been slain. he was in the act of digging a grave for them, when an officer of the guards, arrived on the spot, from a distant division of the army, and demanded tidings of his brother, who was at that moment lying a naked lifeless corpse, under his very eyes. the officer had the presence of mind to see that the corpse was not recognized, and, wishing to spare the other's feelings, told him that his brother was dangerously wounded, but that he would hear more of him by going out to the camp; and thither the other immediately bent his steps, with a seeming _presentiment_ of the sad intelligence that awaited him. april th.--as i had not seen my domestic since the storming of the town, i concluded that he had been killed; but he turned up this morning, with a tremendous gash on his head, and mounted on the top of a horse nearly twenty feet high, carrying under his arm one of those glass cases which usually stand on the counters of jewellers' shops, filled with all manner of trinkets. he looked exactly like the ghost of a horse pedler. april th.--the devil take the man who stole my donkey last night. april th.--marched again for the neighbourhood of ciudad rodrigo, with the long-accustomed sounds of cannon and musketry ringing in my fanciful ears as merrily as if the instruments themselves were still playing. sir sidney beckwith, one of the fathers of the rifles, was, at this time, obliged to proceed to england for the recovery of health, and did not again return to the peninsula. in his departure, that army lost one of the ablest of its outpost generals. few officers knew so well how to make the most of a small force. his courage, coupled with his thorough knowledge of the soldier's character, was of that cool intrepid kind, that would, at any time, convert a routed rabble into an orderly effective force. a better officer, probably, never led a brigade into the field! chap x. a farewell address to portalegré. history of a night in castello branco. regimental colours lost, with directions where to find them. cases in which a victory is sometimes won by those who lost it. advance to salamanca. the city. the british position on st. christoval. affair in position. marmont's change of position and retreat. a case of bad luck. advance to rueda, and customs there. retire to castrejon. affairs on the th and th of july. battle of salamanca, and defeat of the enemy. april th, .--quartered at portalegré. dear portalegrÉ! i cannot quit thee, for the fourth and last time, without a parting tribute to the remembrance of thy wild romantic scenery, and to the kindness and hospitality of thy worthy citizens! may thy gates continue shut to thine enemies as heretofore, and, as heretofore, may they ever prove those of happiness to thy friends! dear nuns of santa clara! i thank thee for the enjoyment of many an hour of nothingness; and thine, santa barbara, for many of a more intellectual cast! may the voice of thy chapel-organ continue unrivalled but by the voices of thy lovely choristers! and may the piano in thy refectory be replaced by a better, in which the harmony of strings may supersede the clattering of ivories! may the sweets which thou hast lavished on us be showered upon thee ten thousand fold! and may those accursed iron bars divide thee as effectually from death as they did from us!!! april th.--quartered at castello branco. this town had been so often visited by the french and us, alternately, that the inhabitants, at length, confounded their friends with their foes; and by treating both sides as enemies, they succeeded in making them so. when i went this evening to present my billet on a respectable looking house, the door was opened by the lady of it, wearing a most gingerly aspect. she told me, with an equivocal sort of look, that she had two spare beds in the house, and that either of them were at my service; and, by way of illustration, shewed me into a sort of servant's room, off the kitchen, half full of apples, onions, potatoes, and various kinds of lumber, with a dirty looking bed in one corner; and, on my requesting to see the other, she conducted me up to the garret, into the very counterpart of the one below, though the room was somewhat differently garnished. i told her, that they were certainly two capital beds; but, as i was a modest person, and disliked all extremes, that i should be quite satisfied with any one on the floor which i had not yet seen. this, however, she told me, was impossible, as every one of them were required by her own family. while we were descending the stair, disputing the point, i caught the handle of the first door that i came to, twisted it open, and seeing it a neat little room, with nothing but a table and two or three chairs, i told her that it would suit me perfectly; and, desiring her to have a good mattress with clean linen, laid in one corner of it, by nine o'clock; adding a few hints, to satisfy her that i was quite in earnest, i went to dine with my messmates. when i returned to the house, about ten o'clock, i was told that i should find a light in the room and my bed ready. i accordingly ascended, and found every thing as represented; and, in addition thereto, i found another bed lying alongside of mine, containing a huge fat friar, with a bald pate, fast asleep, and blowing the most tremendous nasal trumpet that i ever heard! as my _friend_ had evidently been placed there for my annoyance, i did not think it necessary to use much ceremony in getting rid of him; and, catching him by the two ears, i raised him up on his legs, while he groaned in a seeming agonized doubt, whether the pain was inflicted by a man or a night-mare; and before he had time to get himself broad awake, i had chucked him and his clothing, bed and bedding, out at the door, which i locked, and enjoyed a sound sleep the remainder of the night. they offered me no further molestation; but, in taking my departure, at daylight, next morning, i observed my landlady reconnoitring me from an up-stairs window, and thought it prudent not to go too near it. while we had been employed at badajos, marmont had advanced in the north, and blockaded ciudad rodrigo and almeida, sending advanced parties into the frontier towns of portugal, to the confusion and consternation of the portuguese militia, who had been stationed for their protection; and who, quite satisfied with the _report_ of their coming, did not think it necessary to wait the report of their cannon. marshal beresford, in his paternal address to "_los valerossos_," in commemoration of their conduct on this occasion, directed that the colours of each regiment should be lodged in the town-halls of their respective districts, until they each provided themselves with _a pair_ out of the ranks of the enemy; but i never heard that any of them were redeemed in the manner prescribed. the french retired upon salamanca on our approach; and we resumed our former quarters without opposition. hitherto we had been fighting the description of battle in which john bull glories so much--gaining a brilliant and useless victory against great odds. but we were now about to contend for fame on equal terms; and, having tried both, i will say, without partiality, that i would rather fight one man than two any day; for i have never been quite satisfied that the additional _quantum_ of glory altogether compensated for the proportionate loss of substance; a victory of that kind being a doubtful and most unsatisfactory one to the performers, with each occupying the same ground _after_, that they did _before_; and the whole merit resting with the side which did not happen to begin it. we remained about two months in cantonments, to recover the effects of the late sieges; and as by that time all the perforated skins and repairable cracked limbs had been mended, the army was assembled in front of ciudad rodrigo, to commence what may be termed the second campaign of . the enemy retired from salamanca on our approach, leaving garrisons in three formidable little forts, which they had erected on the most commanding points of the city, and which were immediately invested by a british division. salamanca, as a city, appeared to me to be more ancient than respectable; for, excepting an old cathedral and a new square, i saw nothing in it worth looking at, always saving and excepting their pretty little girls, who (the deuce take them) cost me two nights good sleep. for, by way of _doing a little dandy_ in passing through such a celebrated city, i disencumbered the under part of my saddle of the blanket, and the upper part of the boat-cloak with which it was usually adorned; and the penalty which i paid for my gentility was, sleeping the next two nights in position two miles in front of the town, while these useful appendages were lying on the baggage two miles in rear of it. the heights of st. christoval, which we occupied as a position to cover the siege, were strong, but quite unsheltered, and unfurnished with either wood or water. we were indebted for our supplies of the latter to the citizens of salamanca; while stubbles and dry grass were our only fuel. marmont came down upon us the first night with a thundering cannonade, and placed his army _en masse_ on the plain before us, almost within gun shot. i was told that, while lord wellington was riding along the line, under a fire of artillery, and accompanied by a numerous staff, that a brace of greyhounds, in pursuit of a hare, passed close to him. he was, at the moment, in earnest conversation with general castanos; but the instant he observed them, he gave the view hallo, and went after them at full speed, to the utter astonishment of his foreign accompaniments. nor did he stop until he saw the hare killed; when he returned, and resumed the commander-in-chief, as if nothing had occurred. the enemy, next morning, commenced a sharp attack on our advanced post, in the village of moresco; and, as it continued to be fed by both sides, there was every appearance of its bringing on a general action; but they desisted towards the afternoon, and the village remained divided between us. marmont, after looking at us for several days, did not think it prudent to risk an attack on our present post; and, as the telegraph-rockets from the town told him that his garrison was reduced to extremity, he crossed the tormes, on the night of the th june, in the hopes of being able to relieve them from that side of the river. our division followed his movement, and took post, for the night, at aldea lingua. they sent forward a strong reconnoitring party at daylight next morning, but they were opposed by general bock's brigade of heavy german dragoons, who would not permit them to see more than was necessary; and, as the forts fell into our hands the same night, marmont had no longer an object in remaining there, and fell back, behind the douro, occupying the line of toro and torodesillas. by the accidental discharge of a musket, one day last year, the ramrod entered the belly, passed through the body, and the end of it stuck in the back-bone of one of the soldiers of our division, from whence it was actually hammered out with a stone. the poor fellow recovered, and joined his regiment, as well as ever he had been, and was, last night, unfortunately drowned, while bathing in the tormes. when the enemy retired, our division advanced and occupied rueda, a handsome little town, on the left bank of the douro. it abounded in excellent wines, and our usual evening dances began there to be graced by a superior class of females to what they had hitherto been accustomed. i remember that, in passing the house of the sexton, one evening, i saw his daughter baking a loaf of bread; and, falling desperately in love with both her and the loaf, i carried the one to the ball and the other to my quarters. a woman was a woman in those days; and every officer made it a point of duty to marshal as many as he could to the general assembly, no matter whether they were countesses or _sextonesses_; and although we, in consequence, frequently incurred the most indelible disgrace among the better orders of our indiscriminate collection, some of whom would retire in disgust; yet, as a sufficient number generally remained for our evening's amusement, and we were only birds of passage, it was a matter of the most perfect indifference to us what they thought; we followed the same course wherever we went. the french army having, in the mean time, been largely reinforced; and, as they commanded the passage of the douro, we were in hourly expectation of an offensive movement from them. as a precautionary measure, one-half of our division bivouacked, every night, in front of the town. on the evening of the th of july, it was our turn to be in quarters, and we were in the full enjoyment of our usual evening's amusement, when the bugles sounded to arms. as we had previously experienced two false alarms in the same quarters, we thought it more than probable that this might prove one also; and, therefore, prevailed upon the ladies to enjoy themselves, until our return, upon the good things which we had provided for their refreshment, and out of which i hope they drew enough of consolation for our absence, as we have not seen them since. after forming on our alarm-post, we were moved off, in the dark, we knew not whither; but every man following the one before him, with the most implicit confidence, until, after marching all night, we found ourselves, on the following morning, at daylight, near the village of castrejon, where we bivouacked for the day. i was sent on piquet on the evening of the th, to watch a portion of the plain before us; and, soon after sunrise on the following morning, a cannonade commenced, behind a hill, to my right; and, though the combatants were not visible, it was evident that they were not dealing in blank-cartridge, as mine happened to be the pitching-post of all the enemy's round shot. while i was attentively watching its progress, there arose, all at once, behind the rising ground to my left, a yell of the most terrific import; and, convinced that it would give instantaneous birth to as hideous a body, it made me look, with an eye of lightning, at the ground around me; and, seeing a broad deep ditch within a hundred yards, i lost not a moment in placing it between my piquet and the extraordinary sound, i had scarcely effected the movement, when lord wellington, with his staff, and a cloud of french and english dragoons and horse artillery intermixed, came over the hill at full cry, and all hammering at each others' heads in one confused mass, over the very ground i had that instant quitted. it appeared that his lordship had gone there to reconnoitre, covered by two guns and two squadrons of cavalry, who, by some accident, were surprised, and charged by a superior body of the enemy, and sent tumbling in upon us in the manner described. a piquet of the forty-third had formed on our right, and we were obliged to remain passive spectators of such an extraordinary scene going on within a few yards of us, as we could not fire without an equal chance of shooting some of our own side. lord wellington and his staff, with the two guns, took shelter, for the moment, behind us, while the cavalry went sweeping along our front, where, i suppose, they picked up some reinforcement, for they returned, almost instantly, in the same confused mass; but the french were now the flyers; and, i must do them the justice to say, that they got off in a manner highly creditable to themselves. i saw one, in particular, defending himself against two of ours; and he would have made his escape from both, but an officer of our dragoons came down the hill, and took him in flank, at full speed, sending man and horse rolling, headlong, on the plain. i was highly interested, all this time, in observing the distinguished characters which this unlooked-for _turn-up_ had assembled around us. marshal beresford and the greater part of the staff remained with their swords drawn, and the duke himself did not look more than half-pleased, while he silently despatched some of them with orders. general alten, and his huge german orderly dragoon, with their swords drawn, cursed, the whole time, to a very large amount; but, as it was in german, i had not the full benefit of it. he had an opposition swearer in captain jenkinson, of the artillery, who commanded the two guns, and whose oaths were chiefly aimed at himself for his folly, as far as i could understand, in putting so much confidence in his covering party, that he had not thought it necessary to unfix the catch which horse-artillerymen, i believe, had to prevent their swords quitting the scabbards when they are not wanted, and which, on this occasion, prevented their jumping forth when they were so unexpectedly called for. the straggling enemy had scarcely cleared away from our front, when lord combermere came, from the right, with a reinforcement of cavalry; and our piquet was, at the same moment, ordered to join the battalion. the movements which followed presented the most beautiful military spectacle imaginable. the enemy were endeavouring to turn our left; and, in making a counteracting movement, the two armies were marching in parallel lines, close to each other, on a perfect plain, each ready to take advantage of any opening of the other, and exchanging round shot as they moved along. our division brought up the rear of the infantry, marching with the order and precision of a field-day, in open column of companies, and in perfect readiness to receive the enemy in any shape; who, on their part, had a huge cavalry force close at hand, and equally ready to pounce upon us. our movement was supported by a formidable body of our own dragoons; and, as we drew near the bank of the small river guerrena, our horse-artillery continued to file in the same line, to attract the attention of the enemy, while we gradually distanced them a little, and crossed the river into a position on the high grounds beyond it. the enemy passed the river, on our left, and endeavoured to force that part of the position; but the troops who were stationed there drove them back, with great loss; and at dark the firing ceased. during the early part of the th there appeared to be no movements on either side; but, in the afternoon, having fallen asleep in my tent, i was awoke by the whistling of a cannon shot; and was just beginning to abuse my servant for not having called me sooner, when we were ordered to stand to our arms; and, as the enemy were making a movement to our right, we made a corresponding one. the cannonade did not cease until dark, when we lay down by our arms, the two armies very near to each other, and fully expecting a general action on the morrow. july th.--we stood to our arms an hour before daylight, and lord wellington held out every inducement for his opponent to attack him; but marmont evaded it, and continued his movement on our right, which obliged us to continue ours, towards salamanca; and we were a great part of this day in parallel lines with them, the same as on the th. july st.--we crossed the tormes just before dark this evening, about two miles above salamanca, the enemy having passed it higher up. before reaching our ground, we experienced one of the most tremendous thunderstorms that i ever witnessed. a sheet of lightning struck the head of our column, where i happened to be riding, and deprived me of the use of my optics for at least ten minutes. a great many of our dragoon horses broke from their piqueting during the storm, and galloped past us into the french lines. we lay by our arms on the banks of the river, and it continued to rain in torrents the whole of the night. battle of salamanca. july d.--a sharp fire of musketry commenced at day light in the morning; but, as it did not immediately concern us, and was nothing unusual, we took no notice of it; but busied ourselves in getting our arms and our bodies disengaged from the rust and the wet, engendered by the storm of the past night. about ten o'clock, our division was ordered to stand to their arms, and then moved into position, with our left resting on the tormes, and our right extending along a ridge of rising ground, thinly interspersed with trees, beyond which the other divisions were formed in continuation, with the exception of the third, which still remained on the opposite bank of the river. the enemy were to be seen in motion on the opposite ridges, and a straggling fire of musketry, with an occasional gun, acted as a sort of prelude to the approaching conflict. we heard, about this time, that marmont had just sent to his _ci-devant_ landlord, in salamanca, to desire that he would have the usual dinner ready for himself and staff at six o'clock; and so satisfied was "mine host" of the infallibility of the french marshal, that he absolutely set about making the necessary preparations. there assuredly never was an army so anxious as ours was to be brought into action on this occasion. they were a magnificent body of well-tried soldiers, highly equipped, and in the highest health and spirits, with the most devoted confidence in their leader, and an invincible confidence in themselves. the retreat of the four preceding days had annoyed us beyond measure, for we believed that we were nearly equal to the enemy in point of numbers; and the idea of our retiring before an equal number of any troops in the world was not to be endured with common patience. we were kept the whole of the forenoon in the most torturing state of suspense through contradictory reports. one passing officer telling us that he had just heard the order given to attack, and the next asserting, with equal confidence, that he had just heard the order to retreat; and it was not until about two o'clock in the afternoon, that affairs began to wear a more decided aspect; and when our own eyes and ears at length conveyed the wished-for tidings that a battle was inevitable; for we saw the enemy beginning to close upon our right, and the cannonade had become general along the whole line. lord wellington, about the same time, ordered the movement which decided the fate of the day--that of bringing the third division, from beyond the river on our left, rapidly to our extreme right, turning the enemy, in their attempt to turn us, and commencing the offensive with the whole of his right wing. the effect was instantaneous and decisive, for although some obstinate and desperate fighting took place in the centre, with various success, yet the victory was never for a moment in doubt; and the enemy were soon in full retreat, leaving seven thousand prisoners, two eagles, and eleven pieces of artillery in our hands. had we been favoured with two hours more daylight, their loss would have been incalculable, for they committed a blunder at starting, which they never got time to retrieve; and, their retreat was, therefore, commenced in such disorder, and with a river in their rear, that nothing but darkness could have saved them. chap. xi. distinguished characters. a charge of dragoons. a charge against the nature of things. olmeda and the french general, ferez. advance towards madrid. adventures of my dinner. the town of segovia. el palacio del rio frio. the escurial. enter madrid. rejoicings. nearly happy. change of a horse. change of quarters. a change confounded. retire towards salamanca. boar-hunt, dinner-hunt, and bull-hunt. a portuguese funeral conducted by rifle undertakers. the third division, under sir edward pakenham, the artillery, and some regiments of dragoons, particularly distinguished themselves. but our division, very much to our annoyance, came in for a very slender portion of this day's glory. we were exposed to a cannonade the whole of the afternoon; but, as we were not permitted to advance until very late, we had only an opportunity of throwing a few straggling shot at the fugitives, before we lost sight of them in the dark; and then bivouacked for the night near the village of huerta, (i think it was called). we started after them at daylight next morning; and, crossing at a ford of the tormes, we found their rear-guard, consisting of three regiments of infantry, with some cavalry and artillery, posted on a formidable height above the village of serna. general bock, with his brigade of heavy german dragoons, immediately went at them; and, putting their cavalry to flight, he broke through their infantry, and took or destroyed the whole of them. this was one of the most gallant charges recorded in history. i saw many of these fine fellows lying dead along with their horses, on which they were still astride, with the sword firmly grasped in the hand, as they had fought the instant before; and several of them still wearing a look of fierce defiance, which death itself had been unable to quench. we halted for the night at a village near penaranda. i took possession of the church; and finding the floor strewed with the paraphernalia of priesthood, i selected some silk gowns, and other gorgeous trappings, with which i made a bed for myself in the porch, and where, "if all had been gold that glittered," i should have looked a jewel indeed; but it is lamentable to think, that, among the multifarious blessings we enjoy in this life, we should never be able to get a dish of glory and a dish of beef-steak on the same day; in consequence of which, the heart, which ought properly to be soaring in the clouds, or, at all events, in a castle half way up, is more generally to be found grovelling about a hen-roost, in the vain hope, that, if it cannot get hold of the hen herself, it may at least hit upon an egg; and such, i remember, was the state of my feelings on this occasion, in consequence of my having dined the three preceding days on the half of my inclinations. we halted the next night in the handsome little town of olmeda, which had just been evacuated by the enemy. the french general, ferez, died there, in consequence of the wounds which he received at the battle of salamanca, and his remains had, the night before, been consigned to the earth, with the highest honours, and a canopy of laurel placed over his grave: but the french had no sooner left the town, than the inhabitants exhumed the body, cut off the head, and spurned it with the greatest indignity. they were in hopes that this line of conduct would have proved a passport to our affections, and conducted us to the spot, as to a trophy that they were proud of; but we expressed the most unfeigned horror and indignation at their proceeding; and, getting some soldiers to assist us, we carefully and respectfully replaced his remains in the grave. his _was_ a noble head; and even in death, it looked the brave, the gallant soldier. our conduct had such an effect on the spaniards, that they brought back the canopy, of their own accord, and promised, solemnly, that the grave should, henceforth, rest undisturbed. july th.--we arrived on the banks of the douro, within a league of valladolid, where we halted two days; and lord wellington, detaching a division of infantry and some cavalry to watch the movements of the defeated army, proceeded with the remainder of us towards madrid. august st.--on approaching near to our bivouac this afternoon, i saw a good large farm-house, about a mile off the road; and, getting permission from my commandant, i made a cast thereto, in search of something for dinner. there were two women belonging to the german legion, smoking their pipes in the kitchen, when i arrived; and, having the highest respect for their marauding qualifications, i began to fear that nothing was to be had, as they were sitting there so quietly. i succeeded, however, in purchasing two pair of chickens; and, neglecting the precaution of unscrewing their necks, i grasped a handful of their legs, and, mounting my horse, proceeded towards the camp; but i had scarcely gone a couple of hundred yards, when they began opening their throats and flapping with their wings, which startled my horse and sent him off at full speed. i lost the rein on one side, and, in attempting to pull him up with the other, i brought his foot into a rut, and down he came, sending me head-foremost into a wet ditch! when i got on my legs, and shook myself a little, i saw each particular hen galloping across the field, screeching with all its might, while the horse was off in a different direction; and, casting a rueful look at the chickens, i naturally followed him, as the most valuable of the collection. fortunately, a heavy boat-cloak caused the saddle to roll under his belly; and finding that he could not make way in consequence, he quietly waited for me about a quarter of a mile off. when i had remounted, i looked back to the scene of my disaster, and saw my two german _friends_ busily employed in catching the chickens. i rode towards them, and they were, no doubt, in hopes that i had broken my neck, that they might have the sacking of me, also; for, as i approached, i observed them concealing the fowls under their clothes, while the one took up a position behind the other. after reconnoitring them a short time, i rode up and demanded the fowls, when the one looked at the other, and, in well-feigned astonishment, asked, in _dutch_, what i could possibly mean? then gave me to understand that they could not comprehend english; but i immediately said, "come, come! none of your gammon; you have got my fowls, here's half a dollar for your trouble in catching them, so hand them out." "oh!" said one of them, in english, "it is de fowl you want," and they then produced them. after paying them the stipulated sum, i wished them all the compliments of the season, and thought myself fortunate in getting off so well; for they were each six feet high, and as strong as a horse, and i felt convinced that they had often thrashed a better man than myself in the course of their military career. august th.--halted near the ancient town of segovia, which bears a strong resemblance to the old town of edinburgh, built on a lofty ridge, that terminates in an abrupt summit, on which stands the fortified tower, celebrated in the adventures of gil blas. it is a fine old town, boasts of a superb roman aqueduct, and is famous for ladies' shoes. our bivouac, this evening, was on the banks of el rio frio, near to a new hunting-palace of the king of spain. it was a large quadrangular building, each side full of empty rooms, with nothing but their youth to recommend them. on the th, we crossed the guadarama mountains, and halted, for the night, in the park of the escurial. i had, from childhood upwards, considered this palace as the eighth wonder of the world, and was, therefore, proportionately disappointed at finding it a huge, gloomy, unmeaning pile of building, looking somewhat less interesting than the wild craggy mountain opposite, and without containing a single room large enough to flog a cat in. the only apartment that i saw worth looking at was the one in which their _dead kings live_! entered madrid, august th, . as we approached the capital, imagination was busy in speculating on the probable nature of our reception. the peasantry, with whom we had hitherto been chiefly associated, had imbibed a rooted hatred to the french, caused by the wanton cruelties experienced at their hands, both in their persons and their property; otherwise they were a cheerful, hospitable, and orderly people, and, had they been permitted to live in peace and quietness, it was a matter of the most perfect indifference to them whether joseph, ferdinand, or the ghost of don quixotte was their king. but the citizens of madrid had been living four years in comparative peace, under the dominion of a french government, and in the enjoyment of all the gaieties of that luxurious court; to which, if i add that we entertained, at that time, some slight jealousy regarding the pretensions of the french officers to the favours of the fair, i believe the prevailing opinion was that _we_ should be considered as the intruders. it was, therefore, a matter of the most unexpected exultation, when we entered it, on the afternoon of the th of august, to find ourselves hailed as liberators, with the most joyous acclamations, by surrounding multitudes, who continued their rejoicings for three successive days. by day, the riches of each house were employed in decorations to its exterior; and, by night, they were brilliantly illuminated, during which time all business was suspended, and the whole population of the city crowded the streets, emulating each other in heaping honours and caresses upon us. king joseph had retired on our approach, leaving a garrison in the fortified palace of el retiro; but they surrendered some days afterwards, and we remained there for three months, basking in the sunshine of beauty, harmony, and peace. i shall ever look back to that period as the most pleasing event of my military life. the only bar to our perfect felicity was the want of money, as, independent of long arrears, already due, the military chest continued so very poor that it could not afford to give us more than a fortnight's pay during these three months; and, as nobody could, would, or should give cash for bills, we were obliged to sell silver spoons, watches, and every thing of value that we stood possessed of, to purchase the common necessaries of life. my irish _criado_, who used to take uncommon liberties with my property, having been two or three days in the rear, with the baggage, at the time of the battle of salamanca, took upon himself to exchange my baggage-horse for another; and his apology for so doing was, that the one he had got was twice as big as the one he gave! the additional size, however, so far from being an advantage, proved quite the reverse; for i found that he could eat as much as he could carry, and, as he was obliged to carry all that he had to eat, i was forced to put him on half allowance, to make room for my baggage; in consequence of which, every bone in his body soon became so _pointed_ that i could easily have hung my hat on any part of his hind quarters. i therefore took advantage of our present repose to let him have the benefit of a full allowance, that enabled me to effect an exchange between him and a mule, getting five dollars to the bargain, which made me one of the happiest and, i believe, also, one of the richest men in the army. i expended the first dollar next day, in getting admission to a bullfight, in their national amphitheatre, where the first thing that met my astonished eyes was a mad bull giving the finishing _prode_ to my unfortunate big horse. lord wellington, with some divisions of the army, proceeded, about the beginning of september, to undertake the siege of burgos, leaving those at madrid, under the orders of sir rowland hill, so that, towards the end of october, our delightful sojourn there drew perceptibly to a close, for it was known that king joseph, with the forces under soult and jourdan, now united, were moving upon aranjuez, and that all, excepting our own division, were already in motion, to dispute the passage of the tagus, and to cover the capital. about four o'clock on the morning of the d of october, we received orders to be on our alarm-posts at six, and, as soon as we had formed, we were marched to the city of alcala. october th.--we were all this day marching to arganda, and all night marching back again. if any one thing is more particularly damned than another it is a march of this kind. october th--an order arrived, from lord wellington, for our corps of the army to fall back upon salamanca; we, therefore, returned to madrid, and, after halting outside the gates until we were joined by skerret's division, from cadiz, we bade a last sorrowful adieu to our friends in the city, and commenced our retreat. october st.--halted for the night in the park of the escurial. it is amusing, on a division's first taking up its ground, to see the numbers of hares that are, every instant, starting up among the men, and the scrambling and shouting of the soldiers for the prize. this day, when the usual shout was given, every man ran, with his cap in his hand, to endeavour to capture poor _puss_, as he imagined, but which turned out to be two wild boars, who contrived to make room for themselves so long as there was nothing but men's caps to contend with; but they very soon had as many bayonets as bristles in their backs. we re-crossed the guadarama mountains next morning. november d.--halted, this night, in front of a small town, the name of which i do not recollect. it was beginning to get dark by the time i had posted our guards and piquets, when i rode into it, to endeavour to find my messmates, who, i knew, had got a dinner waiting for me somewhere. i entered a large square, or market-place, and found it crowded with soldiers of all nations, most of them three-parts drunk, and in the midst of whom a mad bull was performing the most extraordinary feats, quite unnoticed, excepting by those who had the misfortune to attract his attention. the first intimation that i had of him was his charging past me, and making a thrust at our quarter-master, carrying off a portion of his regimental trousers. he next got a fair toss at a portuguese soldier, and sent him spinning three or four turns up in the air. i was highly amused in observing the fellow's astonishment when he alighted, to see that he had not the remotest idea to what accident he was indebted for such an evolution, although he seemed fully prepared to quarrel with any one who chose to acknowledge any participation in the deed; but the cause of it was, all the time, finding fresh customers, and, making the grand tour of the square with such velocity, i began to fear that i should soon be on his list also, if i did not take shelter in the nearest house, a measure no sooner thought of than executed. i, therefore, opened a door, and drove my horse in before me; but there instantly arose such an uproar within, that i began to wish myself once more on the outside on any terms, for it happened to be occupied by english, portuguese, and german bullock-drivers, who had been seated round a table, scrambling for a dinner, when my horse upset the table, lights, and every thing on it. the only thing that i could make out amid their confused curses was, that they had come to the determination of putting the cause of the row to death; but, as i begged to differ with them on that point, i took the liberty of knocking one or two of them down, and finally succeeded in extricating my horse, with whom i retraced my way to the camp, weary, angry, and hungry. on my arrival there, i found an orderly waiting to show me the way to dinner, which once more restored me to good humour with myself and all the world; while the adventure afforded my companions a hearty laugh, at my expense. november th.--in the course of this day's march, while our battalion formed the rear-guard, at a considerable distance in the rear of the column, we found a portuguese soldier, who had been left by his regiment, lying in the middle of the road, apparently dead; but, on examining him more closely, we had reason to think that he was merely in a state of stupor, arising from fatigue and the heat of the weather,--an opinion which caused us no little uneasiness. although we did not think it quite fair to bury a living man, yet we had no means whatever of carrying him off; and to leave him where he was, would, in all probability, have cost us a number of better lives than his had ever been, for the french, who were then in sight, had hitherto been following us at a very respectable distance; and, had they found that we were retiring in such a hurry as to leave our half-dead people on the road, they would not have been frenchmen if they did not give us an extra push, to help us along. under all the circumstances of the case, therefore, although our doctor was of opinion that, with time and attention, he might recover, and not having either the one or the other to spare, the remainder of us, who had voted ourselves into a sort of board of survey, thought it most prudent to find him dead; and, carrying him a little off the road to the edge of a ravine, we scraped a hole in the sand with our swords, and placed him in it. we covered him but very lightly, and left his head and arms at perfect liberty; so that, although he might be said to have had both feet in the grave, yet he might still have scrambled out of it, if he could. chap. xii. reach salamanca. retreat from it. pig hunting, an enemy to sleep-hunting. putting one's foot in it. affair on the th of november. bad legs sometimes last longer than good ones. a wet birth. prospectus of a day's work. a lost _déjûné_ better than a found one. advantages not taken. a disagreeable amusement. end of the campaign of . winter quarters. orders and disorders treated. farewell opinion of ancient allies. my house. november th.--halted this night at alba de tormes, and next day marched into quarters in salamanca, where we rejoined lord wellington with the army from burgos. on the th, the british army concentrated on the field of their former glory, in consequence of a part of the french army having effected the passage of the river, above alba de tormes. on the th, the whole of the enemy's force having passed the river, a cannonade commenced early in the day; and it was the general belief that, ere night, a second battle of salamanca would be recorded. but, as all the french armies in spain were now united in our front, and out-numbered us so far, lord wellington, seeing no decided advantage to be gained by risking a battle, at length ordered a retreat, which we commenced about three in the afternoon. our division halted for the night at the entrance of a forest about four miles from salamanca. the heavy rains which usually precede the spanish winter had set in the day before; and, as the roads in that part of the country cease to be roads for the remainder of the season, we were now walking nearly knee deep, in a stiff mud, into which no man could thrust his foot, with the certainty of having a shoe at the end of it when he pulled it out again; and, that we might not be miserable by halves, we had, this evening, to regale our chops with the last morsel of biscuit that they were destined to grind during the retreat. we cut some boughs of trees to keep us out of the mud, and lay down to sleep on them, wet to the skin; but the cannonade of the afternoon had been succeeded, after dark, by a continued firing of musketry, which led us to believe that our piquets were attacked, and, in momentary expectation of an order to stand to our arms, we kept ourselves awake the whole night, and were not a little provoked when we found, next morning, that it had been occasioned by numerous stragglers from the different regiments, shooting at the pigs belonging to the peasantry which were grazing in the wood. november th.--retiring from daylight until dark through the same description of roads. the french dragoons kept close behind, but did not attempt to molest us. it still continued to rain hard, and we again passed the night in a wood. i was very industriously employed, during the early part of it, feeling, in the dark, for acorns, as a substitute for bread. november th.--at daylight this morning the enemy's cavalry advanced in force; but they were kept in check by the skirmishers of the th light dragoons, until the road became open, when we continued our retreat. our brigade-major was at this time obliged to go to the rear, sick, and i was appointed to act for him. we were much surprised, in the course of the forenoon, to hear a sharp firing commence behind us, on the very road by which we were retiring; and it was not until we reached the spot that we learnt that the troops who were retreating, by a road parallel to ours, had left it too soon, and enabled some french dragoons, under cover of the forest, to advance unperceived to the flank of our line of march, who, seeing an interval between two divisions of infantry, which was filled with light baggage and some passing officers, dashed at it, and made some prisoners in the scramble of the moment, amongst whom was lieutenant-general sir edward paget. our division formed on the heights above samunoz to cover the passage of the rivulet, which was so swollen with the heavy rains, as only to be passable at particular fords. while we waited there for the passage of the rest of the army, the enemy, under cover of the forest, was, at the same time, assembling in force close around us; and the moment that we began to descend the hill, towards the rivulet, we were assailed by a heavy fire of cannon and musketry, while their powerful cavalry were in readiness to take advantage of any confusion which might have occurred. we effected the passage, however, in excellent order, and formed on the opposite bank of the stream, where we continued under a cannonade and engaged in a sharp skirmish until dark. our loss on this occasion was considerable, but it would have been much greater, had not the enemy's shells buried themselves so deep in the soft ground, that their explosions did little injury. it appeared singular to us, who were not medical men, that an officer and several of our division, who were badly wounded on this occasion, in the leg, and who were sent to the rear on gun-carriages, should have died of a mortification in the limb which was _not_ wounded. when the firing ceased, we received the usual order "to make ourselves comfortable for the night," and i never remember an instance in which we had so much difficulty in obeying it; for the ground we occupied was a perfect flat, which was flooded more than ankle deep with water, excepting here and there, where the higher ground around the roots of trees, presented circles of a few feet of visible earth, upon which we grouped ourselves. some few fires were kindled, at which we roasted some bits of raw beef on the points of our swords, and eat them by way of a dinner. there was plenty of water to apologize for the want of better fluids, but bread sent no apology at all. some divisions of the army had commenced retiring as soon as it was dark, and the whole had been ordered to move, so that the roads might be clear for us before daylight. i was sent twice in the course of the night to see what progress they had made; but such was the state of the roads, that even within an hour of daylight, two divisions, besides our own, were still unmoved, which would consequently delay us so long, that we looked forward to a severe harassing day's fighting; a kind of fighting, too, that is the least palatable of any, where much might be lost, and nothing was to be gained. with such prospects before us, it made my very heart rejoice to see my brigadier's servant commence boiling some chocolate and frying a beef-steak. i watched its progress with a keenness which intense hunger alone could inspire, and was on the very point of having my desires consummated, when the general, getting uneasy at not having received any communication relative to the movements of the morning, and, without considering how feelingly my stomach yearned for a better acquaintance with the contents of his frying-pan, desired me to ride to general alten for orders. i found the general at a neighbouring tree; but he cut off all hopes of my timely return, by desiring me to remain with him until he received the report of an officer whom he had sent to ascertain the progress of the other divisions. while i was toasting myself at his fire, so sharply set that i could have eaten one of my boots, i observed his german orderly dragoon, at an adjoining fire, stirring up the contents of a camp-kettle, that once more revived my departing hopes, and i presently had the satisfaction of seeing him dipping in some basins, presenting one to the general, one to the aide-de-camp, and a third to myself. the mess which it contained i found, after swallowing the whole at a draught, was neither more nor less than the produce of a piece of beef boiled in plain water; and, though it would have been enough to have physicked a dromedary at any other time, yet, as i could then have made a good hole in the dromedary himself, it sufficiently satisfied my cravings to make me equal to any thing for the remainder of the day. we were soon after ordered to stand to our arms, and, as day lit up, a thick haze hung on the opposite hills, which prevented our seeing the enemy; and, as they did not attempt to feel for us, we, contrary to our expectations, commenced our retreat unmolested; nor could we quite believe our good fortune when, towards the afternoon, we had passed several places where they could have assailed us, in flank, with great advantage, and caused us a severe loss, almost in spite of fate; but it afterwards appeared that they were quite knocked up with their exertions in overtaking us the day before, and were unable to follow further. we halted on a swampy height, behind st. espiritu, and experienced another night of starvation and rain. i now felt considerably more for my horse than myself, as he had been three days and nights without a morsel of any kind to eat. our baggage-animals, too, we knew were equally ill off, and, as they always preceded us a day's march, it was highly amusing, whenever we found a dead horse, or a mule, lying on the road-side, to see the anxiety with which every officer went up to reconnoitre him, each fearing that he should have the misfortune to recognize it as his own. on the th of november we arrived at the convent of caridad, near ciudad rodrigo, and once more experienced the comforts of our baggage and provisions. my boots had not been off since the th, and i found it necessary to cut them to pieces, to get my swollen feet out of them. this retreat terminated the campaign of . after a few days' delay, and some requisite changes about the neighbourhood, while all the world were getting shook into their places, our battalion finally took possession of the village of alameida for the winter, where, after forming a regimental mess, we detached an officer to lamego, and secured to ourselves a bountiful supply of the best juice of the grape which the neighbouring banks of the douro afforded. the quarter we now occupied was naturally pretty much upon a par with those of the last two winters, but it had the usual advantages attending the march of intellect. the officers of the division united in fitting up an empty chapel, in the village of galegos, as an amateur theatre, for which, by the by, we were all regularly cursed, from the altar, by the bishop of rodrigo. lord wellington kept a pack of foxhounds, and the hon. captain stewart, of ours, a pack of harriers, so that these, in addition to our old _bolero_ meetings, enabled us to pass a very tolerable winter. the neighbouring plains abounded with hares; it was one of the most beautiful coursing countries, perhaps, in the world; and there was, also, some shooting to be had at the numerous vultures preying on the dead carcasses which strewed the road-side on the line of our last retreat. up to this period lord wellington had been adored by the army, in consideration of his brilliant achievements, and for his noble and manly bearing in all things; but, in consequence of some disgraceful irregularities which took place during the retreat, he immediately after issued an order, conveying a sweeping censure on the whole army. his general conduct was too upright for even the finger of malice itself to point at; but as his censure, on this occasion, was not strictly confined to the guilty, it afforded a handle to disappointed persons, and excited a feeling against him, on the part of individuals, which has probably never since been obliterated. it began by telling us that we had suffered no privations; and, though this was hard to be digested on an empty stomach, yet, taking it in its more liberal meaning, that our privations were not of an extent to justify any irregularities, which i readily admit; still, as many regiments were not guilty of any irregularities, it is not to be wondered if such should have felt, at first, a little sulky to find, in the general reproof, that no loop-hole whatever had been left for them to creep through; for, i believe i am justified in saying that neither our own, nor the two gallant corps associated with us, had a single man absent that we could not satisfactorily account for. but it touched us still more tenderly in not excepting us from his general charge of inexpertness in camp arrangements; for, it was _our belief_, and in which we were in some measure borne out by circumstances, that, had he placed us, at the same moment, in the same field, with an equal number of the best troops in france, that he would not only have seen our fires as quickly lit, but every frenchman roasting on them to the bargain, if they waited long enough to be _dressed_; for there, perhaps, never was, nor ever again will be, such a war-brigade as that which was composed of the forty-third, fifty-second, and the rifles. that not only censure, but condign punishment was merited, in many instances, is certain; and, had his lordship dismissed some officers from the service, and caused some of the disorderly soldiers to be shot, it would not only have been an act of justice, but, probably, a necessary example. had he hanged every commissary, too, who failed to issue the regular rations to the troops dependent on him, unless they proved that they were starved themselves, it would only have been a just sacrifice to the offended stomachs of many thousands of gallant fellows. in our brigade, i can safely say, that the order in question excited "more of sorrow than of anger;" we thought that, had it been _particular_, it would have been just; but, as it was _general_, that it was inconsiderate; and we, therefore, regretted that he who had been, and still was, the god of our idolatry, should thereby have laid himself open to the attacks of the ill-natured. alameida is a spanish village, situated within a stone's throw of the boundary-line of the sister-kingdom; and, as the head-quarters of the army, as well as the nearest towns, from whence we drew our supplies, lay in portugal, our connexions, while we remained there, were chiefly with the latter kingdom; and, having passed the three last winters on their frontier, we, in the month of may, , prepared to bid it a final adieu, with very little regret. the people were kind and hospitable, and not destitute of intelligence; but, somehow, they appeared to be the creatures of a former age, and showed an indolence and want of enterprise which marked them born for slaves; and, although the two cacadore regiments attached to our division were, at all times, in the highest order, and conducted themselves gallantly in the field, yet, i am of opinion that, as a nation, they owe their character for bravery almost entirely to the activity and gallantry of the british officers who organized and led them. the veriest cowards in existence must have shown the same front under such discipline. i did not see enough of their gentry to enable me to form an opinion about them; but the middling and lower orders are extremely filthy both in their persons and in their houses, and they have all an intolerable itch for gambling. the soldiers, though fainting with fatigue on the line of march, invariably group themselves in card-parties whenever they are allowed a few minutes' halt; and a non-commissioned officer, with half-a-dozen men on any duty of fatigue, are very generally to be seen as follows, viz. one man as a sentry, to watch the approach of the superintending officer, one man at work, and the non-commissioned officer, with the other four, at cards. the cottages in alameida, and, indeed, in all the spanish villages, generally contain two mud-floored apartments: the outer one, though more cleanly than the irish, is, nevertheless, fashioned after the same manner, and is common alike to the pigs and the people; while the inner looks more like the gun-room of a ship-of-war, having a sitting-apartment in the centre, with small sleeping-cabins branching from it, each illuminated by a port-hole, about a foot square. we did not see daylight "through a glass darkly," as on london's ludgate-hill, for there the air circulated freely, and mild it came, and pure, and fragrant, as if it had just stolen over a bed of roses. if a man did not like _that_, he had only to shut his port, and remain in darkness, inhaling his own preferred sweetness! the outside of my sleeping-cabin was interwoven with ivy and honeysuckle, and, among the branches, a nightingale had established itself, and sung sweetly, night after night, during the whole of the winter. i could not part from such a pleasing companion, and from a bed in which i had enjoyed so many tranquil slumbers, without a sigh, though i was ungrateful enough to accompany it with a fervent wish that i might never see them again; for i looked upon the period that i had spent there as so much time lost. chap. xiii. a review. assembly of the army. march to salamanca. to aldea nueva. to toro. an affair of the hussar brigade. to palencia. to the neighbourhood of burgos. to the banks of the ebro. fruitful sleeping place. to medina. a dance before it was due. smell the foe. affair at st. milan. a physical river. may, .--in the early part of this month our division was reviewed by lord wellington, preparatory to the commencement of another campaign; and i certainly never saw a body of troops in a more highly-efficient state. it did one's very heart good to look at our battalion that day, seeing each company standing a hundred strong, and the intelligence of several campaigns stamped on each daring, bronzed countenance, which looked you boldly in the face, in the fullness of vigour and confidence, as if it cared neither for man nor devil. on the st of may, our division broke up from winter-quarters, and assembled in front of ciudad rodrigo, with all excepting the left wing of the army, which, under sir thomas graham, had already passed the douro, and was ascending its right bank. an army which has seen some campaigns in the field, affords a great deal of amusement in its assembling after winter-quarters. there is not only the greeting of long-parted friends and acquaintances in the same walks of life, but, among the different divisions which the nature of the service generally threw a good deal together, there was not so much as a mule or a donkey that was not known to each individual, and its absence noticed; nor a scamp of a boy, or a common portuguese trull, who was not as particularly inquired after, as if the fate of the campaign depended on their presence. on the d, we advanced towards salamanca, and, the next day, halted at samunoz, on our late field of action. with what different feelings did we now view the same spot! in our last visit, winter was on the face of the land, as well as on our minds; we were worn out with fatigue, mortification, and starvation; now, all was summer and sunshine. the dismal swamps had now become verdant meadows; we had plenty in the camp, vigour in our limbs, and hope in our bosoms. we were, this day, joined by the household brigade of cavalry from england; and, as there was a report in the morning that the enemy were in the neighbourhood, some of the life-guards concluded that every thing in front of their camp must be a part of them, and they, accordingly, apprehended some of the light dragoon horses, which happened to be grazing near. one of their officers came to dine with me that day, and he was in the act of reporting their capture, when my orderly-book was brought at the moment, containing an offer of reward for the detection of the thieves! on the th, we encamped on the banks of the tormes, at a ford, about a league below salamanca. a body of the enemy, who had occupied the city, suffered severely before they got away, in a brush with some part of sir rowland hill's corps; chiefly, i believe, from some of his artillery. on the th, we crossed the river, and marched near to aldea nueva, where we remained stationary for some days, under sir rowland hill; lord wellington having proceeded from salamanca to join the left wing of the army, beyond the douro. on the d of june, we were again put in motion; and, after a very long march, encamped near the douro, opposite the town of toro. lord wellington had arrived there the day before, without being opposed by the enemy; but there had been an affair of cavalry, a short distance beyond the town, in which the hussar brigade particularly distinguished themselves, and took about three hundred prisoners. on the morning of the d, we crossed the river; and, marching through the town of toro, encamped about half a league beyond it. the enemy had put the castle in a state of repair, and constructed a number of other works to defend the passage of the river; but the masterly eye of our chief, having seen his way round the town, spared them the trouble of occupying the works; yet, loth to think that so much labour should be altogether lost, he garrisoned their castle with the three hundred taken by the hussar brigade, for which it made a very good jail. on the th, we were again in motion, and had a long, warm, fatiguing march; as, also, on the th and th. on the th, we encamped outside of palencia, a large rickety looking old town; with the front of every house supported by pillars, like so many worn out old bachelors on crutches. the french did not interfere with our accommodation in the slightest, but made it a point to leave every place an hour or two before we came to it; so that we quietly continued our daily course, following nearly the line of the canal de castile, through a country luxuriant in corn-fields and vineyards, until the th, when we arrived within two or three leagues of burgos, (on its left,) and where we found a body of the enemy in position, whom we immediately proceeded to attack; but they evaporated on our approach, and fell back upon burgos. we encamped for the night on the banks of a river, a short distance to the rear. next morning, at daylight, an explosion shook the ground like an earthquake, and made every man jump upon his legs; and it was not until some hours after, when lord wellington returned from reconnoitring, that we learnt that the castle of burgos had been just blown up, and the town evacuated by the enemy. we continued our march on the th, through a very rich country. on the th, we had a long harassing day's march, through a rugged mountainous country, which afforded only an occasional glimpse of fertility, in some pretty little valleys with which it was intersected. we started at daylight on the th, through a dreary region of solid rock, bearing an abundant crop of loose stones, without a particle of soil or vegetation visible to the naked eye in any direction. after leaving nearly twenty miles of this horrible wilderness behind us, our weary minds clogged with an imaginary view of nearly as much more of it in our front, we found ourselves, all at once, looking down upon the valley of the ebro, near the village of arenas, one of the richest, loveliest, and most romantic spots that i ever beheld. the influence of such a scene on the mind can scarcely be believed. five minutes before we were all as _lively_ as stones. in a moment we were all fruits and flowers; and many a pair of legs, that one would have thought had not a kick left in them, were, in five minutes after, seen dancing across the bridge, to the tune of "the downfal of paris," which struck up from the bands of the different regiments. i lay down that night in a cottage garden, with my head on a melon, and my eye on a cherry-tree, and resigned myself to a repose which did not require a long courtship. we resumed our march at daybreak on the th. the road, in the first instance, wound through orchards and luxurious gardens, and then closed in to the edge of the river, through a difficult and formidable pass, where the rocks on each side, arising to a prodigious height, hung over each other in fearful grandeur, and in many places nearly met together over our heads. after following the course of the river for nearly two miles, the rocks on each side gradually expanded into another valley, lovely as the one we had left, and where we found the fifth division of our army lying encamped. they were still asleep; and the rising sun, and a beautiful morning, gave additional sublimity to the scene; for there was nothing but the tops of the white tents peeping above the fruit trees; and an occasional sentinel pacing his post, that gave any indication of what a nest of hornets the blast of a bugle could bring out of that apparently peaceful solitude. our road now wound up the mountain to our right; and, almost satiated with the continued grandeur around us, we arrived, in the afternoon, at the town of medina, and encamped a short distance beyond it. we were welcomed into every town or village through which we passed, by the peasant girls, who were in the habit of meeting us with garlands of flowers, and dancing before us in a peculiar style of their own; and it not unfrequently happened, that while they were so employed with one regiment, the preceding one was diligently engaged in pulling down some of their houses for firewood--a measure which we were sometimes obliged to have recourse to, where no other fuel could be had, and for which they were, ultimately, paid by the british government; but it was a measure that was more likely to have set the poor souls dancing mad than for joy, had they foreseen the consequences of our visit. june th.--we had not seen any thing of the enemy since we left the neighbourhood of burgos; but, after reaching our ground this evening, we were aware that some of their videttes were feeling for us. on the morning of the th, we were ordered to march to san milan, a small town, about two leagues off; and where, on our arrival on the hill above it, we found a division of french infantry, as strong as ourselves, in the act of crossing our path. the surprise, i believe, was mutual, though i doubt whether the pleasure was equally so; for we were red hot for an opportunity of retaliating for the salamanca retreat; and, as the old saying goes, "there is no opportunity like the present." their leading brigade had nearly passed before we came up, but not a moment was lost after we did. our battalion dispersing among the brushwood, went down the hill upon them; and, with a destructive fire, broke through their line of march, supported by the rest of the brigade. those that had passed made no attempt at a stand, but continued their flight, keeping up as good a fire as their circumstances would permit; while we kept hanging on their flank and rear, through a good rifle country, which enabled us to make considerable havoc among them. their general's aide-de-camp, amongst others, was mortally wounded; and a lady, on a white horse, who probably was his wife, remained beside him, until we came very near. she appeared to be in great distress; but, though we called to her to remain, and not to be alarmed, yet she galloped off as soon as a decided step became necessary. the object of her solicitude did not survive many minutes after we reached him. we followed the retreating foe until late in the afternoon. on this occasion, our brigade came in for all the blows, and the other for all the baggage, which was marching between the two french brigades; the latter of which, seeing the scrape into which the first had fallen, very prudently left it to its fate, and dispersed on the opposite mountains, where some of them fell into the hands of a spanish force that was detached in pursuit; but, i believe, the greater part succeeded in joining their army the day after the battle of vittoria. we heard a heavy cannonade all day to our left, occasioned, as we understood, by the fifth division falling in with another detachment of the enemy, which the unexpected and rapid movements of lord wellington was hastening to their general point of assembly. on the early part of the th, we were fagging up the face of a mountain, under a sultry hot sun, until we came to a place where a beautiful clear stream was dashing down the face of it, when the division was halted, to enable the men to refresh themselves. every man carries a cup, and every man ran and swallowed a cup full of it--it was salt water from the springs of salinas; and it was truly ludicrous to see their faces after taking such a voluntary dose. i observed an irishman, who, not satisfied with the first trial, and believing that his cup had been infected by some salt breaking loose in his haversack, he washed it carefully and then drank a second one, when, finding no change, he exclaimed,--"by j----s, boys, we must be near the sea, for the water's getting salt!" we, soon after, passed through the village of salinas, situated at the source of the stream, where there is a considerable salt manufactory. the inhabitants were so delighted to see us, that they placed buckets full of it at the doors of the different houses, and entreated our men to help themselves as they passed along. it rained hard in the afternoon, and it was late before we got to our ground. we heard a good deal of firing in the neighbourhood in the course of the day, but our division was not engaged. we retained the same bivouac all day on the th; it was behind a range of mountains within a short distance of the left of the enemy's position, as we afterwards discovered; and though we heard an occasional gun, from the other side of the mountain in the course of the day, fired at lord wellington's reconnoitring party, the peace of our valley remained undisturbed. chap. xiv. battle of vittoria. defeat of the enemy. confusion among their followers. plunder. colonel cameron. pursuit, and the capture of their last gun. arrive near pampeluna. at villalba. an irish method of making a useless bed useful. battle of vittoria, june st, . our division got under arms this morning before daylight, passed the base of the mountain by its left, through the camp of the fourth division, who were still asleep in their tents, to the banks of the river zadora, at the village of tres puentes. the opposite side of the river was occupied by the enemy's advanced posts, and we saw their army on the hills beyond, while the spires of vittoria were visible in the distance. we felt as if there was likely to be a battle; but as that was an event we were never sure of, until we found ourselves actually in it, we lay for some time just out of musket shot, uncertain what was likely to turn up, and waiting for orders. at length a sharp fire of musketry was heard to our right; and, on looking in that direction, we saw the head of sir rowland hill's corps, together with some spanish troops, attempting to force the mountain which marked the enemy's left. the three battalions of our regiment were, at the same moment, ordered forward to feel the enemy, who lined the opposite banks of the river, with whom we were quickly engaged in a warm skirmish. the affair with sir rowland hill became gradually warmer, but ours had apparently no other object than to amuse those who were opposite to us, for the moment; so that, for about two hours longer, it seemed as if there would be nothing but an affair of outposts. about twelve o'clock, however, we were moved rapidly to our left, followed by the rest of the division, till we came to an abrupt turn of the river, where we found a bridge, unoccupied by the enemy, which we immediately crossed, and took possession of, what appeared to me to be, an old field-work, on the other side. we had not been many seconds there before we observed the bayonets of the third and seventh divisions glittering above the standing corn, and advancing upon another bridge, which stood about a quarter of a mile further to our left, and where, on their arrival, they were warmly opposed by the enemy's light troops, who lined the bank of the river, (which we ourselves were now on,) in great force, for the defence of the bridge. as soon as this was observed by our division, colonel barnard advanced with our battalion, and took them in flank with such a furious fire as quickly dislodged them, and thereby opened a passage for these two divisions free of expense, which must otherwise have cost them dearly. what with the rapidity of our movement, the colour of our dress, and our close contact with the enemy, before they would abandon their post, we had the misfortune to be identified with them for some time, by a battery of our own guns, who, not observing the movement, continued to serve it out indiscriminately, and all the while admiring their practice upon us; nor was it until the red coats of the third division joined us, that they discovered their mistake. the battle now commenced in earnest; and this was perhaps the most interesting moment of the whole day. sir thomas graham's artillery, with the first and fifth divisions, began to be heard far to our left, beyond vittoria. the bridge, which we had just cleared, stood so near to a part of the enemy's position, that the seventh division was instantly engaged in close action with them at that point. on the mountain to our extreme right the action continued to be general and obstinate, though we observed that the enemy were giving ground slowly to sir rowland hill. the passage of the river by our division had turned the enemy's outpost, at the bridge, on our right, where we had been engaged in the morning, and they were now retreating, followed by the fourth division. the plain between them and sir rowland hill was occupied by the british cavalry, who were now seen filing out of a wood, squadron after squadron, galloping into form as they gradually cleared it. the hills behind were covered with spectators, and the third and the light divisions, covered by our battalion, advanced rapidly, upon a formidable hill, in front of the enemy's centre, which they had neglected to occupy in sufficient force. in the course of our progress, our men kept picking off the french videttes, who were imprudent enough to hover too near us; and many a horse, bounding along the plain, dragging his late rider by the stirrup-irons, contributed in making it a scene of extraordinary and exhilarating interest. old picton rode at the head of the third division, dressed in a blue coat and a round hat, and swore as roundly all the way as if he had been wearing two cocked ones. our battalion soon cleared the hill in question of the enemy's light troops; but we were pulled up on the opposite side of it by one of their lines, which occupied a wall at the entrance of a village immediately under us. during the few minutes that we stopped there, while a brigade of the third division was deploying into line, two of our companies lost two officers and thirty men, chiefly from the fire of artillery bearing on the spot from the french position. one of their shells burst immediately under my nose, part of it struck my boot and stirrup-iron, and the rest of it kicked up such a dust about me that my charger refused to obey orders; and, while i was spurring and he capering, i heard a voice behind me, which i knew to be lord wellington's, calling out, in a tone of reproof, "look to keeping your men together, sir;" and though, god knows, i had not the remotest idea that he was within a mile of me at the time, yet, so sensible was i that circumstances warranted his supposing that i was a young officer, cutting a caper, by way of bravado, before him, that worlds would not have tempted me to look round at the moment. the french fled from the wall as soon as they received a volley from a part of the third division, and we instantly dashed down the hill, and charged them through the village, capturing three of their guns; the first, i believe, that were taken that day. they received a reinforcement, and drove us back before our supports could come to our assistance; but, in the scramble of the moment, our men were knowing enough to cut the traces, and carry off the horses, so that, when we retook the village, immediately after, the guns still remained in our possession. the battle now became general along the whole line, and the cannonade was tremendous. at one period, we held one side of a wall, near the village, while the french were on the other, so that any person who chose to put his head over from either side was sure of getting a sword or a bayonet up his nostrils. this situation was, of course, too good to be of long endurance. the victory, i believe, was never for a moment doubtful. the enemy were so completely out-generalled, and the superiority of our troops was such, that to carry their positions required little more than the time necessary to march to them. after forcing their centre, the fourth division and our own got on the flank and rather in rear of the enemy's left wing, who were retreating before sir rowland hill, and who, to effect their escape, were now obliged to fly in one confused mass. had a single regiment of our dragoons been at hand, or even a squadron, to have forced them into shape for a few minutes, we must have taken from ten to twenty thousand prisoners. after marching along side of them for nearly two miles, and as a disorderly body will always move faster than an orderly one, we had the mortification to see them gradually heading us, until they finally made their escape. i have no doubt but that our mounted gentlemen were doing their duty as they ought in another part of the field; yet, it was impossible to deny ourselves the satisfaction of cursing them all, because a portion had not been there at such a critical moment. our elevated situation, at this time, afforded a good view of the field of battle to our left, and i could not help being struck with an unusual appearance of unsteadiness and want of confidence among the french troops. i saw a dense mass of many thousands occupying a good defensible post, who gave way in the greatest confusion, before a single line of the third division, almost without feeling them. if there was nothing in any other part of the position to justify the movement, and i do not think there was, they ought to have been flogged, every man, from the general downwards. the ground was particularly favourable to the retreating foe, as every half-mile afforded a fresh and formidable position, so that, from the commencement of the action to the city of vittoria, a distance of six or eight miles, we were involved in one continued hard skirmish. on passing vittoria, however, the scene became quite new and infinitely more amusing, as the french had made no provision for a retreat; and, sir thomas graham having seized upon the great road to france, the only one left open was that leading by pampeluna; and it was not open long, for their fugitive army, and their myriads of followers, with baggage, guns, carriages, &c. being all precipitated upon it at the same moment, it got choked up about a mile beyond the town, in the most glorious state of confusion; and the drivers, finding that one pair of legs was worth two pair of wheels, abandoned it all to the victors. many of their followers who had light carriages, endeavoured to make their escape through the fields; but it only served to prolong their misery. i shall never forget the first that we overtook: it was in the midst of a stubble-field, for some time between us and the french skirmishers, the driver doing all he could to urge the horses along; but our balls began to whistle so plentifully about his ears, that he at last dismounted in despair, and, getting on his knees, under the carriage, began praying. his place on the box was quickly occupied by as many of our fellows as could stick on it, while others were scrambling in at the doors on each side, and not a few on the roof, handling the baskets there so roughly, as to occasion loud complaints from the fowls within. i rode up to the carriage, to see that the people inside were not improperly treated; but the only one there was an old gouty gentleman, who, from the nature of his cargo, must either have robbed his own house, or that of a very good fellow, for the carriage was literally laden with wines and provisions. never did victors make a more legal or useful capture; for it was now six in the evening, and it had evidently been the old gentleman's fault if he had not already dined, whereas it was our misfortune, rather than our fault, that we had not tasted anything since three o'clock in the morning, so that when one of our men knocked the neck off a bottle, and handed it to me, to take a drink, i nodded to the old fellow's health, and drank it off without the smallest scruple of conscience. it was excellent claret, and if he still lives to tell the story, i fear he will not give us the credit of having belonged to such a _civil_ department as his appeared. we did not cease the pursuit until dark, and then halted in a field of wheat, about two miles beyond vittoria. the victory was complete. they carried off only one howitzer out of their numerous artillery, which, with baggage, stores, provisions, money, and every thing that constitutes the _matériel_ of an army, fell into our hands. it is much to be lamented, on those occasions, that the people who contribute most to the victory should profit the least by it; not that i am an advocate for plunder--on the contrary, i would much rather that all our fighting was for pure _love_; but, as every thing of value falls into the hands of the followers, and scoundrels who skulk from the ranks for the double purpose of plundering and saving their dastardly carcasses, what i regret is, that the man who deserts his post should thereby have an opportunity of enriching himself with impunity, while the true man gets nothing; but the evil i believe is irremediable. sir james kempt, who commanded our brigade, in passing one of the captured waggons in the evening, saw a soldier loading himself with money, and was about to have him conveyed to the camp as a prisoner, when the fellow begged hard to be released, and to be allowed to retain what he had got, telling the general that all the boxes in the waggon were filled with gold. sir james, with his usual liberality, immediately adopted the idea of securing it, as a reward to his brigade, for their gallantry; and, getting a fatigue party, he caused the boxes to be removed to his tent, and ordered an officer and some men from each regiment to parade there next morning, to receive their proportions of it; but, when they opened the boxes, they found them filled with _hammers, nails, and horse-shoes_! among the evil chances of that glorious day, i had to regret the temporary loss of colonel cameron,--a bad wound in the thigh having obliged him to go to england. of him i can truly say, that, as a _friend_, his heart was in the right place, and, as a _soldier_, his right place was at the head of a regiment in the face of an enemy. i never saw an officer feel more at home in such a situation, nor do i know any one who could fill it better. a singular accident threw me in the way of a dying french officer, who gave me a group of family portraits to transmit to his friends; but, as it was not until the following year that i had an opportunity of making the necessary inquiries after them, they had then left their residence, and were nowhere to be heard of. as not only the body, but the mind, had been in constant occupation since three o'clock in the morning, circumstances no sooner permitted (about ten at night) than i threw myself on the ground, and fell into a profound sleep, from which i did not awake until broad daylight, when i found a french soldier squatted near me, intensely watching for the opening of my _shutters_. he had contrived to conceal himself there during the night; and, when he saw that i was awake, he immediately jumped on his legs, and very obsequiously presented me with a map of france, telling me that as there was now a probability of our visiting his native country, he could make himself very useful, and would be glad if i would accept of his services. i thought it unfair, however, to deprive him of the present opportunity of seeing a little more of the world himself, and, therefore, sent him to join the rest of the prisoners, which would insure him a trip to england, free of expense. about midday, on the d, our three battalions, with some cavalry and artillery, were ordered in pursuit of the enemy. i do not know how it is, but i have always had a mortal objection to be killed the day after a victory. in the actions preceding a battle, or in the battle itself, it never gave me much uneasiness, as being all in the way of business; but, after surviving the great day, i always felt as if i had a right to live to tell the story; and i, therefore, did not find the ensuing three days' fighting half so pleasant as they otherwise would have been. darkness overtook us this night without our overtaking the enemy; and we halted in a grove of pines, exposed to a very heavy rain. in imprudently shifting my things from one tree to another, after dark, some rascal contrived to steal the velisse containing my dressing things, than which i do not know a greater loss, when there is no possibility of replacing any part of them. we overtook their rear-guard early on the following day, and, hanging on their line of march until dark, we did them all the mischief that we could. they burnt every village through which they passed, under the pretence of impeding our movements; but, as it did not make the slightest difference in that respect, we could only view it as a wanton piece of cruelty. on the th, we were again engaged in pressing their rear the greater part of the day; and, ultimately, in giving them the last kick, under the walls of pampeluna, where we had the glory of capturing their last gun, which literally sent them into france without a single piece of ordnance. our battalion occupied, that night, a large, well-furnished, but uninhabited chateau, a short distance from pampeluna. we got under arms early on the morning of the th; and, passing by a mountain-path, to the left of pampeluna, within range of the guns, though they did not fire at us, circled the town, until we reached the village of villalba, where we halted for the night. since i joined that army, i had never, up to that period, been master of any thing in the shape of a bed; and, though i did not despise a bundle of straw, when it could conveniently be had, yet my boat-cloak and blanket were more generally to be seen, spread out for my reception on the bare earth. but, in proceeding to turn into them, as usual, this evening, i was not a little astonished to find, in their stead, a comfortable mattress, with a suitable supply of linen, blankets, and pillows; in short, the very identical bedding on which i had slept, the night before, in the chateau, three leagues off, and which my rascal of an irishman had bundled altogether on the back of my mule, without giving me the slightest hint of his intentions. on my taking him to task about it, and telling him that he would certainly be hanged, all that he said in reply was, "by j--s, they had more than a hundred beds in that house, and not a single soul to sleep in them." i was very much annoyed, at the time, that there was no possibility of returning them to their rightful owner, as, independent of its being nothing short of a regular robbery, i really looked upon them as a very unnecessary encumbrance; but being forced, in some measure, to indulge in their comforts, i was not long in changing my mind; and was, ultimately, not very sorry that the possibility of restoration never did occur. chap. xv. march to intercept clausel. tafalla. olite. the dark end of a night march to casada. clausel's escape. sanguessa. my tent struck. return to villalba. weighty considerations on females. st. esteban. a severe dance. position at bera. soult's advance, and battle of the pyrenees. his defeat and subsequent actions. a morning's ride. june th, .--our division fell in this morning, at daylight, and, marching out of villalba, circled round the southern side of pampeluna, until we reached the great road leading to tafalla, where we found ourselves united with the third and fourth divisions, and a large body of cavalry; the whole under the immediate command of lord wellington, proceeded southward, with a view to intercept general clausel, who, with a strong division of the french army, had been at logrona, on the day of the battle of vittoria, and was now endeavouring to pass into the pyrenees by our right. we marched until sun set, and halted for the night in a wood. on the morning of the th we were again in motion, and passing through a country abounding in fruits, and all manner of delightful prospects; and through the handsome town of tafalla, where we were enthusiastically cheered by the beauteous occupants of the numerous balconies overhanging the streets. we halted, for the night, in an olive-grove, a short distance from olite. at daylight next morning we passed through the town of olite, and continued our route until we began to enter among the mountains, about midday, when we halted two hours, to enable the men to cook, and again resumed our march. darkness overtook us, while struggling through a narrow rugged road, which wound its way along the bank of the arragon; and we did not reach our destination, at casada, until near midnight, where, amid torrents of rain, and in the darkness of the night, we could find nothing but ploughed fields on which to repose our weary limbs, nor could we find a particle of fuel to illuminate the cheerless scene. breathed there a man of soul so dead, who would not to himself have said, this is--a confounded comfortless dwelling. dear sir walter,--pray excuse the _casadians_, from your curse entailed on home haters, for if any one of them ever succeeds in getting beyond the mountain, by the road which i traversed, he ought to be anathematized if ever he seek his home again. we passed the whole of the next day in the same place. it was discovered that clausel had been walking blindly into the _lion's den_, when the _alcaldé_ of a neighbouring village had warned him of his danger, and he was thereby enabled to avoid us, by turning off towards zaragossa. we heard that lord wellington had caused the informer to be hanged. i hope he did, but i don't believe it. on the th we began to retrace our steps to pampeluna, in the course of which we halted two nights at sanguessa, a populous mountain town, full of old rattle-trap houses, a good many of which we pulled down for firewood, by way of making room for improvements. i was taking advantage of this extra day's halt to communicate to my friends the important events of the past fortnight, when i found myself all at once wrapped into a bundle, with my tent-pole, and sent rolling upon the earth, mixed up with my portable table and writing utensils, while the devil himself seemed to be dancing a hornpipe over my body! although this is a sort of thing that one will sometimes submit to, when it comes by way of illusion, at its proper time and place, such as a midnight visit from a night-mare; yet, as i seemed now to be visited by a horse as well as a mare, and that, too, in the middle of the day, and in the midst of a crowded camp, it was rather too much of a joke, and i therefore sung out most lustily. i was not long in getting extricated, and found that the whole scene had been arranged by two rascally donkies, who, in a frolicsome humour, had been chasing each other about the neighbourhood, until they finally tumbled into my tent, with a force which drew every peg, and rolled the whole of it over on the top of me! it might have been good sport to them, but it was none to me! on the d of july, we resumed our quarters in villalba, where we halted during the whole of the next day; and were well supplied with fish, fresh-butter, and eggs, brought by the peasantry of biscay, who are the most _manly_ set of _women_ that i ever saw. they are very square across the shoulders; and, what between the quantity of fish, and the quantity of yellow petticoats, they carry a load which an ordinary mule might boast of. a division of spaniards having relieved us in the blockade of pampeluna, our division, on the th of july, advanced into the pyrenees. on the th, we took up our quarters in the little town of st. esteban, situated in a lovely valley, watered by the bidassoa. the different valleys in the pyrenees are very rich and fertile. the towns are clean and regular, and the natives very handsome. they are particularly smart about the limbs, and in no other part of the world have i seen any thing, natural or artificial, to rival the complexions of the ladies, _i.e._ to the admirers of pure red and white. we were allowed to remain several days in this enchanting spot, and enjoyed ourselves exceedingly. they had an extraordinary style of dancing, peculiar to themselves. at a particular part of the tune, they all began thumping the floor with their feet, as hard and as fast as they were able, not in the shape of a figure or flourish of any kind, but even down pounding. i could not, myself, see any thing either graceful or difficult in the operation; but they seemed to think that there was only one lady amongst them who could do it in perfection; she was the wife of a french colonel, and had been left in the care of her friends, (and his enemies): she certainly could pound the ground both harder and faster than any one there, eliciting the greatest applause after every performance; and yet i do not think that she could have caught a _french_ husband by her superiority in that particular step. after our few days halt, we advanced along the banks of the bidassoa, through a succession of beautiful little fertile valleys, thickly studded with clean respectable looking farm-houses and little villages, and bounded by stupendous, picturesque, and well wooded mountains, until we came to the hill next to the village of bera, which we found occupied by a small force of the enemy, who, after receiving a few shots from our people, retired through the village into their position behind it. our line of demarcation was then clearly seen. the mountain which the french army occupied was the last ridge of the pyrenees; and their sentries stood on the face of it, within pistol shot of the village of bera, which now became the advanced post of our division. the bidassoa takes a sudden turn to the left at bera, and formed a natural boundary between the two armies from thence to the sea; but all to our right was open, and merely marked a continuation of the valley of bera, which was a sort of neutral ground, in which the french foragers and our own frequently met and helped themselves, in the greatest good humour, while any forage remained, without exchanging either words or blows. the left wing of the army, under sir thomas graham, now commenced the siege of st. sebastian; and as lord wellington had, at the same time, to cover both that and the blockade of pampeluna, our army occupied an extended position of many miles. marshal soult having succeeded to the command of the french army, and finding, towards the end of july, that st. sebastian was about to be stormed, and that the garrison of pampeluna were beginning to get on short allowance, he determined on making a bold push for the relief of both places; and, assembling the whole of his army, he forced the pass of maya, and advanced rapidly upon pampeluna. lord wellington was never to be caught napping. his army occupied too extended a position to offer effectual resistance at any of their advanced posts; but, by the time that marshal soult had worked his way up to the last ridge of the pyrenees, and within sight of "the haven of his wishes," he found his lordship waiting for him, with four divisions of the army, who treated him to one of the most signal and sanguinary defeats that he ever experienced. our division, during the important movements on our right, was employed in keeping up the communication between the troops under the immediate command of lord wellington and those under sir thomas graham, at st. sebastian. we retired, the first day, to the mountains behind le secca; and, just as we were about to lie down for the night, we were again ordered under arms, and continued our retreat in utter darkness, through a mountain path, where, in many places, a false step might have rolled a fellow as far as the other world. the consequence was, that, although we were kept on our legs during the whole of the night, we found, when daylight broke, that the tail of the column had not got a quarter of a mile from their starting-post. on a good broad road it is all very well; but, on a narrow bad road, a night march is like a night-mare, harassing a man to no purpose. on the th, we occupied a ridge of mountain near enough to hear the battle, though not in a situation to see it; and remained the whole of the day in the greatest torture, for want of news. about midnight we heard the joyful tidings of the enemy's defeat, with the loss of four thousand prisoners. our division proceeded in pursuit, at daylight, on the following morning. we moved rapidly by the same road on which we had retired, and, after a forced march, found ourselves, when near sunset, on the flank of their retiring column, on the bidassoa, near the bridge of janca, and immediately proceeded to business. the sight of a frenchman always acted like a cordial on the spirits of a rifleman; and the fatigues of the day were forgotten, as our three battalions extended among the brushwood, and went down to "knock the dust out of their hairy knapsacks,"[ ] as our men were in the habit of expressing themselves; but, in place of knocking the dust out of them, i believe that most of their knapsacks were knocked in the dust; for the greater part of those who were not _floored_ along with their knapsacks, shook them off, by way of enabling the owner to make a smarter scramble across that portion of the road on which our leaden shower was pouring; and, foes as they were, it was impossible not to feel a degree of pity for their situation: pressed by an enemy in the rear, an inaccessible mountain on their right, and a river on their left, lined by an invisible foe, from whom there was no escape, but the desperate one of running the gauntlet. however, "as every ---- has his day," and this was ours, we must stand excused for making the most of it. each company, as they passed, gave us a volley; but as they had nothing to guide their aim, except the smoke from our rifles, we had very few men hit. [footnote : the french knapsack is made of unshorn goat-skin.] amongst other papers found on the road that night, one of our officers discovered the letter-book of the french military secretary, with his correspondence included to the day before. it was immediately sent to lord wellington. we advanced, next morning, and occupied our former post, at bera. the enemy still continued to hold the mountain of echelar, which, as it rose out of the right end of our ridge, was, properly speaking, a part of our property; and we concluded, that a sense of justice would have induced them to leave it of their own accord in the course of the day; but when, towards the afternoon, they shewed no symptoms of quitting, our division, leaving their kettles on the fire, proceeded to eject them. as we approached the mountain, the peak of it caught a passing cloud, that gradually descended in a thick fog, and excluded them from our view. our three battalions, however, having been let loose, under colonel barnard, we soon made ourselves "children of the mist;" and, guided to our opponents by the whistling of their balls, made them descend from their "high estate;" and, handing them across the valley into their own position, we then retired to ours, where we found our tables ready spread, and a comfortable dinner waiting for us. this was one of the most gentleman-like day's fighting that i ever experienced, although we had to lament the vacant seats of one or two of our messmates. august d.--i narrowly escaped being taken prisoner this morning, very foolishly. a division of spaniards occupied the ground to our left, beyond the bidassoa; and, having mounted my horse to take a look at their post, i passed through a small village, and then got on a rugged path winding along the edge of the river, where i expected to find their outposts. the river, at that place, was not above knee-deep, and about ten or twelve yards across; and though i saw a number of soldiers gathering chestnuts from a row of trees which lined the opposite bank, i concluded that they were spaniards, and kept moving onwards; but, observing, at last, that i was an object of greater curiosity than i ought to be, to people who had been in the daily habit of seeing the uniform, it induced me to take a more particular look at my neighbours; when, to my consternation, i saw the french eagle ornamenting the front of every cap. i instantly wheeled my horse to the right about; and seeing that i had a full quarter of a mile to traverse at a walk, before i could get clear of them, i began to whistle, with as much unconcern as i could muster, while my eye was searching, like lightning, for the means of escape, in the event of their trying to cut me off. i had soon the satisfaction of observing that none of them had firelocks, which reduced my capture to the chances of a race; for, though the hill on my right was inaccessible to a horseman, it was not so to a dismounted scotchman; and i, therefore, determined, in case of necessity, to abandon my horse, and shew them what i could do on my own bottom at a pinch. fortunately, they did not attempt it; and i could scarcely credit my good luck, when i found myself once more in my own tent. chap. xvi. an anniversary dinner. affair with the enemy, and fall of st. sebastian. a building speculation. a fighting one, storming the heights of bera. a picture of france from the pyrenees. returns after an action. sold by my pay-serjeant. a recruit born at his post. between two fires, a sea and a land one. position of la rhune. my picture taken in a storm. refreshing invention for wintry weather. the th of august, being our regimental anniversary, was observed by the officers of our three battalions with all due conviviality. two trenches, calculated to accommodate seventy gentlemen's legs, were dug in the green sward; the earth between them stood for a table, and behind was our seat, and though the table could not boast of _all_ the delicacies of a civic entertainment, yet "the worms they crept in, and the worms they crept out," as the earth almost quaked with the weight of the feast, and the enemy certainly did, from the noise of it. for so many fellows holding such precarious tenures of their lives could not meet together in commemoration of such an event, without indulging in an occasional cheer--not a whispering cheer, but one that echoed far and wide into the french lines, and as it was a sound that had often pierced them before, and never yet boded them any good, we heard afterwards that they were kept standing at their arms the greater part of the night in consequence. at the time of soult's last irruption into the pyrenees, sir thomas graham had made an unsuccessful attempt to carry st. sebastian by storm, and having, ever since, been prosecuting the siege with unremitting vigour, the works were now reduced to such a state as to justify a second attempt, and our division sent forth their three hundred volunteers to join the storming party.[ ] the morning on which we expected the assault to take place, we had turned out before daylight, as usual, and as a thick fog hung on the french position, which prevented our seeing them, we turned in again at the usual time, but had scarcely done so, when the mist rode off on a passing breeze, showing us the opposite hills bristling with their bayonets, and their columns descending rapidly towards us. the bugles instantly sounded to arms, and we formed on our alarm posts. we thought at first that the attack was intended for us, but they presently began to pass the river, a little below the village of bera, and to advance against the spaniards on our left. they were covered by some mountain guns, from which their first shell fell short, and made such a breach in their own leading column, that we could not resist giving three cheers to their marksman. leaving a strong covering party to keep our division in check at the bridge of bera, their main body followed the spaniards, who, offering little opposition, continued retiring towards st. sebastian. [footnote : lieutenants percival and hamilton commanded those from our battalion, and were both desperately wounded.] we remained quiet the early part of the day, under a harmless fire from their mountain guns; but, towards the afternoon, our battalion, with part of the forty-third, and supported by a brigade of spaniards, were ordered to pass by the bridge of le secca, and to move in a parallel direction with the french, along the same ridge of hills. the different flanking-posts of the enemy permitted the forty-third and us to pass them quietly, thinking, i suppose, that it was their interest to keep the peace; but not so with the spaniards, whom they kept in a regular fever, under a smart fire, the whole way. we took up a position at dark, on a pinnacle of the same mountain, within three or four hundred yards of them. there had been a heavy firing all day to our left, and we heard, in the course of the night, of the fall of st. sebastian, as well as of the defeat of the force which we had seen following the spaniards in that direction. as we always took the liberty of abusing our friends, the commissaries, whether with or without reason, whenever we happened to be on short allowance, it is but fair to say that when our supporting spanish brigadier came to compare notes with us here, we found that we had three days' rations in the haversack against his none. he very politely proposed to relieve us from half of ours, and to give a receipt for it, but we told him that the trouble in carrying it was a pleasure! at daylight next morning we found that the enemy had altogether disappeared from our front. the heavy rains during the past night had rendered the bidassoa no longer fordable, and the bridge of bera being the only retreat left open, it was fortunate for them that they took advantage of it before we had time to occupy the post with a sufficient force to defend the passage, otherwise they would have been compelled, in all probability, to have laid down their arms. as it was, they suffered very severely from two companies of our second battalion, who were on piquet there. the two captains commanding them were, however, killed in the affair. we returned in the course of the day and resumed our post at bera, the enemy continuing to hold theirs beyond it. the ensuing month passed by, without producing the slightest novelty, and we began to get heartily tired of our situation. our souls, in fact, were strung for war, and peace afforded no enjoyment, unless the place did, and there was none to be found in a valley of the pyrenees, which the ravages of contending armies had reduced to a desert. the labours of the french on the opposite mountain had, in the first instance, been confined to fortification; but, as the season advanced, they seemed to think that the branch of a tree, or a sheet of canvass, was too slender a barrier between them and a frosty night, and their fortified camp was gradually becoming a fortified town, of regular brick and mortar. though we were living under the influence of the same sky, we did not think it necessary to give ourselves the same trouble, but reasoned on their proceedings like philosophers, and calculated, from the aspect of the times, that there was a probability of a speedy transfer of property, and that it might still be reserved for us to give their town a name; nor were we disappointed. late on the night of the th of october, colonel barnard arrived from head-quarters, with the intelligence that the next was to be the day of trial. accordingly, on the morning of the th, the fourth division came up to support us, and we immediately marched down to the foot of the enemy's position, shook off our knapsacks before their faces, and went at them. the action commenced by five companies of our third battalion advancing, under colonel ross, to dislodge the enemy from a hill which they occupied in front of their entrenchments; and there never was a movement more beautifully executed, for they walked quietly and steadily up, and swept them regularly off without firing a single shot until the enemy had turned their backs, when they then served them out with a most destructive discharge. the movement excited the admiration of all who witnessed it, and added another laurel to the already crowded wreath which adorned the name of that distinguished officer. at the first look of the enemy's position, it appeared as if our brigade had got the most difficult task to perform; but, as the capture of this hill showed us a way round the flank of their entrenchments, we carried one after the other, until we finally gained the summit, with very little loss. our second brigade, however, were obliged to take "the bull by the horns," on their side, and suffered more severely; but they rushed at every thing with a determination that defied resistance, carrying redoubt after redoubt at the point of the bayonet, until they finally joined us on the summit of the mountain, with three hundred prisoners in their possession. we now found ourselves firmly established within the french territory, with a prospect before us that was truly refreshing, considering that we had not seen the sea for three years, and that our views, for months, had been confined to fogs and the peaks of mountains. on our left, the bay of biscay lay extended as far as the horizon, while several of our ships of war were seen sporting upon her bosom. beneath us lay the pretty little town of st. jean de luz, which looked as if it had just been framed out of the lilliputian scenery of a toy-shop. the town of bayonne, too, was visible in the distance; and the view to the right embraced a beautiful well-wooded country, thickly studded with towns and villages, as far as the eye could reach. sir thomas graham, with the left wing of the army, had, the same morning, passed the bidassoa, and established them, also, within the french boundary. a brigade of spaniards, on our right, had made a simultaneous attack on la rhune, the highest mountain on this part of the pyrenees, and which, since our last advance, was properly now a part of our position. the enemy, however, refused to quit it; and the firing between them did not cease until long after dark. the affair in which we were engaged terminated, properly speaking, when we had expelled the enemy from the mountain; but some of our straggling skirmishers continued to follow the retiring foe into the valley beyond, with a view, no doubt, of seeing what a french house contained. lord wellington, preparatory to this movement, had issued an order requiring that private property, of every kind, should be strictly respected; but we had been so long at war with france, that our men had been accustomed to look upon them as their natural enemies, and could not, at first, divest themselves of the idea that they had not a right to partake of the good things abounding about the cottage-doors. our commandant, however, was determined to see the order rigidly enforced, and it was, therefore, highly amusing to watch the return of the depredators. the first who made his appearance was a bugler, carrying a goose, which, after he had been well beaten about the head with it, was transferred to the provost-marshal. the next was a soldier, with a calf; the soldier was immediately sent to the quarter-guard, and the calf to the provost-marshal. he was followed by another soldier, mounted on a horse, who were, also, both consigned to the same keeping; but, on the soldier stating that he had only got the horse in charge from a volunteer, who was at that time attached to the regiment, he was set at liberty. presently the volunteer himself came up, and, not observing the colonel lying on the grass, called out among the soldiers, "who is the ---- rascal that sent my horse to the provost-marshal?" "it was i!" said the colonel, to the utter confusion of the querist. our chief was a good deal nettled at these irregularities; and, some time after, on going to his tent, which was pitched between the roofless walls of a house, conceive his astonishment at finding the calf and the goose hanging in his own larder! he looked serious for a moment, but, on receiving an explanation, and after the row he had made about them, the thing was too ridiculous, and he burst out laughing. it is due to all concerned to state that they had, at last, been honestly come by, for i, as one of his messmates, had purchased the goose from the proper quarter, and another had done the same by the calf. not anticipating this day's fight, i had given my pay-serjeant twenty-five guineas, the day before, to distribute among the company; and i did not discover, until too late, that he had neglected to do it, as he disappeared in the course of the action, and was never afterwards heard of. if he was killed, or taken prisoner, he must have been a prize to somebody, though he left me a blank. among other incidents of the day, one of our men had a son and heir presented to him by his portuguese wife, soon after the action. she had been taken in labour while ascending the mountain; but it did not seem to interfere with her proceedings in the least, for she, and her child, and her donkey, came all three screeching into the camp, immediately after, telling the news, as if it had been something very extraordinary, and none of them a bit the worse. on the morning of the th, we turned out, as usual, an hour before daylight. the sound of musketry, to our right, in our own hemisphere, announced that the french and spaniards had resumed their unfinished argument of last night, relative to the occupation of la rhune; while, at the same time, "from our throne of clouds," we had an opportunity of contemplating, with some astonishment, the proceedings of the nether world. a french ship of war, considering st. jean de luz no longer a free port, had endeavoured, under cover of the night, to steal alongshore to bayonne; and, when daylight broke, they had an opportunity of seeing that they were not only within sight of their port, but within sight of a british gun-brig, and, if they entertained any doubts as to which of the two was nearest, their minds were quickly relieved, on that point, by finding that they were not within reach of their port, and strictly within reach of the _guns_ of the brig, while two british frigates were bearing down with a press of canvass. the frenchman returned a few broadsides; he was double the size of the one opposed to him, but, conceiving his case to be hopeless, he at length set fire to the ship, and took to his boats. we watched the progress of the flames until she finally blew up, and disappeared in a column of smoke. the boats of our gun-brig were afterwards seen employed in picking up the odds and ends. our friends, the spaniards, i have no doubt, would have been very glad to have got rid of their opponents in the same kind of way, either by their going without the mountain, or by their taking it with them. but the mountain stood, and the french stood, until we began to wish the mountain, the french, and the spaniards at the devil; for, although we knew that the affair between them was a matter of no consequence whichever way it went, yet it was impossible for us to feel quite at ease, while a fight was going on so near; it was, therefore, a great relief when, in the afternoon, a few companies of our second brigade were sent to their assistance, as the french then retired without firing another shot. between the french and us there was no humbug, it was either peace or war. the war, on both sides, was conducted on the grand scale, and, by a tacit sort of understanding, we never teased each other unnecessarily. the french, after leaving la rhune, established their advanced post on petite la rhune, a mountain that stood as high as most of its neighbours; but, as its name betokens, it was but a child to its gigantic namesake, of which it seemed as if it had, at a former period, formed a part; but, having been shaken off, like a useless _galloche_, it now stood gaping, open-mouthed, at the place it had left, (and which had now become our advanced post,) while the enemy proceeded to furnish its jaws with a set of teeth, or, in other words, to face it with breast-works, &c. a measure which they invariably had recourse to in every new position. encamped on the face of la rhune, we remained a whole month idle spectators of their preparations, and dearly longing for the day that should afford us an opportunity of penetrating into the more hospitable-looking low country beyond them; for the weather had become excessively cold, and our camp stood exposed to the utmost fury of the almost nightly tempest. oft have i, in the middle of the night, awoke from a sound sleep, and found my tent on the point of disappearing in the air, like a balloon; and, leaving my warm blankets, been obliged to snatch the mallet, and rush out in the midst of a hailstorm, to peg it down. i think that i now see myself looking like one of those gay creatures of the elements who dwelt (as shakspeare has it) among the rainbows! by way of contributing to the warmth of my tent, i dug a hole inside, which i arranged as a fire-place, carrying the smoke underneath the walls, and building a turf-chimney outside. i was not long in proving the experiment, and, finding that it went exceedingly well, i was not a little vain of the invention. however, it came on to rain very hard while i was dining at a neighbouring tent, and, on my return to my own, i found the fire not only extinguished, but a fountain playing from the same place, up to the roof, watering my bed and baggage, and all sides of it, most refreshingly. this showed me, at the expense of my night's repose, that the rain oozed through the thin spongy surface of earth, and, in particular places, rushed down in torrents between the earth and the rock which it covered; and any incision in the former was sure to produce a fountain. it is very singular that, notwithstanding our exposure to all the severities of the worst of weather, that we had not a single sick man in the battalion while we remained there. chap. xvii. battle of the nivelle, and defeat of the enemy. a bird of evil omen. chateau d'arcangues. prudence. an enemy's gratitude. passage of the nive, and battles near bayonne, from th to th december. battle of the nivelle, november th, . the fall of pampeluna having, at length, left our further movements unshackled by an enemy in the rear, preparations were made for an attack on their position, which, though rather too extended, was formidable by nature, and rendered doubly so by art. petite la rhune was allotted to our division, as their first point of attack; and, accordingly, the th being the day fixed, we moved to our ground at midnight, on the th. the abrupt ridges in the neighbourhood enabled us to lodge ourselves, unperceived, within half-musket-shot of their piquets; and we had left every description of animal behind us in camp, in order that neither the barking of dogs nor the neighing of steeds should give indication of our intentions. our signal of attack was to be a gun from sir john hope, who had now succeeded sir thomas graham in the command of the left wing of the army. we stood to our arms at dawn of day, which was soon followed by the signal-gun; and each commanding officer, according to previous instructions, led gallantly off to his point of attack. the french must have been, no doubt, astonished to see such an armed force spring out of the ground almost under their noses; but they were, nevertheless, prepared behind their entrenchments, and caused us some loss in passing the short space between us; but the whole place was carried within the time required to walk over it; and, in less than half-an-hour from the commencement of the attack, it was in our possession, with all their tents left standing. petite la rhune was more of an outpost than a part of their position, the latter being a chain of stupendous mountains in its rear; so that while our battalion followed their skirmishers into the valley between, the remainder of our division were forming for the attack on the main position, and waiting for the co-operation of the other divisions, the thunder of whose artillery, echoing along the valleys, proclaimed that they were engaged, far and wide, on both sides of us. about midday our division advanced to the grand attack on the most formidable looking part of the whole of the enemy's position, and, much to our surprise, we carried it with more ease and less loss than the outpost in the morning, a circumstance which we could only account for by supposing that it had been defended by the same troops, and that they did not choose to sustain two _hard_ beatings on the same day. the attack succeeded at every point; and, in the evening, we had the satisfaction of seeing the left wing of the army marching into st. jean de luz. towards the end of the action, colonel barnard was struck with a musket-ball, which carried him clean off his horse. the enemy, seeing that they had shot an officer of rank, very maliciously kept up a heavy firing on the spot, while we were carrying him under the brow of the hill. the ball having passed through the lungs, he was spitting blood, and, at the moment, had every appearance of being in a dying state; but, to our joy and surprise, he, that day month, rode up to the battalion, when it was in action, near bayonne; and, i need not add, that he was received with three hearty cheers. a curious fact occurred in our regiment at this period. prior to the action of the nivelle, an owl had perched itself on the tent of one of our officers (lieut. doyle). this officer was killed in the battle, and the owl was afterwards seen on capt. duncan's tent. his brother-officers quizzed him on the subject, by telling him that he was the next on the list; a joke which capt. d. did not much relish, and it was prophetic, as he soon afterwards fell at tarbes. the movements of the two or three days following placed the enemy within their entrenchments at bayonne, and the head-quarters of our battalion in the chateau d'arcangues, with the outposts of the division at the village of bassasarry and its adjacents. i now felt myself both in a humour and a place to enjoy an interval of peace and quietness. the country was abundant in every comfort; the chateau was large, well-furnished, and unoccupied, except by a bed-ridden grandmother, and young arcangues, a gay rattling young fellow, who furnished us with plenty of good wine, (by our paying for the same,) and made one of our mess. on the th of november a strong reconnoitring party of the enemy examined our chain of posts. they remained a considerable time within half-musket-shot of one of our piquets, but we did not fire, and they seemed at last as if they had all gone away. the place where they had stood bounded our view in that direction, as it was a small sand-hill with a mud-cottage at the end of it; after watching the spot intensely for nearly an hour, and none shewing themselves, my curiosity would keep no longer, and, desiring three men to follow, i rode forward to ascertain the fact. when i cleared the end of the cottage, i found myself within three yards of at least a dozen of them, who were seated in a group behind a small hedge, with their arms laid against the wall of the cottage, and a sentry with sloped arms, and his back towards me, listening to their conversation. my first impulse was to gallop in amongst them, and order them to surrender; but my three men were still twenty or thirty yards behind, and, as my only chance of success was by surprise, i thought the risk of the delay too great, and, reining back my horse, i made a signal to my men to retire, which, from the soil being a deep sand, we were enabled to do without the slightest noise; but all the while i had my ears pricked up, expecting every instant to find a ball whistling through my body; however, as none of them afterwards shewed themselves past the end of the cottage, i concluded that they had remained ignorant of my visit. we had an affair of some kind, once a week, while we remained there; and as they were generally trifling, and we always found a good dinner and a good bed in the chateau on our return, we considered them rather a relief than otherwise. the only instance of a want of professional generosity that i ever had occasion to remark in a french officer, occurred on one of these occasions. we were about to push in their outposts, for some particular purpose, and i was sent with an order for lieutenant gardiner of ours, who was on piquet, to attack the post in his front, as soon as he should see a corresponding movement on his flank, which would take place almost immediately. the enemy's sentries were so near, as to be quite at mr. gardiner's mercy, who immediately said to me, "well, i wo'n't kill these unfortunate rascals at all events, but shall tell them to go in and join their piquet." i applauded his motives, and rode off; but i had only gone a short distance when i heard a volley of musketry behind me; and, seeing that it had come from the french piquet, i turned back to see what had happened, and found that the officer commanding it had no sooner got his sentries so generously restored to him, than he instantly formed his piquet and fired a volley at lieutenant gardiner, who was walking a little apart from his men, waiting for the expected signal. the balls all fell near, without touching him, and, for the honour of the french army, i was glad to hear afterwards that the officer alluded to was a militia-man. battles near bayonne, december th, th, th, th, and th, . the centre and left wing of our army advanced on the morning of the th of december, and drove the enemy within their entrenchments, threatening an attack on their lines. lord wellington had the double object, in this movement, of reconnoitring their works, and effecting the passage of the nive with his right wing. the rivers nive and adour unite in the town of bayonne, so that while we were threatening to storm the works on one side, sir rowland hill passed the nive, without opposition, on the other, and took up his ground, with his right on the adour and his left on the nive, on a contracted space, within a very short distance of the walls of the town. on our side we were engaged in a continued skirmish until dark, when we retired to our quarters, under the supposition that we had got our usual week's allowance, and that we should remain quiet again for a time. we turned out at daylight on the th; but, as there was a thick drizzling rain which prevented us from seeing any thing, we soon turned in again. my servant soon after came to tell me that sir lowry cole, and some of his staff, had just ascended to the top of the chateau, a piece of information which did not quite please me, for i fancied that the general had just discovered our quarter to be better than his own, and had come for the purpose of taking possession of it. however, in less than five minutes, we received an order for our battalion to move up instantly to the support of the piquets; and, on my descending to the door, to mount my horse, i found sir lowry standing there, who asked if we had received any orders; and, on my telling him that we had been ordered up to support the piquets, he immediately desired a staff-officer to order up one of his brigades to the rear of the chateau. this was one of the numerous instances in which we had occasion to admire the prudence and forethought of the great wellington! he had foreseen the attack that would take place, and had his different divisions disposed to meet it. we no sooner moved up, than we found ourselves a party engaged along with the piquets; and, under a heavy skirmishing fire, retiring gradually from hedge to hedge, according as the superior force of the enemy compelled us to give ground, until we finally retired within our home, the chateau, which was the first part of our position that was meant to be defended in earnest. we had previously thrown up a mud rampart around it, and loop-holed the different outhouses, so that we had nothing now to do, but to line the walls and shew determined fight. the forty-third occupied the church-yard to our left, which was also partially fortified; and the third cácadores and our third battalion, occupied the space between, behind the hedge-rows, while the fourth division was in readiness to support us from the rear. the enemy came up to the opposite ridge, in formidable numbers, and began blazing at our windows and loop-holes, and shewing some disposition to attempt it by storm; but they thought better of it and withdrew their columns a short distance to the rear, leaving the nearest hedge lined with their skirmishers. an officer of ours, mr. hopewood, and one of our serjeants, had been killed in the field opposite, within twenty yards of where the enemy's skirmishers now were. we were very anxious to get possession of their bodies, but had not force enough to effect it. several french soldiers came through the hedge, at different times, with the intention, as we thought, of plundering, but our men shot every one who attempted to go near them, until towards evening, when a french officer approached, waving a white handkerchief and pointing to some of his men who were following him with shovels. seeing that his intention was to bury them, we instantly ceased firing, nor did we renew it again that night. the forty-third, from their post at the church, kept up an incessant shower of musketry the whole of the day, at what was conceived, at the time, to be a very long range; but from the quantity of balls which were afterwards found sticking in every tree, where the enemy stood, it was evident that their birth must have been rather uncomfortable. one of our officers, in the course of the day, had been passing through a deep road-way, between two banks, with hedge-rows, when, to his astonishment, a dragoon and his horse tumbled heels over head into the road, as if they had been fired out of a cloud. neither of them were the least hurt; but it must have been no joke that tempted him to take such a flight. soult expected, by bringing his whole force to bear on our centre and left wing, that he would have succeeded in forcing it, or, at all events, of obliging lord wellington to withdraw sir rowland hill from beyond the nive; but he effected neither, and darkness left the two armies on the ground which they had fought on. general alten and sir james kempt took up their quarters with us in the chateau: our sentries and those of the enemy stood within pistol-shot of each other in the ravine below. young arcangues, i presume, must have been rather disappointed at the result of the day; for, even giving him credit for every kindly feeling towards us, his wishes must still have been in favour of his countrymen; but when he found that his chateau was to be a bone of contention, it then became his interest that we should keep possession of it; and he held out every inducement for us to do so; which, by the by, was quite unnecessary, seeing that our own comfort so much depended on it. however, though his supplies of claret had failed some days before, he now discovered some fresh cases in the cellar, which he immediately placed at our disposal; and, that our dire resolve to defend the fortress should not be melted by weak woman's wailings, he fixed an arm-chair on a mule, mounted his grandmother on it, and sent her off to the rear, while the balls were whizzing about the neighbourhood in a manner to which even she, poor old lady, was not altogether insensible, though she had become a mounted heroine at a period when she had given up all idea of ever sitting on any thing more lively than a coffin. during the whole of the th each army retained the same ground, and though there was an occasional exchange of shots at different points, yet nothing material occurred. the enemy began throwing up a six-gun battery opposite our chateau; and we employed ourselves in strengthening the works, as a precautionary measure, though we had not much to dread from it, as they were so strictly within range of our rifles, that he must have been a lucky artilleryman who stood there to fire a second shot. in the course of the night a brigade of belgians, who were with the french army, having heard that their country had declared for their legitimate king, passed over to our side, and surrendered. on the th there was heavy firing and hard fighting, all day, to our left, but we remained perfectly quiet. towards the afternoon, sir james kempt formed our brigade, for the purpose of expelling the enemy from the hill next the chateau, to which he thought them rather too near; but, just as we reached our different points for commencing the attack, we were recalled, and nothing further occurred. i went, about one o'clock in the morning, to visit our different piquets; and seeing an unusual number of fires in the enemy's lines, i concluded that they had lit them to mask some movement; and taking a patrole with me, i stole cautiously forward, and found that they had left the ground altogether. i immediately returned, and reported the circumstance to general alten, who sent off a despatch to apprize lord wellington. as soon as day began to dawn, on the morning of the th, a tremendous fire of artillery and musketry was heard to our right. soult had withdrawn every thing from our front in the course of the night, and had now attacked sir rowland hill with his whole force. lord wellington, in expectation of this attack, had, last night, reinforced sir rowland hill with the sixth division; which enabled him to occupy his contracted position so strongly, that soult, unable to bring more than his own front to bear upon him, sustained a signal and sanguinary defeat. lord wellington galloped into the yard of our chateau, soon after the attack had commenced, and demanded, with his usual quickness, what was to be seen? sir james kempt, who was spying at the action from an upper window, told him; and, after desiring sir james to order sir lowry cole to follow him with the fourth division, he galloped off to the scene of action. in the afternoon, when all was over, he called in again, on his return to head-quarters, and told us, "that it was the most glorious affair that he had ever seen; and that the enemy had absolutely left upwards of five thousand men, killed and wounded, on the ground." this was the last action in which we were concerned, near bayonne. the enemy seemed quite satisfied with what they had got; and offered us no further molestation, but withdrew within their works. chap. xviii. change of quarters. change of diet. suttlers. our new quarter. a long-going horse gone. new clothing. adam's lineal descendants. st. palais. action at tarbes. faubourg of toulouse. the green man. passage of the garonne. battle of toulouse. peace. castle sarrazin. a tender point. towards the end of the month, some divisions of the french army having left bayonne, and ascended the right bank of the adour, it produced a corresponding movement on our side, by which our division then occupied ustaritz, and some neighbouring villages; a change of quarters we had no reason to rejoice in. at arcangues, notwithstanding the influence of our messmate, "the seigneur du village," our table had, latterly, exhibited gradual symptoms of decay. but _here_, our voracious predecessors had not only swallowed the calf, but the cow, and, literally, left us nothing; so that, from an occasional turkey, or a pork-pie, we were now, all at once, reduced to our daily ration of a withered pound of beef. a great many necessaries of life could certainly be procured from st. jean de luz, but the prices there were absolutely suicidical. the suttlers' shops were too small to hold both their goods and their consciences; so that, every pin's worth they sold cost us a dollar; and as every dollar cost us seven shillings, they were, of course, not so plenty as bad dinners. i have often regretted that the enemy never got an opportunity of having the run of their shops for a few minutes, that they might have been, in some measure, punished for their sins, even in this world. the house that held our table, too, was but a wretched apology for the one we had left. a bitter wind continued to blow; and as the granary of a room which we occupied, on the first floor, had no fire-place, we immediately proceeded to provide it with one, and continued filling it up with such a load of bricks and mortar that the first floor was on the point of becoming the ground one; and, having only a choice of evils, on such an emergency, we, as usual, adopted that which appeared to us to be the least, cutting down the only two fruit-trees in the garden to prop it up with. we were rather on doubtful terms with the landlord before, but this put us all square--no terms at all. our animals, too, were in a woful plight, for want of forage. we were obliged to send our baggage ones, every week, for their rations of corn, three days' march, through oceans of mud, which ought, properly, to have been navigated with boats. the whole cavalcade always moved under the charge of an officer, and many were the anxious looks that we took with our spy-glasses, from a hill overlooking the road, on the days of their expected return, each endeavouring to descry his own. mine came back to me twice; but "the pitcher that goes often to the well" was verified in his third trip, for--he perished in a muddy grave. his death, however, was not so unexpected as it might have been, for, although i cannot literally say that he had been dying by inches, seeing that he had walked all the way from the frontiers of portugal, yet he had, nevertheless, been doing it on the grand scale--by miles. i only fell in with him the day before the commencement of the campaign, and, after reconnoitring him with my usual judgement, and seeing that he was in possession of the regulated quantity of eyes, legs, and mouth, and concluding that they were all calculated to perform their different functions, i took him, as a man does his wife, for better and for worse; and it was not until the end of the first day's march that i found he had a broken jaw-bone, and could not eat, and i had, therefore, been obliged to support him all along on spoon diet; he was a capital horse, only for that! it has already been written, in another man's book, that we always require just a little more than we have got to make us perfectly happy; and, as we had given this neighbourhood a fair trial, and _that little_ was not to be found in it, we were very glad when, towards the end of february, we were permitted to look for it a little further on. we broke up from quarters on the st, leaving sir john hope, with the left wing of the army, in the investment of bayonne, lord wellington followed soult with the remainder. the new clothing for the different regiments of the army had, in the mean time, been gradually arriving at st. jean de luz; and, as the commissariat transport was required for other purposes, not to mention that a man's new coat always looks better on his own back than it does on a mule's, the different regiments marched there for it in succession. it did not come to our turn until we had taken a stride to the front, as far as la bastide; our retrograde movement, therefore, obliged us to bid adieu to our division for some time. on our arrival at st. jean de luz, we found our new clothing, and some new friends in the family of our old friend, arcangues, which was one of the most respectable in the district, and who showed us a great deal of kindness. as it happened to be the commencement of lent, the young ladies were, at first, doubtful as to the propriety of joining us in any of the gaieties; but, after a short consultation, they arranged it with their consciences, and joined in the waltz right merrily. mademoiselle was really an exceedingly nice girl, and the most lively companion in arms (in a waltz) that i ever met. our clothing detained us there two days; on the third, we proceeded to rejoin the division. the pride of ancestry is very tenaciously upheld among the basques, who are the mountaineers of that district. i had a fancy that most of them grew wild, like their trees, without either fathers or mothers, and was, therefore, much amused, one day, to hear a fellow, with a tam o'shanter's bonnet, and a pair of bare legs, tracing his descent from the first man, and maintaining that he spoke the same language too. he might have added, if further proof were wanting, that he, also, wore the same kind of shoes and stockings. on the th february, , we marched, all day, to the tune of a cannonade; it was the battle of orthes; and, on our arrival, in the evening, at the little town of st. palais, we were very much annoyed to find the seventy-ninth regiment stationed there, who handed us a general order, desiring that the last-arrived regiment should relieve the preceding one in charge of the place. this was the more vexatious, knowing that there was no other regiment behind to relieve us. it was a nice little town, and we were treated, by the inhabitants, like friends and allies, experiencing much kindness and hospitality from them; but a rifleman, in the rear, is like a fish out of the water; he feels that he is not in his place. seeing no other mode of obtaining a release, we, at length, began detaining the different detachments who were proceeding to join their regiments, with a view of forming a battalion of them; but, by the time that we had collected a sufficient number for that purpose, we received an order, from head-quarters, to join the army; when, after a few days' forced marches, we had, at length, the happiness of overtaking our division a short distance beyond the town of aire. the battle of orthes was the only affair of consequence that had taken place during our absence. we remained stationary, near aire, until the middle of march, when the army was again put in motion. on the morning of the th, while we were marching along the road, near the town of tarbes, we saw what appeared to be a small piquet of the enemy, on the top of a hill to our left, looking down upon us, when a company of our second battalion was immediately sent to dislodge them. the enemy, however, increased in number, in proportion to those sent against them, until not only the whole of the second, but our own, and the third battalion were eventually brought into action; and still we had more than double our number opposed to us; but we, nevertheless, drove them from the field with great slaughter, after a desperate struggle of a few minutes, in which we had eleven officers killed and wounded. as this fight was purely a rifle one, and took place within sight of the whole army, i may be justified in giving the following quotation from the author of "twelve years' military adventure," who was a spectator, and who, in allusion to this affair, says, "our rifles were immediately sent to dislodge the french from the hills on our left, and our battalion was ordered to support them. nothing could exceed the manner in which the ninety-fifth set about the business.... certainly i never saw such skirmishers as the ninety-fifth, now the rifle brigade. they could do the work much better and with infinitely less loss than any other of our best light troops. they possessed an individual boldness, a mutual understanding, and a quickness of eye, in taking advantage of the ground, which, taken altogether, i never saw equalled. they were, in fact, as much superior to the french _voltigeurs_, as the latter were to our skirmishers in general. as our regiment was often employed in supporting them, i think i am fairly qualified to speak of their merits." we followed the enemy until dark, when, after having taken up our ground and lit our fires, they rather maliciously opened a cannonade upon us; but, as few of their shots took effect, we did not put ourselves to the inconvenience of moving, and they soon desisted. we continued in pursuit daily, until we finally arrived on the banks of the garonne, opposite toulouse. the day after our arrival an attempt was made, by our engineers, to throw a bridge across the river, above the town; and we had assembled one morning, to be in readiness to pass over, but they were obliged to abandon it for want of the necessary number of pontoons, and we returned again to quarters. we were stationed, for several days, in the suburb of st. ciprien, where we found ourselves exceedingly comfortable. it consisted chiefly of the citizens' country houses, and an abundance of the public tea and fruit accommodations, with which every large city is surrounded, for the temptation of sunday parties; and, as the inhabitants had all fled hurriedly into town, leaving their cellars, generally speaking, well stocked with a tolerable kind of wine, we made ourselves at home. it was finally determined that the passage of the river should be tried below the town, and, preparatory thereto, we took ground to our left, and got lodged in the chateau of a rich old west-india-man. he was a tall ramrod of a fellow, upwards of six feet high, withered to a cinder, and had a pair of green eyes, which looked as if they belonged to somebody else, who was looking through his eye-holes; but, despite his imperfections, he had got a young wife, and she was nursing a young child. the "green man" (as we christened him) was not, however, so bad as he looked; and we found our billet such a good one, that when we were called away to fight, after a few days' residence with him, i question, if left to our choice, whether we would not have rather remained where we were! a bridge having, at length, been established, about a league below the town, two british divisions passed over; but the enemy, by floating timber and other things down the stream, succeeded in carrying one or two of the pontoons from their moorings, which prevented any more from crossing either that day or the succeeding one. it was expected that the french would have taken advantage of this circumstance, to attack the two divisions on the other side; but they thought it more prudent to wait the attack in their own strong hold, and in doing so i believe they acted wisely, for these two divisions had both flanks secured by the river, their position was not too extended for their numbers, and they had a clear space in their front, which was flanked by artillery from the commanding ground on our side of the river; so that, altogether, they would have been found ugly customers to any body who chose to meddle with them. the bridge was re-established on the night of the th, and, at daylight next morning, we bade adieu to the _green man_, inviting him to come and see us in toulouse in the evening. he laughed at the idea, telling us that we should be lucky fellows if ever we got in; and, at all events, he said, that he would bet a _déjeûné à la forchette_ for a dozen, that we did not enter it in three days from that time. i took the bet, and won, but the old rogue never came to pay me. we crossed the river, and advanced sufficiently near to the enemy's position to be just out of the reach of their fire, where we waited until dispositions were made for the attack, which took place as follows:-- sir rowland hill, who remained on the left bank of the garonne, made a show of attacking the bridge and suburb of the town on that side. on our side of the river the spanish army, which had never hitherto taken an active part in any of our general actions, now claimed the post of honour, and advanced to storm the strongest part of the heights. our division was ordered to support them in the low grounds, and, at the same time, to threaten a point of the canal; and picton, who was on our right, was ordered to make a false attack on the canal. these were all that were visible to us. the remaining divisions of the army were in continuation to the left. the spaniards, anxious to monopolize all the glory, i rather think, moved on to the attack a little too soon, and before the british divisions on their left were in readiness to co-operate; however, be that as it may, they were soon in a blaze of fire, and began walking through it, at first, with a great show of gallantry and determination; but their courage was not altogether screwed up to the sticking point, and the nearer they came to the critical pass, the less prepared they seemed to meet it, until they all finally faced to the right-about, and came back upon us as fast as their heels could carry them, pursued by the enemy. we instantly advanced to their relief, and concluded that they would have rallied behind us; but they had no idea of doing any thing of the kind; for, when with _cuesta_ and some of the other spanish generals, they had been accustomed, under such circumstances, to run a hundred miles at a time; so that, passing through the intervals of our division, they went clear off to the rear, and we never saw them more. the moment the french found us interpose between them and the spaniards they retired within their works. the only remark that lord wellington was said to have made on their conduct, after waiting to see whether they would stand after they got out of the reach of the enemy's shot, was, "well, d---- me, if ever i saw ten thousand men run a race before!" however, notwithstanding their disaster, many of their officers certainly evinced great bravery, and on their account it is to be regretted that the attack was made so soon, for they would otherwise have carried their point with little loss, either of life or credit, as the british divisions on the left soon after stormed and carried all the other works, and obliged those who had been opposed to the spaniards to evacuate theirs without firing another shot. when the enemy were driven from the heights, they retired within the town, and the canal then became their line of defence, which they maintained the whole of the next day; but in the course of the following night they left the town altogether, and we took possession of it on the morning of the th. the inhabitants of toulouse hoisted the white flag, and declared for the bourbons the moment that the french army had left it; and, in the course of the same day, colonel cooke arrived from paris, with the extraordinary news of napoleon's abdication. soult has been accused of having been in possession of that fact prior to the battle of toulouse; but, to disprove such an assertion, it can only be necessary to think, for a moment, whether he would not have made it public the day after the battle, while he yet held possession of the town, as it would not only have enabled him to keep it, but, to those who knew no better, it might have given him a shadow of claim to the victory, if he chose to avail himself of it; and i have known a victory claimed by a french marshal on more slender grounds. in place of knowing it then, he did not even believe it now; and we were absolutely obliged to follow him a day's march beyond toulouse before he agreed to an armistice. the news of the peace, at this period, certainly sounded as strangely in our ears as it did in those of the french marshal, for it was a change that we never had contemplated. we had been born in war, reared in war, and war was our trade; and what soldiers had to do in peace, was a problem yet to be solved among us. after remaining a few days at toulouse, we were sent into quarters, in the town of castel-sarazin, along with our old companions in arms, the fifty-second, to wait the necessary arrangements for our final removal from france. castel-sarazin is a respectable little town, on the right bank of the garonne; and its inhabitants received us so kindly, that every officer found in his quarter a family home. we there, too, found both the time and the opportunity of exercising one of the agreeable professions to which we had long been strangers, that of making love to the pretty little girls with which the place abounded; when, after a three months' residence among them, the fatal order arrived for our march to bordeaux, for embarkation, the buckets full of salt tears that were shed by men who had almost forgotten the way to weep was quite ridiculous. i have never yet, however, clearly made out whether people are most in love when they are laughing or when they are crying. our greatest love writers certainly give the preference to the latter. _scott_ thinks that "love is loveliest when it's bathed in tears;" and _moore_ tells his mistress to "give smiles to those who love her less, but to keep her tears for him;" but what pleasure he can take in seeing her in affliction, i cannot make out; nor, for the soul of me, can i see why a face full of smiles should not be every bit as valuable as one of tears, seeing that it is so much more pleasant to look at. i have rather wandered, in search of an apology for my own countenance not having gone into mourning on that melancholy occasion; for, to tell the truth, (and if i had a visage sensible to such an impression, i should blush while i tell it,) i was as much in love as any body, up nearly to the last moment, when i fell out of it, as it were, by a miracle; but, probably, a history of love's last look may be considered as my justification. the day before our departure, in returning from a ride, i overtook my love and her sister, strolling by the river's side, and, instantly dismounting, i joined in their walk. my horse was following, at the length of his bridle-reins, and, while i was engaged in conversation with the sister, the other dropped behind, and, when i looked round, i found her mounted _astride_ on my horse! and with such a pair of legs, too! it was rather too good; and "richard was himself again." although released, under the foregoing circumstances, from individual attachment, that of a general nature continued strong as ever; and, without an exception on either side, i do believe, that we parted with mutual regret, and with the most unbounded love and good feeling towards each other. we exchanged substantial proofs of it while together; we continued to do so after we had parted; nor were we forgotten when we were _no more_! it having appeared, in some of the newspapers, a year afterwards, that every one of our officers had been killed at waterloo, that the regiment had been brought out of the action by a volunteer, and the report having come to the knowledge of our castel-sarazin friends, they drew up a letter, which they sent to our commanding officer, signed by every person of respectability in the place, lamenting our fate, expressing a hope that the report might have been exaggerated, and entreating to be informed as to the particular fate of each individual officer, whom they mentioned by name. they were kind good-hearted souls, and may god bless them! chap. xix. commencement of the war of . embark for rotterdam. ship's stock. ship struck. a pilot, a smuggler, and a lawyer. a boat without stock. join the regiment at brussels. i have endeavoured, in this book of mine, to measure out the peace and war in due proportions, according to the spirit of the times it speaks of; and, as there appears to me to be as much peace in the last chapter as occurred in europe between and , i shall, with the reader's permission, lodge my regiment, at once, on dover-heights, and myself in scotland, taking a shot at the last of the woodcocks, which happened to be our relative positions, when bonaparte's escape from elba once more summoned the army to the field. the first intimation i had of it was by a letter, informing me of the embarkation of the battalion for the netherlands, and desiring me to join them there, without delay; and, finding that a brig was to sail, the following day, from leith to rotterdam, i took a passage on board of her. she was an odd one to look at, but the captain assured me that she was a good one to go; and, besides, that he had provided every thing that was elegant for our entertainment. the latter piece of information i did not think of questioning until too late to profit by it, for i had the mortification to discover, the first day, that his whole stock consisted in a quarter of lamb, in addition to the ship's own, with a few cabbages, and five gallons of whiskey. after having been ten days at sea, i was awoke, one morning before daylight, with the ship's grinding over a sand-bank, on the coast of holland; fortunately, it did not blow hard, and a pilot soon after came alongside, who, after exacting a reward suitable to the occasion, at length, consented to come on board, and extricated us from our perilous situation, carrying the vessel into the entrance of one of the small branches of the river leading up to rotterdam, where we came to anchor. the captain was very desirous of appealing to a magistrate for a reduction in the exorbitant demand of the pilot; and i accompanied him on shore for that purpose. an englishman made up to us at the landing-place, and said that his name was c----, that he had made his fortune by smuggling, and, though he was not permitted to spend it in his native country, that he had the greatest pleasure in being of service to his countrymen. as this was exactly the sort of person we were in search of, the captain explained his grievance; and the other said that he would conduct him to a gentleman who would soon put that to rights. we, accordingly, walked to the adjoining village, in one of the houses of which he introduced us, formally, to a tall dutchman, with a pipe in his mouth and a pen behind his ear, who, after hearing the story, proceeded to commit it, in large characters, to a quire of foolscap. the cautious nature of the scotchman did not altogether like the appearance of the man of business, and demanding, through the interpreter, whether there would be any thing to pay for his proceedings? he was told that it would cost five guineas. "five devils," said saunders; "what is it for?" "for a protest," said the other. "d--n the protest," said the captain; "i came here to save five guineas, and not to pay five more." i could stand the scene no longer, and rushed out of the house, under the pretence of seeing the village; and on my return to the ship, half an hour afterwards, i found the captain fast asleep. i know not whether he swallowed the remainder of the five gallons of whiskey, in addition to his five-guinea grievance, but i could not shake him out of it, although the mate and i tried, alternately, for upwards of two hours; and indeed i never heard whether he ever got out of it,--for when i found that they had to go outside to find another passage up to rotterdam, i did not think it prudent to trust myself any longer in the hands of such artists, and, taking leave of the sleeper, with a last ineffectual shake, i hired a boat to take me through the passage in which we then were. we started with a stiff fair wind, and the boatman assured me that we should reach rotterdam in less than five hours (forty miles); but it soon lulled to a dead calm, which left us to the tedious operation of tiding it up; and, to mend the matter, we had not a fraction of money between us, nor any thing to eat or drink. i bore starvation all that day and night, with the most christian-like fortitude; but, the next morning, i could stand it no longer, and sending the boatman on shore, to a neighbouring house, i instructed him either to beg or steal something, whichever he should find the most prolific; but he was a clumsy hand at both, and came on board again with only a very small quantity of coffee. it, however, afforded some relief, and in the afternoon we reached the town of dort, and, on lodging my baggage in pawn with a french inn-keeper, he advanced me the means of going on to rotterdam, where i got cash for the bill which i had on a merchant there. once more furnished with the "sinews of war," with my feet on _terra firma_, i lost no time in setting forward to antwerp, and from thence to brussels, when i had the happiness of rejoining my battalion, which was then quartered in the city. brussels was, at this time, a scene of extraordinary preparation, from the succession of troops who were hourly arriving, and in their formation into brigades and divisions. we had the good fortune to be attached to the brigade of our old and favourite commander, sir james kempt, and in the fifth division, under sir thomas picton. it was the only division quartered in brussels, the others being all towards the french frontier, except the duke of brunswick's corps, which lay on the antwerp road. chap. xx. relative situation of the troops. march from brussels. the prince and the beggar. battle of quatre-bras. as our division was composed of crack regiments, under crack commanders, and headed by fire-eating generals, we had little to do the first fortnight after my arrival, beyond indulging in all the amusements of our delightful quarter; but, as the middle of june approached, we began to get a little more on the _qui vive_, for we were aware that napoleon was about to make a dash at some particular point; and, as he was not the sort of general to give his opponent an idea of the when and the where, the greater part of our army was necessarily disposed along the frontier, to meet him at his own place. they were of course too much extended to offer effectual resistance in their advanced position; but as our division and the duke of brunswick's corps were held in reserve, at brussels, in readiness to be thrust at whatever point might be attacked, they were a sufficient additional force to check the enemy for the time required to concentrate the army. on the th of june it was generally known, among the military circles in brussels, that buonaparte was in motion, at the head of his troops; and though his movement was understood to point at the prussians, yet he was not sufficiently advanced to afford a correct clue to his intentions. we were, the whole of the th, on the most anxious look out for news from the front; but no report had been received prior to the hour of dinner. i went, about seven in the evening, to take a stroll in the park, and meeting one of the duke's staff, he asked me, _en passant_, whether my pack-saddles were all ready? i told him that they were nearly so, and added, "i suppose they wo'n't be wanted, at all events, before to-morrow?" to which he replied, in the act of leaving me, "if you have any preparation to make, i would recommend you not to delay so long." i took the hint, and returning to quarters, remained in momentary expectation of an order to move. the bugles sounded to arms about two hours after. to the credit of our battalion, be it recorded, that, although the greater part were in bed when the assembly sounded, and billetted over the most distant parts of that extensive city, every man was on his alarm-post before eleven o'clock, in a complete state of marching order: whereas, it was nearly two o'clock in the morning before we were joined by the others. as a grand ball was to take place the same night, at the duchess of richmond's, the order for the assembling of the troops was accompanied by permission for any officer who chose to remain for the ball, provided that he joined his regiment early in the morning. several of ours took advantage of it. brussels was, at that time, thronged with british temporary residents; who, no doubt, in the course of the two last days, must have heard, through their military acquaintance, of the immediate prospect of hostilities. but, accustomed, on their own ground, to hear of those things as a piece of news in which they were not personally concerned; and never dreaming of danger, in streets crowded with the gay uniforms of their countrymen; it was not until their defenders were summoned to the field, that they were fully sensible of their changed circumstances; and the suddenness of the danger multiplying its horrors, many of them were now seen running about in the wildest state of distraction. waiting for the arrival of the other regiments, we endeavoured to snatch an hour's repose on the pavement; but we were every instant disturbed, by ladies as well as gentlemen; some stumbling over us in the dark--some shaking us out of our sleep, to be told the news--and not a few, conceiving their immediate safety depending upon our standing in place of lying. all those who applied for the benefit of my advice, i recommended to go home to bed, to keep themselves perfectly cool, and, to rest assured that, if their departure from the city became necessary, (which i very much doubted,) they would have at least one whole day to prepare for it, as we were leaving some beef and potatoes behind us, for which, i was sure, we would fight, rather than abandon! the whole of the division having, at length, assembled, we were put in motion about three o'clock on the morning of the th, and advanced to the village of waterloo, where, forming in a field adjoining the road, our men were allowed to prepare their breakfasts. i succeeded in getting mine, in a small inn, on the left hand side of the village. lord wellington joined us about nine o'clock; and, from his very particular orders, to see that the roads were kept clear of baggage, and everything likely to impede the movements of the troops, i have since been convinced that his lordship had thought it probable that the position of waterloo might, even that day, have become the scene of action; for it was a good broad road, on which there were neither the quantity of baggage nor of troops moving at the time, to excite the slightest apprehension of confusion. leaving us halted, he galloped on to the front, followed by his staff; and we were soon after joined by the duke of brunswick, with his corps of the army. his highness dismounted near the place where i was standing, and seated himself on the road-side, along with his adjutant-general. he soon after despatched his companion on some duty; and i was much amused to see the vacated place immediately filled by an old beggar-man; who, seeing nothing in the black hussar uniform beside him denoting the high rank of the wearer, began to grunt and scratch himself most luxuriously! the duke shewed a degree of courage which few would, under such circumstances; for he maintained his post until the return of his officer, when he very jocularly said, "well, o----n, you see that your place was not long unoccupied!"--how little idea had i, at the time, that the life of the illustrious speaker was limited to three short hours! about twelve o'clock an order arrived for the troops to advance, leaving their baggage behind; and though it sounded warlike, yet we did not expect to come in contact with the enemy, at all events, on _that_ day. but, as we moved forward, the symptoms of their immediate presence kept gradually increasing; for we presently met a cart-load of wounded belgians; and, after passing through genappe, the distant sound of a solitary gun struck on the listening ear. but all doubt on the subject was quickly removed; for, on ascending the rising ground, where stands the village of quatre bras, we saw a considerable plain in our front, flanked on each side by a wood; and on another acclivity beyond, we could perceive the enemy descending towards us, in most imposing numbers. quatre bras, at that time, consisted of only three or four houses; and, as its name betokens, i believe, stood at the junction of four roads; on one of which we were moving; a second, inclined to the right; a third, in the same degree, to the left; and the fourth, i conclude, must have gone backwards; but, as i had not an eye in that direction, i did not see it. the village was occupied by some belgians, under the prince of orange, who had an advanced post in a large farm-house, at the foot of the road, which inclined to the right; and a part of his division, also, occupied the wood on the same side. lord wellington, i believe, after leaving us at waterloo, galloped on to the prussian position at ligny, where he had an interview with blucher, in which they concerted measures for their mutual co-operation. when we arrived at quatre bras, however, we found him in a field near the belgian outpost; and the enemy's guns were just beginning to play upon the spot where he stood, surrounded by a numerous staff. we halted for a moment on the brow of the hill; and as sir andrew barnard galloped forward to the head-quarter group, i followed, to be in readiness to convey any orders to the battalion. the moment we approached, lord fitzroy somerset, separating himself from the duke, said, "barnard, you are wanted instantly; take your battalion and endeavour to get possession of that village," pointing to one on the face of the rising ground, down which the enemy were moving; "but if you cannot do that, secure that wood on the left, and keep the road open for communication with the prussians." we instantly moved in the given direction; but, ere we had got half-way to the village, we had the mortification to see the enemy throw such a force into it, as rendered any attempt to retake it, with our numbers, utterly hopeless; and as another strong body of them were hastening towards the wood, which was the second object pointed out to us, we immediately brought them to action, and secured it. in moving to that point, one of our men went raving mad, from excessive heat. the poor fellow cut a few extraordinary capers, and died in the course of a few minutes. while our battalion-reserve occupied the front of the wood, our skirmishers lined the side of the road, which was the prussian line of communication. the road itself, however, was crossed by such a shower of balls, that none but a desperate traveller would have undertaken a journey on it. we were presently reinforced by a small battalion of foreign light troops, with whose assistance we were in hopes to have driven the enemy a little further from it; but they were a raw body of men, who had never before been under fire; and, as they could not be prevailed upon to join our skirmishers, we could make no use of them whatever. their conduct, in fact, was an exact representation of mathews's ludicrous one of the american militia, for sir andrew barnard repeatedly pointed out to them which was the french, and which our side; and, after explaining that they were not to fire a shot until they joined our skirmishers, the word "march!" was given; but _march_, to them, was always the signal to fire, for they stood fast, and began blazing away, chiefly at our skirmishers too; the officers commanding whom were every time sending back to say that we were shooting them; until we were, at last, obliged to be satisfied with whatever advantages their appearance could give, as even that was of some consequence, where troops were so scarce. buonaparte's attack on the prussians had already commenced, and the fire of artillery and musketry, in that direction, was tremendous; but the intervening higher ground prevented us from seeing any part of it. the plain to our right, which we had just quitted, had, likewise, become the scene of a sanguinary and unequal contest. our division, after we left it, deployed into line, and, in advancing, met and routed the french infantry; but, in following up their advantage, they encountered a furious charge of cavalry, and were obliged to throw themselves into squares to receive it. with the exception of one regiment, however, which had two companies cut to pieces, they were not only successful in resisting the attack, but made awful havock in the enemy's ranks, who, nevertheless, continued their forward career, and went sweeping past them, like a whirlwind, up to the village of quatre bras, to the confusion and consternation of the numerous useless appendages of our army, who were there assembled, waiting the result of the battle. the forward movement of the enemy's cavalry gave their infantry time to rally; and, strongly reinforced with fresh troops, they again advanced to the attack. this was a crisis in which, according to buonaparte's theory, the victory was theirs, by all the rules of war, for they held superior numbers, both before and behind us; but the gallant old picton, who had been trained in a different school, did not choose to confine himself to rules in those matters; despising the force in his rear, he advanced, charged, and routed those in his front, which created such a panic among the others, that they galloped back through the intervals in his division, with no other object in view but their own safety. after this desperate conflict, the firing, on both sides, lulled almost to a calm for nearly an hour, while each was busy in renewing their order of battle. the duke of brunswick had been killed early in the action, endeavouring to rally his young troops, who were unable to withstand the impetuosity of the french; and, as we had no other cavalry force in the field, the few british infantry regiments present, having to bear the full brunt of the enemy's superior force of both arms, were now considerably reduced in numbers. the battle, on the side of the prussians, still continued to rage in an unceasing roar of artillery. about four, in the afternoon, a troop of their dragoons came, as a patrole, to inquire how it fared with us, and told us, in passing, that they still maintained their position. their day, however, was still to be decided, and, indeed, for that matter, so was our own; for, although the firing, for the moment, had nearly ceased, i had not yet clearly made up my mind which side had been the offensive, which the defensive, or which the winning. i had merely the satisfaction of knowing that we had not lost it; for we had met fairly in the middle of a field, (or, rather unfairly, considering that they had two to one,) and, after the scramble was over, our division still held the ground they fought on. all doubts on the subject, however, began to be removed about five o'clock. the enemy's artillery once more opened; and, on running to the brow of the hill, to ascertain the cause, we perceived our old light-division general, count alten, at the head of a fresh british division, moving gallantly down the road towards us. it was, indeed, a joyful sight; for, as already mentioned, our division had suffered so severely that we could not help looking forward to a renewal of the action, with such a disparity of force, with considerable anxiety; but this reinforcement gave us new life, and, as soon as they came near enough to afford support, we commenced the offensive, and, driving in the skirmishers opposed to us, succeeded in gaining a considerable portion of the position originally occupied by the enemy, when darkness obliged us to desist. in justice to the foreign battalion, which had been all day attached to us, i must say that, in this last movement, they joined us cordially, and behaved exceedingly well. they had a very gallant young fellow at their head; and their conduct, in the earlier part of the day, can, therefore, only be ascribed to its being their first appearance on such a stage. leaving general alten in possession of the ground which we had assisted in winning, we returned in search of our division, and reached them about eleven at night, lying asleep in their glory, on the field where they had fought, which contained many a bloody trace of the day's work. the firing, on the side of the prussians, had altogether ceased before dark, but recommenced, with redoubled fury, about an hour after; and it was then, as we afterwards learnt, that they lost the battle. we lay down by our arms, near the farm-house already mentioned, in front of quatre bras; and the deuce is in it if we were not in good trim for sleeping, seeing that we had been either marching or fighting for twenty-six successive hours. an hour before daybreak, next morning, a rattling fire of musketry along the whole line of piquets made every one spring to his arms; and we remained looking as fierce as possible until daylight, when each side was seen expecting an attack, while the piquets were blazing at one another without any ostensible cause: it gradually ceased, as the day advanced, and appeared to have been occasioned by a patrole of dragoons getting between the piquets by accident: when firing commences in the dark it is not easily stopped. june th.--as last night's fighting only ceased with the daylight, the scene, this morning, presented a savage unsettled appearance; the fields were strewed with the bodies of men, horses, torn clothing, and shattered cuirasses; and, though no movements appeared to be going on on either side, yet, as occasional shots continued to be exchanged at different points, it kept every one wide awake. we had the satisfaction of knowing that the whole of our army had assembled on the hill behind in the course of the night. about nine o'clock, we received the news of blucher's defeat, and of his retreat to wavre. lord wellington, therefore, immediately began to withdraw his army to the position of waterloo. sir andrew barnard was ordered to remain as long as possible with our battalion, to mask the retreat of the others; and was told, if we were attacked, that the whole of the british cavalry were in readiness to advance to our relief. i had an idea, however, that a single rifle battalion in the midst of ten thousand dragoons, would come but indifferently off in the event of a general crash, and was by no means sorry when, between eleven and twelve o'clock, every regiment had got clear off, and we followed, before the enemy had put any thing in motion against us. after leaving the village of quatre bras, and passing through our cavalry, who were formed on each side of the road, we drew up, at the entrance of genappe. the rain, at that moment, began to descend in torrents, and our men were allowed to shelter themselves in the nearest houses; but we were obliged to turn out again in the midst of it, in less than five minutes, as we found the french cavalry and ours already exchanging shots, and the latter were falling back to the more favourable ground behind genappe; we, therefore, retired with them, _en masse_, through the village, and formed again on the rising ground beyond. while we remained there, we had an opportunity of seeing the different affairs of cavalry; and it did one's heart good to see how cordially the life-guards went at their work: they had no idea of any thing but straight-forward fighting, and sent their opponents flying in all directions. the only _young_ thing they showed was in every one who got a roll in the mud, (and, owing to the slipperiness of the ground, there were many,) going off to the rear, according to their hyde-park custom, as being no longer fit to appear on parade! i thought, at first, that they had been all wounded, but, on finding how the case stood, i could not help telling them that theirs was now the situation to verify the old proverb, "the uglier the better soldier!" the roads, as well as the fields, had now become so heavy, that our progress to the rear was very slow; and it was six in the evening before we drew into the position of waterloo. our battalion took post in the second line that night, with its right resting on the namur-road, behind la haye sainte, near a small mud-cottage, which sir andrew barnard occupied as a quarter. the enemy arrived in front, in considerable force, about an hour after us, and a cannonade took place in different parts of the line, which ended at dark, and we lay down by our arms. it rained excessively hard the greater part of the night; nevertheless, having succeeded in getting a bundle of hay for my horse, and one of straw for myself, i secured the horse to his bundle, by tying him to one of the men's swords stuck in the ground, and, placing mine under his nose, i laid myself down upon it, and never opened my eyes again until daylight. chap. xxi. battle of waterloo. "a horse! a horse!" breakfast. position. disposition. meeting of _particular_ friends. dish of powder and ball. fricassee of swords. end of first course. pounding. brewing. peppering. cutting and maiming. fury. tantalizing. charging. cheering. chasing. opinionizing. anecdotes. the end. battle of waterloo, th june, . when i awoke, this morning, at daylight, i found myself drenched with rain. i had slept so long and so soundly that i had, at first, but a very confused notion of my situation; but having a bright idea that my horse had been my companion when i went to sleep, i was rather startled at finding that i was now alone; nor could i rub my eyes clear enough to procure a sight of him, which was vexatious enough; for, independent of his value _as a horse_, his services were indispensable; and an adjutant might as well think of going into action without his arms as without such a supporter. but whatever my feelings might have been towards him, it was evident that he had none for me, from having drawn his sword and marched off. the chances of finding him again, amid ten thousand others, were about equal to the odds against the needle in a bundle of hay; but for once the single chance was gained, as, after a diligent search of an hour, he was discovered between two artillery horses, about half a mile from where he broke loose. the weather cleared up as the morning advanced; and, though every thing remained quiet at the moment, we were confident that the day would not pass off without an engagement, and, therefore, proceeded to put our arms in order, as, also, to get ourselves dried and made as comfortable as circumstances would permit. we made a fire against the wall of sir andrew barnard's cottage, and boiled a huge camp-kettle full of tea, mixed up with a suitable quantity of milk and sugar, for breakfast; and, as it stood on the edge of the high road, where all the big-wigs of the army had occasion to pass, in the early part of the morning, i believe almost every one of them, from the duke downwards, claimed a cupful. about nine o'clock, we received an order to retain a quantity of spare ammunition, in some secure place, and to send every thing in the shape of baggage and baggage-animals to the rear. it, therefore, became evident that the duke meant to give battle in his present position; and it was, at the same time, generally understood that a corps of thirty thousand prussians were moving to our support. about ten o'clock, an unusual bustle was observable among the staff-officers, and we soon after received an order to stand to our arms. the troops who had been stationed in our front during the night were then moved off to the right, and our division took up its fighting position. our battalion stood on what was considered the left centre of the position. we had our right resting on the namur-road, about a hundred yards in rear of the farm-house of la haye sainte, and our left extending behind a broken hedge, which run along the ridge to the left. immediately in our front, and divided from la haye sainte only by the great road, stood a small knoll, with a sand-hole in its farthest side, which we occupied, as an advanced post, with three companies. the remainder of the division was formed in two lines; the first, consisting chiefly of light troops, behind the hedge, in continuation from the left of our battalion reserve; and the second, about a hundred yards in its rear. the guns were placed in the intervals between the brigades, two pieces were in the road-way on our right, and a rocket-brigade in the centre. the road had been cut through the rising ground, and was about twenty or thirty feet deep where our right rested, and which, in a manner, separated us from all the troops beyond. the division, i believe, under general alten occupied the ground next to us, on the right. he had a light battalion of the german legion, posted inside of la haye sainte, and the household brigade of cavalry stood under cover of the rising ground behind him. on our left there were some hanoverians and belgians, together with a brigade of british heavy dragoons, the royals, and scotch greys. these were all the observations on the disposition of our army that my situation enabled me to make. the whole position seemed to be a gently rising ground, presenting no obstacle at any point, excepting the broken hedge in front of our division, and it was only one in appearance, as it could be passed in every part. shortly after we had taken up our ground, some columns, from the enemy's left, were seen in motion towards hugamont, and were soon warmly engaged with the right of our army. a cannon ball, too, came from the lord knows where, for it was not fired at us, and took the head off our right hand man. that part of their position, in our own immediate front, next claimed our undivided attention. it had hitherto been looking suspiciously innocent, with scarcely a human being upon it; but innumerable black specks were now seen taking post at regular distances in its front, and recognizing them as so many pieces of artillery, i knew, from experience, although nothing else was yet visible, that they were unerring symptoms of our not being destined to be idle spectators. from the moment we took possession of the knoll, we had busied ourselves in collecting branches of trees and other things, for the purpose of making an _abatis_ to block up the road between that and the farm-house, and soon completed one, which we thought looked sufficiently formidable to keep out the whole of the french cavalry; but it was put to the proof sooner than we expected, by a troop of our own light dragoons, who, having occasion to gallop through, astonished us not a little by clearing away every stick of it. we had just time to replace the scattered branches, when the whole of the enemy's artillery opened, and their countless columns began to advance under cover of it. the scene at that moment was grand and imposing, and we had a few minutes to spare for observation. the column destined as _our_ particular _friends_, first attracted our notice, and seemed to consist of about ten thousand infantry. a smaller body of infantry and one of cavalry moved on their right; and, on their left, another huge column of infantry, and a formidable body of cuirassiers, while beyond them it seemed one moving mass. we saw buonaparte himself take post on the side of the road, immediately in our front, surrounded by a numerous staff; and each regiment, as they passed him, rent the air with shouts of "_vive l'empereur_," nor did they cease after they had passed; but, backed by the thunder of their artillery, and carrying with them the _rubidub_ of drums, and the _tantarara_ of trumpets, in addition to their increasing shouts, it looked, at first, as if they had some hopes of scaring us off the ground; for it was a singular contrast to the stern silence reigning on our side, where nothing, as yet, but the voices of our great guns, told that we had mouths to open when we chose to use them. our rifles were, however, in a very few seconds, required to play their parts, and opened such a fire on the advancing skirmishers as quickly brought them to a stand still; but their columns advanced steadily through them, although our incessant _tiralade_ was telling in their centre with fearful exactness, and our post was quickly turned in both flanks, which compelled us to fall back and join our comrades, behind the hedge, though not before some of our officers and theirs had been engaged in personal combat. when the heads of their columns shewed over the knoll which we had just quitted, they received such a fire from our first line, that they wavered, and hung behind it a little; but, cheered and encouraged by the gallantry of their officers, who were dancing and flourishing their swords in front, they at last boldly advanced to the opposite side of our hedge, and began to deploy. our first line, in the mean time, was getting so thinned, that picton found it necessary to bring up his second, but fell in the act of doing it. the command of the division, at that critical moment, devolved upon sir james kempt, who was galloping along the line, animating the men to steadiness. he called to me by name, where i happened to be standing on the right of our battalion, and desired "that i would never quit that spot." i told him that "he might depend upon it:" and in another instant i found myself in a fair way of keeping my promise more religiously than i intended; for, glancing my eye to the right, i saw the next field covered with the cuirassiers, some of whom were making directly for the gap in the hedge, where i was standing. i had not hitherto drawn my sword, as it was generally to be had at a moment's warning; but, from its having been exposed to the last night's rain, it had now got rusted in the scabbard, and refused to come forth! i was in a precious scrape. mounted on my strong flanders mare, and with my good old sword in my hand, i would have braved all the chances without a moment's hesitation; but, i confess, that i felt considerable doubts as to the propriety of standing there to be sacrificed, without the means of making a scramble for it. my mind, however, was happily relieved from such an embarrassing consideration, before my decision was required; for the next moment the cuirassiers were charged by our household brigade; and the infantry in our front giving way at the same time, under our terrific shower of musketry, the flying cuirassiers tumbled in among the routed infantry, followed by the life-guards, who were cutting away in all directions. hundreds of the infantry threw themselves down, and pretended to be dead, while the cavalry galloped over them, and then got up and ran away. i never saw such a scene in all my life. lord wellington had given orders that the troops were, on no account, to leave the position to follow up any temporary advantage; so that we now resumed our post, as we stood at the commencement of the battle, and with three companies again advanced on the knoll. i was told, it was very ridiculous, at that moment, to see the number of vacant spots that were left nearly along the whole of the line, where a great part of the dark dressed foreign troops had stood, intermixed with the british, when the action began. our division got considerably reduced in numbers during the last attack; but lord wellington's fostering hand sent sir john lambert to our support, with the sixth division; and we now stood prepared for another and a more desperate struggle. our battalion had already lost three officers killed, and six or seven wounded; among the latter were sir andrew barnard and colonel cameron. some one asking me what had become of my horse's ear, was the first intimation i had of his being wounded; and i now found that, independent of one ear having been shaved close to his head, (i suppose by a cannon-shot,) a musket-ball had grazed across his forehead, and another gone through one of his legs, but he did not seem much the worse for either of them. between two and three o'clock we were tolerably quiet, except from a thundering cannonade; and the enemy had, by that time, got the range of our position so accurately that every shot brought a ticket for somebody's head. an occasional gun, beyond the plain, far to our left, marked the approach of the prussians; but their progress was too slow to afford a hope of their arriving in time to take any share in the battle. on our right, the roar of cannon and musketry had been incessant from the time of its commencement; but the higher ground, near us, prevented our seeing anything of what was going on. between three and four o'clock, the storm gathered again in our front. our three companies on the knoll were soon involved in a furious fire. the germans, occupying la haye sainte, expended all their ammunition, and fled from the post. the french took possession of it; and, as it flanked our knoll, we were obliged to abandon it also, and fall back again behind the hedge. the loss of la haye sainte was of the most serious consequence, as it afforded the enemy an establishment within our position. they immediately brought up two guns on our side of it, and began serving out some grape to us; but they were so very near, that we destroyed their artillerymen before they could give us a second round. the silencing of these guns was succeeded by a very extraordinary scene, on the same spot. a strong regiment of hanoverians advanced in line, to charge the enemy out of la haye sainte; but they were themselves charged by a brigade of cuirassiers, and, excepting one officer, on a little black horse, who went off to the rear, like a shot out of a shovel, i do believe that every man of them was put to death in about five seconds. a brigade of british light dragoons advanced to their relief, and a few, on each side, began exchanging thrusts; but it seemed likely to be a drawn battle between them, without much harm being done, when our men brought it to a crisis sooner than either side anticipated, for they previously had their rifles eagerly pointed at the cuirassiers, with a view of saving the perishing hanoverians; but the fear of killing their friends withheld them, until the others were utterly overwhelmed, when they instantly opened a terrific fire on the whole concern, sending both sides to flight; so that, on the small space of ground, within a hundred yards of us, where five thousand men had been fighting the instant before, there was not now a living soul to be seen. it made me mad to see the cuirassiers, in their retreat, stooping and stabbing at our wounded men, as they lay on the ground. how i wished that i had been blessed with omnipotent power for a moment, that i might have blighted them! the same field continued to be a wild one the whole of the afternoon. it was a sort of duelling-post between the two armies, every half-hour showing a meeting of some kind upon it; but they never exceeded a short scramble, for men's lives were held very cheap there. for the two or three succeeding hours there was no variety with us, but one continued blaze of musketry. the smoke hung so thick about, that, although not more than eighty yards asunder, we could only distinguish each other by the flashes of the pieces. a good many of our guns had been disabled, and a great many more rendered unserviceable in consequence of the unprecedented close fighting; for, in several places, where they had been posted but a very few yards in front of the line, it was impossible to work them. i shall never forget the scene which the field of battle presented about seven in the evening. i felt weary and worn out, less from fatigue than anxiety. our division, which had stood upwards of five thousand men at the commencement of the battle, had gradually dwindled down into a solitary line of skirmishers. the twenty-seventh regiment were lying literally dead, in square, a few yards behind us. my horse had received another shot through the leg, and one through the flap of the saddle, which lodged in his body, sending him a step beyond the pension-list. the smoke still hung so thick about us that we could see nothing. i walked a little way to each flank, to endeavour to get a glimpse of what was going on; but nothing met my eye except the mangled remains of men and horses, and i was obliged to return to my post as wise as i went. i had never yet heard of a battle in which every body was killed; but this seemed likely to be an exception, as all were going by turns. we got excessively impatient under the tame similitude of the latter part of the process, and burned with desire to have a last thrust at our respective _vis-à-vis_; for, however desperate our affairs were, we had still the satisfaction of seeing that theirs were worse. sir john lambert continued to stand as our support, at the head of three good old regiments, one dead (the twenty-seventh) and two living ones; and we took the liberty of soliciting him to aid our views; but the duke's orders on that head were so very particular that the gallant general had no choice. presently a cheer, which we knew to be british, commenced far to the right, and made every one prick up his ears;--it was lord wellington's long wished-for orders to advance; it gradually approached, growing louder as it grew near;--we took it up by instinct, charged through the hedge down upon the old knoll, sending our adversaries flying at the point of the bayonet. lord wellington galloped up to us at the instant, and our men began to cheer him; but he called out, "no cheering, my lads, but forward, and complete your victory!" this movement had carried us clear of the smoke; and, to people who had been for so many hours enveloped in darkness, in the midst of destruction, and naturally anxious about the result of the day, the scene which now met the eye conveyed a feeling of more exquisite gratification than can be conceived. it was a fine summer's evening, just before sunset. the french were flying in one confused mass. british lines were seen in close pursuit, and in admirable order, as far as the eye could reach to the right, while the plain to the left was filled with prussians. the enemy made one last attempt at a stand on the rising ground to our right of la belle alliance; but a charge from general adams's brigade again threw them into a state of confusion, which was now inextricable, and their ruin was complete. artillery, baggage, and every thing belonging to them, fell into our hands. after pursuing them until dark, we halted about two miles beyond the field of battle, leaving the prussians to follow up the victory. this was the last, the greatest, and the most uncomfortable heap of glory that i ever had a hand in, and may the deuce take me if i think that every body waited there to see the end of it, otherwise it never could have been so troublesome to those who did. we were, take us all in all, a very bad army. our foreign auxiliaries, who constituted more than half of our numerical strength, with some exceptions, were little better than a raw militia--a body without a soul, or like an inflated pillow, that gives to the touch, and resumes its shape again when the pressure ceases--not to mention the many who went clear out of the field, and were only seen while plundering our baggage in their retreat. our heavy cavalry made some brilliant charges in the early part of the day; but they never knew when to stop, their ardour in following their advantages carrying them headlong on, until many of them "burnt their fingers," and got dispersed or destroyed. of that gallant corps, the royal artillery, it is enough to say, that they maintained their former reputation--the first in the world--and it was a serious loss to us, in the latter part of the day, to be deprived of this more powerful co-operation, from the causes already mentioned. the british infantry and the king's german legion continued the inflexible supporters of their country's honour throughout, and their unshaken constancy under the most desperate circumstances showed that, though they might be destroyed, they were not to be beaten. if lord wellington had been at the head of his old peninsula army, i am confident that he would have swept his opponents off the face of the earth immediately after their first attack; but with such a heterogeneous mixture under his command, he was obliged to submit to a longer day. it will ever be a matter of dispute what the result of that day would have been without the arrival of the prussians: but it is clear to me that lord wellington would not have fought at waterloo unless blucher had promised to aid him with , men, as he required that number to put him on a numerical footing with his adversary. it is certain that the promised aid did not come in time to take any share whatever in the battle. it is equally certain that the enemy had, long before, been beaten into a mass of ruin, in condition for nothing but running, and wanting but an apology to do it; and i will ever maintain that lord wellington's last advance would have made it the same victory had a prussian never been seen there. the field of battle, next morning, presented a frightful scene of carnage; it seemed as if the world had tumbled to pieces, and three-fourths of every thing destroyed in the wreck. the ground running parallel to the front of where we had stood was so thickly strewed with fallen men and horses, that it was difficult to step clear of their bodies; many of the former still alive, and imploring assistance, which it was not in our power to bestow. the usual salutation on meeting an acquaintance of another regiment after an action was to ask who had been hit? but on this occasion it was "who's alive?" meeting one, next morning, a very little fellow, i asked what had happened to them yesterday? "i'll be hanged," says he, "if i know any thing at all about the matter, for i was all day trodden in the mud and galloped over by every scoundrel who had a horse; and, in short, that i only owe my existence to my insignificance." two of our men, on the morning of the th, lost their lives by a very melancholy accident. they were cutting up a captured ammunition-waggon for firewood, when one of their swords striking against a nail, sent a spark among the powder. when i looked in the direction of the explosion, i saw the two poor fellows about twenty or thirty feet up in the air. on falling to the ground, though lying on their backs or bellies, some extraordinary effort of nature, caused by the agony of the moment, made them spring from that position, five or six times, to the height of eight or ten feet, just as a fish does when thrown on the ground after being newly caught. it was so unlike a scene in real life that it was impossible to witness it without forgetting, for a moment, the horror of their situation. i ran to the spot along with others, and found that every stitch of clothes had been burnt off, and they were black as ink all over. they were still alive, and told us their names, otherwise we could not have recognized them; and, singular enough, they were able to walk off the ground with a little support, but died shortly after. among other officers who fell at waterloo, we lost one of the wildest youths that ever belonged to the service. he seemed to have a prophetic notion of his approaching end, for he repeatedly told us, in the early part of the morning, that he knew the devil would have him before night. i shall relate one anecdote of him, which occurred while we were in spain. he went, by chance, to pass the day with two officers, quartered at a neighbouring village, who happened to be, that day, engaged to dine with the clergyman. knowing their visitor's mischievous propensities, they were at first afraid to make him one of the party; but, after schooling him into a suitable propriety of behaviour, and exacting a promise of implicit obedience, they, at last, ventured to take him. on their arrival, the ceremony of introduction had just been gone through, and their host seated at an open window, when a favourite cat of his went purring about the young gentleman's boots, who, catching it by the tail, and giving it two or three preparatory swings round his head, sent it flying out at the window where the parson was sitting, who only escaped it by suddenly stooping. the only apology the youngster made for his conduct was, "egad, i think i astonished that fellow!" but whether it was the cat or the parson he meant i never could learn. about twelve o'clock, on the day after the battle, we commenced our march for paris. i shall, therefore, leave my readers at waterloo, in the hope that, among the many stories of romance to which that and the other celebrated fields gave birth, the foregoing unsophisticated one of an eye-witness may not have been found altogether uninteresting. the end errata. page , line , _read_ "of lively." page , line , _read_ "reinforced" _instead of_ "reenforced." page , line , _read_ "her's" _instead of_ "hers." page , line , _read_ "with him!!!" page , line , _read_ "when we" _instead of_ "when it." page , line , _read_ " th" _instead of_ " th." page , line , _read_ "re-crossed" _instead of_ "re-crosed." page , line , _read_ "held one side" _instead of_ "held on one side." page , line , _read_ "dying state;" _instead of_ "dying; state." page , lines and , _read_ "to remark in a french officer, occurred" _instead of_ "to remark was that of a french officer, which occurred." [transcriber's note: obvious printer's errors have been corrected. hyphenation and accentuation have been standardised, all other inconsistencies are as in the original. the author's spelling has been maintained.] the autobiography of sergeant william lawrence, _a hero of the peninsular and waterloo campaigns_; edited by george nugent bankes, author of "a day of my life at eton," etc., etc. london sampson low, marston, searle, & rivington crown buildings, , fleet street [_all rights reserved_] by the same author. _square mo, cloth extra, s. d. each._ a day of my life at eton. about some fellows; or, odds and ends from my note-book. cambridge trifles; or, splutterings from an undergraduate's pen. a cambridge staircase. _crown vo, cloth, s._ written to order: being some account of the journeyings of an irresponsible egotist, and of how he enjoyed himself thereon. london: sampson low & co., , fleet street, e.c. preface. sergeant william lawrence died at studland in dorsetshire in the year , bequeathing the manuscript of the accompanying autobiography to the family one of whose members now submits it to the notice of the public. circumstances, which perhaps may be too often interpreted as really meaning an unfortunate tendency to procrastination, have hitherto prevented it being put into shape with a view to publication: one thing after another has intervened, and the work has been passed on from hand to hand, until after these long years a final effort has been made, and the self-imposed task completed. the book is simply sent forth on its own merits in the hope that there are yet some, if not indeed many whose hearts are never weary of the tales of england's glory in the past, and seek to find in them reason why that glory should be perpetuated. many an account have we already had of the victories of the peninsula and waterloo, and this but adds one more to the list: though perhaps it may be regarded in somewhat of a supplementary light, as treating of the campaigns neither from an entirely outside and _soi-disant_ unprejudiced standpoint, nor with the advantages possessed by one who may have had access to the councils of the authorities, but as they were seen by one who came and went and did as he was told, and was as it were nothing more than a single factor in the great military machine that won our country those battles of which she has so much right to be proud. what criticisms of the conduct of the war our veteran occasionally does indulge in are of course chiefly founded on the camp gossip current at the time, and in reading them it must always be borne in mind that events at the moment of their happening often do not present the same appearance as when viewed from the calmer security of after years, and they must be judged accordingly. as to the style. lawrence, though he never betrayed the fact to the authorities during his whole military career, being possessed of a wonderful aptitude for mental calculation, and always contriving to get some assistance in concealing his deficiency when his official duties necessitated his doing so, and though he has carefully avoided all direct allusion to it in this work itself, never learnt to write, and the first form in which his history was committed to paper was from dictation. the person who took down the words as he spoke them, one of his fellow-servants, was but imperfectly educated himself, so that it may be imagined that the result of the narrative of one illiterate person being written down by another was that the style was not likely to aspire to any very high degree of literary merit. still, to preserve the peculiar character of the book, it has been thought better to leave it as far as possible in its original shape: some emendations have perforce had to be made to render it actually intelligible--for instance, in the original manuscript there is scarcely any punctuation from beginning to end, with the exception of at those places where the amanuensis evidently left off his day's work; but the language, with its occasional half-flights into a poetry of about the standard of an eton boy's verses, its crude moralizings, and imperfect applications of old proverbs and fables, has not been altered, nor, so far as there can be said to be one, has the method. it is trusted, therefore, that, remembering that the main object in the editor's mind has been to let the venerable hero tell his story in exactly his own words so far as his meaning can be thereby made out, no one will take any unnecessary pains to count up how often the words "likewise" and "proceed" are repeated in these pages, or to point out that the general style of the book combines those of tacitus, caesar's commentaries, and the journeyings of the israelites. nor, it is to be hoped, will any one be too severe in his comments on the fact that to the mind of a man in lawrence's position the obtaining of a pair of boots was apparently quite as important an event as the storming of badajoz, or the finding of a sack with a ham and a couple of fowls in it as the winning of the battle of waterloo. interesting perhaps the book will prove as giving some of the details of what our soldiers had to undergo in those old times of war. hardships they now have to endure, and endure them they do well, but all must be thankful to know that they are far better off than their forefathers; who, unsuitably clad, half starved, and with their commissariat such even as it was disgracefully mismanaged, and yet forbidden very often under pain of death to pick up what they could for themselves, submitted on the shortest notice to punishments which would nowadays call forth the indignant protests of hosts of newspaper correspondents; and still in spite of all fought stubbornly through every obstacle till they had gained the objects for which they had been sent out. what wonder can there be that under all these circumstances we should find our hero somewhat hardened in his estimate of human sympathies, and not altogether disinclined to view everything, whether it concerned life or death, or marriage, or parting or meeting, all in one phlegmatic way, as occurring as a matter of course? what ought to strike us as more curious is that he was only reduced to that level of intellect where he thought even that much of anything at all besides his actual eating, drinking, and sleeping. but to go on further would be to depart from the original intention of letting the book speak for itself. to conclude therefore: there is much to wade through, though it is all more or less relevant to the progress of the story: some readers may like one part and some may prefer another; and if the pruning-hook had once been introduced it would have been difficult to decide what to leave and what to take, or whether it would not be better to publish another volume of the things pruned, since it had been determined to publish at all. but if the reader will accomplish the wading to the end, there will he find summed up in one simple paragraph the autobiographer's own ideas about the merits of his work. may it be received in the same spirit as it is sent forth! contents. chapter i. page starting in life chapter ii. enlisted and ordered abroad chapter iii. the river plate expedition--monte video chapter iv. the river plate expedition, continued--colonia chapter v. the river plate expedition, concluded--buenos ayres chapter vi. the peninsula, --vimeira--lisbon chapter vii. talavera chapter viii. --busaco chapter ix. torres vedras chapter x. --pombal, redinha, &c. chapter xi. siege of badajoz--albuera chapter xii. --ciudad rodrigo chapter xiii. badajoz chapter xiv. invalided--promotion chapter xv. --vittoria chapter xvi. the pyrenees--villebar chapter xvii. the nive--further promotion chapter xviii. san sebastian--nivelle chapter xix. --orthes--the adour--toulouse chapter xx. end of the war chapter xxi. to america and back--napoleon's escape from elba chapter xxii. waterloo chapter xxiii. paris--matrimony chapter xxiv. return to great britain chapter xxv. family matters chapter xxvi. pensioned and discharged the autobiography of sergeant william lawrence. chapter i. lawrence's parentage -- birth and early training -- apprenticed -- he falls out with his master -- is beaten and resolves to leave -- a few words to masters in general -- finds a companion -- precautions against being forgotten too soon -- to poole _viâ_ wareham -- engages for a voyage to newfoundland -- recaptured and sent back, but escapes again on the way -- receives some good advice, and starts to dorchester, picking up some fresh company on the way. as i have been asked to furnish as complete an account as i am able of my own life, and it is usual when people undertake to do so to start at as early a period as possible, i will begin with my parentage. my father and mother were of humble means, living in the village of bryant's piddle, in the county of dorset. my father had been formerly a small farmer on his own account in the same village, but having a large and hungry family to provide for, he became reduced in circumstances, and was obliged to give up his farm, and work as a labourer. i was born in , and, being one of seven children, found myself compelled at a very early age to seek my own livelihood as best i could, so that i had not much opportunity for education, though i cannot say that i thought that much hardship at the time, being fonder of an open-air life. i was employed for some time in frightening the birds off the corn, for which i received the sum of twopence a day; after which i was advanced to sixpence a day as ploughboy, in which situation i remained until i was fourteen years of age. my father then obtained twenty pounds from a friend, with which he apprenticed me to henry bush, a builder living at studland, a village in the same county, for seven years, the agreement being that my master was to find me in food, lodging, and clothes, and i was to receive no wages. i had not been with him very long before i found that he did not suit me as a master at all well. things went on pretty smoothly for the first month or so, that is, while the money for my apprenticeship lasted; but after that he became rather difficult to please, and besides took to allowancing me in food, which was a much more serious matter both to my mind and palate. however, i rubbed on for about nine months, until one sunday, when i had gone out to church in the morning and had happened to stay in the village all day, on my return home at last after dark i found the house locked up. i accordingly proceeded to swanage, the nearest town, and called on my master's sister, who lived there, who took me in and was giving me some supper, when my master chanced to come in himself, and was very angry with me and told me to come along with him, declaring that he would pay me out in the morning. when we got home he ordered me to see if the garden gate was closed, which i thought rather strange, as it was a thing i had never had to do before; but meanwhile he slipped upstairs with a horsewhip, which he produced suddenly in the morning, and gave me a good thrashing before i had well got my clothes on. i bundled downstairs pretty much as i was, and out of the house as quick as i could, saying to myself, "this is the last thrashing i will ever receive at your hands;" and sure enough it was, for that same week i planned with another apprentice near the same place, who was under very similar circumstances to myself, to take our departure on the following sunday; so that was the end of my apprenticeship. and i should like here to warn any master whose eye may fall on this story not to treat any lad who is put under his care too harshly, as it is very often the means of discouraging him in the occupation he is intended to follow, and of driving him from his home, and even from his country, and to his ruin. thus even in my case it will be seen that it was all my master's want of kindness that forced me into a very different sort of life to that which my parents intended for me; into one which, though it was not altogether so ruinous, was perhaps more perilous than many others, and on which i can only now look back in wonder that i have been spared to tell my story at all. but i must go back to the day on which myself and my companion had resolved to leave our homes, which as i have before stated was a sunday, no better opportunity appearing by which we might get a few hours' start unbeknown to our employers. we met early in the morning, but finding that neither of us had either money or food, and i likewise wanting to get hold of my indentures, we waited until the family had left the house as usual to go to swanage to chapel, when i made my entry into the house by the back door, which was only fastened by a piece of rope-yarn. i could not find my indentures, but in the search for them i came upon a seven-shilling piece, which i put into my pocket, as i thought it might be useful. i also cut about three or four pounds off a flitch of bacon that hung in the chimney corner, nicely marked to prevent any being lost on account of my late allowanced state. i did not study that much at the time, however, but took what i thought we should require, and when i had put it into a bag with the necessary amount of bread, we marched off together up to a place near called king's wood, where we put a little of our bread and raw bacon out of sight, for we were both hungry. then we went on to wareham, a distance of about ten miles, where we changed our seven-shilling piece, and had a pint of small beer to help us in again lightening our bundle; and, after about an hour's rest, proceeded on for poole, about nine miles from wareham. we felt very tired, but still walked on, and gained our destination at a very late hour, owing to which we had some trouble in obtaining a lodging for the remaining part of the night; but at last we found one in a public house, where we finished our bread and bacon, together with some more beer, the best day's allowance we had had for some time past. we slept very soundly, and in the morning went round to inquire for service on board the newfoundland packets. we soon found a merchant of the name of slade, who engaged us for two summers and a winter, myself for _l._ and my companion for _l._ for the whole time, and our food and lodging till the ship left the harbour. but we were not long in finding that our destination was not to be newfoundland, for on the very next day my companion's master came to poole in search of us, and meeting his own boy wandering about the market, soon wished to know what business he had there, and took him into custody. he likewise asked him if he had seen anything of me, and the boy told him i was in poole, but he did not know where. i at the time was at work on board the ship, but in the evening, having fallen in with the mate, he asked me where i was going. when i said to my lodgings, beginning rather to shake, for i thought by his manner that there was something up, he told me that i had better come with him. i did so, and presently found myself with my companion's master, who finished up for the night by having me put into gaol. next day we were both taken on board the swanage market-boat to go back, but when we had got as far as south deep, near brownsea castle, we had to anchor, as the wind was contrary. a number of stone-boats were lying there at the time, and one of the boatmen, named reuben masters, took charge of me to convey me back to my master's house, as he was going by it; so we landed, and proceeded towards home. when we were about half a mile off it, however, we met my mistress, who, after inquiring where i had been, told me that her husband would have nothing more to do with me, but would send me to prison. i could have told her i did not want to trouble him any more, but i thought i would leave that for them to find out; so i went on with the man to the next gate, when, seeing an opportunity to bolt; i took it and popped over to the other side; and all i heard the man say was, "well, you may go, and your master may run after you for himself if he likes;" so i knew there was not much to fear from him. i ran down into the common, to a place called agglestone, which i knew had once been a great place for foxes, and there i crawled into a hole and remained till dusk. then i came out of my den, and again made my way to wareham. i called this time at the "horse and groom," where, having related my story to the landlady, she kindly gave me food and lodging for the night, advising me to go back to my parents and state my master's behaviour. so next morning, after she had provided me with breakfast, and some bread and cheese to eat on the way, i set off for dorchester. on the road i met with two boys who were going to poole to try and get a ship bound for newfoundland. i wanted some companions on my journey, so i told them not to go to poole, as the press-gang was about, and, when i had been there myself a few days before, had fired a blunderbuss at me, but i happened to pop round the corner and so had escaped. the boys did not seem fit for soldiers, or sailors either, for they looked as if they had lain in the sun for some time, and one of them was warped. when they heard my story, they turned back and kept with me. they soon began to complain of hunger, but when i asked them if they had got any money, they said they had only one shilling and a farthing, with a hundred miles to travel before they reached their home again; so i took out my bread and cheese and divided it amongst us. we were very tired and hungry when we arrived at dorchester, and i tried to persuade them to change the shilling, but they would not. however, they gave me the farthing; it was not much certainly for a hungry boy, but it served to purchase a cake for me to devour; and then i and my companions parted, and what became of them afterwards i do not know. chapter ii. lawrence's forlorn state of mind in dorchester -- he meets with a friend in need, who takes him to enlist -- is discovered and recovered by his parents, and ordered back sharp to his master -- his military spirit proves too strong for him on the way, and carries him, through the agency of a friendly soldier, first to bridport, and then to taunton -- various further attempts at enlisting, slightly influenced by the disinterestedness of his friend, and ending in his joining the fortieth regiment -- subsequent changes of quarters, and final orders for foreign service. dorchester was only about eight miles from my parents' house, but i had never really had one serious thought of going to them. i seemed to myself to be completely friendless, and wandered through and through the town, watching the preparations for the fair, which was to take place the next day, not being able to make up my mind what to do or where to go. at length, more by instinct than aim, i wandered into the stable-yard of one of the principal inns, where i was brought nearer to my senses by hearing the ostler sing out sharply, "hullo, my man, what is your business?" i told him i was a friendless boy in search of some employment by which i might get a livelihood, as i was very hungry and had no money, or something to that effect; to which he replied that if i would brush about a bit, and help him rub over the horses, he would find me plenty to eat. i soon went to work, and finished the task he gave me; and sure enough he fulfilled his share of the bargain by bringing the requisite article in the shape of a lump of bread and beef enough for two or three meals. after eating as much as i wanted, as i felt very tired, i made up a bed for myself with some straw, and putting the remainder of my meal into my handkerchief to serve as a pillow, laid myself down, and the ostler having given me a rug to pull over me, i slept soundly there the whole night. in the morning, after i had done a little more in the stable, i walked out with my new friend into the street, where seeing some soldiers, i told him i should like to become one. he said he knew where he could enlist me, and took me straight to the rendezvous, which was in a public-house, where we met a sergeant of artillery, who gave him two guineas for bringing me and myself five for coming, and when my measurement had been taken, a proceeding which was accompanied with no small amount of joking, i was put into an old soldier's coat, and with three or four yards of ribbon hanging from my cap, paraded the town with other recruits, entering and treating some one or other in almost every public-house. it almost seemed, however, as if my hopes were again to be blighted, for in the very first house i entered, there sat a farmer from my home who knew me very well, and exclaimed on seeing me, "hullo, young fellow, as you make your bed so you must lie on it." i entreated him not to tell my father and mother where and how he had seen me, and made my exit as quickly as possible; but later in the day i encountered another man, my father's next-door neighbour, who also recognized me immediately. i offered him the price of a gallon of ale not to say anything, and he promised, taking the money, but as soon as he got home he went to my father and acquainted him with what i was up to. how i was spending the rest of the night meanwhile can better be conceived than described; but next morning, as i was going up to the town hall with an officer to be sworn in, who should meet us but my father and mother. on their telling the officer that i was an apprentice, he gave me up to them without any further trouble, except that he asked me what had become of my bounty money, and on finding that i had only seventeen shillings and sixpence left out of my whole five guineas, kindly took the care of even that off my hands. then we marched off home, and my father went to find out what was to be done in the matter from a magistrate, who advised him to take me back to dorchester to be tried at the next sittings; which advice being acted on, i was severely reprimanded by the bench, and given my choice of serving my time or else going to prison. of course i chose the former, and they gave me a letter to take with me to my master. when i got downstairs i met the officer who had enlisted me, who told me that if my master was unwilling to take me back, he would enlist me again; and finding on asking me if i had any money that he had taken all i possessed, he gave me a shilling and wished me well. my father sent me off at once with strict orders to get back to studland as quickly as i could, and that was all i received from him either in the way of blessing or anything: so with a heavy heart i set out on my retreat from dorchester. i had not gone very far when i was overtaken by a dairyman's cart, in which the owner gave me a lift, asking me where i was bound for. i told him a little of my story, and showed him the letter, that he might open it and see what was inside: which, when he had done, he said i could go back quite safely, for my master would not be able to hurt me. that put me into rather better spirits, though i did not intend to go back all the same. i rode along with the man as far as he went, and then continued on foot to a village called winfrith, where i went into a public-house, and feeling hungry, ordered some bread and cheese. a soldier happened to be in there, who was on furlough, bound for bridport, and the very sight of him again revived my old spirit and made me long to be like him. i got into conversation with him, and said how much i wished to be a soldier, to which he straightway answered that he could enlist me for the fortieth regiment foot, which gave sixteen guineas bounty. i thought that was a great deal, and that if i got it i should not want for money for some time, so i quickly accepted his proposal: i soon found out, though, that i was very mistaken in my views about the money lasting. i was rather afraid of finding myself in dorchester again, so tried to persuade him to go round another way, but we at last slipped through at night, and got to winterborne, where we put up, going on next morning in the coach to bridport. i was again baffled for a time on arriving there, for the coachman knew all about me, and remarked in a way that was no doubt meant well, that it was but yesterday that my father had got me out of the artillery. the soldier then asked me if i was an apprentice, and i thought there seemed nothing to do but to tell him i was: on which he promptly made me get down, and taking me across some fields to his home, kept me there quietly for three days. it seemed best after that to go on to taunton in somersetshire, where we went to the barracks and saw the colonel, who on the soldier telling him that he had brought me up as a recruit, asked me of what trade i was. i replied that i was a labourer, which he said was all right, for labourers made the best soldiers: but he could only give me two and a half guineas bounty: at which point we parted from him, and went to try the recruiting sergeant of the marines, who promised us sixteen guineas bounty when i arrived at the plymouth headquarters. this did not suit my conductor, however, as there was nothing for him after paying my coach expenses, so he asked me what i intended to do, and for his part advised me to go back to my master, saying he would not mind the expenses he had gone to for me. but as i had by this time destroyed the letter, i preferred going back to the fortieth regiment, so we went and again saw the colonel, who gave my companion two guineas, and sent me into barracks. next day i received my clothes, and in about a week more was sworn in before a magistrate, receiving my bounty at the same time. very shortly afterwards orders came for the regiment to march to winchester, where we remained for about a month without anything of any note occurring. i began to drill twice a day directly i joined, and soon learnt the foot drill, after which i was put on to musketry drill. from winchester we removed to portsmouth, where we lay for a week, and were then ordered to bexhill barracks in sussex, where our first battalion was lying, and on our arrival a number of men were drafted out of our battalion, which was the second, into the first, to make it a thousand strong, myself being one of the number. then orders came for us to proceed to portsmouth to embark on foreign service, our country being at the time at war with france and spain. chapter iii. embarkation of the regiment at portsmouth -- lawrence's feelings at the time beginning to be rather mixed -- heartrending partings witnessed and somewhat moralized upon by him -- a few more words of advice, this time intended for apprentices -- ample opportunity for self-introspection afforded during the first week of the voyage -- incidents while becalmed -- arrival at rio, and entertainment of the troops by the queen of portugal -- monte video -- disembarkation and first brushes with the enemy -- barbarity of the spaniards -- lawrence's feelings at last definitely uncomfortable -- sir samuel auchmuty's dislike to finery in soldiers -- the town invested and subsequently stormed -- lawrence in the forlorn hope -- surrender of the citadel. we passed the night before our embarkation in the town: a night to many perhaps the bitterest they had ever experienced, but to myself, on the other hand, one mainly of joy, for i felt that i had at last outwitted my pursuers. but though i cannot say that i was yet at all repentant, it must not be thought that i felt altogether comfortable on leaving my country with all my friends and relations in it, so young as i was at the time: more especially when i considered the errand we were on, and thought that i might never return to see them again, knowing that they had not the slightest idea of where i was. i naturally felt rather timid, as all young recruits must feel on entering so soon on foreign service as i then found myself obliged to do. but the worst and most disheartening spectacle of all was in the morning when the bugle sounded for the assembly of the regiment; for only about six women to a company of a hundred men being allowed to go with us, many who were married had to leave wives and children behind, with the thought that it might never be their lot to see them again. when the order was given to embark, the scene was quite heartrending: i could not see a dry eye in portsmouth, and if the tears could have been collected, they might have stocked a hospital in eye-water for some months. husband and wife, father and child, young man and sweetheart, all had to part, and perhaps none were more affected than the last, though with least cause: it indeed was dreadful to view. i myself was much affected, but it was at the woes of others, for i had not one to throw so much as a parting glance at myself; and thus, amid the cheers of the crowd, and with the band playing the tune of "the girl i left behind me," we embarked. then i felt quite freed from my pursuers; but in getting out of the frying-pan i soon found myself into the fire, for as it afterwards proved i had many men to deal with more difficult than even my old master had been. thus it is that many are apt to dislike and leave their employment through trifles, and in the search for a better often only get a worse one, much to their disappointment. the next day we drew out of portsmouth harbour on our route to south america, and sea-sickness soon commencing on board, i was, the worse luck for myself, one of the number that succumbed to it. this lasted for nearly a week, during the whole of which time we scarcely ate anything; but when we got better, i think our appetites were such that we could have readily finished a donkey with a hamper of greens. we had good weather until we reached the tropics, when a dead calm followed for a fortnight. as we were nearly upon the equinoctial line, the usual ceremony of shaving took place, which was no doubt very amusing to those who escaped by treating the sailors to a bottle of rum, or those who had crossed the line before; but to us on whom the barber, who was the sailor who had crossed the line most often, operated, it was not so pleasant. for the satisfaction of some who may not quite understand the method of that interesting custom, i will give the routine, at least as it happened on board our ship, though i cannot altogether say whether the same is pursued universally, a large tub of water was placed on deck, and each one who was to be performed on, sat in turn on the edge; then the barber stepped forward and lathered his face all over with tar and grease, and with a piece of iron hoop as a razor scraped it off again; after which he pushed him backwards into the tub, leaving him to crawl out anyhow and sneak off to clean himself. all passed off very well, however, as there was plenty of rum provided to drink from those officers and men who were more disposed to join in the pay than the play. during the calms, we amused ourselves fishing for dolphins, and practising for the first time with ball-cartridge, a bottle being corked and flung overboard as far as possible to serve as a target, and a dollar being offered to the first man who could break it, each one firing once. no one broke it, but i got a glass of grog from the major for being the nearest; so near that i made the bottle spin round. the major remarked that if i went so close as that to a spaniard i should make him shake; and he likewise asked me what trade i was in before i joined the army. as i knew i was too far from england now to be sent back, i told him that i was a builder's apprentice; and he only said, "well done, my boy, so you prefer knocking down houses in the enemy's country to putting them up in your own?" certainly at this moment we were having an easy place, but there was many a time afterwards when i should like to have been given the choice of laying bricks again. after spending about a fortnight in this way, a fair wind blew up, and we proceeded on our voyage. we called in at rio janeiro, the capital of the brazilian empire, lying upon the western side of the entrance to a fine bay which forms the harbour. our chief object for putting in there was to take in water and provisions; and whilst we were anchored there we went on shore, and the queen of portugal reviewed us. next day she sent a quantity of onions and pumpkins on board as a present, which we found very acceptable. we stayed there about a fortnight, sailing on next further south to maldonado, the rendezvous of the fleet, whence after being joined by five thousand troops under sir samuel auchmuty, the whole fleet moved on to monte video and anchored. we lost no time on our arrival there, but early the next morning boats were ordered alongside the troopships to convey us on shore, which movement, as the enemy was on the banks about fifteen thousand strong to receive us, put rather a nasty taste into our mouths, there seeming nothing but death or glory before us. the signal was hoisted from the admiral's ship, and we started for the shore amid the fire of the enemy's artillery. they killed and wounded a few of our men, and sank some of the boats, but as soon as we struck the shore, we jumped out, and forming line in the water, fired a volley and charged, soon driving them from their position on the bank. we found even as early as then that spaniards were not very difficult to encounter. in case of a retreat, our boats were still within our reach, but having gained the victory, we had no need of them, stopping where we were on the banks all night. some field-pieces were next sent on shore, and likewise a number of sailors with drag-ropes to work them, as we had no horses with us, and up to this time no artillery. the country was rather favourable for the sailors, being very level and mostly green pasture, so that they kept along pretty easily, seeming just in their glory, all this being new work to them. after some little firing from the cannon the enemy retreated into the town, which was well fortified. we placed an outlying picket of some three hundred men to watch the enemy's manoeuvres, while the body of our army encamped in the rear in a line stretching from sea to sea, so that the town standing upon a projecting piece of land, all communication from the mainland was cut off. the country around meanwhile abounded with ducks, geese, turkeys, fowls, and plenty of sheep and bullocks, which it may be made sure our men found oftentimes very providential. on the third day of our encampment the spaniards sallied out of the town to surprise our picket, which being overpowered was obliged to retreat, leaving two grenadiers wounded on the field, whom the spaniards much to our horror deliberately cut into pieces. but on the body of our army coming up and charging them, a terrible slaughter ensued on their retreat to the town, which amply repaid us for our two grenadiers; as far as i am able to state, there could not have been less than three thousand killed and wounded, for the next day we had actually to bury two thousand of them. our loss was a mere nothing. i remember that i happened to be placed that night on sentry at the road leading to the town, and not far from a hole where we had buried five or six hundred of the enemy. it was the most uncomfortable two hours' sentry i had ever spent as yet, and i kept my eyes more on the place where the dead were than on the road i was placed to watch, not having altogether forgotten the absurd ghost stories of my own country. i in a way began to think, too, that i had done a good many things i should have liked not to, and to regret for the first time leaving my apprenticeship, my father, mother, and friends, to follow a life so dangerous as i now found this to be, with nothing to expect, as i thought, but to be myself numbered with the slain. i soon became more hardened, however, as i was more and more mixed up in similar or worse affairs than these slight brushes with a weak enemy had proved to be. however, at this juncture i took the opportunity to send my first letter home, so as to satisfy the folks there of my whereabouts, though i kept from them the more perilous part of my story. we reported to the general the circumstances of the spaniards' barbarity to our wounded comrades, and the answer he gave was that we were to repay them in their own coin. i may mention here that we all thought sir samuel a most excellent commander. he always delighted most in a good rough-looking soldier with a long beard and greasy haversack, who he thought was the sort of man most fit to meet the enemy. it was chiefly owing to his dislike to dandyism that wearing long hair with powder, which was the fashion then for the smart soldier, was done away with soon after we landed in the enemy's country; of course also partly because it was so difficult to get the powder. we never found the spaniards sally out of the town after this to engage us, as i expect they did not much like the warm reception they had received. we set to work building up batteries and breastworks, some three hundred of us being sent to cut down a copse of peach-trees that was near to make gabions and fascines to form them with. when our fortifications were completed, which was in a very few days, we began bombarding the town, for which purpose we had brought up our twenty-four pounders from the men-of-war. after about four days' play we made a breach by knocking down the gate and part of the wall, which was six feet thick, and though the enemy repaired it at night with a quantity of bullocks' hides filled with earth, next morning as early as two o'clock we advanced to storm the town. captain renny of ours commanded the forlorn hope. the ladders were placed against the hides of earth, and we scaled them under a heavy fire from the spaniards. we found the earth better stuff to encounter than stone, and though our poor captain fell in the breach whilst nobly leading on his men, we succeeded in forcing our way into the town, which was soon filled with the reinforcements that followed us. we drove the enemy from the batteries, and massacred with sword and bayonet all whom we found carrying arms: the general's orders being not to plunder or enter any house, or injure any woman, child, or man not carrying arms, or fire a shot until daylight. on our approach to the gunwharf of the town, we found some twenty or thirty negroes chained to the guns, whom we spared and afterwards found very useful, chiefly in burying the dead. when the heat of the fighting was subsided, the drums beat to assembly in the square, and orders were then given for the massacre to be stayed, but that all the prisoners were to be taken that we could lay our hands on. our troops were accordingly despatched to the forts and batteries, and nearly three thousand prisoners were taken; the governor of the town giving himself up with all the forts except the citadel, where there was a separate general in command. the governor said he had nothing to do with this, so sir samuel sent a flag of truce to know if the commander would give the place up. the answer being "no," three or four riflemen were placed on a tower sufficiently high and near to the citadel for the purpose of, if possible, picking out the general and shooting him. this was soon effected, for on his appearing for a walk on the ramparts in his full uniform, one of the men shot him dead: and when the spaniards found that they had lost their commander, they soon became disheartened, and lowering the drawbridge, came out of the citadel and gave themselves up. part of our troops immediately took possession, pulling down the spanish colours and hoisting the english flag from the town and citadel in their stead. we took about four thousand prisoners in all, who were sent on board ship; but where they were taken to afterwards i am not able to state. chapter iv. incidents during the stay at monte video -- the beguiling of goodfellow -- a man hanged and then condemned to be transported -- matrimonial designs of a spanish father frustrated -- advance to and occupation of colonia -- heroic conduct of a tallow chandler -- he proves of service in more ways than one -- expedition to san pedro -- a battle with a hot breakfast at the end -- narrow escape of lawrence from being shot -- unfortunate results of a combination of booty. now that we had got possession of a fine town, we could lie up comfortably, only having to put out three or four hundred men on picket round the walls and see that the gates of the town were closed every night at sunset and not opened till daylight in the morning, and then feeling that we could make ourselves quite at home. the inhabitants were meanwhile not altogether deprived of their livelihood, as our general issued a proclamation that they should open their shops and carry on their business as usual: and if any declined to open, he was kind enough to send parties to do it for them. during the time that we lay there, which i should think was at least five months, the only things that occurred that could be called out of the way were, i am sorry to say, of rather an unpleasant nature. one thing was that a sergeant and corporal of the spanish army came in disguise and tried to enlist any of our men who would join their service; and unfortunately a sergeant named goodfellow, one of my own regiment, accepted their proposals, tempted by the heavy bounty they offered. but while passing out of the town in disguise with the spaniards, he was met and recognized by the general himself and his staff: a most unlucky encounter for the three runaways, for they were brought back again and put under charge immediately, and a court-martial ordered on them next day. our colonel, however, implored so hard for our sergeant's life on account of the regiment's late good conduct in the field, that the general granted it, and changed his sentence to one of transportation for life: but the spaniards were not quite so leniently dealt with, for they were tried and hanged, to make sure that they could not repeat their mischievous practices. we also found among the prisoners an irishman who had somehow got away from us over on to the wrong side, and had been fighting against us. he was tried and sentenced to be hanged, and we all had to march up next day to witness his execution and take example from it. but his life was not destined to end here, for the rope was not altogether a strong one, and he was fortunate enough when he fell to break it. directly his feet touched ground, he begged hard for mercy: and the rope had made such a terrible mark on his neck that i suppose the general thought he had been hanged enough: so he was sent into hospital, and when he recovered, transported for the rest of the life that had thus been given back to him. while he was on his way down the town to go on board the vessel, i should think that if he had one dollar given him, he had at least half a peck, though i do not expect they would be much use to him where he was going to. i never heard any more of him, but i don't suppose many men could say that they had been hanged and then transported afterwards. another case of desertion was that of an officer's servant, who went away with the greater part of his master's clothes, taking with him likewise a spanish lady; he was lucky enough to get off safe, and nothing was heard of him afterwards. this was not at all a rare temptation, though, that was put in our soldiers' way; for i was myself offered a fortune by a spanish gentleman, together with his daughter, if i would desert and remain in the country. whenever he met me about he would treat me to anything i liked to name, which i sometimes found very acceptable, and he would often give me money as well, in hopes of gaining me over in time. he had more chances of making up to me, for i forgot to mention that i had received a slight wound in the left leg in storming the town, which kept me limping about and partially disabled from duty for nearly a fortnight; but i don't think he would have minded his daughter not marrying me in particular, so long as he could persuade some one. but he happened one day to leave his horse tied up close to our main guard while he went into a kind of public-house, and occupied himself treating some of our men; and the fact being discovered by those outside that his stirrups were of solid gold, when he came out again one of them was missing. it must have weighed at least a pound, so naturally he thought it worth while reporting the circumstance to the colonel, and a search was made; but no clue could be found to the missing stirrup, so he had to ride away as best he could with only the other one; so he only came off a loser in the end, and he never got his daughter married after all. after staying in the town for the time stated, a thousand of us were despatched up the river rio de la plata to a small place called colonia, where an army of spaniards about four or five thousand strong was lying. we landed with ease, and the enemy retreated out of the place after firing a few shots, leaving it in our hands, so that we again found ourselves for a time in comfortable quarters. we placed pickets of two or three hundred men round the place, and fixed a _chevaux de frise_ in the gate, formed of very sharp and pointed swords stuck very thickly into a beam which was made to turn on its axis: rather an awkward instrument to face if one is not used to it. duty at this place was rather hard, owing to there being so few of us, and such a number on picket or at work building some batteries for our better protection. at the picket-house, which was some distance from the town, there lived a soap-boiler and tallow-chandler, who was very kind to us while we were there on duty, killing a bullock almost every night for our use, as he only required the skin and tallow, and any one may suppose that two hundred hungry men knew what to do with the rest of it. an incident took place during our stay at his house which will show how well disposed he was towards us. we had passed a very quiet week there, when one night the spaniards passed our picket secretly in the darkness, fired a volley into the town, and then immediately retreated. our picket only just managed to get through safely into the town, leaving one of our men asleep in the picket-house, and he must certainly have met his death if he had been caught there singly; but the tallow-chandler, though himself a spaniard, concealed him under a quantity of dry hides while the enemy were scouring the place in search of stragglers, and so saved his life. in consequence of this surprise, still heavier duty was afterwards put upon us, the picket having to be augmented to prevent further annoyance. two or three days after this had occurred the tallow-chandler was sent for to join the spanish army, no doubt because their general suspected him of favouring the english; but he would not go until he had obtained our colonel's advice, which was that he should go by all means, and if he could conveniently come back with full particulars of the enemy's strength he should be rewarded. as far as i can remember, he had been away about ten days, when he again made his appearance with the requisite information. what reward he got i cannot say, but as the result of his tidings, about two or three days afterwards we were called under arms at midnight and supplied with half a pound of beef for each man; the order then being given to return to our lodgings for two hours, and at the end of that time to fall in again. meanwhile a number of sailors came from on board our ships to take charge of the town during our absence, we being now bound for some place as yet unknown to us. a little after two in the morning we left the town with an indian for our guide. we asked in the best manner that we could where we were going to, but all we could understand from him was that we were on the way to fight some spaniards, which of course we had pretty well guessed before, and that we should have some four or five thousand of them to encounter. this last bit of news made us think that we were going to have hard nuts to crack, but we found them a very cowardly sort of folk to deal with, for after marching some five or six miles, we despatched skirmishing parties, who fell in with their picket and took a few prisoners, and soon made the others retreat without doing anything further than to send up some rockets to alarm the body of the enemy. we marched on still further till we came nearly up to them, when we found a river in our way; fortunately it was not very deep, so we waded through it under a fire from the spanish cannon, which killed two of our men while in the act of crossing; and as soon as we were over we formed line and advanced towards the enemy, who lay on some fine rising ground in our front. they had some few pieces of cannon with them, and opened the first fire with both cannon and musketry, but every shot seemed to rise over our heads, and i don't think that volley killed a man. we were up and at them like dragons, wounding and taking their general with about a hundred and fifty other prisoners; likewise a stand of colours, three pieces of cannon, and their baggage. moreover, we found a nice breakfast cooking for us in the shape of fowls, geese, turkeys, beef, rice, and _calavancos_, (though the latter were rather too warm with cayenne pepper and garlic,) all of which the enemy had had to leave in his hurry, and which came in very acceptably at the end of a long march. the colonel ordered everything to be taken from the prisoners we had made, as that was how he had been served himself when he had been taken prisoner at buenos ayres, so we set to clearing them of all they possessed, their money, which amounted to about two thousand dollars, their clothes, and even their boots. i had a very narrow escape while the plunder was going on. i entered one of the enemy's storehouses, at one end of which a quantity of bullocks' hides were lying, at a sufficient distance from the wall to allow a man to pass or hide behind them; and there beside the heap stood a spaniard whom i knew well, as he had sold cakes to us while we were at colonia, and who now offered me a pot of honey to eat. i had my misgivings, however, so made motion for him to eat first, for fear of poison; and at the same time, casting my eye to the left, i saw a spaniard emerge from between the hides and the wall with a pistol, which he levelled at me. i became pretty active, as may be supposed under the circumstances, and managed to guard it off; but the shot whizzed very close to my head nevertheless, which made me very much enraged with the man, and determined he should not escape. unfortunately for him, one of our dismounted cavalry, an irishman, came in, and on my telling him there was a spaniard behind the hides, who had just fired a pistol at me, "tare an' 'ounds," says he, "i'll fetch him out; you stand at one end to stop him with your bayonet while i drive him out." so paddy went round with his sword, and after a little exercise behind, "look out comrade," he sang out, "he's coming;" and sure enough i skewered him to the wall by driving my bayonet right through his body, while paddy came out and finished him by splitting his head nearly in two with his heavy sword, remarking as he did it, "bad luck to ye, i don't think ye'll ever shoot another englishman, or irishman either." the other man had meanwhile made off. we had taken amongst other things about twenty barrels of gunpowder and a quantity of cigars, which latter, owing to the carelessness of one man, proved to be more plague than profit; for whilst most of us were smoking, one of the company, going near the powder, happened to let a spark fall from his cigar, which resulted in twelve men being blown into the air: and though none were killed on the spot, they were so frightfully burnt that several died on reaching colonia. i believe all that we lost actually killed by the enemy's hand were the two men who fell in crossing the river. we gave ten dollars to each of the widows of the men killed, and the rest of the prize-money was divided. chapter v. return to colonia -- general whitelock assumes the command of the army in the plate, and a movement is made on buenos ayres -- studied insolence on the part of certain indian natives -- remarkable value attached by them to a british head -- their eventual punishment -- the troops effect an easy entrance into buenos ayres, but, for reasons unknown to the narrator, retreat almost immediately and not very creditably -- return to monte video and final departure from the plate -- terrific storm on the way home -- inconvenient mishap to a soldier -- christmas in cork cove. as we had effected all that was wanted at san pedro, which was the name of the place where we had been carrying on these operations, we returned to colonia, dragging back the guns laden with our wounded, and taking with us the prisoners, who had to walk along barefooted, as we had availed ourselves of their boots. on our arrival at colonia our sailors saluted us when they saw the number of our prisoners and the three pieces of cannon we had taken, giving "three cheers for the brave soldiers." the prisoners were then sent on board a ship that was lying in the river, and an outlying picket having been posted as usual, the rest of us remained comfortably in the town. next day the colonel gave orders for everything belonging to the prisoners, such as clothes, &c., to be brought out, offering a fair price for them to be returned to their proper owners, which showed of what a good disposition he really was: only he had allowed us to take the things before as an example. we remained here about a month this time, when general whitelock came out with a reinforcement and took the command from sir samuel auchmuty, and soon afterwards, some troops being left in charge of monte video, the rest proceeded to buenos ayres, calling at colonia on the way to pick up our little squad. we landed some miles before coming to buenos ayres, intending, if possible, to storm the back of the town, as it was strongly fortified on the side towards the coast. we were thus obliged to march inland and form encampments, the first of which was situated a little way from where we landed. an incident took place here, which was attended by the death of two men, a corporal and a private, and likewise the very narrow escape of a second private. they were engaged in plundering one of the indian huts, when the inhabitants fell on them armed, and, catching the corporal round the neck with a lasso, soon dragged him away, at the same time knocking the private down and stabbing him; the other private only escaped back to the regiment after receiving a sabre-wound which carried the skin and hair off the back of his head. this was a great glory to the natives; they stuck the corporal's head on a pole and carried it in front of their little band when on the march. they also made use of the rifle and ammunition they had taken from him to fire at times into our camp, but fortunately it was a very harmless sort of practice. next day we again resumed our march, encamping again at night. i remember that night was very foggy, and an officer and some men having gone out in search of bullocks for the supply of the army, the officer was very nearly lassoed by an indian who came on him suddenly in the darkness. fortunately he had the presence of mind to ride after him, which saved his life, for so the indian could not pull him over; and then he managed to cut the lasso with his sword. as we marched along on our next day's journey, about two hundred indians kept following us, the foremost of them wearing our dead corporal's jacket, and carrying his head--i do not exactly know for what reason, but perhaps they thought a good deal more of a dead man's head than we should feel disposed to do. we went on for some distance through a great many orange-gardens, till we came to a lane thickly hedged in on both sides, which was entered by a gate, and there, after the body of our army had passed through, some few men, including myself, waited in ambush for the indians, having a reserve placed a short distance down the lane in case of a combat. the indians soon approached, but seemed to have some misgivings, though we could not exactly understand what they said. there being only a few of us, not quite twenty in all, i rather shook in my shoes on seeing their number; but we soon found there was very little occasion for this, for on our firing directly the front party had passed the gate, killing two of them and wounding and capturing their chief, who was the one who was so proud of his head, the rest fled for their lives, not liking the smell and much less the taste of our gunpowder. we picked up the wounded man and carried him, and left him, more dead than alive, in a neighbouring village. on nearing buenos ayres the light brigade was ordered on in front, under the command of colonel pack, who soon succeeded in taking the bull ring battery; for buenos ayres was much more easy to take than monte video, as it was very slightly fortified towards the country. there were some cannons placed at the end of each street, but they proved a very small difficulty to be overcome, as there seemed nobody efficient to work them, and after passing these, our soldiers were soon in possession of the city. then they hoisted the king's flag on a convent and waited, expecting every minute that the body of our army would come up; but instead of this, general whitelock encamped about a mile out of the town and remained there. if he had attended properly to his business he would have followed up and relieved the brigade; but as it was, the spaniards rallied and overpowered it. i was with the main body, and so was not able to enter the city to see what was going on. we all fell under arms when we heard the muskets at work, waiting for the general's orders to advance: but there we lay the whole night, not doing a stroke, and next day we re-embarked for monte video, having come to some terms, though we were ignorant of that at the time. we remained at monte video some two months longer, during which interval the ships taken in the harbour were offered for sale, but the inhabitants refusing to buy them, we loaded some ourselves with hides, tallow, and cocoa, and the rest, which were not worth bringing home, were towed out to the mouth of the harbour and set on fire. the spaniards had previously blown up a very fine frigate to prevent it falling into our hands. part of our army was then embarked for the east indies and the cape of good hope, whilst we others went on an expedition about a hundred miles up the rio de la plata to get fresh water, and when we returned proceeded on our way homewards from that part of the world. the first part of our voyage was very pleasant, the troops in general keeping very healthy; but when we had sailed some distance, we had a dead calm for a considerable time, which made us much longer on our voyage than we had thought for, and consequently our water supply ran very short, and had to be served out in allowances of half a pint a day. a small supply, however, fortunately came before long. our captain, seeing a cloud in the distance, foretold that we were going to have a thunderstorm, and ordered the scupper-holes to be stopped, and all except the watch to remain below. i happened to be one of the watch at the time, and well i remember how it very shortly after began to thunder and lighten, the rain falling in torrents for two or three hours; it was the heaviest thunderstorm i had ever witnessed. we baled up some twenty or more casks of water, which was none the better, perhaps, for there being pigs, fowls, geese, and turkeys all over the deck, but still was very acceptable to us in our parched state, as till that we had had to cook our food and wash ourselves in salt water only. during the storm our mainmast was struck by the lightning, which split a piece off it from top to bottom, but fortunately did not disable it; but a sad mishap befell one of our men while sitting at mess at the time, for he was struck dead, his shirt being burnt in places like tinder, and his mess-tin being likewise turned black, while the top of a bayonet that was standing close to the unfortunate man was melted like lead. the blow had shaken our little bark so terribly that the captain ordered the pumps to be tried; fortunately there was no leakage to be found, but the lightning must have got well down below, for on opening the main hatchway the sulphur came up enough to suffocate any one. after the storm, the calm still continued, and we had to amuse ourselves as best we could with fishing; a few days after a breeze sprang up, but it was foul for england, and we had to knock about till a more favourable one blew up, which finally landed us in the cove of cork. we spent the christmas of on board, sending on shore for raisins, flour, fat, and beer, and so being enabled to enjoy ourselves very comfortably. chapter vi. the troops kept in ireland -- ordered to spain to fight new opponents in behalf of their late ones -- land in mondego bay and advance to vimeira -- a light repast interrupted by a heavy battle -- battle of vimeira -- preliminary skirmishing -- lawrence's first experience in fighting the french -- a good front-rank man -- defeat of the french and advance on lisbon -- the french evacuate the city -- lawrence's impressions of lisbon -- sir arthur wellesley made commander-in-chief -- the regiment invalided for a time -- attempt to join sir john moore frustrated -- seville -- lawrence's first offence -- he is court-martialled for it and flogged -- moral reflections on the same. we had already laid in our sea stock in preparation to start for england, when we found ourselves disappointed of our hopes, for orders came for us to land in ireland; and we had to march to cork and thence to various other places for six months, nothing of any particular note happening during the while; and at the end of it, orders again came for us to embark for portugal, to drive the french from there, and from the spanish dominions. thus after we had been in open war against the spaniards, who for the time had been in alliance with the french, or rather had been forced to be so, now that buonaparte had overrun their own country and kindled hatred against himself, these same spaniards had made peace with us, and sent to us for assistance to drive him out of their country: so that we had to go and fight for the very nation we had been a few months before opposing in monte video, buenos ayres, and colonia. after we had all embarked we had still to lie in cork harbour, waiting for the english fleet, and then we sailed from the irish coast, about twelve thousand strong, under sir arthur wellesley, on the th of july, . we first touched at corunna to make arrangements with the spaniards, and their advice being to land in portugal, we went to mondego bay, near the town of figueras, where we landed, leaving our baggage on board. after about five days' march we were joined by general spencer, and next day our advanced guard had a slight engagement with the enemy at rorica. thence we marched on to vimeira, and were joined by generals anstruther and acland with more reinforcements, and sir hugh dalrymple took the head command from sir arthur wellesley. the village of vimeira stood in a valley with a fine range of hills to the westward, and a ridge of heights to the east. our brigades were stationed on the mountains to the west, whilst our cavalry was posted in the valley, and general anstruther's brigade lay to the east. on the first night of our encampment there, two of my comrades and myself were strolling over the hills together, when we fell in with a hive of bees, weighing i should think at least a hundredweight, which we carried back into the camp: not without difficulty, however, for we found them very uncivil passengers to carry, and our faces and hands were fearfully stung; but our honey and grapes, for we had profited too from being encamped in some very fine vineyards, paid us for this a little. next morning we proceeded to make our breakfast off the same materials, but we were not destined to finish very quietly, for in the midst of our meal we were disturbed by the near approach of the enemy, and were immediately ordered under arms. the right of our line was engaged at least two hours before a general engagement took place on our side, which was the left, but we were skirmishing with the enemy the whole time. i remember this well, on account of a frenchman and myself being occupied in firing at each other for at least half an hour without doing anyone any injury; but he took a pretty straight aim at me once, and if it had not been for a tough front-rank man that i had, in the shape of a cork-tree, his shot must have proved fatal, for i happened to be straight behind the tree when the bullet embedded itself in it. i recollect saying at the time, "well done, front-rank man, thee doesn't fall at that stroke," and unfortunately for the frenchman, a fellow-comrade, who was lefthanded, came up to me very soon afterwards, and asked me how i was getting on. i said badly, and told him there was a frenchman in front, and we had been trying to knock each other over for some time, without either of us having been able to succeed; on which he asked me where he was, that he might have a try at him. i pointed out the thicket behind which the frenchman was, and he prepared his rifle so as to catch him out in his peeping manoeuvres, but not without himself, as well as i, being well covered by my old front-rank man. by-and-by mr. frenchman again made his peep round the bush, but it was his last, for my comrade, putting his rifle to his left shoulder, killed him at the first shot. after we had been thus employed in skirmishing for some time, a large body of french made their appearance in our front. our artillery greeted them pretty sharply, ploughing furrows through them with ball and throwing them into a confused state, after which our columns advanced under general spencer, our cannon still playing over our heads, until we got within a short distance of the enemy, when we fired and charged them, driving them from the position they had occupied after some very severe fighting well kept up for some time on both sides, and capturing about seven pieces of cannon, with ammunition waggons. the loss of the french at this place could not have been much less than two thousand, though some have reported it less and some more; but it is very hard to arrive at a just calculation. our loss was reported to have been about seven hundred. after the battle was ended we marched on towards lisbon, passing on our way about a hundred and fifty carts laden with the enemy's wounded. when we arrived at lisbon we encamped, so that the french had no means of communication with the city; as, our fleet lying in or near the mouth of the harbour, and our army stopping all approach from the land, the french in the city were blocked in. on the first night of our encampment the inhabitants illuminated the part where we lay. we were not destined, however, to be outside the city long, for on the leaders of our army and the french coming to some terms, the french left with the honours of war, and gladly embarked from the harbour in september. these were the very troops with whom at a later period we had to contend. when the enemy had left lisbon we took up our quarters in the city, amid the joy and enthusiasm of the inhabitants, who shouted in triumph as the french left, and held illuminations even on the vessels in the harbour for several successive nights afterwards. lisbon then on every side still exhibited marks of that terrible earthquake which almost completely destroyed it in the year . it was situated on the right bank of the tagus, near its mouth, which forms a very fine harbour; and it stood chiefly on very precipitous hills, of which the highest was occupied by the fine castle of saint george, which was indeed the principal object that attracted the eye anywhere from the city. the great squares contained some magnificent edifices, noteworthy for the fineness of their pillars. the streets were narrow and winding and dirty, and indeed after the french had left the whole city was in a most desolate state; but the general view of the city and its environs from the harbour at a distance was very beautiful, the sides of the hills being clothed with plantations and numberless vineyards, and the buildings extending for a mile and a half or two miles along the coast. sir hugh dalrymple, sir arthur wellesley, and some other of the chief leaders of our army were then recalled to england to communicate the circumstances of the terms that had been arrived at in portugal between the two armies: as the rulers, and indeed all classes in england received the first reports of them with indignation. this was the reason that the inquiry was made, of which the fruits were that sir arthur wellesley was decided on as the proper person to take the head command of our troops in the peninsula. during our stay in lisbon our regiment fell ill and was obliged to be returned unfit for service, which state of things lasted about two months. but as soon as sir arthur wellesley returned as commander-in-chief, we were ordered into spain, in company with five thousand spaniards, to join sir john moore's army. we had a long and tedious march until we reached a place called seville, where we encamped for several weeks, on account of sir john moore having been obliged to retreat; and the french cutting off our communication, we had to proceed to cadiz and there embark again for lisbon. i must here relate a circumstance which took place before i proceeded from seville, which, although not very creditable to myself, is of too great importance as an event in my life to be omitted. i absented myself without leave from guard for twenty-four hours, and when i returned i found i had jumped into a fine scrape, for i was immediately put into the guard-room, and a drum-head court-martial was ordered on me. it was the first offence to cause one to be held on me, but that did not screen me much, and i was sentenced to four hundred lashes. i felt ten times worse on hearing this sentence than i ever did on entering any battlefield; in fact, if i had been sentenced to be shot, i could not have been more in despair, for my life at that time seemed of very little consequence to me. my home and my apprenticeship days again ran in my head, but even these thoughts soon lost themselves as i neared the spot where my sentence was to be carried out. i found the regiment assembled all ready to witness my punishment: the place chosen for it was the square of a convent. as soon as i had been brought in by the guard, the court-martial was read over me by the colonel, and then i was ordered to strip, which i did firmly and without using any of the help that was offered me, as i had by that time got hardened to my lot. i was then lashed to the halberds, and the colonel gave the order for the drummers to commence, each one having to give me twenty-five lashes in turn. i bore it very well until i had received a hundred and seventy-five, when i became so enraged with the pain that i pushed the halberds, which did not stand at all firm, on account of their being planted on stones, right across the square, amid the laughter of the regiment. the colonel, i suppose, thinking then that i had had sufficient, ordered, in the very words, "the sulky rascal down," and perhaps a more true word could not have been spoken, as indeed i was sulky, for i did not give vent to a single sound the whole time, though the blood ran down my trousers from top to bottom. i was unbound and the corporal hove my shirt and jacket over my shoulders and conveyed me to the hospital, presenting about as miserable a picture as i possibly could. perhaps it was as good a thing for me as could then have occurred, as it prevented me from committing any greater crimes which might have gained me other severer punishments and at last brought me to my ruin; but for all that it was a great trial for me, and i think that a good deal of that kind of punishment might have been abandoned with great credit to those who ruled our army; for it is amazing to think of four hundred lashes being ordered on a man young as i was, and undergoing all the privations of a most sanguinary war, just for an offence, and that the first, which might have been overlooked, or at any rate treated with less punishment and a severe reprimand. chapter vii. lawrence transferred into the grenadier company -- the regiment embarks at cadiz for lisbon again in consequence of sir john moore's defeat at corunna -- hospitality of an english merchant -- march to join sir arthur wellesley at castello branco -- the spanish troops reviewed -- lawrence's opinion of them -- battle of talavera -- lawrence's opinion of the spaniards justified -- severe fighting on the second day of the battle -- friendliness between the wounded -- final attack and repulse of the french -- horrible fate of some of the wounded -- advance to oropesa -- the spanish general cuesta deserts the wounded at talavera -- march towards badajoz -- privations on the road -- fresh supply of clothes at badajoz -- lawrence invalided to elvas -- is cured chiefly by reflecting on his manner of burial -- returns to badajoz -- sir arthur wellesley made viscount wellington -- end of . i remained in hospital about three weeks, and on coming out i was transferred from the light into the grenadier company. as i before said, on leaving seville, which i did in a pretty well marked state, of which i bear the remembrances on my back to this day upwards of fifty years since, we marched to cadiz and encamped there, intending to embark for lisbon, sir john moore's army having been by that time repulsed by sheer force of numbers, and himself killed at corunna. on that night an english wine-merchant asked permission to give each man in our regiment a pint of wine and each woman half that quantity, with a pound of bread apiece; and accordingly we were all drawn up in line, and marched into a tremendous cellar, big enough, had they been so disposed, to have admitted the whole regiment, with two doors one at each end, at one of which we entered to receive our share, and went out by the other. he likewise invited the officers to dine with him; and so that night, after drinking the merchant's little kindness, as we most of us did to pretty quick time, we slept a good deal sounder. next day we embarked for lisbon, and after landing there we proceeded some miles up the country to join sir arthur's army in castello branco, making up altogether about twenty thousand english and sixty or eighty thousand allies. we then advanced across a fine plain, which i should think was more famed for hares than anything else, for i never saw any place that swarmed so with that kind of game. they were running in all directions, and often even right into our lines, for they are stupid animals when frightened, as they then were by the noise our men made; and i managed to kill one with the muzzle of my musket, and sold it to the captain of my company for a dollar. the bands played each before its own regiment as we crossed the plain, and sir arthur wellesley took the opportunity of reviewing the spanish troops as they passed. they looked a fine enough set of men, but they were fit for scarcely anything except to fall into disorder and confusion, as we had already found when we had taken the field against some of them at monte video, colonia, and buenos ayres, the smell of powder often seeming to cause them to be missing when wanted, either from not having been properly disciplined, or else because they had not good officers to command them; this, of course, now bringing the brunt of most of the battles on us. we often passed marks of the enemy's encampments, and even encamped at or near the same places ourselves, as close as possible to some river or large supply of water, a small quantity being of little use for the purposes of a large body of men like our army, accompanied as it was, too, by horses and wagons and such things. we never caught sight of the enemy, however, till we got to talavera, where we came to an engagement with the french on the th and th of july, . the whole of our line there extended for about two miles, and at times the whole of it was joining in the general engagement, which came more hot upon us for the reason before described; a great number of the spaniards even throwing down their arms and fleeing, for which conduct their general, cuesta, ordered them to be decimated; but eventually, on the entreaty of sir arthur wellesley, only about forty of them were killed. general cuesta, however, really wanted quite as much leading on as his men, as he was often very obstinate, and refused to fight when called upon by sir arthur wellesley. after the first day's battle we encamped on the ground we then occupied, but the french made another and unexpected attack on us at night, and at one time had almost gained the heights; but we repulsed them at last, though after that we had to lie on our arms, expecting every minute to be again attacked. some little altercation occurred with the spaniards very early in the morning, but it only lasted a short time; however, about five or six o'clock the french columns were seen in motion towards our left, and very soon afterwards they ascended the height to attack us, and were only driven back by the heavy fire of our musketry, leaving the ground strewn with their dead. at eleven or twelve o'clock in the day the firing ceased, and a period of truce was allowed for both armies to collect their wounded, and convey them to the rear, where, as they lay often intermixed, a friendly intercourse sprang up between them, the allies and french often going so far as to shake hands with each other. at one or two o'clock the enemy again advanced and recommenced with a heavy cannonade and an attack on the whole british lines, but after some very brisk fighting on both sides we repulsed them for the third time, and obliged them to retreat with a loss of some thousands and a few pieces of cannon, the british loss being about a thousand killed and three or four thousand wounded. a very dreadful occurrence happened after the battle, for the long dry grass in which many of the wounded were lying caught fire, and many were scorched to death before assistance could be brought to convey them to hospital in talavera. we lay that night in much the same state as on that previous, expecting to see our noble enemy again, but we were mistaken, for most of them took themselves off during the night, and in the morning only their rear-guard could be seen. next month commenced by sir arthur wellesley leaving the spanish general cuesta in charge of talavera and the wounded, while on the rd he proceeded to oropesa, where he expected to come up with and engage soult's army. but he had not been there long before he found the obstinate cuesta, upon hearing that the enemy was on his flank, had abandoned talavera, thus leaving nearly the whole of the british wounded unprotected. the conduct of cuesta in thus retreating and abandoning the position and the charge entrusted to him, was almost too much for sir arthur to bear, particularly as it was afterwards found that there was no need for it, as the enemy was at some distance off, and not in the least interfering with the spanish army's movements. so in this case we would have been much better without his services altogether. from oropesa we advanced through a country abounding with difficulties, the army suffering much during this march from the heat of the weather, the long exposure, insufficient food, and bad roads, and illness being very prevalent. our provisions rarely exceeded two pounds of meat a day; and sometimes a pint of wheat took the place of one of the pounds of meat, with occasionally, but very rarely, a little flour. our way of cooking the wheat was to boil it like rice, or sometimes, if convenient, we would crack the kernel between two flat stones and then boil it, making a kind of thick paste out of it. this having so little bread or other vegetable substance to eat with our meat was one of the great causes of illness. we halted at or near val de la casa as our next stage for oropesa, and two days after that at deleitosa; and from there we were marched to xaracego, whence, through lack of provisions, we were obliged to proceed to badajoz, arriving there after being about a fortnight on the road. on leaving talavera our clothes had been completely threadbare, and now, through having no change for so long we were smothered with vermin. when we had been a little while in badajoz, however, we were supplied with new clothes, linen, blankets, and great coats, our old ones being burnt; and more live stock was destroyed in the process than there were troops in the country at the time. whilst we were staying at badajoz, numbers of us fell sick daily, and amongst them was unfortunately myself. we were conveyed to a portuguese town some four leagues from badajoz, called elvas, which was the strongest fortified town in portugal, being very little more than two leagues from the frontier of spain. it was situated at the summit of a lofty hill, and at the other side of a valley was a still higher hill, on the top of which was built another strong fort, the two together being called elvas. we invalids occupied the convents of the town. our loss here through the sickness, which was some kind of fever, and was increased through the want of doctors and medicine, was very great, cartloads of the dead being carried out of the town every day for interment in the ground kept for the purpose outside the fortifications. i recovered sufficiently after about six weeks to be able to get out a little on the ramparts, and there a fearful spectacle often met my gaze, for the dead were brought out of the convents completely naked, and after they had been pitched into carts like so many pieces of wood, were carried out and put into holes scarcely large enough to admit of such a number. this unpleasant office of burying the dead fell chiefly on the portuguese convicts, and it was surprising to see with what readiness these men went to work. they carried one body at a time, having the legs over their shoulders, and the head dangling down behind them, and when they came to the graves, on account of the piece of ground appropriated for the burials being so small, they had to pack their burdens with the greatest nicety. this sight soon cured me, as i thought what a narrow escape i had had of being handled by these same men; and i was glad to get back to my regiment at badajoz as soon as possible. thus ended the proceedings of . sir arthur wellesley was, after the battle of talavera, raised to the rank of viscount wellington. chapter viii. the regiment billeted at olivencia -- curious astronomical conjunction -- lawrence exemplifies the truth of an old proverb at the expense of his hosts, and draws down the wrath of the church on himself -- succeeds more satisfactorily in the case of his comrade -- the army shifted to the valley of the mondego -- lord wellington's hopes in almeida and ciudad rodrigo being disappointed, it falls back still further to busaco -- battle of busaco -- lawrence makes a capture, which may be regarded by some readers as emblematic. at the beginning of we proceeded from badajoz to olivencia, and were there billeted on the inhabitants, two or more in a house, as the circumstances would permit. i remember one very curious thing which occurred at this time, which was that the names of the drum-majors of the three regiments that were collected in this place were sun, moon, and star, our regiment having the moon, the fifty-third the sun, and the ninth the star, so that if having the sun, moon, and star fighting for us was any help, they were there all ready. i happened to be billeted with a comrade of the name of lewis phillips, a welshman, in a house occupied by a respectable but poor man and his wife, whom we found on the whole very kindly meaning towards us. their occupation was that of labourers, and at this particular season of the year they were employed in picking olive-berries. before going out to their work in the morning they would prepare their supper; which, as it was then lent, and they were not allowed to eat meat, consisted, as far as i was able to observe, of a mixture of greens, oil, cayenne pepper, and salt, which they would leave on the embers in an earthenware jar to be cooked by the time they came back; and as generally either myself or my comrade was in the way, they would ask us to occasionally give it a stir. one day after i had been there some little time, i was left as cook, and feeling in rather a mischievous mood, i cut some of my meat up very small--not much indeed, as may be supposed, out of the pound, which was all that we then received--and put it into the jar; and by nighttime it was so boiled and stirred that even i, who knew it was there, could scarcely recognize it. on their return they were very hungry and soon partook of their _caldo_, as they called it, pronouncing it to be very good, and praising me as the best cook they had had for some time, little suspecting what that same best cook had put into it. i was foolish enough, though indeed i did not expect what a bother i should throw up, to ask them then what they thought was in their _caldo_, and when i told them there was meat in it, they exclaimed they had eaten the devil, or words to that effect in their language, which we were beginning to understand pretty well by that time after being so long in the country. when they had been and got rid of all they had eaten for supper, they reported me to their priest for making them eat meat in lent contrary to the laws of their religion; and on the priest coming to the house he condemned me for ever, and prayed to them telling them not to take any notice, as it was done against their will and by an ignorant protestant. they never liked me much afterwards, nor set me to watch their _caldo_, and, as they were obliged to have me there still, managed to make me rather uncomfortable; but this did not altogether debar me from continuing my jokes, and more as i thought it was pretty well time for lewis to have his turn of it. it happened that lewis particularly disliked olive oil, and i was myself very fond of it, and as we were very seldom on duty together, it used to fall to the one off to cook and bring the other his meals to the guard. so one day i pitched upon a plan by which to take mr. taffy in, he being on guard and i the cook that day. i asked him what he would have for his dinner, and he said some potatoes fried in butter, a piece of bread, and his usual pint of wine: so i got some olive oil, and fried the potatoes in that instead of in butter; and when his turn came for him to be relieved for a time off sentry, took his meal to him, which, coming as it did when he was very hungry, he was not long in lapping up. i then asked him how he had enjoyed it; and he answered he had never had a better meal in his life. i said, "lewis, i thought you did not like oil." "no, no more i do; there was no oil there." i told him i had fried the potatoes in oil, but i could not make him believe it, so at last i said if he was agreeable i would make another mess in the same manner when we were both together at liberty. he consented, so the first time we were both together to dinner i commenced my frying, he being witness to the whole operation, and i found that i succeeded better in my experiment with lewis than with the worthy people of the house, for after that he could eat as much oil as i could. after we had stayed at olivencia for some weeks, chiefly in order to refresh ourselves after the long and tedious marches, warfare, and illness to which for the last two years we had been subjected, lord wellington removed his headquarters to visen, and the army went for the most part into cantonments on the valley of the mondego. lord wellington knew that his troops were then only strong enough for defensive operations, and was therefore determined, unless strongly reinforced, not to take rash measures; but on the enemy's fresh invasion of portugal he again shifted his headquarters to celorico. after that we moved on to another small place, called, as far as i am able to remember, guarda, near almeida, about eight or ten leagues from ciudad rodrigo. almeida was at that time garrisoned by some portuguese troops commanded by an english officer. the french had invested it, but lord wellington expected that it would have been able to baffle the enemy until the commencement of the rainy season, and would thus retard the enemy's movements. almeida was a town of very great strength, but massena opened fire on it about the rd of august, and it was obliged to capitulate as soon afterwards as the th, a magazine containing most of the ammunition having blown up, taking with it great part of the town and the fortifications; the governor being thus disappointed of his desire to detain the french any longer. in this sad accident hundreds of the inhabitants and the soldiery, with many of the enemy, who were assembled outside to watch the effect, were launched into eternity either by the explosion itself or by the huge falling masses. and not only did this misfortune occur, but ciudad rodrigo meanwhile had fallen into the enemy's hands, and thus a way was opened for a fourfold contest. owing to these repeated disappointments of lord wellington's plans, we were again obliged to fall back into the valley of the mondego, crossing that river and taking up our position on the heights of busaco, situate about six leagues north-east of coimbra. our march was one of great difficulty, owing to the heavy rains and bad roads; but lord wellington did his best to provide against these as much as possible by taking the best road; while, on the other hand, massena, who was following us up on his way to lisbon, had taken the very worst; and what was more, owing to ignorance of the country, had little expected to meet a range of heights with, above all, us on the top of them, ready to retard his progress as much as possible. we arrived at busaco about the centre of september, and on the th our line was formed. our division, under general cole, occupied the extreme left of the line, looking down on a flat country, where the british cavalry were drawn up in reserve. the divisions of generals hill, leith, and picton occupied the right of our line, with the first division, commanded by sir bryant spencer, in the centre. in the meantime the french had taken up their position in front, and a splendid view we had of their encampment from busaco heights for a time; but it was not destined to be for long that we were to witness this fine sight, without mingling some of their best blood with ours, for early on the morning of the th they were in active stir, evidently in the full intention of storming our heights. we were immediately ordered under arms, and ready, if necessary, to go into action. early in the morning the french made their appearance. the action commenced on our right and centre, the heaviest fire keeping there the whole time that the battle lasted, as the division i was in had but slight brushes with them. the french must have lost in this engagement some four or five thousand men, while we lost little more than a thousand: but it must be borne in mind what an immense advantage we had over them, as, being situated as we were on the heights, we could witness their every movement. that night they retreated to their old position, disheartened at the little success they had gained, or rather at the actual defeat they had suffered, and not feeling inclined to renew the contest next day: and some very slight engagements were all that ensued, chiefly on the left where the light infantry were. whilst strolling about one day on these heights i caught a fine cock, which i tamed by tying him to my knapsack by the leg and carrying him about with me, much to the amusement of my comrades; for after i had had him about a fortnight, he became so tame that he would sit on my knapsack quite quietly, without even the string to his leg. we named him tom, and i took to carrying him about everywhere, even on to the battlefield; wherever my knapsack went, tom went too, and when the balls were whizzing about, which he did not seem altogether to like, he would make that curious noise which many may have observed as such which a bird like this would make when pursued or frightened. he served, however, to while away many a long and dreary hour pleasantly by his peculiar little ways, and we all became very fond of him: and he grew quite fat on the many tit-bits he received from my comrades and myself during our mess, it being quite marvellous to see how regularly he went to each in turn for his contribution. and it was still more curious to see how tom was always ready for action on any move of the knapsacks, and not only that, but how very seldom he made any mistake as to which was the right one. however, certain it was that after he had inhabited my knapsack for a little time he had made sufficient marks on it that i could never mistake it for any other, so perhaps he went by them as well as myself. chapter ix. march to leiria -- liberation of nuns -- retreat before the french to within the lines of torres vedras -- general flitting on the part of the population -- pitiful scenes on the road -- lawrence and his comrades cantoned in a cellar at patamara -- they find a treasure -- the owner doesn't, and makes a disturbance -- lawrence as an interpreter -- a game of cunning between officers and men, ending in a victory for the latter -- massena compelled to retreat to santarem for want of supplies -- the regiment receives its south american prize money, and is promptly put in the way to spend it. on lord wellington finding that the french intended to alter their route, and so escape this formidable height, he retreated towards lisbon himself, passing coimbra, at which place the portuguese took some thousands of the french sick and wounded, together with some few effective troops, who had been left to protect the hospital. from coimbra we proceeded farther south, having again to cross the mondego, which we did in the latter end of september, reaching leiria on the nd of october. on the march we passed a nunnery, where we halted for about a quarter of an hour. a great many of the nuns were crowding the balconies to watch us, and as the french were following us up pretty close, the colonel ordered the doors to be broken open by a body of grenadiers, which was soon done, myself being among the number told off for the purpose. this was not carried out, however, without an accident, for one of the women meanwhile fell from a balcony, owing to the crowded state in which they were packed on it. the poor women seemed very glad to get their liberty, for they came out as thick as a flock of sheep, and a great many of them soon passed us bound for lisbon, being fearful of consequences if they took any other direction: as the french were after us so near as to skirmish with our rear-guard, which chiefly consisted of cavalry. lord wellington had indeed issued a proclamation ordering all the inhabitants to fall back on the approach of the enemy, and destroy any articles that they might possess and were not able to carry with them, that were at all likely to be of any use to the enemy; and so thousands of the population of the country that seemed about to fall within the bounds of the enemy's marches were to be seen flying from their dwellings, and our army during its retreat was accompanied by crowds of miserable men, women, and children, all eager to reach the capital, as they knew that if they fell in with the french, they would be treated as some had been before, with all the barbarities of an atrocious enemy. i have often heard talk of "moving" in england, and have seen a cart or wagon with a man driving a load of furniture, at the rate of three miles an hour, with a woman and perhaps several children sitting on the top, or at the back; but i never before or since saw such a wholesale move as this was, for every one seemed anxious to carry as many of his effects as he could find room for. the farther we proceeded the more confused our retreat appeared, for multitudes were obliged to rest weary and exhausted by the roadside, and often, though made eager in their endeavours as they heard of the enemy's approach to again renew their tedious journey, were found dying or even dead from their hard exertions, and the road was everywhere strewn with pieces of all kinds of furniture, which the poor fugitives had vainly attempted to get forward. from leiria we went on further to torres vedras, which we gained after a long, tedious, and impressive march; and there we took up our position at some fine breastworks which lord wellington had for some time previous ordered to be thrown up by the portuguese peasantry in case of the retreat of our army. now we found how much we needed them, for on the th of october the french came in sight of our strong position, where we had drawn up, determined that they should not proceed one step farther towards lisbon. massena was rather surprised at our strength, which was quite unexpected by him. he had thought of driving the english into the sea, but he now found his mistake, so encamped about a mile and a half from our position. on the th, however, he attacked our lines near sobral, but was repulsed; and on another occasion a slight skirmish took place on the right of the line, in which the french general, st. croix, was killed by the fire from our gunboats; but on account of our strong position, the french did not come to a general engagement. the cold and rainy weather having now set in, lord wellington had provided as well as possible for the best reception of his troops, who were mostly now in cantonments, whilst those of massena's army were subject to hardships of the worst description, owing to the cold, wet, and above all insufficient food and raiment, for they were far away from all supplies from their own country, and there were guerillas or mountain rebels always on the watch to intercept such as were sent, while our army was so near lisbon that it could always get abundance. our regiment was situated in a village called patamara, in the front of our works, where we lay as comfortably as if we had been living in peaceful times; though we were so near the enemy that we very often wandered into the same vineyards, and exchanged compliments by shaking hands. we were cantoned in a large cellar, but it was unfortunately empty, or at least there was no wine in it, and though there was a quantity of wheat in a vat, we had no need of that, as we had plenty of our own supplies. the owner of our cellar generally visited us every day, and we could not help thinking after a time that he seemed to take particular notice of a large box or bin that two of our men were using to sleep in, so we moved it one morning, and found that the ground underneath had been disturbed. of course we thought that there must be some treasure concealed there, so we went to work with our bayonets, having no other tools at hand, and soon we came across a large jar, which we found contained bags of dollars, about two hundred and fifty in each bag; which treasure we distributed privately among the cellar company, carefully breaking the jar and returning the earth to its proper place, with the chest on the top of it, so that a minute eye could not have told that it had been disturbed. next morning as usual the owner came, bringing with him two labourers, who set to work filling the chest with wheat from the vat, evidently with the intention of making it weighty, he little suspecting that his treasure, which he supposed was underneath, had been divided amongst his tenants. after that we thought we were pretty right from detection, but we were mistaken, for in the morning our restless owner again made his appearance with the two labourers. i should think that that night he must have dreamt of our manoeuvre, for he now shifted the wheat back again into its place, moved the chest, and raised the earth and the broken jar, but found the bird had flown. i shall never forget the rage the man was in. i thought he would have torn the hair off his head; in fact, he did tear some up by the roots, but he must have found that a poor way of showing his spite. he cried, "_ladrone! ladrone!_" which was his way of expressing "thief! thief!" but finding that we did not take much notice of him, he reported his loss to the colonel, or rather went off to him with that intention; but as the colonel did not understand his language, i was sent for, as by that time i was pretty well acquainted with it; and on my replying to the question as to what the portuguese wanted, that he required a corporal and three privates to guard a stack of wood, the colonel told me to let him know that he had nothing to do with it. i told the portuguese that it was no use his making a noise about the money, as it must have been only a little change that he could not conveniently recover, unless he could bring proper witnesses to prove he had put the money there. that only appeased him for the night, however, for he came bothering the colonel again next morning. the colonel again sent for me and asked me what on earth this man wanted now, so i was then obliged to admit the truth. i asked him if he would forgive me for telling him an untruth overnight, and on his consenting, i told him the portuguese had lost a quantity of money, which he put down at seven thousand dollars. the portuguese's answer to the question who had placed the money there was that he had himself, but he could bring no witnesses to show that he had really done it, so the colonel said he could have nothing to do with the affair. however, the following morning the plague again appeared, so the colonel to quiet him told him that the grenadiers had some prize money which was expected in a few days, and which he should receive in lieu of what he had lost, which sent the old man off seemingly as satisfied as if he had already got the money in his possession, shaking hands with us all round, and bowing and scraping as if we had been so many kings. the matter did not altogether rest here, however, for the colonel suspecting that we were implicated, next day we were ordered as if for marching, just as if we were going to leave the place that very day, but the men being quite up to that trick, knowing that the french were still in front, concealed their shares of the money in and around the cellar. i remember well the manner in which my own and one of my fellow-comrades' shares were hidden: there was a heap of pumpkins in the cellar, and in one of these we enclosed our money, cutting a piece out of it of sufficient size to admit the dollars, and after closing it up with the top of the original piece, mixing it again with the remainder of the heap. the company was then marched out into a field, and all our knapsacks and pockets were searched, but even the little money that some must have had before was missing. the colonel did not mind being baffled so much as the major did, who told the colonel that if he left it in his hands he would endeavour to find the money, to which the colonel replied that he was just the man the portuguese wanted. the manner in which this cunning major went to work might have succeeded with men less artful than he found us to be, but every one in the cellar had part in it, so it was to the interest of all to keep the affair secret, and not only that, but every man's share in the prize happened to amount to more than the sum which the major offered to any one who would reveal it. he came to one of the sergeants of the grenadiers and told him to pick out ten of the men who would be most likely to inform, but instead of doing so, i think the sergeant must have chosen the ten worst rogues in the company. these were then all marched off to the major's quarters, and had in one by one to see him, as he sat with five guineas lying on his table, which he offered to the first who should reveal the mystery: but finding, after he had interviewed about three of them, that he was being duped, for they all told the same tale, that was that they knew nothing about the money, he was so enraged that he told them all to go about their business, saying that they were all a set of thieves, and next time he saw the colonel he had to own, much to the amusement both of the latter and of the whole regiment, that he had been beaten in his knowing undertaking. massena remained a little more than a month in his position in front of torres vedras, when, owing to want of food and ammunition, he was compelled to retrace his steps, not being able to get supplies through spain, as the guerillas--who were the most warlike and independent race of the spaniards, being chiefly offenders who had escaped to the mountains and there formed themselves into one strong body amounting to some thousands--were always on the watch for any supplies that they might catch hold of, more especially from the enemy, and appropriate to their own use. much credit is due to lord wellington for thus drawing the enemy to a place such as torres vedras, where they could get no supplies, and further, could gain no advantage, but on the other hand must have lost some thousands through want, cold and wet. from torres vedras massena's army proceeded to santarem, about ten leagues from torres vedras, and there took up his position on the tagus, whence foraging parties were sent out to scour the country for provisions, who committed horrible excesses on the inhabitants, carrying away their cattle, or any provisions they could lay their hands on. it was this that chiefly infuriated the inhabitants against the french, and caused them to retaliate on any of their stragglers or wounded whom they came across butchering and using them in a most awful manner; and even then, after all this work, this method of gathering provisions for so large an army as massena's was soon exhausted. when the french had retreated from torres vedras, lord wellington left some troops in charge of his lines there, and followed to santarem, but no general battle took place, only small engagements. the enemy seemed pretty firm to their ground, so lord wellington moved his army into cantonments again. our detachment was lying some distance from santarem on the tagus; the actual name of the place is blotted from my memory by lapse of years. it was rather curious that while there we received our south american prize money; money taken from the very people we were now allied with, so that a great part of it was spent amongst them again. each private received eight dollars, and i believe the serjeants sixteen. the lisbon traders must have got scent of this, for a quantity of boats laden with little requisites and luxuries ascended the river from lisbon to trade amongst the soldiers, and so we were soon enabled to rid ourselves of our little spare cash. our colonel was very considerate to these people, and being determined as far as possible to prevent all plunder, had their boats or stalls guarded by sentries. this, however, did not altogether hinder some of the more daring from getting things on the cheap now and then, but they were so trifling that they are hardly worthy of mention. chapter x. opening of the year -- surrender of olivencia and badajoz to the french under soult -- the french followed up in their retreat from santarem -- engagements on the route -- pombal -- redinha -- condexo -- casal nova -- fatal results of having too large a head -- miranda de corno -- poz de aroce -- halt at moira while the french take refuge in celorico -- the fourth division ordered to badajoz -- halt at portalegre -- shameful instance of plunder and sacrilege by lawrence and his comrades -- campo mayor -- outrageous theft from an unprotected female -- a stolen bird turns evidence against its purloiner. the remainder of the year was spent in these cantonments, the french still lying in their position at santarem. but the beginning of brought on us more and fatal work, for soult's army had invested olivencia and badajoz, and obliged them, not being garrisoned by the british, but only by the spaniards, to surrender. the way was thus paved for one of the worst engagements in the whole peninsular war; i mean the storming of badajoz. the french did not move from santarem till the beginning of march, which we discovered on the th, and lord wellington, having received fresh reinforcements from england, determined on following them up. they had taken three routes, and consequently our army had to be divided too. our division, which was the fourth, with the first and sixth divisions, commanded by marshal beresford, was to follow by way of thomar, and the main body of the army by way of leiria and pombal, and so again to unite. on our route we came up with the french at thomar, but on our appearance they retreated to espinal, a short distance off pombal, and took up a strong position between these two latter places. we followed them up and combined ourselves again into one body. at pombal the french had tried, but in vain, to retain the old castle situated there, and some slight skirmishing had taken place between them and some of our light troops. at redinha the third, fourth, and light divisions attacked the enemy's left, and after a stout engagement we compelled them to retire upon their main body, and being likewise attacked on the right, their whole body was thrown into retreat on condexo. on our appearance there, they set fire to the place, and again retreated; their object in burning such a little town being probably to prevent our cavalry, cannon, and ammunition from following them up too closely. we were, however, delayed but a very short time, for we marched through the burning town, certainly not letting the grass grow under our feet, as the ground was much too hot. it appeared once to have been a beautiful town, but after this it was one sad mass of ruin. the french proceeded from this place to casal nova, but were so quickly followed up that picton's division overtook them and nearly captured their leader. next day we came up with the enemy, posted in a strong position at casal nova, and on the th of march the light division attacked them and obliged them to retreat to a neighbouring height, whence after another attack they again found it best to retire on miranda de corno. part of our division was in this engagement, and i never saw cannon play with better or more deadly effect on any body of men than ours did on the enemy, situated as they were on the heights of casal nova. yet they left very few dead or wounded on the field; i think they must have carried most of them away, as the ground was strewn with muskets and swords. the thing i noticed most particularly in this fight was the singular death of a man in our regiment, who was named william halfhead, but considering the size of his head, which must have gone a very great way towards filling half a bushel measure, it was wrongly so, and he was the sport of the whole regiment, who named him bushelhead. his head was indeed so large that he had to have two caps to make him one. this poor fellow was standing within five yards of me when a shot from the enemy's cannon took this same head clean off. i heard one of the men exclaim, "hullo, there goes poor bushelhead," and that was all the sympathy he got. one division, under general cole, proceeded after the enemy to panella, where it was joined by another, under general nightingale, and on the enemy seeing how closely they were followed they retreated from miranda de corno, setting fire to that town also. we again fell in with them on the banks of a river near the village of poz de aroce, where a brisk attack was made on them by the british, and they were driven from the river in great confusion with a loss of some four hundred men or more. it has been reported that numbers were even killed by their own side, through the darkness of the night and the confusion arising from their not having expected an attack then. we encamped there one day, and then again pursued the enemy, coming up with them where they were posted behind the river alva. there they had sent out four or five hundred foragers in search of provisions: and indeed they must have wanted them badly, for even we that had come from the land of plenty at torres vedras were at that time in great want. we did not, however, let them stay there long enough for the suppliers to return, for we opened fire on them, and forced them to retreat to moira, leaving their foraging parties to the mercy of the english and portuguese, most of them sooner or later falling into our hands. we crossed the alva on a floating bridge and halted near moira, as the enemy had now retreated to celorico; but here lord wellington was obliged to stay the pursuit through want of provisions. on hearing of the state of badajoz he had already determined to send reinforcements to that place, so our division and one of the portuguese under general hamilton, with a brigade of cavalry, were directed to march southward again and invest badajoz before that place's defences could be repaired by the enemy. accordingly, on the th of march, our divisions crossed the tagus at tancos, whence we advanced to portalegre, halting there for about two days. here i think i ought to relate an incident just to show that the english often committed depredations on the inhabitants almost as bad as the enemy. we are often too prone to see other people's and nations' faults, whilst if our own had but the light thrown on them, they would often come up to, if not exceed, those of our adversaries. we, at least my company, were billeted in a chapel, at night lying on straw, which in the morning had to be rolled up neatly in our blankets so as to make the place look comfortable during the day, a separate lot of straw being allowed for every two men. very close to this chapel there was situated a farmyard, inhabited by a quantity of pigs: and pork being a thing which the company had not tasted for some time, we made up our minds to have a treat. so one of our number was chosen to steal a pig, being, i suppose, one whose fingers were thought well adapted to the purpose. he pitched on a very novel plan of proceeding, for, taking a sergeant's pike, he stuck the pig with it, and then escaped till the poor animal had died; on which, not being long afterwards, we conveyed it to the chapel. we thought that we had done this all unobserved, but the farmer had either watched our movements, or must have seen the blood and gone to count, and so missed the pig, and we soon saw that all was not to pass off so nicely as we expected, for presently he put in an appearance at the chapel too. finding, however, that we were too strong for him, and seeing nothing of the missing pig, he went off and reported the circumstance to our colonel. meanwhile we lost no time in making our plans for a place of security for our prize. at first we thought of our straw beds, that is, of wrapping the pig in the blanket, but our afterthoughts told us that that would not be safe. at one end of the chapel, however, there was a large statue of the virgin mary, having on a robe with a long train, and it was under this train that we concealed our prize in the best possible manner, so as to baffle any chance of detection by the appearance of the train being altered. and sure enough, it proved to be the safest place we could have hit upon for our desired end, for very soon in came the farmer with a priest, and the first thing they did was to make their obedience to the monument, whilst we were all the time laughing in our sleeves to think how they were likewise honouring the pig. something more serious was soon to happen, however, for a very few minutes afterwards the captain and colonel both came in and ordered every berth to be examined; but they searched in vain, and pronounced it to be some mistake on the farmer's part, as in that short time we could not have cooked, eaten, or otherwise got rid of the pig. the farmer, however, still felt certain that we had it, but it could not be found anywhere in the chapel, so he was obliged to retire without any compensation for his unfortunate pig. then we breathed a little more freely at last, for if we had been found out, we most likely should have had our grog stopped for some time, and that goes in such times very much against the heart of a soldier. early next morning our kettles were at work in the usual way, cooking our breakfasts, but that particular morning every man of the chapel company had a small extra portion in the pot, being his allowance of the pig, not much certainly, when it came to be divided amongst so many, about one pound for each man; but even that, and the more especially as it was pork, was thought no little of in such times of short diet, for we were not over abundantly stocked with provisions. in fact it was chiefly for that reason, and to refresh ourselves from the long continued marches, that we were now delaying on our southward route. on again resuming our march, we arrived in four or five days at a place called campo mayor, where we caught sight of the enemy, but only in marching order towards badajoz. here i have again to relate another shameful instance of plunder which happened on the same march. we were encamped near a village of no particular note, and of which therefore i did not arrive at the exact name: and a party of men, perhaps to the number of about twenty, including myself, were out on the forage, when we arrived at the house of a poor woman, who evidently kept a kind of general shop, though we could not see any other houses near. four or five with myself went into the shop and asked the woman if she had any bread for sale, to which she replied that there was some baking which would be done in about an hour, if we could wait, which we consented to do; but meanwhile a signal was given to the remaining part of our company, who, observing that the oven was built out from the house, immediately set to work to make a hole with their bayonets so as to be able to get the bread out. while this operation was going on out at the back we were amusing the woman with some of our peninsular tales in front until the hour had passed; when, on her going to draw the bread she found much to her amazement that every loaf was missing, and daylight gleaming in on her through a hole in the back of the oven. the poor woman was then in a terrible stew, and we did all we could to reconcile her to her loss, making out that we knew nothing of the sad business; but this pity did not detain us long, for we pretty quickly made for the camp and made a first rate meal off the bread, which was to us then a greater luxury than meat, as we were very seldom supplied with bread, more especially so fresh as this, which was smoking hot, though not very well done; but if it had been dough we could have eaten it at that time. on another occasion, on the same march, i caught another cock, or rather took it from a farmyard; but not feeling inclined to be troubled with a second live one, as i had still got tom campaigning with me, i gave it three swings by the head, which i thought broke its neck, and put it away out of sight in my high cap. on my return to camp, the company had just fallen in on parade, and no sooner had the captain passed close to me, than my cap-tenant crew, or made a terrible noise of some sort, much to the astonishment both of myself and the captain, who said, "hullo, lawrence, what have you got there?" i told him a cock, which i had bought when out foraging. "yes," he said, "you offered four, but took it with five," meaning, i suppose, my fingers. he was perfectly right, but i did not think it would have passed off quite so smoothly, as many in the peninsula were hanged for plunder; all we were allowed to forage for at this place being provisions for the horses and mules. chapter xi. commencement of the siege of badajoz -- sortie by the garrison repulsed -- lawrence takes a prisoner, who proves difficult of persuasion -- lawrence poses as champion of the regimental grog, and is indulged in return with an uncomfortable spell of sentry -- he eventually triumphs -- move to, and capture of olivencia -- separates from a faithful friend -- return towards badajoz -- battle of albuera. from campo mayor we went on towards badajoz, some slight skirmishing with the enemy's rear-guard taking place on the way, but with very little success on either side. we made a stay at elvas until preparations had been made for crossing the guadiana, and then we proceeded to badajoz, the town that so pestered the allies during the peninsular war. our brigade took up its position on the north side of the town and river, and commenced throwing up batteries. during our operations the french sallied out of the town, crossed the river, and attempted to destroy a part of our work, thus actively engaging about three hundred of our covering party, together with a small reinforcement of grenadiers, which latter, however, soon made them beat a retreat into the town again. i succeeded in capturing a straggler here, but was not able to get him into our lines by myself, on account of his lying down and refusing to come; so i broke his musket, but not feeling inclined even then to leave him, i knelt down to protect myself a little from the enemy's shot, and waited for some assistance. this was not long in coming, for the colonel, seeing my position, allowed a man, towser by name, who had volunteered, to come and lend me a hand, and thus we were enabled to get my captive safe at last to the lines: not, however, without some risk to our own lives, as the enemy were firing at us all the time from a fort situated a short distance from the river. the man was not at all willing at first to walk, so we dragged him by the leg along the ground for some way; but owing to the roughness of the road, he soon found that he preferred walking. we searched him and found a doubloon and a half on his person, which towser and i divided equally between us. the colonel reprimanded me for running such a risk for one prisoner, but he was satisfied with my answer, which was that perhaps the man had been on the alert to fire at some of us, which might have terminated in the colonel's own death, or maybe in mine. the colonel had already been slightly wounded in the leg, which obliged him afterwards to go into the hospital at elvas, and some thirty-eight of my comrades unfortunately met their deaths in this affray. the colonel sent a quantity of rum from elvas to be divided amongst those men who were in action at the time he received his wound, but the officer then in charge of us, whom nobody in the regiment liked, only served out the half of it, which only came to about half a pint for each man, much to the discontent of all. i spoke out and said that we ought to have it all, as the colonel had sent it, and we had had to fight hard for it; which so put out the officer that he said i should not have any at all. the sergeant, however, gave me a half a pint with the rest, unbeknown to the officer, and immediately went and asked him if i was to have any. the officer then told him to "let the rascals have the lot, and then they would be satisfied," so thus i came in for another half pint, which i put into my canteen with some water to drink when i might next be on sentry. this came to my turn on the very night following, and as it chanced, i was commanded by the same officer that i have been alluding to. it was not often that the major went round with the picket, but that night, having taken the colonel's command, he did so, and saw me placed on sentry. i was placed as outlying sentry, and ought to have been relieved in three hours, instead of which, out of spite for the rum job, the officer never came near me all night; in fact, i never saw a man from the time i was put on till i came off myself in the morning. i will give some details of the coincidences of that night, which was dark but starlight, so that i could just catch a dim glimpse of the enemy's before mentioned fort, and, owing to the heights, was able to see the town very well. the place where i was on sentry was in a field of standing wheat in ear, amongst which i sat down and was fairly comfortable for about an hour; after which the enemy seemed to have made out my position, and kept dabbing at me with their muskets for a long time. i could not make out how it was they had caught sight of me, but after they had continued firing for some time, i at last found out the cause. on my cap there was a large bright brass plate, which no doubt made a slight reflection either from the stars or the light from the town, and so drew their attention to me. so much for bright dress and brass plates, thought i, though fortunately they had done me no harm; and now for the remedy that i proposed. i took the loading-rod from my musket, and stuck it fast into the ground, and placing my cap upon it, i proceeded about ten yards to the right and sat down; and it was fortunate that i did so, for during the night they put two shots through my cap, and that would have been awkward if my head had been inside. it is not to be supposed, however, that i sat there bareheaded all night, for i put on my slop or foraging cap, and then sat hearkening to the sound of chimes and bells pronouncing the hours of eleven, twelve, one, two, three, and four, and the occasional whizzing of shells and shot over my head. at length, after hearing the bells strike the last-named hour, and seeing the dawn, too, beginning to peep over the distant horizon, knowing that my turn to be relieved had long since passed, i put back my loading rod into its place and my cap on my head, and decamped to the body picket. there i met the major, who seeing me return, and knowing that it was my turn for rest, asked me where i had been. i said, "were you not with the officer when he placed me on sentry last night?" he replied; "yes, has he not relieved you since?" on which i told him no, and that i thought it was time to relieve myself, likewise showing him my cap for him to judge what a hot night i had had of it. i also gave the reason that i thought for the officer's spite, which put him out terribly, so much so that he immediately called up the officer, who had retired to rest some hours, and told him that if they had not been so near the enemy, he would have had him tried by court-martial for his neglect: which might have ended by his being cashiered out of the service. that was the first and last time that he ever left me on sentry all night. our stay here, however, was of short duration for we proceeded further towards olivencia, which was garrisoned by about four hundred of the enemy. we crossed the guadiana near that place on a bridge constructed of empty casks and planks, and sat down before the town about the th of april. in a few days our batteries were all ready for action, and on the garrison refusing to surrender, we commenced firing, and soon made a breach; but at that point the governor, fearing an assault, immediately surrendered, and he and his garrison were all taken prisoners. it was at this place that i parted with tom. for being bothered by the colonel's servant to let him have my pet, i foolishly consented, though my comrades did their best to persuade me to keep him. he told me he wanted to take him to england, and gave me a dollar for him, but i afterwards found out that he had killed him for his master's dinner. i think i felt as sorry for that as i ever did for anything, for i dearly liked tom. from olivencia we marched again towards badajoz, but owing to soult's army being on its way to relieve that town, beresford had occupied the heights of albuera, about thirteen miles southeast of badajoz, in order to check the enemy if possible in their intended object. general cole therefore advanced to albuera as well, and the action had just commenced when he arrived. the allies had taken up their position on a fine ridge of heights, and the french under marshal soult made their appearance on the th of may. on the following morning they made an attack on the right, which was occupied by the spaniards, who soon gave way in great disorder, again leaving the brunt of the battle to the british; and not only that, but also thus allowing the french to gain part of the heights. a noble attack, however, was made by the second division, the first brigade of which in trying to gain the ridge was met by the fierce polish lancers, who slaughtered a tremendous number of them; in fact, the battle was at one time thought to have been gained by the french, and most likely would have been, had not colonel harding hurled part of our division and a reserve portuguese brigade against the enemy, and so renewed the fight. general cole himself led our fusiliers up the hill. six british guns and some colours were then already in the enemy's possession, but cole's troops soon dispersed the lancers, and, recapturing the guns and colours, drove the french down again in confusion. it is useless for me to give any further details of this celebrated battle, for it has been already depicted so many times and so much more ably than i could do; but the allies could not have lost less than seven thousand killed, wounded and missing, while the french loss was stated to be nine thousand. it was seldom, however, that we arrived at the correct estimate of the enemy's loss, it being generally the custom to state it as greater than ours, and my opinion is that in this battle the allies lost quite an equal number to the french. the spaniards especially must have sustained a great loss in their confusion. it was always a bother to get them to stir forward during a battle, but retreating was what they were best at, and then it was always in confusion; at the battle of albuera indeed whilst they were in this state they even fired at random, and several shots went amongst the english. general cole was himself wounded in this engagement, which resulted so sadly for both parties; for it could hardly be termed a victory for either side, and if so it was a very dearly bought one. still it was we who remained on the field in the end. chapter xii. the siege of badajoz converted into a blockade -- move to guinaldo -- lord wellington as a general -- a slight digression on the horrors of war -- instances of cruelty by both the french and the inhabitants -- the english not wholly blameless -- private depredations of lawrence and his comrades -- siege of ciudad rodrigo -- capture of a troublesome convent -- a successful assault made -- scenes in the town afterwards -- incidents during the cantonments -- putting it out of sight proves not to be the best way of keeping grog -- being too sparing to one's beast not always advantageous. for the remaining part of the year both armies were inactive. the batteries had been at work at badajoz and breaches had been made, but these had proved impracticable, twelve forlorn hopes and storming parties having advanced into them with no better result than that many met their deaths and the remainder had to withdraw owing to obstacles. the siege was therefore converted into a blockade, and lord wellington, who after taking almeida and driving the french out of portugal, had come southward with two divisions to reinforce beresford's army, moved the general south army into cantonments and encampments near the river caza, a tributary of the guadiana. there we remained till july, when we were marched northward again across the tagus, and took up our position at guinaldo. while there no particular engagement ensued; the enemy indeed falling on another part of our line, but no success being obtained on either side. although lord wellington had now driven the french clean out of portugal, he had still other work to do; work that praised him more than he had been before, work that raised him to higher honours than he yet possessed, but likewise work that sacrificed more thousands of human beings than had been through the whole three years. there can be no doubt that if he had had as many troops as the french, he would long before this have driven them out of portugal and perhaps spain as well; he seemed to understand their every movement, and was thus always ready waiting to receive them; and they on their part seemed to think they had more than found their match in him, and had become very cautious in contending with him. but he actually had only half their number, or even less, that he could depend on, and these were sometimes not fit for service from want or other privations, as these tales of the hospitals or rather deadly convents go to prove, where so many of my comrades passed the end of their lives, and their remains were carried out with no more ceremony than i described as at elvas. the portuguese themselves were mostly exempt from the actual slaughter, but their country had already been left by the enemy in about as bad a state as it could; for if it had been infested with swarms of locusts, the devastation could not have been paralleled. the war could not have left one family quite untouched by its destructiveness or by misery and grief irrecoverable for many years; and indeed, in some cases, for ever, for many a child was deprived of its father or mother, or even of both parents, and many were the parents who had lost their children; and if any had accumulated a little fortune then it must have been lost, being ever liable to be plundered by the soldiery. it must be said, however, that certainly the spaniards and likewise the portuguese behaved on their part very cruelly to the enemy's wounded, prisoners, or stragglers. i myself was witness to one of their barbarous acts. they had laid a ring of straw round a wounded frenchman and set fire to it, and when the poor man tried to crawl out, he was only received with a pitchfork which sent him again into the centre. we soon made the portuguese fly by firing in amongst them; but when we came up to the poor man, his hair, fingers, and face were fearfully burnt already. he implored us not to leave him, but we were obliged to, and no doubt either the portuguese returned and killed him, or else he died of the injuries he had sustained at their hands, or from the wounds that had before disabled him. these barbarities, however, the enemy brought on themselves by dealing out the same coin, for they would go on foraging parties, and perhaps find a whole family or more together trying to protect their very subsistences, when they would kill the males, serve the females not much better, and carry off everything they could lay their hands on if of any value. sometimes, however, they were overpowered in these freaks, and then they suffered just as bad a fate as i showed just now; which, after all, is not much to be wondered at. i am sorry to say, however, that we ourselves were not quite free from the charge of depredations, though we did not carry them on to the extent of bloodshed. an instance of this in which i was myself mixed up happened during our stay at this very place guinaldo. we were quartered nearly twenty in number in two upper rooms of a house, of which the family inhabited the lower part. our beds, as usual, consisted chiefly of straw. an irish comrade of ours, by name harding, whom we named pig harding, owing to his always being on the look out for any cheap pieces he could lay hands on, was quartered in the same house, and we had not been there many days before he found about thirty pounds of sausages curled round the bottom of a large earthen jar that contained at least ten or twelve gallons of olive oil, the sausages having evidently been placed there either to keep, or to be out of our sight. pig, however, who was up to many of the spanish movements, was not long in finding them; he soon had tried the bottom with his bayonet, and found a prize worth fishing for; and he came running into our room carrying the sausages, which owing to their oily state did not fail to leave a trace of their whereabouts. we soon repaired this defect so as not to be noticeable on the floor, which was not kept so clean as it might be, and which our stay there had not improved much, and then we had a fine meal off our sausages, which, to use pig's own words, "blood and 'ounds, _were_ good, very," and soon there were very few left. after all in the house had eaten sufficient, the rest were given to some of our comrades in another house, our policy being always to get rid of any plunder as quickly as possible so as to bar detection if it was found out. there were always plenty to help eat it, and in this case every one of the sausages were gone before the woman found out her loss, which was not till next day about dinnertime, when no doubt she expected to cook the family meal off them. the sausages in that country were generally made of cooked meat flavoured with garlic and cayenne pepper, so that they were fit for eating at all times without cooking. when the poor woman found them missing, she soon thought of the right parties as the thieves; and with her fingers all dripping with oil, for she had evidently been feeling for them in the jar, she rushed in crying, "_ladrone, ladrone_ (you thieves, you thieves), the french are bad enough, but you are worse!" we only laughed at her, so she reported us to our major, who immediately came to our room and said, "then you are up to your prigging tricks again," and asked the woman how much the sausages were worth. she did not fail to ask enough, for she said sixteen dollars, which he paid at once, saying he would deduct it from our pay. the major never did as he said he would, however, and we heard no more either of the sausages or of our money; but still we did not know that at the time, and the threat only had the effect of sending pig off again in search of something that would at least give us the worth of our money. he waited till just before we were going to shift from these quarters, and then he found out a trap-door, through which he got himself hoisted up, and found eight sides of bacon there, with one of which he descended, thinking that would be as much as we could conveniently eat at that place, and so at any rate we had the worth of the sixteen dollars, for this last affair was not found out before we started. on another occasion, whilst we were at the same place, some spaniards came into our camp with wine for sale, contained in pigskins carried across mules' backs, one on each side, and whilst the spaniard was measuring it out of one skin, a hole had been made in the other with a penknife, which lightened both burdens at once considerably, much to the discontent of the spaniard on finding it out. but i think that all such lesser manoeuvres as this, though bad in themselves, can be perhaps looked over in considering the frequent hungry state that so large a body of men were in during this war. we remained in this neighbourhood till the latter end of . the beginning of opened with the siege of ciudad rodrigo, where we arrived and began to break ground on the th of february. we had to commence throwing up our batteries and breastworks under a particular annoyance from three guns, situated on a fortified convent a little distance from the town, near where our brigade's operations were in progress, so our colonel for one volunteered to storm the convent, which offer was accepted. several companies, therefore, including my own, advanced under him unobserved by the enemy in the darkness of the night, and succeeded in effecting an entrance into the convent, the garrison being taken by surprise, but managing to decamp. i then volunteered with a few men to march on up to the tower where the guns were situated, a priest being made to show us the way, as the path which we had to tread was so winding. when we arrived at the top, which must have taken us at least ten minutes, we found no french there, but the three shattered cannon still remained, which we were ordered to pitch down, not much improving their condition thereby, and so we gained the object for which we had come. all the french that were left in the convent, or at least all i saw there, were two of their wounded, but they were good enough to leave us a room full of cabbages, which came in very handy. after this affair we took up our quarters in the convent, but still continued our ground work. once the enemy sallied out of the town and attacked us during these operations, and a smart brush ensued, but they were soon obliged to retire again. now and then the garrison would greet us with a cannon-ball, which often did some little mischief; a sergeant was killed by one, which at the same time took another's arm off, and i myself had a narrow escape one day whilst in the breastworks, from a six-pounder which having struck the convent, rebounded and caught me in the chest. luckily it was nearly spent, but as it was it knocked me down, and it was some time before i could recover my breath, and that not until my comrades had poured some rum and water down my throat. my chest was much discoloured and swollen, through which i was ill for nearly a week. by the th of january two practicable breaches were made in the walls of the town, and an attack was ordered. our colonel volunteered for the forlorn hope, but it was put under other commanders, being chiefly composed of the rifles. the main breach was committed to general picton's division, and the brigades of general vandeleur and colonel barnet were ordered to attack the smaller breach, headed by a storming-party of three hundred men and a forlorn hope, under major george napier of the fifty-second regiment. the forlorn hope assembled between seven and eight o'clock under the walls of the convent we were then occupying, which protected them a little from the enemy's shot. all was deathly silent amongst those men, who perhaps could not help thinking that it might be their last undertaking: in fact, this is much the worst business a soldier can enter upon, as scarcely anything but death looks him in the face. there they were watching with intense anxiety for the to many fatal signal; and at length the order was given to advance. the assault was to be conducted on all sides at once, and in double quick time the troops were at the breach, although the ladders, which were being carried by the portuguese, when wanted had disappeared. our troops nevertheless pushed onwards and gained the breach, when either through accident or the neglect of the train-man, a mine was sprung before the french were clearly off it, and both french and english were suddenly blown into the air and buried together in the ruin. after the smother had fairly cleared away, our troops met with very little difficulty in mounting the breach and scouring the ramparts, the french throwing down their arms and retiring into the town itself, where after a brief contest in the streets, the whole surviving garrison surrendered; but it was not without the loss of many of the bravest men on our side in the first assault. this successful achievement was attended with all the horrors of the soldiery, excesses, riot, and drunkenness taking place on every side. houses were plundered of their contents, cellars broken open and emptied, and many houses were even set on fire, amid the yells of the dissipated soldiers and the screams of the wounded. thus the night passed, but in the morning order was a little restored, and those men who were sensible enough returned to their own regiments. about forty-one pieces of cannon, some stands of arms, and a quantity of provisions were taken, besides which the enemy must have lost quite a thousand men, besides the prisoners. amongst these latter were six or seven deserters belonging to the allied army, who were sent to their respective regiments and probably shot: fortunately there were none belonging to our division. the allies' loss was very considerable, being upwards of a thousand also. after the reduction of ciudad rodrigo, lord wellington put it under garrison and ordered the breaches to be repaired. then he marched south to watch the proceedings at badajoz, whilst we again went into cantonments near rodrigo. some muleteers halted under the protection of our troops at this place, laden with rum and biscuits for the supply of the army, over which sentries were placed on guard, but instead of guarding, they took so much rum, which being there generally carried in pigs' skins was easily got at, that they died in consequence next morning. likewise one of our cavalry men was here flogged for making away with his horse's corn to selfishly buy himself grog; and well deserving of punishment he was, for the poor horse was miserably thin. in fact, the horses in general were the same, and it was thought that many were served the same; but this man being the first that was caught, was tried by court-martial and sentenced to fifty lashes as an example. the man asked the colonel to look over it as it was his first offence, but the colonel said, "the horse's looks tell a different tale from that; he has long had the bitters, and you the sweet, and now it is time things should be the other way round." certainly the horses' forage could not at all times be procured, and especially in the winter, but for that very reason they had more need of it when it could be. the best horses i saw during the whole peninsular campaign were the german hussars': those men were not so fond of drink as ours, which might perhaps account for the condition of their animals, as they had no more chance of gaining forage than our men had. chapter xiii. lawrence's division marched south to invest badajoz -- small choice allowed by the fortunes of war -- in the trenches -- a fort taken -- the town walls breached -- refusal of the garrison to surrender -- an assault ordered -- lawrence in the forlorn hope -- a somewhat premature assignation -- fighting in the breach -- lawrence wounded -- fearful scenes on his way to the rear -- he reports on the state of affairs to lord wellington -- the story of filer -- the castle carried after severe fighting, and the english enter the town -- dreadful excesses on the part of the victorious troops -- great losses on both sides in the assault -- the end of lawrence's assignation. our stay at rodrigo was of short duration, for we were soon ordered south to invest badajoz, which gave us another long and tedious march of a hundred and fifty miles or more. we arrived there at the beginning of march, and the third, ours, that is the fourth, and the light divisions, under the command of marshal beresford and general picton, invested the town. we soon broke ground before the town by commencing to throw up breastworks and batteries. very heavy rains had just lately set in, but our troops still pursued their undertaking and persevered in the trenches. a cannonade was kept up from the town, which fortunately, however, did not do much damage; but on the th of march the garrison attacked us, and were only driven back with a loss on our side of a hundred men killed and wounded, and a still greater loss on their part. i killed a french sergeant myself with my bayonet in this action. i was at the time in the trenches when he came on the top and made a dart at me with his bayonet, having, like myself, exhausted his fire; and while in the act of thrusting he overbalanced himself and fell. i very soon pinioned him to the ground with my bayonet, and the poor fellow soon expired. i was sorry afterwards that i had not tried to take him prisoner instead of killing him, but at the time we were all busily engaged in the thickest of the fight, and there was not much time to think about things. and besides that, he was a powerful-looking man, being tall and stout, with a beard and moustache completely covering his face, as fine a soldier as i have seen in the french army, and if i had allowed him to gain his feet, i might have suffered for it; so perhaps in such times my plan was the best--kill or be killed. about eight hundred of us were every night busily engaged in the trenches, whilst a large number, who were called the covering party, were on the look out in case of an attack from the enemy. the rain poured down so fast that balers were obliged to be employed in places, and at times the trenches were in such a state of mud that it was over our shoes. we were chiefly employed during the day in finishing off what we had done in the night, as very little else could be done then owing to the enemy's fire. we had not been to work many days before we got within musket shot of a fine fort situated a little distance from the town, and garrisoned with four or five hundred of the enemy, who annoyed us rather during our operations. one night as i was working in the trenches near this place, and just as the guard was about to be relieved, a shell from the town fell amongst them and exploded, killing and wounding about thirty. i never saw a worse sight of its kind, for some had their arms and legs, and some even their heads, which was worse, completely severed from their bodies. i remember my comrade, pig harding, who was working near me at the time, and had, like myself, become hardened to the worst of sights during our sojourn in the peninsula, saying as a joke, "lawrence, if any one is in want of an arm or a leg he can have a good choice there;" little thinking, poor fellow, that soon he would himself be carried out, numbered with the slain. on the morning after this explosion a terrific scene of our mangled comrades presented itself, for their remains strewed the ground in all directions. of course our next thought was how to clear ourselves of this troublesome fort. some suspicions were entertained that it was undermined, so in the dead of night some engineers were sent between it and the town to search for a train, and finding that the earth had been moved, they dug down and found the train and cut it off. then, on the next night, the eighty-seventh and eighty-eighth regiments were ordered up to storm the fort, and succeeded after a brisk action in gaining the place, the most of the garrison escaping into the town. next morning i entered the fort with the rest, where we found the wounded frenchmen lying. we relieved their pain a little by giving them some of our rum and water, and then conveyed them to the rear; most of their wounds being bad, evidently from the bayonet, but not mortal. owing to the success of taking this fort we were enabled to carry on our works much nearer to the town, and by the beginning of april two batteries were formed within three or four hundred yards of the place: and in about five days, through the effects of our twenty-four pounders, three practicable breaches were made in the walls. lord wellington then ordered the town to be attacked on the night of the th, having previously sent to know if it would surrender: and the answer being "no," he asked for the inhabitants to be allowed to quit, as he intended to take the town by assault. in consequence of this some thousands of the inhabitants quitted the city. a storming-party was selected from each regiment, and each of the third, fourth, and light divisions was told off to a breach. i joined the forlorn hope myself. before, however, that i proceed further in my account of this sanguinary affair, i will relate an engagement that myself, pig harding, and another of my comrades, george bowden by name, entered into before we even started on our way, of which the result showed what a blind one it was. through being quartered at badajoz after the battle of talavera, all three of us knew the town perfectly well, and so understood the position of most of the valuable shops: and hearing a report likewise that if we succeeded in taking the place, there was to be three hours' plunder, we had planned to meet at a silversmith's shop that we knew about, poor pig even providing himself with a piece of wax candle to light us if needed. but all this was doomed to disappointment. we were supplied with ladders and grass bags, and having received and eaten our rations, and each man carrying his canteen of water, we fell in at half-past eight or thereabouts to wait for the requisite signal for all to advance. during the interval our men were particularly silent: but at length the deadly signal was given, and we rushed on towards the breach. i was one of the ladder party, for we did not feel inclined to trust to the portuguese, as we did at ciudad rodrigo. on our arriving at the breach, the french sentry on the wall cried out, "who comes there?" three times, or words to that effect in his own language, but on no answer being given, a shower of shot, canister and grape, together with fire-balls, was hurled at random amongst us. poor pig received his death wound immediately, and my other accomplice, bowden, became missing, while i myself received two small slug shots in my left knee, and a musket shot in my side, which must have been mortal had it not been for my canteen: for the ball penetrated that and passed out, making two holes in it, and then entered my side slightly. still i stuck to my ladder, and got into the entrenchment. numbers had by this time fallen: but the cry from our commanders being, "come on, my lads!" we hastened to the breach; but there, to our great surprise and discouragement, we found a _chevaux de frise_ had been fixed and a deep entrenchment made, from behind which the garrison opened a deadly fire on us. vain attempts were made to remove this fearful obstacle, during which my left hand was dreadfully cut by one of the blades of the _chevaux de frise_, but finding no success in that quarter, we were forced to retire for a time. we remained, however, in the breach until we were quite weary with our efforts to pass it. my wounds were still bleeding, and i began to feel very weak; my comrades persuaded me to go to the rear; but this proved a task of great difficulty, for on arriving at the ladders, i found them filled with the dead and wounded, hanging some by their feet just as they had fallen and got fixed in the rounds. i hove down three lots of them, hearing the implorings of the wounded all the time; but on coming to the fourth, i found it completely smothered with dead bodies, so i had to draw myself up over them as best i could. when i arrived at the top i almost wished myself back again, for there of the two i think was the worse sight, nothing but the dead and wounded lying around, and the cries of the latter, mingled with the incessant firing from the enemy, being quite deafening. i was so weak myself that i could scarcely walk, so i crawled on my hands and knees till i got out of reach of the enemy's musketry. after proceeding for some way i fell in with lord wellington and his staff, who seeing me wounded, asked me what regiment i belonged to. i told him the fortieth, and that i had been one of the forlorn hope. he inquired as to the extent of my wounds, and if any of our troops had got into the town, and i said "no," and i did not think they ever would, as there was a _chevaux de frise_, a deep entrenchment, and in the rear of them a constant and murderous fire being kept up by the enemy. one of his staff then bound up my leg with a silk handkerchief, and told me to go behind a hill which he pointed out, where i would find a doctor to dress my wounds; so i proceeded on, and found that it was the doctor of my own regiment. next after me lieutenant elland was brought in by a man of the name of charles filer, who had seen him lying wounded at the breach with a ball in the thigh, and on his asking him to convey him from the breach, had raised him on his shoulders for that object. but during his march a cannon-ball had taken the officer's head clean off without filer finding it out on account of the darkness of the night, and the clamour of cannon and musketry mingled with the cries of the wounded. much it was to filer's astonishment, then, when the surgeon asked him what he had brought in a headless trunk for; he declared that the lieutenant had a head on when he took him up, for he had himself asked him to take him from the breach, and that he did not know when the head was severed, which must have been done by one of the bullets of which there were so many whizzing about in all directions. some may doubt the correctness of this story, but i, being myself both a hearer and an eyewitness to the scene at the surgeon's, can vouch for the accuracy of it. certainly filer's appearance was not altogether that of composure, for he was not only rather frightened at the fearful exposure of his own body at the breach and across the plain, but he was evidently knocked up, or rather bowed down, by the weight of his lifeless burden, which he must, if he came from the breach, have carried for upwards of half a mile, so that, under these disadvantages, the mistake might easily have been made even by any one of harder temperament than his. but the tale did not fail to spread through the camp, and caused great laughter over filer, sentences being thrown at him such as "who carried the man without a head to the doctor?" &c. after lord wellington had found it useless to attempt to face the breach with the _chevaux de frise_, he altered his plans of attack. more success had fortunately been achieved in the other breaches, so he withdrew the men from our fatal breach to reinforce the others, but not till at least two thousand had been killed or wounded in this single assault. he had ordered the castle to be attacked, and a quantity of troops had been supplied for the purpose with long ladders, which had been raised against the walls and filled with men: but the enemy showered down a mass of heavy substances, such as trees and large stones, and amongst all a number of deadly bursting shells, and thus broke the ladders and tumbled the men down from top to bottom, crushing still more underneath. yet more men were found ready to push on to the sanguinary scene. more ladders had indeed to be procured, which caused another great delay, but as soon as they arrived they were quickly hoisted, and the precaution was taken this time to fix them farther apart, so that if more beams were waiting to be rolled over, they might not take such a deadly sweep. the second attempt was more successful, for the ramparts were gained and the french driven back: and a single piece of ground being thus gained, a footing was soon established for many more, who succeeded in turning round some guns and firing them along the ramparts, soon sweeping the enemy off them. fresh reinforcements on both sides shortly arrived at this for us successful spot, but the garrison was soon forced back into the town. the ramparts were then scoured, the breaches cleared, and the _chevaux de frise_ pulled down, and the main body of the english entered the town. some opposition had to be overcome in the streets, but that was soon cleared away, and the french escaped to fort san cristoval. our troops found the city illuminated to welcome them, but nevertheless then began all the horrors that generally attended a capture by assault--plunder, waste, destruction of property, drunkenness, and debauchery. i was myself exempt from all this, owing to my wounds, which kept me in camp at the time the town was taken; but though i was at least a mile off, i could distinctly hear the clamour of the rabble, as the guns and musketry had ceased; and next morning i hobbled as well as i could into the town with the help of the handle of a sergeant's pike chopped up so as to form a stick, and there sure enough i found a pretty state of affairs. pipes of wine had been rolled into the streets and tapped by driving the heads in, for any one to drink of them who liked, and when the officers tried to keep order by throwing all of these over that they could, the men that were in a state of drunkenness lay down to drink out of the gutters, which were thus running with all sorts of liquors; doors were blown open all through the city, both upstairs and down, by placing muskets at the keyhole and so removing the locks. i myself saw that morning a naked priest launched into the street and flogged down it by some of our men who had a grudge against him for the treatment they had met at a convent, when staying in the town before. i happened to meet one of my company, and asked him how he was getting on, to which he replied that he was wounded in the arm, but that he had got hold of something that compensated for that a little, showing me a bag of about a hundred dollars that he had succeeded in obtaining, and saying that i should not want whilst he had got it. but whilst all this debauchery was going on amongst some of our soldiers, i will give a word of credit to a great many of the more respectable, who were trying as much as lay in their power to stop the ferociousness of the same. that morning i met many about, who said they were sorry to think that the soldiers could not carry it on without going to such excesses as they did, respectable houses being ransacked from top to bottom, with no regard to the entreaties of the few inhabitants who remained within the walls. things that could not be taken were often destroyed, and men were threatened if they did not produce their money, and the women sometimes the same. comparatively few murders were, i believe, committed, but some no doubt occurred. it was not till the drunken rabble had dropped into a sound slumber or had died in consequence of their excesses, that the unhappy city became at all composed; but in the morning some fresh troops were placed on guard, and a few gallows were erected, but not much used. two or three officers had been killed in the act of keeping order, and i have been given to understand that some of the fifth division, having arrived after most places had been ransacked, plundered their drunken fellow-comrades, and it was likewise reported that a few were even murdered. lord wellington punished all offenders by stopping their grog for some time; but in these times such scenes as these were generally found to occur after a place had had to be so hardly fought for. no doubt in the present day, at least half a century later, more discipline is observed in similar circumstances, which must be owned as a great improvement. this same morning the garrison surrendered. before the assault it had numbered about five thousand, but we found that some twelve hundred of these had been slain, and now the rest were prisoners; while upwards of one hundred and fifty guns, eighty thousand shots, and a great quantity of muskets and ammunition were taken in the place. ours was a much severer loss, for nearly five thousand of our men, including three or four hundred officers, were either killed or wounded. but it must be observed that with the circumstances under which our troops had to fight it was a wonder that they entered the town at all that night, every obstacle that a cunning enemy could devise being there to be overcome. every kind of combustible deadly in its action was thrown amongst the men; placed in readiness along the ramparts were trees, stones, and beams; and the worst of all was the fearful _chevaux de frise_; in fact nothing had been wanting to discourage the men, who, however, pushed on, being as anxious as lord wellington himself to get into the town. all being now over, thoughts of pig harding, george bowden, and our engagement, ran in my head, and how it had all failed, poor pig having received seven shots in his body, and george bowden having had both thighs blown off. both must have met with instant death, and i myself had four wounds and was disabled for some time from getting about. i resolved then that i would never make any more engagements under the same fearful circumstances. we missed poor pig more than any man of the regiment, for he passed many an hour away pleasantly with his jokes, being a thoroughbred irishman, and not only that, but he supplied us with many an extra piece of tommy by his roguish tricks. chapter xiv. six weeks in hospital at estremoz -- a new way to keep up the spirits -- lawrence allowed to go on to salamanca at his own risk -- he catches the fever there, and has to go into hospital again at ciudad rodrigo -- at last rejoins his regiment -- cessation of hostilities on both sides, and the british army goes into cantonments -- lawrence made a corporal -- the cat's paw comes in for its share of the booty, and gets the chestnuts into the bargain -- a romantic episode to relieve the monotony of war. a day or two after these events, the wounded were all conveyed to hospital, some to elvas and some to estremoz. i was amongst the latter, as was likewise my comrade whom i mentioned as meeting me in the streets of badajoz, as we were considered better able to stand the longer journey, the distance on from elvas to estremoz being about six leagues the other side from badajoz. on our arrival at hospital, we were allowed to take in no spirits or wine, which, as we had lately had so much of them, seemed to be more of a hardship to us than our wounds: but we were not long in working a system by which we were enabled to procure something to drink. the window of our ward looked out into one of the streets, on the opposite side of which was a wine shop, which for some time tormented us horribly: it was something like the fable of the fox and the grapes, sour because it was out of reach. the man of the house was often at his door on the look out, the natives there seeming to suffer from that general complaint as much as in our own country villages, where if there is anything fresh in the streets, perhaps only a strange man, or even one of the inhabitants in a new coat or hat, the whole place works itself into an uproar. we soon devised a plan to gain our desired end. there was in the ward a tin kettle, holding nearly two gallons, and having procured a long string we put our money into this, and lowered it to the portuguese, who soon getting used to our plan would put the money's value in the shape of wine into the kettle and again tie it to the string, so that we could hoist it up to the window again. after that we arranged for our ward to be pretty well supplied with grog too in the same way. some suspicions being entertained by the doctor on the inflamed appearance of our wounds, he told us two or three times that he knew we had been drinking something we ought not, and blew the sergeant of the guard up for not being more strict in his search at the door, little dreaming how we had contrived another way to get this aggravator of our wounds in. but the appearance of our wounds did not stop us from lowering the kettle, which soon went down twice and sometimes three times a day, for the neighbouring wards got scent of the affair, and sent money to be lowered as well. thus i passed about six weeks before i recovered sufficiently to get out of the hospital; but many were in a much worse state than myself, some losing their arms, some their legs, and some even dying of their wounds. one of the slug shots, however, could never be extricated from my knee, having settled into the bone. i felt it for some time, but in the end it ceased to trouble me, the bone having probably grown over it. i was let out of the hospital as a convalescent, and billeted in the place at a house occupied by a widow and her daughter, who were very kind to me during my stay there, which was for about a fortnight. then i received intelligence that a hundred and fifty others were well enough to rejoin the army, so i asked the doctor if i might accompany them. he told me that my wounds were not yet sufficiently set for me to undertake the journey; but i was by this time sick of hospitals, physics, estremoz, and the lot of it, and was mad to get back to my regiment, so i went to the captain, who was still lying wounded in the hospital, and asked him to speak to the doctor to let me go. the result was that next morning i again saw the doctor, who said i could go, but i must abide by the consequences myself, as he would not be answerable for my safety; so about three days after that our little group started on the way to the army, which had meanwhile moved northward from badajoz to salamanca, about two hundred miles distant, which we found rather a tedious march in our then condition. i had not been many days at salamanca before a fever broke out, which i caught very badly, and so was ordered back into hospital at ciudad rodrigo, along with a number of fellow troops who were troubled with a like malady with myself. on my arrival at the hospital, my hair was cut off by order of the doctor, and my head blistered; and i had not been there many hours before i became quite insensible, in which state i remained more or less for three months, which brought on great weakness. i received kind treatment, however, from the doctor and our attendants, and was allowed to eat anything my fancy craved, and amongst other things, without having to resort to any contrivance as at estremoz, i could get wine. after being in hospital nearly two months longer, my strength had come back enough to allow me to be removed out of the town to a convent, the very one before mentioned which i had helped to storm when we were throwing up batteries for the assault of the town. there i found a number like myself who had lately recovered, and amongst them some of my own comrades of my own regiment, which made the time pass more lively than if we had been all strangers. by the time my strength was sufficiently recruited to again permit me to go on active service, november had again come round, so that from the time of receiving my wound at badajoz, at least seven months had passed away before i was free from sickness and in a proper condition to again join my regiment. the army, including my regiment, had been all this time actively employed at salamanca, madrid, and burgos, and after going through many long marches and retreats, had again formed at salamanca, up to which place the enemy had closely followed them. but owing to the season being too bad now to carry on the war, both sides felt more disposed to remain inactive for the remainder of , so lord wellington determined on putting his army in cantonments; and in proceeding to carry out that design, for the enemy had now abandoned following up his retreat, he touched at ciudad rodrigo, which afforded a fine opportunity, which i willingly took, of rejoining my regiment. i found that our regiment had taken at the famous battle of salamanca a splendid drum-major's staff from the enemy, which was stated to be worth at least £ , and it must have come in very useful, for ours was terribly worn and knocked about, being very old, having been itself taken from the french in holland, during the commandership of the duke of york. soon after i rejoined, we crossed the agueda into portugal again, to take up our winter quarters in that country. although it was not many leagues from ciudad rodrigo to where our cantonments were to be, yet that small march seemed to be almost going to knock me up, for my leg did not seem altogether strong enough to bear much marching, both of the slug shots having entered the sinew under the knee, and while we were engaged in this march it was kept constantly on the move. however, after we had settled down for about three weeks, i began to feel more like myself, and was therefore enabled to take my regular amount of duty. but after we had been in cantonments some four or five weeks, i was on sentry one day, when to my great surprise, a comrade came to relieve me some time before my usual time had expired, which made me think something must be wrong: so, of course, wishing to know something of the matter before i felt disposed to leave guard, i asked the man what it was all about, and he told me that i had been made a corporal in the seventh company. i would at the time have much rather remained a private in my own company than be made a corporal and be transferred to the seventh; it was certainly better as far as pay went, for i received seventeen pence, whilst before i had received only thirteen pence per day; but i was far from feeling at home in this company, as i lost all my old companions; and not only that, but i then stood six feet one inch high, whilst not one man in that company stood more than five feet seven inches. i made my complaint to the captain, who promised that as soon as there was a vacancy, i should go back to my old company, and that cheered me up a little, but made me look with intense anxiety for the change back again. until it occurred, however, i had to change my abode, and live with four privates of the same seventh company in a private house, the landlady of which kept as nice a pig in her sty as i had ever seen in the peninsula. close by our quarters was the officers' mess-room, the sergeant of which had offered our landlady sixteen dollars for her pig; but the old woman would not take less than eighteen; so instead of giving that he offered the four men billeted with me the sixteen dollars to steal it for him, in return for the old lady's craftiness, as he had offered quite the fair value. the deed was done that very night, the pig being conveyed out of sight to the mess room; and in the morning, when the old lady had as usual warmed the pig's breakfast, she found to her surprise the sty empty. she soon made a terrible noise over the affair, and immediately suspected the man who had offered to buy it; which soon got to his ears, and obliged him to make away with it for a time, for fear of being searched; so he got some of the men to heave it over a wall at the back of the mess-room. the four men who had stolen it soon got scent of this, and wishing to serve the sergeant out for his meanness, and likewise have some of the pig, they went, unbeknown of course to him, and cut off about a quarter of it, which they appropriated to our own use, and brought back to be cooked in the old woman's house; so that the sergeant had better have given the two more dollars, and come by the whole pig honestly after all. some difficulty was experienced by my fellow-lodgers in cooking their portion, as the landlady had generally before got their food ready; but this was at length accomplished in our own private room, with a kettle that we had borrowed from the old lady herself. i likewise had a taste of the poor woman's missing pig, which we found to be very good and acceptable. fortunately, she never suspected us at all, but often talked to us during our stay there, of her sad loss; and indeed she was in general very kind to us, often going so far as to give us some dried chestnuts, of which she had an abundance, for a treat. after about three months' stay in this place, during which time my captain to my great satisfaction found an opportunity of putting me back to my own company, we marched to other quarters about three leagues off, in a village which had been for the most part deserted, and there we were cantoned, chiefly in empty houses. whilst we were here, a very interesting piece of excitement took place, in which one of the officers of our company, a lieutenant, was the chief actor. he was an irishman, and being likewise a catholic, had been in the habit whilst staying at our late quarters of visiting a catholic chapel; and there he had seen and fallen in love with a portuguese general's daughter. correspondence and meetings had followed, unbeknown to the girl's parents, but owing to our shifting our cantonments, some difficulty had arisen in the way of their engagements, and so i suppose they thought it best to arrange one final one, or at any rate one of which the memory was to last some time. one night, therefore, he proceeded with two of our company to the lady's house, where all arrangements had been previously made for conveying her from her private window into her lover's arms, ready to elope with him. these arrangements consisted of a ladder to be placed at a window, and the goods that she intended taking to be ready on the back of a horse, and were all carried out by two of the domestic men-servants who had been bribed, and who also undertook to keep a good look-out until the eloping party had got quite clear. but, as it proved, a worse set of people could not have been entrusted with the matter, for no sooner had they received their money, and the little company had set out from the house on their way to the officer's quarters, than the two foolish portuguese servants immediately raised an alarm, and a party of six, including these very servants, was sent in pursuit. they soon overtook the travelling party, which was obliged to walk slowly owing to the horse laden with the goods; and the pursuers being armed with sticks, an altercation consequently took place, in which the portuguese succeeded in capturing the horse and baggage; but the officer fought bravely for his spouse and was well backed up by his men, so that he succeeded in carrying her off at any rate. one of the portuguese, however, lost two fingers in the affray, which was an unfortunate circumstance, and after things had come to this crisis, they left off their pursuit and went home contented in having captured the horse and baggage. the lieutenant then succeeded in getting the lady to the cantonments without any further molesting, and on the following morning he took her to a neighbouring chapel and married her. but the matter was not to rest here; for next morning the old general wrote to our colonel on the subject, and said he intended to take proceedings against the lieutenant for stealing his daughter, as he called it. our colonel informed the lieutenant that he was to consider himself a prisoner, as in such times as these he ought to be thinking of something else but marriage; but after a fortnight's consideration the general gave in, and made it all up with his new son-in-law, who was released and likewise had his wife's horse and baggage given back to him. in return for his good luck he treated the whole of his company to a pint of wine, which was drunk in toasts to the happy couple. chapter xv. breaking up of the cantonments and march into spain -- battle of vittoria -- lawrence's private performances in the fight -- rout of the french -- fatal blunder on the part of the officers -- lawrence refits himself with boots -- buonaparte's carriage with its contents captured -- a fine take of mutton -- a good meal and night's rest after the battle -- paddy's new ingredient for dough-boys. we lay quite inactive in our cantonments until may, when preparations for the ensuing campaign commenced in good earnest; and about the middle of that month we left portugal, bidding adieu to that kingdom for ever, for we now hoped that the enemy would very soon be compelled to quit the two shattered countries of the peninsula, where we had done so much, and of late done it with such success. much more yet, however, we found had to be accomplished before that hope could be fulfilled, as i am now about to relate to the best of my ability. we first commenced our march in a northerly direction, crossing the river douro in portugal; and after about a fortnight's procedure through almost insurmountable difficulties we arrived at zamora, a town in spain, situated not more than twenty miles from the portuguese frontier on the north bank of the said river. the enemy had been occupying it lately, but had abandoned it on our approach, so from zamora we followed them to a place called valladolid, about seventy to eighty miles off, and thence to vittoria, a still longer march of at least a hundred and sixty miles, during which some slight skirmishing took place between the retreating and pursuing armies. on nearing vittoria we came up with the main body of the french posted on some admirable heights, which they had made great use of to prepare for a stubborn resistance: they not only having the advantage of the heights, but we the attacking party having to cross a river below by means of only narrow bridges, which was a great impediment to our progress. we arrived and encamped here on the th of june. on reconnoitring the enemy's strong position much doubt was entertained as to our success, our army being much fatigued after its tedious march and likewise being very short of provisions. this latter circumstance caused many to set off that night in search of something to eat; but the only thing i with several comrades could find was some broad beans, and those we had to gather for ourselves: we got a good many, but we were certainly not out for them more than an hour altogether, as nearly the whole of my party had to go on duty that night, and as it happened at the general's own quarters, which were in a house which had been deserted by its inhabitants. we occupied a kind of outhouse adjoining, and having lit a fire in the centre and found a kettle belonging to the house, we set to work and cooked a quantity of wheat that we found stowed away there, and on that made a very good night's meal. i likewise preserved a quantity and put it into my knapsack for a favourite comrade who had been left in camp in charge of our beans; but when i returned i found i need not have done that, for he had had just as good a meal off the greater part of the beans as we had off the wheat. next morning orders came to fall in under arms ready to advance and attack the enemy's strong position. our division, together with the third and seventh, was ordered to advance against the centre of their lines, so we had to bundle the remainder of our beans into our knapsacks, for to use my comrade's expression, "it went hard to have to leave any tommy behind in such times as these." before we could get at the enemy we had to cross a narrow bridge, which gave us some trouble owing to the enemy's cannon, which played pretty sharply on us: and a shell pitching into one of our ammunition waggons, it immediately blew up, carrying with it two horses and the unfortunate driver. but once on the other side of the river and formed into line we were up and at them in spite of a murderous fire which they kept up from their cannon. we soon neared them, fired, and then charged, and succeeded in driving the centre over the hill. a column of their body still appeared on our right, and we immediately received orders to wheel in that direction; but the sight of us, together with the play of our artillery on them, was quite sufficient to make them follow their centre over the hill, whither we pursued them, but were unable to come up with them. i came across a poor wounded frenchman crying to us english not to leave him, as he was afraid of the bloodthirsty spaniards: the poor fellow could not at most live more than two hours, as a cannon-ball had completely carried off both thighs. he entreated me to stay with him, but i only did so as long as i found it convenient: i saw, too, that he could not last long, and very little sympathy could be expected from me then; so i ransacked his pockets and knapsack, and found a piece of pork ready cooked and three or four pounds of bread, which i thought would be very acceptable. the poor fellow asked me to leave him a portion, so i cut off a piece of bread and meat and emptied the beans out of my haversack, which with the bread and meat i left by his side. i then asked him if he had any money, to which he replied no, but not feeling quite satisfied at that, i again went through his pockets. i found ten rounds of ball cartridge which i threw away, and likewise a clothes-brush and a roll of gold and silver lace, but those i would not give carriage to. however, i found his purse at last, which contained seven spanish dollars and seven shillings, all of which i put into my pocket except one shilling, which i returned to the poor dying man, and continued on my way up the hill. there i saw a french officer come out of a low copse close by, and instantly fired at him, but without doing him any mischief. he made his way up the hill as quickly as possible, using his sword as a walking-stick, but a german rifleman who had been on the look-out cut off his communication and succeeded in taking him prisoner. i did not take any further notice of him, therefore, but proceeded along with my company still in pursuit of the french, who were retreating in all directions in a very disorderly state. we might have taken hundreds of them prisoners had it not been for our officers, who in their flurry had mistaken them for spaniards; for lord wellington had previously ordered the spaniards to wear a piece of white substance round their left arm to make some distinction between the french dress and theirs, which was very similar; but the french had got knowledge of this, and a great number of them, who were obliged in their hurried retreat and on account of the difficulties of the road to pass near our lines, had adopted the spanish white band. still we fired at them both with muskets and artillery; but when the officers perceived the white on their arms, without bestowing any more consideration as to whether they were the enemy or the spaniards, they immediately stopped us from doing so. as soon as the french in passing observed this, they sunk into the valley and piled arms as if they were allies; and directly an opportunity afforded itself, they again took up their muskets and fired right into our lines, doing terrible mischief. i never in all the days of the campaign saw men in such a rage as ours were with the officers. i really thought that some serious consequences would ensue, but as it was, all fortunately passed off as well as could be expected after such a mistake. for if this trick had before been observed, we might have taken the whole body prisoners by a direct movement of our right flank, as no other way lay open to their retreat without their encountering great difficulties; but the chance was now thrown away, and repairs could not be made of the damage done; many in our line having lost their irrecoverable lives, and others being more or less injured. we had only to make what consolation we could from beholding the almost express pace of the party as it retreated from where lay our comrades, either as groaning, wounded, or shattered corpses. after their signal defeat at vittoria, scarcely anything was left open to the french but to cross the pyrenees into their own territory on the other side. numberless quantities of warlike instruments were captured, such as cannons, muskets, cartridges, and all kinds of ammunition, besides supplies for the army, food, clothing, and the like, which were considering our need at the time of great benefit to the allies. i myself had my feet new rigged after this affair, and it was certainly not before i wanted a covering for them; there was certainly a part of the upper leathers of my old pair of boots left, but the chief part of the sole was my own natural one belonging to my foot. i had some little difficulty in procuring them, however; i happened to see a shoe-wagon that had been captured from the enemy and was being fast emptied by a number of our men, so i asked the captain to let me fall out, as my shoes wanted replenishing. he only answered, "no, not until the enemy is fairly away, and then you may do as you please;" so i had to disobey orders again, and on the next halt step off to the wagon to see what i could find. there were, however, such a number on the same errand that i began to despair of getting any boots, but at length i succeeded in getting into the wagon, and i hove out a hundred pairs or so to the mob, while i took up six or seven pairs for myself, or rather some likewise for some of my comrades, in hopes of making off with them quietly. my hopes, however, were far from being fulfilled, for no sooner was i off the wagon, than i was completely smothered with parties that wanted and craved for boots equally with myself; so i had to let all my lot go, finding that i could not get clear, and got back into the wagon. then i threw out another stock to the barefooted mob, and replenished my own lot, this time, however, only getting five pairs, and of these i did not succeed in getting off with more than three after all. i made back to my company thinking to be unobserved, but in that i was again mistaken, for the captain himself seeing me called out, "you will disobey orders then, will you? and what are you going to do with all those shoes?" i told him i was going to put on a pair as soon as possible, to which he replied, "very well, sir, mind you give the rest to your comrades;" which i did, as that had been my intention from the first; if not, i should not have troubled to get more than one pair, as on such marches as ours it was not likely that any man would care to carry a change in boots, or of anything else but food, which, though seldom denied to us, was more seldom obtained. at vittoria, too, buonaparte's carriage was captured with some ladies in it. the french army had retreated to pampeluna, so lord wellington sent a sergeant and twelve men under a flag of truce to escort these ladies into the french camp at that place, in return for which buonaparte behaved very well, for he gave the sergeant a doubloon and each of the men one-half of that sum, and had them escorted out of his lines by a french officer. our army meanwhile pursued the enemy until night put an end to our proceedings, when we encamped two or three miles west of vittoria, there remaining two nights and one day busily engaged on the forage for ourselves. happily thousands of sheep were found, that the enemy had been obliged to abandon on their retreat. i had been fortunate enough to get one and bring it into camp, and was proceeding to kill it by putting my bayonet through the neck, when lieutenant kelly of our company happening to pass, "hullo, lawrence," he said, "you seem a capital butcher." i said, "would you like a piece of it?" "i certainly should very much," he answered, "for i am devilish hungry;" so i took out my knife and cut off one of the quarters just as it was, without even skinning it, and gave it to him, saying, "there, sir, you must skin it yourself." he thanked me and said, "never mind the skin, i will manage that." not only myself, but several of my comrades had likewise managed to get a share of these sheep, so that night a general cooking ceremony commenced: our first movement being to go round and gather all the odd sticks we could lay our hands upon, including gates, doors, chairs, tables, even some of the window-frames being knocked out of the many deserted houses and gathered together in one heap for this great purpose; and in a very short time both roast and boiled mutton were seen cutting about in all directions. nor had we altogether forgotten our former experience of the beans which were growing plentifully at that time and place, and we found that night's meal as good a one as we had tasted for some weeks past. after it was over we lay down for the night,--a body picket having previously been sent out to guard against any surprise from the enemy; but we lay very comfortable without being disturbed the whole night, and as our fires did not cease burning we kept very warm as well. next day was likewise chiefly spent by those off duty in search of food, some returning with one or more of such articles as wheat flour, cabbages, turnips, carrots, and beans. a fellow-corporal of mine seeing this, and neither of us having been out, said, "lawrence, i'll go and try my luck too, and if the drums should beat for orders, you go and get them for me, and then we can share the profits of my search." i consented, and he soon went, and was gone for at least two hours before he returned loaded with his findings, having taken his shirt off and tied the sleeves and collar up, and then filled his impromptu sack quite full. he had evidently carried his burden no small distance, for on his return the perspiration was running down as big as peas. "tare an' 'ounds," poor paddy said, for he was an irishman, "i've got a fine lot of flour, but am as tired as a dog, and as hungry as a hunter." "well done, burke," said i, for that was his name, "we will soon have a blow out of dough-boys and mutton." i accordingly got a tin dish which i took from a frenchman at vittoria, and having filled it with our supposed flour, i poured some water on it, intending to make some balls of dough for the pot; when i suddenly found paddy had been making a great mistake and that it was nothing more or less than lime that he had brought instead of flour. i said, "i'll be bothered if you haven't brought home lime for flour;" but paddy would not believe it, saying it was the best white flour, till i told him to come and see it boiling and smoking in the pot, which quite confounded him, and taking up the remainder in his shirt he hove it out, saying, "well i'm blessed, comrade, if i ain't off again, and i'll take good care not to come back again this time till i have some good flour." he had been gone about an hour when he returned with at least half his shirt full, for he had got on the same scent as a great many who had been before him and were now fast returning already loaded. i then commenced making the dough-boys by mixing a little salt and water with the flour, and put them into a kettle swung over a fire on two sticks placed perpendicularly on each side with a cross-bar on the top, gipsy fashion, and by night our supper was hot and well done. as is perhaps well known, dough-boys cannot be very greasy without fat or suet of any kind, but they were quite passable in the hungry state we were then in, and as we had no bread, we used some more of the mutton to help them down. our fires were then made up the same as the night before, and at the proper time we again retired to rest comfortably and were soon lost in a profound slumber. chapter xvi. advance to the pyrenees -- capture and destruction of a provision train -- unpleasant episode during sunday service -- the regiment takes up its position on the heights of villebar -- the enemy's attempts to dislodge them all successfully repulsed -- sad death of a straggler -- lawrence goes to get a watch-chain and has a narrow escape -- exchange of wounded prisoners -- the french finally driven off the mountains -- the captain of the regiment presented with a testimonial at the french expense. on the day after the adventure of the dough-boys we were again ordered to march, and advanced towards pampeluna; but that town being garrisoned by the french, we passed it on our left, and proceeding for some distance further west, encamped near some hills with strong fortifications on their summit. there we lay a few days, and thence arrived on the heights of villebar in the pyrenees in the latter part of july, where we took up our position. lord wellington had extended his army in a line along the pyrenees which must have exceeded thirty miles from the extreme left to the extreme right, and which would owing to the difficulties of the mountain barriers have made it very hard to combine in case of an attack in force by the enemy on any particular part of our line. thus in warfare such as has now to be described we ran more risk than the french, who being able to form in their own country and drive their body on any part of our line, had a considerable advantage over us. our division, with a brigade of the second and another division of the spanish, occupied the extreme right, covering pampeluna. very shortly after our arrival the action commenced on our left; and meanwhile suspicions were entertained that soult intended to attack, so as to reinforce and throw supplies into pampeluna, which was being blockaded by the allies and in danger of capitulating owing to shortness of provisions. lord wellington accordingly sent our division to a particular pass of the mountains in search of the said supplies, and after marching over hills, mountains, and valleys for at least thirty miles, we at length fell in with about three hundred carts laden with provisions and ammunition. they were guarded, however, by a strong body of the enemy, who soon attacked us; but they met with a strong reception, and after a severe altercation on both sides we succeeded in capturing the booty. owing, however, to the difficulty of the country, and our not having proper means of transportation, we were obliged to set fire to the bread, of which there was a great quantity, although it was the very substance of which we were so much in need. it went very much against our will, but that being the order it had to be attended to; not, however, before some of our men had stocked themselves with a portion that could reasonably be moved. then having placed the ammunition together and extended a long train so that at any time it might be easily blown up, we retired some distance and waited for the reappearance of the enemy, who, most likely thinking we had abandoned some of the carts, were not long before they came back in strong force; and on their nearing the fatal machine the train was fired and a great number of them were soon launched into the air. we retreated after that as quickly as possible to pampeluna out of reach of the enemy, falling back that day at least twenty miles; a hard day's work indeed, but not thought much of in those times, when equally hard days were so often passed through, especially in a hasty retreat or on a well-fought battlefield. we again encamped for nearly a week, during which time we amused ourselves in throwing up huts for officers' quarters, cooking-houses, and the like; and we had settled down so nicely that we had almost begun to think we were to be stationed there for at least six months. but on the very next sunday we found that we were mistaken and that our hopes were to be disappointed. a square had been formed into which a parson entered to read prayers and preach, and a drum being placed for his books and a knapsack for him to kneel on, he had proceeded with the service for some little time, when all of a sudden up he jumped with his traps and made a bolt, before any one had hardly time to see the cause, amid the applause and laughter of the whole of the troops at his running, which was as fast as his legs could carry him, and looked then as if the poor man might be going on even till now. they used to say that the three scarcest things to be seen in an army were a dead parson, drum-major, or a woman: the explanation of this was to be found in the fact that they were none of them often to be seen on a battlefield; and i think in this case our parson must have told and frightened all the others in the kingdom, for never after that did we have any service in the field. but the cause of the sudden flight on the part of the parson proved not to be one entirely of enjoyment, for a large body of the enemy appearing, we likewise found ourselves running about pretty smartly and preparing for immediate action. the affair lasted hotly till dusk, our division losing some four or five hundred men. when night fell we were obliged to retreat still further towards pampeluna, leaving the wounded, with the exception of two grenadiers who had been shot in the thighs, and whom we took turns to carry in two blankets, in the enemy's hands. we had to get through a very thick wood of quite three or four miles in extent, which took us the whole night to accomplish; and in the morning when we were finally through, we lay down like so many loaded donkeys; still obliged, however, to remain in readiness, as we expected to be pursued. and soon enough we found we were, for we had not lain down very long before the enemy came up and charged us hotly, again forcing us to follow up our retreat, without even thinking this time of our two wounded burdens, who were left to the mercy of the enemy. in a few hours, however, we again joined the main army, or rather got into its line; and pleased enough we all were to get back. we were then posted in a strong position on the heights of villebar with the spanish troops on our right. the french soon made their appearance and attacked the spanish corps, who fired at them long before they came within bounds of shot, not having proper officers to guide them; those that ought to have been leading them on having instead placed themselves out of the way, leaving their men to do the dirty work; and of course these latter soon decamped too. our regiment, however, was soon on the scene; and hastening in that direction, we managed to get there before the enemy had gained the summit of this important ridge. orders had been issued by our officers not to fire till we could do good work; but this soon came to pass, for the french quickly sallied up and fired first, and we returned it in less than a minute. i never saw a single volley do so much execution in all my campaigning days, almost every man of their two first ranks falling; and then we instantly charged and chased them down the mountain, doing still further and more fearful havoc. when we had done we returned to our old summit again, where the captain cheered and praised us for our gallantry, saying that he had never seen a braver set of men, and that he hoped we would always succeed in preserving our ground equally well. our likewise brave enemy tried again two hours later to shift us and take possession of our ground; but they were again received as before and again sent down the hill. we were again praised by our commander, who said, "i think they have got enough of it by this time, and won't make a third attack in a hurry;" but we were mistaken, for four hours had not passed before they were up again with fresh reinforcements. some of our men then seemed to despair, for i heard them even say to the officers who were so bravely leading us on, "we shall have to be off this time." "never mind," replied the officers, "keep your ground if possible, and don't let yourselves be beaten;" which we did like bricks, for on their arrival and trying to outflank us, so that we were obliged to wheel round to the left, the right flank opened fire as they were close upon us, and instantly charged right into them with the bayonet, forcing them to retreat. they again fell up to support their other companies, who were attacking our other flank; but we reloaded and were then ready to meet them, again pouring another of our deadly volleys into their ranks and then going at them again with our bayonets like enraged bulldogs. the fight that ensued was most sanguinary, but we succeeded again in driving them down the mountain at last. i should think they must have numbered five to our one; in fact the whole of our fourth division was attacked, but all assisted equally bravely in retaining our position on the heights and earned great praise from our commanders. i do not myself think, however, that we could ever have routed so large a number of the french had it not been for our advantageous ground. some portuguese troops likewise behaved very well, but as for the spaniards, i can safely affirm that after their first retreat i did not see any more of them again that day. we encamped that night on the same ground that we had so well defended. our captain, who was as nice a man as ever commanded in the peninsula, always seeming to share everything with the men and bear the blunt as well as the smooth, and the losses as well as the profits, now said, "come, my brave men, turn to and cook yourselves something to eat, for you have earned it well;" an order which we soon set about to obey. a quantity of rum had been sent up for us, so we were able to sit down tired as we were and enjoy ourselves as if nothing extraordinary had occurred that day. we then sent out a picket and prepared to take our rest for the night, the french not seeming inclined to sally up any more to engage us on those heights. when the returns were called off the list, we found our killed and wounded amounted to seventy-four, but one more of our number was soon to be added to the sum total. a comrade of my own company went in search of sticks to liven up our fire: i told him to be careful and not get in sight of the enemy's picket, or they might have a pop at him, and he replied never fear, he would be careful; but the foolish fellow had been gone but a few minutes, when he was shot through the neck. instead of keeping his own side of the hill, he had diverged on to the other close enough to be observed by one of the enemy's riflemen, who shot him as i have described. i happened to hear the shot, and found that it had been at him, so i went and dragged him back, pretty quickly as may be supposed, for i was fearful lest i should be shot likewise myself. the poor fellow was not dead, but exclaimed, "o corporal, i am a dead man!" when i had got him out of the enemy's reach and near our own lines, i took his stock from off his neck and he expired directly; so i had to leave him and rejoin our company with the news that another of us was gone, making seventy-five in all. on the following morning i happened to observe an officer of the french army moving at some distance in front of our lines, having hanging from his pocket a fine watch-guard, which particularly took my attention and which i thought at the time would look very well on me; and being more daring than wise, i crawled towards him with my musket loaded, and when near enough as i thought to him, i fired; but it did him no mischief and only made him take himself off at once. i nearly got into a scrape through it, however, for i was fired at myself in return, the bullet fortunately only taking the butt end off my musket. i turned to run off, and another shot hit the knapsack on my back, but i soon got out of reach of their shot again, luckily, as it happened, without any injury; but it must have been a near thing, for when i next opened my knapsack, i found the ball had gone through the leather and my thickly-folded blanket and had at last been stopped by the sole of a shoe, and was lying there as flat as a halfpenny and about the same size. the same day we were joined by the fifty-third regiment lord wellington having sent it on to relieve us in case of another attack from the enemy. they offered to occupy our heights, so that we might fall back to the rear, but our captain would not consent to that; "for," as he said, "my men have fought well to defend their position, and i think they will be strong enough to keep it." he proposed, however, that they should keep out an outlying picket, so that we could take our rest, which would be the best way of relieving us, and their commander readily agreed to do so. thus we passed two or three days, both armies remaining inactive. then one day a french officer was seen coming up the mountain, having laid down his sword, so our captain sent a lieutenant who could talk good french to meet him and see what he wanted. he found that he wished to know if we would allow him to send for their wounded, so an agreement was entered into that we should take all their killed and wounded halfway down the mountain, and that they should meet us there with ours in return. this plan was soon carried out; and when we had buried our dead, the wounded were conveyed to hospitals appropriated to them at the nearest convenient place. all was still quiet on the following morning, but later in the day the whole body of our line appeared in motion, and we were ordered in company with the fifty-third regiment to attack the enemy's post near us, acting in conjunction with the other front of our line; and this being done, we soon drove them right off the mountains. the portuguese troops in our division fought well in this action. we followed up the retreating french to a village situated in a valley of the pyrenees, where they were delayed owing to having to cross a river. general cole immediately ordered our regiment up to stop them if possible; so off we went in quick time to the river, and on their seeing they were so quickly pursued and that there was no hope of escaping, they threw down their arms and gave themselves up prisoners to the number of about seven hundred. we took a gold-mounted sword from their commander, and a gold plate out of his cap with an eagle engraved on it, which were given to our captain by the regiment as a present, as he was a universal favourite for his behaviour to the men in general. the prisoners were then sent to st. jean de luz to be put on board ship, and so conveyed to england. chapter xvii. continued retreat of the french -- narrow escape of lord wellington -- lawrence volunteers to remove the danger -- is successful, and earns the praise of lord wellington -- repeated engagements with the enemy -- lawrence, like most people who try to hedge, nearly comes to grief -- capture of a bridge and village -- lawrence, becoming lame, is left on guard over a portuguese cottage -- surprises and discomfits a french intruder -- sad end of a hungry corporal -- lawrence made sergeant. we marched slowly on, following up the enemy as closely as possible, often even having them in sight: and both armies were sometimes encamped for a week at a time, and employed meanwhile in skirmishing with each other. at one of these halts the enemy by some means or other got three pieces of cannon on to the top of a steep mountain, probably by men dragging them up with ropes, as it was impossible for horses to have done it; and on our entering the valley, lord wellington happening to be with us, a shot from one of these carried his cocked hat completely off. our colonel remarked to him, "that was a near miss, my lord;" to which he replied, "yes, and i wish you would try to stop them, for they seem determined to annoy us." our colonel immediately said he would send some of the grenadiers up for that purpose, so i, being a corporal and right-hand man of the company, volunteered with a section to undertake the job. six men were accordingly chosen besides myself; rather a small storming-party for the object in hand, as they numbered twenty-one artillerymen and an officer, according to my own counting. i led my little band along the valley and approached the mountain whence they were tormenting us. the artillerymen kept up a fire at us from the cannon, which consisted of light six-pounders, but owing to our movement they could not get the elevation. we slowly scaled the hill zigzag fashion to baffle their aim, until we got so close that the cannon could not possibly touch us, owing to a slight mound on the hill. we were then within a hundred yards of them, and i took their number, and found at the same time that they had no firearms with them but the cannon, which were of not much use at close quarters for such a few men. i should say we lay there on the ground for at least ten minutes, contemplating which would be the best mode of attack, while they were anxiously watching for our reappearance. at last when ready i said, "now my men, examine your flints and priming, so that all things may go right." they did so, saying, "all right, corporal, we will follow you;" so i too sang out, "now for a gold chain or a wooden leg!" and having told them what to do and to act together, we jumped up, and giving them a volley, we charged them before they had any time to take an aim at us, and succeeded in gaining the cannon and driving the men down the mountain to a body of their infantry that was stationed at the foot. i immediately made a signal with my cap for our brigade to come up, for they were all ready and on the watch, but we found that the enemy's infantry was likewise on the move for our height. fortunately, our brigade was the first to arrive, and reinforced us on the mountain, and on seeing this the enemy decamped. by great luck not one of my men was injured, whilst our volley killed or badly wounded five of the artillerymen. after the enemy's retreat, the colonel came up to me and said, "well done, lawrence; i did not think you were half so brave, but no man could have managed it better." he likewise praised my six fellow-stormers, and a short time afterwards lord wellington himself came up and asked me my name, and on my telling him, said, "i shall think of you another day." these three cannon, which were composed of brass, were now the only ones we possessed, as owing to the difficult nature of our route our own had been obliged to be left behind; even the cavalry being of very little use in this mountain warfare. soon after this daring feat of ours, the enemy again commenced their retreat, we still following close up to them; but after proceeding some two miles, we found they had again halted and were occupying another mountain; so we sank into the valley, and made ourselves as comfortable for the time as we could under the circumstances. we had no tents, and even if we had, we could not have pitched them so close to the enemy, so at night we curled ourselves well into our blankets and retired to rest on the ground. finding next morning that they apparently did not mean to renew their retreat without being made to do so, we tried the experiment; but that day we were defeated in our object, for again, like the fatal fox and grapes, we could very well look at them but could not get them down. we accordingly brought up by the mountain again that night, and those who were not amongst the number told off for picket, which was large as we were so near the enemy, again retired to rest in their blankets. but next morning, not feeling contented with their prolonged stay, or with our attack of the day before, which had only failed to move them, we again assailed them; this time with success, for we drove them from that mountain and pursued them till they again halted. we followed their example, and then we lay again for several days, getting good and undisturbed rest every night, and only having to send out a picket so as to guard against any surprise from the enemy, this duty, of course, falling equally on all in their turn. i think it was about the third day that we were put into advancing order and were again led on to the attack. when we got within a few paces, we gave them our usual volley, and made our charges, which they did not long stand against before they again started on a slow retreat, we always keeping pretty close to their heels and being very often occupied in skirmishing with them. i was engaged myself in one of these affairs that happened during a short stay that we made. a small body of us were out under a sergeant, an irishman named ryan, and observing a large force with some of the enemy lurking around the premises, we made towards it and drove these few off the place, after which four or five more came out of the house on our approach and decamped. we entered and found a pig there just killed; but the butchers had evidently not had time to open it, so we set about taking our turn to do so, but were not allowed time to finish the job, for we now perceived a large body of french fast coming up, and we in our turn were obliged to retreat. sharp enough work it was for us, too, for they had got within bounds of shot, and certainly did not fail to make use of it, following us up and firing at us across a meadow, which i can well remember was surrounded by a very thick thorn hedge, which delayed us very much, as we had to jump over it; and i not being much of a jumper myself, managed to find myself in the middle of it. it was a very prickly berth, and became more so when our sergeant, who had got clear himself, came to my assistance to pull me through. i got scratched all over, but that was not so bad as the thought of the bullets that were peppering through the hedge on all sides of me; however, i was extricated at last, though i left most of the back part of my uniform behind, and we proceeded at full speed on our way. we had not gone far, however, when our poor sergeant was shot down. he appeared quite dead, but i did not stop, for they kept on stoutly pursuing us until they began to be afraid of getting too close to our line, which by this time had made a forward move, both our army and the enemy likewise being still on the march, and we skirmishing with their rear. at one time we came on about two hundred of their stragglers, and we fortunately numbering very strongly, were enabled to engage them and drive them back. soon after this i had another very narrow escape. one of the enemy had lain in ambush in a thicket at the top of a mountain where i myself was straggling. i had no one near me at the time, and this fellow in the bush fired at me. the shot first took the ground and then bounded up against my brass breastplate, which was fixed on my cross-belt, and probably served on this occasion to save my life. the frenchman, as soon as he had spent his shot, bolted; i had my own musket loaded at the time, but i did not think of firing, but proceeded after him with all my speed till i came up with him. i did not think i could run so fast. i have made frenchmen run before, but it was generally after me. when he saw he was outdone he showed very poor pluck, for he immediately threw down his arms and gave himself up to me. if he had had any spirit he would not have done that so easily; though certainly i was loaded, while he was not, having, as i before said, exhausted his shot, owing to my plate, however, i am happy to say, without doing me the slightest injury. i then began to strip him of his accoutrements and ransacked his knapsack, but i was sadly disappointed in finding nothing about him; so i took his musket and broke the stock, and left him, not feeling inclined to be troubled with a prisoner, or to hurt the man in unfair play. and i likewise felt quite pleased at my narrow escape, as those sort of things often served as topics of conversation during our night lounges when we were in pretty quiet quarters. the man himself seemed very grateful that i did not hurt him after his offence; and the more so when i returned him his not-fit-for-much kit in his knapsack, nothing of his, in fact, being damaged except his musket; and he walked away with an air of assurance, without appearing to be in any hurry or afraid of being overtaken by any other of our men. i then went on in search of my comrades, who had by this time left the mountain for the neighbouring valley, and after running down the slope, i found them posted in a house situated at the bottom. they had been in search of provisions, but all they found was a cask of sweet cyder, the french having evidently been there before us and the place having been ransacked of everything but this. we drank as much as we wanted and put the rest into our canteen, but we were greatly disappointed in not finding anything to eat, for we were dreadfully hungry and very short of provisions. however, after we had refreshed ourselves with the cyder, at which our officer helped us, he ordered us to be getting on, or rather led us on himself to a small village about half a mile off, which we knew was occupied by some french. we found that a river intervened between us and this village, with a bridge over it guarded by about two hundred of the enemy; and a long lane had likewise to be traversed before we got up to them, in passing through which several of our men were wounded either by some of the enemy lying in ambush or by stragglers. still we did not take long altogether in arriving at the bridge, and when there, having our firelocks all ready, we opened fire and then charged; but our attack was in vain, for we were met and overpowered and obliged to retreat behind a large hill at a short distance from the bridge. in the course of this short action i saw the french officer's horse shot from under him, but whether he was injured himself i cannot say. we rested a short time behind this hill, and came to a determination to make another attack on the bridge. this time we met with more success, for though we only effected it after a long and severe brush, we made them retreat, leaving the hard fought for but really insignificant bridge in our possession. we found nearly thirty of the enemy lying there killed and wounded, while we only lost about fifteen in all. but we did not delay over our captured bridge, for the blood of victory once in our veins, we pressed on for more and traced them down, continually firing as we passed through the village. unfortunately i sprained my foot here, which disabled me from following, and a portuguese inhabitant having asked our officer to let one of our men stay in his house to guard it from plunder whilst we remained in or near the village, the officer said to me, "corporal lawrence, you may as well stay with the man as you are so lame, and it will do to give you a rest." the company was to go back to the house where the cyder had been found, so i was rather glad of this occurrence, as i calculated i should get more attention paid me than if i had been with my comrades. i accordingly seated myself near the door of the man's house, and he soon brought me about a pint of wine with a piece of bread, for which i was very grateful, as i was very hungry and the wine proved to be much more to my taste than my previous ration of cyder. i had not been sitting there long, however, before i heard a heavy footstep descending the staircase of the house, and on looking up, found it belonged to a frenchman who had been up there for the purpose of plunder, and was now coming away with a good-sized bundle of clean linen under his arm. when he saw me he immediately bolted out of a back door which led into a field. i made a desperate plunge at him with my bayonet, but owing to my bad foot i could not get near enough to him to hurt him; still i managed to stop his burden, for he had forced that against the bayonet to shield himself from it. as soon as i could extricate my musket, i hobbled as quickly as i could to the back door and sent a bullet after him; but he had got some distance away, and i cannot say exactly whether i hit him; though i think it broke his arm, for i saw it drop immediately, and his motion became more slackened as he passed out of sight, which contented me as much as if i had killed him. i then went back into the house and blew the portuguese up for not keeping a better watch than to let a frenchman find his way upstairs, as he might have killed us both. the portuguese said he did not know how he got up there, neither did he very much care so long as he was gone now. i told him i thought he was a very easy-going customer, and pointed out that i had saved his linen for him, and his wife took it upstairs again as if nothing had happened, he likewise remarked that there was no fear of the frenchman having taken any money, for he had none. he then gave me some more bread and wine, and when i had stopped two or three hours longer, during which time i drank the wine and stowed the bread into my haversack till i should feel more inclined to eat it, i left them, not feeling altogether safe there, as the enemy might very likely fall back. i returned over our well-deserved bridge to the cyder-house, as we had named it after the barrel we had found there. on my arrival my comrades seemed to smell out my bread, and they came and hovered round me like bees while i divided it as well as i could, for i was not hungry myself, and it was soon devoured. we only stayed about two or three hours longer at this house until the army came up, and we again joined our different regiments. we halted near this place for the night, and our butchers commenced work killing bullocks for our supply. i think scarcely a drop of blood was wasted, for even that was caught in our kettles and boiled and eaten, and was found to be very good. each sergeant had to send in his return for the meat required for his company, at the rate of two pounds for each man; and when he had received it, the cooking immediately commenced. this was the last cooking that my fellow-corporal burke, whom i have referred to before, ever took part in. but before relating how that happened i may as well mention that the butchers were entitled as a sort of perquisite to the bullocks' heels, which they sometimes sold. burke bought two of these at this place for fifteenpence, and began cooking them in a somewhat peculiar manner, being either too hungry or too impatient to cook them properly by boiling. what he did was to put them on the fire to fizzle just as they came from the butcher, not even cleaning them, or taking any of the hair off; and every now and then he would gnaw the portion off that he thought was done, in order to get the underdone part closer to the fire. in this way he finished both the hocks, and for a time seemed satisfied, evidently thinking he had had a good supper. but he had not counted on his digestion, for having eaten so much on an empty stomach, and that too almost raw and mixed with a fair amount of soot, for the fire was not altogether clear, it was not long before he felt it begin to disagree with him, and he commenced to writhe about and was in fearful agonies all night. the doctor of the regiment was sent for, but he could do nothing for the man, and in the morning he was no better. we were then ordered to follow up the enemy, so that he had either to march on in this state or be left behind. he chose the former, so i got him along by helping him for about a mile, when he suddenly without saying a word to any one fell out of the ranks, lay down on a bank by the roadside, and expired in a few minutes. i was very much hurt at this, for he was one of my best comrades, but there was no help for it, and we had to leave him and march on. we did not come in contact with the enemy at all that day, and encamped for the night, as we thought, but it afterwards proved to be for nearly a fortnight. towards the end of that time, our captain, who was my best friend in the whole regiment, rejoined us, having been left behind owing to a slight wound which he had received while on the march three or four weeks previously, but of which he had now quite recovered. our company was at that time very short of sergeants, for which i shall afterwards account, so he recommended my promotion to fill one of the vacancies to the colonel, who gave him a written order for the purpose, and i was put into the place of poor ryan. i of course was very proud of my new title, and not only that, but i received one shilling and elevenpence pay per day, being an additional sixpence on what i had formerly. chapter xviii. the regiment refitted with clothing and provisions at st. jean de luz -- comments by lawrence on the shameful behaviour of certain sergeants of his regiment -- marches and countermarches in the mountain passes -- lawrence temporizes as cook in behalf of his officers, and is rewarded with an extra allowance of rum -- a wet night -- fall of san sebastian -- lawrence acts as medical adviser to his captain and gets more rum -- battle of the nivelle and the french driven well into their own country. very shortly after my promotion we were ordered to st. jean de luz, where we received new clothes, and high time it was that we did so too, for our old ones were scarcely worth owning as rags and fearfully dirty, the red of them having turned almost to black. i ought to have received a sergeant's suit, but owing probably to the quartermaster's obstinacy i only got a private's, the same sort as i had had before. here we likewise received a good supply of bread and rum, which seemed to us like a new and even a luxurious diet. i may as well here give the details about the sergeants of our regiment. i was the only one in my company where there ought to have been six when i was promoted, so the whole duty fell heavily on me. the rest had been wounded at some time or other before, and then never pushed on much to get back to their regiment; many when recovered preferring to skulk in the hospitals in paltry situations such as doorkeepers or ward-masters, so getting a little extra pay, and then, as i shall again have occasion to show, being too ready to make their appearance when the war was over. fortunately, however, they then met with no great encouragement. they had really plenty of opportunity to follow up the regiment if they had chosen, but i suppose they thought they were best off out of the smell of powder, and probably they were, but still that does not throw a very creditable light on them. after we had received our clothes and provisions, we did not lie long at st. jean de luz, but again started on our marches, cruising about in the pyrenees. for some time nothing of any particular note occurred until we again fell in with the enemy, who were stationed in huts which they had erected in the various valleys. we attacked them, and some sharp work ensued, for they did not seem to like the idea of abandoning their houses, which were much more comfortable than the open winter air, but we at last drove them off and took possession of their habitations, which a part of our army occupied. as for our regiment itself, we marched up the side of a mountain and encamped there. we again found ourselves very short of provisions there, and besides that the rain was falling in torrents all night. we had nothing over our heads at first to cover them, so we set to and gathered a quantity of grass, sticks, stubble, and like things, and made a kind of wall to keep off a little of the wind and beating rain; and then we tried to make up our fires with anything we could get together, but owing to the wetness of the substances, they were not very lively, and it was a long time before we could get them to burn at all. our captain asked me if i could boil him a piece of beef, so i told him i would try and see what i could do to make the best of the bad circumstances, and accordingly i and a corporal of my company at once set to work, first placing our hanger over the fire and then swinging the kettle on it with the beef. the beef nearly filled the kettle, and though it was pouring with rain, it was a very awkward place to get water, as there were no springs near and no tanks to catch the rain in; consequently we had only about a quart of water in the pot, which had all boiled away before the beef was done. however, the captain was impatient for his supper, so it was taken up to him as it was, the pot-cover serving as a dish and a wooden canteen as a plate. i put it before him with salt on the edge of the canteen, and i likewise got him a piece of bread, which by the time he had it was nicely soaked by the rain--indeed we had not a dry thread on us by this time. the next bother was for a fork: i had a knife myself, but had lost the fork, so i got a stick and sharpened it at one end and gave him that as a substitute, and was rewarded by his praising me for my good contrivance. colonel thornton coming up meanwhile, he was invited by the captain to partake of some of the beef, and he gladly accepted, as he said he was very hungry; so another plate, knife, and fork were wanted. i borrowed my comrade the corporal's canteen and knife, and manufactured another fork like the former to serve for the colonel, and they both said the beef was very good, but not very well done, which it certainly was not, for though it went down sweet like most things in those times, the inside was certainly hardly warm. the colonel sent me to the quartermaster for a canteen of rum, which was equivalent to three pints, for which purpose another canteen had to be borrowed, but when i returned to him with it he said, "that's right; now go and drink it." i took it off to my comrade, and we both sat down under our artificial wall close by our fire to try and enjoy ourselves as best the inclemency of the weather would allow us, keeping, however, near our officers' green-carpeted nature's dining-room, so that if we were wanted we could hear them call. but when they did so, which was in a short time, it was for us to clear away, with orders at the same time to keep the remainder of the beef for ourselves; so we removed our dinner traps, passing a good many remarks in a jocular spirit on our green pasture, wet cloth, and our scientific dishes, plates, knives, and forks, much to the amusement of the colonel and captain who were looking on, and then sat down to our own supper, which we very much needed. i remember remarking to my comrade that we had not done so badly over our cooking after all, but perhaps it was only the hunger that made us think so. after finishing our supper and drinking the greater part of our rum, which no doubt got to a certain extent into our heads and served to keep out the cold and wet and make us generally comfortable, we curled ourselves into our blankets and lay down on the wet ground to rest. the rain descended in torrents all night and completely soaked us, but the morning broke out clear, and after we had disposed of the rest of our beef and rum, we joined all hands at work in wringing and shaking the water out of our blankets before putting them up into our knapsacks. we were obliged to do this while they were damp for fear of an attack from the enemy, it being a general rule to keep all in readiness; and, indeed, on this occasion it was not more than an hour after these preparations that the french assailed us. not being willing to show fight, we retreated on that occasion, having nothing to attend to but ourselves and our kit, for we were without baggage and cannon. after a ten miles' journey or so we again halted expecting to be attacked again very soon, for which emergency we hastily prepared, needlessly, as it proved, however, for we eventually stopped here quietly for a month. during this time that i have been speaking of the siege of san sebastian had been going on, the town having up to this time been already attacked twice, but without success. lord wellington now ordered twenty men out of each regiment of our division to act in conjunction with the besiegers, and soon after they arrived, the order being given to attack, after about two hours' fighting they succeeded in capturing the town and driving the garrison into the castle, which was likewise obliged to surrender in about a week. though there were many deaths occasioned in this siege, strange to say the whole twenty men of our regiment returned unhurt. i remember during our stay here, our captain was fearfully troubled with the toothache. at last one night, after trying in vain to endure the pain, he came to me and said, "o sergeant, i am still troubled with the pain! what can you advise me for it?" i recommended him just to take a pipe of my tobacco, for i knew that would be a good thing for him, but he never could bear tobacco, so that it wanted a good deal of persuasion to at last make him consent to prefer the remedy to the pain. as he had no pipe of his own, i supplied him with the implement and some tobacco, and he began to smoke. but he had not been at it long before he said, "why, sergeant, this will never do! the place seems whirling round. here, take the pipe, for i feel precious queer; but my tooth is much better, and after all you are not such a bad doctor." he gave me half a pint of rum, and for a long time i heard nothing more of his toothache. we stayed here, as i said before, about a month, and then again moved on after our enemy, our cavalry, pontoon bridges, and artillery coming on by the most convenient passes of the mountains. while on the march we often had slight skirmishes with the enemy, but no regular pitched battle until we came to the nivelle, where soult had taken up a strong position. there our army halted in line, determined to attack and proceed if possible into france, as nothing more remained to be done in the peninsula, pampeluna having been obliged, owing to shortness of provisions, to surrender on the last day of october. the third, fourth, and seventh divisions, under marshal beresford and their respective generals, occupied the right centres of the line. we commenced the attack early on the th of november on a village which was defended by two redoubts. one of these our division took under general cole, driving the enemy to some heights in the rear, where we again attacked them and drove them over the nivelle. after this we went into cantonments for a few weeks, but owing to the unsettled state of the french army who had attacked our left, and then, having failed, had proceeded against our right which was commanded by sir rowland hill, lord wellington ordered the sixth and our division to reinforce the right. we only arrived there, however, just in time to hear that the action was all over, the defeat of the enemy and their enforced retreat still further into their own country having been accomplished without our assistance. chapter xix. advance to orthes -- lawrence moralizes again on the vicissitudes of war -- losses of his own regiment during the campaign -- proclamation by lord wellington against plunder -- passage of the adour -- battle of toulouse -- casualties in lawrence's company -- sad death of a frenchman in sight of his home -- the french evacuate toulouse -- news arrives of the fall of napoleon -- lawrence on ambition -- the army ordered to bordeaux to ship for england. after remaining inactive for the most part during the rest of and until the february of the next year, we again made an attack on the french, who were lying near a village of which i do not remember the name, and drove them behind a river. there they took up a fresh position, but retained it only two or three days, again shifting and opening a way for us to proceed on our way to orthes. and so after nearly six years of deadly fighting, we had got clear out of spain and portugal and carried the war into our enemy's very kingdom. portugal and spain had long had to contain the deadly destroyers, but now the tide was changed, and it was the inhabitants of the south of france who were for a time to be subjected to the hateful inconveniences of war. they had little expected this turn in their fortunes: napoleon had even at one time had the ambitious idea of driving us out of the peninsula, but he now found us forcing his own army into its own country: he had at one time thought that he would subdue europe, but had while labouring under that error been subdued himself. and all this was very much to our gratification, for we had long been looking forward to this result, being entirely sick of spain. as for those places which had become so famous through us, we could not help thinking and referring back to the many comrades we had left there in their cold graves. since our regiment had left for ireland on this expedition nine hundred strong, fifty-one hundred men had joined us from our depôt, but at the time of our march to orthes we did not in spite of this number more than seven hundred. i do not mean to say that we lost all these in battle, though i can safely say we did the greater part, either killed or badly wounded: but of course many must be reckoned who fell by disease, or as some did from their own drunkenness or gluttony, assisted by the inclemency of the climate; nor must those skulkers, of whom there must have been so many through the whole campaign, be forgotten. lord wellington had watched with hatred the many excesses committed by the enemy on the portuguese and spanish inhabitants during the late campaign, and had determined, now he had carried the war into france, to set them for the future a better example; and accordingly he issued a proclamation that no plundering was to be carried on, on pain of death, which was much to the credit of our noble commander. we arrived in france at a wrong time of the year to see its beauties, but from what i could then judge it abounded in elegancies and varieties of taste, such as vineyards, oranges, pomegranates, figs, and olive-trees to any extent, not altogether unlike the productions of spain. on nearing orthes, we found the french had taken up a very strong position on a range of fine heights stretching from orthes to st. boes, and we were ordered in conjunction with the seventh division to cross a river and attack the latter place, which had one of the heights occupied by the enemy at the back of it, giving them a commanding view of the place. some delay was occasioned at the river, for there being no bridge, a pontoon was obliged to be thrown across; but this being accomplished, our divisions were soon over it, and being joined by a brigade of cavalry and artillery, we formed line and marched on st. boes. the village was stoutly defended by the enemy, who on our nearing them fired briskly at us, for a long time standing their ground and trying hard to retain their charge; but they soon found they had sharp taskmasters to deal with, for our troops of the fourth division under general cole poured in on them like lions, and forced them after a violent resistance to start out of the place and take refuge on their strong heights. we followed them up, but found that there they were for a long time more than a match for us, as they had such an advantage in the ground. we rushed up the formidable heights, but were again and again driven back by the fearful play of the enemy's artillery, the position being only accessible in a few places, and those so narrow that only a small body could move on them at once. but even with these disadvantages and the enemy's cannon playing on them our men, after receiving fresh and strong reinforcements, carried the heights; and not only this, but the whole of the army having been similarly engaged on the right, had meanwhile succeeded in driving the enemy from their lines there, capturing a great number of prisoners in their retreat, the cavalry pursuing them closely; and some field-pieces were likewise taken. the enemy then fell back on the river adour, the allied army soon following and engaging them in slight attacks in various parts of the line, till at last the french again took up a position on the heights near the town of tarbes, on the said river; but they did not stay long there, being soon driven away by the allies and retreating towards st. gaudens. thence they were again driven with great loss to themselves and a very trifling one to the allies, this time to toulouse on the garonne, where they stood on the defensive on some more heights on the right bank of the river with every assailable part strongly fortified. some difficulty was met with in our march, owing to the chief of the bridges being destroyed and having to be replaced by pontoons, and those that were not destroyed being strongly fortified. one of these was guarded by some french cavalry, whom we annoyed very considerably by our fire as we approached them, having in case of their making an attack on us a fine artificial ditch to fall back into where it was next to impossible that they could get at us; our fire was made more daring by our knowing there was a body of hussars waiting out of their sight, ready to fall on them if they moved on us. we soon enticed out a body of about three hundred, who crossed the bridge under our retreating and destructive fire, and on their near approach we fell into our ditch, while at the same time our cavalry came up, and some close shaving ensued, a large quantity of spare heads, arms, legs, as well as many horses being soon strewn about the ground. but this was not the worst part of our day's work, for after they had been tumbled back over the bridge, our division came up and we followed them right up towards their heights, keeping toulouse some distance to our right. before we reached the heights, however, we had to attack and carry a small village they were occupying. this was the commencement of the action of that bloody day which cost the armies on both sides numbers of their best men. it was fought on the easter sunday of . from the village we proceeded over some difficult ground to attack their right under a brisk fire from their artillery, so brisk, indeed, that one of general cole's orderlies had his horse shot under him; and then we formed line and dashed up the hill, which was defended by some thousands of the french, nearly half of whom were cavalry. we soon returned their fire, which at that time was a perfect storm of grape and canister, and directly we got near we charged them, but in vain, as owing to the sudden appearance of some of their cavalry we had to halt and form square: and indeed we must have been routed altogether by their combined infantry and cavalry, had not our rocket brigade stepped forward and played fearful havoc among their cavalry, driving them back. i had never before seen this rocket charge and have never either since; by all appearance it was most successful in this case, for it soon turned them to the right-about, and made them retreat. the spaniards were chiefly engaged on our right, and i never saw them fight better, for they seemed on this occasion as determined as the british: and indeed of the two they suffered most, as the french, knowing them to be cowards, thought they would be certain of some success in that quarter, but they stood their ground well, only a few of their number getting into confusion. when once we had gained this advantage and taken a part of their heights, our artillery joined us, and their play together with our action soon made the french fall back on their works at toulouse, whilst we remained on our newly won height overlooking toulouse and there encamped. i remember well the loss of a man in my company in this action, who had entered the army during the war for a period of seven years at first, and this period having expired for some time, he was mad to be out of these constant scenes of bloodshed and conflicts, but owing to the continuation of the war he had not been allowed to depart. he was not the only one in this plight, for there were thousands of others like him in the army, and several in my own company alone. sixteen guineas had been offered to each for their services for life, and many had accepted, while many had refused, and of course amongst the latter was the man of whom i am speaking. his name was william marsh, and he was a native of bath in somerset. he was by trade a tailor, and earned many a shilling at his trade in the army from various of his comrades who employed him. as i said, the poor man was sick of war, and before entering this very action had been wishing he could have both his legs shot off, so that he might be out of the affair altogether; little expecting that it might really be the case, or nearly as bad, for he had not been in action long before his wish was accomplished, as he was shot through the calves of both his legs by a musket-ball which took him sideways and pierced right through. poor marsh did begin to sing out most heartily, and i couldn't help saying, "hullo there, marsh, you are satisfied now your wish is fulfilled, i hope." he begged and prayed me to move him out of the thick of the fight, so i dragged him under a bank and there left him, and from that time till now i never saw or heard anything more of him. he was far, however, from being mortally wounded, though perhaps from neglect it may have turned to something fatal. another of our comrades in the front of our line had his foot completely smashed by a cannon-ball pitching right on to it, yet he managed to hobble to the rear in that state on his heel. i felt quite hurt for this poor fellow, who was a brave soldier, and seemed to be enduring great agonies. night having drawn in, all firing ceased, and the men set to examine the ground they had gained, chiefly to find firewood. i happened to be about when i came across a frenchman who had been badly wounded and had crawled under a bank: i went up to him and asked him if i could do anything for him. he had been shot in the stomach, and when he asked for water and i gave him some out of my canteen, which was nearly full, of which he drank heartily, in a very short time it only fell out again through his wound. but the most astonishing thing was that he pointed me out his father's house, which was as far as i could judge about half a mile off, and said that he had not seen his parents for six years, for since he had come back to this place, he had not been able to fall out to go and see them. he begged me to take him so that he might die there in the presence of his parents, but i told him i could not do that, as there were a quantity of french there. however, i got an old blanket and wrapped it round him, making him as comfortable as i could under the circumstances, and seemingly much better resigned to his fearful fate, and then i left him and returned to my own place of repose, and after eating my supper and drinking my allowance of grog, i wrapped my own blanket round me, lay down, and was soon unconscious in sleep. i woke early in the morning, and having nothing particular to do, i crept out of my blanket and put all things straight; and then, more out of curiosity than from any other motive, proceeded to the poor frenchman to ascertain if he was yet living; but his death must have taken place some hours before, as he was quite cold and stiff. the loss of the allies in this conflict was over four thousand in killed and wounded, more than two thousand being of the british, whilst that of the enemy was upwards of three thousand. but then there must be considered the advantageous ground they fought on, and the fearful havoc they made in our ranks before we were able to return a shot. lord wellington now finding that toulouse would not surrender, ordered fortifications to be thrown up for the reduction of that place, but they proved to be unneeded, for in the dead of the night the french disappeared from the place and retreated in a south-easterly direction towards villefranche. we were soon following them up, and part of our army had slight skirmishes with them, but we never again saw their main body in that part of their country, for a day or two after our move from toulouse the news came of buonaparte's overthrow and the proclamation of peace, buonaparte himself having been sent to the island of elba. this was indeed good news for most of our troops: certainly for the young officers it took away many chances of promotion, though it made death less likely as well; but ambition sometimes leads a man a long way out of his course, and very often adds tenfold to his sorrow. after the arrival of this welcome news, we encamped for three or four days longer to give our commander time to form his next plans. we were then ordered to bordeaux to ship for our isles, the spaniards and portuguese being sent to their own country. chapter xx. general delight at the end of the war -- march to bordeaux -- kind reception of the troops by the inhabitants of the country on the way -- particular good fortune of lawrence -- great attention on the part of his host -- a magnificent dinner -- singular effects of a campaign on lawrence's taste for feather-beds -- he tells of moving accidents, &c., &c., and excites the pity of his hostess -- two men sentenced to be flogged, but begged off by the inhabitants of the town -- arrival at bordeaux -- encampment on the garonne -- fraternizing of the natives and the troops -- good times in camp -- sudden influx of skulkers, who, however, receive but as poor a welcome as they deserve. things now seemed to assume an entirely different aspect, indeed to take a new birth altogether. all were in a most joyous state, and none more so than the spaniards, who were always only too ready to give up fighting. the portuguese had always shown themselves the better race in the field of action, but they likewise now enjoyed the thought of returning to their own country, although it had been so pillaged. i had many a long conversation with stragglers of both these nations before we started on our long march, and so i had an opportunity of studying their thoughts on the subject. we did not seem to be in any hurry to quit the country before everything was thoroughly arranged, and having no enemy pushing on our rear, we were often billeted at towns and villages longer than we need have been, which caused our march to take more time to accomplish, but made it much more comfortable. we were generally billeted on the inhabitants during our halts, the best billets being of course chosen for the officers, then for the sergeants, and then for the corporals and privates, the numbers being suited to the accommodation of the places; but i very seldom had more than one with me besides myself. the inhabitants could not have behaved better to us if they had been our own countrymen; and i well remember how at the last stage where we put up before coming to bordeaux two of us, myself and a private of the same company, were billeted at quite a gentleman's house, the owners of which were unusually kind to us. we found we had completely jumped into clover, and fortunately it happened to be saturday night, so that our halt was till monday morning; not that sunday in those times had been used to make much difference to us, for two of our bloodiest conflicts had happened on that day, but in this case, our haste not being urgent, it gave us a kind of sweet repose. as soon as we arrived at our house we were shown into our room, which was a very nice one and beautifully furnished; and when we had taken off our accoutrements, we went downstairs to a sort of bath-room, where we had a good wash in tubs of water that were placed in readiness for us. then the gentleman had some clean stockings brought up to us, and when we had made ourselves comfortable he sent up to our room a loaf of bread and a large bottle of wine holding about three pints, which we found most acceptable; and it not being long before the family's dinner was ready, our hostess would insist on our dining with them. for my own part, not being used to such pomp, and never having before even seen it, being more accustomed to the kind of dinners and suppers in which i have described our own colonel and captain as taking part, i would sooner have crept out of the invitation; but being pressed we consented, and having been shown into the dining-room, we sat down to an excellent repast with nobody else but the lady and gentleman. the table was laid out most gorgeously with glittering silver, which came very awkward to our clumsy hands, as we had been more accustomed to using our fingers for some years; to set off which gorgeousness our waiter, who was evidently the family footman, wore an out-of-the-way fine and ugly dress, with his hair plastered up with white powder, of which i had such an aversion during the first part of my stay in the army. a most palatable dinner was served of which i freely partook, though i had very little idea of what it consisted, and some good wine was likewise often handed round with which our glasses were constantly kept filled. after dinner was over, the white-headed gentleman entered with coffee, a fashion which then surprised us very much; but nevertheless, more out of compliment than because we needed it, we took a cup each with some sugar-candy which was also handed round to sweeten it. when that was finished, just to keep us still going, the gentleman asked us if we smoked, and on our saying we both did, the bell was rung, and the footman entering with tobacco, we took a pipe with the gentleman, the lady having previously retired into the drawing-room. then getting more used to the distinguished style, and the wine no doubt having made us more chatty, we for a time thoroughly enjoyed ourselves with our pipes, and began to feel new men with all our grandeur. we were next invited to partake of tea in the drawing-room, but being very tired, we begged to be excused; and this being granted, the bed-candles being rung for, and having wished him good-night, we went to our room and there had a hearty laugh over the evening's business; though we had not been able to understand half what the gentleman had said, not being used to the french so well as to the spanish language. we retired to rest in a fine feather bed, which being a luxury we had not seen for years, was consequently too soft for our hard bones, and we found we could not sleep owing to the change. my comrade soon jumped out of bed, saying, "i'll be bothered, sergeant, i can't sleep here!" "no," said i, "no more can i;" so we prepared our usual bed by wrapping ourselves into a blanket, and then with a knapsack as a pillow we lay on the floor and soon sank into a profound slumber. late in the morning, for we had overslept ourselves, the servant knocked at the door and said breakfast was waiting; and in a very short time the master himself came up and knocked, and on our calling to him to come in he opened the door, and looking in, found we had been sleeping on the floor. on his wanting to know if there were fleas in the bed, or what was the cause of our lying on the floor, we made him understand as well as we could, but it must have been very imperfectly at the best. he then went down again, and we soon following him, found an excellent breakfast ready, of which we made a first-rate meal, and after they had left us, for they had finished long before us, my comrade and i agreed that we had fallen on luck now, and no mistake. very soon after we had finished our breakfast, the servant entered to conduct us to the drawing-room, which was splendidly furnished, though for my own part i would rather have been down in the kitchen. we went in, however, and our hostess took down a book describing the french and english languages, so that they might understand some of our words better, and again asked us the reason why we did not sleep on our bed. i told her we had not slept on a feather bed for six years, and answered her other questions, giving her a slight description of the trials of a soldier in the time of war. she was very much touched, and could not forbear from crying, more especially when i added that two privates were to be whipped that very morning for having got drunk overnight and making a disturbance in the town, to serve as an example to the regiment. they had been tried by court-martial and sentenced to a hundred lashes, to be administered in the town and witnessed by the inhabitants. although it was sunday, the drums beat for the regiment to assemble, and the men were brought into our square; and their sentence having been read in the presence of all, the first man was led to the halberds, and the drummers got ready to begin. but five or six gentlemen of the town made their way into our square and begged the colonel so hard to let them off, as that was the general wish of the inhabitants, that at last he dismissed the victims with a reprimand. the two then thanked the colonel, but he told them not to do so, for had it not been for the timely interference of the gentlemen, he would have given them every lash. all were then ordered to disperse, and i returned to my excellent quarters, where we again received for the rest of the day no end of kindnesses in the way of luxurious meals, luncheons, dinner, and coffee, together with plenty of wine, and before we went to bed, brandy was introduced as a finish: and having taken a hot glass of that with water, we retired and slept in a similar way to the night before. on the following morning we had to assemble by seven o'clock, so no time was allowed us for breakfast; but our host had ordered our canteens to be filled with their best wine, and a parcel of sandwiches to be made up for each of us. we shook hands with the gentleman, duly thanking him for his kindness, and, rejoining our regiment, were soon on the march again for bordeaux, which being not more than a day's march distant we reached the same night. we encamped at a place two miles off the city on the banks of the river garonne, to which even large ships were able to ascend. here we lay for five or six weeks, during which time the inhabitants made many excursions from the city especially on sundays, to inspect our army, swarms of costermongers likewise visiting us every day with wine, spirits, bread, meat, fish, and fruit of every description for sale. every sunday afternoon the bands of all the regiments played, while the french amused themselves with dancing, many of them, both male and female, on stilts, which entertained us more than anything, and besides this there were all kinds of other jollities in which our soldiers freely joined. and now i will take the opportunity of saying a few more words as regards the skulkers. as soon as the peace was declared no less than seven sergeants of my own company alone had either at this place or on the march thither made their appearance from the snug dens where they had been lying, most of whom had been occupying themselves with some trivial employment in the pay of the spaniards or portuguese, but had now at this crisis abandoned whatever they had been doing, for fear of being left in the country, or perhaps because they thought that they might still come in for a share of the praise and pay. before they appeared i was the only sergeant in our company, while if the proper number had been there, there would have been six. i do not mean to say that there had been no cause at first for their staying behind, for there were some laid up like myself at elvas and estremoz, but it was their duty to follow up the regiment when they were able, as i had done myself. the captain of my company, who had been like myself through the whole campaign excepting when actually in hospital, pretended not to know them when he saw them, and asked them, "where on earth do you come from? you certainly don't belong to my company, by your appearance." he then called me to say if i knew them. i remarked, "they seem to have been in luck's way about their clothes, at any rate;" and so they did, for whilst ours were as ragged as sheep and as black as rooks, theirs were as red and new as if they had never been on, and their shoes were to match, whilst ours were completely worn out by our continual marches, the captain's being quite as bad as any private's. we found that two of these men had left the regiment for hospital on our retreat from talavera, and had never shown themselves since, the others having been away in like manner for rather shorter periods. now the whole had returned we were overstocked with sergeants, having two more than our complement, so our captain sent the two who had been longest absent to the colonel with a written request that they should be transferred somewhere else; the other five he allowed to remain, but only for as short a time as possible till he could get rid of them also, as he told them his company should not be disgraced by them longer than he could help. he likewise told them that many of his privates deserved the stripes more than they did; and indeed it was not long before he got them transferred, and their places filled up by some of the braver heroes from among such of the privates as had at all distinguished themselves in any conflict. chapter xxi. embarkation of the troops -- lawrence's regiment sent to ireland -- he receives his pay for the war and promptly spends it -- ordered on foreign service again to the west indies -- terrific storm which compels the fleet to put back into cork -- arrival at barbadoes -- death of a young captain from fever -- jamaica -- discovery of a female stowaway -- lawrence told off to deposit her on shore -- the regiment proceeds to new orleans -- a new kind of fortification to be stormed -- doings in camp on dolphin isle -- return to england -- news arriving of napoleon's escape from elba, the regiment is sent on at once to flanders -- ghent -- march to brussels. after remaining at bordeaux for five or six weeks the army embarked on board ships bound for various parts of the british isles. our regiment was again despatched to ireland, most of us being irish. we were conveyed thither by the _sultan_, a fine man-of-war with seventy-four guns. we had a very good passage, and amused ourselves very much with the sailors on board, who on their part had many a good laugh at our general ragged appearance. we landed in ireland at monkstown, near cork, and marched thence to fermoy, whence after lying two three days in the barracks there, we proceeded to athlone in west meath, where we were stationed for about two months. the regiment had never been settled with during the whole of our peninsular trip of six years, though money had been advanced to us at various places, so now while we were waiting at this place the accounts were made up, and some of our sergeants found they had as much as _l._ or _l._ to receive. my own lot amounted to _l._, i being one of the younger sergeants. when our pay had been given us a week's furlough was granted to the whole regiment, and no doubt most of the money melted away in that period--at least, i know mine did, for not having been in the british isles for so long, we were all resolved to have a spree. i never went away from athlone, however, the whole time, but slept in barracks every night, though there was no duty to be done as the militia were ordered out for that. i knew that it would be useless to cross the channel in that short time to see my parents, though i should have liked to have done so, but i did not altogether forget them, and wrote to them to ease their minds about my whereabouts; as i had written to them during my stay in the peninsula, and i thought they might have been anxious about my safety when they heard or read about the scenes that were taking place there, as parents naturally are about their children, be they ever so rackety. but we were not allowed to stay here even in peace long, for at the end of the two months we were again ordered on foreign service, and marched to a place called mallow in cork, whence, having been joined there by our second battalion, and having had all the men fit for service drafted out of that into ours, we proceeded to cork itself. this was a fine place for our captain to get rid of the remaining skulkers, and he left them behind, much to their annoyance, in the second battalion. from cork we proceeded to the cove to embark, after a stay in ireland now of about three months altogether; and when all was in readiness on board the ships, we set sail for the west indies. it can be better imagined than i can describe in what sort of spirit we began this other war, scarcely having slipped out of one field before we were launched into another; but as they were the usual thing on our embarkations, the same scenes that took place at portsmouth will serve to picture those at cork: they did not tend to enliven us much, but they were soon forgotten when we got to work talking over and telling our new comrades the many tales of the peninsula. after launching out of cork harbour, however, a terrible gale blew up, which obliged us to put into bantry bay for a time. one of our ships was lost on the rocks, but fortunately all on board were saved. they had lost all their accoutrements, however, so they were taken on board various ships, and as soon as we got fairer weather we returned to the cove to await a fresh supply, which was at least three weeks in coming. then we again set sail, amusing ourselves on the voyage as we best could; and having good weather, we arrived as soon as could be expected at barbadoes, and anchored there for a short time. one of the captains of my regiment, who had probably seen enough of war to satisfy him, had before our start sold his commission to a younger officer who gave him _l._ for it; but, singular to say, the very first night of this our anchorage this poor young man went to sleep on shore, and, catching a fever, was brought on board and a few hours afterwards was a lifeless corpse. owing to the infectiousness of his disease, he had to be immediately sewn up with two of our large shot in a blanket, and the funeral service being read by an officer as there was no minister on board, he was put into the sea. from barbadoes we sailed to jamaica, and anchored off port royal. a singular circumstance occurred during our stay there: a girl was discovered who had been concealed on board at cork by some of the sailors in a bundle of straw unbeknown to the captain of the ship. this being the best place for shipping her back to england, she was obliged to leave her accomplices at once, and i being sergeant of the watch was called to take her on shore to port royal with two privates. we took her to a kind of public-house, where, although it was two o'clock in the morning, the people were still amusing themselves in dancing to some rough music of their own, the whole of them being blacks. we asked for the landlord, and on his soon making his appearance from among the company, as black as a crow and still steaming with the dance, i inquired if the girl could have a bed there for the night. he said, "yes, for a dollar." i thought that was a stiffish price for a night considering it was two o'clock in the morning, but i paid him the sum and left the poor unfortunate girl there while we returned to our ships. i was very sorry for her, as she seemed nearly broken-hearted, but i could do no more for her under the circumstances, and i hope she got safe back to england after all. after about a week had elapsed a gun-brig arrived to convey us to north america, england being then at war with the americans, and we went on in her to the mouth of the river mississippi. there we disembarked into barges holding about a hundred troops each, and having been towed up by other small sailing and rowing boats to orleans, were put on shore near that place, our body consisting of five english and two black regiments, with a battalion of marines. we marched on the same day and encamped about two miles from the city. skirmishing was kept up with this our new enemy during the night, but without any great casualty happening. on the following morning, however, we advanced in a body to attack a battery that had been constructed near the city, chiefly out of barrels of brown sugar. we were at first warmly received with the cannon and musketry planted there, but they soon got tired of our peninsular medicines: i suppose the pills disagreed with them, for they were very quickly obliged to retire into the city and no more fighting ensued; and some terms having been hinted at, when the black regiments had eaten a quantity of the fortifications, which they seemed to be very fond of, and we had put some into our haversacks as likely to be useful to sweeten our cocoa, we returned to our boats, and dropping down the river to a piece of land called dolphin isle, there encamped again. the island was uninhabited, except that there were plenty of alligators, racoons, and oysters there; but we had plenty of provisions, that is, in the shape of meat and flour, though no bread, which inconvenience was from the want of ovens. we soon set to work, however, to construct one by burning a quantity of oyster-shells for lime, and having mixed that with sand and water we made some very good cement; after which we got a lot of iron hoops from the vessels, with which we formed the arch, and so we put one oven together; and i much doubt if it did not bake as well as any english one, considering the style of dough that we had. after it had been found to answer so well, at least twenty more were constructed on the once desolate but now busy little isle. we were constantly on the coast in search of oysters, of which there was an abundance; and some of the more industrious of us even collected them for sale among the troops who either preferred buying them to taking the trouble of collecting them for themselves, or else were unable to go on the sands on account of being on duty. they were sold very cheap, however; i have known half a bushel go for one dollar, which was certainly not much for the trouble of getting them. during our stay here a playhouse was likewise erected, and some of the more clever among the officers and men amused the troops in that way. the scenery was rather rude, to be sure; but with these and various other games and freaks the three months that we lay there passed off very pleasantly the poor blacks, however, suffered dreadfully from the cold, it being then winter, and they had to be sent back to their own country long before we left. our chief reason for lying there so long was to see all settled and to wait for orders before we proceeded back to england. when the order did come, joy was in every mouth, for this was indeed a short campaign compared with our peninsular affairs, and it may be supposed we were by no means sorry for that. we embarked on board the same ships, and again tacked to the west indies to get provisions at one of the spanish islands, where we took on board live cattle and water, and as food for the former a kind of cabbage, which on account of their size were called cabbage-trees. thence we proceeded on our route to portsmouth, and had a very pleasant voyage with fair weather prevailing; but when near england we fell in with an english frigate, which informed us that napoleon buonaparte had left the island of elba with a small force and had landed in france to collect more troops. this was indeed a disappointment to me, for i felt sure that if he again intended disturbing europe, we should have to be on the scene again. but in another way it caused no small amount of stir on board, for the young officers, who were looking ravenously forward to promotion, were so rejoiced at the news that they treated all the men to an extra glass of grog, to make everybody as lively as themselves. nothing else of any particular note occurred on our voyage, and having arrived near portsmouth a signal was raised, and we fell in on the quarantine ground, hoisting a yellow flag for a doctor to inspect us on board. when he came he found all on board our ship to be in very good condition, which was reported to the general, and the very next morning he signalled to us to weigh anchor and proceed to flanders; so without setting foot on english ground we again went on our way to meet our common enemy. this time, however, he was not in his old quarters, but in the north of france, where he had collected more than a hundred thousand troops. i left portsmouth this time with a good deal lighter heart than i had last, being now more used to war and hardships than to peace and plenty, though perhaps i would rather have landed than proceed on this errand; and, indeed, there were many of us who had left wife and children at home who went off with a very sad heart. our voyage this time was a very short one, only occupying one day; and early on the following morning we arrived in sight of flanders and there brought up at anchor. very shortly some small vessels came alongside to convey us to the quay at ostend, where we landed, and after marching about half a mile we came to a canal, where we embarked in large open barges, in which we were towed by horses past bruges, about twelve miles off ostend, to ghent, which at a wide guess might be twice the same distance further. we landed at ghent and lay there about nine days, while louis xviii. was staying in the town, he having been obliged to flee from paris by that old disturber after a short reign of about ten months. at the end of the nine days the drums beat at midnight, and we arrayed ourselves in marching order as quickly as possible. the landlord of the house where i was staying had got up, and would kindly insist on filling our canteens--that is a capacity of about three pints--with gin, giving us as well some bread and meat each, and warning us to look out, for he knew the french were coming. all having assembled at the rendezvous, orders were given to march on to brussels immediately. i could not exactly say what the distance was, but it was probably not less than forty miles, taking us two days of hard marching to accomplish it. chapter xxii. waterloo -- dreadful night before the battle -- opening of the battle -- unpleasant contiguity with a shell -- a recruit taken suddenly and conveniently ill -- the regiment in the thick of it -- rout of napoleon's bodyguards -- repeated charges of the french infantry and cavalry successfully repulsed -- lawrence in charge of the colours -- death of his captain -- gallant stand of the british until the arrival of the prussians -- lawrence on the tactics of the enemy -- the french finally driven off the field by blucher's army -- bivouac on the enemy's ground -- fatal results of trifling with a powder-wagon -- lawrence's supper in danger -- he invites a guest to supper, who, however, takes french leave -- on the march again. on the th of june, , we marched through brussels, amid the joy of the inhabitants, who brought us out all manner of refreshments. i heard some remarks from them to the effect that we were all going to be slaughtered like bullocks, but we only laughed at this, telling them that that was nothing new to us. some of the younger recruits, however, were terribly downcast and frightened at the idea of fighting, but i have often found that it is these most timid ones who when they come to an actual battle rush forward and get killed first; probably owing to the confused state they are in, while the more disciplined soldiers know better what course to pursue. from brussels we marched to about five or six miles out of the town, not far from the village of waterloo, when our commander sent his aide-de-camp to lord wellington for general orders how he was to act, or as to what part of the line we were to fall in at. the orders returned were that we were to stay in our present position till next morning, so that night we crept into any hole we could find, cowsheds, cart-houses, and all kinds of farmstead buildings, for shelter, and i never remember a worse night in all the peninsular war, for the rain descended in torrents, mixed with fearful thunder and lightning, and seeming to foretell the fate of the following morning, the th, which again happened to be sunday. the allied army had on the th and th been attacked by napoleon's large forces at ligny and quatre bras, but neither side had obtained any great success, beyond thousands being killed on both sides; during the night of the th, therefore, firing was continually going on, which i could distinctly hear, in spite of its being considerably drowned by the thunder. all that night was one continued clamour, for thousands of camp-followers were on their retreat to brussels, fearful of sticking to the army after the quatre bras affair. it was indeed a sight, for owing to the rain and continued traffic the roads were almost impassable, and the people were sometimes completely stuck in the mud: and besides these a continual stream of baggage-wagons was kept up through the night. early in the morning of the th we were again put on the march to join our lines, our position being in the reserve, which included the fourth and twenty-seventh regiments, together with a body of brunswickers and dutch, and formed a line between merk braine and mont st. jean on the brussels road. our regiment took the left of this road, but did not remain there long, for the french were seen in motion, and on their opening fire from their cannon we soon marched up to action in open column. during this movement a shell from the enemy cut our deputy-sergeant-major in two, and having passed on to take the head off one of my company of grenadiers named william hooper, exploded in the rear not more than one yard from me, hurling me at least two yards into the air, but fortunately doing me little injury beyond the shaking and carrying a small piece of skin off the side of my face. it was indeed another narrow escape, for it burnt the tail of my sash completely off, and turned the handle of my sword perfectly black. i remember remarking to a sergeant who was standing close by me when i fell, "this is sharp work to begin with, i hope it will end better:" and even this much had unfortunately so frightened one of the young recruits of my company, named bartram, who had never before been in action and now did not like the curious evolutions of this shell so close to him, that he called out to me and said he must fall out of rank, as he was taken very ill. i could easily see the cause of his illness, so i pushed him into rank again, saying, "why, bartram, it's the smell of this little powder that has caused your illness; there's nothing else the matter with you;" but that physic would not content him at all, and he fell down and would not proceed another inch. i was fearfully put out at this, but was obliged to leave him, or if he had had his due he ought to have been shot. from this time i never saw him again for at least six months, but even then i did not forget him for this affair of cowardice, as i shall have occasion to show hereafter. the right of our line had been engaged some little time before we were ordered up, and then our position was changed, we having to cross the road and proceed to the right of a farmhouse called la haye sainte. owing to the rain that had been peppering down the whole night and even now had not quite ceased, the fields and roads were in a fearful state of dirt and mud, which tended to retard our progress greatly as well as to tire us. it made it very bad too for the action of cavalry, and even more so for artillery. about ten o'clock the action of the day began at hougoumont on our right, and from there it fell on our centre, where we were attacked by a tremendous body of cavalry and infantry. the fire, however, which had been kept up for hours from the enemy's cannon had now to be abated in that quarter, owing to the close unison of the two armies. and from this time onward we endured some heavy work throughout the day, having constantly to be first forming square to receive the repeated attacks of their cavalry, and then line to meet their infantry, charge after charge being made upon us, but with very little success. at the commencement the commanding officer was killed by a musket-shot, but his place was soon filled up. on our left on the turnpike road was placed a brigade of german cavalry with light horses and men. when buonaparte's bodyguards came up they charged these, making fearful havoc amongst their number; they were routed and obliged to retreat, but the life guards and scotch greys fortunately making their appearance immediately, some close handwork took place, and the bodyguards at last finding their match, or even more, were in their turn compelled to fall back before the charge of our cavalry, numbers of them being cut to pieces. still nothing daunted, they formed again, and this time ascended at us; but of the two, they met with a worse reception than before, for we instantly threw ourselves into three squares with our artillery in the centre; and the word having been given not to fire at the men, who wore armour, but at the horses, which was obeyed to the very letter, as soon as they arrived at close quarters we opened a deadly fire, and very few of them wholly escaped. they managed certainly at first to capture our guns, but they were again recovered by the fire of our three squares; and it was a most laughable sight to see these guards in their chimney-armour trying to run away after their horses had been shot from under them, being able to make very little progress, and many of them being taken prisoners by those of our light companies who were out skirmishing. i think this quite settled buonaparte's bodyguards, for we saw no more of them, they not having expected this signal defeat. that affair, however, had only passed off a very few minutes before their infantry advanced and we had again to form line ready to meet them. we in our usual style let the infantry get well within our musket-shot before the order was given to fire, so that our volley proved to be of fearful success: and then immediately charging them we gave them a good start back again, but not without a loss on our side as well as on theirs. and no sooner had they disappeared than another charge of cavalry was made, so that we again had to throw ourselves into square on our old ground. these cavalry had no doubt expected to appear amongst us before we could accomplish this, but fortunately they were mistaken, and our persistent fire soon turned them. we did not lose a single inch of ground the whole day, though after these successive charges our numbers were fearfully thinned; and even during the short interval between each charge the enemy's cannon had been doing some mischief among our ranks besides. the men in their tired state were beginning to despair, but the officers cheered them on continually throughout the day with the cry of "keep your ground, my men!" it is a mystery to me how it was accomplished, for at last so few were left that there were scarcely enough to form square. about four o'clock i was ordered to the colours. this, although i was used to warfare as much as any, was a job i did not at all like; but still i went as boldly to work as i could. there had been before me that day fourteen sergeants already killed and wounded while in charge of those colours, with officers in proportion, and the staff and colours were almost cut to pieces. this job will never be blotted from my memory: although i am now an old man, i remember it as if it had been yesterday. i had not been there more than a quarter of an hour when a cannon-shot came and took the captain's head clean off. this was again close to me, for my left side was touching the poor captain's right, and i was spattered all over with his blood. one of his company who was close by at the time, cried out, "hullo, there goes my best friend," which caused a lieutenant, who quickly stepped forward to take his place, to say to the man, "never mind, i will be as good a friend to you as the captain." the man replied, "i hope not, sir;" the officer not having rightly understood his meaning, the late captain having been particularly hard on him for his dirtiness, giving him extra duty and suchlike as punishment. this man, whose name was marten, was a notorious character in the regiment, and i was myself tolerably well acquainted with him, for he had once been in my company; but on account of the same thing, dirtiness in his person, he had been transferred to this the fifth company, where neither this poor captain had been able to reform him, try however hard he might. still he was for all this an excellent soldier in the field. but now i must get on to the last charge of cavalry, which took place not very long after this. few as we were, when we saw it coming we formed squares and awaited it. then we poured volley after volley into them, doing fearful execution, and they had to retire at last before the strong dose we administered; not, however, without our losing more men and so becoming even weaker than before. we were dreading another charge, but all the help we got was the cry of "keep your ground, my men, reinforcements are coming!" not a bit, however, did they come till the setting sun, in time to pursue our retreating enemy; the prussians under marshal blucher having been detained elsewhere, and although long expected, only being able at this period to make their appearance at last. i must say here that i cannot think why those charges of cavalry were kept up against our unbroken squares, in spite of their being so constantly sent back. it is murder to send cavalry against disciplined infantry unless they have artillery to act in conjunction with them, in which case they might possibly succeed in routing them if they could take advantage of their falling into confusion, but not otherwise. we were indeed glad to see the arrival of these prussians, who now coming up in two columns on our left flank, advanced on the enemy's right. lord wellington, who was ever enticing his army on, now came up to our regiment and asked who was in command. on being told it was captain brown, he gave the order to advance, which we received with three cheers, and off we set as if renewed with fresh vigour. the attack was now being made by the whole line, together with the prussians, who had come up fresh and were therefore more than a match for the harassed french. they soon forced the french into a downright retreat by their fire, and the retreat becoming universal, the whole body of the french were thrown into disorder and pursued off the field by blucher's fresh and untired infantry and cavalry. we followed them ourselves for about a mile, and then encamped on the enemy's ground; and if ever there was a hungry and tired tribe of men, we were that after that memorable day of the th of june. then the first thing to be thought of was to get a fire and cook some food, which was not so easy, as wood was scarce and what there was was wet through. one of our company, named rouse, who went out in search of sticks, came across one of the enemy's powder-wagons that we had taken in the battle amongst the rest of the many things, and immediately commenced cutting the cover up for fuel; but his hook coming in contact with a nail or some other piece of iron and striking fire, as a natural consequence the remains of the powder in the wagon exploded and lifted the poor fellow to a considerable height in the air. the most remarkable thing was that he was still alive when he came down and able to speak, though everything had been blown from him except one of his shoes. he was a perfect blackguard, for although he was in a most dangerous state he did not refrain from cursing his eyes, which happened, as it was, to be both gone, and saying what a fool he must have been. he was that night conveyed to brussels hospital with the rest of the many wounded, and died in a few days, raving mad. we succeeded, however, in getting a fire at last, and then as i happened that night to be orderly sergeant to our general i went and reported myself to him. he was at the time sitting on a gun-carriage holding his horse, and when he saw me, said, "that's right, sergeant; i expect two more sergeants directly, but i wish you would meanwhile try and get some corn for my poor horse." off i went accordingly, and found two bushels or so in a sack which had evidently been left by the enemy, as it was on one of their cannon. when i opened the sack i found to my great surprise that it likewise contained a large ham and two fowls, so i asked the general if he would accept them; he, however, declined, saying he would take the corn, but that i might keep the meat for myself, advising me, however, to keep it out of sight of the prussians, who were a slippery set of men and very likely to steal it if they saw it. i prepared the hanger for the pot as quickly as possible, putting cross-sticks over the fire at a sufficient distance to prevent them igniting; but before i had finished doing this a quantity of these same prussians whom the general had been watching and warned me against passed by; and two of them coming to my fire to light their pipes noticed the ham, and remarked that it looked good. i thought it best to take my sword and immediately cut them off a piece each, and they relieved my fears by going off seemingly quite satisfied. they were evidently on the march following up the french, for the whole night we could hear the distant sound of cannon and musketry from the french and prussians, lord wellington having completely given up the pursuit to marshal blucher. i pretty quickly put my ham in the pot after that, and the two sergeants coming up, i set them to pick the fowls, and these soon going in after the ham, in two hours were pretty well done. about this time i heard a frenchman groaning under a cannon, where he was lying on a quantity of straw. i thought he was badly wounded, and perhaps as hungry as myself, so i went to him and told him as well as i was able to stop till our supper was cooked, and then i would bring him some; but when it was ready and i had cut off some bread, fowl, and ham, and taken it to the place where i had seen him, he had gone. for one reason i was not sorry, for he left his straw, which made a very good bed for us three sergeants, the ground itself being unpleasantly wet. i think perhaps this frenchman must have been a skulker, or he would not have ventured to escape. we sat down ourselves, however, and made a very good meal off our ham and poultry, and i can safely say we enjoyed our mess as much as men ever did, for i, for one, had had nothing to eat since early in the morning up to that time. after that, as the general did not want us for anything, we retired to rest on our straw, but i was too tired to go to sleep for a long time, and lay contemplating the scenes of the day. i was merely scratched on the face myself during the whole day, besides being a little shaken by the bursting of the shell i mentioned; but this scratch had been terribly aggravated by a private who had been standing next to me having overprimed his musket, with the consequence that when he fired, my face being so close, the powder flew up and caught my wound, which though only originally a slight one soon made me dance for a time without a fiddle. of the general loss on that blood-stained day i am unable to give an exact account, but it must have been enormous on both sides, for three hundred of my regiment alone were missing; and this was not so great a loss as that of some regiments, for the one on our right lost six hundred, chiefly from the continual fire of shot and shell that the french cannon had kept up between the charges. but now there was very little delay; and early next morning we were again put in motion, to prevent our enemy, if possible, from getting any breathing time. the prussians were at least twelve hours in advance of us, so that we really had not much to fear; but still some doubt was entertained as to whether the enemy would make another stand in their own territory, and in all probability such would have been the case if blucher had not been pushing so close on their heels. i very much doubt, too, if, had not the prussians come up when they did, both armies would not have remained on the field of waterloo, and perhaps have joined battle again in the morning, for the french had been expecting fresh reinforcements after their defeat; but these not arriving and we being increased in numbers, no resource was left them but to retreat. chapter xxiii. advance to paris -- lawrence on the general fickleness of humanity -- flight and surrender of napoleon -- enthusiastic reception of louis xviii. by the parisians rather snubbed by lord wellington -- lawrence assists in escorting louis to his throne -- comfortable quarters in paris -- various historical events of more or less importance -- review and sham fight -- sequel to the story of the sickly recruit -- an incorrigible subject -- flogged four times, and then drummed out of the regiment -- another very simple tale of true love, but one in which lawrence is this time more immediately concerned -- married, though not exactly settled -- departure from paris. our march now lay in the direction of paris, and being made all in the daytime, caused us very little fatigue, as we halted often, besides always encamping or billeting at night. we never fell in with the enemy ourselves, though some few collisions took place between the prussians and french after this, and likewise some towns were taken by our army; but beyond that our march was generally quiet, and we continued on to within a few miles of, and in sight of paris, where we remained for a short time, coming up here with our allies the prussians. they had already opened fire on that city of despotism, which was returned faintly by the enemy; but once the balance is turned, and once a man, however great, is defeated, all seem to forsake him, and he immediately becomes an usurper, as was shown to be true in this napoleon's case. there is not a doubt that the populace would have held to him if he had been a conqueror, but as it was, the whole city now changed its sentiments from napoleon to louis xviii., who had advanced with us with about fifty of his own guards. on our approach to the city the inhabitants soon sent a flag of truce for terms, and the firing having ceased on both sides, these were agreed upon, and the city gates were opened. napoleon buonaparte had previously flown to the coast to get a ship to america, but not finding one at hand, and fearing that if he stayed on land he might on account of his unpopularity be taken prisoner by his own bloodthirsty people, he went on board and gave himself up to the captain of one of our ships of the line, a seventy-four called the _bellerophon_. i remember that owing to that event she was very commonly known amongst us as the "billy ruff'un," and we used to aggravate the people not a little on our march into the city, by singing, "god save buonaparte, who has fled and given himself up to the billy ruff'uns," in opposition to their cry of "god save the king;" thousands of them having come out with white cockades in their hats to welcome the king. they even wanted to take the horses out of his carriage and draw him into the city, but lord wellington would not allow this, knowing well their changeable disposition, and fearing they might make their king a head shorter by the morning. the king therefore slept that night at st. denis, a few miles from paris, and on the following morning about three thousand men with cannon and cavalry were ordered to convey him into the city, amongst whom was myself. we started at about eleven or twelve o'clock, still not knowing how we should be welcomed, which was the reason for this large force being thought necessary; but as we met with no opposition at the entrance, the bands of each regiment soon struck up, and on proceeding through the streets we found flags from endless windows, and the cry, "god save the king!" resounding everywhere. our destination was of course the palace, where the king was again placed on his throne, with a strong guard to protect his person. after this we saw no more of napoleon's army, nor did we want to much, for most of us had had quite enough of it at waterloo, and now we found ourselves comfortably quartered at the different barracks throughout the city, where we remained for three months or so scarcely wanting for anything but money. during this time it became my duty to be one of the king's guard two or three times at the palace, which was a splendid place, with fine grounds and a beautiful river running at the back. nothing of particular note occurred whilst we were staying here, and on leaving it at the end of the time we encamped on marshal ney's own property in front of his residence or palace. at that time there could not have been much less than two hundred thousand troops encamped in various parts of and around paris, and those all of foreign nations: truly a downfall for that noble but despotic city. in the november of the same year marshal ney was brought to justice as a traitor. he was tried by his own country's law, lord wellington having nothing to do with the matter, and being found guilty, was shot. i believe that he was generally liked by the army he commanded through nearly the whole of the peninsular campaign. the bourbons, on their part, were evidently not liked by the french, for the next heir to louis xviii. was assassinated in the streets. his duchess however, very shortly afterwards had a son, and so there was soon another of the family in the way. still these ill-disposed french people could not rest, and the next thing was that two men were caught in the act of undermining the palace, with a view to blow the duchess and her child up. they were tried and sentenced to be guillotined, but the sentence was never carried into effect, as the duchess, in spite of her husband having been killed by the same party, begged their lives of the king, and they were transported for life instead. during our stay in the environs of paris the whole army was reviewed by two english dukes; one of them was the duke of york, but the other's name i am not able to give, as i never heard. a sham fight was likewise held, in which i should say more powder was thrown away than at waterloo itself; and i am positive i was quite as tired after it as at waterloo, for it lasted all day, and a great deal more marching took place than did there, for we were on the move the whole time, while at waterloo we did not advance or retreat more than a hundred yards during the entire action. the inhabitants kept up a continual market at the rear of our camp, which was always guarded by sentries to prevent plunder, and so we could always easily obtain supplies of every description. while we were lying there several of the wounded who had recovered rejoined the army from brussels, and with some of these bartram made his appearance, the man whom i mentioned as having smelt powder at the beginning of the th of june, and having so cowardly fallen out of his rank. as soon as i saw him i put him in the rear-guard as a prisoner, and reported him, as it was my duty to do, to the captain of my company. next day a court-martial was ordered, i being the chief but not the only evidence against him, and being sentenced to three hundred lashes as a punishment for absenting himself from the field of action, he was tied up and received every lash. this may seem to some a hard case, three hundred lashes for absenting himself, but it must be remembered that had there been many like this man, for i cannot call him a soldier, that day would most decidedly have ended in favour of the french. when taken down he was sent to hospital for three weeks and then came back to us, but even then he was not quite free, for i had orders from the captain to examine his kit to see if everything was complete, and i found his knapsack completely empty. i then searched his pouch and found all his ammunition gone. i was not much surprised at this, knowing that he did not like the smell of powder; but i reported these circumstances to the captain, who ordered him back to the rear-guard as a prisoner again; and the next day another court-martial was held on him for making away with his kit, and he was sentenced to three hundred more lashes, of which strange to say he received every one without crying out. he seemed to be a man without any feeling, for it may be pretty well taken for granted that the drummers did not fail in their duty towards such a man as this, for there is no one they feel more strongly against than a coward. he was then sent for three weeks more to the hospital, and at the end of the time again joined; but the poor fellow must after that have been very miserable, for all his comrades shunned his society and would scarcely speak to him at all; and not only that, but having had a new kit and sixty rounds of ball-cartridge supplied to him, he had sixpence a day stopped out of his money till they were paid for, his pay being only thirteenpence a day, so that after another sixpence had been stopped for his food he had only one penny per day to take. i need hardly say that he was consequently always without money, and at last we missed him for two or three days, after which he returned, having again lost his kit. we found he had been into paris and sold it for those two or three days' maintenance, so he was again sent to the rear-guard and reported, again court-martialled and sentenced to three hundred lashes, and again received the whole to the very letter and sent to hospital for the same time. when he again rejoined he went on better for a while, but on our regiment afterwards getting to scotland he transgressed and was flogged for a fourth time, and when he came out of hospital the colonel ordered his coat to be turned, and a large sheet of paper to be pinned on it with the words, "this is a coward, a very bad soldier, and one who has been whipped four times;" and he was then drummed out of the barracks, and i never saw anything of him again, which i was not sorry for, as he gave me more trouble than all the rest of my men put together. the reason of our stay in and about paris so long was to see louis xviii. thoroughly fixed again and in power on his throne. the armies being now moved into winter quarters chiefly in cantonments, our brigade took its route to st. germains, which lies ten or twelve miles to the north-west of paris on the river seine, where we remained quartered a few months. it was owing to this long stay, and my happening to see a young woman who gained my affections, that it fell out that i first then thought of marriage. for outside the barrack-gate where we were quartered was a movable stall, which was spread out in the day with fruit, spirits, tobacco, snuff, &c., and was cleared away at night. this was kept by the woman whom i afterwards made my wife. her father was a gardener in business for himself, and this was the way in which he disposed of most of his goods. my first introduction was through my going to purchase a few articles that i wanted from her, and it very shortly became a general thing for me to dispose of the chief of such time as i had to spare at the stall; and thus the attachment was formed of which i am happy to say i never afterwards repented. i happened to be at the stall one day when i saw a soldier of the twenty-seventh regiment, which was stationed at the barracks as well as ours, deliberately take half a pound of tobacco which was already tied up off the stall and attempt to get off with it. but that didn't suit me, so i pursued and overtook him, and delivered him over to his own regiment to dispose of as they thought best after i had told them the circumstances. i told them too that i didn't wish to prosecute him myself, so i never heard anything more of him. i took the tobacco, however, back to my intended, who of course was pleased, as what young woman would not have been under the circumstances we were then in? and so our courtship went on; but for a very little while, for once we were enamoured of one another we were not long in making things all square for our union. i made my intentions known to my captain, who i knew would not object, and he signed my paper to take to the colonel, whose permission i had next to get. the colonel could not understand at first my marrying a frenchwoman, but he nevertheless consented, saying that she would do to teach the soldiers french, but that he advised me to wait till i got to england. but having got the grant, it was a question of now or never for me; so i made arrangements with the army chaplain, who fixed the time and we were duly united. it cost us nothing, for neither the parson nor clerk looked for any fee, neither were we troubled with any wedding-cake, but simply took ourselves off for a day's merrymaking. my wife's maiden name had been marie louise claire, but owing to buonaparte's first wife having been marie louise too, she had been compelled to drop that name and assume that of clotilde; a proclamation having been made that no one should be called marie louise but the empress, and so by that vain freak of buonaparte's all in france who were called marie louise had to change their names. of course before marrying her i had explained to my wife the course of life she would have to put up with, and that at any moment we might have to proceed from her native place, and even might be recalled to england, but she did not mind the prospect of all this. and at length the time arrived that we had to go, for orders were given, and that on very short notice, that we were to prepare to resume our march. a farewell had then to be taken of her parents, whom we expected never to behold again, and this cast a slight shadow for a time over my wife's countenance, but it quickly passed away within the next few succeeding days. chapter xxiv. the brigade quartered near cambray -- outrage on a native farmer -- the perpetrators convicted and hanged -- lawrence sent to valenciennes to learn the sword exercise -- march to calais and embarkation for scotland -- tedious voyage -- kind reception by the inhabitants of bridlington -- lawrence finds a silk dress rather a superfluity on a campaign -- shields -- excursion over the glass-works -- final landing at leith and march to glasgow. from st. germain we proceeded to cambray. we were billeted at a village near cambray called aresne, where we had very good quarters and found the people particularly kind, and after remaining there a short time we were moved to a neighbouring village, where we got equally good quarters. but here another of those unpleasant things happened which often have to occur that proper discipline and justice may be kept up. a part of the twenty-seventh regiment was billeted at a village near where we were situated, most of whom were i believe irish; and two of the more ruffianly, knowing that a farmer who lived close by had gone to market, and would probably return laden with the value of the goods he had sold, laid wait for him with the intention of robbing him; and having met him, they fell upon him and left him in a corn-field evidently for dead, first stripping him of everything valuable about his person. there the man lay till his friends becoming uneasy at his long absence a search was made and he was tracked to his mournful bed. he was not dead when found, and so was conveyed to his house and properly attended to by a doctor, and at the end of a week he was able to give an account of the ill-treatment he said he had received at the hands of two soldiers who were quartered in the village occupied by the twenty-seventh regiment. one of the officers was consequently informed of the occurrence, and immediately went to the farmer to learn the rights of the story. the man could not tell the amount of money that had been taken from him, but he said he could recognize the men again. as soon, therefore, as he was able to walk, the officer took him down the ranks of his regiment, and certainly he proved to be correct about recognizing them, for he immediately picked out two men who were found to have been out at the time described. they were conveyed as prisoners to the guard-room, and reported to the general, who immediately ordered a court-martial, and, accepting the evidence of their sergeant, who pronounced them to be as often tipsy as not, found them guilty, and they were sentenced to be hanged. the sentence was, however, first sent to be approved of by lord wellington, who sanctioned it and returned it; and the execution was accordingly ordered to be carried out. the men were allowed a week to prepare themselves for their awful doom, and at the end of that time the brigade was called together to take warning from their unhappy fate. it was on a monday morning that we formed square round the gallows which had been erected for the occasion; and all being ready, the men were brought under the gallows in a spring-wagon guarded by a sergeant and twelve men of their own regiment, one of which latter having adjusted the ropes, the chaplain read the service. then the question usual in these cases was put, but all they had to say was that they were both guilty and hoped this would be a warning to their comrades. the chaplain then left them, and on the wagon being moved along they were left dancing on nothing. the poor fellows were not long in expiring, but they were left one hour before they were cut down, during which time we had to retain our post, and at the end of it each regiment retired solemnly to its own quarters, leaving a company of the men's own regiment to bury them. during the brigade's stay near cambray an order was received that a captain and five sergeants from each regiment should be sent to valenciennes to learn the sword exercise; so captain barnard of my own company was chosen, and amongst the five of our sergeants myself. we started accordingly to valenciennes, which was about twenty-five or thirty miles from cambray, and remained there six weeks till we got sick enough of the sword exercise, having six hours a day of it for the whole six weeks except on sundays. at the end of that time we again joined our regiment, which had been ordered to return immediately to scotland. the day after our arrival the regiment was put on the march for calais. we were quartered in cantonments every night, and at one of our sleeping-places i met a jew, and having a silver watch to dispose of, i asked him what he would give me for it. he replied fifteen francs and a silk dress, which i took, and when we arrived at calais we changed the french money into english; but since i had left my own country the coinage had been altered, which bothered me a little at first sight, and certainly did not bring me any gain. we lay in calais two nights, where i and my wife got very comfortable quarters. i may as well say here that she had borne the marches quite as well as i did, if not in some cases better. three colliers had been contracted with to convey our regiment to scotland, and from the appearance of the vessels themselves, i very much doubted, if bad weather should set in, that we should ever reach leith, the port we set sail for, they being the rickettiest old watertubs i ever saw. leith was supposed to be three days' sail from calais with a fair wind, but we had a foul one nearly the whole time, and we were seven weeks on the voyage, having to put in at bridlington in yorkshire to wait for this fair wind. my wife, who had never before seen salt water, was at first ill and found the whole voyage terribly long and tedious; but to me, who had long since learnt not to be troubled with trifles, it mattered not weather or no, and i was by this time thoroughly used too to long voyages by water after my american trips. our stay at bridlington lasted three weeks. the first night we were there, the mayor invited the officers to dine with him, and sent a quart of beer on board for each man, and half that quantity for each woman. during our stay here too, we were allowed to go on shore in the day but obliged to be on board by nine o'clock at night. the inhabitants were particularly kind to us, amongst other things offering our women their houses to wash their clothes in, which offer many accepted. and here i at last got a chance to get rid of my silk dress, which was a thing that my wife hardly required while travelling about, and i had been trying to dispose of it ever since i obtained it. i used to visit a public-house in the neighbourhood where i noticed the daughter of the place, a fine-looking girl, used to sport her silk dress, so i sold her mine for fifty shillings and a gallon of beer, which latter i gave to her customers. at last the favouring breeze sprang up, and we again attempted to proceed on our voyage. we were a whole day getting opposite shields, and a pilot was signalled for, but before he arrived we were again obliged to fall back to bridlington, which took us but nine hours to do, during the whole of which time the vessel rolled fearfully, and the women especially began to despair. our stay lasted for ten days this time, and then we proceeded again to shields, where we lay for a week, being likewise allowed to go on shore there. our walks on shore sometimes extended to the coal-mines, and we also went over the glass-manufactories, which last amused my wife more than anything. the workmen made her a smelling-bottle and me several pipes and a walking-stick of glass, for us to see the process. from shields we proceeded to leith, and landed, and all our baggage being examined at the customs-house, i thought what a capital thing it was that i had sold my dress. that night we remained in leith, and on the following morning were ordered to march to glasgow, which we reached on the third day. chapter xxv. lawrence receives news of his father's illness, and starts with his wife on a six weeks' furlough -- voyage to london -- they meet an agreeable fellow-cab-fare -- are cheated by lawrence's own countrymen -- at last reach his native place -- excitement among the inhabitants -- lawrence is received by his sister, who immediately asserts her privilege of making him tidy -- first meeting with his parents -- reception of his wife by his relatives -- the inconveniences of glory -- expeditions to various branches of his family -- general grief at his departure not appreciated at its full value by lawrence -- from dorsetshire to scotland by road -- mrs. lawrence distinguishes herself above her countrywomen and outwalks a british soldier -- return to glasgow -- the regiment presented with a new set of colours. the barracks at glasgow we found to be comfortable; and after lying there about three months, the winter of set in, and furloughs were granted for two months to a part of the regiment. as i had a wife with me and my home was so far away, i gave my furlough to a fellow-sergeant that he might go to ireland; but i wrote home and told them i had arrived in england, and very soon received an answer back from my mother to say my father was ill, and if i did not come then, perhaps i should never see him again. i consulted my wife as to the journey, and she readily consented to come with me, so i made up my mind to try for another furlough. i accordingly took the old lady's letter to the captain, who said, "well, sergeant, there are so many gone that i don't know whether the colonel will let you, but we will ask him;" so we went to him, and on hearing the nature of my case he readily consented to allow me six weeks, and signed my furlough. he likewise advanced me one shilling per day for the six weeks, and as i had lately received my waterloo prize-money which was twenty pounds, i started off with that, having previously bought some requisites in clothing and a watch, the sort of things that make one feel a little more respectable. my intentions were to proceed to leith to get a vessel bound for london, and then to walk the remaining distance, which is upwards of a hundred miles. the first day's march brought us twenty miles nearer leith, and we accomplished the remaining part on the following day; and the next morning i went in search of a vessel, and finding a leith trader bound for london, i took passage in her for two, the captain charging two guineas and a half including board. we were to sail next day, and true to time we started, but owing to a heavy wind we were obliged to run in and anchor at berwick. while there a revenue cutter which was cruising about came too close to us and knocked our little vessel's bowsprit off, disabling her for three days; but when all was put right we again set sail, and having a fair wind soon arrived in the london docks. it being night we remained on board till the following morning, when, after having had our breakfast, we started for piccadilly, which we found after a good deal of inquiry. a hackney cab then drove up to us and the driver wanted to know where we were going, and on our telling him and asking him the way, he said he would put us into the right road for two shillings. i offered him eighteenpence, but he would not take that, so we got him to show us the way and proceeded on walking. we had not got farther than hyde park corner, however, than we were again overtaken by the same cab, and the man stopped and said that he thought he could take us for the money now. he had one gentleman, an englishman, inside already, but evidently the sharp fellow was looking out for a double fare; so he asked this gentleman if we might get inside as we were going in the same direction. he politely and readily consented, and we were forked in by cabby, who then shot off as if the whole road was his own. i was under the necessity of talking french to my wife, as she could not understand english, which of course i made known to the gentleman, who replied that he knew a little of that language himself. then, noticing my waterloo medal on my breast, he said, "i see you have been in the battle of waterloo, sergeant?" "yes," i replied, "and in many other battles besides waterloo;" and so a conversation ensued and we soon became quite friends. he wished to know where i was bound for, and when i told him, he politely asked me to spend a week at his house on the way, saying i should not want for anything; but i told him the reason of my hurry, thanking him for his kindness, and his stage having expired at this period he got out. but he would insist on giving my wife five shillings and paying our fare: we then shook hands heartily and parted, he wishing us good-speed on our journey. after that we walked on some distance till we came to a village where we found the salisbury road-wagon put up, and being very hungry we entered a public-house and had some tea, and waited there till ten o'clock. i was enjoying myself over my tobacco, when at nightfall some ten or twelve customers came in and i spun them a pretty good yarn, making them shake with laughter; but what amused them most, though it annoyed my wife a little to see them laugh at what she could not understand, was to hear me and her talk french together. at ten o'clock the party broke up and i called for my bill, which was fourpence for a glass of gin for myself and eightpence for the boiling water for our tea, which was much to my surprise, as we had found our own food, tea, and sugar. i asked the landlady if it was not a mistake, and when she said no, i told her i wished she and her charges were at the other side of the moon. however, i paid her, though i gave her to understand that if we had been in the enemy's country we should have got our boiling water for nothing. we then joined the road-wagon, which was to start for salisbury at midnight. i spoke to the wagoner, who agreed to take us for two shillings and told us we could get in at once; so, as we were very tired, we did so, and lying down, soon fell fast asleep; and when we awoke we found ourselves jogging on towards salisbury, where we arrived late the next night. i paid the man his well-earned two shillings, besides which i had treated him to sundry refreshments on the way; and we remained at salisbury for the rest of the night, starting early on the following morning for blandford. we marched seven miles before breakfast, and after it did not halt again till we got to blandford, where we stayed the night; and next morning, which was sunday, proceeded on towards my native village, which is about eight miles from blandford. we arrived there during church service in the morning, and passing through the churchyard as a near cut, went up the village, inquiring at several houses where john lawrence, my father, lived. i found it was at the same house where i was born, but strange to say i did not at all hurry myself to get there. i had found from the neighbours that he was still living and much better, so i was at ease on that point. at last, however, i strolled into a house, the owner of which i well knew before i entered on my rambling life, but who was now turned into an old woman, and i asked her the same question that i had already put to others in the village, saying that i had seen my parents' son, and had got a message for them. but woman's piercing eyes are not so easily deceived, and she recognized me as a lawrence, though she did not know whether it was william or john. i certified as to that much, and she immediately ran off to bring my sister. as may be well imagined in a country place like that, we two strangers, one of us dressed as a soldier, and our entering so many houses, had already set the place all of a stir to know who we were, and now directly it was found out, it was telegraphed all through the village. before i could get to my own door my sister was upon me, and did try to kiss me, certainly, but i had not shaved since i left scotland, and now i had a long thick beard and moustache, so that the attempt was almost a fruitless task. she cried out, "come in; why don't you shave?" so i asked her if there was any barber handy. "no," she replied, "but i'll shave you, for i always do father," so in i went. my father and mother were still out at church. my wife meanwhile could hardly make out these scenes that were transpiring, not seeming to dare to interrupt the proceedings with one french word to me; and my sister not having yet thought to ask me who this mysterious woman was, she followed me indoors without any questioning and like myself sat down. i pulled off my knapsack, and the shaving-tackle was brought out; but it put me so much in mind of the ceremony with the iron hoop when we crossed the line that i became impatient, and opening my knapsack took out my own razor and finished myself. by this time church was over, and putting my head out of the door i beheld my brother, who could scarcely speak to me owing to his feelings. i found both my father and mother had stopped to take the sacrament, but when it was over i suddenly saw the old lady who had got scent of the matter coming along like a spread-eagle with the same old black bonnet and red cloak on that she had when i left her. i went to meet her, but she was so overcome with emotion that i had to lean her up against the house to prevent her falling, and then i proceeded on to the old man, who was quite infirm and hobbling along behind on two sticks, and i need hardly say that he behaved worse than any of them at my strange and sudden appearance. i led him in and got him with difficulty to a chair. none of us then spoke for a long time, but at last the old man gave utterance to, "my child, i did not expect to see you again." it was indeed sixteen long years since i had left them at dorchester. my wife, though of course she could not understand a word, was much affected by this scene. i now began to throw a word or two to her occasionally in her own language, which surprised them a good deal, and no less were they astonished when i told them she was my wife. no doubt she felt queer with all strangers round her and in a foreign land, which to her was like a new world, but by the evening we were all reconciled to each other; and by that time too we had dozens of friends and neighbours in to see us. my wife particularly wished to know what all these people wanted, as so many could not be all relations, so i told her that they had chiefly come to see her, as they had never seen a frenchwoman before; but of course she would not believe this piece of flattery. i then thought of wetting the subject a little, but there was no public-house in the village, the nearest being at piddletown about three miles off. however, i got one of my brothers to go even that distance, and he having brought back four gallons, we made ourselves comfortable till ten o'clock, when we retired to rest in the same room that i had slept in eighteen years before. after a good night's rest we rose early and found all recovering themselves, except perhaps the old lady, who had not yet done piping. after breakfast i took a walk round the village and fell in with the clergyman of the place, who would insist on taking me to his house and giving me some ale; and when he had once got me there, he kept me for at least an hour, the chief topics we talked about being the war and the religion of the countries i had been in. i was glad enough to get away from there, but i had to spend the whole of that day in visiting the people of the village; and the next day i had to occupy still worse, for my mother brought out every letter sent by me during my absence from the first to the last, and made me listen to them being read, which by the time night came on had almost sent me crazy. i advised her to burn the lot, but that only made her put them back in their place again, saying, "never, william, so long as i live." we passed the next two days visiting such of my brothers and sisters as lived more near, and then as i could not rest in one place for long, on the third morning i set out with my wife for corfe mullen, about twelve miles off, to see another brother who was a farm-labourer there. after some few inquiries for george lawrence i found out his house, and was answered at the door by his wife, who of course had no knowledge who i was, though i had known her before her marriage. she did not ask me in, but pointed out a barn, where she said i would find george. i went over and he was there threshing, so i said, "well, friend, do you thresh by the day or the quarter?" he answered, "by the quarter, but i cannot do much of it." he stared at me, for i had on my regimentals, but i did not yet make myself known. then i asked him if there was a public-house handy. he said there was one just below, so i told him that if he would go there with me i would treat him, as his must be hard work, and he thanked me and led the way. i ordered some beer and tobacco with pipes, and after that took off my shako which i could not bear any longer, and he immediately recognized me as his brother william. we then went to his home to be introduced to his wife, and we stayed there two days, after which we returned to bryant's piddle and remained with the old people for the rest of the eighteen days i had allotted for our stay out of the six weeks; the going and returning taking away above half our furlough. the morning we left was quite as bad as the morning of my appearance, my wife, who had got used to the old people, being quite as loud as any of them; till at last being sick of the whole affair i buckled on my knapsack, and bidding them good-bye, as quickly as possible took myself off, leaving my wife to follow with my brother to dorchester, he having volunteered to go with us as far as that. i had planned out a different way for my journey back, intending to find a ship at bristol to take us to scotland and with this view i proceeded westwards, parting from my brother at dorchester. we found a public-house by the roadside a little way from dorchester, and after stopping there for the night, continued through sherborne towards bristol. on the way we fell in with one of the light company of my regiment, called warren, who said he was going to london to get a ship back to scotland; but when i told him of my way of getting there, he immediately said he would go with us; only he had got no money, and hoped i would lend him some. i declined doing this as i had very little myself, but i told him that if he liked to come and live as we did, i would pay for his food and lodging till we got to the regiment, to which he consented and we marched on together. but when we got to bristol we found there was no ship going to scotland, so my wife who was an excellent walker proposed going all the way by road; and accordingly on the following day we started, doing generally two stages a day, through gloucester, worcester, manchester, and carlisle, and so to glasgow, a long and tedious march. our companion, who was anything but a pleasant one, left us at manchester. we returned to the barracks just one day before my time expired, with only twopence-halfpenny in my pocket and having had to sell my watch for subsistence on the way. after reporting myself, however, i drew my remaining tenpence per day for the six weeks, a penny being deducted from my pay per day for small-beer, which was not allowed while i was away. soon after our arrival at the barracks my wife became very ill owing to having been frost-bitten during the march, and remained so for upwards of a week. we had not been here very long before general sir george osborne, the head colonel of our regiment, came expressly to review us; he being a very old man, and not having seen his regiment for some years. after going through our facings, we were arranged in a square, into which the old gentleman entered and presented us with a new stand of colours; then he addressed us as he said for the last time, and hoped his colours would endure as well as our old ones had and be crowned with an equal amount of victory. on them were engraved in gilt letters, "the peninsula" and "waterloo." he then took a farewell leave of his regiment, as he doubted if he would ever see it again, and we returned triumphant with our new colours to the barracks. but i may as well add here that every man received sixpence from the old colonel to drink his health. chapter xxvi. reduction of the army -- lawrence sent up to london, where he is valued for his pension -- returns to his home -- thence to studland, and obtains work -- called out on service again, and sent to ireland to suppress smuggling -- ingenious devices in that line by the inhabitants of dingle -- finally discharged at plymouth -- settles down at studland again, and commends his narrative to the public. very shortly after this the army was reduced, and our regiment was made six hundred instead of a thousand strong. first all the old and disabled were discharged, and then lots were cast for the remainder, and the lot falling on me amongst the sergeants, at the end of about a month i and nine others were ordered to chatham. we marched to leith, where we embarked on the leith packet, and after some very rough weather landed at gravesend and proceeded to chatham, remaining there six weeks while we were waiting to pass the board. then we re-embarked on a small craft at gravesend and went up the river to the tower of london, whence we marched to chelsea hospital. the next morning, after we had been examined by the doctor, we were called up before the board one at a time. i was asked my age and time of service, and one of the gentlemen called out "seven!" but the doctor immediately said "nine!" as i had a wound in my knee; they evidently meaning that i should have ninepence a day as my pension, as that was what was settled on me for life. i then went to the office, where i received my expenses to dorchester, to the amount of one and tenpence for myself, and three-halfpence for my wife for every ten miles; and with that we started off for bryant's piddle again, and walked every step of the way, not, however, meeting any such kind gentleman this time as we had on our last route to the same place. when we arrived we found them all as well as when we had left; but i did not want to stay there long, so on the following morning i took leave of them and proceeded with my wife to studland, the place where i had been apprenticed, as i claimed that rightly as my parish. i put up at the public-house till i could procure a house and some furniture, which last took me about a week, and then my next undertaking was to try for work, for it may well be imagined that my wife and i could hardly live on my pension of ninepence a day. i soon obtained employment on a farm close by, for which i received ten shillings a week. i was only in the capacity of a labourer, and it certainly seemed to come very hard at first, but i soon got used to it, and i worked for this master for nine months. he had been formerly a captain in the navy, and i found him very sharp but very just. my reason for leaving him was a sudden call i received to again join the army. i started on the fifth of november, : i was ordered to plymouth, where i joined the third veteran battalion, which was about a thousand strong at the time, and from plymouth we went on to ireland, where we landed at the cove of cork and marched through cork to fermoy. we went on next day to templemore, which took us two or three days, and after staying there about a month, three companies of the regiment, myself being one of the number, were ordered to tralee in county kerry. when we arrived at tralee a detachment of a lieutenant, myself, a corporal, and seventeen men were ordered next day to go to dingle, which is situated on a large tongue of land, and here we were again stationed in barracks for about a year, our principal duty being to guard the coast against the smuggling that was at that time being carried on to a very great extent. we were chiefly under the command of the coastguard captain, whose name was collis. it was astonishing to see the many manoeuvres which the inhabitants practised in this art of smuggling. i remember once being called out by the captain to search a house that he had received information about as containing a quantity of smuggled tobacco. i went with twelve men and the captain to the house, and at the door we were met by three ruffianly-looking irishmen, whose conversation we could not understand at all: however, we passed on and searched the house, at one end of which were standing three cows, which did not seem to me at the time to be very homely guests. at first we could find nothing, so we were proceeding to search the outside, when i saw the three men laughing. not feeling at all satisfied i turned the cows out and looked under the litter, where i discovered a trap-door, under which when i had opened it i found a flight of steps leading into a cellar, which contained upwards of twenty bales of tobacco. this made the men's countenances change instantaneously. we brought this up, but still not being content we searched farther into the garden, and finding that ground had lately been moved, we disturbed it again and turned up about twelve bales more that were concealed there. these we conveyed in press-carts to the captain's house, and received a good supper for our services and extra pay, mine amounting to half a crown and the privates' less in proportion. on another occasion, when we were again out on the search, we passed what we thought was a funeral, to which we presented arms, but which we afterwards found was nothing but smuggled tobacco put into a box of the shape of a coffin with a pall over, and in this way conveyed into security. such and similar transactions were frequent during our stay here, the inhabitants being of the very wildest sort. once even a cotton-ship drove ashore, and we had the greatest difficulty in keeping them from plundering it. at last, however, we were ordered back to plymouth, so had to march to waterford harbour, whither after joining our other companions at tralee we proceeded, and embarking on board a transport, arrived at plymouth about june in the year . thus finally ended my military career, which had lasted seventeen years and seven months, the greater part of the time having been spent on active service. i was discharged on the same pension as before of ninepence a day, that having been stopped during my stay in the third veteran battalion. from plymouth i and my wife marched back to studland, where we took a house, and my master immediately took me back to work. i drifted about, however, between one or two trades, and finally took a little public-house, where i and my wife lived pretty prosperously till she died. i began to feel rather unwell, too, and thought it best to give up working and the public-house: so i wrote to the authorities at chelsea, and obtained through the influence of a kind gentleman an addition of threepence a day to my pension, making a shilling in all; and with that i am now living in a house that was bequeathed to me for as long as i live by my late master, as comfortably as these circumstances and the interposition of a few friends can make me. and to conclude i may add that i have striven here as well as my faculties will allow, though i know that is imperfectly, to sum up as it were in a small compass, so that they can be read over in a few hours by the residing populace, the leading scenes of my life, coupled as they have been with the various campaigns i served in; and though i am sorry that i cannot give the reader fuller details of the peninsula and waterloo, yet i think that if any even of my comrades themselves who went through the same campaigns, were to take up my work to examine it, they could not say that such information as i have been able to give has been wrong. the end. london: printed by gilbert and rivington, limited, , st. john's square. with wellington in spain by captain brereton =kidnapped by moors=: a story of morocco. _s._ =the hero of panama=: a tale of the great canal. _s._ =the great aeroplane=: a thrilling tale of adventure. _s._ =a hero of sedan=: a tale of the franco-prussian war. _s._ =how canada was won=: a tale of wolfe and quebec. _s._ =with wolseley to kumasi=: the first ashanti war. _s._ =roger the bold=: a tale of the conquest of mexico. _s._ =a boy of the dominion=: a tale of canadian immigration. _s._ =under the chinese dragon=: a tale of mongolia. _s._ =indian and scout=: a tale of the gold rush to california. _s._ =john bargreave's gold=: adventure in the caribbean. _s._ =roughriders of the pampas=: ranch life in south america. _s._ =with roberts to candahar=: third afghan war. _s._ =a hero of lucknow=: a tale of the indian mutiny. _s._ =a soldier of japan=: a tale of the russo-japanese war. _s._ =tom stapleton, the boy scout.= _s._ _d._ =jones of the th=: battles of assaye and laswaree. _s._ _d._ =with shield and assegai=: a tale of the zulu war. _s._ _d._ =under the spangled banner=: the spanish-american war. _s._ _d._ =with the dyaks of borneo=: a tale of the head hunters. _s._ _d._ =a knight of st. john=: a tale of the siege of malta. _s._ _d._ =foes of the red cockade=: the french revolution. _s._ _d._ =in the king's service=: cromwell's invasion of ireland. _s._ _d._ =in the grip of the mullah=: adventure in somaliland. _s._ _d._ =with rifle and bayonet=: a story of the boer war. _s._ _d._ =one of the fighting scouts=: guerrilla warfare in south africa. _s._ _d._ =the dragon of pekin=: a story of the boxer revolt. _s._ _d._ =a gallant grenadier=: a story of the crimean war. _s._ _d._ london: blackie & son, ltd., old bailey, e.c. [illustration: tom is summoned by wellington] with wellington in spain a story of the peninsula by captain f. s. brereton author of "the great airship," "kidnapped by moors," "a boy of the dominion," "the hero of panama," &c. _illustrated by w. rainey, r.i._ blackie and son limited london glasgow and bombay contents chap. page i. septimus john clifford & son ii. underhand conduct iii. aboard a british frigate iv. a naval encounter v. prisoners vi. napoleon the ambitious vii. a tight corner viii. tom changes quarters ix. hard pressed x. the great general xi. on active service xii. guarding the by-ways xiii. ciudad rodrigo xiv. one of the forlorn hope xv. round about badajoz xvi. the battle of salamanca xvii. a clue at last xviii. the conspirators' den xix. tom thinks furiously xx. a brilliant capture illustrations page tom is summoned by wellington _frontispiece_ "crash! went the broadside" the peasants break in the church doors "gripping one of the ladders dragged it aside with all his force" "to his amazement the man clutched him by the hand" tom escapes from ciudad rodrigo a clever disguise the fat man threatens tom with wellington in spain chapter i septimus john clifford & son no cooler spot could be imagined on the hottest midsummer day than the picturesque forecourt of the premises occupied by septimus john clifford & son, wine merchants, importers and exporters. behind the forecourt, crowding the latter closely towards the edge of the river thames, some few hundred yards below the point where the stream swept and swirled through the arches of the bridge, stretched an irregular block of buildings, that portion farthest from the court presenting a somewhat severe frontage to the river, its many floors, its narrow windows, and its winches and hoists dangling outside serving to show that it was there that septimus john clifford & son stored their goods from oversea. huge doors leading by wide, shallow steps to the basement hinted that it was through these easy portals that the wines of france, of spain, and of portugal found access to the vast vaults stretching away behind the muddy bank of the river. the forecourt and its immediate background bore a very different appearance, for the garden, encompassed by moss-grown walls, was ablaze with flowers, while one huge mulberry tree reared its foliage before the main entrance of the building, its leaves rustling against the curious old dormer windows and strangely shaped balconies which adorned the front. beneath the grateful shade cast by that mulberry tree lay septimus john clifford himself, at full length in a capacious basketwork chair, oblivious of his surroundings, careless even of the persistent flies that hovered about the gaudy silk handkerchief with which he had covered his head. mr. septimus was asleep. clerks in the busy office within the huge bay window, not five yards from him, turned the leaves of musty ledgers with pathetic care lest they should awake the ruler of this establishment. the office boy, an urchin with round, rosy cheeks, swelled to the point of bursting, gathered up his feet upon the staves of his chair when the head clerk admonished him for shuffling them, and cast an anxious eye out through the wide-open window. marlow, the clerk nearest to that sleeping form, almost held his breath; for he was apt to grunt and expand his lungs with a hiss that was exasperating. "one hour, i think," observed huggins, a white-haired clerk, who seemed to be the head of the office, consulting a silver watch which was as large as a good-sized turnip. "one hour precisely, i make it." "and four minutes," ventured his assistant, a thin, lanky man, white-haired like his comrade. "it is time to wake him." "yes, now; he would not forgive delay." huggins rose silently from the high stool on which he was seated and crossed to the door on tiptoe. he descended the picturesque steps leading from the main entrance to the place with as much care as he would have employed had he been stepping over hot bricks, and advanced to the side of his master, as if determined to leave him asleep till the very last possible moment. for that was the spirit which pervaded the establishment of septimus john clifford & son. a good master was served by loyal and grateful clerks, of whom none were more loyal and thoughtful than huggins, the stout, clean-shaven, white-haired man who had spent thirty years of his peaceful life in the office. "hem! three o'clock," said huggins, coming to a standstill and casting his eyes first at the sleeping form of his master, then at the waving foliage of the mulberry tree, and later out across the river to the southern shore, then almost devoid of houses. for we do not speak of london in this year of grace , but of london in , a city of huge proportions even then, but small and puny when compared with the mass of buildings which now stretch far and wide. smoke stacks and chimneys belching forth huge billows of dark cloud were not then such a feature of the giant capital. green fields and waving trees came close up to the opposite bank of the thames, while the few houses there were, the open country, and the stretch of shimmering water, with its quaint river craft, made a picture that was fascinating. from the shade and shelter of the forecourt the view was perfectly enchanting, and for a little while held all huggins's attention, even though he looked out upon it every day of his life. then he hemmed again, and gently touched the sleeve of the sleeper. mr. septimus stirred, then, hearing a cough beside him, sat up briskly, drew the handkerchief from his head, and, folding it with care, placed it in his pocket. "three o'clock, sir," said huggins. "no more?" asked mr. septimus. "five minutes past." "four," declared mr. septimus, consulting his own watch--one, too, of vast proportions. "the post has come?" huggins nodded. "from spain?" "there are four letters." "and from portugal?" asked mr. septimus eagerly. "one only." "drat the war!" cried mr. septimus, sitting forward with energy. "first this bonaparte, emperor of the french, disturbs all trade by pouring his soldiers into the peninsula, and then he keeps up the disturbance by refusing to agree that he's beaten. he's beaten, ain't he, huggins?" "if not quite, then nearly, sir," came the respectful answer. "but they say that wellington has cleared portugal of the french. stocks of wines are coming through more freely." the reminder seemed to hearten the master of this establishment; his face assumed a cheerful expression. not that it had appeared seamed with care before, for septimus was the personification of good humour. he was a short, stout little man, bald headed and slightly bandy legged. round, inquisitive goggles sat on a broad nose that spoke of good temper. a white muffler and stock, together with an even whiter waistcoat, covered a frame which may be described as decidedly ample, while shapely legs--shapely even though prone to bandiness--were clad in snuff-coloured overalls, which fitted like the proverbial glove, and set off a figure that was decidedly attractive and gentlemanly. he stretched out a hand and took the letters which his clerk had brought for him. then, selecting the one from portugal, he opened it with the blade of his penknife. "from dom juan de esteros," he said, extracting the sheet within the envelope. "ha! that is good news. the tide of war turns to spain, and wines are accumulating at oporto. that is good, huggins. our clients will be glad to hear that we can soon replenish their cellars. business will look up." huggins nodded, while his sallow features reddened a trifle; for what concerned the house of septimus john clifford & son concerned him, not from the pecuniary point of view, seeing that he was paid a steady salary whether business were good or bad, but because of his sympathetic interest in the firm. "we can do with it, sir," he said. "things have been a little slow in the office. there has been little work after three o'clock. the clerks have been inclined to become sleepy." "and no wonder," responded septimus, looking up with a laugh. "like master, like man, huggins. can't blame 'em for sleeping after dinner if i do. it's a bad habit, huggins, a bad habit. all the same, i believe it helps one wonderfully. couldn't get through these hot days if it weren't for the forty winks i snatch. but let's see. dom juan--ah! he thinks the time has come for us to have a direct representative in oporto. talks of indifferent health caused by the anxieties of the war. asks us to send someone." "ahem! yes, sir," came from huggins suggestively. "to send someone," repeated septimus. "a representative, huggins. eh?" "master tom," came promptly from the clerk. "and son, sir--clifford & son." he laid special emphasis on the last two words, causing mr. septimus to look up at him and discover the old servant's face glowing. as for the owner of this successful business of wine merchants, we can only say that he, too, looked enthusiastic. "and son--yes, huggins," he said. "how long is it since there was a son?" "seventeen years three months and two days, sir," was the answer. "master tom's age exactly." "to the minute almost," laughed septimus. "he's the one; he shall represent the firm at oporto." by the interest and attention these two gave to the affair one would have imagined that it was an entirely novel subject of discussion, whereas, to be precise, this quaint pair had long since settled the matter. for the "& son" had become a feature of the business. two centuries earlier clifford & son had first hung their trade sign outside those same premises, only in those days the house was exceedingly small and unpretentious. still, there had been a son in the business, and thereafter, as the years passed, a succession of sons, while septimus john had become, as it were, part of the stock-in-trade of this old house which boasted of the "& son" always attached to it. however, in latter days, there had come a time when that old boast had almost failed them, for mr. septimus had succeeded his father at the age of thirty, exactly and precisely one day after the birth of his own boy. it was this same infant, christened septimus john esteros thomas clifford, who was now under discussion. "you'll send him, of course, sir," exclaimed huggins. "of course. he'd have gone two years ago if it hadn't been for the war. drat the war, huggins!" cried septimus peevishly. "it has upset all my plans and ruined business. here's master tom kicking his heels about the place and attempting to learn spanish and portuguese, when he should be in oporto learning the languages simply because he couldn't help doing so, and at the same time attending to the business. i did that. i went out when i was sixteen, and came home for good at thirty. the son in this firm has been wanting ever since, for always the father has managed here in london, while the son has worked the business in oporto. tom shall go, and quickly too; i'll see him. what's that?" both heads were raised promptly, while mr. septimus and his clerk remained in their respective attitudes listening intently. from the room behind the wide bay window where the office staff worked there came not so much as a sound. doubtless the white-haired junior clerk and his helpers still pored over their ledgers, while the fat office boy still sat with his legs curled around the supports of his stool. but from a room overhead there came the sound of strife. a girl's voice was heard, then came that of some young fellow, piercing and high pitched and querulous. the noise of a blow followed, a dull, heavy sound, which gave one the impression that a fist had descended on someone's jaw. a thud telling of a tumble came to the ears of the listeners almost immediately afterwards. mr. septimus rose to his feet with agility and gathered up his letters. there was a severe look on his face as he made towards the steps leading into the house. "those two quarrelling," he said over his shoulder. "then it isn't master tom's doing," declared huggins, with decision. "that master josé's always at him. he's sly, he is; he's jealous of his cousin." "then it'll be a good thing when they're separated. ah! there again!" cried mr. septimus, as the sound of other blows came to his ears, as well as a scream of rage. "i'll go to them; this conduct is disgraceful!" he bounded up the steps at a speed that would have surprised those who did not know him; for, as we have explained, the head of the firm of wine merchants was distinctly stout, and his appearance belied all suggestion of activity. but septimus could move quickly when he liked, while his business hours were characterized by bustle. he stepped hurriedly across the hall and went up the wide oak staircase two steps at a time. he was panting just a little when he reached the door of the apartment wherein the scuffle was taking place and threw it wide open. and there he stood for a little time, breathing deeply, regarding the people in the room with wide-open eyes, which seemed to fill the whole area of his spectacles and take in everything. "stop this instantly!" he commanded, seeing two lads struggling together in the far corner. "i have never seen anything more disgraceful." the scene before him might well have drawn such words from the lips of the head of such a decorous firm as septimus john clifford & son; for the room was in confusion. a heavy desk, occupying the centre, that would have been upset but for its weight, had been jerked out of position and now stood at an angle. a chair lay on its back, while an inkpot of large dimensions lay against the near wall with a wide puddle of ink about it, and the panelled wall itself was splashed in all directions with the same dark fluid. a young girl some sixteen years of age gripped one side of the desk, and stood there watching the contest with staring eyes that were decidedly frightened. two lads occupied the centre of the picture, and as septimus entered they were locked together in a firm embrace, each one endeavouring to belabour the other. but at the voice of command they broke away, one of them, a youth of medium height, promptly turning from his antagonist toward the door. the movement was the signal for the other to strike out swiftly, sending his fist crashing against the other's head, and following the cowardly movement by a kick which cut the feet of his opponent from beneath him, and brought the lad with a thud to the floor. "that was a coward's blow!" declared septimus hotly, advancing into the room; "the kick was contemptible. stand away in that corner, josé. i will thrash you severely if you attempt another movement." he closed the door quietly behind him, placed a seat at the desk so that he could see all three within the room, then slowly wiped and adjusted his glasses. "please explain," he began icily, when finally his glasses were adjusted. "i left you here at two o'clock. you had work sufficient to last you till the evening. what is the meaning of this disgraceful interruption? you, tom, answer." he looked closely at each of the lads in turn, and then fixed his eyes upon the one who had been struck in such a cowardly manner by the other. in doing so septimus clifford looked upon the counterpart of himself. for before him was the son who was of so much importance to the house of clifford, the son who was to represent the firm in oporto--the one, in fact, whom the reader will already have observed was particularly favoured by huggins. tom was of middle height, as we have remarked, well built and solidly put together. in spite of his ruffled hair and his flushed face there was something undoubtedly attractive about the young fellow, so much so that septimus could not fail but note it. "looks me square in the face and eye," he muttered beneath his breath. "that's the way with the cliffords. knows he's probably in for a licking, and yet don't funk it. he's ready to receive what he's earned, and ain't going to lie to lessen the punishment. well?" he asked severely, for septimus was not the one to show favour. but tom made no answer. he stood squarely facing his father, his character clearly shown upon a face that was decidedly pleasing if not exactly handsome. "well?" demanded septimus again, more curtly if anything. "ask him, sir," came the reply, while tom jerked his head at the lad over in the far corner where septimus had ordered him. "then you," exclaimed the stout little man, turning to the second youth, he who had delivered the cowardly blow and kick. "what have you to answer?" "he started it," came abruptly from the one questioned. "tom called me names and struck me." "ah!" exclaimed septimus, regarding the youth coldly, till the latter reddened beneath his scrutiny. "he started it, josé, you say. why?" the youth addressed reddened even more at the question, while his eyes shifted from the face of his interrogator to tom's, and then across to the girl's. contrasting the two young fellows, tom and josé, one could not compliment the latter; for he seemed to be the very opposite of tom. a year his senior, perhaps, he was lanky and lean, while his arms and legs and body seemed to writhe and twist as his eyes shifted from corner to corner. the chin disclosed weakness of character and want of firmness, to which thin lips and watery eyes added nothing. in short, josé was anything but attractive. "why did tom start this quarrel?" asked septimus relentlessly, his glasses turned on josé all the while. "i don't know," came the surly answer. "he's always quarrelling." "then you began the matter?" said septimus, turning upon tom the same close scrutiny. "why?" "he didn't!" came abruptly from the girl, who was standing a few paces from him. "josé is not telling the truth. even though he is my brother, i can't remain quiet and know that he is blaming tom for what is really his own fault." josé's eyes gleamed as his sister spoke. his brows were knit together and his thin lips pursed, as is the case with one in anger. at that moment this unattractive youth looked as if he would willingly have struck his own sister. "she favours him," he cried angrily. "she's always on his side." "silence!" commanded septimus sternly. "now, marguerite, tell me about it." "he started to tease me," declared the girl, nodding towards her brother. "he splashed the letter i was writing with ink, and then threw some over my needlework. tom asked him to stop, and then called him a bully. josé threw the inkpot at him promptly." "ah!" came from the man seated in the centre. "and then?" "tom knocked him down twice; then they began to struggle together." "it's a lie!" shouted josé, beside himself with rage, his pale lips trembling. "eh?" asked tom curtly, advancing a pace towards him, and looking threatening. "stop!" ordered septimus, lifting a hand. "by rights i ought to leave you two to settle the matter between you. i have no fears as to what the result would be; for a man or youth who accuses his sister of lying deserves a thrashing, while you, josé, deserve it twice over. you have lied yourself, and i myself saw you deliver a cowardly blow. you will remain here and go on with your work; tom will come below with me. for the future try to be friendly to one another, at least till you are parted." "parted?" asked tom curiously, while a scowl showed on josé's face. "yes, parted," repeated septimus. "the time has come for you to go to oporto, tom, there to act as representative of this business." josé's face was a study as he listened to the words and saw the pride and enthusiasm with which tom was so obviously filled. even marguerite was regarding her cousin as if he were a hero, and, indeed, that was the light in which she was wont to look at him. for ever since he was a little fellow tom had been marguerite's special protector, and often and often had he saved her from her brother's ill treatment. josé was, in fact, a bully. sneaking and mean by nature, he was the very opposite of his sister, and ever since the two had been brought to the house he had been jealous of his cousin tom. that was the secret of their ill feeling from the beginning. provided josé treated marguerite fairly, tom was prepared to live on good terms with him. but always josé regarded tom as a fortunate rival, as his future master; for was not tom the son attached to the firm? and now to hear that he was to go to oporto, there to rule the roast, filled josé with envy and hatred. he could see tom his own master, with clerks to do his bidding, while he, josé, the less fortunate, was slaving at a humble desk in england. it roused his ire when he recollected that were there no tom he himself would fill his place, and would one day be the head of the firm of septimus john clifford & son. the scowl on josé's face had deepened as septimus spoke. tom's happy features incensed him to the point of bursting. a moment or so later, when the door had closed between him and the other three, and while their steps still resounded in the passage, josé gave full vent to his hatred and anger. he pranced up and down the room. he glared out through the window as tom appeared, and if looks could have killed, that young fellow would have ceased to exist forthwith. then josé flung himself petulantly on to a chair, buried his face in his hands, and remained in that position for some few minutes, his restless limbs writhing and twitching meanwhile. suddenly, however, he sat up and stared hard at the wall opposite. "why not?" he asked himself, as if apropos of nothing, while a cunning leer bent his lips. "if there were no tom, josé would go to oporto. and who would carry out the work more fittingly? tom shall not go there. i swear that i will prevent him." he was poring over a book half an hour later when septimus entered the room again with the intention of having a serious conversation with him, and to all appearances josé was a different individual. he was sorry for the anger he had shown, sorry that he had insulted his sister, and eager to be friendly with everyone. but, then, josé was a crafty individual. that night as he lay in bed within ten feet of our hero he was concocting plans whereby to defeat the aims of septimus, and bring about the downfall of tom, his cousin. chapter ii underhand conduct brisk action was a characteristic of mr. septimus clifford, though his portly frame gave one the impression that he might very well be a sluggard. however, the bustle in those offices and warehouses beside the river, the numerous clerks poring over ledgers and papers, and the hands at work in the vaults amidst the huge butts of wine told a tale there was no mistaking. order and method pervaded the establishment, and the master of the business was the creator of that order and method. as we have said, too, he was a man of action. "i'll send tom off this day two weeks," he told the respectful huggins on the evening of that very day on which our hero was introduced. "that will put a stop to all fighting, and no doubt separation will wipe out old enmities, and in time to come the two, tom and josé, will be capital friends. there's a boat sailing on friday fortnight." "the _mary anne_," agreed huggins. "takes hardware from us, consigned to the supply department of wellington's army. there'll be no difficulty in obtaining a passage." "then make all arrangements, please," said mr. septimus briskly. "i'll have a chat with the lad, and tell him what we expect of him. send him to me." the interview between father and son took place beneath the mulberry, in the quaint and picturesque garden before the house in which the firm transacted business, and there, seated in his basket chair, septimus discussed affairs with tom. "you'll make every effort to improve and perfect your portuguese and spanish," he said, "and your french will be of the utmost use; for once the peninsula war is ended, and the french are driven out, it will be one of your duties to arrange for wines to come from their country. of course, at oporto you will place yourself in the hands of your uncle, dom juan de esteros, and will learn the business from him. put your back into it, boy, for dom juan will, i fear, not be long with us. his health, always indifferent, has been much broken by the anxieties of the past few years. and now you'd best get your things together. take a good stock of clothing, and perhaps a good pistol is advisable, seeing that the country of portugal is still in a condition of disorder." it may be imagined that the following two weeks were filled with moments of interest for our hero. he was going abroad for the first time in his life. he was about to make a start in the world, and that world at this moment looked exceedingly rosy, so rosy that tom's face shone, his eyes flashed, he carried himself jauntily, and one and all could see that he was full of good spirits to overflowing, and was eagerly awaiting the voyage. "that master josé'd give his boots to be in his place," reflected huggins one afternoon, as tom went racing across the flower-decked courtyard, and marguerite after him. "it was a bad day, emmott, for this house when mr. septimus took him in and gave him a home. not that i say that of the young lady. she's different; she's like master tom. we all love her." "and dislike the brother--yes," agreed the junior clerk; "and i too have a feeling that master josé bodes no good to his cousin. see his face--he's watching the two going off down the river." josé was, in fact, lounging in the forecourt, one hand resting on the boundary wall, while his lean, lanky body and thin limbs twisted and writhed, as if to keep still were with him an impossibility. but it was not those twisting limbs that repelled the two old clerks watching him from the window--it was josé's face. the brows were drawn close together, the lips were half-parted, while there was an intense look in the eyes which there was no fathoming. "bodes his cousin no good," emmott ventured in low tones. "there's no love lost between 'em. not that master tom isn't ready to be friendly. he is; for he's one of the easygoing sort. still, he's a stickler for what's proper, and he's stood by miss marguerite as if he were her own brother. that josé's scowling." the lanky youth was actually doing that. no one could doubt the fact; but nevertheless it was impossible to read the thoughts passing through his brain. could they have done so, both huggins and emmott would have found ample reason for their feelings of uneasiness. for josé was scheming. jealous of his cousin, as we have said already, he had been envious of tom almost from the day when mr. septimus had brought his orphaned nephew and niece to his house. the children of mr. septimus's sister, josé and marguerite, had been born in oporto, and had had the misfortune to lose first their mother and then their father, brother of dom juan de esteros. thereafter they had lived with mr. septimus as if they were his own children. and here was josé scheming to wreck his cousin's chances in the world, whereas gratitude towards his uncle septimus should have made of him a fast friend, and one ready to help tom to the utmost. "going to oporto, there to lord it over the office," he was muttering between his teeth, as he watched tom and marguerite departing along the river bank. "that leaves me here to slave over musty ledgers and to learn the business from that old slowcoach huggins. suppose i'll always be a clerk. one of these days tom will come back as master, and then he'll order me about." it was a petty, childish manner in which to look at the matter, and showed the narrow-minded view which josé took of life. contrary from his cradle almost, he was mean in thought and act, and here was one of his mean thoughts muttered beneath his breath, while his scowling eyes followed the retreating figure of his cousin. josé writhed his way back into the house, and appeared again with a cap. huggins, watching from the office, saw him go away along the bank of the river after the retreating figures of the other two. "he's not up to any good, i'd lay," he told his fellow clerk, the white-haired emmott. "what's he following for, i'd like to know." "then let me go after him?" asked the other. "there's a message to be taken along to the people who should have delivered goods to us this morning, and i may just as well take it as george, the office boy." the matter was arranged on the instant, and within five minutes emmott sauntered away in the wake of josé. he followed him at a discreet distance along the river bank, till josé dived in amongst a number of houses which clambered down to the water's edge. he caught sight of him again beyond them, and half an hour later watched him in converse with a ruffianly looking fellow whom he had accosted. "don't know the man," emmott told himself. "never saw him in my life before, so far as i am aware. josé seems to know him. he's--he's giving him money." half-hidden behind the wall surrounding a warehouse, one of the many erected there--for this was a busy part of the city, and huge barges found deep water when the tide was up, and could load right alongside the bank--emmott watched as josé passed something to the hand of the man he was conversing with. the latter, a huge fellow, dressed somewhat like a seaman, and bearded, might have been a sailor from one of the many ships lying in the river, or he might have been employed at one of the warehouses. he touched his forehead as josé put something into his hand, while the lad himself looked craftily about him to make sure that no one was watching. "what's he paying him for, that's what i'd like to know," emmott asked himself. "he's up to no good; but how can one say that his talk with that rascal and the giving of money has anything to do with master tom? mr. septimus would laugh at the very idea, and tell us to mind our own business; but i for one shall keep my eyes on this josé." if the clerk imagined that he was thereby to catch josé out in some underhand act he was very much mistaken, for the young fellow was as crafty as he was clever. more than that, though in his heart he hated tom, he was wise enough to know that scowls and bad temper would not help him. from that very moment, indeed, he put on a smile whenever tom came near, was urbane and friendly with all, and appeared to be genuinely sorry that his cousin was about to leave them. "how'd you like to be a soldier, tom?" he asked his cousin two evenings later, when our hero's preparations for departure were almost complete. "they're embarking troops this afternoon down the river, all bound for wellington's army." it was information which was bound to tempt the light-hearted tom. for years, indeed, he had longed to be a soldier, and even now, when his prospects with the firm of septimus john clifford & son were so apparently good, the old longing still assailed him. but if he could not be a soldier in fact, tom could vastly enjoy the sight of troops embarking. he leaped at the opportunity, and that very afternoon saw him making his way down the bank to the spot, some two miles distant, where a sloop lay off in the river. boats were passing to and from her when tom arrived upon the scene, and for two hours at least he watched party on party of men embark, while his eyes feasted on others drawn up in stiff lines on the bank. the bright uniforms, the bustle, and the rattle of accoutrements and drums fascinated him. his eyes were wide open with envy as he noticed that two at least of the ensigns were no older than himself. "and no stronger either," he told himself. "i'm as tall as they are, and though they repeat orders splendidly, and don't seem afraid to make their voices heard, i reckon i could do the same. what luck if the french drove the english back and got as far as oporto. then i'd see some of the fun. there's been terrific fighting in the peninsula, and folks say that there will be a heap more. ah, there goes the colonel's horse aboard! i never saw a horse embarked in my life before." company after company of men descended to the boats and took their places. tom's eyes followed with almost childish eagerness the figure of another youthful ensign. he was envious of his scarlet uniform, of his belts and sword, and of the gaudy headdress he was wearing. "if only i were a soldier," he sighed. "i'd enjoy a few years' marching and fighting, and then settle down to the business. ugh! an office stool hardly compares with the life those fellows are leading." he forgot the hardships inseparable from a soldier's life. tom failed to remember the reports he had read of the terrible plight of our men and officers in the peninsula. he knew nothing of wounds, terrible wounds often enough, of disease which swept whole companies away, or sent them back home helpless and useless for the reminder of their lives. he saw only the glamour of a soldier's lot, the gallant uniforms, the jolly comrades, the bustle and movement of the life. so entranced was he, in fact, that he could have remained there for hours an interested and envious spectator. but the evening was drawing in, while only one company remained to be embarked. with a sigh, therefore, tom turned about and began to retrace his steps along the bank in the direction of the premises of septimus john clifford & son. "i'm a fool to let the wish to be a soldier upset my keenness for office work," he reflected after a while. "there are lots of chaps who would give their eyes for the opportunities i have. yes, i'm a fool. i must settle to the thing i've got, and--all the same i hope there'll be some fighting round about oporto." "hello, my sport!" he suddenly heard, as he was passing down a narrow street between two of the many warehouses in that district. "just hold hard, and give us a pipe of 'bacca." a huge individual came rolling towards him out of the darkness of a passage cutting into the street, and was followed by a second man, smaller than the first, but, if anything, more forbidding. not that tom could see them clearly, for it was very dark in that narrow street, the walls and roofs of the warehouses shutting the place in completely. "hold hard, shipmate," the big man exclaimed again, rolling forward. "a fill o' 'bacca ain't too much to ask from a man that follows the sea." he was close beside tom by then, while his shorter companion was immediately behind him. even in that dark place one could see enough of the couple to feel sure that they were anything but desirable, and for a moment tom considered the advisability of taking to his heels. but then, reflecting that here in the neighbourhood of the docks and quays there must be many seamen ashore on leave, and all perhaps hilarious, he turned to the strangers and answered them pleasantly: "sorry i can't oblige," he said. "i haven't started smoking yet." "what, my lively! ain't started smokin' yet?" came from the bigger man. "strike me, bob, but here's a lubber as don't even chew, let alone take hold of a pipe!" there came a giggle from the smaller man, who sidled forward, and coming from behind his companion, edged up to tom's side. "don't smoke nor chew," he giggled in a queerly deep, gruff voice. "most like he's a young gent that has got out o' nights without his mother knowing." he dropped a parcel which he was carrying beneath one arm, and then stooped at once to pick it up. a moment later he had sprung up behind tom, and with a quick movement had swung his parcel above our hero's head. what followed took the young fellow so utterly by surprise that he was completely dumbfounded; for a sack was drawn down over his head and shoulders, and long before he could lift his arms the bigger man had flung a coil of rope around him, pinning tom's arms to his side. but still he could fight, and, seized with desperation and with anger, tom lurched this way and that, kicking out in all directions, hustling his captors from side to side till what appeared to them at first a game began to annoy them. the bigger man clenched a huge fist and drove hard at the centre of the sack with it. "that's silenced him and made him quit foolin'," he grunted brutally, for tom dropped instantly and lay inert on the ground. "jest get a lift on to his toes, bob; i'll take his head. we'll have him in chokey afore he's shook the stars out of his eyes." without the smallest show of haste the two ruffians picked up their burden and went off down the narrow alley leading from the street. there was no need for them to fear interference, for police hardly existed in those days, while respectable individuals did not patronize the neighbourhood of the docks once night had fallen. business men, living as they did in the early years of the nineteenth century above their premises, sat in the candlelight behind their shutters once evening had come, and if they ventured forth at all, took some sort of guard with them. it followed, therefore, that no one even observed the two men strolling away with their burden. even had they been seen, the observer would in all likelihood have hurried away in the opposite direction, for drunken sailors were inclined to be more than rough. robbery was not by any means unknown, while even murder was now and again committed in the slums adjacent to the river. in less than ten minutes from the moment when tom had been so hardly treated the two men came to a halt at a low doorway, the bigger of the two beating upon it heavily. "open!" he shouted, as if there were no need for concealment, and he had no reason to fear being overheard. "open quick, or sam here'll want to know the reason why there's delay." "comin'," ejaculated his small companion in that same strangely deep and wheezing voice, a voice which by rights should have belonged to a man of double his proportions. "i can hear the lass a-comin', sam. here she is. this is one more to add to the boys we're collecting." at that moment, while the little man was in the act of stuffing some hard black cuttings of tobacco into a short pipe, the door of the house they had come to was opened noiselessly, and there appeared a frowsy-headed woman bearing a smoking oil lamp. she stood aside without a word and waited for the two men to carry in their burden. the door closed, and the procession passed through a passage into a large room, just within the doorway of which sat a man as big as he who had been called sam, armed with pistol and cutlass. half a dozen other men were in the place, breathing an atmosphere that was almost stifling. a dangling lamp shed a feeble light on every hand, while in one corner stood a bottle, in the neck of which was secured a lighted candle, with the aid of which another armed individual was laboriously spelling out the print on a piece of torn newspaper. "what ho!" he cried, looking up, and disclosing a countenance which was distinctly brutal. a towsled head of hair, which would appear to have been innocent of receiving any attention for a long while, covered forehead and ears and neck, and was inseparably joined to a pair of side whiskers that might have been combed a year before. one cheek was deeply seamed by a long, straggling scar, while the eye above was covered by a patch of black material. "what ho!" he cried again, leering at the newcomers, and drawing his clay from between his teeth. "you've had luck to-night. i can see as you've nobbled the one as you was after." "and gets double pay," growled the man who sat at the door with cutlass and pistol in his lap. "pay from them as has need for lads aboard, and pay from t'others as wants to get rid of a friend. you've bagged the sum from the covey, sam?" sam made no answer for the moment, but got rid of his burden by the simple and easy method of dropping tom's person heavily on the floor. standing over him, he proceeded to fill his pipe, and, having completed the task to his liking, stretched across, snatched the bottle in which the candle was fixed, and sucked the flame into the bowl of his pipe. then his eyes went slowly round the room, and, passing the wretch at the door and the one against the far wall, he let them fall upon the six individuals who also tenanted the room. he counted them carefully, and then jerked his head in the direction of our hero. "pull the sack off, bob," he said, "and jest you two keep yer tongues close in between yer teeth--hear that, jem, and you too, sandy? tight in between yer teeth. this here business has to be conducted with caution and discretion; and if we does trade with others besides the folks that pays for the men, why there ain't no need to cry it out for everyone to hear--eh?" the last exclamation was almost in the nature of a threat. evidently the individual with the patch over one eye, who boasted of the towsled head of hair and the unkempt whiskers, was known as sandy, and sam's words, and the scowl he directed at the man, had the instant effect of causing him once more to busy himself with his reading. the other, the man who sat fully armed at the door, and was known as jem, coloured under his tan, looked as fierce as sam for a moment, and then laughed uproariously. "you do work yourself up, sam," he laughed. "who's there here to let on what business we do? these?" pointing at the six other inmates of the room. "not much, me hearty. they'll be aboard come midnight, and to-morrow they'll be that sick they'll have forgotten you and me and everything almost. but you've drawn the stuff; been paid by that young spark as hired you to work it?" sam answered him with a snort and with a violent shake of his head. "presently," he said, meanwhile watching as the rascal bob removed the sack from tom's head. "all in good time. the young nobleman's coming here to make sure as there's no mistake, and once the lad there's aboard, the rest of it'll be paid. but it won't end there." "eh?" asked jem quickly, while sandy and bob looked up keenly, avarice and rascality written on their faces. "don't end there," said jem; "how's that?" "blood money ain't all we gets," lisped sam, allowing a cruel smile to cross his face. "i'll tell you why. i know the young spark as got us to work this business. well, when this lad's gone aboard, and is away, i'll be axing for more of his gold. supposing he can't pay, then----" a hideous grin wrinkled sandy's face, throwing into greater prominence the scar that seamed it. bob dragged the sack from tom's head and then turned to smile at his leader. jem brought a massive fist down with a bang on the table, and once more burst into uproarious laughter. it was obvious, in fact, to each one of these rascals that sam had at hand a ready means with which to force more money from the man who had bribed him to capture our hero. let us put the matter clearly. josé had met the ruffian sam some time before, and had discovered him to be one of those infamous crimps who earned a rich living by snatching men from their employment ashore and passing them over to ships' captains. the impressment of men in those days was not illegal, and since crews were often enough hard to come by, and these rascally crimps were more or less a necessary evil, they flourished unmolested, and many a poor lad was suddenly torn from his home to be smuggled aboard ship, and never heard of again by his own people. also many a private grudge was wiped out in this manner. tom was not the first youth by a great many who had been suddenly spirited away at the bidding of, and with the aid of gold paid by, a relative. as for the others in the room, they were prisoners like tom. four were young men of twenty-two or three, while the others were almost middle-aged, and undoubtedly sailors. these two sat at the table, smoking heavily and helping themselves to spirits contained in a square jar set upon it. the other men sat despondently upon a form, eyeing their captors resentfully, and yet in a manner which showed clearly that all the fight was knocked out of them. like the two at the table they were becoming resigned to the position, and no doubt would settle down in time and become good seamen. "just throw a pail of water over his head," sam ordered, pointing the stem of his pipe at tom, who lay senseless where they had dropped him, his face pale in the feeble light of the lamp, his hair dishevelled, while a thin trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. "then pull his duds off and let him have a suit that'll do for him aboard. ah! he's coming round. trust sam to strike a blow that won't do no harm and spoil trade for him. sit him up, bob, and when he's feeling more hisself, give him a go of spirits and a smoke." the whole affair was a horrible exhibition of the brutality and the lawlessness of those times--times even now designated by some as the good ones. the ruffians who plied this human traffic were as utterly devoid of feeling as they well could be, and looked upon each one of their captures, not as a fellow being, but as so much value in gold, silver, and pence, so much profit in their business. it is not to be wondered at, therefore, that tom's forlorn appearance had no effect upon them. the heartless and rascally bob procured a pail of water and tossed the contents over him, drenching the lad from head to foot. he shook him violently, and when our hero feebly opened his eyes, the wretch placed a pannikin of strong spirits to his lips, dragged his head backwards--for he had placed his captive in a sitting posture, his back resting against a form--and roughly poured the contents into his mouth. the effect was magical. tom sat forward with a gasp, spluttering and choking. the colour rushed to his cheeks, and in a twinkling he seemed to gather his wits and his memory together. how he got into that room, who the people were, he had no idea. but bob's grinning face was within his reach, and he was undoubtedly the rascal who had dealt with him so roughly but a few seconds before. in any case tom waited for no explanation. he launched himself at bob, struck him heavily with his fist, and then closed with him. "the young tiger," growled sam, stretching out a huge hand and catching him firmly by the shoulder. "blest if he isn't the boy to fight them frenchies. avast there, me hearty! bob ain't used to violent assaults." bob evidently was not accustomed to hard knocks himself, though he might often enough have cause to give them to others while plying his nauseous trade. in any case he was furious, and but for sam, once the latter had torn tom away from him, the smaller man would have vented his wrath by striking his almost fainting prisoner in the face. "avast there!" shouted sam, keeping him off. "ain't i axed you to bring him round quick, seeing as how the pressgang'll be along in a winking? ain't we got to change his duds, and you there trying to make things wuss? get off for the togs! sandy, jest mix another go o' grog. it'll pull him round lively. jem, i leaves him in your charge while i goes into the other room to do a little business." let the reader imagine a pale-faced and frightened youth cringing in the squalid den to which the rascal sam made his way. there, beneath the same smoky lamp which the woman had borne to the door, sat josé, writhing this way and that, his limbs never at rest for a moment, his fingers twining, his eyes shifting to every quarter, his lips twisting this way and that. josé would have run from his own shadow on that occasion. the enormity of the crime he was perpetrating had frightened him intensely. not that he thought of tom; he was considering himself entirely. what if the whole foul scheme were discovered? what if septimus were to learn of his action? "ho!" shouted sam, bursting in upon him. "come to see as all's well?" josé could not answer; his knees positively shook beneath him, while his bloodless lips would not frame the words he wished to utter. he lifted squirming, trembling fingers to his lips and mouthed at sam. and then, with a huge effort, he managed to blurt out a few words. "you--you've done it?" he asked. "in chokey nice enough, master. jest come along and take a squint at him. if he's the bird--and i don't doubt it--why, the trick's done, the money's earned, or mighty near it." he led the trembling youth to the door of the other room, now closed upon the poor fellows placed there, and sliding a shutter to one side bade josé look in. "eh?" he growled in his ear. "the right bird? no mistake, my hearty?" yes, there was tom, pale and worn and sorrowful-looking, and more than a little dazed if the truth be spoken. josé recognized him at once, and in place of feeling compassion for his cousin let all the old feelings of envy and resentment have full sway. the eyes looking through the shutter scowled at poor tom. josé's pallid cheeks suddenly reddened at the thought of an approaching triumph. he backed away, stepped into the smaller room again, and sat down with a swagger. "he goes to-night?" he asked, with an attempt at firmness. "to-night! almost this blessed minute." "and all his things are taken from him--clothes, letters, and anything likely to let others identify him?" "everything, on my davy!" came the answer. "then here is the money--take it." josé handed over twenty sovereigns, and as if the act had sealed his guilt promptly began to tremble and writhe again. it was with a grin of triumph that sam saw him off the doorstep. "you'll take more golden coins from the same till as you took that from," he gurgled, chinking the money in his pocket. "it ain't hard to read that you stole it. well, sam'll have his eyes on you, and ef you don't like to hand out the cash, why, he's always got a way by which he'll make you." an hour later there was the tramp of many feet in the street outside, and a hoarse command was given. by then tom was feeling more himself, and indeed was disposed to show fight at any moment. but he was one against many, and in spite of protests had been compelled to change his clothing. now the door was thrown open, and a dozen seamen marched in, each armed with a cutlass. the impressed men were placed in the centre of their guard, and were marched off down the river. a little later they embarked in a big cutter, a sail was hoisted, and presently they were bowling down stream at a pace which soon left the neighbourhood of london bridge behind it, and with it the good-hearted septimus, together with the sneaking nephew who had this very night done him such a mischief. in the early hours tom was hustled up the high side of a huge vessel, and was as promptly driven down a steep flight of steps into a dark hole, almost as noisome and unpleasant as the one in which sam and his gang had first received him. the rattle of ropes and blocks upon the deck reached his ears, and soon the vessel rolled and heaved uneasily. they were off, leaving behind them some few distracted people; for tom's sudden disappearance caused a commotion. he had disappeared as completely as if the earth had covered him. nor was that his father's only loss; the cash drawer in his private office had been rifled, and some twenty-five pounds were missing. "master tom steal! never!" exclaimed huggins, when all the facts were before him. mr. septimus, as may be imagined, was heartbroken. when days had gone by, and more than a week had passed without even a word from our hero, the head of the house of septimus john clifford & son became despondent. "dead!" he almost blubbered, as huggins stood before him in the forecourt. "not a bit, sir," came the brisk answer. "alive and kicking. emmott and i have been looking into the matter. master tom's at sea; it won't be long before we hear from him." chapter iii aboard a british frigate "below there! you can come along up on deck, me hearties!" an age seemed to have passed since tom and his six companions were driven from the deck of the big ship to which they had been brought by the pressgang, and though the former had slept for many hours--for he had been exhausted after such a trying experience--yet the few hours he had been awake had dragged on leaden wheels. meanwhile the rattle of blocks and ropes overhead had been replaced by the gentle surge of water alongside, and by a thousand strange groanings and squeakings common to all sailing vessels. indeed, placed where he was, with his head close to the foot of one of the masts, that penetrated the deck of the ship and passed through the dark prison in which he and his comrades were confined, tom could by the vibrations and the groanings of the latter tell exactly when the wind freshened and the sails dragged more strongly. but now, when he had begun to imagine that he would never again see the light of day, there was a banging overhead, then a square of light appeared, with faces framed in it, while a hoarse voice bellowed a command. tom rose briskly to his feet, and, seeing the ladder, ran up it. "here!" he reported, standing erect and cheerful. for tom was, in his youthful way, quite a philosopher. "what can't be cured must be endured," was one of his maxims. "i'm impressed, by some error i suppose, and soon will be able to get the matter set right; but for the moment it's just as well to appear pleasant. here, sir!" he reported to a short, stumpy individual with a decided flavour of the sea about him, and with a nautical appearance that would have passed him as a sailor in any port in the world. "and ready fer duty too, eh, me hearty?" asked this bluff fellow, eyeing him critically, and taking tom's measure very thoroughly. looking back at him our hero could not help but see that this sailor had a grim expression. his face appeared to say: "well, now, you can work if you like. if you don't you'll be hammered." there was a threat in his eyes, and a jaunty manner about him which told that he was prepared for the most refractory conduct. "ready fer duty, eh?" he repeated gruffly. "yes, sir," responded tom promptly. "then jest you don't sir me, young feller-me-lad, else i'll think you're saucing. but i like yer looks--get up on deck with you. mr. riley, above there," he hailed, throwing his head back and staring up through an open hatch, "here's a lubber as is willing and ready fer duty!" tom caught a glimpse of an individual dressed in white breeches and stockings, and a blue tail coat with some gilt braid about it, and, realizing that this must be an officer, promptly mounted the steps. in a moment or two he was on deck, standing beneath an expanse of white canvas, and upon boards which were as white as any tablecloth. bluejackets were moving barefoot about the deck, while right aft an officer stood at the rail of the poop, a speaking-trumpet in one hand, his eye fixed on a dozen active figures scrambling amongst the rigging. tom gave a gasp of pleasure as the sun's rays fell upon him, braced himself erect, and then looked the officer in the face. he was a young man of twenty-six, perhaps, with clean-shaven, keen features, his skin tanned brown by exposure, and the corners of his eyes wrinkled and puckered as is the case with many sailors. for the rest, mr. riley was decidedly a pleasant, jovial-looking officer, and won tom's confidence at once. "well, my lad?" he asked pleasantly. "ready for duty, sir," reported tom again, having nothing better to say. "and hungry, sir," he added, feeling a decided sinking sensation. that brought a smile to the lips of the officer. he looked our hero up and down, just as the man down below had done, and then smiled again. "what trade before you joined?" he asked, referring to a notebook, and producing a pencil with which to take notes. "none, sir; i am the son of mr. septimus john clifford, of london bridge, wine merchant. my impressment must be a mistake." "all impressments are mistakes," came the curt answer. "you are ready to serve his majesty?" "yes, sir," answered tom. "ready for the moment. later on, when i am able to prove that a mistake has been made, no doubt i shall be released. i'm ready for any duty, only i'd like a feed first." "no trade; says he is the son of a wine merchant at london bridge. obviously a gentleman," mr. riley entered in his notebook. "a likely fellow, and cheerful. will start duty at once, and willingly. pass the call there for the master messman." he stood before tom, his neat figure swaying as the ship lurched here and there, his eyes now fixed on the swelling canvas, now on the officer at the rail, and often, when tom's attention was attracted elsewhere, at that young fellow himself. "undoubtedly a gentleman," he told himself. "of course in the case of nearly every man who is impressed there is a complaint that the thing is a mistake, that he ought never to have been impressed. in any case the whole thing is disgraceful. better pay and better conditions would attract the right stamp of man to the navy. but we're here to carry out regulations, not to frame them. i'll keep my eye on the lad. name again?" he asked, making tom jump. "tom clifford." "that the full name?" asked the officer, beginning to make another note. "septimus john esteros thomas clifford," responded our hero, with a grimace. "rather a lot of 'em, sir, i'm afraid." "enough even for an admiral," laughed the officer. "ah, here's the messman! waters, just take this young fellow with you and see that he gets a good meal. report here to me, clifford, when you have eaten." he swung round to stare down into the depths of the ship, for sounds were coming from the prison in which tom and his companions had been confined. there was the noise of a scuffle, while a glance below showed the burly, stumpy salt who had hailed the impressed men swarming down into the depths. some of the men were, in fact, loath to come up. unlike tom, they were disposed to be sulky, and, lest trouble should follow, three sailors were swarming down after the old salt, one bearing a lantern. "below there!" called out mr. riley, anxious to avoid a struggle. "you men must understand that you have been impressed into his majesty's navy, and any disobedience of orders now, or violence, will be treated as mutiny. send them up, me lad!" the lamp shining upon the face of the old salt who had led the way below, and the fierce expression he wore quelled any thought of mutiny there may have been, and within five minutes the other six men brought aboard with tom were ranged on the deck, pale and dishevelled for the most part, sulky and anything but cheerful in appearance. mr. riley gave them the same searching examination that he had bestowed on tom, and then entered their names and notes concerning each one in his book. "take them down to the messman and see that they have a good meal," he commanded, when he had finished. "they'll feel better when they've had it; and, mind this, my lads, a sulky face'll do nothing for you aboard this frigate. it'll bring kicks and cuffs and short rations; so look at the matter from the right point of view and take to the life cheerfully." he dispatched them with a pleasant smile, for this mr. riley was a kind individual, and one well accustomed to dealing with men. he had the wisdom to see that hunger may produce easily enough a fit of sulkiness, and seeing that all the impressed men must be in want of a meal, and were undoubtedly sulky, he sent them off for that meal, hoping that with appetites satiated they would take to their duties with the same readiness as our hero had shown. nor was he disappointed. when, half an hour later, the six men ascended to the deck again, they looked far happier, and from that moment fell into the ways of the ship with a cheerfulness that was commendable. as for tom, he was up before them, and scrambling over the deck as best he could--for the breeze had freshened, and the big frigate was jumping about in a lively manner--he drew himself up before the officer. "ready, sir!" he said, repeating the old expression. "feel seasick?" came the interrogation. "not a bit, sir. i've been to sea a few times with my father. we used to hire a sloop and cruise along the coast in summertime." "then you're used to getting aloft?" "a little, sir, but only aboard a sloop. these masts are terrific." he cast his eyes aloft, and the officer likewise. there could be no doubt that the masts did tower to a great height. but then this was a large frigate, with seventy grinning guns behind her closed ports. tom knew that already, for the messman who had conducted him below, and who was decidedly a pleasant, kindly individual, had given him much information. the meal, too, had been partaken of on the lower deck, where the space between it and that above was so cramped that even tom could not stand upright, while all along the sides, firmly cabled to ring-bolts in the deck, were grinning cannon, sponge rods and all the paraphernalia necessary for loading being hung on racks close to them, and secured there firmly. "you'd go aloft without feeling squeamish then?" asked mr. riley, feeling a strange interest in our hero. "i'd go, sir," came the ready answer. "whether i'd exactly like it at first is an altogether different matter." "then you'll soon have the opportunity of making the test. you'll be in my watch, clifford. now come along up on the poop. don't forget to touch your cap as you come up; ah, wait though! we'll put you into proper sailor rig first; i'll send you down to be fitted." it was perhaps half an hour later when a smart-looking young sailor obeyed the call of the boatswain and came aft to the poop. dressed in his new clothing, his hair brushed and his face and hands washed, tom looked a really smart young fellow, and mr. riley smiled his approval when he saw him. "pass him up, boatswain," he called, and at the order the burly individual shouted at our hero. "mind yer touch yer cap as you get above," he warned him, "just as mr. riley had done." and, obedient to the order, tom raised his hand the moment his foot touched the poop or quarterdeck of the frigate. "come with me, clifford," said mr. riley, leading the way. "i'm taking you to the commander. fair-play is a thing a sailor prizes, and, as you complain that there has been some mistake about your impressment, i reported the same to the commander. he will question you himself." they passed across a snow-white deck and entered a gallery, outside which an armed sentry was stationed. the officer tapped at a door, and passed in, followed by our hero. tom found himself in a large cabin, at the back of which two guns were situated, roped and secured to deck rings as were those others he had seen in the 'tween decks. an officer, dressed just like mr. riley, but evidently older, sat at a table, with charts spread out before him. he looked up as the two entered, and then went on writing. "one of the new men, sir; impressed two nights ago; reports that he was taken in error. you have the notes of his case before you." once more tom found himself being inspected with that open gaze which is the right of all officers. he returned the glance of his commander respectfully and firmly. "age?" asked the officer jerkily. "nearly eighteen, sir. "tell me all about yourself, lad," came from the commander, and with such kindness that tom promptly responded. he gave the history of the family in a few words, and stated how he was about to sail for oporto, there to learn the business of the firm and take charge when proficient. "ah! anyone with a grudge against you?" was asked quickly. tom wondered and racked his brains. he could think of no one, unless it could be the grocer's young man, who was wont to pass along the river bank every morning. exactly two months before he had had an altercation with that young fellow, who stood a trifle higher than he did, and was at least a year older. he had shown rudeness when passing marguerite, and tom had resented the rudeness. the fight that followed had been of the fiercest, and the grocer's apprentice had been handsomely beaten. "no one, sir," he answered, "unless it could be the fellow i had a row with some weeks ago," and then explained the occurrence. "pooh! impossible," declared the commander. "lads who get fighting don't bear ill will. the letting of a little blood cures a young chap of that entirely. you shook hands?" "yes, sir." "good. then look elsewhere; someone perhaps was jealous of you, thought you were a nuisance. who were the other members of the firm and the family?" tom told him, wondering all the while whether there were one amongst them capable of getting him impressed so as to remove him. "josé?" he asked himself. "impossible! he'd never be guilty of such ingratitude to father, though i suppose, if i were out of the way, he would succeed to the business one of these fine days." little by little the commander ferreted such thoughts out of our hero, and ended by placing his finger on the name of josé. "your cousin, you said," he exclaimed. "you were always good friends?" tom had to reply in the negative, and give the reasons. "and he was next in succession to yourself, i think?" "yes, sir. but--but it's impossible! my father rescued him and his sister from poverty." "nothing is impossible, my lad. this matter must be looked into. there seems no doubt that you have been impressed in the hope of removing you altogether. or the matter may have been a mistake, helped by the fact that you were in those parts at a time when you should have been safely at home. for the moment you are in the service of his majesty, and although i could order that you be given no duty, i've an idea that that would hardly meet with your wishes?" "i'd rather work, sir," responded tom eagerly. "i like ship life, and the experience may be useful. if only you will give me the opportunity of writing home, i will willingly act as one of the hands aboard, and work in that way till i am released." "that's the spirit, my lad," exclaimed the commander. "he's in your watch, mr. riley, and i know you'll look after him. as to writing, you can do that; mr. riley shall see to it. i also will write to your father and to the authorities. we shall fall in with a boat homeward bound shortly, and in a week perhaps your people will know what has become of you. there, my lad, i like your spirit." the commander shook hands with our hero, an uncommon honour, and then sent him off with mr. riley. and that very night tom sat down in the latter's cabin to write his letter, telling his father exactly what had happened. next morning, early daylight, the first streak of dawn in fact, found him on deck, his feet naked, a deck brush in his hand. he joined the gang of men engaged in washing down, and, if the truth be known, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. meanwhile the fine frigate was pressing along under easy sail, a fresh wind abeam, ploughing her way through a sunlit sea that might have belonged to the mediterranean. "we're jest cruising on and off watching for a frenchie, me lad," explained one of his messmates, a jovial old salt who had seen many an action at sea. "there's never no saying when a frenchie may turn up, and then we're bound to be at 'em. but they ain't so frequent nowadays as they was. yer see, spain and portugal being joined to france, the french has simply to slip over the mountains, and that's how they're sendin' men in to fill the ranks of their armies. queer thing, ain't it, that boney should want them countries for his own? he's always a-grabbin'. the earth won't find lands enough for him by the way he's going on. but he'll get beaten handsome some day. i ain't so sure as we won't do it for him. know all about this here campaign in the peninsula, as spain and portugal's called?" tom modestly admitted that he knew something about the fighting. "it's a long business," he said. "boney put his own brother on the throne of spain, and of course the spaniards wouldn't have him. at the same time he had taken portugal for himself. he's been the terror of europe these many years, and as he aims at subjugating england also, why, we gladly agreed to go in and help the portuguese and spaniards. as for the fighting, there's been such a heap of it that it is quite bewildering." "aye, and it's easy to see as you're a gent as has been used to better things than the lower deck," said the salt. "what're you here for? grabbin' something that wasn't yourn?" he put out a hand to touch tom's sleeve the instant after, for he saw him flush with indignation. "i'm sorry, lad," he said. "it's plain as it wasn't that." however, the lower deck in those days was not peopled entirely by kindly disposed individuals. bluff and hearty and plucky men there were in abundance, if their language was not always refined or their habits too particular. but then, as now perhaps, the coming of a young fellow of tom's stamp amidst a rather rough crowd was apt to draw attention to him, attention not always of the most pleasing. and it so happened that there was one in the mess to which tom had been posted who seemed to resent his coming. higgins was a bull-necked, squint-eyed young fellow of some twenty years, and had been sent from a prison to the navy, as had many another. he was possessed of a thin, mean face, over which dangled one long forelock. for the rest, it may be stated that he was accustomed as a general rule to say very little, having discovered himself unpopular amongst the men; though, to be sure, whenever there did happen to arrive aboard the ship a youngster smaller than himself, higgins was the first to attempt to bully him. for some reason he had taken a violent dislike to tom. possibly he was jealous of the attention he had gained, or of the way in which he came to good terms with the men. whatever the cause, he was determined to browbeat him, and took this, the first opportunity. "i dunno as you ain't right, jim," he sang out coarsely, the instant the other had spoken. "why shouldn't he be here for grabbin'? there's lots comes to the navy on that account, and why shouldn't he? i'll lay he has, too." "then you're mistaken," said tom firmly. "i was impressed; every fool knows that." "oh, every fool knows it, do they?" was the sharp answer. "you ain't calling me a fool?" "jest you put a stopper on yer tongue and belay," sang out the salt, seeing all the elements of a quarrel in this discussion, and noticing tom's flushed cheeks, and the rising anger of higgins. "'sides, i ain't jim to you, me lad, and don't you ferget it. i'll take a rope's end to you afore you're a minute older if you ain't careful." but higgins had allowed his temper to rise to the point where it was uncontrollable. he had expected tom to accept his remarks meekly, as became a new hand, and, finding he had not done so, was determined to pick a quarrel with him. there are always such cantankerous individuals in the world, and it was tom's fortune to hit up against this one. he, too, was roused, for he resented the man's impertinence. "i'll back as he's a jail bird," declared higgins, thinking that by making a firm stand in this altercation he would stimulate his own popularity amongst the men. "he's a gent that's took the money out of the till and then been collared. the easiest way to cover the thing was to hand him over to a crimp. that's how he's here--i know him." he had probably never set eyes on our hero before, and had he done so would not have dared to address him in such a manner. but tom was one of the deck hands, one of themselves, and, moreover, a newly-joined recruit, too often destined for a time to be the butt of his fellows. higgins counted on his giving way at once. most recruits are awe-stricken at first by the strangeness of their surroundings, and perhaps by the roughness of their companions. besides, bullying airs and ways, backed most probably by other individuals, are apt to cause a young fellow to choose the easier path and swallow his displeasure. however, tom was one of the obstinate sort. fighting was nothing new to him, and to show his readiness for a contest, and the fact that he was by no means afraid of an encounter, he promptly began hostilities by pitching the contents of a jug of water over higgins. "i'll ask you to understand that when i say a thing i mean it, and that i tell a lie for no one," he said, rising from his seat and undoing the neckerchief which he, like the others, wore about him. "i don't know what the rules are aboard a king's ship; but this i do know, i allow no man to suggest that i am a thief or a liar. take back what you've said or i'll trounce you." there was a commotion in the 'tween decks by now. men crowded about the long narrow tables stretching from the side of the ship towards the centre, and which was one of many. like the rest, too, it was constructed to lift up to the deck above and be attached there, leaving the decks free for movement. jim had meanwhile risen to his feet, and now held his hand high for silence. "mates," he said, "there's trouble brewin' here. this new mate of ours is a good 'un, and i'll not allow him to be stamped on. higgins here has just now called him a thief and a liar, and the young spark has drenched him with water. if higgins don't come down handsome with a 'pology there's only one thing left." "a set to, and right it'll be," burst in another of the men, one of the seniors. "fightin' don't do no great harm, and it's necessary when one mate calls another names that tastes nasty. you, higgins, admit you called him a liar and a thief?" "of course," came the coarse answer. "i'm goin' ter thrash him." "you are, are you?" came the grim reply from the old salt, while he sized up the two young fellows swiftly, craning his head to one side as if he were a bird. "i dunno so much; the new mate looks as if he could use his hands lively. you ain't goin' to 'pologize?" "not likely! i'll hammer him till he'll be glad to admit that what i've said's as true as gospel." if he imagined that tom would keep him waiting he was much mistaken, for that young fellow had already rolled his sleeves to the elbow. indeed, as we have intimated, he was no novice. not that he was by nature quarrelsome; but those were rough days, and like many another boy tom had need now and again to defend his honour. he stood away from the table, waiting while it and two or three next to it were swung out of the way. then, bending low so that his head would not hit the deck above, he stepped to the centre of the circle which the men immediately formed. "any sort of rules?" he asked coolly. "anyone keepin' time?" "go as you please, mate," came jim's answer. "a sailor don't ax fer breathing time if he comes up alongside a frenchie, and you don't have no call for it either. it's the same fer both, and as fair and square as may be. but it'll have to be straight work. we stops the fight if there's foul hitting." a fight in the 'tween decks was no unusual occurrence in those days, and was a source of some interest to the men of the navy. hard fellows without an exception, they had been brought up in a stern school which taught that a man must look to himself alone for protection. but they could recognize spirit, and tom took their fancy wonderfully. "he's game, he is," declared one of the men, as he doubled his arms and pressed forward to watch the contest. "and he ain't no weakling. you can see as he's not used to haulin' and suchlike, and ain't been a tar over long. but i like his figure-head. it's clean and well-cut, and he's a beam on him that carries weight, and'll lend strength to a blow when he gets one home. he ain't no new 'un at the game, i'll stake my davy. that boy has been grappled on to a job like this many a time." the ten minutes which followed proved that tom was something also of a scientist; for he played with his antagonist. it was clear, in fact, after five minutes that he would be the victor, though at first he had some ugly rushes to stop and some hard hitting to protect himself from. but science and generally good condition told, and while at the end of some ten minutes, during which the two broke away now and again to pant and glare at one another, only to begin once more at the shouts of the crew, higgins was almost in a condition of exhaustion, tom was still comparatively fresh. he stopped a furious and last attempt on the part of higgins to rush him up against the side of the ship, and then, darting forward, struck the man full in the mouth, sending him sprawling. higgins lay for a minute without movement, and then his hand went back towards the knife which, sailor-like, he carried attached to his belt and well behind him. "drop that!" shouted jim. "now, higgins, you as was a-goin' ter whack this young shaver, say as you 'pologize for callin' him names." for a second there was defiance on what was still recognizable as that young man's face. then he nodded his head in assent. tom at once went towards him, his hand outstretched. "shake hands, and let's be friends," he said. "i dare say you didn't understand how i'd take what you said. but where i come from a man fights and fights again when another calls him thief or liar. there, shake hands and let's be friends in the future." there was a cheer at that, while the men gathered round our hero, patting him on the back with such heartiness that his remaining breath was almost driven from his body. some of the more enthusiastic even began to chair him, and had carried him as far as the deck ladder, when the sudden shrill piping of whistles and the appearance of an officer put a stop to the movement. it was mr. riley, a long glass beneath one arm, his other hand on the rail of the ladder. "my lads," he began, about to give an order, and then, suddenly catching sight of tom, ceased abruptly. casting his eye over the heads of the men, he soon picked out the somewhat miserable figure of higgins. "ah," he said, "a fight! my lads, strictly against orders. but i've news for you--we've rounded up a frenchman. clear these decks." he was gone in a twinkling, his coat tails swinging behind him. but as he turned he contrived to smile at our hero. "licked that young man higgins. that's good," he was saying as he raced up the ladder. "young clifford has courage. wonder how he'll behave when shot and cannon balls come crashing amongst us; he's just the boy for this service." when tom had washed his face and had clambered to the deck he saw a large vessel some four miles away, bearing up towards the frigate, while a smaller one sailed behind her. "ship o' the line, mate," said jim, who was leader of the squad of men of whom our hero was one, who had the working of one gun. "it'll be tough business, and ef she wasn't so big i doubt as she'd sail up so cocky towards us. but we'll give her what for; we're fair death on frenchies." a magnificent sight the frenchman made as the distance between the two vessels decreased. tom peeped at her through the wide-open port and admired the enormous spread of white above her, the seething foam at her forefoot, and the gleam of her broad decks that came into view now and again as the ship heaved to the swell of the ocean. then a spout of white smoke burst from her fo'castle; a flash severed it in twain and was followed after a distinct interval by a dull reverberating report. the shot reached its mark almost at the same moment. there was a crash within ten feet of tom. the side of the vessel at that point burst inward in a hundred splinters, and the iron messenger struck the very next gun to his, slithered and crashed across the 'tween decks, and finally brought up short against the opposite side. it roused a cheer of excitement from the crew. "that's shootin'!" cried jim. "she's the sort for our money. in a jiffy we'll be layin' into her. just take a sight along the gun, tom, and larn now how to pitch a ball into a frenchie." chapter iv a naval encounter in the ordinary way the immediate prospect of an encounter at sea might be expected to rouse qualms in the breast of a novice, and we cannot affirm that tom would have been any exception to the rule on this his first meeting aboard an english frigate with a french man-of-war. but there was so much else to attract his attention. even in those days the wooden walls of our stout ships contained sufficient to interest even a dullard, and to a lad of active brain, as was our hero, there were things to watch and marvel at, while the men themselves grouped in the 'tween decks were quite a study. they stood about their guns stripped to the waist, joking and merry, the master of each gun with his eye on the sights. close at hand a lad sat on a long narrow tub filled to the brim with powder. "powder monkeys we call 'em," said jim in a hoarse whisper. "the young villains! they're always up to some sort o' mischief, and when it comes to fighting, blest if they wouldn't take on the whole of boney's fleet alone. they ain't the lads to squeak. if we fetch up alongside the frenchman, and there's a call for boarding parties, them imps is amongst the first to answer." "stand ready!" the order came at this moment, and turning his head tom caught a glimpse of mr. riley, still with a long glass beneath his arm, his sword belted to his side, and his shapely form bent so as to allow him to peer through one of the ports. "stand ready, men," he shouted. "gun layers train your sights on the enemy and aim low. between wind and water is the mark, lads!" the crew of the guns answered him with a cheer, and for a while gun layers stretched over the weapons they commanded, sighting for the enemy. tom watched as jim squinted along the sights, and then peered out at the french ship of the line. she was bowling along before a fresh breeze, heeling well over, so that half her deck showed. he could see a mass of men on it, and others running to and fro, while quite a number were clambering into the rigging. "shows she means to come right up close," said jim in his gruff way. "that'll suit us nicely. hammer and tongs is the best sort of fighting for us boys, and we don't get it too often. she's going to run right in and when there's a broadside it'll be a close one, and thunder won't be in it." "stand by to fire!" was heard through the 'tween decks, while an instant later there came a roar from the deck above, a trembling and shaking of the whole vessel which all could feel, and then the rumble of wheels as the guns were run in, sponged out and reloaded. by now the enemy had disappeared from sight behind a huge cloud of smoke, which, however, was whisked away swiftly by the breeze. it was a minute later, perhaps, when the french battleship was again visible, that mr. riley gave the order to fire, and tom was witness of the result for the first time in his life. jim touched the vent of the gun with his portfire, and instantly a squirt of flame and smoke shot upward. there was a huge commotion in the gun itself. though braced into position by numerous cables it started backward, drawing them as tight as iron bars, while the wheels thudded heavily on their runners. the commotion was accompanied by that of every other gun on that deck in the broadside, while the ship herself shook from end to end. the roar of the discharge was indescribable, and deafened him, while the 'tween decks was instantly filled with volumes of sulphurous smoke. "slack off! haul her back, boys!" came in stentorian notes from jim. "run her in quick. now with the sponge rods, and we'll have a second charge into her before the smoke's cleared." five minutes later mr. riley's voice was heard. "stand by for another broadside," he bellowed. "double shot your guns next time--ah!" the frigate quivered from end to end; she seemed to have been struck by a cyclone. an iron hail beat on her sides, bursting them in in many directions, while splinters of iron and wood flew across the 'tween decks, striking men down in many directions. in one brief second the orderliness of the place was transformed to the most utter disorder, as the enemy had answered the frigate's broadside with one of her own. tom looked about him wonderingly, dazed by the commotion and astounded at what he saw. for by now the wind blowing in at the open ports had cleared all the smoke away, and he could see all that was happening in the 'tween decks. there lay the gun on his right a wreck, turned on its side, its muzzle crushed out of sight, two of its wheels broken and half-buried in the deck. what had before been a square porthole was now an irregular, torn opening, through which a vast expanse of sea could be watched. but it was the poor wretches who had manned the gun who claimed his greatest attention. five of them lay mangled upon the deck, with pools of blood accumulating about them and draining off towards the scuppers in trickles and streams. on the port side, opposite where the gun had stood, three men had been struck by the missile, and lay silent and motionless. elsewhere there were rents in the side of the frigate, and men lay about in all postures, some moaning, others silent, nursing a wounded arm or leg. this was war; this was the treatment meted out by one nation to another. but of loss of discipline there was none. if the 'tween decks was in disorder there was order amongst the men, and no flinching. already the surgeon's mates and helpers were carrying the wounded away towards the ladder leading to the cockpit, while at every gun stood its crew, immovable and ready, waiting the word of the officer. as for the enemy, the shapely lines of the french man-of-war had changed wonderfully, for she was so near now that one could see distinctly. the white deck, still careened towards the frigate, was seamed and scarred and torn. one mast lay over her rail, the sails towing in the water, and her sides were marked by shot holes, two of her ports having been converted into one by an enormous rent that extended between them. a dull cheer resounded through the frigate; the men in the 'tween decks took it up lustily, and then came again that commotion above. the vessel shivered, shot and flame and smoke belched from the ports on the upper deck, the roar being followed once again by the rumble of gun wheels on their metal runners. "fire!" mr. riley stood halfway up the ladder leading to the upper deck and waved his cocked hat at the crews under his own command. crash! went the broadside. tom watched the powder at the vent squirt upward in flame and smoke as on a previous occasion, and then sprang to the cables as jim's husky voice called to his own crew to draw the gun in and reload. [illustration: "crash! went the broadside"] "double shot; don't forget," bellowed mr. riley, and obedient to the order the loaders thrust first one and then a second huge iron ball into the gaping muzzles. in the middle of the operation there came a resounding discharge from the enemy, while huge columns of smoke hid her sides. but the shot failed to strike the frigate, for a few seconds earlier the commander had put his helm up and had sheered off towards the frenchman. it was a clever manoeuvre, and made a wonderful difference to the fight in progress. for the enemy had received four successive broadsides now, and had returned only one effective one, and that not so effective as it might have been had the ships been nearer. added to that, it was less than five minutes later when the gunners on the port side got their sights aligned on the enemy, and a simultaneous broadside was delivered by the guns of the upper and 'tween decks. then the commander swung his helm again and made across the stern of the frenchman. "stand ready," sang out mr. riley again, his eyes glued upon the man-of-war. "layers concentrate on the stern. in one minute, men; in one minute we shall be there. now! fire!" running round in a circle after crossing in the wake of the frenchman, the frigate had gone about after emptying her complete port broadside, and had then swept round in rear of the enemy. it was a manoeuvre which, if not quickly carried out, might have ended in disaster. but nothing occurred to disturb it, while the frenchman, impeded by his broken mast and the sail dragging in the water--and slowed considerably thereby--was unable to counter the movement by swinging also. it followed, therefore, that the frigate had an enormous advantage, and, making the most of this, crossed and recrossed the rear of the enemy, emptying first the starboard broadside and then every gun on the port side. as for the french battleship, her guns were useless. not one of her broadsides could be brought to bear, and though she sheered off to the south a little, the commander was at once able to alter his own position correspondingly. "it's a victory," said jim, with elation. "the man that laid the gun that brought down that mast deserves to be made an admiral this minute. it's saved lives aboard this ship, boys. it's won the battle." "shall we board her now?" asked tom, who was densely ignorant of naval matters. "board her! not us!" cried jim. "where's the use? she carries two or three men to every man jack of us, and would have all the chances if we boarded, not that i say as we wouldn't do the business. but we've the best of it like this. she's cut that mast adrift, but it'll be hours before she can refit, and meanwhile we've the legs of her. we've only to keep here, astern, plugging shot into her all the while, and she's bound to give in before long. of course she can't do that yet awhile. that wouldn't be fighting, and i'm bound to say that the frenchies are good at the game, almost as good as we are. she'll hold on and endeavour to best us; but she'll have to haul down her colours before very long. ah! what'd i say? look at 'em!" the flag of france flying aloft on the enemy was seen to flutter. it dropped a foot or two and then came down with a run. instantly a hoarse bellow resounded through the frigate. men gripped hands and cheered, the shouts coming from every deck. even the wounded, who had not all been removed, sat up with an effort and cheered as best they could. "silence, men," came from mr. riley at this moment, and turning they saw him standing halfway up the ladder, bent so that the men could see his face. "stand to your guns all the while; don't draw charges till you get the order. jim there, from no. gun, send me four of your men to join the boarding party." tom noticed that the officer had been wounded, for he carried one arm in a sling, and there were stains of blood on his breeches. he was wondering how he had come by the wound, when jim struck him heavily on the back. "avast dreamin' there, me hearty," he shouted hoarsely, still elated at what had happened. "get off to the officer and go aboard the ship. you'll see something to interest you." tom wanted no more coaxing; he dropped the cable on which he had been hauling and went at a run towards the ladder, followed by the other men. they kept close on the heels of mr. riley, and in a twinkling were on the main deck. there the commander was now stationed, and about him a group of officers and men. "ah, there you are, mr. riley!" he exclaimed. "we'll go aboard in the cutter, taking three men from each deck. step in, my lads." tom scrambled into the boat with the crew, and watched as it was lowered away. he was filled with amazement, first that a boat of such proportions as the cutter could support so many men when hung to her davits, and then that she could be safely lowered with such a load to the water. meanwhile he noticed the high sides of the frigate, the officer up on the quarterdeck, and the men of the watch away aloft in the rigging. the frigate lay inert, her sails flapping, while, almost a quarter of a mile away now, the french ship lay in the water, slowly heaving up and down, with a peculiar and significant twist in one of her masts. "struck by our broadsides as we passed and repassed," mr. riley told him as they were lowered away, for the officer happened to be close to our hero. "she had bad luck. it's rare that one brings down a mast at the first discharge, and that of course proved her undoing; the loss of the second makes her useless for fighting purposes. this has been a gallant action and will give us no end of credit. ah, there goes a recall gun!" a spout of flame and smoke belched from the frigate a little above the heads of the men in the cutter, for the latter had now reached the water, and turning his head tom watched the ball discharged strike the sea some two hundred yards ahead of the small sloop that had been sailing in company of the battleship, and which had now changed her course. "she'll not disobey the order," reflected mr. riley. "once we are aboard the enemy the frigate could sink that vessel within ten minutes. there go her sails aback; she'll swing round and come in like a docile dog. now, lad, clamber aboard when we reach the ship; you come as one of my escort." "you're wounded, sir," said tom. "let me fasten that sling for you again; it's too long, and doesn't support the arm." he undid the knot with the help of fingers and teeth and then rearranged the sling. by the time he had finished they were under the counter of the french battleship, to which a man at the stern and bows of the cutter clung with a boathook. at once a midshipman sprang at a dangling rope ladder and went swarming up with the agility of a monkey, two of the crew following. tom picked up a coil of rope and without a question made a noose fast round the waist of the officer who had already befriended him. "i'll get aboard and help to haul you up, sir," he said. "you'd never manage to clamber up that ladder with one arm wounded." he waited for no orders, but, springing at the ladder, went scrambling up, the end of the rope secured between his teeth. a minute later mr. riley was being hoisted to the deck of the french battleship. then the commander followed, and after him more of the crew, with two officers. tom found himself looking down upon a scene which was almost indescribable; for the ship had been cruelly mauled by the broadsides of the frigate. there were a dozen holes in her deck, where shot had penetrated, while in many places the rails were driven in. a dismounted gun lay in one of the scuppers, with part of her crew crushed beneath it; and from end to end of the ship there were signs of the awful havoc the iron tempest had created. men lay in all directions and in all postures. the damaged mast swung by the starboard halyards and threatened to fall inboard at any moment, while a huge stretch of crumpled and shot-holed canvas covered one portion of the deck. to add to the scene of ruin, smoke and flames were belching from a hatch towards the stern of the quarterdeck, and some fifty sailors were endeavouring to quench the conflagration with water cast from buckets. almost opposite the spot where the ladder dangled, and where the victors had come aboard, was a group of officers, and in their centre one seated on a chair, pallid to the lips and obviously wounded. the commander went towards him instantly and took him by the hand. "you are hurt?" he asked. "you have fought your ship gallantly, but fortune was against you. go to your quarters, please. i will take no sword from an officer of such courage." he put aside the sword that was offered him so feebly, and signed to men of his crew to lift the injured officer. then he shook hands with the other frenchmen present, many of whom shed tears as they replaced their swords in their scabbards. "ah, monsieur," said one, who seemed to be the second in command, "it was the fortune of war, but bad fortune for us. with that mast shot away we were helpless, and then your broadsides poured into our stern tore the lengths of the decks, and did terrible damage. our poor fellows were shot down in heaps. war, monsieur, is a terror." none could fail to admit that who visited the french ship, for what had been a well-found, trim vessel was now a shambles. it turned tom sick and faint when he looked about him, so that he was forced to cling to the rail. but a moment later, when mr. riley called him, he was able to pull himself together. "we're to go aboard the sloop and see what she is," he called. "help to lower me into the cutter." half an hour later tom clambered up the side of the smaller vessel, and hauled his officer up after him. they found a french midshipman in command of a crew of five, while beneath the hatches there were three prisoners. "release them," mr. riley ordered; and, taking a couple of the french crew with him, tom saw the hatch lifted, and called to the men below to come up. the smart uniform of an officer showed through the square hatch at once, and in a moment or two a youth stood on the deck before him, whom one would have said was british to the backbone. "ensign jack barwood, th rifles, sir," he reported, drawing himself up in front of mr. riley and saluting. "going out to join my regiment, this little sloop in which i had taken passage was held up by a french man-of-war. our men were taken off, that is, the crew. i and two of my own men were left here as prisoners. we heard heavy firing, and guessed there was an action. what has happened?" mr. riley turned and pointed at the french prize won by the frigate. "we beat her," he said, with pride in his tones. "you've had luck to escape so early from a french prison. where were you bound for?" "in the first place, oporto," came the answer. "later, as a prisoner, for bayonne. now, i suppose, we shall have to return to england?" as it turned out, however, it was to oporto that the little sloop made. "the frigate makes for home at once," mr. riley reported, when he had rowed back to the ship, and had again come out to the sloop. "she sails in company with her prize, and no doubt the homecoming will be a fine triumph. i have orders to take this sloop to oporto, there to hand over this young fellow to the authorities." he pointed to tom and smiled, while the ensign, turning upon our hero, surveyed him with amazement, and with some amount of superciliousness if the truth be told. "pardon, sir," he said, "i don't understand." "of course not," came the smiling answer; "nor does he. come here, tom." our hero, as may be imagined, was just as dumbfounded as the ensign; for though mr. riley had been wonderfully kind to him from the beginning, his manner had suddenly changed. he addressed him as if he were an equal, not as if he were one of the crew. "i'll explain," he smiled, seeing the bewilderment expressed by both young fellows. "while the action was passing between us and the man-of-war our lookouts reported a sail in the offing. she has come up to us since, and turns out to be a smaller frigate than ourselves. but the point is this--she left the thames after us, and has carried a brisk breeze with her all the way. she asked at once for information concerning a young fellow brought aboard just before we weighed, who had been impressed by a gang having quarters near london bridge. that, sir, is the young fellow." he pointed at tom, whom the ensign still regarded in amazement. "the whole thing has been cleared up, of course," said mr. riley. "there is no longer any doubt that this gentleman is the son of mr. septimus john clifford, wine merchant, of london bridge." "eh?" suddenly interjected the ensign, staring hard at tom. "clifford, of london bridge. well, i'm bothered! why, tom, don't you know me?" it must be confessed that our hero was somewhat taken aback. in this young officer so much above himself, clad in the handsome uniform of the th rifles, he had not recognized an old friend. indeed his attention had been centred on his own officer. but now, when jack barwood lifted his cap, tom recognized him at once, and gave vent to a shout of delight. "why, it's you!" he cried, gripping the hand extended. "haven't seen you since--now when did we meet last?" "time you licked that cub of a grocer's boy," laughed jack, who seemed to be just such another as our hero, and who was evidently a jovial fellow. "he passed when we were with your cousin, and grinned and sauced you. you were at him in a jiffy." mr. riley laughed loudly when he heard what was passing. "why, he's been at one of our men aboard the frigate," he cried. "hammered him badly just before we fell in with the frenchman. he's a tiger." "he's a demon to fight, is tom, sir," laughed jack. "ask him how we became acquainted." "eh? how?" asked the officer curiously, and then pressed the question when he saw that tom had gone a crimson colour and was looking sheepish. "eh?" he repeated. "he's pretending to have forgotten," shouted jack, enjoying the situation. "i'll tell the tale. it was at school one day. tom was chewing toffee, mine had disappeared from a pocket. i tackled him with the theft, and we went hammer and tongs for one another. it was a busy time for us for some ten minutes." "ah!" smiled mr. riley. "who won?" "drawn battle," exclaimed tom, somewhat sulkily. "i had a licking," laughed jack. "it was a certainty for him from the beginning." "not surprised," came from the officer. "and the toffee?" "eh?" asked jack. "the toffee you accused him of stealing?" asked mr. riley. "you found it later?" "in another pocket--yes," admitted jack, with a delightful grin. "i deserved that hiding; it made us fast friends. so tom's been impressed." "by the machinations of his cousin." that caused tom to lift his head and come nearer. he had wondered time and again how that impressment had been brought about, whether by accident or design, and had never been able to bring himself to believe that josé was responsible. mr. riley's words made him open his ears. "you are sure, sir?" he asked. "the commander has letters from your father with positive proof. however, things seemed to have happened fortunately. you are to be taken to oporto after all, and here you meet with an old friend. things couldn't have been better. now i shall leave you both aboard while i go to get together a crew. we'll set a course for oporto when i return, and ought to reach the place inside the week. tom, you'll no longer be a sailor before the mast. i have the commander's orders to take you as a passenger, or, if you wish it, to appoint you an officer for the time being. how's that?" it was all delightful hearing; and when at length the sloop turned her bows for oporto, leaving the frigate to sail away with her prize, and incidentally to carry tom's letter to his father in england, the party aboard the little vessel could not have been merrier. "you'll have to turn soldier yet," declared jack to our hero, standing so that the latter could inspect his uniform, and indeed the young fellow cut such a neat figure that tom was even more tempted than formerly. for jack was slimmer and shorter than he, while the few months of training he had experienced had taught him to hold himself erect. a jollier and more careless ensign never existed. it can be said with truth that, had the fortunes of the troops in the peninsula depended on jack's wisdom and military knowledge, disaster would promptly have overtaken our arms. he was just one of those jolly, inconsequential sort of fellows, always skylarking, always gay and laughing, who go through the world as if serious subjects were not in existence. "hooray for the life of a soldier!" he shouted, knowing tom's ardent wishes that way, and anxious to fill him with envy. "who'd ever sit on a stool and sweat over books in an office?" "i'll lick you if you don't stop short," growled tom sourly, and yet laughing for all that; for who could take jack seriously? "who knows, i may be a leader of troops before you have cut your wisdom teeth? who knows?" who could guess the future indeed? not tom. not the jovial, thoughtless jack. not even the wise mr. riley, with all his experience of the sea and of the men who go upon it. it seemed that oporto would receive them in the course of a few days, and that jack and tom would there part. but within twenty-four hours of that conversation the scene was changed. two vessels raised their peaks from the offing, and, sailing nearer, declared themselves as french. they overhauled the little sloop, in spite of a spread of canvas that threatened to press her beneath the water. and that evening tom and his companions were prisoners. "my uncle! what awful luck!" groaned jack, in the depths of despair, as is often the case with high-mettled people when reverses come along. "no soldiering, tom; no office for you. i'd prefer that to a prison." "it's the fortune of war," exclaimed mr. riley with resignation. "for me it makes no great difference. the wound i received aboard the frigate has not improved, and, even if i become a prisoner, i shall receive proper treatment, which is impossible aboard this sloop. i'm sorry for you two young fellows." "pooh, sir," smiled tom, "we'll give 'em the slip! seems to me i'm not meant for oporto yet awhile. we'll give 'em the slip, and then i'll take on as a soldier." "slip? how?" asked jack, somewhat staggered, for the idea had not occurred to him. "depends; couldn't say now how we'll bring it about. but we'll manage it some way. i speak spanish and portuguese and a little french. if with those advantages we can't manage the business, well, we're only fit for a prison." "hooray!" shouted the excited jack; whereat one of the french officers accosted them angrily. but tom quickly appeased him. "where do we get landed, _monsieur le lieutenant_?" he asked politely. "ah, you speak our tongue! that is good," came the more pleasant answer. "but where you land i cannot say; you will be sent with troops to the north of spain, and so to a prison." it was not very cheering news, but tom made the best of it. "i don't put my nose into a french prison if i can help it!" he declared, in that particular tone of voice to which jack had grown accustomed when they were chums at school. "and he won't!" declared the latter. "i know tom well--a pig-headed, stubborn beggar from his cradle. tom'll give 'em the slip, and we with him. one thing seems all right in the meanwhile--there's grub and drink in plenty. i never could stand starvation; i'd rather go to prison." but whatever thoughts they may have had as regards escaping were set aside when they landed. putting in at an obscure port, tom and his friends found a squadron of horsemen waiting to receive them, for the ship had flown signals. the three friends, together with the two men belonging to jack's regiment, were given horses, while a trooper took their reins, two other men riding close to each one of them. and then they set off across a barren country, which, however fair it may have been in other days, was burned black, stripped of all eatables, while those villages which had not been swallowed by the flames were wrecked and useless. "you will be careful not to attempt an escape," said the officer in command of the squadron, speaking to tom, the only one of the prisoners who could understand him. "i have given orders for the troopers to shoot at the first attempt. we ride now to join our main army, and through a country inhabited by people who would flay us alive if they could catch us. let that alone warn you not to attempt escape. the portuguese peasants are more dangerous than my soldiers." he shouted to the head of the column, set his own horse in motion, and led the way at a pace that threatened to be trying. it was obvious, in fact, that he was anxious to reach the summit of the hills near at hand, and not to be found in the open when night fell. as for tom and his friends, the outlook seemed hopeless; an attempt at escape meant a bullet from their guard. and, even were they successful, they were in a country where bands of peasants scoured the valleys murdering all who were too weak to oppose them. it looked indeed as if a french prison would shortly shelter them, and as if there jack's military career would come to a halt before it had actually begun, while tom's ambitions in that direction would be cut in twain and end only in bitter disappointment. chapter v prisoners if ever a band of prisoners could be described as jovial it was the little band with whom tom clifford was travelling. for the confinement at sea made a trip ashore most enchanting; then the quick and unaccustomed movement, the efforts more than one of them were forced to make continually to keep in their saddles, provoked an amount of amusement which even infected their escort. "i was as near off as anything that time," shouted the irrepressible jack, when his horse had shied at a rock and nearly thrown him. "wish one of these fellows would rope me to the saddle instead of leading me as if i were a child." "what does he say, monsieur?" asked the trooper riding near our hero, and at once tom explained. "that would not be good for him," laughed the man. "if we have to gallop at any time, and the horse fell, he would be left to be butchered. i tell you, monsieur, these peasants are terrible. i do not say that they are not justified, for our men have behaved cruelly to them. but the peasants care nothing whether it be horse soldiers or foot. if a man of ours falls into their hands he is butchered; that would be your fate also if you were to lag behind." every now and again, as the small party made for the hills, groups of men were seen hovering in the distance. and once, when the squadron was riding through a narrow defile, rocks descended from above. "gallop!" commanded the officer, and striking their heels into the flanks of the horses the soldiers soon passed through. when the dusk of evening began to fall, shots rang out in the distance, and one of the troopers was wounded. "i see men gathering in front of us," suddenly exclaimed one of the sergeants. "they fill the gap through which we must pass to gain the road for the hill." "halt!" came from the commander. "place the prisoners in the centre. we will ride forward steadily till within shot of them, and then we will charge. there is nothing else to be done. to retreat would be to have the whole population of the country about us to-morrow; monsieur," he said, as if by an afterthought; "you and your comrades realize the danger?" tom nodded at once. "we see the position, _monsieur le capitaine_," he said. "you are a detached party away from the army." "we are one of hundreds of squadrons told off to clear the country during the retreat of our armies across the tagus," came the answer. "from to-day we march for spain, and i hope we may never put foot in portugal again. it is not a pleasant duty, this burning of villages and crops, but orders must be obeyed. we are detached, as you say, and to join our friends we have to run the gauntlet. monsieur and his friends can have temporary liberty, and arms with which to fight, if they will give their word of honour to respect me and my men, and hand themselves over later on as captives to us." "i will speak with my friends," replied tom at once, overjoyed at the proposal; for he could see easily that there was a strenuous time before the little party, and in the event of a reverse to the troopers the position of himself and his friends might be very serious. armed and ready they would be in a different position. rapidly, therefore, he explained the position to mr. riley. "agreed!" cried the latter eagerly. "not that i'm much use either way. it takes me all my time to stick to this animal, let alone use a weapon; for i have only one useful arm. tell him we agree. you men,"--and he swung round on andrews and howeley, the two men of the th accompanying them, "you men understand the position, no doubt. we are fighting for the portuguese, and against the french; but here is a case where our friends will not know us. they will kill us with the others before we can explain. it is a question of self-preservation." "right, sir," answered andrews cheerily. "we're game, and though it'll be hard luck to have to become prisoners again, we see the reason. we give our word." "good, then," exclaimed the officer of the party with relief, and at once gave orders to his troopers to throw off the leading reins, and to hand each of the prisoners a sabre. to mr. riley he presented a pistol. "for you, monsieur," he bowed. "if there is need, you will know how to use it. now, men," he commanded, "we will ride forward in column of files, and when i shout, spread out into line. a charge should carry us through them. gallop right through the village and up the road. forward!" nowhere, perhaps, were there finer troopers to be found than those in the french army invading the peninsula. napoleon had, in fact, swamped the country with divisions of magnificent cavalry, with numerous veterans in the ranks, and under leaders skilled in cavalry work who had taken their squadrons into action many and many a time, and had won victories. the preceding years of this eventful campaign in the peninsula had seen detached parties of french horsemen penetrating far into country held by wellington's troops, or by spanish or portuguese irregulars; and while the former had taught them many a lesson, and had, indeed, shown the french troops that if they were brave, the lads from england were equal to them, there is little doubt that, just as wellington and our armies had learned to despise the portuguese irregulars, and those of spain in particular, the french held them even more in contempt. it was the detached bands of guerrillas, however, that did them the greatest injury. no wandering party of horsemen could bivouac without fear of having sentries and outposts murdered in the night. sudden and ferocious attacks were frequent, and at this time, when the french were retreating before our armies, and when without shadow of doubt they had treated the portuguese peasantry and townspeople with horrible cruelty, a detached squadron such as the one tom accompanied was liable to annihilation unless handled with great skill. however, this squadron in particular and its officer seemed to make light of the difficulties before them. they were accustomed to the hatred of the peasants, accustomed also to see them take to their heels when they charged, and disappear in their mountains. it was, therefore, with a cheer, in which tom and his friends joined, that they jogged forward in column of file, their sabres drawn and ready, their leader a horse's length in advance of them. tom rose in his stirrups and surveyed the enemy. even through the gloom he could see that there must be two hundred at least gathered at the entrance of the village through which the squadron must pass to reach the road to the heights. shots came from the mass every now and again, while there were red flashes from the buildings. shrill cries of rage and hate reached his ears, and amongst the voices he could distinguish those of women. phit! phit! bullets whizzed overhead, while the trooper next to him suddenly gave vent to a growl of anger. "struck me in the arm, monsieur," he said, after a few moments. "i would rather far receive a wound in proper battle than from these wolves. but you will see; they will scatter as we charge. we shall cut down a few of the laggards, burn the village, and thus light our way to the mountains. poof! the portuguese are brutes, the spaniards are gentlemen beside them." that was the way in which the french looked at the nations in the peninsula. truth compels us to admit that they had reason for liking the spaniards; for not only were they able to play with them as if they were children, utterly despising them as soldiers, but also they obtained real help from them in their campaign, and though england had sent troops to repel the invader, and to help the spaniards as well as the portuguese to rid their country of oppression, yet throughout the campaign the spaniards in particular foiled the wishes of wellington and his generals in every direction. they withheld supplies even from the wounded. they parted with nothing save at an exorbitant price, and always there were traitors amongst them ready to disclose our plans to the enemy. the portuguese, too, were not guiltless in this matter; but, on the whole, their irregulars did some excellent work, and they at least made an attempt to help the british to drive napoleon and his armies out of the peninsula. "canter!" the command rang out loudly as a wide splash of flame came from the peasants, while bullets clipped the air, sang shrilly overhead, and sometimes hit horses or accoutrements. tom heard a sharp metallic sound, and lost a stirrup, shot away by one of these bullets; but he managed to secure it again, though he was no great horseman. "form line on the left!" the command rang out, while answering howls and shouts came from the village. "charge!" tom could see the commander standing in his stirrups, his sword raised overhead, his face turned towards his men. and that exhilarating shout, the excitement in the air, the bullets and the cries, sent his blood surging through him. let us remember that tom was young, and possessed of excellent health and spirits, also that soldiering was no new ambition with him. fear for the future he had none, but all the while he was wondering how the matter would progress, and what would happen supposing the villagers held their ground and refused to be driven from the village. the hammer of the horses' hoofs, the jingle of bits and stirrups, and the sharp reports of muskets sent a thrill through his frame from head to foot, and in a moment he was leaning forward like the troopers, his sabre down over his knee, all eagerness to reach the enemy. nor was it long before the squadron got to striking distance. the peasants held their ground till the horses were fifty paces away, and then raced into the houses. a storm of bullets came from windows and doorways, and then, of a sudden, there was a clatter in front, and the commander of the squadron disappeared from view entirely. by then tom was within ten paces of him; for the formation had brought him to the very centre. "halt!" he bellowed, seeing what had happened. "the road is blocked. the peasants have dug a huge ditch, and the commander has gone into it. here--hold my horse!" he flung the reins to a trooper riding at his knee, and slid to the ground. a moment later he was down in the rough and deep ditch which the peasants had made ready, and leaning over the unfortunate commander of the squadron found that he was dead. "_il est mort!_" he shouted to the troopers, making his way back to his horse at once. "monsieur, this is terrible!" cried the trooper who had held the reins. "we are being shot down rapidly, and nothing is being done to help us. the captain is dead and his lieutenant; i think the sergeants are also hurt." the engagement, so far as the squadron was concerned, had indeed come to a curious and dangerous halt. the troopers sat bunched together, some of the men reining their horses back as if about to flee. yet no order came. there was no one to give the word of command. it was then that tom showed the stuff of which he was made. it is true mr. riley should perhaps have come to the fore, or jack; but neither could speak the language, while, in any case, it was the duty of one of the troopers to conduct the action. however, when no one comes forward, and men are being shot down rapidly, it is clear that he who takes command on his shoulders, and acts wisely, is a blessing to his comrades. jack took the post without a thought. to sit still longer was madness, and quite impossible. "wheel about," he shouted in french. "ah, they have closed in on us! we are caught between two fires. forward, men, charge!" he led them at the enemy at full gallop; but what could fifty men do against some hundreds? it happened that this squadron of horse had been watched by the peasants, and for two days past efforts had been made to surround it. the wild inhabitants of this mountainous region, burning with hatred of the invader, had been brought together, and gradually, as the horsemen retreated from the coast and got into difficult country, the net had been drawn about them. there were perhaps five hundred peasants in rear of the party when tom faced them about and charged. a crashing discharge of musketry swept the ranks of the troopers, dropping a dozen of the men from their saddles, and then began a rush on the part of the enemy. it looked, indeed, as if the remnant would be annihilated, and slashed to pieces where they stood. tom looked anxiously and swiftly about him, and perceiving a building on the outskirts of the village, a little to one side, he instantly decided to occupy it. "right wheel!" he shouted. "now gallop to that building. if the door is big enough, and we can open it, ride right in. forward! clear the rabble coming towards us." it happened that another section of the circle was approaching the scene of the action from the direction of the building towards which he and the troopers were now making, and these at once opened fire. but tom set heels to his horse, and in a minute he and the men supporting him burst amongst the peasants, slashing at them to right and left, riding them down, and scattering them in every direction. it was exciting work while it lasted, and it had the effect of allowing the party a little breathing time. they rode up to the door of the building, to find it was a church, and in a twinkling the door was open. up the five steps leading to it rode tom, and after him came his comrades. "dismount," he commanded. "draw your carbines and scatter about the place, to make sure that no windows or doors are open. two of you stand guard over the horses." it was pitch dark within the church; but a trooper quickly discovered a torch, and then some candles stored away in a box. "it won't do to keep them burning," said tom, thinking rapidly. "the light would help the enemy to shoot us; but we must have something with which to inspect the place. ah, i know--andrews!" "yes, sir?" the big rifleman was standing stiffly at attention before tom, his arm at the salute. "take the torch and this trooper with you. go round; return when you have inspected, and report." the soldier saluted again with as much briskness as he would have displayed had tom been a regular officer, and went away with one of the troopers whom tom called. "howeley!" he shouted. "sir?" like andrews, the man was drawn up with the rigidity of a bayonet. "collect all ammunition, place it in a central position, and dish it out ten rounds at a time. report the total amount." "yes, sir." the fine fellow went off like a rocket to perform the task, while tom called to the troopers. "my lads," he shouted, "let us be silent; i have sent a man to inspect the place, and will post you all presently. another will collect the ammunition, and give it out ten rounds at a time. don't forget that we may be held up here for hours, and our lives will depend on the amount of cartridges we have. now, i want two of you for another purpose." two men at once came forward. "we are ready, monsieur," one of them said. "for the moment we and our comrades look to you as the leader. indeed you are a leader; but for your quickness and decision we should be back there at the entrance to the village shot down beside our comrades." "then collect all saddle bags," said tom, "pile them in a corner, and with them all water bottles. they are the most important. i'm not afraid of starvation; for we have horses here, and one of them slaughtered will provide us with ample food. it is the water that is important; see to it, please." it was perhaps some ten minutes later that the defences of the church were ready. tom busied himself posting men at all vulnerable spots, and then clambered into the tower with andrews. it was quite a modest erection, some fifty feet in height, but sufficient to give a view over the village. lights could be seen in many directions, while shouts echoed through the air. there was the tramp of feet also, and a dull mass over at the entrance to the village. "they're gloating over the poor chaps they shot and knocked out of their saddles, sir," said andrews. "it was sharp business; i was never in a brisker, and i've done two years of the campaign already. came out in , sir, and went home wounded. beg pardon, sir, but what might your corps be?" "corps? corps?" exclaimed tom, mystified for the moment. "oh, i follow! i'm not in the army, andrews. i was on my way out to oporto, or, more correctly, i was going to sail for that place when i was impressed and sent aboard a british frigate. we had that action with the french man-of-war, and you were released. news had come out to the frigate, meanwhile, that i ought never to have been impressed, and so the captain sent me on in the sloop to oporto. by rights i ought to be seated at a desk adding up long, dry columns." andrews gave vent to a gruff expression. "strike me!" he cried, as if dumbfounded by the information; "and i and howeley and all them french boys took you for an orficer. anyways, sir, beggin' your pardon, you've done handsomely. it was a lucky thing for us that you took the command, for mr. barwood ain't fit for it. he got knocked out by the first bullet almost, and it was as much as he could do to stick to his saddle till we reached here. mr. riley ain't no better. if howeley hadn't held him he'd have been left outside to be murdered. this here's a tough little business." it proved, in fact, a fortunate thing for all concerned that tom had taken the command. there are some who might express the opinion that he should not have done so, that it displayed an uppish spirit. granted all that; but uppishness is just what is required in moments of stress and danger. the lad who is modest at all times, and yet who can come to the fore when circumstances urgently call for a leader, is a lad of the right sort, a benefactor to his comrades. in this case tom had undoubtedly done the right thing, and, moreover, had done it well. "it was real smart," said andrews respectfully. "beggin' pardon again, sir; there's many who would have been cornered. to go forward was impossible, to retreat out of the question, seeing as there were three hundred or more of the ruffians behind us. this was the only course. it's queer to think that we, who are fighting for the portuguese against the french, should be boxed up here in danger of having our throats slit by those who ought to be friends." "it's the fortune of war, andrews," declared tom. "i'm sorry for the wretches outside. by all accounts the french hate them intensely, for the portuguese have shown more spirit than have the spanish. they have contested the rights of the invaders from the beginning, and as a result the french have burned their villages and treated them badly. indeed i believe they have behaved with the grossest cruelty. as a result there are reprisals, and we are swept up in one of these, and are likely to have a warm time of it before we are free." "it's bound to be an ugly business," admitted andrews. "i can hear them coming now." "then we'll go to the men," said tom. "i'll give them orders not to fire till i tell them. of course i shall make an attempt to win over the peasants." "eh? how's that, sir?" asked andrews. "what about their lingo?" "you forget i was meant for oporto. i and my family have had associations with portugal and spain for a long while, and my cousins are spanish. i speak both languages, but not well, i fear. i always hated lessons, and now wish to goodness i had been a little more diligent. however, i can make myself understood easily, and will try to win the peasants over." they clambered down the long, rough ladder that led from the belfry, and went amongst the men, tom warning all of them to hold their fire till he shouted. meanwhile howeley had reported to him that there was ammunition sufficient to supply each man with forty-two rounds. as for food and drink, to his dismay he was informed that there was little of either; so that it looked as if the contest could not last for long. "we've just twenty-two men all told, counting yourself and the other officers," reported andrews, some minutes later, saluting tom as if he had no doubt as to his position. "every window and door is guarded, and from what i can see of the troopers they are ready for any fighting. it's queer to think that we who were prisoners are in command, and no difficulty about it." there was little doubt that the situation was more or less unique, and caused mr. riley the utmost amusement. he, poor fellow, had been struck in the ribs somewhat heavily, and lay in a corner, with jack close beside him; but he smiled when our hero at length had time to approach him. "my lad, you've done right well; you're a dead loss to the navy," he smiled. "i'm not surprised; after what i saw aboard the frigate i felt you would do something. jack and i haven't worried you since we got here, as we saw you wanted freedom to think and arrange matters; but we're glad now that you're able to spare a few minutes. what will happen?" tom stayed with them for a quarter of an hour, and now that he felt that he had done all that was possible in arranging the defence, he employed his wits and energies in seeing to his comrades. in the case of mr. riley, he, with the help of andrews and howeley, bound his chest very firmly with a couple of girths taken from the horses, first of all, however, placing a pad over the wound, which was little more than a contusion. for jack equally simple surgery sufficed, for a bullet had penetrated his thigh, and, the bleeding having stopped, all that was wanted was a dressing and a bandage, and fortunately the troopers carried these with them. they had hardly made him comfortable when the lookout man posted in the tower reported that a mass of men were coming. "remember--not a shot, my friends," tom called out to the troops, "and take care not to show a light. i will see to these people and try to win them over." he scrambled up an ancient flight of stone steps and passed on to a ledge over the doorway, which, no doubt, served the purpose of a pulpit in fine weather. there was a dull roar of voices coming towards him, while the space between himself and the village seemed to be filled with figures. ten minutes later a mob had drawn up in front of the church. tom stood to his full height and hailed them. "my friends," he shouted in portuguese. "we are english!" a fearful yell answered him. shrieks of anger floated up to his ears, while a hurricane of shots swept in his direction. amidst the dancing torches that many of the people carried there flashed out splashes of flame. the vibrating roar of voices which followed had in it an awe-inspiring note. tom might have been on the verge of a rocky coast on which huge breakers were thundering in their fury. that note spoke of hatred, of an approaching triumph, of a horrible gloating on the part of the peasants. it told better than individual words could do what were the intentions of the enemy, what would be the fate of the besieged if they fell into their hands. then, of a sudden, catching a better view perhaps of the solitary figure above them, the mob became silent. "my friends," called tom, his tones clear, not a whimper in his voice, "you have made an error. there are five englishmen amongst this party, five friends of the portuguese. let someone come forward to identify us." there might have been a mob of wild beasts outside by the answer. the crowd, thinking no doubt that one of the frenchmen was attempting to fool them, and rob them of a prey they now counted upon as their own, shrieked aloud and came surging forward. more shots rang out, stones were thrown; and then, with a loud crash, the leaders came against the door of the church. tom clambered down to his men, stern and pale and determined. "post three of them up on the ledge," he told andrews, who was a valuable help to him. "let others fire through the windows when i shout. don't fire till then." he repeated the words in french, and then waited till there came a stunning blow upon the door, a blow which shook it to the hinges and threatened to throw it down. it was clear, in fact, that the mob outside were longing to get at the troopers. shouts and oaths could be heard, while the clatter of firearms was incessant. chapter vi napoleon the ambitious within the village church in which the french troopers and their one-time english prisoners had taken refuge under tom clifford's guidance there was a deathly silence while the mob outside shrieked and shouted. not one of the defenders but knew what fate awaited them if once the enemy beat in the doors, and knowing that they listened as blow after blow thundered upon the woodwork, shaking the doors till they threatened to fall down. "andrews," shouted tom, who had been listening acutely like the rest, and wondering what action he ought to take, "light up one of the torches and take a couple of men with you. we want something to place behind the doors, for in a little while they will be beaten in. meanwhile i will try again to pacify the peasants." it was a forlorn hope, and yet worth trying. tom, therefore, clambered up the steep flight of stone steps again, while andrews went off to do his bidding. stepping past the three men who had ascended to the ledge above the crowd our hero once more stood to his full height and shouted to attract the attention of the peasants. and once more his coming was the signal for an outburst of shouts, shrieks, groans, and hisses which might well have appalled a brave man. muskets flashed in the semi-darkness, for night had now come, while here and there torches flamed over the heads of the people. bullets spattered and broke against the stonework about him, thudding heavily, even splashing him with portions of lead. one enthusiast, in fact, as if driven frantic by the sight of his person, made a vain attempt to clamber up the ledge, and, missing his footing, fell back upon the crowd, his coming setting rise to oaths and shouts of anger. then there fell a sudden silence while a brawny giant, a blacksmith no doubt, stepped from under the archway of the door, a huge hammer over his shoulder, showing that it was he who had been delivering those smashing blows on the door. "people of portugal," tom called out loudly, "i have come again to speak to you. you fight with friends, not with enemies." the howl that followed would have scared even a veteran. "friends! you say friends!" shouted the blacksmith, stepping still farther out from the arch, while a couple of torches near him illuminated his person. "who are you that you should try to fool us? we know our business well enough. for days we have watched this troop of horse, and for days we have vowed to kill every man of them, to kill them slowly if we may. who are you, speaking our tongue, who dare to say that you are friends?" shouts of applause greeted the words. an excited individual near the speaker levelled a pistol and fired point-blank at tom, narrowly missing his head. then once more there was silence. the crowd, in fact, seemed to have realized their own power now, and knew well that the church was surrounded. eager though they were to slaughter the troopers, they did not grudge a few moments' delay. "who are you?" they shouted hoarsely. "i am english," answered tom at once, "and so are four others amongst us. we were being carried as prisoners." "a lie!" came fiercely from someone in the crowd. "if he and the four beside were prisoners, why then were they armed? why did they fight us at the entrance to the village?" the argument was greeted with roars of applause again, which silenced all tom's efforts. then the blacksmith held his hammer aloft to command silence, and, having obtained it, seized a torch and held it high up toward our hero. "listen, friends and brothers," he called in hoarse tones. "there is one above who speaks our tongue and tells us that he and four others are english and therefore friends. good! let us say that this is no lie. there are four, while we are four hundred. let these four, with the one who speaks to us, come out from the church. if their tale is true they shall live and we will feed and house them. if they lie----" the sentence was broken by discordant shouts of glee at the blacksmith's wit, shouts that boded ill for anyone foolhardy enough to place himself in the hands of such people, so roused by events, and mad for slaughter, that they were incapable of recognizing friend from foe. "let the five come out to us," shouted the blacksmith, "leaving the others to be dealt with as we will." tom waited for the noise which followed to die down, and then bent over the crowd. "what you ask is impossible," he said firmly. "i and my english friends will not desert the troopers. but we are ready to hand ourselves over to a body of english troops when you bring them to us. to you we will not trust ourselves, and i warn you that efforts on your part will lead to the death of many. now, be wise; reflect on the consequences and leave us alone." had he wished to stir the rage of the peasants tom could not have done it more effectually. screams of rage filled the air, while a torrent of bullets sped toward him. he stepped back from the ledge, clambered down the stairs, and seized a carbine and ammunition. "my friends," he said in french, "those wolves outside ask for our lives. we will sell them dearly. let each man fire the moment the attack begins, remembering to make each shot tell, for ammunition is very scarce. ah, is that you, andrews?" "yes, sir," came the answer, while the rifleman drew himself up stiffly in front of our hero, a lighted torch still in one hand. "there are pews, which we might break up," he reported; "but they're light, too light to be of use in a doorway. but one of the horses is dead, sir. if we were to pull him along here he'd make an obstacle they'd have difficulty in moving." "a horse!" the novel idea startled tom. and then, on consideration, it appeared that nothing could be better. at once he sent andrews off with four of the men to drag the animal towards the door, while he himself took the candle, and, striding over to the pews that filled the floor of the church, closely inspected them. a scheme for saving ammunition was growing in his brain; for it was clear that if the enemy persisted in an attack the wherewithal to load the muskets would soon be expended. "the doors will be broken down in no time," he told himself; "then we shall be separated from the peasants merely by the barrier we happen to place in position--a horse on this occasion. what we want is something long with which to keep them at a distance." calling two of the troopers, he urged them to break up half a dozen of pews as swiftly as possible, keeping the long timbers intact. "use your sabres," he said, "and when you have the timbers separated, point them at one end. i want a couple of dozen spears with which to fend off these peasants. ah, there goes the hammer again!" a terrific blow resounded upon the door, which was followed almost immediately by a sharp report from the ledge above, and then by a howl. the blacksmith had not lived to see the triumph that he had anticipated. one of the french troopers had leaned over and shot him with his carbine. but the shot made little difference. a dozen infuriated peasants sprang forward to seize the hammer, while shots came from all directions. then, amidst the sounds, steps were heard on the narrow staircase leading from the ledge. "monsieur," said the man, running up to tom, "there are men bringing masses of straw to pile against the door. my comrades have discovered a gallery leading from the ledge, with steps at the far end. there is a large room also, and much building material there. it seems that at one time the church was larger. will monsieur sanction the tossing of stones on the heads of the enemy?" tom nodded promptly, his features lighting up. by the aid of the flickering torch the trooper was able to see that the young fellow who had so suddenly taken command of the party was actually smiling. "_ma foi!_" he exclaimed _sotto voce_, "but the englishman cares nothing for this trouble! he is the one to lead." "i will come up as soon as i am able," said tom. "meanwhile, do as best you can. toss anything on their heads, but, above all, save ammunition." the man was gone in a moment, while blows again sounded on the door, one more violent than any which had preceded it shattering the upper hinges. the shouts of triumph which burst from the peasants were followed by a couple or more dull thuds, as if heavy bodies had been dropped on the heads of the attackers, and then by a chorus of shrieks denoting hatred and execration. meanwhile a stir in the church told of men struggling at some task, and presently andrews appeared with his helpers, and behind them the carcass of a horse. "he fell dead in a hollow leading to a doorway," explained andrews in short gasps, "and to bring him here we had to drag him up a couple of high steps. once on the main floor of the church the carcass slid easily enough; but earlier--my word it was hard work! there! the carcass fills the lower part of the doorway, and as the legs are in this direction those brutes will have nothing to take a grip of. what orders, sir?" "pull the pews out of their places and pile them one on another round the doorway," answered tom, who had been sketching out his plans in the meanwhile. "you and howeley and two of the troopers will take post on them a little to one side, and will fire into the crowd once the doors give way. the other men will be below you, and i am supplying them with spears made from the timbers of some of the pews. you and they together should be able to keep the enemy off." it may be imagined that each man amongst the defenders appointed to some task had laboured at it with all haste, and by now the men tom had instructed to break up pews had almost finished their work. indeed, within a few minutes, and just before the doors were burst in and fell over the carcass of the horse with a clatter, they had produced more than a dozen long pieces of strong timber, each one roughly hacked to a point at one end; and being some fifteen feet in length these improvised spears promised to be of great service. in a few seconds, in fact, they were put to a useful if somewhat unkind purpose; for the fall of the doors was the signal for a mad rush on the part of the peasants. the three or four hundred or more outside, howling about the entrance to the church, launched themselves promptly at the black void, where but a few moments before the flames from the torches had shown doors. a hundred struggled to lead the attackers where there was room only for half a dozen, and as a result they came surging on in a compact mass, which threatened to push the carcass of the horse aside as if it were a mere nothing. then wiser counsels prevailed. elbow room was given to those in advance, and soon shots were whistling through the doorway, while men armed with sabres, with pitchforks, with scythes and every class of weapon dashed up the steps and hurled themselves at the opening. thud! thud! the stones came from the ledge above, striking the peasants down. the muskets wielded by andrews and his comrades swept away the more dangerous of the enemy--those provided with firearms--while the troopers handling the long spears fashioned from pew timbers made effective use of their weird weapons. they thrust them at the enemy, giving terrible wounds. they beat them over the head till many dropped, and then advancing a pace or two, so that their weapons projected through the doorway over the carcass of the horse, they drove the peasants away from the entrance altogether. [illustration: the peasants break in the church doors] "stop firing!" shouted tom, seeing that the peasants were retreating. "we have taught them a sharp lesson, and that is enough for the moment. we don't want to rouse their anger further, and will try to show them that all we want is to be left alone, but that if they attack us we are fully able to give hard knocks in return. anyone hurt?" he repeated the words in french, and was relieved to hear that not one of the men had received so much as a scratch. "then we are well out of the first attack. now we'll eat," he said. "we shall have to go on short rations without a doubt, and since that can't be helped we must make the most of it." leaving a man still in the belfry, and one of the troopers on the ledge, he posted two others at the rear of the church. then he and andrews, with the help of two of the troopers, collected all the rations contained in the saddle bags, divided them into four portions, and finally issued a share of one portion to each one of the defenders. thereafter they sat in the darkness eating the food, while, there being no news of the enemy, who seemed to have retired to the village, some of the men went to sleep, while others lit pipes and smoked contentedly. tom sat down beside mr. riley and jack, and devoured his own meal with an avidity which showed that excitement rather increased his appetite than the reverse. "splendidly managed, lad!" declared mr. riley, when he had finished the meal. "not the eating of your rations, but the defence. dear, dear, what a loss to the service!" "which service, sir?" asked jack swiftly, for though wounded, and more or less incapable, the old spirit was still there. there was, in fact, a cheeky grin of enquiry on his somewhat pallid features, a pallor made even more evident by the flickering flame of a torch burning near the trio. "eh?" asked mr. riley, taken aback. "which service? _the_ service, i said." "army?" grinned jack exasperatingly. "i'll hammer you, my lad, when once you're fit," laughed the naval officer. "as if anyone could misunderstand me! i say that _the_ service has lost a budding nelson--a nelson, jack; as good a man as ever trod a deck. tom's a loss to the service, now isn't he?" "army; yes, sir," grinned jack, rolling his eyes at the naval officer. "joking apart, though," said mr. riley, ignoring the fun of the ensign, "tom'll be a loss in an office. just imagine our friend perched on a high stool battling with facts and figures, when he's shown he's capable of battling with people. tom, i call it a downright sin. if you were my brother i'd say 'go hang' to the office." "hear, hear!" cried jack. "if tom'd just give it up for a time and come along with us, why, i'd----" "you?" interrupted mr. riley, with a smile of incredulity; for though jack was undoubtedly dashing and gallant enough, he lacked the stamina and serious thought of one who leads. "i," repeated the incorrigible ensign, "_i_--with a capital to it, please--i'd make the dear boy a general before he knew what was happening." there was a roar of laughter at that, a roar which brought the troopers to a sitting posture, their fingers on their carbines. and then a smile was exchanged amongst them. "_parbleu!_ but these english are proper fellows," said one to his comrade. "they come to us as prisoners, and we see at once that they are good comrades. they fall into the same trap with us too, and, having received arms, act as if they were french and not english. now, one of them having saved the lives of all here, and having brought us to a nest which may be described as that of a hornet, they laugh and joke and make merry. _ma foi!_ but these english are too good to fight with. it is the rascals of spaniards we should engage with." "hear 'em!" grunted the rifleman howeley, stretched near his comrade andrews. "that 'ere mr. jack's a givin' lip to the naval orficer. ten ter one he's sayin' as how the british army's better nor the navy. equal, i says, all the time, though the army's my choice. mate, who's this mr. clifford? what's his corps? he's a smart 'un." his mouth went agape when the worthy andrews informed him that tom was merely a civilian, a class upon which howeley had, in his own particular lordly way, been rather apt to look down. "civilian!" he gasped. "strike me! but----" "he's led us grandly. he's dropped into the post of commander as if he had been trained for it, as if it were his by right. i know all that," declared andrews. "tell you, my lad, he'd make a proper soldier." meanwhile tom had faced the naval lieutenant eagerly. "you think i'd do as an officer, sir?" he asked. "indeed i do," came the answer. "a regular could not have done better than you have done. you'll be a loss----" "to the army," burst in the irrepressible jack, grinning widely. "to either service," said mr. riley seriously. "then, sir, i shall ask to join the army," declared our hero. "i seem to have been meant for it. this is the second time that my efforts to reach an office have been foiled. i shall attempt to obtain a commission; then i'll see what can be done to help jack to capture boney and turn the french out of the peninsula." there was more laughter at that, laughter turned on the young ensign. a little later mr. riley dragged a paper from his pocket and slowly read a few lines to our hero. "you'll be interested to hear what is happening," he said. "bonaparte, otherwise known as napoleon, sometimes also as the 'little corporal', or as the 'little corsican', emperor of the french, now proposes to leave the peninsula and march from paris _en route_ for russia, which kingdom he wishes to conquer and add to his realms. napoleon is not, in fact, satisfied with the whole of france, italy, and other kingdoms. he desires to place the whole of europe under one king, that king to be himself; to have but one capital for all, and that paris; one code of laws, one currency, one language perhaps. it is russia that now attracts him. to-morrow--who knows?--it will be england." "but----" flashed out jack, indignant at the very suggestion. "quite so," admitted mr. riley, stopping him with a smile; "but, as jack was about to announce, there is always the service." "eh?" asked the ensign, puzzled for the moment. "_the_ service stands in his way. nelson defeated his navy in , and thereby made invasion of england impossible. _the_ service, please, mr. jack." jack was caught, and had the grace to admit it. "i grant you that trafalgar was a tremendous victory, sir," he said. "but there's the army to be considered also." "right, lad," came the emphatic reply. "and well they have done too. see what wonders wellington and his men have accomplished in the peninsula." "tell us all about it, mr. riley," asked tom. "i'm like hundreds of others. i know that napoleon desires to conquer all within his reach, and is said to have designs on england. i know, too, that our troops have been in this peninsula since , fighting the battles of the portuguese and spanish, and with great success. but why should we not have left them to it? i suppose we're afraid that boney will become altogether too strong unless we interfere. isn't that it? i haven't followed the various engagements, of which there have been numbers." "then here's for a yarn," began the naval lieutenant. "those peasants, poor fools, have left us alone for the time being, and as my wound is too painful to let me sleep, and this jack seems to be eager for information, why, i'll tell you the tale, and mighty fine hearing it makes. to begin with, we hark back to the 'little corsican', the artillery officer--a commoner, you must understand--who, by dint of sheer force of character and military and diplomatic genius, became emperor of the french after that awful revolution. let us understand the position thoroughly. you have on the throne of france a man born in a lowly station. there is no long list of kingly ancestors behind him. louis capet, late king of france, was beheaded. the kingdom had become a republic, where equality and fraternity were supposed to flourish, and where the people were still shivering after the awful ordeals through which they had passed, scarcely able to believe that the days of the guillotine had really gone--those terrible days when no man, or woman either, knew whether the next day or so would or would not see himself or herself sent to sudden doom. "at this moment napoleon bonaparte, a distinguished soldier, appeared upon the scene, and we find him in the course of a little time emperor of the french, rich, all-powerful, and extremely ambitious. that ambition which might, had he wished it, have turned towards the path of peace, has been resolutely bent towards conquest. as i have said, napoleon seeks to subjugate europe. he dreams of a world power, with paris as the centre and hub of that huge empire, and himself ruler over millions of downtrodden people. doubtless england would have shared the same fate as other nations, and would have been overrun by french troops and mercenaries, had it not been for our navy. that is the arm, my lads, which has kept us free of invasion, that still sweeps the seas, and keeps french transports from venturing across to our tight little island." "then, if that is so," ventured tom, "why not confine our efforts to the sea? at trafalgar we beat the french and spanish fleets combined. why then should we now take the side of the spaniards?" "a fair question, and easily answered," smiled mr. riley. "here is the plain, unvarnished explanation. you may say, putting sentiment and natural sympathy apart, that it is nothing to us that napoleon has thrust his brother on the spanish throne, displacing the rightful ruler; or if he subjugates russia, putting a ruler of his own choice on the throne there also. you may argue that that is no affair of england's. but let us look at the certain results of such success on his part. he conquers a kingdom, and straightway has all the resources of that kingdom at his command. its men are at his service, its fleets also; his armies and his navy are greatly increased in power thereby. thus, first with one addition and then with another to this world power he seeks, napoleon arrives at a point where he can destroy england in spite of her navy. there you find a reason for our actions, and for the presence of our troops here in the peninsula. we fight to free the peoples here, thereby reducing napoleon's power. we seize this opportunity because the peoples of the peninsula will have none of napoleon's ruling. the countries seethe with indignation, there are riots everywhere. let us but drive him and his troops out of the peninsula, and napoleon himself meet with reverses elsewhere, and all the downtrodden peoples he has already conquered will turn upon him. there will be a great alliance against this despot, and in the course of time, in spite of his gigantic armies and their undoubtedly fine organization, we shall wrest his power from him, perhaps even his kingdom." that was exactly what england was striving for in those days. it may almost be said that a parallel situation had arisen to that which beset the people of england in the days of good queen bess. then spain was a world power; that is to say, she owned amongst other possessions those american colonies that brought her so much wealth. the gulf of mexico saw many of her ships; her vessels, of enormous tonnage when compared with those of england at that time, sailed from the coast of mexico laden with jewels and gold and wealth wrung from the natives, those astec people who displayed such gentleness of character, such civilized habits, alongside of a barbarous custom of human sacrifice to which the world has seen no equal, not even in the days of king coffee in ashantee. wealth can buy power; it purchases ships, and if there be the men to man them, then a wealthy nation can endow itself with a fleet which may be the terror of its neighbours. that was the position between spain and england in those days. that armada was preparing. it aimed at the subjugation of england, and the story is well enough known how drake and his admirals set forth in their tiny ships, manned by men who may be said to have been born aboard them, and in spite of the size of the galleons of the armada, in spite of paucity of numbers and shortness of ammunition, contrived to break up the huge fleet when almost within sight of our shores. that was nearly a parallel situation. now, instead of spain, france aimed at our invasion, its emperor napoleon being ambitious to add england to the other nations he was bringing beneath his sway. who knows what might have happened had there been no sea to contend with and no fleet? but we may fairly surmise that this country would have given a good account of herself, for already her armies in portugal and spain had chastised the french. whatever the result under such circumstances, there was that sea to contend with, and nelson and his admirals had so carefully watched it, and had fought so strenuously, that the fleet of france had been annihilated at trafalgar. thus the fear of invasion was gone for the moment. we had the future to consider, and, thoughtful of our own security and of the danger which would surely arise again so soon as napoleon had brought europe beneath his sway, we sent our troops to the peninsula, there to oppose the man whose restless ambition kept the west in a state of turmoil, whose decree held thousands and thousands of men under arms when they might have been engaged in some peaceful occupation, and whose constant succession of skirmishes and battles filled the hospitals of europe, sent thousands of maimed wretches back to their homes, and crowded the cemeteries. that was the direct result of napoleon's ambitious policy, of his aggression, and let those who hold him up as a hero think of the unhappy wretches who suffered pain, and whose cries of anguish are now forgotten. let them remember the huge number of young men in the first blush of life who found a grave on the many battlefields of europe. but that was the position before napoleon set his eyes on the peninsula, determining to place his brother on the throne of spain and so bring the entire nation under his power. it was this latter period which was of greatest interest to our hero, and he listened eagerly while mr. riley told of the landing of our troops in portugal, of their hardships, and of the strenuous fighting they had experienced. chapter vii a tight corner "now for our troops and the peninsula," said mr. riley, settling himself in a corner of the old church and fixing his eyes for a few moments on the flaming and smoking torch which illuminated that part. "those peasants seem to have decided to leave us alone for to-night, so that we have the time between this and the morning to ourselves. i imagine, too, that we may be congratulated; since it is easier for a few to defend a given place when they have daylight to help them. ah, the sentry moves!" in the dim light cast by the torch they saw the trooper whom tom had stationed at the open doors of the place slowly rise to his feet and peer out. a minute later they watched as he levelled his musket. then he seemed to change his mind, for of a sudden he dropped the weapon softly to the ground and gripped his sabre. and there he remained, in a posture that showed preparedness, for all the world like a tiger ready to spring. nor was it long before he suddenly awoke to action; for there came a sound from outside the door, and a dull murmur echoed from the distance. creeping silently towards him, tom peered through the doorway over his shoulder, and for a time saw nothing. then, in the distance, he thought he could distinguish a dark mass between himself and the village, while nearer at hand there were two figures. "going to try a surprise," he told himself. "they have sent two of their most daring spirits ahead, and will follow immediately." promptly he crept away to warn the men, who by now were asleep for the most part; and very quietly they mustered about the door, while those on guard at the various danger spots about the building retained their positions. "gather about the door and pick up your spears," he warned the men in a whisper. "leave the two who are creeping on to the sentry and andrews." the stalwart rifleman had already taken his post beside the sentry, armed just as he was with a sabre, and there, like cats waiting to pounce, they crouched. peering out again over the carcass of the horse, tom saw two heads appear, and then three more immediately behind them. one of the peasants almost instantly leaped on to the carcass, and was joined there within a second by a comrade. there was a loud shout from one, as if to signal to the mass behind, and then he and his fellow leaped into the church, while others appeared just behind the carcass of the horse. "on them!" shouted the gallant andrews. "cut them down! back with them!" he threw himself at the attackers, and the trooper with him. for a minute perhaps there was a fierce scuffle, and then the two retired, as their work was accomplished. both the daring spirits who had invaded the church had paid the penalty of their rashness and lay dead upon the floor. but the others were by no means disheartened. it appeared that a dozen or more had crept forward, and with loud shouts they now rushed at the opening. "keep them off with the spears. don't fire unless you are compelled," tom ordered loudly. "we've shown them that we are ready for them, and the less fuss we make about the matter the more they will fear us in the future. ah, here they come!" by now a surging crowd had arrived outside the church, and once more the scene of a little time before was repeated. muskets and ancient firearms were discharged from every point, and in the most haphazard fashion. indeed it may be said that in this respect the attackers were as dangerous to one another as to the defenders of the church. a hundred frenzied creatures hurled themselves into the doorway, and for a while it looked as if they would sweep all before them. but those deadly spears, harmless though they looked on a casual inspection, did the work expected of them. men were tossed back with jagged wounds in the chest. others were felled with blows over the head, while in many instances the attackers were pushed away by sheer strength. then, at a signal from tom, four of the defenders joined andrews and the sentry, each armed with sabres, and fell furiously upon the mob. shrieks filled the air; the maddened peasants dropped their weapons and endeavoured to grapple with the soldiers. they bit at the men and fought like fiends. then some turned, pressing away from the door, but only to be thrust forward again by the weight of those behind them. it was a startled cry from someone in the background which at length caused the mob to retire; a sudden panic seemed to seize them and in a little while they were racing pell mell from the building. "now go back to your corners and sleep," said tom. "we have taught them another lesson, and next time they will not be quite so bold. let us have a look at these fellows." he took the torch and leaned over the two men who had been cut down by andrews and the trooper. they were powerful fellows, armed with billhooks and had their boots thickly wrapped with straw so as to deaden the sound of their coming. "put them outside," he ordered, "and to-morrow, at the first streak of dawn, we will send out a party to remove the other bodies. we may be cooped up here for a week, and things would then become unpleasant. that reminds me; there's the question of food and water. well, that must settle itself; we'll wait for morning." there was nothing else to be done; therefore, having posted his sentries, and cautioned them to be very watchful, tom retired to the corner in which he had left mr. riley and jack. "a nice little skirmish, tom," said the former. "by the time you join the army you'll have become a veteran. these little conflicts are all good practice, for if i am not mistaken the peasants will make tremendous efforts when the day comes. but sit down. i'm eager to tell my tale before another disturbance comes. where was i? oh, i remember! we were talking of the troops in the peninsula. you understand that napoleon's armies were massed at this time in both portugal and spain. well, wellington--then sir arthur wellesley--sailed from cork in july, , with some ten thousand men, and landed near oporto. an experienced general such as he was, one, too, fresh from conquests in india, was not likely to let the grass grow beneath his feet, and almost at once he had a nice little skirmish with the french at brilos and at rolica, causing laborde, their commander, to withdraw. "he would have pushed on at once without a doubt, but information now reached him that general anstruther had landed at peniche, and, it being important to join hands with him, he left laborde for the moment and marched to meet the new arrivals. almost at once general sir harry burrard appeared upon the scene, with orders from the home authorities to take the chief command; for these authorities were for ever changing their minds. you observe that they send wellesley to the peninsula, a general with a great and recent reputation, and replace him within a few days by a second general, who, however skilled, had certainly not the experience of the brilliant officer first selected. at this time the british force was encamped at vimeiro, and a fierce engagement followed, forced upon our troops by the french, and arising at that point where wellesley's own particular command was located. he beat the french handsomely, after a fierce engagement in which both sides fought most gallantly, and having done so, and received the congratulations of sir harry burrard, wellesley promptly found himself the third in command instead of the second; for sir hugh dalrymple now arrived to take command of the invading force, thus displaying a further change of policy on the part of the vacillating ministry then in charge of our affairs. "and now we must switch off from the forces engaged in and about oporto," said mr. riley, hitching himself a little higher in his corner and crossing his legs for greater comfort. "we come to the doings of sir john moore, a commander who won the esteem of napoleon himself, and whose memory will be ever honoured amongst the french. and just let me digress for a moment. it is perhaps a most suitable opportunity, too, for bringing the matter forward, seeing that we are here prisoners in a sense of the french, and yet, if i make no mistake, in command of them." he smiled quizzingly at tom, and laughed aloud when the latter coloured. "i--i couldn't well help it, sir," stuttered our hero, as if ashamed of his action. "you see, there we were in a hole, and----" mr. riley's laughter cut short the speech. "i was only poking fun, lad," he smiled. "we all bless you for your gallant intervention. but let me mention this matter. it is an opportune moment, i say. i was speaking of sir john moore, and the honour the french had for him. look at the position throughout. lads, we are fighting gentlemen, that is the consensus of opinion amongst officers and in the ranks. the french have fought us right gallantly. they at least are open enemies, but the spaniards, for whose help we are here, disgust us. there are times, i hear, when our troops wish matters were different, and the spaniards the real enemies, and sometimes the portuguese also, for they pretend friendship, while everywhere there are traitors, everywhere men in authority amongst them--nobles and others who form the juntas or parliaments which govern the countries now--who oppose the men who have come to free their countries in every possible way, who are mean and contemptible in their dealings with them, whose policy changes from day to day and who appear at times to act as if they wished the french to remain victorious. there! i have had my growl. napoleon is a great man, no doubt, with dangerous ambitions, dangerous, that is to say, to the nations surrounding france. the french officers and men, i repeat, are gentlemen, with whom it is an honour to cross swords. now let me get to the subject of sir john moore and his unlucky army of penetration." "and the retreat, which has become famous," said jack, becoming serious for a moment. "quite so, and very rightly too; for the retreat which followed the forward march of sir john moore's army was conducted in a manner that has won the praise of all. he marched for madrid on october, with some , infantry and cavalry, all wearing the red cockade of spain in their caps. and perhaps it will be well to tell you at this point that the efforts of our troops elsewhere in the command of wellesley, or of the other generals whom the changing policy of our british ministers had sent to conduct affairs, had resulted in an agreement with the french, whereby portugal was evacuated by their forces and all strong places in that country given up to our men. "having mentioned that, i can now explain that sir john moore's army was to carry the war into spain, and marching in the direction of madrid to combine with the spaniards and attempt to oust the invading armies of napoleon. on november we hear of him at salamanca; and now we have an illustration of the weak and vacillating action of the spanish junta, combined with as equally blameworthy action on the part of mr. frere, our ambassador in spain. where the greatest pains should have been taken to supply sir john moore with accurate information concerning the movements of the enemy, the utmost carelessness seems to have been the order of the day. as a result, sir john was in the dangerous dilemma of not knowing whether the circumstances warranted his pushing on towards madrid, or whether he ought at once to begin a retreat towards the coast or into portugal. it was not, in fact, till an evening in december, when already the winter was upon him, that he had certain information that napoleon himself was massing all his troops, and that in cavalry alone he outnumbered the british by , . such information set our troops retreating rapidly by way of the galician mountains, and hot in pursuit marched , men, with , horses, while a force of , kept in rear and held the lines of communication. "to describe the many incidents of that memorable march would require a length of time, and since we ought already to be asleep, preparing ourselves for trouble to-morrow, i will merely sketch the events which followed. for miles our troops were harassed by the enemy's cavalry, and daily there were severe skirmishes between our rearguard and the french. recollect that it was winter, and that the line of retreat passed amongst the mountains, where our columns trudged through valleys and over passes covered deep in snow. it is not difficult to realize the terrible work this entailed, how the cold and exposure and constant need for exertion told on men and beasts. one can readily perceive that baggage animals broke down under the strain, and that presently the army found itself compelled to carry its own provisions. add to the difficulties of the cold and snow and the mountainous route the fact that a horde of non-combatants accompanied the army, servants, grooms, wives and children of the soldiers, and one sees the possibilities of added difficulty and misery. soon men and women began to fall by the way, as had the horses and mules. they lagged behind, wearied and utterly careless in their misery of the consequences. frozen and starved they lay down by the way, and soon the snow hid them. and always a cloud of french horsemen followed, seeking every opportunity to charge, and dashing in amongst the stragglers and helpless. no wonder that the army dwindled. no wonder that its numbers fell away till but a portion remained. but still the retreat proceeded, and ever the gallant rearguard held the french at bay. "on the last day of moore quitted astorga in léon. on the very next, the first day of , napoleon entered the same place with , men, his advance guard of relentless cavalry being still in touch with our men. there the great bonaparte remained, leaving the final work to the duke of dalmatia, and conceiving it certain that the whole british army would be exterminated. well they might have been too, for here we have an example of what i have mentioned. along the line of retreat, when the spanish authorities could have, and should have, made full preparations to supply our troops and followers with rations and all that they required, they did nothing to help. even food was not forthcoming, so that our desperate and hungry men were forced to pillage the inhabitants. "it is a sad tale, lads," said mr. riley after a pause, "but a gallant tale also, for sir john and his fine fellows at length reached corunna, with but , all told, but with their cannon, their colours, and their trophies intact. in fact they came to the coast covered with honour and renown, but starved and frost-bitten, and minus many and many a comrade. and there more fighting was necessary, for our fleet was not in sight. the battle of corunna which followed ended in victory for us, but cost the lives of many gallant fellows, and of that of sir john moore amongst them. then our troops embarked, the fleet having arrived meanwhile, and as they sailed away, there, above the citadel where sir john and many a gallant comrade was buried, flew the flag of france, not at the summit of the post, but half-masted, in respect for one who had proved an able and a courageous leader. that, my lads, was another proof of the feelings of the enemy for us. if fight we must, frenchmen at least have that generosity of feeling which allows them to pay honour to a brave enemy." the naval lieutenant sat back once more in his corner, his eyes fixed upon the flaming torch. tom looked over at the sentry, standing alert and without a movement just behind the carcass of the horse. and straightway he wondered whether he would live to take part in such a retreat as that of sir john moore, and whether, should he be involved in such an affair, he would conduct himself as became a british officer. then mr. riley's voice once more broke the silence. "we have heard of the opening events of this peninsula war," he said. "napoleon's invasion of spain, and his placing of his brother joseph on the throne without the wish or consent of the people, had resulted in some passages of arms between the french and english which must have opened the eyes of bonaparte. but it did not deter him. following the embarkation of sir john moore's army, he ordered the invasion of portugal again, and in a little while soult, a famous french marshal, held that country right down to the river douro. "once more i will sketch the events which followed. wellesley, again in chief command, marched against the enemy, forced the passage of the douro, in itself a most brilliant undertaking, and drove the french back into spain. following marshal soult, wellesley crossed the frontier in june, , with but , british troops, though he had some , spanish and portuguese soldiers to aid him, the great majority being merely irregulars. these latter were under various commanders, of whom i can call to memory at the moment cuesta, the spanish commander-in-chief, a useless person; romana, blake, and beresford. "at this moment the french were disposed as follows: victor, with some , men, was on the tagus. sebastiani was in la mancha with a force not quite so strong. thousands were collected about madrid, in galicia, léon, and old castille also, while there was a division of cavalry and , infantry stationed in aragon and catalonia. their very numbers give you an idea of the almost impossible task imposed upon our forces. wellesley, in fact, having entered spain and approached talavera, found himself opposed to marshal victor, who had king joseph in rear, with marshal sebastiani's corps to aid him. "we now arrive at the first battle of importance in the peninsula campaign. talavera is a name which will be borne upon the colours of many a regiment with lasting honour, for the fight was a fierce and desperate one, and our victory was won only after great losses. the battle itself was preceded by two engagements at least of some importance, in one of which , spanish troops distinguished themselves by fleeing before they had come to grips with the enemy. "following talavera, the smallness of our numbers and the utter failure of the spanish junta to help with supplies and material caused sir arthur wellesley to retire over the tagus into portugal once more, where he went into winter quarters. but the movement had the consequences one would have anticipated. the french determined upon another invasion of portugal, when they hoped to drive the british from the country, and in they came in three columns, under the supreme command of marshal massena, with junot, ney, and regnier as column commanders. lord wellington--for he had now been granted that title as a reward for his conspicuous services--retired in good order to the heights of busaco, where a terrific conflict followed, the british troops successfully resisting the onslaught of the french columns. then, finding his flank turned, wellington retired to the lines of torres vedras, lines which he had been secretly fortifying, where he might, should the french come down upon him in overwhelming numbers, mass his men and still hold on to a portion of portugal. there, in fact, he remained defying the enemy and covering lisbon effectually. "thus ended the year , an eventful year in the history of this peninsula war, for it saw at its termination a thin line of british red opposed to masses of french troops who now held, not spain alone, but even portugal, right down to the heights of torres vedras, behind which wellington and his men remained defiant, clinging to that promontory on which is situated lisbon. in fact they were clinging tenaciously to the country, their fortunes seemingly rather worse than they had been, though a huge advantage had been gained, inasmuch as napoleon and his hosts had learned that a few british troops skilfully handled were easily a match for them. nor was it likely that we would give up the conflict. the year , the year in which we now are, began brilliantly. you may say that you are in the midst of renewed exertions on the part of that brilliant general who leads us; while before us there is an immense work to be done. lads, we have to regain portugal before we think of ousting the french from spain, which will be a gigantic undertaking, with fighting in abundance." jack and tom pricked up their ears at the news. indeed we may say that the former had till now been filled with that vague fear which comes to the heart of many and many a soldier who is sent to join his regiment at war. he wonders whether his own arrival will coincide with the defeat of the enemy, whether he will arrive too late to take part in the stirring events to which he had looked forward. "then there'll be a chance," blurted out jack, sitting up, and giving a sharp cry of pain, for in his eagerness he had forgotten his wound. "for you to teach tom, and help him to become a general! yes," laughed the naval officer, "heaps!" "and you think, sir, that i shall be able to get a commission?" asked our hero, with some amount of misgiving. "i believe that if you manage to bring us out of this hole, and still evade a french prison, you will be offered one promptly," came the gratifying reply. "but let me complete my task. we enter upon this year of grace . let us look towards badajoz, on the river guadiana, south of the tagus. soult advanced in this direction to open up communications with massena, who was massed with his regiments on the tagus. wellington also advanced, and, leaving the strong, fortified lines of torres vedras, crossed the guadiana, leaving beresford with some british troops, and a large number of portuguese, to invest badajoz. crossing the tagus, wellington now marched north towards ciudad rodrigo, whence massena had taken his troops, and established himself between the rivers agueda and coa, and within striking distance of almeida, where was a force of the enemy. massena advanced against him, and our troops at once took position on the heights of fuentes d'onoro, where a terrific battle was fought, resulting in a victory for us. the french abandoned almeida, while massena was recalled. "now we turn south again to badajoz, for the french had retired to salamanca, that is, the troops lately engaged with wellington. soult had been reinforced, and was well on his way to relieve the place invested by beresford, and, as a consequence, the latter was forced to raise the siege, and though he could have retired he preferred to choose a ground for fighting and give battle. he took post at albuera, knowing that wellington was hastening to his help, his troops consisting of those british, and of spaniards and portuguese, the former commanded by blake, whose arrogance and jealousy hindered the commander not a little. it disgusts one to have to record that many of these allies proved worse than useless when in face of the enemy, and that but for the sturdy backbone of british the battle would have been lost. it was, i am told, a most confused affair, made glorious by the tenacity and bull-dog courage of our men in face of terrible odds, and with the knowledge that those who should have aided them, and been in the forefront, were often skulking in the rear. the losses on both sides were huge, but the battle ended in soult retiring, while beresford gathered together his almost shattered forces as best he could, blake, who should have helped, even refusing him bearers for his wounded. thereafter the siege of badajoz was once more entered upon, while one must mention a brilliant little land cutting-out expedition, where, at arroyo de molinos, general roland hill broke up a force of the enemy under girard, capturing men, guns, and baggage. "barossa, too, is worthy of more than passing mention, for the battle was hardly fought by our men. you must understand that troops had been dispatched to cadiz, where the spaniards grudgingly gave them entry, and these sailed later on for algeciras, where they effected a landing. then, with some , spaniards, under la pena, of our men marched against marshal victor's forces. here again we have the same tale of spanish treachery, jealousy, and cowardice. that movement ended in the british troops being left almost entirely alone to withstand the onslaught of the french legions. yet, in spite of that, barossa, where our troops were, saw victor's ranks shattered, and added one more to the many victories gained by our gallant fellows in the peninsula. "and now i come to the end of my tale. owing to the junction of the enemy under soult, and those divisions in the north, wellington abandoned the siege of badajoz, and advanced to the tagus. thence he crossed in the direction of ciudad rodrigo, and once more took up a position between the coa and the agueda, discovering the countryside utterly swept by the french. the latest dispatches from the peninsula have told of burned villages, of ruined homesteads, of starving and infuriated peasants. detached parties of horse have ridden through the country, sweeping it clean as the french retired, and no doubt these fine fellows with whom we occupy this church have formed one of those parties. bear in mind that they have merely obeyed orders. because their countrymen have dealt severely with the portuguese they may not have done so; and, in any case, recollect that war is a cruel game, and brings greater misery, perhaps, on non-combatants than upon those whose profession it is to fight. there! out with the torch. let's go to sleep. who knows? to-morrow will make a second wellington of our friend tom, or will see us--er----" jack put on a nervous grin. tom's handsome face assumed a stern expression. he felt that it was not the time for joking, and, what was more, he felt that failure here would be a disgrace after the many brilliant battles of which mr. riley had been telling. "we'll pull out in the end, sir," he said with assurance. "what we've done already shall be done again. to-morrow--or is it to-day, for it is past midnight?--shall see these portuguese fellows scuttling." the day, when it came, might bring about such a happy result. but then it might not. on the face of it, matters were desperate, for here were a mere handful opposed to crowds--crowds, too, incensed and filled with a dull and defiant hatred, which made success on their part a certain death warrant for the defenders of the village church. chapter viii tom changes quarters heavy drops of thunder rain, pattering upon the roof above and upon the stone flags that surrounded the front of the church, awakened tom clifford at early dawn on the morning after he had led the french troopers to their defensive post. not that the rumbling thunder outside nor the patter of the raindrops awakened him to a sense of his position. for our hero had been sunk in a deep sleep, which nothing had disturbed up till this moment. now, however, the disturbance gave rise in his half-slumbering brain to a train of thought which was half-delicious, half the reverse. for tom was back again in his home, beneath the shadow of that grand mulberry tree, with father thames flowing past the forecourt silently, swiftly, incessantly, as if ever engaged upon a purpose. yes, he was beneath the hospitable and safe roof of septimus john clifford & son, wine merchants, with marguerite as his chum and close attendant, with the ever-faithful huggins, his father's senior clerk, to smile indulgently upon him, and septimus john clifford himself to praise his efforts to acquire portuguese and spanish and french. "heigho!" he yawned loudly, stretching his arms wide apart. "beastly stuff this portuguese and french and spanish," he babbled, still half-asleep. "let's go out on the river, marguerite." then a shadow crossed the horizon of this pleasant half-waking dream. a youth slipped into the arena at the far corner, a youth of olive complexion, whose thin limbs writhed and twisted incongruously, whose fingers twitched and plucked at moving lips, and whose very appearance bespoke indecision, a wavering courage, meanness, and all that that implies. it was josé, tom's cousin, and his image drew a growl from our hero. "always interfering and getting in the way," he grunted peevishly. "i have to watch him like a cat for fear he will illtreat his sister. was there ever such a fellow?" the train of pleasant thought was switched off at once, and tom dreamed the scenes through which he had passed. his seizure by those rascals, his impressment, and what had followed. then a second figure thrust itself into the arena, and swept across his sluggish brain. it was that of a short man, of middle age, prone to stoutness; clean shaven, with features which attracted because of the obvious power they displayed, features set off by a pair of wonderfully steady and penetrating eyes that spoke of firmness of purpose, of ambition soaring to the heights, and--yes--of a relentless spirit which strove at the attainment of any and every object at whatever cost. it was napoleon, napoleon bonaparte, the one-time corporal, the little corsican, he who had attained to the throne of france, and now, spurred on by a restless ambition, sought to see himself emperor of all countries, ruler of spain through his brother, now known as king joseph, king of portugal, and even the lord of england. a crashing detonation brought tom to his feet with a start, wide-eyed, and very much awake. "what's that?" he demanded, scarcely able to believe even now that he had been dreaming. still, the presence of the trooper standing sentry at the door, and his obvious freedom from anxiety, reassured him. ah, there was another detonation, and then a long-drawn-out rumble! "a summer storm, monsieur," said the trooper. "it will be a fine day yet, and the storm will clear the air. it gets light rapidly, and in a little while we shall be able to see the pigs who have attacked us." but tom was thinking of something else beside the portuguese peasants who sought to kill the little band of troopers, together with himself and his english companions. his thoughts suddenly turned to the urgent need of supplies. water was wanted; it was running to waste outside. "andrews!" he shouted, and at the order the stalwart rifleman stumbled forward, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, howeley being close behind him. in the dim light of the coming day they drew themselves erect as if by force of habit, and saluted, howeley taking time by his comrade. "sir!" they answered in one voice. "we want water. hunt round to find some roof gutter and a tub, if there is such a thing. get us a store somehow; it means life or death to us. i'll see to other matters." he saw the two set off at once, and then clambered up the steep flight of stone steps that led to the ledge above the broken door of the church. standing upright there, he looked out towards the village, and found that he could already see the nearer houses. but a mist was rising, which, together with the heavy rain that was falling, made seeing rather difficult. then, turning sharply to the left, he entered the room which the trooper had reported on the previous evening. the man lay at the entrance, with a comrade beside him, both sunk in deep sleep. but at tom's coming they rose swiftly. "it was too dark to explore last night," said one of them, "but monsieur can see now that this is not only a church. there is a large building attached to it, perhaps the house occupied by the pastor. but it is empty, i think, for we have heard no sounds from it." "then we will investigate," answered tom. "stay here, one of you, while you," and he indicated the man who had spoken, "bring your carbine and come with me. it is already light enough to see where we are going." crossing the floor of the room, tom found it lumbered with masses of stone and with builders' tools. it was clear, in fact, that some sort of work was in progress. there was an arched doorway at the far end that gave admission to a hall, or meeting place, from which steps led to rooms above, all scantily furnished. "the pastor's house without a doubt," said tom. "next thing is to see what's underneath. a larder crammed with food would be more to my liking than any amount of furniture. here's the stairway. it's dark; mind how we go." very carefully and silently they descended the stairs, and soon found themselves in a flagged passage. doors opened upon it, and, pushing them wide in turn, tom discovered living-rooms fully furnished, though the articles within were covered with sheets. "a regular spring cleaning," he said to the trooper, with a grin that set the gallic warrior smiling widely. "it's clear that the pastor has gone away while workmen have possession of the house. but--my uncle!--that's a larder, and here's the kitchen." no one but those who have experienced it know the delight a soldier on service finds in the discovery of dainties. rations are apt to pall after a while, and men long for the trifles which are commonly to be found upon the tables of those who lead a more peaceful existence. and here was a find. the careful housewife of the pastor, his housekeeper, or whoever saw to his material wants, had set by a store at the sight of which tom's mouth watered. "my uncle!" he exclaimed again, running his eye along a row of preserves neatly bottled, and surveying a dozen hams hanging to hooks in a ceiling beam. "but--" and at the word his jovial face fell and lengthened till it was like a fiddle. "but they ain't ours to take--eh?" the trooper grinned widely. he was an old soldier, and though he may have had his scruples, a limited diet for the past few weeks, and a gnawing at his stomach now, swept all scruples aside. "monsieur then prefers to starve with plenty beneath his nose?" he asked politely, drawing himself up and shouldering his carbine, so that the muzzle struck the low ceiling violently. "_parbleu!_ there is reason why we should eat these good things, monsieur. but for the pigs who hem us in, and for their hatred of us, we could step outside and buy what is required. that is so, monsieur?" "exactly," came the crisp answer, while tom still surveyed the good things hungrily. "but we cannot set out for the market. these pigs send bullets at us instead of food. that being so, _vraiment, monsieur_, surely here comes in a law of nature. to live one must eat. here, then, is the wherewithal to obey that law." the rascal grounded his weapon with a resonant bang, and put his nose within an inch of one of the hams. "ready cooked--meant to be eaten," he gasped. "monsieur will----" tom's courage and scruples broke down under such subtle temptation. besides, here it was a case of necessity. he took the ham from its hook, caught up a bag of dried biscuit, and then gave an inquisitive kick to a huge barrel, getting back a dull, telling sound. "full to the bung, _monsieur_--the wine of the country. something with which to slake our thirst, and so enable us to defeat the enemy." "send for two of the troopers at once," said tom. "let them remove the contents of the larder to the room above. but, wait. let us complete our investigations." when they had at length been over the whole of the premises they had come to the conclusion that the house had at one time been a clergy house, and had harboured many people; for at the far end of the passage they found a door admitting to still more rooms, and then to an enormous yard, about which was a high wall. a pair of huge doors led from this beneath an archway, supporting a portion of what proved to be stables, in which were a couple of nags, while the eager trooper discovered stores of hay and corn in a loft adjoining. "and a water trough and pump in the yard," cried tom, delighted at such a find. "there you are, water in plenty," he added, working the pump and sending a gushing torrent pouring from the ancient spout. the discovery they had made was, indeed, of the greatest moment; but it brought this in its train: it compelled the leader of the defenders to make up his mind whether to vacate quarters which had, so far, proved an excellent refuge, or whether to hold to them, trusting to procure provisions and water from the clergy house so closely adjacent. it was characteristic of tom, perhaps, that before the trooper had time to ask the question, he had come to a decision. "listen," he said peremptorily. "the windows of this place all face into the yard. you saw no others?" "none: it is as monsieur describes." "and the wall outside the place, surrounding the yard, is so high that a man must use a ladder to ascend and descend." "_vraiment, monsieur_; otherwise he would be crushed as if he were an egg." "then we change quarters. leave the ham and come along. wait, though--get the key of the doors leading into the yard. see if you can open them." the trooper dashed away, and in a trice came back, widely grinning. "they were in the lock, monsieur," he reported. "all, in fact, was in readiness for us. it is clear that the portuguese expected our coming, and prepared us a welcome!" "stand by the doors: open when you hear our men coming." tom went off at his fastest pace, and was soon scrambling down on to the floor of the church. a glance outside told him that rain was still falling, while an occasional clap of thunder warned him that the storm was still at hand. but there were figures over by the village; half a dozen men stood in a bunch, and the light was now so strong that one could see that they were armed. "fall in," shouted tom; and at once the men came tumbling forward, and lined up in front of him. very rapidly, then, tom told off half their number to fetch the horses. the others he again divided, posting three men above the doorway, four behind the carcass of the horse, while the rest were told off to carry mr. riley and jack. very rapidly he explained in french what he was about to do. "when we have the horses ready," he said, "pull this carcass aside, and then let those in charge lead the beasts down the steps and direct to the left. turn sharp to the left again at the end of a wall and you will come to a doorway; lead them in there. now, hasten. those fellows beyond there are merely waiting for the rain to cease. we shall be in clover, and eating a substantial breakfast, my lads--yes, for i have discovered a store of provisions--before the enemy guess what is happening." soldiers are not the class of individuals to be upset by surprise. a constantly changing life such as a campaign brings accustoms them to quick and unexpected changes. moreover, here they had confidence in the young englishman who had so suddenly taken command of the party. there was, therefore, not so much as a question. in less than five minutes all were ready, while mr. riley was by then halfway up the steep flight of steps leading to the house. andrews stood beside the carcass of the horse, the perspiration streaming from him; for he had raced round the church and inspected every corner. "ready, sir?" he asked. tom nodded. "then heave," called andrews, tugging at one of the legs of the dead animal. the troopers threw themselves upon the carcass at once, and in a trice it had been dragged aside. "now out with them 'ere horses," commanded andrews hoarsely. "beg pardon, sir, but i don't know what you're up to. this is certain though: there's not a drop of water in the church." "there's heaps where we're going," answered tom laconically. "heaps." "and grub, beggin' pardon again, sir?" "could you eat ham, well-cooked ham, andrews?" asked tom, without a smile. "ham! bust me----!" began the rifleman. "and preserves. perhaps the wine of portugal wouldn't be good enough for you, though. there's at least one barrel of it where we're going." andrews' eyes shone with expectation. he moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue. "food and drink, sir," he gasped, as if the news were too good. "plenty of it, too. why--bust me!----" he could get no further than that expression; it conveyed his whole meaning. but the eyes which looked tom clifford up and down an instant later had, if possible, just a little more respect in them. "if he don't walk right off with the palm," spluttered the rifleman. "here's he, a civilian--yes, a civilian--and he jest takes this little lot by the hand as you might say, and shepherds them. when there's trouble with the peasants, he sets about and gives 'em proper snuff. and when things is getting queer, and grub's scare, and water run clean out, why here he makes a man dance with news of hams--yes, hams he did say--and wine--why, it's wellington hisself couldn't have done better!" two by two the horses went clattering down the steps of the church and out into the open. shouts came from the direction of the village, while other figures joined those bunched together in the rain. splashes of flame and loud reports showed that shots were being fired; but still the procession of horses came from the church. when all were out, there were, perhaps, fifty of the enemy watching and firing, while others came rushing from the houses. it appeared, too, as if they expected the troopers to mount at once and gallop away; for horns sounded in the distance, while men went dashing in all directions, as if to warn outlying parties to close in and surround the troopers. perched now on the ledge over the doorway, tom watched as the horses were led along beside the wall, and saw them swing round the corner. he waited three minutes, when a trooper came dashing to him through the room which was littered with masons' tools and implements. "monsieur, all the horses are in the yard; the doors are shut." "then let two of you take charge of the forage, not forgetting that it must last a week at least. feed the horses and water them." "mr. riley's safe in bed in one o' the rooms yonder, as snug as ef he was aboard his own ship, sir," reported howeley, arriving on the scene now, and grinning his delight. "mr. barwood's ditto, a cussin', sir, 'cos he says as he's fit fer duty." "feed them," answered tom. "you'll find the larder below; take charge of it, howeley. i make you responsible for all it contains; but carry something to the two officers promptly. now, andrews," he said, as that worthy came towards him, "let's clear the church of all our traps. there are saddle bags and other things to bring with us; there's the ammunition also." "cleared, sir," reported the rifleman, delight showing in every feature. "i thought as you'd enough and too much to see to, and so i give them frenchies orders. they're quick to hop, are them froggies. it's friends, not enemies, we ought to be. but the church is clear, sir; there's a dead horse left, and a few of the peasants as was too inquisitive." "then we'll get to breakfast," said tom heartily. "you've recalled the man from the tower?" "yes, sir." "then post one of the troopers on this ledge, and come along. something to eat will put us all in a good temper and fit us for the trouble that's brewing. those peasants don't seem yet to have gathered what we are up to. but, in a little while, when they have guessed at our move, they'll be swarming this way. here we are. across this hall and down the stairs. ah, there's howeley--well?" "taking food to the orficers, sir," grinned the latter, appearing in the doorway of the larder with some fine slices of ham and a jug of wine, while a second plate was loaded with biscuit. "there's a store here, sir, as would make the whiskers of a commissariat serjeant curl, sir--so it would! there's ham, biscuit, jam, cheese, flour, and what not. this here ruction's put us into clover." it took perhaps half an hour for tom's party to settle down in their new quarters; because, first of all, there were the wounded officers and the horses to attend to. for the former howeley had already done service, so that when tom, relieved of all immediate anxiety, went upstairs to them, he found his two comrades stretched on a pair of comfortable beds, the naval lieutenant brimming over with good humour, and jack just swallowing his anger at the sight of the food which the rifleman had brought. "of all the wretched bits of luck i ever struck this is the worst," he declared, managing, however, to bury his teeth in a fine, thick slice of ham. "here am i, crocked up because of a bullet fired by some peasant fool from a blunderbus, and you, tom, having all the fun. it's wretched luck; everything's wrong. why, there's not even----" what his next grumble would have been it is difficult to imagine, but mr. riley cut him short with loud laughter. "everything's wrong, tom, my lad," he laughed heartily, holding up a slice of ham as big as that held by jack. "here we are, stretched on wretchedly comfortable beds, when we ought to be lying on stone flags which are really helpful when a man wishes to sleep. and we've grub too--grub, when we ought to be without rations. but the most serious part of the whole affair is that while we've really quite decent ham to eat, fair wine to drink, and hard biscuit to chew, we've no mustard to go with the ham. i protest, sir! it's a real hardship." that set them all laughing, till the gallant lieutenant choked and became crimson, and put his hand to his side with a cry of pain. jack sat up, his eyes shining, his teeth occupied with another bite. howeley, ever mindful of discipline, stood rigidly at attention, his jaws moving from side to side as he strove to prevent himself from joining in the merriment. "well, i'm hanged!" was all that jack could at length deliver himself of. "this is clover! have some, tom?" they made a merry meal there, our hero seated on the edge of jack's bed; and much they enjoyed the fare which good fortune had provided. howeley, meanwhile, with andrews and the rest of the men were discussing an equally satisfying meal, the first-named having, at tom's wish, taken over the supply department. horses had by then been watered, and were now tied to rings ranged along the wall of the yard, munching contentedly at heaps of hay placed at their heads for them. "_sapristi!_ but i never saw the like before," ventured one grizzled trooper, taking to his pipe when he had finished his own meal, and levelling his remarks at andrews. "never before!" "right!" ejaculated andrews. "_très bien!_" for he had picked up an odd word or two of the language. "proper sort, ain't he?" "_mais_, he is remarkable," went on the man in his own language, since he knew no other. "see us yesterday. we are surrounded. we are hemmed in by a thousand wild beasts; our captain is killed; our serjeants are biting the dust. we ourselves are like lost sheep. and he, this youth, he leads us to the church, where there is nothing--nothing, mark you, comrade, but stone walls and floors. now look at us! we live in luxury. the horses are content. this youth laughs with his comrades as if a portuguese cut-throat did not exist, and as if the british army was within hearing. he is a second bonaparte." it was praise of our hero, coming from the lips of a frenchman, and andrews endorsed the remarks with vehemence. not that he understood what was said. he gathered merely that compliments were flying with regard to our hero, and stanchly supported him. "he's a toff, he is," he answered, stretching himself at his ease, and drawing at his pipe. "a chip of the old block. he's jest british to the backbone, from the soles of his feet right up to the crown of his head. i'll punch the face of any as dares to say that i'm a liar." the threat was accompanied by a gleam of the eye that had warned enemies of the riflemen before then; and the frenchman, with the quickness and perception of his race, must have followed closely, for he jerked himself nearer the rifleman in his enthusiasm, gripped him by both hands, and would have embraced him, had not andrews, with true british dislike of a scene of such a description, put him firmly aside. "none o' yer monkey tricks fer me," he called out. "but i'm with you all the while. here's my hand on it." at that moment a loud report aroused the garrison. tom appeared at the entrance to the courtyard, and at once, as if by agreement, the troopers formed line, and drew themselves up as if for an inspection. tom emerged into the courtyard at once--for the rain had ceased now for some while--and slowly inspected his men. "we've had a good breakfast," he said, with a smile which went far to put heart into the troopers. "now we've to work for the next meal. the peasants are approaching. we must get to our stations; and remember, please, fire as seldom as possible. this siege may last a week yet, so ammunition is most important. an hour ago water and food were most in request; you have both now. then look carefully after the only other commodity that matters." they broke their ranks at once, and went to their stations, for each had been allotted one. two men stood guard on the ledge above the doorway of the church, crouching so that those below could not see them. the room behind contained half a dozen more figures, with andrews to command them. elsewhere, in the room over the doorway leading into the courtyard were howeley and three men, while the remainder watched from the upper windows which faced the yard, ready at a call to go in either direction. as for the enemy, they appeared in swarms, tramping from the village, armed with every sort of weapon. crouching on the ledge above the church door tom watched their approach with some amount of curiosity, wondering what they would do, and whether they suspected the change which had taken place so early in the morning. then he noticed a dozen men detach themselves from the mob, and move out before them. they halted when some fifty paces from their friends and laid down their weapons. then they advanced again till within easy speaking distance of the church door. tom at once rose to his full height, the sight of his figure drawing shouts from the mob in the background. then there was silence. "we come as a deputation," said one of the little band who had advanced. "we come to speak to the englishman." "i am here; what do you want?" answered our hero promptly. "we bear a message. the elders of the village and the leaders of the peasants again make you an offer. you are free to leave the place with your four english comrades. an escort will be allowed, and you will be taken to the nearest camp. you may carry arms and your personal possessions. refuse, and you shall be slaughtered with the hated frenchmen whom we are sworn to kill." "then take my answer," called tom loudly. "two of my comrades are hurt, and cannot move, so that we could not accept your terms. even so, we would refuse. now take warning from me again. we have shown you that we can fight, and we are all the more ready for trouble now that day has come and we have slept. go to the nearest camp and send troops to us. the frenchmen shall then become prisoners. those are the only terms we will agree to." "then you will not take freedom and safety for yourself?" asked the spokesman. "i will not," came the short answer. "then you shall live but a little while to regret such action. to-night we will hoist the heads of every one of you to the tower of the church. you are a bigger fool than i thought you." he turned about with his fellows and retreated. they picked up their arms and joined their comrades, when a loud discussion followed. then once more the forward move was continued, tom and his men watching as a mob five hundred strong bore down upon the building. "i see ladders amongst them," said andrews of a sudden, peering over our hero's shoulder. "that looks as if they would attempt to climb the wall of the yard. then they guess where we've got to." the next few minutes showed that the enemy were fully alive to the situation. they steered away from the door of the church, a few on the flank alone advancing toward it. the remainder surrounded the yard and the house, and, a shot having been fired by one as a signal, all rushed in to the attack, the ladder bearers winning their way to the wall without difficulty, while a chosen band made an onslaught upon the doors which gave entrance. chapter ix hard pressed "stand back so that they cannot see you," commanded tom, as the peasants rushed madly at the entrance of the church that the troopers had defended so gallantly on the previous evening, and above which they were now stationed. "there is no need for us to risk their bullets yet. let them climb, and then we will use our spears again and teach them that, if anything, we are in a stronger position." the advice came in time to save many a wound without shadow of doubt; for while two or three hundred of the maddened portuguese had swarmed along the walls of the house, and turning the corner abruptly had then made a fierce onslaught on the gate leading into the yard, or were endeavouring to clamber to the top of the wall, an almost equal number had selected the church door for their own particular effort. they came on at the double, brandishing an assortment of strange weapons, weapons which, though they were not similar to those carried by the troops, and had seen many and many a summer, and, in fact, were wont to be used more often in the peaceful employment of agriculture, were still capable of giving terrible wounds, wielded as they were by men who seemed actually to be maddened by the sight of the defenders. the affair in which tom and his friends found themselves so strangely and unexpectedly mixed was, indeed, one of those sad exhibitions of savagery to be met with, alas! in time of war, when such war is accompanied by atrocities. knowing something of the history of this peninsula campaign, and guessing at the rest, tom could realize that the portuguese peasant had suffered severely at the hands of vindictive troops who had been given a more or less free hand. the french bore an unenviable reputation for rapine, and history tells clearly that while the spaniards had no very great cause of complaint, the portuguese were often enough horribly treated. and at this time, when the french were slowly being forced in front of our armies towards the portuguese frontier, driven in spite of their numbers out of a country they had sworn to hold, the atrocities committed were many. they did not stop at burning villages and ruining crops. defenceless people were killed and horribly illtreated. even the women and children were subjected to violence. and here was a direct result. one could hardly blame the peasants. reprisals, terrible reprisals when the opportunity came, were but a natural sequence to violence. "i have known these brutes waylay the rearguard of two battalions marching north, and capture everyone," said a trooper who was close to tom, craning his head so as to see the mob from over the edge of the parapet. "yes, monsieur, i have known them to capture a hundred men, and when the news reached us, and we, a full regiment of cavalry, galloped to the spot, we found every one of our brothers murdered, done to death by torture. _vraiment!_ it made our blood boil. it makes us fight now till there is not a breath left in us." tom sighed. it was not often that he indulged in such a melancholy act; but the thing saddened him. in the midst of an attack it is true that he could forget the reasons for it, could almost forget the nationality of the enemy, but in his more serene moments he could not help but see the fact that these were but peasants, and that their rage and hatred were natural. nevertheless, to allow them to chop himself and his little command to pieces because the french had earned reprisals was a very different matter. self-preservation is one of the first laws ingrafted in us, and in tom it was acutely displayed. "keep lower, my friend," he warned the trooper. "ah! they have rushed into the church, perhaps hoping that we have left a comrade or two there. soon they will try the steps, and then there will be a hubbub. stand back, you men with the spears; and recollect, no shots, no wasting ammunition. beat them back with the spears or with your sabres. now, i will go to see how the others fare." he left the faithful andrews in charge of the party, and, passing into the clergy house, popped his head into the room occupied a little while before by jack and mr. riley. they were gone; it was evident that they had risen. pushing on, he came to the windows commanding the yard, and there discovered the truants. "what's this?" he demanded somewhat curtly. "disobeying orders," smiled mr. riley, while jack looked his friend up and down for a few seconds, as if he resented interference, and then grinned widely. "never did see such a cormorant, sir," he said, addressing the naval lieutenant. "here he is; he gets up a row with these poor peasants, bottles us in bed, and expects us to stay there. not if i know it!" jack hopped on one leg to the far window, steadied himself there, and then slowly lifted a carbine which he had managed to secure. "you go along and see to the defence generally, lad," cried mr. riley, slapping our hero on the back. "jack and i couldn't be expected to stay in that room when such an attack was being made. you leave us in charge of this part of the defences, and even if we can't do much, we can at least encourage the men and see that all goes well. it will leave you free to arrange other matters. ah! the beggars have managed to get to the top of the wall; they've failed once at the gate." the attack on the latter had, in fact, been easily driven off; for the little room built over it projected a couple of feet beyond the face of the wall, and was provided with a wide door and a trap, while a wooden crane swung outside. it was, therefore, a matter of no great difficulty to open the trap and fire directly down upon the attackers, while howeley, the energetic commander of the post, had already contrived to gather a respectable number of paving stones from the yard below, and with these had beaten down the attackers. "made 'em hop mighty quick, sir," he said. "there must have been twenty dozen of the beggars, all as mad as hatters. but even mad people feel blows when landed on their heads. you can see what happened." tom peeped through the trap. down at the foot of the gate were three peasants prone and still, while two more were slowly crawling away. at a distance of fifty feet there was a bunch of a hundred, eyeing the gateway with savage looks, and discussing the situation hoarsely. then some went away at a run, returning in less than five minutes with a long beam. "going to try a battering ram," said tom, rather scared at the sight. "we'll give 'em battering," came the reassuring words from the rifleman. "i've two men posted down in the yard with their carbines, and we've knocked a couple of holes in the gates. if we can't reach the enemy from above here, the boys below can manage. they've filled up their barrels with pebbles scraped up from between the paving stones. the shots will scare the peasants same as if they was birds." a glance at the sturdy fellow showed that he had no fears with regard to his own particular defences, and, staying there a moment, tom had full reason to trust him; for the mob outside were in such temper that delay was out of the question. some fifty of their number began to fire at the gateway and at the trapdoor above, while their comrades picked up the huge beam and advanced at a run, shouting loudly to encourage one another. crash! went the end of the beam against the gates, shaking them severely. then came the clatter of stones. standing well above the attackers, howeley and his two troopers advanced in turn, elevated a paving stone, took careful aim, and then threw it downwards. with a shout of terror the attackers promptly retired. a minute later, however, they came forward again at a run, and on this occasion a dozen of their number bore muskets. stationing themselves in such position that they could fire through the open trap, they sent their bullets thudding into the ceiling of the room, making it impossible for howeley and his men to take effective aim. meanwhile the others ran in, and, picking up their beam, swung it backward in preparation for another blow. "jest you keep on tossing them stones over," commanded howeley, as if the troopers could understand every word. "savvy, me lads? don't show up, but jest lift a stone same as this, standing well back, and heave it through. it'll hit something." it did. a howl from below, and a chorus of shouts and cries greeted the stone, while one of the men holding the beam fell as if struck by a poleaxe. "savvy?" asked howeley curtly. "_bien!_" came the equally curt answer. "then jest you look to it." howeley went off as if he were provided with wings, and a moment or two later tom heard him shouting to the troopers down in the yard. "jest give 'em mustard," he bellowed. "you've got that, me lads? mustard's the stuff they're wanting. let in at 'em." a loud roar followed his words instantly, and then a second. smoke billowed up through the trap, while a torrent of yells and cries came from the mob. tom glanced over the edge, to find the beam lying on the ground and the attackers in full flight, save for those struck down by the slugs and bullets which had been discharged at them. however, the fury of a mob is a thing to tremble at. the poor wretches outside came on again, bearing a ladder, and in a trice the latter was safely wedged in the open trap. desperate men swarmed on to it, and it looked as if there would soon be a contest at the top. but howeley's paving stones were irresistible. they swept the rungs of the ladder clean, and in less than a minute the ladder was tossed down and the frantic enemy was in full retreat. "well done!" cried tom, delighted at the success gained in this quarter, but sorry, nevertheless, for the peasants. "i can leave you here knowing that all will be well. what's that?" he went racing back to the windows occupied by jack and the naval officer, to discover that a commotion had suddenly arisen in the yard over by the far containing wall. the tops of a dozen ladders could be seen against the skyline, perched against the outside of the wall, while the broad summit of the latter was thickly covered with defiant peasants. they clustered thickly along the top, some firing their muskets at the figures in the window. others had managed to drag up two ladders, and having dropped these into the yard were now swarming down. "into the yard!" shouted tom at once, leading the way downstairs at a run, and dashing outside where the horses were quartered. he was joined by a dozen troopers within a few seconds, who all raced across the yard, their sabres swinging in their hands. one of their number, a light horseman by the look of him, outdistanced his fellows, and gripping one of the ladders dragged it aside with all his force, and sent it thudding into the yard with a couple of the peasants upon it. but a dozen and more of the latter had contrived to descend the second ladder, and at once there began a desperate hand-to-hand contest, pikes and scythes being opposed to sabres. [illustration: "gripping one of the ladders dragged it aside with all his force"] "hold them, lads!" came in stentorian tones from mr. riley, in spite of his wound. "hold them for a little, tom. we'll have the other boys along in a jiffy." stamping with impatience because common sense and lack of strength told him that he himself was unfit to join in the mêlée, and, in fact, even to clamber down the steps, the naval lieutenant put to good purpose a stentorian voice trained in a service where lung power is required, and where the weakling is useless. in spite of the roar of the mob andrews and howeley heard him, and, rallying in his direction, went headlong down the stairs, with a number of their fellows with them. they arrived just in time to stem the tide of invasion. the ladder still remaining upright, and loaded with peasants scrambling to the help of their comrades, was thrown down by a couple of the troopers. and then, for the space of five minutes perhaps, there was a fierce struggle in the yard. the troopers at a shout from tom separated themselves and formed a ring round the invaders, while the latter, taken aback now that they found themselves cut off from all help by their comrades, retired towards the wall, their scythes held well in front of them, their eyes furtively seeking for some hole or corner which would give them security. "hold!" cried tom loudly, anxious to save unnecessary bloodshed. "you men keep your formation. now," he went on sternly, addressing the portuguese in their own tongue, "i give you a moment in which to lay down your arms, promising on the word of an englishman that you shall not be injured. answer." with a sullen clang the peasants tossed their arms to the pavement, and stood glowering at the troopers, fearful yet whether they would be murdered. "form into line, two abreast," commanded tom again. "howeley, just get to your post and tell us if the enemy are near. i'm going to eject these fellows." he waited till there came a hail from the rifleman. "all clear, sir," he shouted. "them fellers has had a stomachful and has cleared." "then get below and make ready to open one of the gates. my lads," he said, addressing the troopers, who regarded their prisoners with no very friendly looks, "these men have thrown down their arms on my promise that they shall go unharmed. you will march beside them to the gate and stand about in case of a rally. pick up your wounded and killed," he called to the peasants. "you will march straight across to the gate, and will pass out without attempting violence. any man who disobeys will be killed instantly. let this be a lesson to you. go to your comrades and tell them that we are well able to defend ourselves, and that it would be better far for them and all if they left us alone. now, march." looking forlorn and frightened, and regarding the troopers with eyes which showed even now, though rather cowed, their hatred of them, the peasants picked up their comrades, of whom a number had fallen, and bore them to the gate. two minutes later they were gone, wending their way from the defences sadly, and in different spirit from that which had filled them a little while before. crash went the gate. howeley threw the bar into position and turned the key. "well done!" came from the window above in loud tones. "well done all of you!" glancing up, tom saw the jovial naval lieutenant waving eagerly to him, while close at hand was jack's grinning and perspiring face. he was actually shaking a fist at our hero. "lucky brute!" he growled in a voice so quaint, and with such queer grimaces, that even the french troopers could see the humour. "lucky brute to be able to hop about and take part in all these skirmishes. wouldn't i give something to be in your shoes." "and right well ye'd do, sir, begging pardon," came from andrews, whom the contest had worked up to a degree of excitement. "but it's well for us all that mr. clifford's here, begging pardon, sir." "well said," shouted mr. riley. "ah, i wish to goodness i could talk french! i'd make a speech in tom's favour. i'd call for cheers." "then here's three cheers fer mr. tom," came from andrews in bellowing tones, cheers in which the troopers joined lustily, for they fully understood the gist of what was passing. "and now?" asked mr. riley, wiping the perspiration from his face. "now, tom, after that precious near squeak?" "any damage done?" asked our hero at once. he ran his eyes over the troopers, and soon discovered that four had been wounded, though, fortunately, none of the wounds were severe. "then pitch those ladders up against the wall again and look about for a strong plank. we'll make a bit of a platform above, where we can post a few men. they'll be able to keep others of the peasants from trying the same game. how are things passing at the church door?" an inspection there proved that the enemy had retreated, though doubtless some of them were within the church. however, for the moment at least, the bulk of the mob had gone, and tom took advantage of the lull to make his preparations for feeding the defenders. the kitchen fire was soon roaring up the chimney, while outside, in the yard, there was another blaze. a trooper, booted and spurred, and stripped to his shirt, bent over a huge basin perched on a low wooden table, and sturdily pummelled a mass of dough. near at hand stood another, stripped like his fellow, thrusting his long moustaches upward toward his eyes. "_nom de nomme_, but this is soldiering!" he was saying to his comrade, as he added handfuls of flour from an open sack. "this is what a man can call campaigning." "eh? ah!" the other grunted. "_mais pourquoi?_" "hear him!" came the astonished answer, while the trooper held a floury hand aloft as if to show his amazement. "he asks why, when the reason is plain. _dites donc, mon fou_; is it so often, then, that we fight under the eye and command of an english _garçon_? poof! that is the charm of the thing. i tell you, yesterday i said to myself: 'pierre, you will be chopped to pieces before the sun comes up to-morrow. you and your comrades will be but mince meat.'" the man kneading the dough shivered and grunted his disapproval. "gently, comrade," he growled. "you will spoil the tart i am making. what then?" "what then? he asks what then? see here, _mon brave_, we have fighting, heaps of it, and it is the peasants--poor fools!--who are chopped to pieces. we have excitement and work fit for a soldier, i say, and, with it all, see also what we get. ah! i smell meat cooking, and here is something that we have not seen for many a long day." he went clanking his spurs across to a corner where the watchful howeley had deposited a huge jar of jam, and came staggering back with it. the two men took the pan from the low table, lifted the dough from it, and, having thickly dusted the table top with flour, laid their dough upon it. then came the task of rolling. "try that, mate," suggested howeley, who was now watching the proceedings with a grin of expectation. "wasn't meant for the job; but beggars can't be choosers." he offered the barrel of an old firelock, the butt and lock of which had gone, and the trooper took it with a flourish. dusting it well, like the table, he rolled the dough with the hand of an expert, and, having satisfied himself that his work was nearly finished, he pinched a corner from the dough and handed it to the rifleman. "try," he grunted. "real fine!" answered the cockney. "i'm waiting for this here pie to get finished." "then the jam, pierre." the second trooper let it fall from the jar into the species of basin which his comrade had now contrived within a shallow pan, and watched as the latter smoothed it down with a wooden ladle. on went the covering of dough, while the cook with skilled eye and hand marked the edges of the pie, dividing it into as many sections as there were defenders. "now," he cried, "to the kitchen with it. if we are to be cut to fragments this evening, at noon we will at least dine like gentlemen. take it, pierre, and see that you do not get it burned. then indeed would your punishment be terrible." such rejoicing as there was over that meal! divided into three separate messes, the defenders ate slices of frizzled ham in the recesses of the room above the doorway of the church. others again washed down the food with liberal allowances of the wine of the country, looking about them through the door opening above the gateway of the yard, while jack and mr. riley held a reception in the corridor from which windows opened into the yard, and there discussed the good things sent them with many a jest and laugh. yes, the spirits of the defenders were wonderfully buoyant. and why not? "why be miserable while we're alive?" asked jack, cramming a piece of that wonderful tart into his mouth; for, even if he were wounded, jack could still show a remarkably undiminished appetite. "first there's ham, and then there's jam," he sang, till another mouthful kept him silent. "indeed, why not be jolly?" chimed in mr. riley. "here we are all tight and weatherproof, as you might say. what's there to grumble at? but, seriously, how on earth is this matter to end? those peasants have drawn off for the moment; but will they retire from the contest for good? eh? now, sir, what's the answer?" tom flushed at being addressed in such a manner, and munched steadily at his food. but his deep-set eyes wore a far-away look which showed that he was thinking. "eh?" asked jack, prodding him with the prong of a broken fork discovered in the kitchen. "do we draw off as victors, receiving well-deserved promotion for this--er--this--shall we say, gallant action? or shall we, in fact----?" "be paid the compliment of appearing in the _gazette_ as 'missing'? my word, that would be hard luck after such a business! now, tom?" "more pie," said the latter deliberately. "whilst we live we'll eat. but who can say what'll happen? we've given those poor fellows a regular drubbing; but i don't believe they've done with us. i don't like this drawing off, and the silence we now have; it means mischief. i'd give a heap to know what they are up to." once the meal was finished, and the horses' wants seen to, the defenders of the place occupied themselves in a hundred different ways. some cleaned their carbines and burnished their scabbards; others indulged in the luxury of a wash at the pump in the yard; while tom, on whom the responsibility of everything depended, walked slowly from one end to the other of the defences. "i'd give a heap to be able to guess rightly what the enemy are up to," he said, for perhaps the tenth time, to andrews, who seemed to haunt his side. "one sees little or nothing of them." "next to nothing, sir," agreed the rifleman, with knitted brows. "but they ain't up to no good, i'm sure of it. you can see 'em come from the village at times and stare over here at us. then they'll disappear again, while boys and young men scuttle about, and carry armfuls of something that i ain't sure of at this distance. there's been knocking, too, in the church." "hum!" tom pondered over the information. he listened acutely, for he was just at the edge of the platform above the church door. but from that position, indeed from any position held by the defenders, it was impossible to look into the place. yes, there was knocking, coming from the interior of the church, and---- "i heard a heavy fall, as if stones had been dislodged!" he exclaimed. "come down below with me, andrews." they ran to the stairs, and scuttled down at their fastest pace. making their way along the corridor they were soon at the kitchen, and then entered a storeroom beyond. it had been ransacked by howeley and his helpers, and had provided an ample supply of good things. but it was not the contents of the room that interested tom; it was the wall, the party wall, on the far side of which was the church. "listen," he said. "there!" a glance at the rifleman's face was sufficient to show that he, too, had gathered the full meaning of those blows. "can't get at us by fair means, as you might say, sir," he grunted, "so they're agoing to break through the wall. it'll be a teaser to hold 'em if they once get through." "couldn't be done," agreed tom. "there's not room enough here for more than four men. we should be driven back into the yard, and, of course, an attack would be made in other quarters. it is a teaser!" his face was drawn and stern as he retraced his footsteps, and stopped to discuss the situation with mr. riley. "of course we could pile all the bales and boxes we could find against this side of the wall," he said. "but that would not help us; the peasants would pull them into the church. there's no way of blocking up the passage either, and the difficulty of the situation seems to be this: we have now another place to defend, and no men to spare for the work. i think we shall have to try a sortie." "or retire up here and hold on to the last," said the naval lieutenant, his face serious. "but they'd smoke us out, or burn the whole place over our heads. i know well the temper of such men as these. harmless enough as a general rule, but demons now that they are roused. they've suffered frightfully at the hands of the french, and they have made up their minds to retaliate in the best way they can. well?" "i'll see," answered tom shortly. turning on his heel, he went off with andrews, and clattered down the stairs to the yard. yes, there was nothing for it but to defend the upper story of the house, or---- "or make for the church again," suggested andrews, for our hero had spoken his thoughts aloud. "you could clear out those fellows who are working there in a twinkling, carry all the grub and wine in--and there you are, as good as ever you were, and better." "but with a wall still," said tom dryly. "they could come in here then, and knock the wall down just the same. we should have them pouring in through the church door and through this other opening. still, there's a lot in the suggestion. tell me, can you see anyone elsewhere than in and around the village?" they had mounted to the top of the house, and could obtain a clear view. both stared out in all directions, and kept silent for a few minutes. "heaps at the village, sir," reported andrews after a while. "a few here and there, watching the surroundings. no big body of them anywheres as i can see." "nor i; let's get below." as if bent on a purpose, tom led the way to the yard, and then dived into the stable. there were the two nags they had seen when first they established themselves in the place, contentedly munching at the hay with which a thoughtful trooper had provided them. tom pulled a door open and entered the cart shed. "good!" he exclaimed. "two of them--light carts too. call howeley and his men." the riflemen came plunging down at once, and stood at attention. "get the carts out and the horses harnessed in," tom ordered. "when that's done, load one of the carts with food. we shan't want water or wine, though you can take a small cask of the latter. don't overload. now you, my friend," he went on, addressing one of the troopers, "hurry to the rooms above, and bring down a mattress and some blankets. quick with it!" "you're going to--beg pardon, sir," began andrews, using his accustomed formula. "you ain't going to take french leave of them beauties! never!" his smile told of his delight, and of his agreement with the order. "take my compliments to mr. riley and your own officer, and help them both to descend," said tom. "when they are safely in the cart on the mattress i have ordered, and armed, andrews----" "yes, sir." "and armed with carbines, you get to the top of the building and look about you carefully. if all's clear, let me know. then slip down to join us. now, i'll collect the other men." very silently and swiftly did the troopers obey his orders. at an earlier date they might very well have demurred and hesitated, delaying, perhaps, to discuss the matter; for why should they give obedience to one who was, nominally at least, their prisoner? but tom had won their confidence, and that is a great thing where troops are concerned. they merely looked their surprise when ordered to repair to the yard and mount their horses, while the man posted over the church door bared his sabre, as if determined that no fault of his should allow a slinking peasant to mount secretly and discover the movement of the garrison. "wait till i call you," whispered tom. "then run down to the yard and mount your horse. you understand?" the fellow grinned at him, a grin of interest and friendship. "_parbleu!_ an enemy, he!" he grunted, spitting into the palm that gripped his sabre. "by all the fiends, but i, jacques, would welcome the english as brothers." the clatter of hoofs told of moving horses, or preparations down below. not that it was likely to disturb the enemy, for the horses moved often enough, particularly when being watered. men slipped silently from their defensive posts and crept into the yard, while a couple of brawny troopers bore the injured jack to the cart, smiling serenely at his angry protestations. "treat me as if i were a child," he growled, as tom came into hearing. "who said i couldn't walk?" "i'll leave you behind if you're a trouble," came the answer. "fiddlesticks, jack!" "or cut his diet down," laughed mr. riley, who already lay on the mattress placed on the cart. "that's it, my lad; cut his grub short. that'll make our jack less fiery. what's up?" "going for an airing," came the answer. "now, men," said our hero, addressing the troopers, who were mounted by now. "you'll fall in on either side of the carts, which will be driven by two selected by yourselves. spare horses will be led by others. if i have it reported that the coast is clear, we will throw the gates open and ride out. a sharp trot once we reach the road will take us away from the village. after that----" "after that, monsieur?" asked one of the men eagerly. "we will see. you are prisoners at this moment just as much as we are. if we get through, perhaps we'll call it quits. you'll ride for the army of france, and we for our comrades." that brought a grin of pleasure to the bronzed faces of the men. they would have cheered had not the need for silence been there. instead, they picked up their reins, and fell in on either side of the carts, waiting for the signal to open the gates. tom went back to the sentry he had posted over the church doorway. "all clear," was the report. "there is still knocking." "then get to your horse and mount. i am following." tom clambered once more into the yard, and looked up at the window which andrews occupied. "all clear," came the gentle hail. "then fall in--time we were moving." all were mounted within a minute, save howeley, who stood at the gates. "open," called tom. "open it is, sir," said the rifleman, throwing the gates wide at once. "forward!" steadily, and without sign of undue haste, the cavalcade rode from the yard into the open, leaving a place which, though it had revictualled them and offered excellent cover, might, were they to hold it longer, lead to disaster. they moved away into the open in regular order, the carts in their midst bearing their wounded and their supplies with them as became good soldiers. "trot!" commanded tom, and at the word the troop set their horses into faster motion, andrews at their head leading them off obliquely towards a point where the road was accessible. "hear 'em!" ejaculated jack, by no means dismayed, as a torrent of yells and cries came from the village and from a number of points about them. "they don't seem overpleased at our leaving." chapter x the great general marching from the building which had given them shelter, tom and his companions struck directly for the road that led away from the hills, andrews, in advance, standing in his stirrups so as to obtain a better view of his surroundings. jack watched operations from the mattress placed in the cart, on which he had been placed, a most unwilling prisoner, while the jovial naval lieutenant sat up, his back propped against the side of the cart, and surveyed matters generally from the standpoint of a man who is well satisfied with all that is happening. "couldn't be better, couldn't," he observed to the disconsolate jack; "and hark ye, me lad, for all your grousing i know that you feel the same. tom's done magnificently; few would have done as well." it was just what might have been expected of the amiable, if hot-tempered, jack that he should acquiesce warmly. "grandly," he agreed. "of course one wonders what one would have done oneself under the circumstances, and it's wretchedly unlucky being winged, and having to look on like a child." "better than being chopped to pieces at any rate," came the swift answer. "besides, we're not out of the wood yet. we've to get away from these mountains, and there's still that narrow valley through which we galloped on our way to the place where the real attack was made. i shall be surprised if we get through without meeting with more of the peasants." there was always that hazard, and as tom looked about him, riding at the tail of the procession, he was bound to admit that matters still looked gloomy. "there's no way out of the place but by the road," he said to howeley, who rode beside him. "of course we could abandon the horses and take to the hills, but then----" "wounded and stores, sir," came the respectful interruption. "couldn't be done, sir." "out of the question, i agree--so on we have to go. to turn the other way would take us back to the village, and then there wouldn't be any reaching the church or other fort as we have done. no, on we have to go. those peasants are following, and i see scattered groups about us." the wretched portuguese who had attacked the troop of horse had indeed taken many precautions to prevent their prey escaping them. not that the idea had occurred to them that tom and his men would have the audacity to leave a place that provided a fairly safe haven, and which in any case gave such shelter that more than once attack on the part of the peasants had failed. but, for fear of one of the troopers venturing to ride away for help, they had posted bands of their comrades round about the church, placing a number on the road, and causing others to march to that narrow part that shut in the wider portion of the valley, and through which fugitives must pass. for half an hour andrews led the cavalcade forward at a smart pace. he turned on reaching the road, and then pushed along it, the troopers clattering behind him, and riding on either side of the carts. suddenly his hand went up, bringing the procession to a halt, while tom galloped up to join him. "a hundred of the enemy in front, sir," the rifleman reported. "they seem to be blocking the road with a cart, and are stationed behind it." "while men are racing after us from the village," observed our hero. "looks ugly, andrews." "a hole, sir; but we've been in one as deep and deeper." "true," agreed tom; "and we'll climb out of this. let me have a look at them for a while. we'll move along again at a trot till just out of musket shot. by then i'll have made up my mind how to treat them." he rode on beside the rifleman, his eyes fixed upon the enemy in front. shouts came from the latter, while a number could be seen standing behind a cart which had been upset across the narrow road. at this precise point, in fact, the rugged hills on either side, hills for which portugal is notorious, converged abruptly, forming as it were a doorway to that end of the valley. the rocky walls ran along within thirty feet of one another for perhaps a hundred yards, and then suddenly broke away again, making the entrance to another valley. not that one could see the latter, for there was a sharp bend in the cleft between the hills. but tom remembered the surroundings. "ugly place," he told andrews. "looks as if the two hills were joined at one time, and then were broken apart. once through, we have a wide valley to cross, and then another place such as this, but shorter and wider. so if we manage this job we'll do the other. now for skirmishers." he swung round on the troop, and with a sign drew all the men toward him. then selecting eight men, whom he had noticed to be more active than their fellows, he spoke quickly to them, so that they and their comrades could hear. "listen, friends," he said. "behind us the villagers are coming up as fast as their legs can carry them. in front there is this obstruction. do as i order, and you will see that we shall quickly clear the peasants out. you eight men will divide, and four will go to either side. we are hardly within musket shot yet, so that i shall approach closer. when i signal, hand your reins to your comrades, take your carbines, and make off on to the hill. clamber up and along till you outflank those fellows opposite; then shoot them down. we will do the same from the front. understand?" "_oui, monsieur_," came in a chorus. "then on we go." tom led them forward at a foot pace, till bullets began to strike the road at his feet, and the distance was so short between the combatants that he could see the enemy easily. he came to a sudden halt and waved his hand. then, without waiting to watch the troopers told off for special duty, he called to the man driving the store cart to come forward. "dismount," he ordered abruptly. "now turn the cart and horse round. good! back the cart steadily towards the enemy. my lads, half a dozen of you will ride after the cart, shooting from behind its shelter. better still, let three dismount. there will still be enough men left to lead the horses, or you can hitch the reins to the second cart. yes, that will be better. let the whole six dismount; then, with the cart to shelter you, you will be able to do something with these people." a couple of minutes before, a casual glance at the troopers forming the escort to the two carts would have shown doubt on many of the sun-burnt faces; for the difficulty which confronted the fugitives both before and behind was great. that in front seemed almost insuperable, and, seeing it, more than one of the men wondered whether, after all, this was to be the end of their adventure, if here the peasants would hem them in and slaughter them. but tom's brisk orders and the novelty of his suggestions set them smiling. "_peste!_ but this englishman has brains," grunted one of them, swinging himself swiftly out of his saddle. "these portuguese peasants are pudding-headed beside him. one moment ago and i thought that the end was near, that i and strasbourg would see one another no more. now the path is easier for us--you will see these demons run." but that had yet to be proved. massed behind the upturned cart, and already pouring shot at the troopers, the band of peasants hooted and shouted in triumph. they hardly seemed to notice the eight troopers who broke from the ranks of the little procession; for at that moment the store cart was swung round, and the process of slowly backing it towards the enemy began. that operation attracted their whole attention, and soon bullets were thudding against the barrel of wine, tearing a way into the midst of the hams loaded on the cart, or smashing the jars of preserves which the excellent padre's housekeeper had set aside for him. some went to either side--for the peasants were not first-class shots--while others pelted underneath, passing between the legs of the horse, splashing against the road, and sending little spurts of dust into the eyes of the troopers. the latter made excellent use of the cover. two were bent double beneath the cart, and already their carbines were cracking sharply. a third lay on the stores, his head shielded by a wooden box which was filled with sugar, while the remainder walked on either side of the horse, leaning outward and firing whenever an opportunity occurred. tom called the remaining troopers about him, and bade them make ready for a charge. "once our fellows get on the hill above and outflank them we'll gallop forward," he said. "ride at the upturned cart. swing when you get near, and pass in behind. once we have those rascals moving we'll keep them on the run. so chase them right through to the valley, and there halt till we come up. ah! our boys are getting to work. there go their carbines." the attack was not one that could be made hurriedly, for a horse cannot be backed at a fast pace, and then the ground to be covered by the men sent to outflank the enemy was steep and difficult. indeed, had the peasants but posted a few of their own men on either hand they could have at once put a stop to such a movement. but it had never crossed their minds that tom and his men would force this natural gateway. they imagined that they would come to a halt, and that presently, on the arrival of their comrades from the village, the troopers and their english friends would be cut down to a man. that, in fact, was what would have happened had they delayed. but the flanking party scrambled rapidly into position, while the store cart advanced steadily and persistently, the shots from the troopers sheltering behind it causing havoc amongst the portuguese. tom allowed five minutes to elapse, and then, waving a sabre overhead, led andrews and howeley and the two or three troopers still remaining against the barricade. cramming his heels into the flanks of his horse, he sent him down the road at breakneck speed. swinging past the cart where the troopers were sheltering, he dashed at the obstruction behind which the peasants stood, and, swinging again, burst in on the far side. andrews and howeley followed with great dash, while the french troopers were not a yard behind them. and then began a furious struggle. men slashed desperately at them with scythes, others attempted to unhorse the riders, while a few dived in with the intention of killing the animals. but those swinging sabres beat them off. already the bullets of the attackers had had some effect, particularly the galling shots of the flanking party. for a moment the issue hung in the balance. then the men who had fired from behind the cart came up at a run, and instantly the peasants bolted, the three troopers and howeley galloping after them and keeping them on the run. perhaps two minutes later the blare of a trumpet was heard in front, and then the clatter of drums. while tom stared at the retreating peasants, and at the forms of his own men, some twenty or thirty gaily uniformed lancers rode into view, blocking the far end of the pass. the long lances were lifted from their rests as tom looked. the pennons fluttered, and then down came the points. a second later an officer rode to the front of these lancers. "ah!" gasped andrews, gaping at them. "_ma foi!_" growled one of the frenchmen at tom's elbow. "english--hooray, they're our boys!" came in high-pitched tones from the cart in which jack and the naval officer were accommodated, and which had been driven up to the scene of the conflict. upright on the mattress on which he should have been lying stood jack, wobbling badly, shrieking his delight at the top of his voice. as for mr. riley, perspiration covered his forehead and streamed down his face. he held out a hand as they came nearer, signalled to tom, and gripped his with a feeling there was no misunderstanding. "gallantly done, lad!" he cried. "you've pulled us out of the wood. the coming of the lancers has nothing to do with the matter, though it'll help to make things comfortable. boys, three cheers for mr. clifford!" they gave them with a heartiness there was no denying. french and english joined in the shouts till the rocky walls echoed back the cheers a hundred times. and then all became of a sudden quiet and sober. for those thirty lancers were followed by a hundred perhaps, bringing the fleeing peasants to a sudden halt and causing some of them to attempt the feat of clambering away on either hand. a minute later the ranks of the lancers opened, and through the open files came a number of horsemen. tom found himself watching their approach with something akin to fear, for mounted on a magnificent horse which led the procession was a tall officer of high rank without doubt, who rode through the muttering and beaten peasants as if they did not exist. a stern, clean-shaven face was turned in tom's direction, while the pair of deep-set eyes that flanked a wonderfully hooked nose peered out from beneath a cocked hat at the little band which our hero had led so successfully. it was wellington without a doubt, the general who had led our troops so brilliantly in the peninsula, who had seen fighting in many a place, and had won in far-off india a reputation there was no denying. it was the great lord wellington, and with him his chief of the staff, aides-de-camp, and other officers, a glittering throng, gold-braided and medalled, all silently observing tom and his little party. as for the latter, our hero was almost too astounded even to think, while his followers, conscious of the rank of those who looked at them, and indeed, of the presence of wellington himself, fell in just behind our hero, shouldered their weapons, and drew themselves up as became good soldiers. yes, british and french, at war with one another in the peninsula, but friends in this particular part of it, drew themselves up proudly, as men who had no cause to feel ashamed. slowly a smile swept across the face of the general. "i see," he said, so that all could hear. "we have here a little adventure worth hearing. who is in command of this party?" mr. riley pushed his way to the front, having clambered from the cart with difficulty. saluting the general, he pointed to tom. "that gentleman, sir, is in command," he said steadily. "and these?" asked the general instantly, indicating the french troopers, with a smile. "we were their prisoners till a few moments ago. we were taken at sea, landed in this neighbourhood, and taken off by a troop of cavalry. the peasants attacked us suddenly, the officers were shot down, and mr. clifford at once took command. i wish to report that he has behaved splendidly. he and the riflemen have been the life and soul of our party. but the troopers behaved most handsomely, and obeyed orders as if they were our men. it is a good story, sir." "and one we will hear," came the instant answer. "er, lieutenant----" "riley, sir." "ah, lieutenant, i'm pleased to meet you. we shall camp in this valley, and you will give me the pleasure of dining with me to-night and of bringing your comrades. mr. clifford, i think you said." the naval officer beckoned our hero forward and introduced him formally. then he took the general to jack's side, making him known also. as for andrews and howeley, they were beaming in a moment, for wellington did them the honour of shaking their hands, while smiles broke across the countenances of the french troopers when he halted before them. "you have an interpreter?" he asked mr. riley. "mr. clifford, sir." "then repeat what i say, if you please, mr. clifford. tell them i am delighted to hear that they have fought side by side instead of against us, and that they shall be well treated and their conduct reported to their own commanders. tell them that." tom promptly interpreted the words, causing the frenchmen to flush with pride. "and now for these wretched peasants," began wellington, turning to the spot where some fifty of the latter cowered, wondering what was to be done with them. "i presume it is much the same tale as we have had before? reprisals attempted because of the brutality of the french. hundreds of these poor fools against a handful of armed men. a sudden attack and a narrow escape. well, we'll sign to them to be off. there's no interpreter with us just now." "pardon, sir," burst in mr. riley. "mr. clifford speaks the language." "what? let me hear him." blunt and abrupt in speech, there was something kind nevertheless in the tones of the general, and at once tom went to the portuguese and told them they might depart. when he returned he found wellington looking at him with strange intensity. "you are a civilian, sir," he asked, "and speak french and portuguese?" "badly, sir, i'm afraid," smiled our hero. "also i can get along with spanish." "ah! and make yourself as well understood as in the other two languages?" "better, perhaps, sir. my relatives are spanish." "and you are a civilian and wish to remain one?" the eyes looking tom up and down so closely gleamed. did they twinkle ever so little? did this general, whose name was famous throughout many countries, guess at the martial spirit that filled tom's breast? if he did, no one could do more than guess the fact, for the features never altered. the eyes merely twinkled, and that ever so little. "a pity," said the general. "you would have made a----" flesh and blood could not endure such temptation. here was the opportunity of his life, and tom took it with open hands. "i'm meant for a stool in oporto, sir," he said. "but i'd give a heap to earn a commission." "come to dinner to-night," was the answer he received, while wellington swung his horse round and rode on through the ranks of the french troopers. but he did not forget our hero, for that very evening, after dinner was over, and the remains of the somewhat frugal meal in which he was wont to indulge had been removed, wellington called for candles with which to illuminate the headquarters tent, and then bade mr. riley tell the story of the adventure. then he swung round on tom and eyed him again in a manner that made the young man's heart sink to the depths of his boots. what wonder that the lad who had so bravely led the troopers should tremble under the gaze of wellington. for this famous general was no ordinary man. the clean-shaven, sharply-cut features showed a determination that was extraordinary and which of itself attracted attention. his short, jerky sentences, however kindly meant, had a way of alarming his juniors, while the severity of his features, his exalted rank, the tremendous responsibilities resting on the shoulders of this man, made him almost awe inspiring. tom had nothing to be ashamed of. officers of senior rank out there in the peninsula, and elsewhere, both before and after this historic conflict, trembled under the gaze of the brilliant tactician. then why not tom? but a smile crossing the face of the general reassured him. "so you were meant for a stool in oporto and found yourself a prisoner," began the general, putting down the glass from which he had just taken a sip of wine, "and seem to have fallen naturally into the life of a soldier. let me add, too, you have done wonderfully well. that i can gather even without the tale which lieutenant riley has given me. you have shown discretion and sharpness, sir. the army needs officers with discretion, and, i am proud to say, has them. she needs, too, officers who are linguists. more than all she wants officers able to speak one or more of the languages essential to this campaign, and who have in addition the capacity to command men. mr. clifford, my greatest difficulty in this campaign is that of obtaining reliable information. will you help me?" help a general! help wellington, the great duke who had defeated the french now on so many occasions! the bare suggestion made tom flush. but the gallant officer addressing him was serious enough. "come," he said. "i want an officer for special service. he shall be posted to my staff, and his special work will be to gather an escort of the natives of portugal or of spain about him. he will seek for information as to the movements of the enemy. he will make sudden raids where necessary, and if occasion suggests it he shall even enter the camps of the french and gather full tidings. it is a dangerous task. it may mean wounds or death. the danger of imprisonment is very great. also, if the duties be carried out with discretion and boldness, it means honour and promotion. mr. clifford, i am happy to offer you a commission as an ensign, unattached at present, to date from the day when you were taken by the french. my next dispatch home shall make mention of your name and of my wishes. to-morrow evening general orders shall confirm this offer, while the following evening shall see you promoted to lieutenant for this recent action. afterwards you will carry out the instructions which shall be handed to you. will you accept?" would he accept! would tom take the very thing for which he had longed, and become one of the king's officers! he jumped at the offer. his delight robbed him of the power of speech, so that he could only mumble his thanks. he retired, in fact, from the presence of the famous general with his head and brain in a whirl. "hearty congratulations," cried lieutenant riley, smacking him on the back as soon as they reached their own quarters. "we'll tell jack now. pity the pain in his leg sent him away from the general's before this happened. ha! we've news, jack." the ensign had retired early from the dinner, the excitement and movement of the last two days having set up inflammation in his wound, though in the case of the naval officer it seemed to have actually done his injury good. jack lay on a camp bed provided by the surgeon, blinking in the light of a candle. "eh?" he asked, glancing sleepily at them. "look out for squalls, my boy." "why? don't understand, sir." "you soon will," laughed mr. riley. "tom's an awful martinet, and he's your senior." it was all true enough, though our hero found difficulty in understanding the matter. for the very next evening found an announcement in general orders. there was a short, flattering reference to lieutenant riley and jack. and then the following words: "the commander-in-chief has pleasure in recommending that mr. clifford be granted a commission in his majesty's forces, for his action when in temporary command of the french troopers attacked by portuguese peasants. ensign clifford is posted to the headquarters staff." the following evening found a second announcement. "ensign clifford, headquarters staff, is recommended for promotion for gallantry in a recent action." "my uncle!" exclaimed jack, when he read the orders, "you'll be a full-blown general, tom, before i'm a captain. don't forget me, that's all. i'd look awfully fine in the uniform of a staff officer." "a general? why not?" tom asked himself as he rolled himself in a blanket. "i'm young, young for the rank of lieutenant. i'm in the midst of a glorious campaign. and owing to the fact that i can speak portuguese, french, and spanish i'm to be engaged on special service. why not a general one of these days?" he forgot to look on the other side. forgot, with the usual impetuosity and carelessness of youth, to reckon the risks to be run in achieving such honours. but then tom did not realize what was before him. to begin with, he reckoned without josé de esteros, his most unloving cousin, whom he imagined still in england. chapter xi on active service a crisp, cool breeze straight from the sea swept through the streets of oporto and fanned the brows of three horsemen who were riding in from the country about ten in the morning some six weeks after the events already narrated. a brilliant autumn sun shed its rays far and wide, causing white walls and pavements to flash back shafts of light which were almost blinding in their intensity, while the russet hues of the foliage looked wonderfully bright and enchanting. "oporto at last!" exclaimed one of the three horsemen, a youth dressed in the uniform of a staff officer. "at last!" "and none too soon," came from his companion, riding at his knee. "none too soon, tom, my boy. army rations are good enough when there's nothing else to be had, but give me the sight of a town now and again. there'll be dinners to be had, there'll be invitations galore to the houses of the big people, dances, fêtes, everything you can wish for or imagine." jack laughed uproariously, the happy laugh of a youth who is bent on pleasure, and who is ready to enjoy all that comes his way. for this was jack barwood, ensign, of the th rifles, attached for special service to lieutenant tom clifford's command. and the youth who looked so well in the uniform of a staff officer was none other than our hero. respectfully in rear of them, precisely three horses' length behind, rode the rifleman andrews, as erect as any cavalry soldier trained, his eyes glistening at the prospect of a rest in oporto, a bed to sleep in, and all the entertainment a city promised. "and work," interjected tom, when jack had finished speaking. "all play and no work makes jack a bad soldier. eh?" jack made reply by snatching at his sword and half-drawing it, while he glared at his comrade. however it was all fun, and only a symptom of good spirits. jack was now in clover; but for that chance meeting with our hero and the adventure which had followed he would have been along with his regiment, then scattered by companies, and his lot would have been very different. instead he was appointed for special service, than which there is nothing more eagerly sought by an officer. he was tom's right-hand man, his adviser if you like--though lieutenant riley smiled satirically when that was suggested--his adjutant when engaged with irregulars. jack had, in fact, in spite of his want of seriousness, been of great service to our hero. for, with the help of andrews, he had instructed him in the customary duties of an officer and had taught him more than a smattering of drill. "just enough to let you manoeuvre the irregulars you are to command," he had assured tom, with a laugh. "you can't expect always to carry out an adventure like that we passed through with nothing but cheek to help you. knowledge is wanted, my boy! i'll be the one to give it to you." one could hardly have imagined a worse instructor; but when it came to the point jack had proved an excellent fellow, and very soon, thanks to his tuition, tom found himself able to drill a company with ease, and to understand how a battalion could be manoeuvred. it took but a short while for him to grip other points particular to an army: how it was split up into divisions, consisting of so many brigades in each case, and how those brigades were made up of battalions, each, of course, boasting of a certain number of companies. as for a command, tom had not been long in finding one. "you will endeavour to enlist portuguese and spanish irregulars," the chief of wellington's staff had told him. "we leave it to you to suggest a plan; but, of course, your main work will be to seek out information concerning the enemy." "i'm wondering----" began tom that very evening, when he and jack lay beneath the same tent. "eh? don't!" came the facetious and grinning answer. "don't, my boy; your brain'll not stand it." "seriously, though," tom went on, ignoring his friend's good-natured raillery. "of course; you're always serious. well, you're wondering; and i'm wondering why you're wondering instead of getting off to sleep. it's a beast of a night, raining cats and dogs, and a chap needs to sleep to escape the blues." "it would do you good to be out with our pickets then," cried tom warmly, irritated by his friend. "i've a good mind to send you off with a message to----" that brought jack sitting upright with a jerk. after all, tom was his senior, ridiculous though it did appear, and if he carried out such a threat, why, jack must perforce obey, though such a thing as an order had never yet come from his friend. "you were wondering--yes," he jerked out hurriedly. "whether i should ride back to that village where we had that fight with the peasants. i'm ordered to enlist irregulars. i propose having a band here in portugal and one in spain, close to the border. we all know that the two peoples don't agree very well. there are continual jealousies between them; but they would work together on occasions. i propose going to that village to enlist the portuguese part of my command." the suggestion took jack's breath away and filled him with horror. "what! they'd tear you to pieces," he exclaimed. "it's madness. it's----" "i shall ride there to-morrow," said tom, cutting him short. "you can stay behind if you're nervous." and off they went, with andrews their only escort. riding into the village over the heaped-up mound which marked the spot where the peasants had dug a trench to arrest the french troopers, tom and jack were greeted most respectfully. none recognized in the handsome staff officer the leader of the troopers, nor in his smart brother officer the young fellow who was with him, and who had barely even now recovered from the wound inflicted. tom rode direct to the house of the mayor, and dropped from his saddle. and then had followed an exciting incident. when he spoke, the people recognized him. men rushed to the spot howling threats. weapons appeared as if by magic, and for a while it looked as if, in spite of their being english, the little party would be cut to pieces. but here again tom showed his mettle; not once did he betray concern. "i make no excuses," he said sternly. "what we did was forced on us; but i have come back to bury old scores and to offer a favour to you." his unconcern alone won him friends at once, while the memory of how he had treated those men who had descended to the courtyard and had been hemmed in there told in his favour. where a minute earlier men had shrieked at him, they now smiled and lifted their caps--more than that, many were eager to do service. thus it came about that within three days tom had as many hundred _cacadores_, or portuguese irregulars, drilling close to the british army, on ground specially allotted to them, while within six weeks he had set off for oporto for the special purpose of arranging for a similar party of spaniards. "it's work that you can look forward to, jack," he repeated, as they came to the outskirts of oporto. "i haven't ridden in here for the sole purpose of eating big dinners and dancing with all the fairest girls in oporto. i'm here on business, your business, the british army's business, and don't you forget it!" jack screwed his face up as if he were disgusted. "but," he began, "there'll----" "be time for fun--perhaps," agreed tom. "but business first. i shall ride direct for the house of juan de esteros and septimus john clifford & son." "of oporto." "and of london--wine merchants. don juan's my uncle; i'm looking forward to the meeting. wonder if he'll have news of the folks at home?" men stepped aside to look at the two young officers, lifting their caps; city people raised a cheer more than once as they recognized the uniform of a staff officer; while often enough a handkerchief fluttered from some window as tom and jack walked their horses through the city. there was abundant evidence, in fact, of the popularity of the british; and had our heroes cared for entertainment, and possessed the time, they could have spent a year passing from one hospitable house to another. everyone was glad to see them. everyone!--no. there was one exception, though he passed unnoticed amongst the crowds. a face peeped out from the window of a hovel that was squeezed in at the corner of a square which tom and jack were just entering, while the limbs of the owner of that face writhed and twisted incessantly. a thin, weak hand played with the corner of a weak mouth, while a scowl of hatred lined a narrow forehead. the young man--for he was but little older than tom--stretched out a little farther, so as to obtain a better view of the officers riding before him, and then ducked back out of sight. "tom clifford!" he hissed. "he in oporto! safe from the sea, and an officer! ah!" the scowl deepened, for the moment was a bitter one for josé. yes, it was josé de esteros, whom we saw last in london, the scheming vindictive nephew to whom john clifford had given a home for many a year, and who had rewarded his uncle after such a manner. it was the sneaking youth who had procured tom's impressment, and who had schemed and schemed so that, one of these days, he might become the head of the firm of septimus john clifford & son. it was, in fact, the ruffian who hoped to break through that old tradition of the firm owned by his uncle, and deprive it of the son who, following unbroken custom, should succeed. "tom clifford!" he gasped again. "an officer too! how? and in oporto! why?" a guilty conscience supplied the answer promptly. it was for his arrest that tom had come without a doubt, and here again was added injury. let us realize the position of affairs exactly. far from being sorry for the rascally action he had undertaken, josé vented the whole of his own displeasure on tom's unconscious head. he had always been jealous of our hero. he hated him now because of the failure of the wicked scheme which should have ruined him, and hated him still more because retribution and discovery had come so soon. indeed, tom had scarcely reached the ship after his impressment when huggins, john clifford's faithful clerk, had unravelled the conspiracy, and had compelled the ruffian who had captured him to admit the fact. and josé had had a near escape of being sent to prison; for with the unravelling of the conspiracy came the knowledge that he had robbed his uncle. but this wretched youth was as crafty as he was sneaking. swift to detect discovery, he had once more robbed his uncle and had departed. a ship sailing that very evening for oporto took him aboard, and within a week josé de esteros had presented himself at his uncle's, at don juan de estero's house, where the portuguese branch of the famous firm of septimus john clifford & son was established. and there he had remained for two months, giving it out that his cousin had run away from home, and that he, josé, had been sent to take his place. cleverly intercepting the frantic letters which john clifford wrote, josé kept up the deception till, one fine morning, the faithful huggins landed and appeared at the office. then josé ran again and hid himself in the hovels of the city. it was in one of these that he was located on the morning of tom's entry, engaged, one may be sure, in further rascally schemes which the unexpected arrival of his cousin at once gave zest to. "tom clifford here!" he again ejaculated, crouching behind the window. "then here's a chance to go on with the matter. because i failed once, it won't be for always; i've a splendid game before me." the shaking fingers went to his thin lips again, while his limbs writhed and seemed to knot themselves together. "i'll kill him!" josé hissed, as tom began to pass out of his vision. "yes, and i'll make use of the information which don juan gave me. ha, ha! it makes me smile. he took me into his confidence. told me of his riches, of the wealth his son would have. he's my cousin too, like tom. why shouldn't i have their share from both sides of the family?" the pale features of this half-spaniard wrinkled into a smile that was more sardonic than anything. the thin, writhing fingers played about the corners of his mouth, while the pair of bright and somewhat protruding eyes which a second before had been fixed upon the stalwart form of andrews, then the only one of the three horsemen remaining visible, lost themselves in a vacant gaze. in those few following seconds josé saw himself powerful and rich, head of a prosperous old firm, a partner of the business in the place of his cousin tom, successor to his uncle juan's riches. let us turn from the contemplation of a youth so devoid of all that was pleasant and taking--josé was born with a kink, a moral kink, if you will--let us leave him with it and follow tom and his comrade. but in doing so let us remember that though josé might be weak, he was yet a force to be reckoned with, a force, had tom but known it, likely enough to come between him and those much-cherished ambitions. josé might easily intervene between the gallant and handsome staff officer whom he called cousin and that post in the army to which youthful good spirits and assurance caused him to aspire. "the way to the house of septimus john clifford & son, _señor_," answered a man of whom tom made an enquiry. "there are few in this city who do not know the name and the house. pass directly on till you enter another square, then turn to the left, descending toward the water. the house is on the right, some little distance down." there it was at last. jack pulled in his horse at the sight, while his estimation of our hero went up a little. for to the high and mighty jack trade was trade, something at which he was rather wont to turn up his nose. it was purely ignorance of the world that made him do so; for to do him but justice the young ensign was no snob. and here he found himself in front of an enormous range of buildings, with warehouses and stores running right down to the water. over the main building flew the flag of england, with that of portugal close beside it, while a board of modest proportions announced the fact that this was the home of septimus john clifford & son. tom slid from his saddle, handed his reins over to andrews, and went striding up the steps of the building, his sword and sabretache swaying at his side. a very gallant figure he cut too as he entered the office and enquired for don juan de esteros. "what name?" he was asked. "say a british officer," he responded, and presently was ushered into a handsomely furnished office. a little man, bearing traces of obvious ill health, rose from a chair, and at once advanced with hand cordially outstretched. "this is an honour," he said in broken english, mingled with a word of portuguese. "to what do i owe the visit? what can i do for you, sir? but surely----" as he gripped tom's hand he peered through his spectacles into his face, while a flush suddenly suffused his own olive complexion. "i am your nephew," said our hero abruptly, speaking spanish and smiling at his uncle. "very much at your service." a shout escaped don juan. he went to a door leading from the back of the room and called loudly. a minute later a familiar figure burst into the room and rushed at tom. it was septimus john clifford himself, fatter than ever perhaps, rosy-faced, but active. the meeting between father and son can be imagined. they gripped hands and stood staring at one another for perhaps five seconds. "well!" at last john gasped, standing away from his son. "a handsome figure you cut, tom. a soldier, eh?" "on general lord wellington's staff, sir." "and mighty well you'll do, sir," came the answer. "mighty proud i am of you. i've heard the tale. it's barely thirty hours since i set foot in portugal, and who should i meet but lieutenant riley, who was just about to embark for england. we dined together. he talked, sir. yes, he made me feel proud. tom, the business can still be carried on with one of its partners in the army. i'm proud of you, lad." septimus john clifford had a long tale to tell his son, and it was half an hour later before our hero recollected that he had left jack waiting outside. by then he had learned all that had happened during his absence from england. how josé's cruel conspiracy had been discovered. how in course of time a report had come through the admiralty telling of tom's impressment, of the action at sea, and of his behaviour. and then had followed silence. the ship on which he should have reached oporto failed to put in an appearance. reference to the french failed to discover news, and john clifford was reduced again to the depths of despair, imagining that tom had gone to the bottom of the sea with his comrades. "then there was the case of josé, your cousin," he said severely. "he acted like a hound all through, and but for huggins would have done us further injury. imagine the duplicity and cunning of the rascal. he presented himself to your uncle here as your successor. he wormed himself artfully into his regard, intercepted all our letters, and finally bolted, having once more stolen all that he could lay his hands on. the news of his vileness brought me out here, and contrary winds delayed me till the night before last. then, and only then, did i hear of you, my boy, and of all that you have been doing." he stood away from our hero again and inspected him with obvious pride, while don juan peered through his spectacles at the young staff officer whom he called nephew. "a fine soldier, john," he ventured. "a good leader, by all accounts." "and come here to let us see him. what brought you, sir?" asked john. "business," said tom crisply. "but let me call in my friend and adjutant. we have business with don juan." the meeting with jack was most cordial, and presently all four were seated in the office. "now," said don juan. "we came to ask for your help," began tom. "if it's money you want, lad, as is only natural, why you shall have plenty," burst in john. "it's men," answered our hero. "i want to raise a small force of spaniards, and i want also a leader to act under my orders, on whom i can at once rely." it was wonderful with what enthusiasm the two older gentlemen received this information. don juan pulled off his glasses and then pushed them back again on to his nose. he got up from his seat and paced backwards and forwards, and later suddenly faced the two officers. "you want a command composed of spaniards; i can lay my hand on such a force," he said. "alfonso, my son, is now in spain, within easy distance of madrid, and, were i to command him, could raise a force there. but the men of the towns are not to be relied on. for guerrillas you could have none better than the mountaineers living on the frontier between spain and portugal." "just so," agreed tom promptly. "hardier and braver, sir." "precisely," came the answer; "and with this, added to their natural feelings of patriotism, they will be led by the son of the man on whose estate they work, and will have in supreme command that son's cousin, a british officer on the staff of no less a person than general lord wellington himself." the little man skipped about the room in his enthusiasm, and forgot for the moment the decorum usually expected of a sedate business man. he snapped his fingers in his glee, and winked and blinked at tom and at the company generally through his glasses. "alfonso shall call them up and command them," he cried; "tom clifford, of the firm of septimus john clifford & son, shall be in supreme command. how's that for an arrangement? no trouble about pay either, tom. i'll see to that; i've abundance with which to pay every one of the following." the suggestion almost took septimus clifford's breath away. the stout little head of the old and extremely respectable business firm looked across at the jubilant little man, who for many a year had conducted the affairs of the firm in portugal and spain, as if he considered him mad. he gasped for breath, polished his bald head with a huge silk handkerchief of brilliant red colour, and blew heavily, puffing out his cheeks. "what!" he exclaimed, pointing a fat finger at don juan. "you will place a force at tom's disposal. you will call up the men on your estate, and will put your only son in command." "why not, sir?" don juan flashed out the question, and then smiled at his partner. "why not? a pretty person you are, to be sure! you ask in one breath whether i will do this thing, knowing that my country is overrun by france, yet in the previous breath you sing praises because your only son, the son who should represent the firm, is on lord wellington's staff. moreover, you gloated horribly over the details of the fighting in which he took a prominent part, and which were given you by that naval officer." a condemnatory finger was pointed at septimus john clifford. don juan regarded him severely for some moments, and then smiled and snapped his fingers. "come," he said; "the affairs of our business lose significance when compared with the dangers of this country and the efforts of your soldiers. tom asks for spanish irregulars; he shall have them. he asks for a commander; alfonso is the lad. eh? you don't dare deny it." septimus did not. in his heart he was delighted, and, like the sensible, long-headed man he was, he promptly sat down to discuss ways and means. as for tom and jack, they spent three days in the city, and then, accompanied by a guide, set off for the spanish frontier. "you will be met there by alfonso," said don juan. "i have sent a man across to him, and he will be at the estate as soon as you are. here is a letter for him, and you will find that he will give you every assistance, and will fall into this scheme with eagerness." some three days later found our two heroes at the estate belonging to don juan, where they were joined a day later by alfonso. he rode up on a big mule, and dropped from his saddle at the porch of the house. a fine, frank young fellow he proved to be. "glad to meet you, señors," he cried. "which is my cousin?" "you speak english?" asked tom, when the greetings were over. "not a word; but portuguese, of course." "then jack must hurry up with his lessons," grinned tom; for his adjutant, with that perverseness common to many english lads, hated languages. too full, perhaps, of insular pride, he imagined that his own tongue should carry him everywhere, and that foreigners should promptly contrive to add english to theirs, rather than that he should be bothered to master any language beyond his own. a perverseness, one may call it, a perverseness that gives the foreigner an enormous opportunity, and in these days of easy transit and of broadened interests, is telling against the englishman. the polyglot britisher of to-morrow will advance better and farther than will the man of to-day who is ignorant of all other languages than his own. however, jack was not the one to be stupid, and, indeed, for quite a while had been struggling with french, portuguese, and spanish. the four weeks which followed were busy ones for the three young fellows. first the men of the estate had to be called up, together with others living in the neighbourhood. "we want three hundred, so as to match those in portugal," said tom. "it will be as well also to have a reserve, who can go on training in our absence. i shall do the same with the men we have raised in portugal, and, as it seems that the two forces are at this moment separated by only some fifty miles, there will be no need to move nearer. but we must enlist the help of men living between us. it will not be difficult to devise signals, such as fires on the hilltops, which will warn either party or will summon one to join the other." the end of the month found alfonso's particular command sufficiently trained for active work. no large amount of drill was given them; but they were able to perform simple movements, and, at jack's suggestion, worked at the call of a whistle. one long call would see their bivouacs broken, their knapsacks swung over their shoulders, and each man in his place in the ranks, his musket at his shoulder. consisting of three hundred men, they were divided into companies a hundred strong, for each of which a reliable leader was found. moreover, tom had no fault to find with the formation when those companies were drawn up for inspection. "smartness on parade is all very well, and good for discipline," he said, whereat jack grinned his approval, "but it won't win engagements, and the engagements we are likely to be in don't require rigid lines. try 'em with two long whistles." alfonso had barely given the signals when the companies broke up as if by magic and re-formed at once into small squares, with some fifty paces between them. "for cavalry," said jack, approval in his voice. "if they've courage, and will stand fast, cavalry will have little terror for them. if they break----" "every man would be cut to pieces, _señor_," said alfonso. "that is a thing they know. i trust soon that we may have an opportunity of testing their courage." it happened that such an opportunity came almost instantly, on the very morning when tom and jack were to return to portugal. a couple of french squadrons burst suddenly upon the little command when engaged at drill, and galloped down upon them. for one moment there was confusion in the ranks; then tom's cheery voice was heard, while alfonso sounded his whistle. "get to the farthest square," tom shouted at jack. "i'll take the centre with andrews, while alfonso goes to the third. our presence will hearten the men." clapping spurs to their horses' flanks they galloped to their posts, and, dismounting within each square, turned to face the enemy. "hold your fire till i shout," commanded tom. "let those who are kneeling reserve their fire till the men standing above them have opened upon the enemy. have no fear, boys--double that strength of the enemy could not harm you." but in spite of his assurance he had some qualms. other guerrilla forces composed of spaniards had thought to do well, and had faced french cavalry; but they had broken at the critical moment, and had been sabred to a man. would these fine fellows follow suit, or would they stand firm? ah! a man at one of the corners rose from his knees and looked wildly at the enemy. he dropped his musket as if it had stung him, and then, doubling up as if he were a hare, set off from the face of the square. "halt!" tom bellowed. "you will be shot if you do not stop. let the three men at the corner aim at him and fire if he does not return instantly." there came a growl from many of the men. two or three looked as if they might follow the bad example set them. then there was a sharp report, followed by the fall of the coward who had bolted from the square, and who had been deaf to tom's orders. "form up there in the corner," he commanded, severely. "you see what happens to a man who deserts his comrades. let it be a lesson to all. make ready to fire; stand firm. we shall beat them." let those who have not tested the experience imagine what nerve it must require to stand shoulder to shoulder in the open and see a horde of horse and men galloping down upon you. the animals take on a stature wonderfully enlarged--they seem even more ferocious than their riders--sabres whirl and appear to stretch far in advance, so as to reach easily an enemy. the situation brings for the instant a feeling of helplessness, one calculated to disturb the courage of the boldest. would tom's little command and the men massed in the other squares be proof against such an ordeal? "charge!" the loud command from the leader of the french squadrons sent a flood of men and horse madly down upon them. chapter xii guarding the by-ways grouped together in three separate squares, tom's spanish command awaited the onset of the french horse, each man gripping the musket supplied to him by his british allies, and, in the case of those in our hero's own particular square, awaiting his orders before discharging the weapon. nor had the lesson of the shooting of the man who had fled from the ranks been lost on his comrades. there may have been others inclined to show cowardice; but such a salutary example checked them. "kneeling rank make ready!" shouted tom, when the eyes of the oncoming troopers were visible. "fire!" a storm of bullets sped from the square, while the company nearest opened on the enemy at the same moment. "reload!" bellowed tom, peering through the smoke. "now those who are standing take aim. fire!" the volleys rang out in rather quick succession, and were followed at once by the ring of ramrods. and all the while there came to the ear the thunder of horses' hoofs and the shouts of excited men. tom saw through the billowing smoke a number of dark figures which flashed past the square as if borne on a gale. a few of these same figures seemed to struggle against the current that bore them, and then, as the smoke blew aside, and one could see better, they appeared as individual troopers or officers who had reined back their horses. then with loud and angry shouts they dug spurs deep into the flanks of the gallant beasts they rode, and, swinging their sabres, dashed madly at the nearest face of the square. "ready!" shouted tom. "fire individually. keep them at a distance." once more there was a sharp fusillade; while, to the consternation of more than one of the men, bullets from the adjacent square, aimed no doubt at the enemy, swept overhead, narrowly missing friends. as for the french, foiled in this their first attempt, they drew off and re-formed at a distance. tom at once climbed into his saddle and rode out to alfonso's square. "bravely done, men!" he called out, reining in close at hand. "i see you did some execution; but you must be careful next time with your bullets. you sent a number just over our heads. now, alfonso, draw off your men by squares till we reach that broken ground. if we march as we are you will lead the way; jack will come next, and my little lot will act as rearguard." he rode across to jack's company and congratulated them also. then he rejoined his own men, while alfonso set the whole command in motion. taking care to keep the distances between the companies, the whole force marched away from the french, till a shout and a shrill whistle from the young spaniard commanding the force caused all to halt. looking over his shoulder, tom saw that the frenchmen were advancing again, and at once drew his own men compactly together. "remember that you are acting as the rearguard, and bear yourselves accordingly. obey my orders and you will come out of the conflict victoriously. let each man wait till he gets the word to fire." it was as well, perhaps, that the men had had some previous experience of fighting; and though this was actually the first day on which they had come in conflict with the enemy, the recent charge of the french, and the manner in which they had been driven away, had heartened them wonderfully. even so, this second occasion proved a greater ordeal for tom's own particular company; for the french seemed to have decided to hurl all their weight on one square, with the object of defeating the three companies in detail. drawing in their ranks now, they set their horses at tom's square with an impetuous dash that elsewhere had sent spaniards fleeing. once more tom saw the commander stand in his stirrups, fling his sabre overhead, and yell the command to charge. then the mass came forward at speed, looking as if they would ride over the square and stamp every living man there out of existence. crisp and cool came tom's orders. "kneelers, fire!" he bellowed. "now, those standing--reload!" very rapidly he had altered to a slight degree the formation of the square, throwing the corner at which the french attack was aimed farther outward, making the angle, in fact, much sharper, and so enabling more men on either face to take effective aim. the flash of the muskets was answered at once by shrieks and shouts, and by the neighing of horses. men fell from their saddles, maddened beasts crashed to the ground, rolled over, and lay frantically plunging. then the bulk of the enemy, hit hard by the second volley, swept past the square like a torrent, and galloped away to a distance. tom at once stepped outside the square, and, with the help of a couple of the men, liberated a trooper who was pinned beneath his horse. "there, _mon brave_," he said, with a smile, "go to your commander and tell him not to make the attempt again; these spaniards are well able to look after themselves." to his amazement the man clutched him by the hand and then grinned widely. looking closely into his face, beneath its thatch of ruffled hair, tom recognized one of the troopers who had helped to defend the church, and promptly shook his hand eagerly. [illustration: "to his amazement the man clutched him by the hand"] "_ma foi!_ and so soon," gasped the fellow. "see, monsieur, a little while ago, two months perhaps, you and i and the others do our best to cut the throats of a common enemy. now we would cut one another's. truly war is a farce, and here am i your prisoner, whereas you were mine but a while ago." the absurdity of the change tickled the man, and, though shaken by his fall, he laughed uproariously. then, aided by tom again, he clambered into the saddle borne by another horse resting beside its slain master, and rode away, thanking tom profusely. nor was that the last seen of him, for almost before alfonso had put the three companies in motion again half a dozen frenchmen were seen to be spurring towards them. one detached himself then from the number, and presently was seen to be the officer. fearless, as were these french cavalrymen, he rode right up to the squares, lifting his hat as he came. "monsieur," he began, addressing alfonso, while the spaniards in the ranks gazed at him open-mouthed, "have i the honour of addressing monsieur tom clifford?" alfonso at once pointed to our hero, for he understood the language. then once more, when the officer had arrived at the last of the squares, he repeated his question. "at your service, capitaine," replied tom. "the monsieur tom clifford who defended the church against those _canaille_ of portuguese, and commanded french troopers?" tom bowed. "the same," he said. "glad if i was of service." "then permit me to apologize for this attack," came the answer, while the french officer swept his hat from his head again and bent over the pommel of his saddle. "the tale of that fighting of monsieur, and of the command he took, has gone through the french army. napoleon himself, the emperor, has heard and commended. monsieur, we fight with the british, and with these _canaille_ of portuguese and spanish; but we do not fight with monsieur. i have the honour to observe that, though i have strong reinforcements at hand, i shall retire, trusting that you will do so also. to fight with such a friend is not _comme il faut_." off went the hat again. the officer saluted, while tom returned the compliment. and then the officer was gone. they watched him ride away with his command, and saw some five hundred other troopers join him. they never renewed the attack, but, clapping spurs to their horses, rode away out of sight, magnanimously declining to fight against our hero. "and a jolly lucky thing for all of us!" declared jack, when the men were back in their bivouacs, and had broken their ranks. "our fellows did grandly, and are wonderfully heartened at their success; but they realize, just as we realize, that an attack by the whole force of cavalry would have overwhelmed us. wonder how our portuguese fellows would have behaved under similar circumstances. wish we had had them here and put them to the test." but jack need have had no fears that the command generally would not soon be engaged, for that very evening brought a galloper in from headquarters. tom tore open the official envelope, and read the contents with gusto. "to lieutenant t. clifford," it went. "you will report at once at headquarters, and will take steps to concentrate your command on the frontier. this message is urgent." "then off we go!" tom cried eagerly. "alfonso, you will march your men to the frontier to-night, and will bivouac wherever suitable. march at dawn again, till you have covered some thirty miles in all, then halt and wait for our signals. jack and i will be off at once." that was the best of youth and energy. it carried the two young fellows away at once, with andrews in attendance. nor did they halt till darkness compelled them to do so. rapping at the door of an isolated farm, they were welcomed at once, leaving after a refreshing sleep at the first streak of dawn. the following evening found them at headquarters, where tom at once reported himself. "ah, you have come quickly!" was his greeting from the chief of staff. "now, mr. clifford, i will see if his lordship can receive you." in the course of a few moments our hero found himself once more in the presence of the great general, who greeted him with a smile. "been defending any more churches, or commanding other frenchmen?" he asked, with a quizzing smile that became downright laughter when he saw how tom was blushing. "now, confess." tom had already reported the raising of the spanish force, and lamely admitted that they had been engaged with the enemy. "we beat them off twice, sir," he said. "then they received reinforcements, and matters would have been ugly." "ah, would have been!" smiled the general. "how did they clear up, then? you had an agreement with the enemy?" "i met a friend," admitted our hero, with rising colour; "one of the troopers who helped to defend the church. then the officer came forward and told us to move off, and declined to fight further." "and a gallant fellow he was, too!" laughed wellington. "however, you cannot always hope for such fortune, though i congratulate you on the behaviour of your spaniards. how i wish all would act likewise, instead of being for the most part wholly unreliable! but now for a mission--it means danger." tom drew himself up and saluted. "quite so, sir," he said cheerfully. "it is a species of forlorn hope; discovery means death." "what are the orders, sir?" asked tom respectfully, never flinching. "and success means much to me. i want reliable information as to the defences of ciudad rodrigo. i rely absolutely on the discretion of the officer i employ, for my intention of attacking that place must never be guessed at. i want that information, and i want to learn how it is that certain of our secrets have reached the enemy. there, mr. clifford; i give no orders; volunteers alone undertake the forlorn hope." "then i volunteer now, sir," exclaimed tom promptly. "am i to make what use i like of my men?" "you are to dispose them so as to prevent anyone entering or leaving ciudad rodrigo without observation," came the sharp answer. "good evening, mr. clifford!" our hero saluted with precision, turned about with the smartness that became a soldier, and hurried away. "well?" asked jack, all eagerness. "let the men make ready for an early start. draw rations and ammunition for a couple of weeks; i'll be back in an hour." tom swung himself into his saddle and rode away to the outskirts of the cantonments; for the troops were now in winter quarters, and already the weather had been severe. "now, how's it to be done?" he asked himself. "i've to get into ciudad rodrigo, which i know swarms with french soldiers, and i am to intercept messages that appear to be going to the enemy. how's it all to be done?" walking his horse well away from the vicinity of the troops, he thought the matter out, and returned to his own command just as darkness was falling. "let the men eat," he said abruptly. "we will march when darkness has fallen, and so attract no attention. there may be people about watching our troops." it was two hours later when the men fell in at jack's whistle. they marched from the cantonments in absolute silence, each man bearing rations and ammunition on his shoulders, while still more was carried in a couple of carts. taking a track that led to the mountains, and being guided by one of the men who knew the ground intimately, the little force marched steadily forward and upward till they were well within a deep fold of the ground that entirely hid them from their late comrades. not that there was much chance of their being seen, for it was now very dark. but their signals might have attracted attention, and, if news were being taken to the enemy, tom was wise enough to know that those who sent it must be somewhere in the vicinity of our camps. "we'll take every precaution to bamboozle 'em," he told jack, with whom he had discussed matters. "they're hardly likely to notice our absence from the camp; for portuguese irregulars were encamped beside us, and drew rations with us. then, if they haven't seen us move off, and don't see our signals, we shall be in a position to lay a snare to catch any who may be making for ciudad rodrigo. now for a couple of fires." two flares were lighted almost at once, and, having been allowed to blaze for a few minutes, were stamped out again. almost immediately an answering fire was seen right away above them. an hour or more later alfonso put in an appearance with his command. "we'll march directly up the valley, the portuguese going first," said tom. "then we'll camp for the night. to-morrow we can introduce the men and make our plans for the future." "what's the work?" asked jack, whose interest and curiosity were keen. "special orders?" "yes, there's news getting into ciudad rodrigo." "ah! not surprised. we've heaps of loafers always round our camps, and a sly fellow might easily pick up information and take it to the enemy. you'll hunt round ciudad rodrigo, i suppose?" "no," declared tom abruptly. "i shall watch the outskirts of our camps. if a man leaves, he will be followed. if he comes in the direction of ciudad rodrigo, the information will be signalled to you. you will arrest and search him." "i? you mean that you will," exclaimed jack, for he was ever ready to concede the post of leader to his chum. "no; you." "but," began jack, "why not you?" "because i shall be in ciudad rodrigo." "in the town, behind the defences! that's risky, ain't it?" asked his friend. "orders," declared tom light-heartedly. "i'm telling them to you in confidence. see here, jack. wellington has given us a nice little job, and we've to pull ourselves together and carry it out; information of our troops' movements is leaking out, and wellington wishes to keep them very secret; for he intends to take ciudad rodrigo by assault. we've to cloak his movements by capturing all talebearers, and we've to get inside knowledge of the defences of ciudad. got it?" jack had. he pondered for a little while, and then approached the subject again. "how'll you fix the men?" he asked. "it's cold; there's been snow already." "then we must find quarters for all. i shall divide the force up, putting a hundred portuguese in this neighbourhood, a hundred farther on, and the remainder spread away on the mountains, so that every pass is under observation. it will take a few days to fix matters, and then we shall really begin our work." they lay down in their blankets that night, the two halves of the force, portuguese and spanish, being divided. early on the following morning, when a meal had been cooked and eaten, the men were formed up, the two separate bands facing one another. tom harangued them, telling the portuguese how the spanish half had conducted itself under the fire of the enemy, and how they had resisted an attack by cavalry. to the spaniards he spoke of the hardihood of the portuguese, and their courage, though he omitted to mention the circumstances of the attack they had made on the church. then he spoke of their mutual interests, and having called upon all to do their best, he dismissed the men for half an hour. "let them get together and compare notes," he said. "it will make fast friends of them," agreed alfonso. "you must remember that my men live right on the frontier, and yours also, so that they all speak a patois which is understood by the people in these parts. let them talk. the fact that they have a british staff officer in command, with another to help him, and two british riflemen, will help not a little." when the force moved off again there was no doubt that the men had fraternized wonderfully. to look at them there was very little difference in their appearance. all were well-built, hardy fellows, with fresh complexions, showing that they were accustomed to an open-air life. short for the most part, they displayed wonderful activity, and were evidently at home in the mountains. it was three hours later when tom halted the force, and let the men fall out to eat and rest. "here's where we place the first lot of our outposts," he told jack, pointing to some cottages lying under the brow of a rise. "those are deserted, and will shelter our men well. andrews will stay with them; for he has learned a little of the language. we will give them a share of the rations, and then push on. i have already given andrews his orders. he is to post his men, half at a time, on every height commanding the roads from our camps, is to capture all who come this way, and, if a number are seen, is to signal by lighting a fire." "and what happens when he's captured a man?" asked jack. "he sends him along to us." "but you said 'you' a little while ago," jack reminded him, with a grin. "us at first, you afterwards," said tom ambiguously. "i dare say that puzzles you; wait till we catch a fellow and you'll see." three days later saw the whole of the force disposed, and when tom and his two lieutenants reviewed the posts, they could not help but agree that they controlled all the roads communicating with ciudad rodrigo, and likely to be used by anyone leaving wellington's camp. it was a week later when news reached our hero that a capture had been made. he was then within sight of ciudad rodrigo, hidden on a height from which he could look down at the fortress and town. some six hours later andrews arrived, having left his brother rifleman in charge of the post. "well?" asked tom, as the man drew himself up and saluted. "captured a ruffian coming through our way early this morning, sir." "and searched him?" "found these papers on him, sir. he did his best to get away, and when he saw we were bound to capture him, tried to destroy the papers; but our lads were too quick for him." "where is he?" asked tom. "bring him forward." a rough, broad-shouldered individual was ushered into his presence between an escort of four of the portuguese, and stood scowling at tom. "portuguese?" asked our hero. "no." "then spanish?" "no," came again the curt answer. "then what?" "spanish father, portuguese mother. by what right do your men interfere with me?" tom ignored the question, and carefully investigated the papers andrews had placed in his hands. there were a couple of rough maps, showing the british cantonments occupied by wellington's troops, and a few lines of writing, drafted in a clear, good hand, and telling of the suspicion of the writer that wellington was preparing to attack ciudad rodrigo. "you have been then to ciudad before?" asked tom severely. "that's my affair," came the rough answer. "and you call yourself a patriot? who were these papers to be taken to? there is no address on the envelope." a smile of triumph, and then a scowl, crossed the ill-favoured face of the man. it was obvious that he meant to give no information. "take him away," commanded tom. "mr. barwood, put the prisoner up against that rock, and shoot him five minutes from now. choose four of the men to carry out the sentence. there is not one who will not willingly obey and help to shoot a traitor." he repeated the words in english to the astonished jack, and then turned away abruptly. but a moment later a cry brought him facing round again, to discover the renegade on his knees, begging for his life. "i will tell all," he wailed. "then speak, and take care that it is the truth, for you will be kept here for a while, and shot if we have doubts. now, you have been to ciudad rodrigo before?" the man shook his head emphatically. "for whom were the papers intended?" "for the general in command. but i was to deliver them to one who lives at a cabaret in the street of st. angelo, and who would answer to the name of francisco." "and then?" "i was to seek a lodging at the far end of the town, wait for a letter, and then return." "to whom?" asked tom curtly, while the men about strained their ears to hear what was passing. "to my employer, _señor_." "and he is----?" "one whom i never met before. he lodges in a house in oporto, and there i met him. his name i never heard. he is young and thin and dark. that is all i can tell you." tom stood thinking for a while, and then walked to a distance with jack barwood. "well?" he asked. "what would you do?" "send along to oporto," declared his adjutant. "get hold of this employer." "and what about these papers?" asked tom. "i'd dispatch them to headquarters." "quite so; and then?" "then?" asked jack, a little troubled. "then i'd set the watch again and see if i could catch others." "good!" agreed tom. "we'll do all that. alfonso shall take a party to oporto, carrying this fellow with him, with orders to scare him if he shows signs of lying. you shall send the papers to wellington, with an explanation i shall write, and then i----" "yes?" gasped jack, conscious that his friend had all the while been leading up to the declaration of some plan. "i shall borrow this fellow's clothing. i'll write up a yarn which will do just as well as his papers, and then i'll seek out the owner of the cabaret in the street of st. angelo, the man known as francisco, and there discover all that there is to be learned with regard to ciudad rodrigo." it was a daring scheme to attempt; but then tom had his orders. the following morning, in fact, found him stripped of his handsome staff uniform, and dressed in the clothes of their captive. he bade adieu to his comrades, went off down the height, and some two hours later was seen accosting the outposts placed by the french about the fortress. jack and his friends, watching from above, saw their friend and leader disappear within a wide gateway. thereafter, though they strained their eyes, there was not so much as a sign of him. he was gone altogether, swallowed by the massive defences of ciudad rodrigo, cut off from his friends, and surrounded by enemies who, if they discovered his disguise, would treat him as a spy and promptly shoot him. chapter xiii ciudad rodrigo "halt! stand fast and give the countersign!" a huge french grenadier barred the road where it passed in beneath the frowning doorway of the fortress of ciudad rodrigo, and with his long bayonet dropped to the level of the chest of the intruder called upon him brusquely and in no uncertain tones to halt. "the countersign," he demanded once more, peremptorily, the point of his weapon actually entangled in the stranger's clothing, while the look on the soldier's face seemed to say that he would willingly make a little error and transfix him. as for the latter, he was a well-grown, active, young fellow, with tousled hair dangling over his eyes, a general appearance of untidiness, and a something about him which denoted neither the genuine spaniard nor the genuine portuguese. "son of a dog no doubt," growled the sentry. "neither fish nor flesh, nor yet good herring. a _peste_ on these loafers about this place. poof! if i were here i should be fighting, instead of swilling wine and idling as do these men. well?" he called loudly. "the word?" tom looked up at the man from beneath the drawn-down brim of the tattered hat he had borrowed from the news bearer his men had captured. "orleans," he murmured, putting into the word the queer accent to be expected of a stranger. "ha! then enter; but whither? the dog may be a spy of the british," the man growled, and at the recollection, and the sudden suspicion, once more elevated the point of his weapon, and cleverly contrived to catch it in the lapel of tom's coat. "the street of st. angelo," answered our hero under his breath, as if he were imparting a secret. "to one francisco, with news, you understand?" apparently the man had learned some spanish since the invasion of the peninsula, and contrived to understand the words. "then enter," he cried. "enter." down came the butt of his weapon with a clatter on the stones, while tom passed on meekly. indeed he was anxious to give the impression of one with little courage, merely a tale bearer. also, he was in a hurry to get away from the frenchman. for always he was dogged with the fear that he might by some evil chance come face to face with one of the troopers with whom he had fought the portuguese peasants. however, the grenadier was not one of them. tom left him standing at ease, and at once clambered up the steep way leading to the town. as for the grenadier, he watched the retreating figure of the stranger reflectively. "a spaniard? no," he told himself. "a portuguese? _parbleu!_ impossible! he has not the colouring. then what? a mixture? no. then--english!" the very suspicion set him marching to and fro with energy. his musket flew to his shoulder, and then came down again with a bump. the grenadier was consumed with doubt for some few moments, and then with suspicion that soon became certainty. he called loudly for the serjeant of the guard, made his report, and was promptly relieved. a few minutes later he was hurrying in the direction tom had taken, with three of his grenadier comrades to assist him. "a fairly tall, broad-shouldered ragamuffin," he explained. "one with the appearance and manner of a coward at first sight, and with the frame and body of an athlete, and the eyes of one who has courage in abundance. seek for him; if he fails to surrender on demand, shoot!" it was a very pleasant prospect for tom, and no doubt, had he known what was happening, he would have hastened his footsteps, and would have promptly taken measures to ensure his escape. but tom had important work to do, work which required time and patience. first, there was the envelope to deliver, with the fictitious plans he had drawn, and the wording that told not of wellington's anticipated attempt of ciudad rodrigo, but of his retirement towards lisbon. in fact, tom had fabricated a yarn which, if the governor of this fortress believed it, would throw dust in his eyes and aid wellington's plans enormously. then there was a tour to be made of the defences, the guns to be located and counted, and any special works recorded on the plan he must draw. our hero was, indeed, engaged on recognizance work of the utmost importance, work hardly likely to be facilitated by the three grenadiers who were making so hurriedly after him. "the street of st. angelo," he repeated to himself; "one francisco." selecting a lad who was playing in the street, he enquired the way of him. "up there to the right, then to the left sharp. it's the last street in that direction," he was told, the boy evidently seeing nothing strange about him. tom promptly took the direction indicated, and, following the turnings in succession, came to the street he was searching for. "francisco lives at a cabaret at the corner," he reminded himself. "there it is: 'michael francisco, dealer in wine.' and there's the fellow himself." a beetle-browed, untidy individual was sitting just within the entrance to the cabaret, warming his toes at a charcoal brazier. from a room within came the sound of voices, the tinkle of a stringed instrument, and the chink of glasses, while from a spot still farther away, perhaps in the back regions of the dwelling, the voice of a scolding woman could be heard, drowning the other sounds completely for some few seconds. tom looked cautiously about him, and then sauntered up to the door. "one francisco?" he asked. "of the street of st. angelo?" "the same," came the immediate answer, while the proprietor of the place looked him over sharply. "and you?" "someone with a message from oporto for you to deal with. here it is." an exclamation of delight broke from the man, who at once seized the envelope. "you have orders to wait, then, my friend?" he asked. "i have; i shall seek a lodging down the street. to-night i will come for the answer." "then step inside now and take a glass," the man said promptly. "to-night there shall be an answer. come, a glass. ho there, wine!" he shouted. the scolding voice ceased of a sudden, while a woman appeared at the door of a room located at the end of the passage. some five minutes later she brought a tray containing glasses, and poured wine into two of them. "to our success!" cried francisco, lifting his glass and speaking significantly. "and may you get what every traitor deserves," thought tom as he lifted his own allowance. "to you!" he cried, tipping the glass upward. it was just at that moment that, glancing through the bottom of his upturned glass, and aslant through the open door of the cabaret, which being set at the corner of the street commanded a long view of it, our hero caught sight of four french grenadiers hastening along it. at their head was one who was almost a giant! his flowing moustaches and the breadth of his shoulders seemed strangely familiar, while a second look convinced tom that it was the very man who had stood sentry at the gate and had admitted him. "strange!" he thought. "they are the first soldiers i have seen in this direction, though there are others, of course. there are two in this cabaret at the moment, for i caught a glimpse of them. ah, the big man is pointing! they are all hurrying--this looks ugly." it was one of those situations where one engaged in dangerous work such as our hero had undertaken might very well be captured before he was more than aware of his danger. hesitation might mean his downfall. on the other hand, if he were mistaken in the designs of the approaching grenadiers, and they had no concern with him, then action at the moment might lead to suspicion on the part of francisco, which would be almost as bad. tom screwed up his eyes and looked closely at the oncomers; then, seeing them turn towards the cabaret, he asked a question in the most unconcerned voice possible. "tell me," he said, "i may rest in here, upstairs where there is less noise? i have come fast from oporto, and feel too tired even to seek for a lodging." "then pass up the stairs," came the answer, while the innkeeper deposited his empty glass on the tray with a bang. "pass upstairs, friend, and rest in the room overhead. in an hour perhaps, when i am free, i will go to the governor. there is no haste in these matters. go now. i will attend to the customers who are now coming." he turned to greet the grenadiers, now within ten yards of the door, while tom lounged to the stairs, and then darted up them. at the top he stood and listened for a few moments. "ha!" he heard the big grenadier exclaim. "this is francisco. now, my friend, you have a caller. where is he?" that was enough for tom. it was clear that he was suspected, and equally clear that if he did not hasten he would be captured within a few minutes. but how was he to get away? he opened the nearest door and thrust his head into the room to which it gave admittance. it was empty; there was nothing there to help him. he went then to the next, and peered into it noiselessly. there was nothing there either----"ah!" tom gave vent to a startled exclamation, for a man lay full length on a bed--a man who seemed to be sunk in the depths of sleep. who was he? he was across the room in an instant, bending over the man. yes, he was sunk in a profound slumber, and, if tom could have guessed it, francisco's wine had something to say to the fellow's drowsiness. but whatever the cause tom's attention was instantly switched in another direction, for it appeared that the fellow had dragged off his clothing, and there, thrown carelessly on the floor, was the uniform of a french soldier. "i think----" began our hero, cogitating deeply. "ah! they're coming upstairs, that innkeeper and the grenadiers. i must chance it." he stooped over the clothing, dragged the red breeches over his own, pulled them tight at the waist, and threw on the long-tailed surcoat so loved by the french. round went the belt, hitching with a click, while the hat followed in a twinkling. then he sat down, dragged off his boots, and was in the act of pulling on one belonging to the sleeper, when he heard footsteps on the landing outside and gruff voices. "they'll look in here, and see that fellow asleep," he told himself. "no they won't, if i'm sharp. how's that?" very swiftly he sprang towards the bed and dragged a curtain into position, for the latter hung from a horizontal iron rod, and was intended to shut off a cubicle containing the bed. he had hardly got back to his seat, and was again pulling on a boot, when there came a thump at the door and again loud voices. "i tell you that there is only a brother soldier of yours in here," he heard the innkeeper exclaim testily. "he is asleep, or was a little while ago. he has been here making merry with some friends, and fell asleep down below. we carried him to bed and pulled off his clothes." "then if he is asleep, open and let us see him," he heard from the grenadier in villainous spanish. "open, man, in the name of the emperor!" there was another bang at the door, which at once flew open. tom, with his back to the entrance, leaned over and pulled at the boot. "ha!" he heard from behind him. "the rascal! he is awake. well, comrade?" "well," answered our hero in a dull, thick voice. "well." "that's you, eh?" "me, right enough," tom coughed sleepily. "what's the time?" "time you were back in barracks," came the gruff answer. the door banged, and again voices were heard on the landing. "not there," the grenadier told his friends. "the landlord is right. there is merely a sleepy, half-tipsy comrade. no wonder, too; these rascals of innkeepers sell the worst of wine at the highest figure. but search the other rooms. you, jacques, stand at the head of the stairs; we will not have our bird bolting. now, my man, lead on again." tom listened attentively, and wondered what his next move should be. "walk out in this uniform, i suppose. but it'd be risky; i'd be likely to be accosted by other soldiers. i might get an order from an officer. still, for the time being, it would do. but i must find some other disguise, for the whole garrison will soon be on the lookout for a young chap dressed like a civilian. i was suspicious of that grenadier; i was afraid he had spotted me. ah, there they go!" more voices reached his ear. the french grenadiers stopped at the head of the stairs and discussed the matter. "not here--flown through the far window," he heard one say. "best be after him." "see here, jacques," came to his ear. "go down to the main guard and warn them to send round to all the gates. if we don't get the spy here, we'll have him as he attempts to leave. tell them to search every civilian." there was a clatter outside the cabaret after that, and then silence. tom peeped out of the door and found the landing empty. he turned, hearing a sound from the bed, to find the sleeper sitting up on one arm, drowsily regarding him from the edge of the curtain which he had drawn aside. "what cheer, comrade!" the fellow gurgled with an inane smile. "time for parade?" "not a bit," answered our hero promptly. "get to sleep again. it'll clear your head. there; i'll draw the curtain." he swung the curtain right across the end of the bed and heard the soldier flop down again on his pillows. then, once more, he went to the door. there was no one about, though on peering out of the window he saw the landlord standing in the street outside with a curious crowd about him. "said a spy had been here," he was shouting angrily. "as if i, francisco, would harbour such an one. a spy indeed! what does an innkeeper have to do with spying?" the crafty fellow did not tell the listeners that he was an agent of the french, the go-between for information of the movements of the british, the men who had come to the country to free himself and his nation from the grip of france. and he scouted the idea that his messenger could have been an englishman, or the message he brought written by other than the traitor who hid himself in oporto and hired rascals like himself in the neighbourhood of wellington's camp. to this francisco it was out of the question that tom could be anything but what he represented himself to be. but that others thought differently was certain; for there was a bustle all over the defences. tom could see squads of men marching swiftly. mounted messengers galloped here and there, while a double company was massed at the gate by which he had entered. "they've made up their minds that they've a spy here, and that's the end of it," he told himself. "soon there'll be a call for all the troops, and this fellow here will be bustled out to join 'em. that'll be awkward. what can i do? ah, let's see what the other rooms contain!" he went scuttling across the landing and dived into a room almost opposite. it belonged, probably, to the daughter of the house, for it was neat and tidy, while a couple of dresses hung on the wall. tom pulled a cupboard open and peeped in. "got it!" he cried. "here's the very thing--a sort of mantilla. now for the dress and anything else likely to come handy." he swept up an armful and dived back to the room he had been occupying. there he threw off the french uniform and dressed himself in the new garments he had secured. "not half bad," he grinned, as he stood before a cracked glass perched on a rickety table. "my uncle, as jack would say, but i'm not half bad-looking when dressed as a girl! am i right, though? wish i knew more about these things. if only there was another glass i'd be able to see what my back looks like. now, we practise walking. gently does it. hang this skirt! nearly took a header that time, and--yes--i've torn the thing badly. want a pin for that. got it--here it is, just handy." afraid? not a bit of it; tom wasn't that. merely hugely excited, for the occasion was somewhat strenuous. the noise outside, the blare of bugles, the rattle of drums and the clatter of moving troops told him that plainly. also he guessed, and guessed rightly, that he was the cause of all the bustle. he swung the mantilla over his head, half-swathed his face in it, took one last look at his reflection, and then went to the door. no one was moving upstairs; the coast was clear. "straight bang for the window," he told himself. "wonder what's below? wouldn't there be a howl if they saw a girl dropping from one. here we are. this'll do--out we go!" there was a sheer drop of ten or more feet into an enclosed yard at the back of the house; but a door led from the yard into a lane, and that promised to give access to one of the streets. tom did not wait a moment. indeed, the sound of steps on the stairs hastened him, while, as if everything must needs conspire to thwart his hopes, the door he had so recently closed on the sleeping soldier opened, and that individual staggered out on to the landing. by then tom was half through the window. he waited not an instant, but swung himself down and dropped to the ground. dashing across to the gate he was through it in a few moments. "steady does it," he murmured, finding it extremely difficult to obey the order and to refrain from running. "there's that idiot grinning at me from the window. ah, that places me out of sight! guess he's considerably astonished." there was little doubt but that the soldier was flabbergasted. in his sleepy, maudlin condition he found it very hard to understand the meaning of the scene he had but just witnessed. he was filled with a stupid admiration of the pluck of the damsel he had seen leap from the window, but felt no further interest. his muddled mind asked for no reason for such behaviour, while his ignorance of the commotion then filling the place, and of the search that was being made for a spy, left him merely admiring a feat which was to him extraordinary. as for tom, he stepped down the lane and was soon in the main street, that of st. angelo. a crowd of excited individuals of all ages and of both sexes was hastening down towards the main guard, and, since he could do nothing better, he went with them, safer in their midst than he could have been in any other position. parties of soldiers passed them constantly, while all down the street houses were being searched, and every civilian of the male sex stopped and closely questioned. as a result there was an extraordinary hubbub. women shrieked indignantly from their windows, resenting such intrusion, while men stood sullenly at their doors, looking as if they would have gladly murdered the frenchmen. "seems to me that i've dropped on the only real disguise," tom chuckled. "but there's one thing to be remembered: if the daughter of francisco goes to her room she will discover what has happened, then there'll be another flare up. time i looked into the business part of this thing seriously." he had come carefully armed with a small notebook and pencil, and, having in the past two months received some instruction in sketching, he felt sure that he had only to use his eyes, and discover a retired spot, when he would be able to gather a sufficiently correct plan of the defences. indeed he strolled about, first with one batch of excited inhabitants and then with another, till he had made a round of the place, retiring now and again to some quiet corner where he jotted down his observations. every gun he saw was marked, every earthwork drawn in with precision. a few careful questions gave him the position of stores and magazines, while a little smiling chat with a french sentry, who seemed to admire this girl immensely, put tom in possession of the strength of the garrison, the name of the general in command, and the fact that other troops were nowhere in the vicinity. "then it's time to think of departing. that'll be a conundrum," he told himself. "couldn't drop over the walls, that's certain. halloo! mounted men have been sent out to cut me off should i try to make a dash from the place. this is getting particularly awkward." it was well past noon by now, and tom was getting ravenously hungry. he stood amongst a group of civilians on one of the walls of the place looking out towards the part where jack and his men were secreted. troopers could be seen cantering here and there, while others were halted at regular intervals, and stood beside their horses prepared to mount and ride at any moment. strolling along with his new acquaintances our hero was soon able to get a glimpse of the other side of ciudad rodrigo and its surroundings there. but there was not a break in the line of troopers circling the place. it was evident, in fact, that no effort was to be spared to capture the fellow whom the grenadier had first suspected. nor was there any doubt in the mind of the french general that his suspicion was justified; for francisco had now disgorged the papers tom had handed him, and these on inspection proved to be wanting in one particular. the secret sign of the agent who was supposed to have sent them, which was always attached to such papers, was lacking, proof positive that the news was false and the bearer an enemy. it was, perhaps, two or three hours after noon when tom mixed with a crowd of curious citizens at the very gate which he had entered that morning, and watched as soldiers came and went. sometimes a civilian would pass through also, though in every case he was closely inspected. as for the women and children, as yet they had not ventured out. but curiosity soon got the better of them. a laughing dame thrust her way through, the guard passing her willingly. then the others pressed forward, and in a little while tom was outside, sauntering here and there, wistfully looking at those hills which he had left in the morning. "and still as far away as ever," he told himself. "wish i could get hold of a horse--that would do it. what's the matter now? there's another disturbance in the town; people are shouting. here's a trooper galloping out." by then he was some distance from the outer wall, but still within the ring of dismounted troopers. and, as he had observed, there was another commotion. in a few minutes, indeed, there was a movement amongst the civilians. those nearest the gate were hastening back, while troopers galloped out to fetch in stragglers. one of these came dashing up to the group tom accompanied. "get back through the gates," he commanded brusquely. "and why?" asked the same laughing dame who had led the movement from the fortress. "why, friend?" "because there is a vixen amongst you who is not what she seems," the man answered angrily. "there's information that this spy borrowed women's clothing; you may be he. we'll have to look into the matter--back you all go." he was a rough fellow, who held no love for these people, and riding amongst them actually upset the woman who had spoken, causing her to shriek aloud. "coward!" she cried, picking herself up with difficulty and trembling at his violence. "eh!" exclaimed the brute, angered at the taunt. "now bustle, and keep a civil tongue between your teeth--bustle, i say." he edged his horse still closer, till the woman fell again, terrified by the close approach of the animal the trooper rode. "shame!" cried tom, his gorge rising. "do the french then fight with women?" he had called out in the voice of a woman, and looked, in fact, merely a young girl. but that made little difference to this brute of a trooper. he set his horse in tom's direction, and looked as if he would actually ride over him. and then there was a sudden and unexpected change; for the young girl displayed the most extraordinary activity. she leaped aside, darted in, and sprang up behind the trooper. for a moment there was a tussle; and then the trooper was lifted from his saddle and tipped out on to the ground. before the astonished and frightened crowd of women could realize what was happening, or the trooper gather a particle of his scattered wits, the girl was firmly planted in his place, her feet were jammed in the stirrups, and there was presented to all who happened to be looking in that direction as strange a sight as could be well imagined. shrieks filled the air; men shouted hoarsely to one another, while the troopers standing at their horses' heads leaped into their saddles. "it is the spy! it is the english spy!" was shouted from the walls. "the spy!" bellowed the bullying soldier whom tom had unhorsed, making a funnel of his hands and turning to the trooper who was nearest. "follow!" came in stentorian tones from the nearest officer. then began a race the like of which had never been witnessed outside ciudad rodrigo. tom clapped the heels of his french boots to the flanks of his borrowed horse, while the mantilla that had done him such service, caught by the breeze, went blowing out behind him. bending low, he sent the animal galloping direct for the hills, smiling grimly as the crack of carbines came from behind him. [illustration: tom escapes from ciudad rodrigo] "jack'll be up there waiting," he thought as he glanced ahead. "he'll soon send these fellows back once they get within shot. pah! that was a near one; the bullet struck my boot. beg pardon, not my boot, but that fellow's at the cabaret. glad there's no horsemen in front of me. so much the better; it's going to be a fine gallop." a fine gallop it proved, too. his mount was blown before the chase was over, while had it lasted a little longer he would certainly have been taken. but of a sudden heavy musketry fire broke out from a point a little to one side. dark figures, clad in the well-known rough uniform of tom's guerrillas, appeared on the hillside. and then a shrill whistle sounded. it was perhaps a minute later that tom threw himself from his horse and stood amongst his comrades. and how jack roared with laughter, how the men grinned their delight, how andrews, who had but just reached the party spluttered and attempted to behave as became a disciplined soldier! "introduce me, do," gurgled jack, seizing alfonso by the arm and doubling up with merriment. "miss what's-her-name, eh?" "clifford, at your service," grinned tom, "and don't you forget it!" "of all the boys!" spluttered andrews, his face red with his efforts. "i knew he had backbone, but this here's something different." "allow me," said jack in his most gallant manner, offering an arm. "excuse me if i appear a little forward." "rats!" was tom's somewhat abrupt answer. "let the boys fall in. we'll march at once; i've had a spree, i can tell you." it was with grins of delight and many an exclamation that his comrades listened to the tale, a narrative soon passed on by alfonso to their following. meanwhile tom tore his borrowed clothing from him, donned his handsome uniform, and made ready for more active movement. "we've done a good part of our work," he said. "now for that fellow in oporto. let's ride back to the camp, leaving some of our men to watch the roads near it. i'll hand my notes in to the chief of the staff, and then look into the last part of this matter. wonder who the rogue is who's such a friend of francisco, and sends news to the men that are enemies of his country." they might all wonder, and the reader need not feel surprised if he learns that this rascal was too clever for those who sought him. the hovel to which the man whom tom's guerrillas had captured led them--and who had promised information in return for his life--was empty. there was no particle of evidence to prove where the rascal had flown; but careful search discovered a note hidden in a crevice of the ceiling, and when that was opened the information contained proved to be of little value. "come to badajoz," it said. "there ask for juan de milares, in the street of st. paulo. there is still work to be done and money to be earned for the doing." "same handwriting without a doubt," declared jack emphatically. "the bird's flown, and badajoz is out of the question." as a general rule one would have agreed with him; for, like ciudad rodrigo, that fortress was garrisoned by the french. but circumstances alter cases, and tom soon recognized this to be a fact, since there was further information awaiting him in oporto. a visit to the house of septimus john clifford & son discovered something approaching a tragedy. for juan de esteros had disappeared that very evening, and with him no less a person than septimus john clifford himself. "but where?" demanded tom, filled with apprehension. "alas, there is nothing to tell us!" answered the chief clerk, as faithful a fellow as the worthy huggins. "they left without a word to anyone, without so much as a sound. they dined together and sat on the veranda reading. later they retired to their rooms; after that we know nothing." "but," exclaimed tom, aghast at the mystery, "surely there's----" "there is merely this," came the answer, while a slip of paper was thrust into his hands. "we found it resting on the table, weighted so that it could not blow away. read, _señor_." tom scanned the lines for some few moments, while his smooth forehead wrinkled deeply. "thus is the house of septimus john clifford & son punished," he read, the spanish letters being scrawled across the paper. yes scrawled. in a moment he recognized that writing. it was put upon the paper by the selfsame man who had sent information to the commandant at ciudad rodrigo, the traitor who was eager and willing to supply news which would help the enemies of his country. "well? what next?" asked jack when the fact had been explained to him. "to badajoz, that's all," came the short answer. "this villain's got hold of my father and uncle for some reason or other. it's plainly my duty to look into the matter; so i'll pay badajoz a visit, just as i went to ciudad rodrigo. wonder who this chap is and what game he's up to? but duty first, jack; we'll make back to the camp and see what's expected of us." if tom had hoped to pursue a private matter just then he was to be disappointed. for barely was christmas past, and the new year entered upon, when wellington threw the whole force he commanded against ciudad rodrigo. pressing the siege with intense energy--for there was always the fear that the french would concentrate on him from all parts and raise the siege before it was successfully over--he launched his attacking parties after remarkably short delay. the fighting which resulted was of the severest description, and the greatest gallantry and resolution was shown by either side. but british pluck won. the defences were captured, and within a few hours of the assault the place which tom had visited was garrisoned by british instead of by french soldiers. then wellington turned toward badajoz, outside which tom and his men had for two weeks past thrown out a circle of their men, thus cutting all communications. "it'll be a hard nut to crack," observed the merry jack, casting his eye up at the defences; "but i suppose we'll do it." "we must," declared tom with emphasis. "anyway, i've got to get inside the place and unravel this mystery. there's father and don juan to find and release, and then there's that rascal who took them." but would tom, or indeed any of our men, ever get within this terribly grim fortress? it seemed unlikely enough, viewing the defences, and we may declare here and now that before our hero was to set foot within the place he was to take part in fighting of the very fiercest. chapter xiv one of the forlorn hope "a terribly hard nut to crack," observed jack, for perhaps the twentieth time, as he and tom sat their horses on a ridge above badajoz, and looked down upon the fortress. "it'll be interesting to see how wellington sets about the matter. suppose there'll be a tremendous cannonade, and then an assault. wish we were going to be in it." "i mean to, whatever happens," came from our hero, who was staring down at the fortress, as if he wished to guess in which house his father and don juan were imprisoned. "as to how it'll be done, there's no saying; for i've never witnessed a siege before. but apparently the sappers and miners dig their way toward the fortress, erecting batteries as they go, till they are so close that our guns can batter down the walls. then comes the grand assault. i can imagine that that is a terrific business. well, let's ride round the place and see what's happening. there's very little else for us to do just now, and we can leave the men with alfonso." for two weeks past the combined command of portuguese and spanish guerrillas whom tom had charge of had been operating about the magnificent fortress which wellington had determined to capture. throwing a circle completely about the place, they had cut the garrison off entirely from the outside world, and thus had enabled wellington to concentrate his men without alarming the french. for here again, as in the case of ciudad rodrigo, it was all-important that the siege operations should not be disturbed by the arrival of a large french force, against whom our troops would have to act before taking the fortress. as in the case of ciudad rodrigo, had information leaked out the enemy could easily have concentrated a force in the neighbourhood, sufficient to delay and make impossible all siege operations. but, thanks to secrecy in his preparations, thanks, too, in no small measure to the work of such corps as tom commanded, the intentions of wellington were quite unknown, till, of a sudden, in the march following his capture of ciudad rodrigo, he turned his divisions in the direction of badajoz, a fortress sometimes known as "the gate of spain," and, crossing the river guadiana on the th, caused the place to be invested by the three divisions commanded by beresford and picton. the remainder of his troops, some , in all, counting spanish and portuguese allies, covered the siege operations. looking down from the point of vantage to which they had ridden, tom and his chum could obtain a bird's-eye view of the ancient fortress of badajoz, and could easily trace its outline. but the arrival of a staff officer helped them wonderfully to understand what was occurring before their eyes. cantering up the hill at this moment, and looking the smart fellow he was, this officer drew rein close to the two young fellows, acknowledging their salutes with one as brisk, and with a smile. "taking the air?" he asked. "we shall have plenty of it before we've done with the frenchies. ah! that's clifford, i believe." tom saluted again and flushed. "the officer the french refuse to fight, eh?" our hero was compelled to agree, with heightened colour, whereat the officer laughed loudly. "and his adjutant along with him, too," he remarked, looking the unabashed jack up and down, and reflecting that he seemed to be a very smart and jovial fellow. "you chaps know how you're spoken of, perhaps, eh?" he asked with another smile, causing both the lads to shake their heads. "then i'll tell you. never is one seen but the other is at his heels. so throughout the army you're known as the 'twins.' good name, isn't it?" once more they heard his hearty laughter, which they shared with him; for this was news to our two heroes. not that they could help admitting that there was reason for the name they had earned, since jack barwood had become tom's veritable shadow. they seemed to haunt the same piece of ground always, and even when with their command the jovial jack was ever at the side of his superior. there was a whisper also amongst the men, fostered not a little by voluble sayings of andrews and his brother rifleman, that these two young officers, occupying such posts of responsibility, were nevertheless not above a little skylarking. indeed, if tom and jack had proved that they were eager and ready to lead their men into action, they had also more than once shown a disposition to lead them into mischief. "well, now, let's have a look at the place," said the officer, producing a short spyglass. "you can see for yourselves how the fortress is placed. it stands on an eminence at the junction of the rivers guadiana and rivillas, the former being crossed by a long bridge, which you can see for yourself. there's the castle, perched a hundred feet above the level of the rivers, and occupying almost the apex of the point of confluence. the town spreads behind it fan-wise, and is walled, presenting eight strong bastions, with curtains, counterscarps, glacis, and covered ways, without doubt, all helping to make the place extremely strong. there are five gates, though you can't see them all from this point. there, take a look; you can actually observe people moving in the streets." the view was, in fact, an enchanting one; for badajoz at that time was not an erection of a few years, but one of great antiquity. it had withstood sieges against the moors and goths, and had been taken and retaken many a time; and there it was fully prepared for another siege, garrisoned by some of the enemy, and packed to repletion with guns, ammunition, and food; in fact with all that makes defence possible. "and how will the siege be conducted?" asked tom, when he had taken a long look at the place. "shall we endeavour to make a breach at one point or at many?" "many," came the short answer. "no doubt wellington will launch his attacking parties in several directions. but first he must smash up that work you see on the far side of the river, known as fort picurina. batteries will be placed elsewhere, and i believe the angle nearest us has been selected, as well as that farthest away, close to the trinidad and st. vincent bastions respectively. in a few hours the guns will be thundering in a manner which will open your eyes." the bombardment that followed was, in fact, a revelation to our hero; for, though wellington might easily have been better equipped for a siege, and have had a far superior battering train, the guns he possessed were nevertheless of service. nor must it be forgotten that these same guns had been brought into position only after the very greatest labour and secrecy; for they had been sent round by sea from lisbon, had then been transported up the river setubal in small boats, to alcacer do sal, and thence by land across the alemtejo to the river guadiana. think of the labour involved in such an operation, of the secrecy necessary to keep the movement from the knowledge of the french. think also of the small army of helpers, all taking part in this war, and yet working out of sound of gun shot, and far from the presence of the enemy. that, perhaps is a question which escapes the notice of many. the tale of some campaign brings to light narratives of gallant deeds, of fierce attacks, of strenuous fighting; it leaves too often to the imagination of one ignorant of the life of a soldier, and of the needs of a campaign, all the numerous services upon which success of an army in the field depends. for if there be no one to supervise the stores, and to dispatch them to the seat of war, how can troops operate in a country devoid almost of food, where ammunition cannot be obtained, and where boots, clothing, and a thousand other necessary trifles wear out, are lost, or destroyed with alarming rapidity? think, then, of the host labouring out of sight of the enemy, but labouring nevertheless. think also of the other numerous band marching with troops as non-combatants, and yet subject to as great dangers, the very same privations, and bearing on their shoulders equal, if not greater, responsibilities; for with the troops there must be men to see to the distribution of food, to gather stores, and apply for all that is necessary. there must be trained officers to look to the ailments of horses, and, above all, perhaps, there must be an army of surgeons to care for the wounded and the thousands more who go down under privation and exposure. riding round the bivouacs of the besieging army after their chat with the staff officer, tom began to gather a better impression than he had ever had before of the numerous duties attached to soldiering. in the background, well away from the investing regiments, were many horse lines, where rows of animals were picketed, their riders being encamped near at hand. closer to the fortress lay the lines of regiments engaged in the actual work of the siege, and here many a camp fire blazed. whole rows of camp kettles sat over the long trenches dug in the muddy ground, while the flames from wood fires swept beneath them and sent billows of odorous steam into the air. butchers were at work slaughtering beasts bought for the feeding of the troops, while not far away a sentry stood guard over a spring which was the drinking supply for that portion of the army. but it was still nearer the fortress that the real interest lay; for there hundreds of men were delving, cutting trenches, and steadily advancing them toward the enemy. indeed, that very day, they had need of every bit of cover; for guns opened from badajoz, and clouds of grapeshot swept across the open. "hot work, ain't it?" grinned jack, who with tom was making a tour of inspection. "put your head up, tom, and take a squint at those frenchies." "and get it shot to pieces for my trouble. thanks!" came the laughing answer. "george! listen to that." "my uncle!" came from the young adjutant. "a regular torrent. how long and how often do they pepper you like that?" he asked of the sapper ensign who had invited them to inspect the work. "how often? couldn't say," was the laconic answer, as if the thunderous discharge of the guns of the enemy, and the roar of clouds of grape sweeping overhead were an everyday occurrence, and hardly worth discussion. "oh, pretty often, especially at night! but it'd be all right if it weren't for this awful weather. you see, a chap has to grovel when the guns open, and that's bad for uniforms." he was something of a dandy, this immaculate ensign of sappers, and stepped daintily along the deep trenches already constructed by the british working parties. tom watched him with admiration as he brushed some dirt from his laced sleeve with a silk handkerchief, and then wondered satirically for one brief moment if this young officer were merely a heap of affectation, useless for any real work, merely an ornament to the profession to which he belonged. "certainly not that," he told himself a few seconds later, after seeing more of the ensign. "he's a born dandy, perhaps, but he's a plucky beggar, and a fine example to his men." that, in fact, was precisely what this ensign was, as was the case with many another officer in wellington's army. example is everything when men are engaged in strenuous operations; and if those in command show coolness, determination, sangfroid, and other virtues, their own particular men are wonderfully heartened. and here was this ensign coolly flicking dirt from his laced sleeve, while a foot overhead grapeshot swept past in a torrent. there he was, joking and laughing with the jovial jack as if he had not so much as a serious thought in his head, and as if this were merely a game. but a minute later he was leading the way to an outwork, strolling negligently across a portion necessarily exposed to the bullets of the enemy, and showing not so much as a sign of haste. "come along," he sang out to our hero. "it's a little warm crossing, but it's generally all right. we had three caught by the enemy's bullets yesterday, but that's because they would stop to star gaze. ah, very neat shooting, eh? i declare, the beggar has cut one of my epaulettes off with his shot!" it was true enough. tom had heard a shot fired from the fortress, for the trench they had just left was within long range of an outwork manned by the enemy. he had instantly seen the left epaulette of the ensign rise in the air, spin round merrily, and then fall to the ground. and the young officer only showed annoyance at such an injury being done to his uniform! as for the men stationed in the trench behind, and those in the earthwork for which they were making, they watched the little scene with grins of amusement and delight. "dicky silvester, ensign. that's him," growled one of the sappers hoarsely to his neighbours. "joined us a year ago, or less, and looks and acts as if he were a born soldier, and didn't care a fig for bullets or anything else. who are the other orficers? ain't they cool 'uns too? my hat, dicky ain't the only one as don't give a hang for bullets!" the cool behaviour of the three even raised a cheer before they had entered the earthwork, calling a sharp order from the ensign. "what's this?" he demanded, dropping slowly out of shot of the enemy, a manoeuvre which tom and jack followed. "laughing and cheering when there's work to be done! here----" another patch of dirt on his uniform distracted his attention and cut short the speech. as for the men, they dashed their picks again into the ground and went on with their delving. then whispers passed amongst them. "blessed ef i don't think as the toff of an orficer in staff uniform ain't mr. tom clifford, him as held up them portuguese in a church, commanding the frenchies who'd taken him as prisoner," said one. "ain't that the one?" "and went right into ciudad rodrigo t' other day," agreed his comrade, "and come galloping out dressed as a gal. he's the boy. law! he looks at badajoz as if he was hungry to get inside, and had more almost to do with this siege than we have." tom might indeed have been accused of that, for those wretchedly wet days in march, , found him frequently in the trenches, watching as parallels were dug, eagerly measuring the advance of the busy army of sappers digging their way closer to the fortress. or he would lie behind one of the batteries by day and by night, and would listen to the thunder of the guns, and would watch for the tell-tale spout of dust which shot into the air as the huge iron ball struck the bastion. then would come the clatter of falling masonry, followed perhaps by a cheer from the gunners. more often the shot would be answered by a terrific hail of grape, which pattered overhead, swept the entire face of the batteries--and but for the fascines erected to give cover every one of the gunners would have been killed--then whizzed across the open, splashing into the many pools of water which had been left by the heavy and almost continuous rain. it seemed, indeed, slow work this siege operation; slow and perhaps not too sure. "for even when the breaches are practicable there are the defenders to be dealt with," thought tom. "there will be mines to blow us up, obstructions of every sort, and grape and shot showered down upon us. but take the place we will; i mean to be one of the very first inside the fortress." any doubts tom may have had as to the determination of lord wellington were soon set at rest; for, the weather still continuing atrocious, and the trenches being flooded and almost uninhabitable, an assault of the picurina was ordered, and the fort carried with brilliant dash by men of the rd division. the storm of shot and shell poured into the fort after we had gained possession of it was such that one wondered how the new garrison could live, for phillipon, the commander of the french, did his utmost to drive us out. but our men stuck grimly to the task, and again plying their busy spades, soon had advanced to a point where batteries could be erected. and then began a trial of skill and endurance between the gunners of france and those of england. by day and by night the neighbourhood echoed to the roar. a pall of smoke hung over fortress and encampment, while in the depths of night guns flashed redly, and spluttering portfires hovered here and there as the gunners stood to their pieces. at length the work was done; the breaches were declared practicable, though to view them and the grim lines hovering in rear, prepared to defend every inch of the steeply-sloping rubbish, would have caused any but brave men to shiver. but wellington's men were as determined as he; they had set their hearts on gaining the fortress. the call for a forlorn hope, as ever, produced a swarm of volunteers. that night of april, a night the anniversary of which is ever kept with loving memory by those who now serve in the regiments then present at badajoz, found , bold fellows craving for the signal which should launch them to the attack, craving for the signal which, alas! would launch many and many a gallant officer and lad into eternity. let us, too, remember those heroes with honour, recollecting that by their gallantry and dash they helped in the work in progress, and that every fortress won in this peninsula campaign was yet another step forward, a step that would add to the difficulties of bonaparte, and which, with those which followed, ultimately brought about his downfall. let us honour them as gallant souls who cast off the yoke then weighing upon the peoples of europe. "you'll go with the stormers?" asked jack of tom, almost beneath his breath, as the two stood side by side in the trenches. "i've obtained permission, and go i shall," came the determined answer. "now recollect, jack, what i've said. if badajoz is taken, the rascal who has captured my people will do his best to get out of the place. see that our men are lively when the first streak of dawn comes, and let them arrest any civilian." "good luck! take care," gasped jack, loath to part with his old friend. "i'll watch outside and see that all is done as you've directed; but do take care. recollect, the regiment can't do without you." he was sent off with a merry laugh from tom, and straightway clambered up a rise from which he could view the proceedings. a strange silence hung about the fortress. within and without the trenches, packed in the batteries, and in many another part lay the stormers, waiting, waiting for that signal. picton's division on the right crouched over their scaling ladders, ready to rush to the walls of the castle. on the left, sir james leith's division waited to make a false attack on the pardeleras, an outside work. but the bastion de san vincente was the real point of attack, and walker's brigade, part of this division, was destined to assault it. the light division was to dash for the santa maria quarter, while the th was to hurl itself against the breach in the trinidad quarter. the st. roque bastion, in between these two latter, was to be stormed by major wilson, who was in command of the guards of the trenches. finally, the portuguese were to see what could be done with the tête de pont, the outwork on the far bank of the river guadiana, commanding the head of the bridge. a dull hum above the trenches told of excitement. flickering lights and a subdued murmur above the fortress showed that the defenders were prepared. silently men gathered before the th and the light division, men provided with ladders and axes, with but few rounds of ammunition, and freed of their knapsacks. each carried a sack filled with hay, which, it was hoped, would give some cover. and before those two parties waiting in front of the two divisions, and each counting men, there fell in yet again two parties of heroes, the forlorn hopes, the officers and men who were sworn to enter the fortress, to show the way in, or to die in the attempt, noble souls who worked not for gold as a reward, but only for the honour and glory of their country. ah! a blaze of light from a carcass hurled from the wall showed one of those advance parties. shouts echoed from the fortress, then there came the splash of flame from guns, the spurting tongues of fire belched from muskets, and the thunder of the explosions. cheers and hurrahs broke from our men. what matter if the alarm had been sounded half an hour before wellington was to give the fatal signal? they were ready--the boys of the light brigade, the heroes of the th division--the stormers all along the walls were ready. a mad babel broke the former silence or semi-silence, portfires flashed in all directions, while fireballs were hurled into the ditches, lighting the way of the stormers. pandemonium was let loose at badajoz that night. a cloudy, star-strewn sky looked down upon horrors which one hopes may never be repeated. for on the side of the french was shown great bravery and demoniacal cunning. every artifice of the besieged was employed, while on the side of the british soldiers a mad, a frantic courage was displayed. what if mines did burst and blow hundreds to pieces? their comrades dashed down into the ditch without hesitation, and cast themselves into the selfsame breach where the tragedy had been perpetrated. what if the enemy did cast bags of gunpowder into the confused ranks of the stormers? it was all the more inducement to them to dash onward. to describe all that occurred would be beyond us. let us follow our hero, though, and see what happened in his direction. tom was one of the forlorn hope. shouldering his hay pack, and gripping his sword, he dashed at the breach before him when the alarm was given. the stunning discharge of a cannon to his front almost swept him from his feet, and cleared a lane through the comrades before him. a fireball danced down the steep slope of the breach and blazed brightly, showing the faces and figures of the enemy plainly, the muskets they were levelling, and an appalling _chevaux de frise_ erected at the top of the breach. composed of naked sabre blades secured to logs of wood, this obstacle awaited the stormers before they could come to hand grips with the enemy. but that was not all. tom stumbled over a boulder, floundered on to his face, and was then lifted boldly and flung aside by a mighty concussion. "a mine," he thought. "am i alive or not? what's happened to the others?" he might well ask that. the poor fellows were swept out of existence almost to a man; but behind them were the noble five hundred, and in rear again the gallant light division. before them was the breach; that terrible breach, with its defenders, its guns, its awful obstacle, and the hundred-and-one means there for the destruction of the stormers. time and again did men dash at it. gallant souls, driven crazy by the hazard they endured, and filled with fearful determination, clambered to that _chevaux de frise_ and were there slaughtered. officers stood in full sight of the enemy calling to their men, leading them upward. and yet none could enter. elsewhere the fighting had been equally strenuous. after many and many an attempt the castle was at length won, and later walker's brigade tore its gallant way over the san vincente bastion, victorious in spite of mines and guns fired at point-blank range. it was from that quarter, in fact, that success at length came; for the light and the th divisions had as yet failed to burst their way through the breaches before them. but an advance from the direction of san vincente took the defenders in the rear, and just as our men had retired at the orders of wellington, preparatory to a fresh attack, those breaches were taken. men burst in now from all directions; the enemy fled for the most part to fort christoval, over the river, and badajoz was ours. cheers and counter cheers were heard in all quarters. the wounded sat up as best they could and joined in the jubilation, and then pandemonium again broke out in every street of the city; for the victorious troops straightway got out of hand. they poured in a torrent through the streets of badajoz, rifling the houses, and, breaking into the cabarets, helped themselves to the wines of spain. that early morning, in fact, discovered a terrible situation in the fortress; for of order there was none. drunken soldiers staggered over the pavements committing violence everywhere, while as many more were pillaging or doing actual violence to the unfortunate inhabitants. and all that while tom clifford lay on the slope of the breach which with many another gallant soul he had endeavoured to storm. regiments passed over him. the surgeons and their bearers came and went in search of the wounded, and passed him always. for tom lay stark and still. with his face half-buried in the torn tunic of a soldier who had died while doing his duty, and his limbs curled up as if he were asleep, he lay without a movement, appearing not even to breathe, lifeless to those who cast a casual glance at him. "dead!" groaned jack and andrews when at length they found him. "killed by the mine which wiped out every man of 'the forlorn hope.' poor tom!" "breathing!" shouted alfonso, who also accompanied him. "i tell you he is still alive." that brought them all about him, and within a few minutes our hero was being carried from the breach. but was he living still? was badajoz to see the end of a promising career, and put a stop to his quest? or would tom clifford appear upon the scenes again, and still have something to say to the rascal who had abducted both father and uncle? chapter xv round about badajoz there was a business-like air about the jovial jack barwood on the second morning after the fall of badajoz, a seriousness about the smart young adjutant to which his friends were unaccustomed, a furrowing of his youthful brow, and an appearance of intentness and determination which would have aroused the friendly satire of old comrades. dressed in the smart uniform of the gallant th rifles, he marched briskly along one of the quieter streets, passing as he did so a half-company of infantry escorting a batch of semi-drunken soldiers, the gallant souls amongst wellington's army who, now that the fighting was over, had lost all sense of discipline, and, aching no doubt for the many good things to which they had been strangers for so long, had burst their way into private dwellings and had behaved like scoundrels instead of brave soldiers. jack took the salute of a portuguese guerrilla sentry marching sedately to and fro before a huge door, and that too of a spaniard, one also of the band under tom's command. "well?" he questioned in portuguese, his accent none of the best. "any news? any more callers?" "none, _señor_." "and the news?" "good, _señor_; he lives. he will get well and strong to command us." there was a gleam of pleasure in the eyes of the two sentries as jack spoke, while they watched him beat upon the door and enter. "a fine officer; one of the english!" exclaimed the spaniard, who seemed to be on the best of terms with the portuguese guerrilla, a strange occurrence in those days. "if the worst were to come to the worst----" "yes," responded the other, in a patois both could understand, "yes, he would command. but it would not be the same; the _señor_ tom is one man, the _señor_ jack another." inside stood the faithful andrews and howeley, drawn stiffly to attention, saluting their officer. jack's serious face brightened. "well?" he demanded again, as if he were short of words. "better, sir, beggin' pardon," came from andrews, with his accustomed formula demanding pardon. "surgeon's been and gone; says as mr. clifford's as hard as rocks, and if he wasn't he'd have been trampled and banged to pieces. swears as he must have fust of all been blowed skyhigh, and then charged over by a thousand of the stormers. he's takin' notice of things, sir, is mr. clifford. axing fer the regiment, and you. he'd have been out of bed if i hadn't prevented him--and, my word, he were a handful!" "ah!" ejaculated jack, a grin rising on his solemn features. "a handful! tom's that all the time. wanted to get up, eh?" "yes, sir," grunted the rifleman, still stiffly at attention. "'not you, sir,' i says; 'you're as weak as a kitten.' 'rot!' he whispers, 'cos he can't speak no higher. 'i've got work, andrews.' 'so has we all,' i answers. 'orders is orders, sir.' 'eh?' he asks, sharp-like, as you know, sir. 'orders that you're to stay abed, sir,' i says, not half-liking things. 'orders be hanged,' he tries to shout, struggling to get up, and then falling back on the pillow." "like him," smiled jack. "anyway he's safe now, eh?" if it were a question of our hero's security from interference, then there was little doubt; for beside those two sentries parading outside the courtyard of the house in which he lay, there were a dozen more at different points, with andrews and howeley to supervise them. nor were such precautions to be wondered at when the tale of the last few hours was told. tom had not only passed through the dangers of a siege. true, he had escaped the ordeal at the breaches, and had been borne still breathing into the town. but there another danger had suddenly assailed him; for no sooner was he laid in bed, and jack had departed, than the watchful andrews had discovered a sneaking form clambering in by one of the windows. had andrews been septimus john clifford's head clerk he would then and there have made a discovery of vast importance, and one which we will at once hand on to the reader. for this sneaking intruder, bearing a stiletto in one hand, was none other than josé de esteros, tom's cousin, now sunk to the lowest depths of infamy, and forestalled just in the nick of time in the endeavour to carry out further villainy. he had made good his escape, and, as a result, tom's little command now watched over their damaged leader. the best of food, the most careful attention on the part of the army surgeon, and the tenderest nursing at the hands of andrews and others were already having their effect, and so, for a while, we may leave our hero, satisfied that he will bob up again in the future and encounter more adventures in this memorable campaign. let us then step outside the walls of badajoz, walls conquered at huge sacrifice by the british, and after the most gallant fighting. for it will already have been gathered that this peninsula campaign was full of incidents, all of which the space at our disposal prevents our mentioning. in the circumstances it will be readily understood that with troops operating here and there over a wide stretch of country there were numerous affairs, some mere skirmishes, some approaching a big engagement, which, while they each and every one undoubtedly helped on the end at which our leaders aimed, and are with equal certainty recorded in official histories, yet for the purposes of this narrative are of small account. beginning in , as already recorded, this memorable campaign had at first seen a succession of commanders sent by the vacillating ministry in england, and of these the great wellington alone remained, having proved his right to lead our armies. those momentous months since the opening of the campaign had witnessed, as the reader will remember, the dismissal of the french from portugal and the advance of our armies into spain. the tragedy of sir john moore's retreat over the border had followed; and we have seen wellington forced backward in portugal itself, till the enemy held the country right down to the formidable heights of torres vedras. and then had come the turn of the tide. the vast masses of men controlled by napoleon had been sent to the rightabout, and here, in the eventful year , we find portugal once more swept clean of the enemy, and the important fortresses of ciudad rodrigo and of badajoz in the hands of the british. the tide had turned, we say, and, like the energetic and astute leader he was, the great wellington at once proceeded to follow up these successes, and to push on into the heart of spain, with the one object of forcing the enemy finally to quit the peninsula. but no narrative of the events which had already happened would be complete without mention of a force, subtle enough and slow to be seen at first, which was now steadily aiding the efforts of our soldiers. despite the criminal neglect of our ambassador in madrid, despite, too, the wicked opposition and folly of the spanish junta in particular, and in smaller measure of the portuguese junta, both of which bodies had persistently opposed each and every aim of the british, our armies had fought and won. often enough the gallant, thin red line had been basely left by the fleeing troops of portugal and spain to face the onslaught of napoleon's trained battalions. and yet that thin red line of gallant souls had conquered. their persistence, their cheerful bravery in the face of enormous odds, and their bull-dog, strenuous fighting had told its tale on the masses of the enemy. scepticism as to their worth as soldiers, a scepticism natural, perhaps, to troops highly trained, and till then victorious in all directions, had been changed to hearty respect, if not to actual fear. that feeling of respect engendering fear and caution alone was the subtle force now aiding our armies. each man, whether officer or private, had the utmost confidence in his leaders and in his comrades; while the french, bearing the late prowess of the british in mind, wondered whether success were now as certain as they had imagined. who knows? the persistent advance of our armies, the skill of our leaders, and the bull-dog courage of our men may well have had their effect upon the great napoleon himself. accustomed to see his arms successful in every venture, he found in the british a foe who knew no defeat, and who pressed him always. for the portuguese this restless emperor may have had some respect; for the spanish he had only hatred, since their determination not to accept his brother as their king, and their incessant rioting and attacks upon his soldiers had caused him trouble and anxiety. now there were the british to deal with. british opposition had wrested portugal from the all-conquering emperor of france. she was now thrusting her way into the heart of andalusia. that meant further strenuous fighting, and if past records were to be repeated, it meant further british victories, in spite of the mass of napoleon's armies. who knows, then, we suggest, that this fear may have weighed with the restless emperor of the french, with the ambitious and avaricious little corporal? to be balked in his wishes was with him ever, as with all such men, galling in the extreme. here, in the peninsula, our coming and our intervention had resulted in tremendous efforts on the part of napoleon, efforts set aside by wellington's armies. and now the tide had turned. what wonder if napoleon, realizing that here he was on the verge of a defeat, turned his eyes to other conquests? whatever the cause, russia now attracted the attention of the emperor. he had ridden posthaste for paris. france, groaning already beneath the weight of taxation necessary to maintain such huge armies in the field, was being bled still further, both in money and men, to provide another army of conquest. troops were already massing on the borders of russia, and soon was to arrive that calamity which will always hold a prominent place in the histories of the world. for napoleon was marching to defeat. the plains of russia were to see his armies swept almost out of existence, while the crops now ripening at the beginning of summer, a summer which wellington in spain had determined to make the greatest use of, were to flare up before napoleon's troops could lay their hungry hands on them. moscow, the city of promise, the magnet drawing the ambitious and reckless emperor to destruction, was to burn before his eyes, and thereafter snow and frost and desperate hunger were to fight his armies silently, while cossacks in their thousands hung like a swarm of flies about the flanks, slaughtering the helpless. but we are forestalling events. napoleon had left the peninsula for other and, as he imagined no doubt, easier conquests, leaving his generals in spain the difficult task of driving out a british army which, with few exceptions, had proved itself absolutely invincible. portugal was entirely in the hands of the british. spain was beckoning strongly. wellington, gathering his faithful and war-worn troops about him, was about to plunge into the heart of andalusia, and, quitting the siege of fortresses, was eager to try conclusions with the enemy in the open. but he was ever a careful man, and as a preliminary to invasion and attack upon the duke of ragusa he planned the destruction of the bridge erected at almarez, spanning the tagus, and protected by forts immensely strengthened by the french. here were known to be collected huge stores of ammunition, while the bridge itself served as a means of communication between one french army and another. with the crossing destroyed, wellington might hope to throw himself upon the enemy with good chance of success; for by keeping the various forces of the enemy apart he might reasonably expect to beat them in detail, victory against the vast masses of french when combined being out of the question. thus almarez and the bridge spanning the historic tagus now attracted his attention, as well as the formidable forts erected to protect the same. let us describe in a few words the condition of the surrounding country. from almarez itself to the city of toledo the left bank of the river tagus is hemmed in by a range of steep mountains. from almarez again to the portuguese frontier, roads in those days were almost non-existent, and the crossing in any case most difficult; while farther east the bridges at arzobispo and talavera were covered by the neighbouring high ground. the river tagus itself separated the armies of soult and of marmont, and, seeing that soult's pontoon train had been captured in badajoz, there was left no other means of communication between the armies than the bridge of boats at almarez, which the critical eye of wellington had already selected for destruction. but, as we have hinted, there were difficulties in the way; for in view of the importance of the place, and of the mass of stores of one sort or another concentrated there, the french had made every preparation to protect the bridge. a fort had been erected on the north bank, another at the opposite end of the bridge, while the heights immediately adjacent on the latter side had been connected by a chain of works which a casual inspection would have said defied assault. yet wellington considered that sir rowland hill, in command of a force strong, would contrive to overcome all difficulties, and that gallant officer promptly marched from the camp which the british had now formed, for since the fall of badajoz our forces had marched north to the tagus, and had crossed the river. a small expeditionary arm was therefore within striking distance of the all-important crossing at almarez. secrecy, as in the case of the descents on ciudad rodrigo and badajoz, was essential in this adventure, and sir rowland, therefore, marched at night-time, secreting his whole force in the wood of jarciejo during the day, this wood being in the immediate neighbourhood of the enemy. then his men were divided into three columns, and in the early hours, while darkness yet hid the land, they set out upon an expedition destined to prove amongst the most brilliant of any recorded during this long campaign in the peninsula. for the plans of generals, like those of other more humble individuals perhaps, are destined at times to be overthrown, and here was an example. that secrecy at which sir rowland hill aimed was destroyed by a combination of circumstances, so that the garrisons of the forts about to be attacked became aware of his intentions. yet the work was done, and done brilliantly, though only at a heavy sacrifice. the forts were taken, the bridge secured, while the losses of the enemy were very heavy. then, expedition being an essential point, mines were laid, and the works, or a portion of them, destroyed. when sir rowland returned to wellington's camp he was able to report the success of the expedition, while wellington himself was now able seriously to consider the question of an attack upon the enemy in the open; for the first step toward that effort had been taken. easy communication between the enemy was destroyed, and now had come the opportunity to seek out and beat in detail the armies of napoleon. forward, then, was the order, and st july, , found wellington and his army north of the tagus, close to salamanca and to the rivers tormes and huebra, having meanwhile cleared the intervening country and besieged the salamanca forts. marmont, with his french battalions, now lay before him; for they had crossed the river between huerta and tormes, and were endeavouring to secure the road to ciudad rodrigo. however, if wellington, as a clever tactician, as he undoubtedly was, had as his object the division of the enemy's forces, with a view of beating them in detail, marmont also was not unskilful. remembering the comparative paucity of the british troops, and the fact that they had, as it were, burned their boats behind them, he hoped to throw his troops between our regiments and the fortress of ciudad rodrigo, then garrisoned by british, thus not only cutting communication between wellington and the fortress, but also drawing a line of fire and steel between the british and portugal, to which country they would naturally retreat in case of defeat or in the event of huge odds being concentrated against them. thus, having brought our gallant fellows face to face with an equally gallant enemy in the open, and having reviewed the movements of this difficult and complex campaign, we can leave the two rival armies in position for battle, and can once more seek out tom clifford, commander of the composite force of portuguese and spanish guerrillas, which, amidst a host of irregular british allies--some good, some indifferent, and some altogether useless and even dangerous--had already earned a name for energy and a patriotic spirit worthy of emulation amongst many chicken-hearted countrymen. back, then, to badajoz, let us retrace our steps, and, accepting the salutes of the spanish and portuguese sentries--smart fellows both--hammer on the door of the courtyard and enter, there to be greeted by the faithful howeley and andrews. some weeks had passed since tom had joined the forlorn hope, and had been blown like a stone down the steep scarp of the breach effected by our gunners. he sat in an armchair, his feet on a stool, jack barwood discussing matters with him, and at the same time smoking a pipe which he had secured in the dwelling. "of course," tom was saying in his business-like way, "orders are orders. but----" "they're a beastly nuisance for all that. granted," was jack's interruption. "well?" "and, equally of course, must be obeyed. 'pon my word, jack, you seem to be as keen as i am on this quest. what's it to do with you, anyway?" "nothing; everything." jack took a heavy pull at his pipe, choked suddenly, and then glared at the pipe as if it had done him a mischief. "awful country," he grumbled. "decent food ungetable, decent beds unknown. tobacco--ugh! it'd sicken a billingsgate porter! but this business interests me. why? you ask. here's why. fair play is a thing i like; foul play gets up my dander. of course i know the whole story now. this cousin chap first took food and lodging from your father and pretended gratitude; then he managed to work things so as to have you impressed. there i owe him a grudge; for if he hadn't, where should i be, eh?" "eh?" repeated tom, a little puzzled. "that's just it," went on the ensign in an aggrieved tone of voice. "who'd have had the command of those french troopers? who'd have brought them through that mess? who'd now be promoted to the command of a regiment of guerrillas?" he might have been the most injured of individuals, to look at him. jack rose to his feet and bashed the offending pipe heavily on a table. and then he grinned at tom. "my uncle!" he exclaimed; "you are a flat! yes, even if you are my superior, i can call you that. took everything i said as if it were meant seriously. where should i have been, eh? dead, tom--dead as a bullock. shot outside that portuguese church, and cut to mincemeat by those rascals. but this business of yours interests me solely because you happen to be a pal of mine, and in my opinion very much injured. this josé is a scoundrel. what's more, i believe him to be at the bottom of all these troubles. he's that spy, sir, i declare! he's the very same scoundrel who crept in here with the idea of doing you a mortal mischief. there, think it out, and don't wonder if i am a little interested in this curious and blackguardly mystery." could this really be the case? was josé de esteros not only the rascal who had caused tom's impressment, as we know, and tom and his friends now knew, to be the case; but also, was he the treacherous ruffian who had been feeding the enemy with news of wellington's movements, whose messenger our hero had displaced outside ciudad rodrigo? could tom's cousin be the selfsame villain who had abducted his father and uncle, and who later on had endeavoured to creep into this house in badajoz and murder the gallant officer so nearly killed in the storming? "humbug!" tom declared, nursing the arm which he had worn in a sling since receiving his injuries. "i grant that josé was the cause of my impressment. there i owe him a grudge, jack." "eh?" asked the adjutant, stoking his pipe with a finger and pulling at it vainly. "how?" "been troubled with a certain jack barwood ever since," came the serious answer. and then tom went off into roars of laughter, while jack pretended indignation. "granted that josé was the cause of that portion," tom continued. "we know he came to oporto; there we lose sight of him. the spy comes on the scene. granted here, again, that he it was who abducted my father and uncle, for the note left was in the same handwriting as that other we secured outside ciudad rodrigo; but that doesn't say that josé was the spy, even if you argue that he has reasons for wishing to abduct my two relatives. now, does it?" "but the handwriting? it's like his; you forget that." "i don't; i agree that, from what i can remember of it, there is a similarity. but i'm not by any means sure; besides, josé couldn't be such a rascal." jack's reply was as emphatic as many others. "stuff and nonsense!" he blurted out. "a man who tries to get rid of a cousin with whom he has lived all his life, as this fellow did, will take on any piece of rascality. look at his actions on arrival at oporto, and think of his cunning. my boy, this josé's at the bottom of the whole matter, so keep your eye open." how tom was to keep his eye open his adjutant failed to explain, nor was there any further evidence to convict josé of this added piece of rascality. tom was still in ignorance of the personality of the spy whom he had traced to oporto, and thence to badajoz. he knew that the man was responsible for the abduction of septimus and don juan de esteros. but was josé the spy? was the spy the man who had crept into these quarters in badajoz with the obvious intention of slaying tom, and, if so, what was his object? "it's josé all the time," declared jack, cocksure of the fact. "doubtful," repeated tom, still refusing to believe his cousin capable of such villainy. "but leave it at that. the fellow's gone, and taken with him his two captives; the next thing to do is to follow." "wrong; the next move is to obey orders." jack had become a very useful adjutant by now, and showed his promptness by handing tom the orders which lay upon the table. our hero almost ground his teeth as he read them; for there, in black and white, were definite commands for the regiment to march for the tagus, and there join hands with wellington's army. never, in fact, had orders been worse received. hitherto tom had been the first to welcome them; now they came between him and private business. "but duty first," he told himself. "we'll march before the week's out, for those are the instructions. meanwhile we've at least heard something. read the report again," he said, signing to his friend. jack picked up a paper, and promptly obliged him. "here we are," he said. "alfonso reports that following orders he has continued to patrol the surroundings of the fortress. a covered carriage was driven out just before dusk last evening. it was stopped and found to be empty. the driver stated he was going to a country place to fetch in an invalid. later, when the carriage was well beyond our circle, it stopped beside a convoy of carts going from the fortress. sharp questioning of the man in charge brought the admission that men were hidden among the contents of the carts, two of whom were bound and gagged. they were placed in the carriage, which was instantly driven away down the road, and when our men arrived was out of hearing. though they searched, it was in vain. the scoundrel had got away with his captives." "and then?" asked tom, listening without sign of emotion. "close enquiries here discovered the fact that a carriage had been hired to take a gentleman to madrid. that's all." that indeed was all the information that our hero or his friends had been able to come by. the strenuous efforts and the danger which tom had incurred in endeavouring to make an early entry into badajoz had resulted in nothing. the miscreant who gave information to the enemy had slipped out with his captives, and there were our heroes none the nearer to success. they were farther off, in fact, for there, on the table, were orders taking them north to the tagus, while it seemed likely enough that tom's father and uncle had been hurried east to madrid, where search for them, if ever the opportunity came, would be long and difficult. "can't be helped. when orders allow, we'll make a rush for the city," said tom. "meanwhile, it's off to the tagus!" "to join the army again--hooray!" shouted jack. "that means a big general engagement; it means fighting, my boy! perhaps it'll give us both promotion." hard knocks, wounds, and exposure were more likely to be their portion. but what did these two young officers care? what would other officers of a similar age in these days care? nothing. rather they were elated at the prospect of taking a share in a pitched battle, and had not so much as a qualm when at length they reached the neighbourhood of salamanca. as for their men, confident now of their ability to fight, proud of what they had already done, they marched to their allotted quarters in the camp with a tramp and a swing that commanded attention. "general lord wellington's compliments," began a staff officer, galloping up just as tom had inspected his men, and had called upon jack to dismiss the parade. "are you lieutenant clifford?" "yes, sir." "then have the goodness to ride over to headquarters at once; his lordship desires to see you." "hooray!" cried jack, careless of decorum, hurrying up at the moment. "that'll mean business, my boy. the general's got a special job for our guerrillas." and wellington had. when tom had been ushered into the tent which housed the leader of the british army he found that painstaking individual seated on a camp stool carefully measuring distances on a map stretched on a table before him. tom stood stiffly at attention, and though the staff officer who ushered him twice called his name, there was no answer. then suddenly a point of the compasses was struck into the map and an exclamation escaped the general. "if he moves there, we have him," he cried. "then all depends on the spaniards. ah!" he shut the map hurriedly, and looked at tom as if he thought him to be a suspicious person. then, recognizing him, he smiled. "the officer the french will not fight," he said cheerfully. "the englishman they did their best to destroy in the breaches at badajoz. you are recovered, sir?" "perfectly," tom hastened to assure him, fearful that a fancied weakness might cause the general to choose another officer for any special work he might have in prospect. "and will accept a special risk?" tom drew himself up stiffly. with anyone else there would have been a note of injury in the answer; for had he shirked special risk in the past? ciudad rodrigo was a telling answer to such a question. and wellington realized the fact as soon as he had spoken. "i take it for granted that you are more than ready," he said. "good! then the mission i have is somewhat similar to that other. you saw me close this plan hurriedly? i did it unknowingly, impelled by the fear that you might be a stranger; for here is my story. maps and plans jealously guarded by us have disappeared, my dispatch case has been broken open. my officers have information that there is a small gang of rascals who trade on our secrets. i want to bring that gang to book, if it exists. now, mr. clifford, once more i make no suggestions, and give no orders. you will act as you think best. after to-morrow you are free to carry out whatever seems best to you. remember, after to-morrow." that was all. tom found himself outside the tent, still saluting. "a pretty job to unravel," he told himself. "and what's on to-morrow?" yes, what was to happen when the day broke once more across the smooth surface of the river tormes? there was to be war, real war, war in the open, the like of which tom had never before witnessed. chapter xvi the battle of salamanca the gentle tinkle of convent bells, the lowing of distant oxen, and the cheery whistling and singing of the men of wellington's st division awakened tom on the morrow of his arrival in the neighbourhood of salamanca. he shook off his blanket and rose, stretching himself, then inhaled the balmy summer air, and enjoyed the hazy view over the heights of the arapiles, a precipitous part adjacent to the city, and split into two portions, known as the sister arapiles. a thousand bivouac fires were smoking, a thousand and more busy cooks struggled to prepare the rations for the day, while soldiers came and went carrying ammunition, food, fodder, and water, or leading long, roped lines of horses up from the river. what a bustle there was about the camp, what order and method, and what cheerfulness. a band was playing over by the headquarters tent, above which flew general lord wellington's flag. a battery of guns went trundling by, the men in their shirt sleeves, for they were merely taking up another position, and the business of the day had not begun. and yonder were the enemy, some , strong, with guns, with cavalry and every branch which goes to the completion of an army. already these thousands were astir; the french bivouac fires had been stamped out, and the morning meal eaten. there came the blare of trumpets across the breeze, drowning the peaceful tinkle of the convent bells and the pleasant lowing of cattle. drums rattled away in the far distance, while dust began to rise over road and plain, as the battalions of the enemy marched hither and thither to take up their posts for the coming conflict. for a battle was imminent. wellington with much patience and forethought had prepared the way for it. he had cleared portugal of the foreign invader. he had captured ciudad rodrigo and badajoz, but at what cost and suffering! that last manoeuvre had wrecked the bridge at almarez, and had destroyed the huge stores collected there by the enemy. but now he was face to face with one of their armies, marmont's, the duke of ragusa, and was eager to try his strength with them, while they, to do them justice, were just as ready. "mr. clifford, commanding the composite regiment of portuguese and spanish irregulars?" the staff officer reined in his mount at tom's feet and saluted. "here, sir." "you will see that your men draw rations, and take their water bottles filled, also ammunition; then march for general pack's brigade and report to him. they are over there; you can see the dark uniforms." he galloped away without waiting for tom to reply, and they saw him racing across to headquarters. other aides-de-camp were cantering from that same place, and in a little while bugles and drums were sounding amidst the british lines, while men were falling in by regiments. "parade present and correct, sir," reported jack, riding up as tom clambered into his saddle. "keep them as they are then, mr. barwood," came tom's most polite answer; for on duty there was no joking between these two young officers. "i'll say a few words to them first, before we move off. we've to join general pack's portuguese brigade, so our fellows will be fighting alongside their countrymen to-day." "yes, sir; and they'll show 'em the way." "and cover themselves with credit. they look well," reflected tom, as the two rode on to the ground in front of their little corps, and drew rein some few paces from them. "smart; no doubt about it. don't see a sign of funking." "no, sir. shall i call up the other officer and our non-coms?" "please, and quickly with it." alfonso halted before our hero, his face brimming over with enthusiasm. he saluted, and waited. then came andrews and howeley, both old soldiers; for there was none of your short service then. the men of the british army, whether recruits or old stagers, filled their breeches and jackets, and gave good measure round calf and thigh and chest. the two riflemen were fine specimens of the th, and, being detached from their corps, seemed to hold themselves all the better, as if to let all and sundry see what a rifle regiment could do for its members. "we join pack's brigade," explained tom. "they're posted about the centre and are likely to be in the thick of it. i want you all to remember that this corps must set an example. we must hold the men together. if others of the irregulars bolt before the enemy, we won't have the same said of our fellows. now, men," he called out. "a word before we march. there's the enemy before you, yonder is general pack's brigade of portuguese. we go to join them; let every man remember how this corps has behaved in the past. hold firmly together and keep your wits about you. your courage i know you will hold, for that you have proved already. for the rest, keep your eyes on your officers, and recollect that when the press comes, if come it does, you are fighting for home and country." a british regiment would have cheered the strangely youthful-looking staff officer. the mixed guerrillas from the hilltops of spain and portugal stared at him hard. there was a set expression on every bronzed face, a hard gripping of muskets, and a swinging of all eyes over to the enemy. and then came the word to march. they stepped out briskly. heads erect, muskets at the trail, their commander leading them, the little corps advanced to take its part for the first time in a general action. nor did its smartness pass unobserved. "what corps is that?" demanded the great wellington, ever observant, his eyes in all directions. "all dressed in blue, i think, and--yes, some wearing the red cockade of spain. what corps, please?" "mr. clifford's, sir; recruited on the borders, and composed of portuguese and as many spanish hillmen. the only corps where the two nationalities have worked in friendship with one another. they were in that ciudad rodrigo affair, sir; also down at badajoz." the spyglass flew to the general's eye, and for a while he watched the corps striding along. then he eyed the young commander. "good!" he exclaimed, thinking aloud. "they march like veterans. their officer conducts himself like a tried general. there's no hurry about him, but slap-dash-up smartness. if they fight as they march we've something to boast of. and with such an officer my little mission is likely to receive attention." he shut the glass with a bang and went cantering off towards the heights of the sister arapiles, a brilliant staff trailing out behind him. as for tom, he held on his way without swerving. now passing between halted regiments, now halting his own command to allow of the passage of a battery or more of guns, which went by at a trot, obliterating all about them in the clouds of dust tossed up by the wheels and the hoofs of the horses. meanwhile the sun flashed in the distance from a forest of french bayonets, manoeuvring for position, marching this way or that, while a little later a battery took post away on the shoulder of one of the sister heights, smoke billowed from unseen muzzles, while shot tore through the summer air, and came bounding and ricochetting towards them. "report, sir; general wellington's orders," said tom, halting his little corps to the front of pack's brigade and reporting to that officer. "ah! reinforcements or reserve!" came the answer, while the gallant general smiled a welcome. "smart men yours, sir. name, may i ask, please?" "clifford, sir, general lord wellington's staff, seconded for service with irregulars." and then the smile on the general's face broadened. he gripped tom's hand warmly. "ah! the twins, i know," he cried gaily. "the officer the french refuse to fight, eh?" tom, with heightened colour, was forced to confess that it was so. then he cast his eyes along the sitting lines of the portuguese brigade, garbed in its blue, and wondered how these rough levies would conduct themselves. a moment later he was sitting erect to receive his orders. "march your command to our left, and fall in rear, to act as a reserve with the companies already detailed for that service. smart men, mr. clifford, a smart lot of fellows!" there were thousands of others in pack's brigade who repeated that opinion; for, seeing that tom's men were standing while the remainder of the brigade were sitting, they were the observed of all observers. "halt! dress on the right--smartly does it," came from tom. "smartly does it!" jack roared in the stentorian voice becoming to an adjutant, and--we must confess it--with an accent which brought a whimsical smile to general pack's face. "lively with it, boys!" shouted howeley and andrews together, using a language half english, a little portuguese, and the rest nothing in particular. "lively does it! dress up there on the left. 'shun! stand at ease! back there that swab away on the left." rigidly erect, the toes of their english-made boots forming a line which would have drawn a note of approval even from the lips of a liverish martinet, tom's men stood at attention, muskets at the shoulder, bayonets already fixed. and then, with a clatter, they sat down, having piled their weapons. "two hours since we left camp; perhaps we'd better give 'em some grub," suggested jack, peeping into his own haversack. for whatever may have been the duties of this ensign, he was still just the overgrown boy, always hungry, always ready for a meal. "always growing, that's the reason," he had often explained. "must have something at hand to build up an increasing framework." how those two hours had changed the july morning! the sun swam redly overhead, approaching the vertical position; a few fine clouds flecked the sky; while the heights, the distant cork forest sheltering the french battalions, still looked peaceful enough. but there was the roar of guns in many directions. away behind pack's brigade, posted on an eminence, and sheltered by the straggling buildings of a farm, was a british battery, busily pumping shot over the heads of the sitting brigade at an enemy then invisible to tom and his comrades. the answering shot likewise shrieked above the brigade, and more than once jack pointed, while men scrambled to their feet and looked about them as if terrified. "don't look well for later on," he jerked out crisply. "but you never know. anyway, the bulk of them are taking matters coolly." no wonder the peace of the land about salamanca was disturbed; for to match the masses of the enemy wellington had collected some , men, including cavalry and guns. these he had on this eventful day beneath his eye, cut up into divisions, and so placed that he could move his forces rapidly. his right rested on the foothills of the sister arapiles, as yet unoccupied by our men, but at that moment being scaled by the french legions. his left extended to the river tormes, while he himself passed this way and that, eagerly watching the movements of the enemy. marmont was even more busy than wellington, and there is little doubt but that he hoped by this general action to smash the power of the commander who was now such a thorn in his side, and to cut him off from portugal completely. his right manoeuvred persistently for the road to ciudad rodrigo, while his left marched on the arapiles, and now occupied one of the heights. for the rest, his centre was masked by a cork wood, through the gaps in which came the reflections from the flashing bayonets of his battalions. a burst of firing echoed across the plain from the village of arapiles, now occupied by our infantry. flying figures were seen struggling down the heights and forming up at their base. shot plunged over the heads of pack's sitting brigade and smote those descending ranks. and then came the rattle of drums, the cheers of frantic men, a red flash as muskets were exploded, followed by the pitter-pat of independent firing. crash! bang! those guns behind the farm pounded the advancing french, ploughing the ground about them. the cheers broke out even louder, and were drowned by a torrent of musketry which flashed round the post held by british infantry. the same scene, diversified a little, was happening away on our left, where our battalions manoeuvred against marmont's, holding them back from that all-important road. elsewhere, when not actively engaged, or making some countering move, troops sat down in their formation, men nibbled at their rations, while a squadron of horse slowly cantered across a dusty part, into which the enemy's cannon ball plumped in quick succession. tom found himself actually feeling drowsy, jack barwood looked as if he could willingly drop off to sleep, while some of the regiment were stretched full length, their eyes tight closed, not even bothering to open them when there came a clatter near at hand and a ball trundled and roared past them. down below those heights, to which we have referred so often, sat wellington, wearied with long watching and counter manoeuvring, dismounted now, his spyglass in his pocket, and himself seated at a midday meal, which he needed as much perhaps as any of his soldiers. for the moment he could do no more. he was merely watching and waiting. thus he and his staff snatched a hasty meal, wondering what the result of the day was to be for them. then came electrifying news--marmont was extending his left. he was pushing his divisions up into the arapiles, leaving his centre denuded, while right and left wings of his army were steadily getting farther and farther from one another. it was the moment for which wellington had been waiting; it was the moment of all others in which to strike. that critical stage in the coming contest had arrived where one leader, in this case marmont, attempts too great a task; while his opponent, watching him like a cat, sees the error, realizes the opportunity, and sends his men headlong to make the most of it. there, in fact, as wellington looked through his spyglass, were the divisions forming the french left separated from their centre; while, in addition to this attempted enveloping movement, marmont was still manoeuvring his right, so as to close the road to ciudad rodrigo. here, in fact, if we look closely into the circumstances, was an example of divided force, that for which wellington was ever seeking. his acuteness, and the strenuous fighting of his men, had separated marmont from other french armies. now marmont's own dispositions had separated his left wing from its centre and right, and at this precise moment the opportunity had come to beat his army in detail. pakenham's rd division was seated about our general. he had been lunching with its officers, pakenham being his own brother-in-law. instantly he gave this gallant leader orders, and at once the men of the rd division were on their feet. forward they charged against the left wing on the slope of the sister arapiles. batteries thundered against them; muskets sent a stinging hail of bullets against the face of the charging division; while cavalry emerged from a fold in the ground and charged madly for the advancing british. but none could stay that gallant division. the men swept cavalry aside. they laughed at bullets and cannon shot. leaving a thick trail of killed and wounded, they pressed the charge home, came to handgrips with the enemy, and then attacked them with the bayonet. "let them loose!" cried pakenham; and at the command the connaught rangers, ever a fine fighting corps, was sent into the midst of the thick masses of marmont's left wing. "magnificent but dreadful!" cried tom, a witness from the plain of the whole scene. "look; our fellows are crumpling the enemy's left wing up! our colours are right alongside theirs, with the men fighting all round. it's a grand movement!" "the portuguese brigade will fall in!" the command rang out over that portion of the ground where tom and his men were stationed, and at once the men were on their feet. "dress up there on the right. back in the centre. nicely does it, men! ready and correct, sir." jack barwood, a grin of excitement on his face, rode up to tom and reported the composite regiment to be ready. "march!" the brigade was in motion. extending by battalions to left and right, its face was soon far wider than it had been. pack led them direct to that arapile height still held by marmont, and known as hermanito. guns blazed and thundered at the portuguese. shot plunged through the ranks, sweeping men by half-dozens out of existence. musket bullets began to sizzle and whip about the ears of the brigade, and fell even amongst the reserve marching some four hundred yards in rear. tom's men began to fall by the way. was there a sign of flinching? "good plucked 'uns, to the backbone," muttered jack, at tom's side now, his face eager and tense. "our boys will do well, sir. what are the orders?" an aide-de-camp had just galloped round, and had shouted instructions to our hero. "we're to charge up behind the men and support any part where the enemy are pressing," he said shortly. "i'm going to move off to the side a little; as we are we get all the shots and balls which miss the brigade in advance, and that isn't business. to the left there are folds in the ground which will give us shelter. look away up there at pakenham's rd division." the struggle was still progressing there, though the enemy's guns had ceased to thunder. our scarlet-clad men could be seen mustering here and there, and, though tom could not himself know what was happening, that mustering told its own tale. for marmont's left wing, so recklessly moved away from the support of its centre and right, was conquered. three thousand of the enemy were already prisoners, with two much-coveted eagles and eleven cannon. the rest were scattered, some still contesting the ground, while the remainder had taken to their heels. indeed, all eyes were now on pack's brigade. "charge! up the hill and at them!" the command rang out in portuguese, and at once the irregulars stormed the height, their muskets at the trail, their bayonets already fixed. ah, they were close to the summit! breathless with the climb, but eager for the conflict, they cheered as they gained the height. then there came the roar and crackle of musketry. twelve hundred french infantry emptied their muskets into the charging host and came at them with fixed bayonets--fresh men against men blown after a stiff climb. there was the crash and clank of crossing weapons, and, later, cries of terror. dismayed by the enemy's charge, straggling as is the case with infantry after a stiff climb, the portuguese in engagement with marmont's men turned tail and fled down the hill, exposing the th division on its flank to the attack of the enemy. instantly french regiments poured up, guns crashed out, while a hail of musketry was sent against that division by the ranks of the french. "double!" commanded tom, emerging with his men a few moments earlier from a convenient and merciful fold in the ground, and realizing instantly what had happened. "double up there and cover the flank of the th division. now, halt!" it took ten minutes perhaps to get into position, and all the while the enemy were advancing at a run to take the th division in flank. but tom's men were there before them, and, at his shrill whistles, at once broke up into squares of double companies, one portuguese and one spanish being now associated together in all manoeuvres. "wait for the word to fire!" bellowed tom, while jack, and alfonso, and andrews, and howeley repeated the order in stentorian tones. "fire by squares! be ready to charge!" pandemonium reigned about them. a mass of cavalry swung of a sudden round the shoulder of the hill, and, skirting the french battalions, launched itself against tom's devoted squares. crash! bang! a blaze of flame swept in their faces. horses reared and fell with their riders. a thousand desperate troopers galloped at the squares, slashing and cutting. crash! bang! the muskets flashed redly; the bullets tore through the scattered ranks of the cavalry. "load! stand ready there. ah! reserves are coming up. that must be the th division. men of the composite regiment, stand firm and you will have saved the position here. ready? then forward." the three squares advanced steadily against the advancing french. men fell here and there, but their places were instantly filled. the faces of the squares, presenting in this case but a narrowed angle to the enemy, swirled with fire and flame. smoke hid the men from all observers, while a thunderous discharge came from their weapons. then there followed the clink of ramrods. bullets were driven home on powder and wads, primings were renewed, while flints were drawn back. then again was repeated the same thunder of muskets, the same red flaming flash, the same vomiting of sulphurous vapour. a minute later the th division came panting up, and at once the enemy were pressed back. steadily the advance was maintained, and presently the enemy were fleeing. "form line!" bellowed tom, standing in his stirrups and waving his sword, all oblivious of the fact that a musket bullet had shattered the blade, leaving him with but six inches of steel clinging to the hilt. "line up with the th division. forward!" "forward!" shrieked jack in his terrible portuguese. "now's the time, me boys!" shouted andrews, ever encouraging the men. on went the scarlet lines of british, with the thin blue line of tom's irregulars wedged in between. wellington himself came cantering up, for now had come the very crisis of the battle. the th division doubled to the front with cheers of eagerness, while, away on the left of our line, troops until then hardly under fire went to the front. slowly at first, and then more swiftly, the enemy's regiments were crumpled up. marmont had by now been severely wounded, while successive generals had been placed _hors de combat_. muddled by counter orders, therefore, and no doubt scared by the dash of our battalions, the enemy retired all along the line, and was soon in retreat, protected by strong rearguards and followed persistently over miles of country by our men. it would be impossible to detail every single combat which followed. gallant regiments on the side of the french stood fast, holding their ground while their comrades retired to safety. but as night fell all were in retirement, and here again were the plans of lord wellington upset by the very people who should have done their utmost to support him. for marmont's army of the north was beaten. capture of the survivors of this day's memorable fight would mean a french disaster, and to bring that about wellington had long ago sent his spanish irregulars to guard the fords across the river tormes. can we wonder that that at alba was deserted by the cowardly spanish as the french came near? and thereby a decisive defeat was lessened. by the next day, in fact, the french were across the river. but salamanca was won. the northern frontier of portugal was freed of the enemy, and now, when we advanced into spain still farther, we had this to content us--there were none of the enemy in rear to cut our communications or to stampede our rearguards. they were to our front, and no britisher fears an enemy whom he can see plainly. but there were still rascals and traitors to be dealt with, as tom was yet to learn. not that he gave a thought to them. for on the evening of the battle, receiving an order from a galloping aide-de-camp, he halted his men and set them down for a breather. then the sound of clattering hoofs came to his ears, and there rode out of the gathering gloom lord wellington himself, with a brilliant staff about him. he drew rein within ten feet of the corps, now dishevelled and lessened sadly in numbers, but erect as ever, and dressed with that precision for which they had become notorious. "what corps?" asked wellington, though he needed no information. "lieutenant clifford's, sir. composite corps; half-portuguese and half-spanish." tom's heart thudded as the general set his horse three paces forward. "ah," he heard him say, "i felt sure it was they! mr. clifford." "sir," answered tom, lowering the hilt of his broken sword. "mr. barwood and the other officers, commissioned and non-commissioned," cried the general softly, causing all those individuals to come to the front. "gentlemen," said wellington, his tones not raised in the slightest, as if he were discussing a matter of little interest, and yet conveying by a subtle inflection of his voice that it was no ordinary matter, "from the plain below we saw pack's portuguese turn tail and bolt. we saw the th division heavily assailed. and then this corps was thrust into the gap. it was a brilliantly-conceived movement, and it helped to save a situation which was critical. the forming of the corps into squares was beyond all criticism. mr. clifford, you will be good enough to give my personal commendations to your men, whose bravery is a pattern for all their fellows. inform them that i hold them in great respect, and that since the respect of a commander is shown through his officers, who have done so well again, those officers' names will be sent to england in my dispatches. march your men back to their camp, please." did the men of tom's corps cheer? they shouted themselves hoarse after our hero had spoken to them. they trudged across the field strewn with killed and wounded with merry songs, and turned into their blankets when all was over as proud as any in spain or portugal. as for tom, he was too fatigued to even think. once his wounded were collected and his dead buried, a gruesome job for any commander, he dropped dead asleep in his blanket. he recked not of the work before him. his slumbering mind cared not a jot for the dangers of the task which his commander had given him. if there had been fifty spies to capture, if there had been fifty mysteries hanging about the persons of the rascal josé and tom's two relatives abducted from oporto, that young fellow would still have slept. for he had fought his first big engagement. he had done strenuous work, and nature called aloud for repose for both body and brain before he took up other responsibilities. till the morrow, then, we leave him till the rising sun awaked in his thoughts the memory of those urgent orders. chapter xvii a clue at last those , victorious men of wellington's great army now had their backs to the portuguese frontier and were marching gaily on madrid. away in front a half-battalion of infantry watched for the french and found no trace of them. the guard in rear had an easy time of it, for attack was not to be feared from that quarter; while the cavalry patrols on either flank reported a country clear of all but peasants. as for the road itself, it was littered with carts of every description, not the motor lorries which to-day have achieved a triumph, making light of the task of hauling the stores and impedimenta of an army, but with mule carts in endless array, and four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles with their teams of mules and their gaudily-hatted drivers. "of all the aggravating, lazy beggars these are the worst i ever set eyes on," growled jack barwood, in command now of tom's composite corps of portuguese and spanish; for that young fellow himself, together with alfonso his cousin, had departed on special service. and didn't the great jack give himself airs! riding at the head of the corps he looked about him as does a conqueror. and these muleteers came in for his displeasure. "straggling all over the road as usual. how's one to pass here?" he demanded of andrews, who was marching beside him, and pointing to a batch of vehicles wedged in a rocky part of the road where a detour was almost impossible. "move 'em, sir," came the answer, while the rifleman suppressed a grin of amusement. jack was a favourite with them all, but he sometimes excited their ridicule. he was different from the steady and yet dashing tom. "move 'em, sir, or interview one of these blackguards conducting the caravan. look at the beggar nearest; stares at us as if we hadn't a right on the road, when we all know we're here to fight the spaniards' own battles. precious fine help they give us too! the only time they're out of the way is when fightin's wanted. hi, you, you son of a gun, move along with you!" the individual in question, a beetle-browed young fellow, whose head was closely swathed in a brilliantly-red handkerchief, and who dangled his sombrero from one hand, squatted on the shaft of the nearest waiting cart, puffing a cigarette and staring with insolent eyes at the commander of the irregulars. "cheek!" exclaimed jack. "the beggar looks at us as if we were trespassers. haul him up, andrews; we'll give him trespassers." jack sought in the back of his mind for all the spanish he knew and burst into an ungrammatical tirade when the muleteer was brought forward by andrews. "hi, you!" said jack haughtily; "hook it, double quick! you're keeping the duke's own corps of irregulars. sheer out with your bothering carts or it'll be the worse for you." that was the substance of his speech, a speech that brought a supercilious grin from the young man. "_si, señor_," he said, "but there is time; there is always time." jack gripped his meaning with difficulty, and then bubbled over with wrath. had he commanded cavalry he would have been tempted to ride over the insolent fellow and his obstruction. as it was, he felt he could thrash the man with his whip. but such action was out of the question. jack fumed and raged, while andrews grinned secretly. as for the spaniard, he returned to his cart, finished his cigarette, and then gave the order for the group of vehicles to move forward. but as soon as the corps of irregulars had passed he sent a messenger to call its commander. "well?" demanded jack haughtily, riding back, and meeting the man alone and well away from all others. "what fool's errand have you called me for?" "gently does it, jack. gently! i'll be frightened," laughed the muleteer, in the purest english. "how are things going?" the young leader of the composite corps nearly dropped from his horse, and then, bending low, stared at this stranger. "i'm blistered!" he growled. "am i standing on my head, or----" "don't get frightened," came the grinning answer. "it's tom, right enough. i'm glad we've met, for it proves my disguise to be good. not one of the men recognized me, and i gave 'em every chance; even andrews was hoodwinked. how'll i do?" [illustration: a clever disguise] jack could still have been levelled flat with the proverbial feather, for his chum had been absent from the camp exactly a week, and alfonso with him. it had been given out that they had ridden for oporto, and they had, in fact, taken the road for that place. but some miles from the camp both had stripped off their uniforms and had donned the dress worn by muleteers, of whom thousands were employed with both british and french armies. then they had been joined by a faithful servant of alfonso, one who accompanied him on this campaign, who handed over to the two lads half a dozen native carts, together with their teams of mules. "he'll stable our horses away on father's estate," explained alfonso. "we can stow our uniforms in two of the carts, and then, if we want to change back to ourselves at any time, we have the things near us. now?" "back to the camp," said tom, "there we pick up four of our fellows who were on the sick list till last week. they've been reported as fit only for light duty, and so, at my suggestion, are to be allowed to continue with the army as drivers. they're trusty fellows, and may be relied on not to give us away to friends or enemies. back we go, alfonso." as bold as brass--for the handkerchief swathed round the brows and the wide sombrero hat were disfiguring and an excellent disguise--the two drove their teams into camp, and bivouacked close to tom's own regiment. and here they were, on the road, obstructing that same corps, and causing the irate and lofty jack to bubble over. "of all the blessed cheek!" he began to gasp, faintly recognizing tom. "you gave me an awful start. to think of you being alongside us, giving me lip too. that beats everything. but----what's up?" he demanded in a hoarse whisper, leaning over from his saddle. "what's this disguise for? and why march with the british army?" tom waved him away. "look out," he said hurriedly. "those muleteers are looking this way. pretend to row me; threaten me with your whip. i'll sneak away in the usual spanish manner." cunning eyes were, indeed, fixed upon them at that moment. a man amongst a batch of drivers passing with his team just then recognized jack as the leader of irregulars, one with whom, had that young officer been able to guess it, he had already had dealings. but the scene immediately following disarmed all suspicion. jack raged at the man standing near him. his whip went up over his shoulder, and he slashed out fiercely, cleverly missing his friend. as for tom, he scowled and muttered loudly, while his hand went to an imaginary stiletto. "draw your sword and skewer him if he shows fight," shouted a cavalry officer, also a witness of the scene, galloping up now. "get back to your cart!" he commanded. tom slank away, while jack explained the insolence of the man, getting advice born of long experience. "they're the biggest set of thieving, murdering rascals i ever set eyes on," declared the officer, "and would knife one as soon as eat a dinner. i never allow 'em to answer. i'm fair and square and kind when things are right, but if there's disobedience, or treachery, or insolence in the air, i go for 'em red-headed, red-headed me boy, and knock the courage clean out of the rascals. i know; i've been on transport duty in this country in the early days of the campaign, and i've learned that firmness, and violence too, sometimes, are necessary." there was a grin of amusement on tom's face as he returned to the carts, while the seemingly sleepy eyes of his fellow muleteers twinkled. whether our hero and his cousin had embarked upon a fool's chase or not it was impossible to say; but this was certain, occupying a false position as they did, where the piercing of their disguise by comrade or enemy would be equally disastrous to their scheme, they still had everything in their favour. those men were oysters; not one knew anything. they had taken service with the chief muleteer, he with the bright handkerchief about his head, and that was all. his name? no--that they had not heard. his age? they shrugged their shoulders. what did age matter in a country where time was of no consequence? then he loved the english? another shrug. perhaps; who could say? he had had a fierce altercation with one of their officers that very day. "a lucky meeting it was, too," declared tom to his cousin, when they were tucked in their cart that night, secure from eavesdroppers. "every muleteer with our troops will hear the yarn before to-morrow's finished, and that's just what we want." "want?" ejaculated alfonso, with a lift of the eyebrows. "yes, want." "but--why?" "because we've thrashed this matter out, haven't we?" alfonso assented, shrugging in his blankets because the habit was too strong for him. "but," he said. "i'll explain. there are spies about, stealing wellington's papers and plans." "exactly." "and strangers with the troops are few and far between, and get spotted precious quickly." "granted--then?" "then the spies are not strangers. they are to be found amongst men accustomed to be with the troops, non-combatants of course; for soldiers don't go in for such dirty business. so one looked round." "and pitched on the only possible people--muleteers, the scum of the earth," declared alfonso, with another shrug, which tom found strangely disconcerting. who ever heard of a fellow who must needs shrug his shoulders in bed and in the darkness? "drop that shrugging," he growled. "upsets me. well, there we are. we pitched on muleteers. to watch 'em properly we decided to join them ourselves." "and here we are--not that i grumble," said alfonso, beginning another shrug and arresting it as tom kicked savagely. "but rations might be more plentiful. still, as you say, here we are; and here we stay, i suppose." "till things turn up. i'm going to let it get about that we're discontented beggars. if there's a gang about, we may be invited to join. who knows, through such a gang we might get hold of that fellow who captured your father and mine?" "josé, eh?" asked his cousin. "perhaps." "in any case the rascal we were after in oporto, whose spy we captured going to ciudad rodrigo. that's the puzzle. we agree that it was he who abducted our parents. but is he also josé, and if so, or the reverse, is he associated with the ruffians who have been robbing the dispatch box of his lordship, the leader of this army?" there the puzzle was laid out in all its bareness and meagreness. there were links missing in the chain of flimsy evidence; but this was certain, both lads had lost a father while josé was in the country. "heigho! we'll leave the matter and get to roost," sighed tom, for driving a team of fractious mules is no light task. "things are going well, that's all. something'll turn up presently." he was a cheery, optimistic young fellow, and soon dropped asleep; for worry was of no use to our hero. the following day found him just as cheerfully helping the british army in his new and humbler way to advance to conquest. for madrid was the goal; those three victories had, in fact, opened up the heart of andalusia. ciudad rodrigo and its capture against strenuous difficulties had shown the french that we were out for business, and the fall of badajoz had set a laurel about the brows of the british regiments. none doubted now that even when skill did not count, bull-dog courage was one of their cherished possessions. moreover, salamanca had cast a shade over the french invaders of the peninsula. almarez, and the destruction of those forts, the bridge, and the vast stores of the enemy were but an incident, if one of utmost importance, in this third victory; that week of crafty manoeuvring near the road to ciudad rodrigo, with its attendant little actions and skirmishes, but a forecast of what was to follow. it was the stand-up fight in the open, when british troops had been exposed to veterans of france, led by noted strategists, when our brave fellows had smashed the power of marmont--and by manoeuvres vieing his in skill--that helped to send the enemy rightabout, their faces set in the direction of france itself. the great king of spain fled his capital. this joseph, brother of the great napoleon, the "little corporal," so fond of placing members of his own family on the thrones of europe, had departed in haste from madrid, while soult marched to join hands with suchet. there was evidence that the enemy were less assured than formerly. there was a decided inclination for forces to co-operate; for the lesson salamanca had taught was salutary. the british troops were worthy of a greater respect than had hitherto been accorded. and so for a while we may leave wellington and his army, satisfied that the conduct of affairs would be always careful. our interest turns naturally to tom, sleeping then beside his cousin. for three days they continued to march with the troops, and each succeeding one found them better acquainted with their fellow muleteers, and already earning the reputation of being discontented fellows. "then you find fault with the work?" asked a bulky, stiff-necked spaniard, with pock-marked face, who had once before accosted tom. he it was, in fact, who had so cunningly watched the altercation between our hero and jack barwood. "the work? that is good enough as work goes, friend," tom answered sulkily; "but had i my way i would be back there at home lolling away my time. who wants to work, and for these british? and then, think of the pittance we earn." tom was romancing with a vengeance, for if anyone liked work it was he. to be idle with him, as with the majority of decent fellows, was to be supremely miserable. as for the pay, a british army has the reputation of being liberal, and wellington's was no exception. "ah!" exclaimed the bull-necked fellow, leering cunningly at tom, and expectorating to a distance. "the british! i hate them as i hate the french. but as for pay, there are ways of getting rich even when one is only a muleteer." tom pricked up his ears instantly. he had taken note of this thick-necked, stumpy fellow before, he with the pock-mark face, a face which even if it had not been marred by disease would still have been the reverse of attractive. "getting rich? how?" he asked. "ah! that's telling. but there are ways, easy ways, ways unknown to the others." "and there is good money in it, my friend?" "doubloons in plenty, i tell you," came the slow answer, while the man looked about him craftily. "come to my wagon," said tom, at once, anxious to allay any suspicions, and prepared to lead the man on. for here might be something in the nature of a clue. "i have a friend there who also would make money, if it is to be made readily. there is danger?" "poof! who thinks of danger when there is gold?" exclaimed the man loftily, though the flicker about his eyes belied his vaunted courage. "i will come gladly. you have a bottle of wine, perhaps. that would be interesting." tom had a bottle of excellent stuff, as a matter of fact, and had obtained it with a view to a possible meeting of this sort. and, after all, the offer of a good glass of wine on a campaign such as that of the peninsula was often more binding than a greater service. it followed that, within ten minutes, the three, this muleteer, tom, and his cousin, were as bosom comrades, while before the fellow left he had made a cunning appointment. "listen," he said, staring about him. "to-morrow we come to the city of madrid. there i have friends, and you will meet them. i will give you the time and place of meeting. there you shall learn how money can be earned, and with such a spice of adventure about it that you will be charmed. look for me to-morrow, then." "on the track at last," murmured alfonso breathlessly when the man was gone. "you think he is one of the gang, tom?" "certain. can't say, of course, that he has had anything to do with wellington's papers; but i guess that's the case. however, we shall soon know that. still, this is equally certain: whatever this work may be, and spying has something to do with it, it's the merest toss-up that it can have any connection with our governors. oporto's a long cry from madrid; badajoz ain't much nearer." late on the following evening the troops reached the outskirts of madrid, where tom and his cousin parked their carts and secured their mules in the mule lines. "you will look after things while we are gone," said tom, addressing one of the men with them. "we have information which takes us into the city to-night perhaps. that information might possibly keep us absent from the camp for some days, so do not be alarmed if we do not return. carry on as if we were still present." an hour later the rascally-looking muleteer put in an appearance, and promptly cast his eyes upon the bottle of wine nestling in a corner of tom's cart. "a fine evening, one on which you will pave the way to a fortune," he leered. "but hot, infamously hot; these august days are always sultry in this country." tom poured him out a glass, and watched with feelings of loathing as the fellow gulped down the fluid. he was a scoundrel, of that he was sure, a thick-headed scoundrel to be so easily duped. for here he was about to introduce two comrades, of whom he had but little knowledge, to a group of conspirators perhaps, and in any case to someone able and willing to pay for work not as a rule performed by muleteers. what was that work? "spying--dirty work anyway," our hero growled to himself, for the thing was as foreign to his open-air, straightforward character as it could be. "but for the time being, at least, i'm prepared to be as great a spy and conspirator as any." "you are free to come?" leered the fellow, looking askance again at the bottle. tom took the hint and refilled the glass. "yes," he said coarsely, handing the wine over. "to the city?" "anywhere where gold is promised." "and the danger?" "pooh! are we not under fire often?" "then come." "but where? the city is a big place." "it is; but there are cribs where a man may hide. there we shall find our chief. young like you, yes, young; but cunning, clever as they make them; keen, yes, sharp as any needle. where? ah, that wants telling! you wish for fortune. then wait for it till the time comes. i am here as a benefactor." was he foxing? was this crafty fellow luring them on? no--a thousand times no. the whole transaction had been so spontaneous. tom looked across at alfonso and found no warning glance in his eyes. his spanish cousin was as eager as he; he had no fears of a plot against them. "ready then," said tom, as he felt the dagger beneath his waistcoat and the pistol thrust into the leg of his boot, for he was seated on the shaft of the cart. "we put ourselves in your hands." "then come." watched by the eyes of the other men who had accompanied them, tom and his cousin went off with their companion and were soon within the city, for the place had opened on the arrival of the british. plunging into a side street, they wended their way towards the lower quarters of the city and were soon threading narrow alleys with noisome slums on either hand. then their guide turned into a doorway and tapped three times sharply. once more he gave his signal. scurrying feet were heard. stairs groaned and squeaked beneath a descending weight. the door was dragged open on rusty hinges. "enter--how many?" "three." "then enter." led by the one who had opened the door, and next by the rascally muleteer with whom they had scraped an acquaintance, tom and his cousin entered the narrow, dark passage. they climbed the same groaning, squeaking flight of stairs, and then plunged into a room but dimly lighted. ten men were present, a full ten, seated about a rickety table. who were they? conspirators? yes, without doubt. was josé there? impossible to say. then any other they could recognize? no--yes. tom's eyes pierced the flimsy disguise of one of the men present. it was the selfsame rascal captured outside ciudad rodrigo, whom he had impersonated, a spy then, and one now, one, moreover, whose sharp eyes might easily penetrate his own disguise and bring a hornet's nest about him. "but it's duty," he murmured softly to himself, as he took a seat. "wellington's orders must be obeyed. i'm here to unravel a plot and make an end of a set of ruffians who are a nuisance and a danger to my countrymen." yes, it was duty. but the risk! tom and his cousin had still to fathom its depth, had still to face the consequences of this rash visit. chapter xviii the conspirators' den imagine a low-ceilinged room, the whitening long since gone a dull smoke colour, cobwebs in the corner, dust on every angle and ridge, and a floor innocent of scrubbing-brush for many a long day. imagine an atmosphere charged with pungent smoke from the pipes and cigarettes of ten conspirators, smoke generated by tobacco of the coarsest and foulest. add to that the nauseating fumes of an oil lamp, trimmed perhaps a month before, flickering, red, and smoky. then picture the forms and faces of those ten conspirators gathered about a huge, rickety table, forms of small proportion for the most part, slim and lithe as becomes the young man of spain, but alternated in the case of two at least by the grossest stoutness. double chins were owned by that more aged couple. their faces were masked by bushy eyebrow, and fierce moustaches, that curled upwards, while their chins were clad and obscured by black beards of a week's growth. for the rest, they were mostly clean-shaven, hawk-eyed, keen, blinking at the newcomers through the smoke which filled the chamber. "welcome!" a solitary voice broke the silence when at length tom and his companions were seated. but whence it came, from whom, he had no notion. the tones were deep, almost guttural. they might have emanated from the floor or from the smoke-blacked ceiling. "welcome! you come in time to do good work. declare your names, your age, and your parentage. let one of you stand out before us and speak." the time had come to brave the whole matter, to risk discovery. tom rose to his feet from the rickety chair to which he had been invited and stood before the company. he stared across the table, through the gloom, and sought the one who had spoken. but not one of the ten had moved. not one seemed to have opened his lips. ah! in the background, sheltered in the angle of the room, was yet another figure. the face leered out at him, one writhing hand concealing the features. did tom recognize this fellow even then? "no," he told himself. "the cunning beggar keeps a hand across his face. but--but i'll swear the voice is familiar, though masked now. present!" he cried boldly. "we have come for information. we are ready to do good work and to earn a reward better than that paid to humble muleteers." the figure moved from the angled recess in which it had been hiding. the man or youth--tom could not guess which--writhed his way across the unwashed floor and halted at the table. one thin, shivering hand was stretched forward as if to gather warmth from the lamp, which was suddenly dashed to one side and the room plunged into darkness. at that instant vice-like fingers seized our hero by the neck, his legs were cut away from beneath him, while someone, evidently prepared for the occasion, tossed a coil of rope about him and drew it tight. there was the sound of a desperate struggle near at hand. once tom was violently kicked, evidently by accident. and then there was stillness; the lamp was set flaring again; the same masked, guttural voice once more was heard. "take them away; deal with them according to instructions. see that they are securely bound; let them understand that the end is near. go." tom could still see, though his arms were trussed to his side, while he was otherwise helpless. he fixed his eyes upon that central figure and tried to pierce the disguise, for disguised this leader of the conspirators was. but was it josé? he scoffed at the idea. josé ringleader of such a group! he had not the pluck for such a venture. then who? he knew the voice, masked though it was. it had been familiar at some occasion. where, then? when? "go; take them away. to-morrow deal with them as you have been ordered." men lit their cigarettes again. the band gathered once more about the table. there was an air of triumph about them all, something which seemed to say that they had brought about a _coup_ and had been wonderfully clever; as, indeed, they had been. tom in his young, ambitious heart had fondly imagined that all had been taken in by the disguise which he had affected. but the rascals of whom lord wellington had to complain were no ordinary individuals, though, as a rule, they were dressed as muleteers and followed that vocation. there was a clever, subtle brain behind them, and that brain had contrived to discover the plan so carefully formulated by tom and his cousin. the rascally, leering driver of mules who had brought them to this rendezvous was but a decoy, fooled just as cleverly as they had been. their coming was expected. preparations for their capture were completed even before they left the safety of their camp. and now, what was before them? "murder, i suppose," thought tom, repressing a shiver. "that's the sort of thing these fellows go in for. what's the move now? they're bundling us out of the room, but where to is more than i can guess. keep your pecker up, alfonso," he called, when the door was shut on them, and they stood in a passage. "it'll all come out right in the end." "silence! pass in here," commanded one of the two ruffians who escorted them. "not both, but you." a door was wrenched open, and tom was flung in, receiving a savage kick from the second of their escort. the door banged, the lock creaked and grated before he picked himself up from the floor. then there was more tramping, the wrenching open of a second door, and another crash and bang. the heavy steps of two men came and passed his door. the room beyond, which they had so lately left, was opened. there came to his ears the buzz of many voices. even the pungent reek of tobacco and lamp smoke smote upon his nostrils, and then there was comparative silence, save for a dull murmur. "muzzled! fooled! caught finely! in chokey!" groaned tom, full of bitterness. "and just when we thought things were going so nicely. but let's look round. i'm tied fast by the elbows and thumbs; i can't move my arms, while my legs are free. so much then to the good; it might have been worse." that was tom all over--an optimist from the very depths of him. always ready to look on the bright side of things. a grouser? never! life held too many rosy spots for our hero, as it does for all who care to look just an inch below the surface for them. things could not always run smoothly, that he knew. they never do for anyone. even kings have their trials and troubles, and why not humble individuals like our hero? it is the man who looks upon the bright side of matters who lives long and enjoys happiness. unconsciously, perhaps--perhaps also because he was the son of his father, the jovial, stout, and rollicking septimus, himself an optimist--tom, too, looked ever upon the rosy side. he was in trouble; why then make the very worst of that fact? why not try to improve matters? and, being the practical fellow he was, tom began to look about him. the gloom gave way after a while. light from a street lamp, or perhaps it came from a house opposite, flickered into the room, and now that his eyes were accustomed to it he could see his surroundings. there was a window, yes. it was twenty feet from the ground. an easy jump if his limbs were free, a dangerous attempt with his arms fettered. there was a dirty floor and a smoke-blacked ceiling. not a stick of furniture was present. yes there was, if blinds are furniture; for there was a blind to the window. it was let down to its full length, and there was the cord. it passed beneath a catch, and---- "my uncle!" gasped tom, following jack's pet expression. "there's a serrated surface there, a regular saw, if only i could approach the edge. how's that? bad. try again. how's that? worse. never say die then. what's the report on this occasion?" it was good, or fair, or middling, as he changed his position ever so little. sometimes the edges of the toothed band controlling the length or position of the pulley over which the blind cord ran gripped the strands of rope about his thumbs. sometimes the latter slid over them as if they were not in existence. then they gripped again, feebly perhaps, then with a vim there was no denying. tom grew hot with the effort. perspiration poured from his forehead. he pressed with even greater fierceness against the toothed edge he had found. "through! thumbs free," he was able to assure himself after a while. "those chaps are still at it, gassing and smoking. now for my elbows. that's a different matter altogether. it's mighty hard to get them down into position, and one isn't sure when they're rubbing." but it could be done. if he had been successful so far, surely this additional difficulty was not going to discourage him. tom clenched his teeth and stooped, managing by a gymnastic evolution to bring his fettered elbows against the serrated edge of the blind-cord catch. but the task was irritatingly slow and laborious. he rubbed with all his might, and still the cord held his arms pinioned closely together behind him. however, perseverance was a virtue of which he had quite his fair share, and tom hated being beaten. yes, whether in a matter of life and death, as this was, or in the ordinary affairs of life, tom was a demon for work--a stickler, a fellow who liked to see a thing through and watch it to success. a strand of the cord gave with a little pop. beads of perspiration burst from pores in his forehead until then untapped, and, welling up, joined the stream already flowing towards the corners of his eyes. then there came a sound of loud and exultant laughter from the smoke-grimed room occupied by the conspirators. the door burst open, while heavy feet resounded in the passage outside. "free! pulled the cords open. if they try any games with me i'm ready." he gathered up the fallen strands like lightning, threw himself into the darkest corner, with his arms held behind his back as if they were still pinioned, while in one hand he gripped his pistol, his stiletto in the other. nor was he any too soon. a key grated in the lock; the bolt slid back with a rusty creaking. the door itself came open with a bang, admitting half a dozen ruffians, who staggered in one after the other. one was fat and jowly and unwieldy of body. he brought a rickety chair with him and a lamp, and having thumped the former down in a central position proceeded to mop his reddened face. the others leaned against the dirty walls, surveying their prisoner with satisfied grimaces, while cigarettes protruded from their lips. "_señor inglise_," began one--when the fat man interrupted him. "_señor_ indeed! prisoner. dog of an englishman!" "as you will," shrugged the other. "dog of an englishman! here is a test, and our fat friend will carry it out. you are on the staff of lord wellington. you know all things; then tell your tale. there is life and liberty for the telling." "as there was for me outside the walls of rodrigo," shouted another of the rascals, whom tom instantly recognized as the spy his men had captured, and whom he had impersonated. "life and liberty. i took both. here now is your chance. the tale, and then the open door." [illustration: the fat man threatens tom] "or a grave," added the fat man, thrusting his handkerchief away and slowly drawing a pistol. "mark you, englishman, we wish you no harm. we ask for very little. what now are the plans of the english lord?" tom laughed at them. he rocked from side to side at their questions, but as he did so he wondered whether he ought straightway to shoot the rascal into whose pistol muzzle he looked. it would be so easy. as for the others, pooh! he did not fear them. a blow here, a thrust with his stiletto there, and he would be out of the room. but there was alfonso. no--the time had not yet come for shooting. "_señors_, you choose to joke," he said pleasantly. "what next?" "for you, nothing after my bullet. for us, the easy task of extracting information from your comrade." "ah! there they thought to succeed--never!" tom told himself, for alfonso was a strict patriot. "why ask for this information?" he demanded. "of what use is it to you?" quick as a flash he saw the importance of here and now discovering whether or no this was a gang of conspirators or spies dealing in official secrets, the pests who had already purloined maps and plans from lord wellington's dispatch case, rascals, in fact, who traded on the news they were able to sell to the enemy. he noticed glances passing between the men present. the sunken orbits of the fat man turned from one to another, his jowly cheeks flapping. and then he swung round on tom. "you may as well know as not," he said, with an air of impertinent assurance, "for if you speak, and tell this tale, you are one of us. if you decline----" he levelled his pistol with precision, squinted along the sights till our hero, staring at the rogue, could see his fat cheek at the far end bulging over the butt. and then a podgy finger went to the trigger. it was a nasty feeling, that, distinctly nasty. tom found himself clinging very hard to his pistol butt. he barely withstood the strong temptation to start to his feet and attack the odious ruffian. then a smile broke across his face, a smile that seemed to reassure the fat man, while the others, villains undoubtedly, sighed as they were relieved of a strain which even they felt. "but of course you will speak, and therefore i may tell you who we are," the man in the centre said, leaning forward so that the chair squeaked, while he slowly lowered his weapon. "know then, englishman, that we have business with all such matters. to the british we carry plans made by the french. from the british we take similar plans, and pass them to the enemy. simple, is it not? unpatriotic! poof! we must live, and such business is paying. i will tell you. from this lord wellington our friend yonder took many documents but a month ago. they now rest in the case of monsieur the french commander, while we live here in luxury. that is so, comrade?" the rascal alluded to, none less than the very one whom tom impersonated at ciudad rodrigo, wagged his head knowingly and smiled a smile of triumph. "it is so; we have papers here to prove it." "then it's the gang, and a pretty set of scoundrels they are, to be sure," thought tom, turning the matter over swiftly. but he wanted to know more, he wanted additional time in which to complete a plan then forming in his head. "but----" he began. "there is not such a thing as but in our business. we succeed always. here, supposing we fail with you, and i have the unpleasant task of shooting you, we succeed without a doubt with your comrade. ah, that stirs you!" gurgled the fat ruffian, hugely enjoying his fancied position of bully. "that is understood," came tom's answer, given with easy assurance, though the poor fellow was feeling far from happy. "but i was about to ask, seeing that i am invited to join you, surely you have a leader? then who is he?" "the tale, and then you shall see; for of a surety we have a leader. now, friend englishman, you have put your own head into this noose, take therefore my advice and escape in the only way possible. believe me, the part of spy, conspirator, what you like to term it, is easy enough." "and supposing i know nothing?" it was, after all, only a reasonable suggestion, for the officer in command of a british army, or any other army for the matter of that, is not in the habit of spreading his plans broadcast, nor is every staff officer of sufficient importance to warrant such confidence. no; such matters are buried secrets, discussed only amongst the highest, often enough known only to those immediately helping the commander. to speak the truth, tom had his own ideas of the future movements of this peninsula campaign; but they were his ideas only, discussed with comrades over a camp fire. they were very likely not wellington's. once before, too, he had had ideas, ideas imagined for a purpose. he remembered of a sudden how he had rewritten the spy's message to the commander at ciudad rodrigo, giving supposed plans of his commanding officer which were likely enough, no doubt, but happened to be merely the result of guesswork. and why not buy freedom here for a while? why not purchase respite even for a few hours? yes, even for only a few hours, for in that space of time he could do much. "i'll speak," he said abruptly, causing the fat man almost to overbalance. "but the tale is a long one. a map will be necessary. i must sketch the plans and write against them." "ah! did i not say that he, a staff officer, must know all?" gurgled the stout wretch. "did i not prophesy that he would speak? while our leader swore the opposite. declared he would never open his mouth, even with a pistol grinning at him. poof! i knew i should succeed. i have that reputation." he mopped the perspiration from his face, rolled a cigarette, and lit it with the help of a comrade. "but why not speak now?" he asked suspiciously. "now, while we are here to listen." tom paused a little before answering. it would not do, he guessed, to be too emphatic. "yes," he began, wrinkling his brows, "i could try, of course. but the thing must be written and sketched some time if it is to be any use to you, so that i should have to tell it all over again. why not let me do it all at the same time, and add the sketches? then you will have such complete information that you will be able to command a high price for it." "bravo!" called one of the men. "he speaks the truth. why not as he suggests? we have him securely here. then give him time. cut him free now, and leave him to it." how strange to feel in his heart almost terror at that suggestion, a suggestion which he would have welcomed but ten minutes before. tom went furiously hot from head to foot, and then felt like an icicle. for to cut him free meant a discovery. that discovery of his severed bonds would rouse suspicion, and even he could hardly hope to persuade these folks to trust him again. "wait," he called. "leave me as i am to think. bring pens and ink and paper when you have them." "and food in the first place. see you there," cried the fat man, pointing to the fellow tom had already met, "go for food. then pass outside the house and get the writing things. we will go back to a meal; you can join us later. "after the meal i have a friend to see outside. i will get these things, and then join you as the night gets older." there was a knowing smile on more than one of the ruffianly faces. the fat man grinned and chortled. "a friend! hola!" he cried. "and one whose company is better and more entertaining than that of these comrades. well, well! we have all had friends. when the war is ended, and we have done more business, you will marry the wench, and small blame to you." they went away at once, banging the door and leaving their prisoner. the sigh which tom sighed was of the number one order. it was immense. it heaved his shoulders upward and his ribs outward till he looked like a trussed pigeon. and the perspiration trickling from his forehead showed under what tension he had laboured. for he had passed through a terrible ordeal, one which might easily have overmastered his courage. that grinning pistol was not the worst part of it all, though it was bad enough. there were a hundred fears lurking in his heart. supposing, for instance, it came to the point where he drew up this sketch, information and plans purely imaginary, conjured up in a somewhat inventive brain, and those plans proved in the end to be actually in a manner similar to those projected by the great wellington! then his name would go down for ever and ever as a traitor, as a coward, as a spy. the word was loathsome to him. better to be butchered than suffer such a chance. then the old optimistic spirit triumphed. "chance! there wasn't such a thing, for he hadn't yet set his hand to paper, and wouldn't if he could help it. the job's got to be tackled right at once," he told himself; "there's no time for delaying. but one thing's certain: this is the very gang lord wellington wishes to discover. for haven't i had proof positive? then how to haul the whole lot by the heels? ah, that's a conundrum! precious queer for a fellow to be sitting in a hole like this, a prisoner, and to wonder how he's going to capture the fellows who have bagged him! queer, i do think!" he actually smiled. tom began to grin at the recollection of his good fortune, for he had had undoubtedly the best of the recent interview. he had, for the time being at any rate, hoodwinked a portion of the gang, and, seeing that the noise in the adjacent room, deafening after the entry of his late visitors, had now subsided into a gentle murmur, why, if noise was any criterion of his fortunes, the conspirators were easy in their minds. seated in his corner, tom began to pass each one of the individuals who composed the gang in review before him. not that he could remember in detail all those ruffianly countenances; but there were some whose features had left an impression. the two fat men, for instance, rascals if ever there were any; then half a dozen of the others; and lastly, and to the exclusion of the remainder, the one he had taken for leader, the shadowy individual, obviously disguised, with the writhing hand across his mouth and the assumed voice. "could that be josé? no. the fellow was too short. but--but, awfully like him, that writhing hand. and the voice too?" tom scratched his head, a luxury denied him a little earlier. "bother the chap!" he cried. "anyway, i hope it won't prove to be that precious cousin. all the better for him and for us when i come to round up this crowd!" how jack barwood would have roared with laughter at him! but let us tell the whole truth. down in the depths of his own jovial heart of hearts jack would have been, secretly, just a wee little bit jealous. for what thundering optimism was here! "the cheek of him!" he would decidedly have exclaimed. "here's tom foxing in a corner, with his hands freed when they're supposed to be lashed together. that's, so far as i can see, his only point of advantage. against that single item he's a prisoner, locked in a room, with a band of cut-throat villains eating their supper beside him. and here he has the amazing cheek to think, and think seriously too, of the time when he'll have captured the lot, to even sympathize with a cousin who may possibly be the leader. hoo!" indignation, amusement, concern for the evident idiocy of his chum would be expressed in his retort had he been there to make one. but he wasn't, more's the pity. and to our hero the amusing, idiotic side of his thoughts, if so you care to term it, was a source of no more than passing interest. he began to check certain matters over on the tips of his fingers. he nodded his head knowingly, and then, of a sudden, he looked up. for the door yonder had opened. now it banged to with a crash. a step was coming along the passage. a key was thrust into the lock, and presently the man who was to supply him with food, and, later, with writing implements and paper, was pushing his way into his prison. in a moment he would stoop to cut those lashings which now were not in existence. in a moment, in fact, the cat would be out of the bag. tom braced his muscles for a struggle. chapter xix tom thinks furiously the man who had entered tom's prison, the one whom his irregulars had captured outside ciudad rodrigo, and in whose clothes our hero had made his venture into the fortress, pushed the door to with his toe, and, stooping, deposited a wooden tray in the centre of the room, on the identical spot so lately occupied by the rickety and creaking chair of the fat rascal who had been so free with his promises and his pistol. "food and drink," he said, as he stood upright. "ah, i had forgotten the comrade! he, too, perhaps, would care for something. then i must get the key. eduardo has it. yes, that is what i shall do. then there is the pen and ink and paper, and later----" "the friend," smiled tom, watching the fellow like a cat. "the little friend, comrade, whom you will marry when you have made this fortune." the fellow grinned; he liked the wit of the english staff officer. it flattered his vanity to be chaffed about this little matter of which he was inordinately proud. yes, it pleased him distinctly--this prisoner was quite an amiable fellow. "ho, ho!" he laughed. "wait till you are one of us. but, remember, fine feathers make fine birds. you will have no gaudy uniforms. in matters such as this with us it is a case of the man alone. it is personality that tells." tom would have laughed at his stupid vanity at another time. but there he was, all strung up for the struggle which he knew to be inevitable, waiting and waiting. and how can a man, or a youth for the matter of that, conjure up an easy smile under such circumstances? "yes, it is always the man himself who makes the running," said this fellow. "but i will take food to your comrade, and then for the rest." he was wool-gathering, this spy. even spies, we suppose, have their amorous moments and their gentler passions. this man was so taken up with the thought of the outing he was to have that he was actually pulling the door open and leaving without a thought as to the condition of his prisoner. of what use food and drink when a man's hands were supposed to be fast bound behind him? the reader can imagine the temptation tom felt to let him go without a murmur; for then the struggle, inevitable no doubt, would be deferred for a while. he would have a longer breathing space; he would, perhaps, be better prepared in the course of a few minutes. "funking, eh?" he asked himself severely. "wanting to put it off, you brute. hi!" he called. "thanks for the food and all that is to follow, but permit me to point out that i am unable to touch it. after all, even were i a four-footed animal, i could hardly manage the task with two of my limbs tied. no doubt the thought of this friend drives such trivial matters out of your head." a roar escaped the jailer. this was quite the best joke he had come across in many a long day's march. how his comrades would cackle when he told them; for of course he would do that. it would add zest to their chaffing. "indeed it is a pretty compliment i am paying a certain person, and so i shall tell her," he giggled. "to think that i who am so careful should go about with my wits so flying. she will smile and be pleased. hola! then this is a true sign of my feelings for the minx." "quite a decent fellow in some ways, though a traitor," thought tom, eyeing the fellow narrowly. "makes one feel rather a sneak to upset this meeting. but then, business comes first, eh? yes, i'm sorry for him, but it can't be helped." he staggered to his feet as the man came towards him, still with his hands behind his back. and then he lunged swiftly, catching the jailer neatly between the eyes with a fist the knuckles of which were now hard after months of strenuous campaigning. the man rose bodily from the floor, his feet kicked spasmodically forward, and in a moment the spanish hero, the spy and traitor who with his comrades made a living by selling the stolen secrets of those who had come to deliver their country, was crashing upon the floor. tom bent over him, a stern look on his face. he was ready for more violence if need be, though not eager. "stunned, knocked him out with the sort of blow a pugilist would give. that's satisfactory for the moment. now for the future. sorry about that girl though. must tell jack barwood and see if he cannot console. now for alfonso; but there's a bothering key wanted. perhaps this one'll fit. supposing it don't?" up went his hand again. the dashing young staff officer, of whom lord wellington already had such a high opinion, looked for the moment just like a spanish churl. for, recollect, he was still dressed as muleteer, and muleteers wear clothing which compares but badly with the smart uniform of an officer of the staff. besides, he had been somewhat tumbled about of late. but what did it matter? even had there been anyone to look on, it was too dark to discover details. not that tom could not see. those ruffians who had interviewed him had taken a lamp to the room, and the man who lay sprawling now had brought a candle, only it had gone sprawling too, and lay guttering and almost out at that moment. tom picked it up and looked about him. "no use waiting; time's precious," he told himself. "i'll see what can be done with alfonso's door. then we'll set things humming." he took the key from the door of his own prison, and, snatching up the candle, stealthily slipped along the passage. there was a door ten feet down it, and the key slid into the lock. but it refused to turn, causing tom to groan with vexation. he closely inspected the lock then, and stood considering matters. a roar of laughing and loud voices from the farther room, in which the spies were supping, distracted his attention, and in a moment he was back at his own door. ah! a streak of light burst its way into the passage. the door was opening. tom instantly slid into his own room, closed the door gently, and locked it from within. then, putting the candle in the far corner, on the same wall as the door, he waited events. they followed swiftly; for a minute later there came a thunderous blow upon the door, and then a burst of laughter. "ho, there, within! we come to join a comrade at supper, and to bring him better fare than he has been given--open." it was the voice of the fat man, breathless as if after much effort, a little incoherent, if the truth be told. the laughter was that of men easily roused to merriment, who enjoy a feeble joke, or a saying wanting in wit and point, more thoroughly and longer than it merits. they had been supping, that was the explanation, and conspirators such as these might well be expected to sup wisely, but too freely perhaps. and here seemed to be an example. "open!" bellowed the fat man, shaking the door violently. "open!" roared his comrades, lurching against it. "open and sup with new comrades." "and the key? does a prisoner, even if he be about to become a new comrade--does he have the key of his prison given into his care?" the note of amusement which tom managed to fling into his voice caught the fancy of these ruffians. they laughed uproariously, so that for a while not one could make his voice heard. and then one suggested that they should beat the door in. "aye, beat it in!" gurgled the fat man. "see, i will throw myself against it, and, pish! the thing will fall to the ground." that put a summary end to the matter, for the fat individual was unable to control his muscles with sufficient precision and dexterity to bring about the attempted movement. he launched his ponderous weight at the door, it is true, but his dive fell short by two feet at least, and, stumbling, he rolled amongst his comrades, bringing about a scene of confusion. the place rocked with the laughter of men. more than one leaned against the door, shaking it badly. then there were groans, fat groans, almost in a stifled voice, and coming from the one who seemed to be the ringleader in this piece of mischief. there was more movement and more groaning, then heavy steps, as if of men carrying a burden. in fact the fat man had been placed _hors de combat_. his own indiscretion and dash had brought about his downfall. a damaged leg caused his overexcited spirits to evaporate into the smoky air of the foul dwelling in which his comrades were supping, while the pain drew a succession of the dreariest of groans from him. "done with their invitation for the time being," hoped tom. "ah, there goes the door to with a bang! i'll have a look outside and see what has happened." gently turning the key, he pulled the door ajar and listened. not a sound came from the passage, and when his head was thrust out there was not even a glimmer of light to be seen in the direction of the supper room. but there was noise enough. laughter rose and fell, and was punctuated frequently by the dismal groanings of the man who had been hurt. in fact, it looked as if the gang had settled down for a time, and as if our hero might prosecute his own affairs without interference. he tiptoed along to alfonso's room and shook the door heavily. but there was no answer from within, not even when he called in as loud a voice as he dared risk. had he but known it, his cousin lay on the floor over by the far window, still pinioned, as obstinate as any mule, determined to hold no converse with the rascals who had captured him. he was not wanting in spirit, this spanish cousin of tom's. as a matter of plain fact, he too had made many and many an effort to free his limbs. but he had not observed a similar catch existing on his own window, and with which our hero had managed to saw through his own bonds. that was, perhaps, an excellent illustration of the difference existing between the two young fellows. alfonso was a gallant officer, and had proved himself possessed of ample courage on many an occasion. he was not brilliant, however, and wanted some of the dash displayed by his english cousin. perhaps that was the result of his nationality, of his upbringing, of his general life and surroundings until the outbreak of this peninsula war. but then, had tom's life and conditions been much different? he had lived his seventeen years in that quaint old house down by the thames, with its fine mulberry tree spreading wide, leafy branches in front. the peeping into a big office provides no great excitement, nor the seeing there of certain grey-headed clerks who, as was the case at the establishment of septimus john clifford & son, carried out their allotted tasks daily without a hair's variation. there was his school, to be sure; contact there with many a comrade; friendships made and lost and regained; struggles for supremacy in such games as then were practised; and, on occasion, somewhat too frequently as his masters stated flatly, there were contests outside, such as that between tom and the grocer's lad. that had been our hero's life, quiet and regular enough, as one must admit. but the result was that tom had a dash and swiftness about him alfonso would never possess, while here was an illustration which pointed to his quickness. alfonso still lay bound by the thumbs and elbows: tom was free, in the enjoyment of active movement. "perhaps he's asleep," he thought, shaking the door again and calling without receiving an answer. "anyway, i daren't make more noise, and there is nothing about with which i could hope to force the lock. it begins to look as if i'll have to go to those rascals and hold the lot of them up till they produce the key. how'd it do?" his finger went pensively to his forehead, while he stood in the passage thinking deeply. at the far end the noise in the supper chamber had become even greater. there were shouts as well as laughter now, and once a sudden stamping, as if one of the gang had risen to his feet and was indulging in a _pas seul_, with which to enliven his comrades. "let's get along to the farther end and see what's there. ah, another room! locked? no, open. no key, though, and the place as dirty as the others." he lifted the guttering candle overhead and inspected his surroundings. the room was empty, completely stripped of furniture. as a matter of fact the house itself was an empty one which this rascally gang had appropriated, taking full advantage of the times. a raid on neighbouring houses at the moment of the french retreat and the coming of the british had stocked certain of the rooms, while the owner must have been absent, else there would have been enquiries. then, too, by staring out of the window, tom made the discovery that the dwelling was situated at the end of a narrow yard, there being stabling on either hand. it blocked this far end, while opposite there was a low, arched exit leading into one of the minor streets of madrid. "just the sort of crib for such fellows. no one likely to come into the yard unless they had actual business here; and since these troubles started i expect few have been able to keep horses. the french cavalry, of whom there have been thousands swarming through the city, will have snapped up every atom of forage, and made horsekeeping an expensive and impossible thing for most inhabitants. so it's the place of all others for such a gang. perhaps it'll suit me just as well too. now i wonder." stretching his head out of the narrow window he looked thoughtfully about him, and, gazing upward, took stock of the stars, for the clear night sky was thickly sown with them. one of the advantages of campaigning, and commanding an irregular corps undertaking frequent detached duties, was that he had learned to read his direction by the stars, and now a little careful study told him that he was facing south, that the street into which the house looked and the yard actually emptied ran east and west. "while the bulk of the city's to the north," he told himself. "that'll help once we get out of this hole." it is to be remarked that he had already decided that escape was not only possible but certain. and he had used the word "we". tom, in fact, never even dreamed of leaving alfonso. had he done so, he could have dropped from that window and gone clear away. it would be a squeeze to push his somewhat bulky figure through the frame; but it could be done, and below, outside, lay freedom; within lay death. for this gang of spies was not likely to spare a young fellow possessed of some of their secrets, and able to bring soldiers to arrest them. the fact that they had spoken so plainly was proof positive that they considered the two prisoners had no chance of escape, while so little were they in sympathy with the feelings of an englishman that they, for the most part, had taken it for granted that both tom and alfonso would willingly sell any knowledge they happened to have for the sake of security. and the very act of doing so would, of course, make them part and parcel of the gang; for to return to the troops would be impossible. "no use thinking at all," he grumbled, satisfied with his look out of the window. "let's get to work. this room's empty, so i'll leave it. now for the passage again. ah! stairs leading downward; others going up. try those descending first of all." there was a door at the bottom of the steps leading directly into the big yard. the huge paving stones, littered with unswept rubbish, seemed to call loudly to him, to invite him to come out; for across their surfaces he could step to freedom. behind, upstairs, lay danger; but a friend, a cousin, lay there also. clambering up again, tom was about to ascend to the floor above his prison, when shouts came from the supper room and sent him darting back to his own. the door hiding those villains swung back with a crash and revealed a scene which, when he came to look more closely at it--for he was now only venturing to peep through the partly opened door of his prison--caused him to stare at the members of the gang, whose acquaintance he had so recently made, with eyes which were distinctly startled. what else could one expect with such people, the lowest of the low, traitors to their country, men who made profit out of the misfortunes of the nation, and who stooped even to do a mischief to the very people who had come at such risk, and at such cost in blood and money, to help the spanish against the french? these ruffians had been making merry without a doubt. secure in their retreat--for the house was so isolated and shut in that even their shouts and ribald laughter were hardly likely to attract attention from outsiders--they had been supping liberally, and the red wine of spain had been flowing. the view through the open door discovered three of the wretches dancing hilariously with unsteady feet, while beyond them, separated by the table, on which stood a smoky lamp, was the fat individual who had been so free with his pistol. his ungainly cheeks hung flabbily. his pig-like eyes were hardly visible, while his lips were blown outward at every expiration. nor had he ceased groaning. evidently he found the chair in which he had been placed little to his liking, or he may have been more severely injured than tom thought. in any case his wrinkled forehead, his sallow cheeks, and his anxious eyes showed that he was suffering. but what cared the others? not a jot. those three danced right merrily, more than once being on the eve of upsetting the injured man. comrades sprawled across the table, their heads buried in their hands, evidently sunk in sleep, while the picture was completed in so far as the contents of the room went, or so much of them as tom could see, by a couple of the fellows sprawled motionless on the floor. obviously it was not any of these who had caused the commotion. the centre of the scene, in fact, was occupied by two men half in and half out of the door, past whose figures tom squinted to see the interior. one still clung to the latch, reeling unsteadily, while the other leaned against the post. it was clear that there had been an altercation between them, and as a matter of fact they had risen to go outside and fight the matter out. but spanish tempers are quick and fiery. shouts of anger came from both, while the man clinging to the door already had his stiletto drawn. indeed tom had hardly taken in all these particulars when the two threw themselves at one another like tigers, and, gripping wherever they could, fell to the ground, and there rolled from side to side as they struggled. gasps and cries of hatred escaped them both, and then a shriek silenced every other sound within the building. it even stirred alfonso to movement. he came to his door and beat his shoulders against it, for that shriek sent a horrible chill through him. "it may be tom they're murdering," he told himself, with a gasp. but tom was merely an onlooker, a horrified one, to be sure. that shriek told a tale there was no mistaking. suddenly one of the men seemed to become flabby. the hand which had gripped his opponent's neck fell to the floor with a hollow bump. then his head sank backward. the victor rose with difficulty, stood looking down at his victim, and, having wiped his stiletto on the tail of his coat, staggered back into the supper room and banged the door behind him. there was a hush about the building after that. maybe those of the conspirators still able to understand were as disturbed as tom at the occurrence. but we hardly think so. quarrels were frequent enough; bloodletting was a common occupation. "well, they're brutes, the whole lot of 'em, that's true," tom told himself; "and it seems to me that the majority are in such a condition that they are hardly likely to discover what's happening. i'll wait a little, and then just go tooth and nail for that door. it would take any one of them five minutes to stir his drunken wits, and by then the thing'll be open and alfonso out. but that's not all that i want. my orders were to discover the gang and apprehend them. that's clear; so the job's not finished with alfonso's release." he went out into the passage boldly and slid along to the door of the supper room. a feeble groan came to his ears. that was the fat man--snores caused the air to vibrate. no doubt the rascals sprawling on the table and beneath it were responsible. but of talking there was none. as for the man on the floor, he was dead. tom leaned over him and listened; there was not so much as the whisper of a breath. he ran his hands over the man's face, down his clothing, to his belt. the sheath of his drawn stiletto was there, and a pistol also. there was nothing more, nothing. yes, there was something: tom gripped it. it was a key thrust into the belt. he tore it out as if his life depended on his haste, and went racing down the passage. it fitted. the lock of alfonso's room turned. the door swung open widely. "come swiftly," whispered tom, darting in and proceeding at once to cut alfonso's bonds with the blade of a knife he always carried. "but--how have you done it? how long have you been free? who helped you?" gasped his cousin, firing off a string of questions in a deep whisper. "those brutes, where are they? i heard them fighting or drinking." "hush! we'll talk the thing over later. come to the window and look out. now, there is the courtyard at the bottom of which this house is situated. when you reach the street, turn sharp left and run to the camp. bring men back with you. bring any soldiers you can come upon. it is hardly nine yet, and there will be plenty about. also there is a bright, harvest moon, and that makes matters easier. surround this house. guard every outlet, and then we shall have the lot of these fellows. alfonso, this is the very gang we are after." he took the still astonished alfonso by the shoulders and pushed him out of the room and down the stairs into the yard. "but you, you, tom? what happens? you stay? why?" "go quickly; this is a great chance. go at once." tom turned abruptly and entered the house again, while his cousin, knowing him by this time, and having already learned in the course of service under his command that this young english cousin of his had a way, when thwarted, of giving the curtest orders, darted out into the yard and went racing through it. the one remaining, the young man upon whom the great lord wellington had already turned his attention, crept up the stairs again to the passage. he stole softly to the door of the supper room and then back to those stairs leading upward. ascending them, he reached another landing with a couple of doors leading from it. the flickering candle he bore in his hand showed the dirt and squalor of the place, and showed, moreover, something strange about one of the doors. it was heavily barred outside, while a padlock passed though an eyelet in the bar and made all secure. there were voices coming from the inside. did our hero recognize those voices after listening for a while? then why such extraordinary excitement, the like of which he had not shown before, even in the midst of strenuous adventure? he went red-hot from head to foot and gazed desperately about him. what could have caused this sudden nervousness? could it be that one of the speakers must be josé, the rascally cousin who had already done him such an injury, or could it be possible----? frantic with eagerness he backed against the wall of the passage and then rushed at the door, putting all his strength and weight into the blow. he kicked it desperately. careless of the commotion he raised, he kicked and kicked and kicked again, till, of a sudden, the door flew open. that moment, too, was the signal for loud shouts from the supper room. a swarm of rascals, roused from their stupor by the noise, came swarming out, and, running down the passage, found two empty prisons to greet them. the sound of breaking timber above reached their ears, and at once they turned to the stairs and raced up them. chapter xx a brilliant capture while tom clifford, commander of the composite force of spanish and portuguese irregulars, staff officer, and as smart a young fellow as served under wellington's command, listens to the approach of those ruffians who had been such a scourge to our army, and who had traded upon the military plans and secrets of those who had come to aid their country, let us for a few moments anticipate events and narrate what followed the eventful conflict at salamanca. portugal was long ago cleared of the invading french. now the enemy were sent flying into the heart of spain, while wellington could cheerfully cut himself clear of portugal, feeling sure that the troops in rear would be sufficient to keep open his lines of communication, always an important matter with a general invading a country swarming with enemies. for then, if the worst came to the worst, the retreat lay open. we find him, then, promptly marching on madrid, and have told how the troops, with tom clifford's command, reached that city. the immediate results of salamanca and this march were far-reaching. king joseph, the usurper thrust upon the spanish throne by napoleon, fled the city, ordering soult and suchet to come to his help. the former, then at cadiz, where sir rowland hill opposed him, destroyed his heavy cannon and marched to join joseph, while sir rowland hill at once proceeded to attach his force to that of wellington. the latter then set out for burgos, a most antique city, situated on the highroad to bayonne, the french retreating steadily before him, looting churches and houses as they went. this movement of the invader towards his own frontier did not declare that he had given up the contest. on the contrary, general souham, who had now taken over the command of the french in spain, or did so on october, was making every effort to collect a huge force to oppose us, and, although no serious opposition was offered to our march to burgos, the clouds were gathering daily, and wellington had reason to fear that, if he failed to capture this stronghold, he would be left to face overwhelming french odds or to retreat once more on his own base. and, as we have taken the liberty of anticipating events, let us say that, in spite of the utmost gallantry and the most dashing assaults, burgos resisted, and wellington who was unprepared for assault, since he had no adequate siege train with him, had to attack the defences. after no fewer than five assaults, a number of sallies by the gallant garrison, and thirty-three days investment, the siege was abandoned, some of our men having fallen, while the french had also lost heavily. nor must we omit to mention the skill and undoubted valour of colonel du breton and his men, who here opposed us. souham had now collected some , of all arms, and, therefore, retreat was urgent. that retreat became, indeed, almost a facsimile of the famous retreat of sir john moore, though it did not continue so long; for, in spite of every precaution, in spite of wrapping cannon wheels with straw to deaden the sound, the garrison of burgos got wind of the beginning of the movement. almost at once french columns were in pursuit, and from that day there were constant conflicts between our rearguard and the enemy. passing by way of the river tormes, on his route for the frontier of portugal, wellington crossed that river, leaving a thin brigade to hold the bridge at alba--and a gallant brigade it proved. pelted with cannon shot, unable to reply save with musketry, this brigade clung to the spot, arresting the pursuit of the enemy till their position was turned by french cavalry crossing the river elsewhere. then came the passage of the huebra, accompanied by constant fighting. but the skilful wellington drew off his troops, though many a poor fellow was left dead or wounded, until at length the frontier of portugal was reached, and with it winter quarters. some men had been lost on the way, while baggage had for the most part fallen into the hands of the enemy. but let us realize that this was no defeat. there were some , frenchmen now swarming about our retreating column, for every available soldier had been brought up by souham, who determined once and for all to check the designs of the british. and yet he failed. wellington had reached security with the bulk of his forces. thus ended the campaign for the year , only to be resumed again in the spring of , when our armies, still beneath the same conquering hand, were to advance north again, right up to the french frontier, and finally to enter france. let us also contrast at this point the movements of wellington's troops with those of napoleon's men in other fields of conquest. wellington began that memorable retreat from burgos on the night of october, , and saw its completion within a few days of the crossing of the huebra on november. at the very same time napoleon was also in retreat, that famous and fearful retrograde movement which laid the foundation of his final downfall. reaching moscow with his hosts on september, he found the city deserted by its , inhabitants. his triumphal entry was disturbed by the outbreak of fire, and finally he was driven forth to face an arctic russian winter by the destruction of the city. he set his face homeward on october. and later we find him hastening from a field that no longer attracted his attention, just as he had hastened out of spain soon after the coming of the british. entering russia full of confidence, and with nearly a half-million of men, he bade farewell to those of his generals who still lived on december, leaving behind him a shattered remnant, devoid of discipline, half-frozen and more than half-starved, a rabble still to suffer frightfully at the hands of the dashing cossacks. think of the untold misery. think of the very many thousands of men, all in the flower of manhood, who perished in this russian campaign. then recollect that the overpowering ambition of this "little corporal," this commoner, this distinguished artillery officer, was chiefly responsible. france needed no larger territory. honour and glory could have been won for her emperor and her people by this lost energy, this sad loss of young vigour, applied to her own internal affairs, to commerce and other matters. instead, france wept at the loss of its young manhood and groaned beneath the burden of excessive war taxation, while the years which followed were to see the downfall of the empire which was then being created, the loss of all these provinces won by the sword at the price of the misery and death of thousands and thousands of innocent and would-be peaceful people. napoleon may have been great--he was, admittedly, a military genius and a man of unsurpassed courage and ambition--but the thousands who went to their doom at his bidding, or who sent thousands of their fellows to their end because of his actions, bear a terrible testimony against him. his deathbed amidst those peaceful surroundings at st. helena, high up over the smiling sea, was a glaring contrast to the deathbed of many and many a poor fellow who followed or opposed his fortunes. but let us turn from a subject such as this to the fortunes of as bright a lad as ever set foot on the peninsula. we left tom acting in a manner almost inexplicable. see him now, then, with that door shattered and burst wide open, and himself returned to the head of the stairs up which the rascals from below were rushing. and look at the two who were with him. one, a stout jovial man of medium height, and possessed of ruddy features which showed resolution and energy, stood at his side armed with a length of splintered woodwork. a second, taller perhaps, thin and cadaverous, and of sallow spanish complexion, stood in rear gripping our hero's stiletto. both were more or less in rags, and grimed with long confinement in a noisome prison. but in each case fearless eyes looked out through flashing glasses. and down below, coming upward helter-skelter, were a dozen rascals, one bearing a lantern, elbowing one another, firing their weapons haphazard, shouting at the three above them. "silence!" tom commanded at the pitch of his voice. "silence for a moment. now, lay down your arms and go back to your room. you are surrounded. you are prisoners. the man who dares to fire another weapon will be taken outside and shot instantly." gaping faces looked up at him, and then into the eyes of their fellows. two men at the bottom of the stairs turned to run. and then one of the leaders called upon them not to be cowards. "surrounded!" he laughed. "he is fooling the lot of us. hear him call upon us to surrender when we are on the point of chopping him to pieces. up we go. in a trice we will have the lot of them strung by the necks from the windows." his pistol belched a charge of flame and shot in tom's direction, and, missing our hero's head by a narrow margin, swept above the spectacles of his gallant father--for it was septimus whom he had unearthed from the room behind him, and his uncle juan also--causing that sedate, business gentleman to duck most violently. it completed its work by crashing into the ceiling and bringing down a yard of material which almost blinded don juan as it smashed into pieces. as for tom, he leaned forward, took steady aim, and sent the rascal tumbling backward with a bullet through his body. he was after him, too, in an instant, beating at those below with the butt of his pistol, while septimus ably backed up the attack, laying about him vigorously with his piece of splintered boarding. men dived for their legs, hoping to bring them down in that way, but were met with blows which sent them heeling downward. shots were fired by the ruffians, and were answered by the howls of the wretches hit by accident. then a shout of consternation set the whole lot retreating. what was that? tom stretched his ears to their longest and listened. septimus produced a very red and somewhat soiled silk handkerchief and slowly mopped his streaming forehead. juan took off his glasses, wiped them thoughtfully, and then gave vent to the expression: "well, i never!" "soldiers! british!" shouted septimus, beginning to dance from one toe to the other, and presenting a somewhat ludicrous appearance. "tom, i tell you those are british soldiers!" "no--portuguese and spanish. listen, that's my adjutant, ensign john barwood." up through the windows of the house came the curt commands of an officer, commands issued in a language neither spanish nor portuguese, but a species of patois made more hideous by the obvious english accent of the officer. "recover arms! ground arms! split up by sections. shoot any man who comes from the house and refuses to surrender. andrews and howeley take charge each of a section. ensign alfonso is at the rear and guards the place in that quarter." "hooray!" bellowed tom, racing down the stairs and to the window of his late prison. "jack, ahoy! pass a few files into the house for our protection. i've got the two we've been searching for. pass the news to alfonso. his father's here, safe and sound. and mind you, don't let one of those beggars escape. seize or shoot them all. search their clothing and send a couple of men at once to help me to search for papers." the minutes which passed after that were somewhat strenuous. every exit from the house was guarded, and when a man dropped from one of the windows, and refused to halt at the command of one of jack's parties, there came the snap of a musket, followed by a fusillade, for the first shot had missed the mark. a piercing shriek echoed through the yard, and when tom craned his neck out of the window there was one of the rascals stretched still and stark on his face. by now the irregulars were pouring into the house, their bayonets fixed in readiness for trouble. they found the bulk of the conspirators crouching in their supper room amid the litter of bottles and glasses, while in their centre, looking still more woeful and downcast, was the fat man who had been injured. he was carried below after being searched, while the rest were mustered together, thoroughly searched, and then marched into the yard, where they were put under a guard. then began a complete and thorough investigation of the premises. documents and papers were dragged from hiding places, and as the night wore on towards early morning tom was able, with the help of his friends, to unravel the whole mystery. "the same handwriting," he repeated on many an occasion, turning over some new document. "plans of badajoz as regarrisoned and defended by the british. ditto of ciudad rodrigo, showing that these men have had agents in both places. details here of wellington's forces, with the exact number of guns, their calibre, &c." "and here the same of the french," sang out alfonso, now an interested spectator. "double-dealing individuals, evidently." "i'll eat my hat if that writing isn't the same as that found in the house where your father and uncle were living," suddenly interrupted jack. "right--i've seen that all along. it goes to prove that the ringleader all through who managed this gang also abducted those two. who was he?" "that is a question beyond me," declared septimus, leaning over his son's shoulder. "we never saw a leader. he was never referred to in our presence. we were suddenly set upon and bound and gagged. that same night we began the journey to badajoz. then came the siege, the assault, and our flight; that is to say, we were hustled away from the fortress. and here you are, tom. 'pon my word, how you do turn up!" "like the usual bad penny," grinned jack, whereat tom made a slash at him with his own sword, which the young adjutant had placed upon the rickety table. "but," he said, "how does it happen that you fellows yourselves turned up just in the nick of time? things were getting decidedly warm for us at the top of those stairs." "warm!--boiling!" gasped septimus, mopping his forehead at the thought, while don juan took off his spectacles and rubbed them. "beg pardon, sir, but there's officers ridden into the square," reported andrews in his stentorian tones, thrusting a head into the room. "they've called for the officer commanding." "that's you," declared tom, pointing at jack. "i'm still a muleteer; haven't rejoined yet." but the generous jack wouldn't have that at all. he insisted on tom's obeying the order. "this special job's ended," he said, "you've bagged that crowd, and mighty pleased wellington'll be at the news. as for our arrival, why, your men acting as muleteers got to hear something after you had gone and sent along to me. i brought half a company into the city at once. alfonso tumbled upon us almost as we were passing the yard, and--here we are, all aliv--o." it was a strange coincidence that wellington should be the one on this occasion to turn up unexpectedly also, but at a moment which could only be called opportune. he and his staff had attended a ball given in honour of the arrival of the british, and there he was in the yard when tom and his friends descended, tall and austere, his slim figure standing out in the moonlight. "you command this party!" he exclaimed in amazement, as a seeming muleteer drew himself to attention a few paces away and saluted. "you!" "yes, sir." ah! there was something familiar about the face and the figure. the voice reminded the general of a young officer he had often had in his thoughts. "name?" he asked curtly. "lieutenant tom clifford, sir, in disguise. i have to report that the mission on which you sent me has been successfully carried out. with the help of my comrades i have captured or killed every member of a gang dealing in military secrets. there is abundance of documentary evidence to convict them." "ah, that is news! and their leader?" "over there, sir," explained jack, who stood at attention beside our hero. the whole party crossed the yard to the far corner, where lay the body of the man who had attempted to escape, and who had been shot down in the act. a torch was produced, and the light enabled them to see the features. "the prisoners have admitted that he was their leader," said jack. it was josé. tom turned away with a feeling of sickness. after all, it was not pleasant to think that a cousin could have been such a rascal. there, in fact, was the end of all his scheming, all his meanness and jealousy. "you will report to-morrow at headquarters, mr. clifford. i offer you and your officers and men the heartiest thanks--good morning!" wellington was gone. tom watched the gilt of his epaulettes shining as he went through the archway; then he turned. jack was standing stiffly at attention behind him. septimus was rushing forward with outstretched hand. "congratulations, sir," gasped the ensign. "to both of you," cried septimus. "the chief of the staff gave me the news. tom, you've been gazetted captain for that work at salamanca, while jack also gets a step, and alfonso a mention. now let's get to supper, or breakfast--which is it?" there is little more to tell of our friends. in the year which followed, that of , they took the field again with wellington, having meanwhile passed safely through the retreat from burgos. their corps saw service in the complicated battle of vittoria, where the british were successful. thence they helped at the capture of san sebastian, while in october they actually marched into france, having driven the french from spain altogether. the battle of nivelle was then fought, tom's men taking their part. the nive was crossed after desperate skirmishing, and so the advance of the british force continued. meanwhile, napoleon's russian disaster had set upon him a flood of enemies, all pressing for vengeance. to describe all that happened would need many a chapter; but in the end the power of napoleon was shattered. he himself abdicated the throne of france, and was exiled to the island of elba. thence he escaped, and gathered the flower and manhood of france once more about him. but it was his fate to meet wellington yet again. on the field of waterloo that great general, with the help of the germans, broke his army to pieces. a fugitive, napoleon handed himself into the care of the british, and thenceforward was exiled in st. helena, where, amid the cacti and the ferns, he died peacefully in the truckle bed which had followed him on his campaigns. for jack and tom we have something more to say. the former was a captain at the end of the peninsula war; tom a colonel, the youngest in the army. minus one arm, he looked, if anything, rather more fetching in his uniform than formerly, for he served on the commander-in-chief's staff at home till he retired. then jack went also. cast your eyes back at the house of septimus john clifford & son. it's not so very long ago that the old head of the firm could be seen asleep beneath the shade of that mulberry tree. he was full of years and kindness. a white-haired clerk sat often beside him, a relic of the faithful lot who were there when tom was a boy. and there were children about, tom's, for he had left the service and married. jack barwood had married marguerite, and he and his old friend met daily at the office, for they were partners, while alfonso managed in oporto. thus our tale comes to an end. we take off our hats to tom and his fellows. they helped to break down the menace which threatened england. printed in great britain _at the villafield press, glasgow, scotland_ * * * * * transcriber's notes: obvious typographical errors were repaired, but stylistic and valid archaic spellings were retained. all illustrations, except for frontispiece, were relocated to the text describing their action. format coding includes =bold= and _italic_. adventures in the rifle brigade in the peninsula, france, and the netherlands, from the year to ; by captain john kincaid, first battalion. one vol. post vo. price _s._ _d._ boards. "to those who are unacquainted with john kincaid of the rifles,--and few, we trow, of the old peninsula bands are in this ignorant predicament, and to those who know him, we equally recommend the perusal of his book: it is a fac simile of the man,--a perfect reflection of his image, _veluti in speculo_. a capital soldier, a pithy and graphic narrator, and a fellow of infinite jest. captain kincaid has given us, in this modest volume, the impress of his qualities, the _beau ideal_ of a thorough-going soldier of service, and the faithful and witty history of some six years' honest and triumphant fighting. "there is nothing extant in a soldier's journal, which, with so little pretension, paints with such truth and raciness the "domestic economy" of campaigning, and the downright business of handling the enemy. "but we cannot follow further;--recommending every one of our readers to pursue the author himself to his crowning scene of waterloo, where they will find him as quaint and original as at his _debut_. we assure them, it is not possible, by isolated extracts, to give a suitable impression of the spirit and originality which never flag from beginning to end of captain kincaid's volume; in every page of which he throws out flashes of native humour, a tithe of which would make the fortune of a grub-street bookmaker."--_united service journal._ * * * * * "we do not recollect one, among the scores of personal narratives, where the reader will find more of the realities of a soldier's life, or of the horrors that mark it; all is told gaily, but not unfeelingly."--_new monthly magazine, july._ * * * * * "his book has one fault, the rarest fault in books, it is too short."--_monthly magazine, april._ * * * * * "his book is one of the most lively histories of soldiers' adventures which have yet appeared; their entire freedom from affectation will sufficiently recommend them to a numerous class of readers."--_athenæum._ * * * * * "_kincaid's adventures in the rifle brigade_ is written with all the frankness and freedom from study which bespeaks the gallant soldier, one to whom the sword is more adapted than the pen, but who, as now _cedunt arma togæ_, has, in these 'piping times' of peace, determined to 'fight all his battles over again,' and he fights them in a style interesting and graphic. the remarks on the decisive termination of the battle of waterloo are striking and convincing; and to them and the whole book we refer our readers for much amusement and information."--_the age._ * * * * * "this is an excellent and amusing book; and although it neither gives, nor pretends to give, lessons in strategy, or a true history of the great operations of our armies, we hold it to be a very instructive work. napier, it is true, continues to be our textbook in the art of war; but, even in his work, there is something awanting, something which a due attention to historical etiquette prevents his conveying to us. he shows most satisfactorily the talents of our generals, and the _morale_ of our army; but there is an insight into its composition which he cannot give us, and which, indeed, nothing can give but a wide personal acquaintance with military men, and lots of volumes like the present."--_edinburgh literary journal._ * * * * * "il est rare que les aventures arrivées à un seul personnage et racontées par lui intéressent le public au point de faire obtenir à ses mémoires un véritable succès; mais il en est autrement quand l'auteur a su habilement accompagner son histoire du récit de faits et d'événemens qui ont déjá fixé l'attention publique. l'ouvrage du capitaine kincaid est intéressant sous ces deux points de vue et sera favorablement accueilli. en même tems qu'on suit avec plaisir la marche de ses aventures, on recueille une foule de détails ignorés sur les campagnes de à ."--_furet de londres._ random shots from a rifleman. by j. kincaid, _late captain in, and author of "adventures in the rifle brigade."_ second edition. london: t. and w. boone, , new bond street. m dccc xlvii. to major-general lord fitzroy somerset, k.c.b. &c. &c. &c. this volume is respectfully inscribed by his very obedient and very obliged humble servant, j. kincaid. notice. when i sent my volume of "adventures in the rifle brigade" into the world, some one of its many kind and indulgent critics was imprudent enough to say that "it had one fault, the rarest fault in books--it was too short;" and while i have therefore endeavoured to acquit myself of such an unlooked-for charge by sending this additional one, i need only observe that if it also fails to satisfy, they may have "yet another." like its predecessor, this volume is drawn solely from memory, and of course open to error; but of this my readers may feel assured, that it is free from romance; for even in the few soldiers' _yarns_ which i have thought fit to introduce, the leading features are facts. lastly, in making my second editorial bow to the public, let me assure them that it is with no greater literary pretensions. i sent forth my first volume contrary to my own judgement; but rough and unpolished as it was, it pleased a numerous class of readers, and i therefore trust to be forgiven for marching past again to the same tune, in the hope that my _reviewing generals_ may make the same favourable report of me in their orderly books. erratum. page , line , _for_ remarkable, _read_ remarkably. contents. chapter i. page family pictures, with select views of the estate, fenced with distant prospects chap. ii. "no man can tether time or tide, the hour approaches tam maun ride." and he takes one side step and two front ones on the road to glory chap. iii. an old one takes to his heels, leaving a young one in arms.--the dessert does not always follow the last coarse of--a goose.--goes to the war, and ends in love chap. iv. shewing how generals may descend upon particulars with a cat-o'-nine tails. some extra tales added, historical, comical, and warlike all chap. v. the paying of a french compliment, which will be repaid in a future chapter. a fierce attack upon hairs. a niece compliment, and lessons gratis to untaught sword-bearers chap. vi. reaping a horse with a halter. reaping golden opinions out of a dung-hill, and reaping a good story or two out of the next room. a dog-hunt and sheep's heads prepared at the expense of a dollar each, and a scotchman's nose chap. vii. "blood and destruction shall be so in use, and dreadful objects so familiar, that mothers shall but smile when they behold their infants quartered with the hands of war." chap. vii. the persecution of the guardian of two angels. a caçadore and his mounted followers. a chief of hussars in his trousers. a chief of rifles in his glory, and a sub of ditto with two screws in the neck chap. viii. national characters. adventures of a pair of leather breeches. ditto of a pound of beef. shewing what the french general did not do, and a prayer which he did not pray; with a few random shots. chap. ix. a bishop's gathering.--volunteers for a soldier's love, with a portrait of the lover.--burning a bivouac. old invented thrashing machines and baking concerns.--a flying padre taking a shot flying chap. x. shewing how a volunteer may not be what doctor johnson made him.--a mayor's nest.--cupping.--the author's reasons for punishing the world with a book.--and some volunteers of the right sort chap. xi. very short, with a few anecdotes still shorter; but the principal actors thought the scene long enough chap. xii. shewing rough visitors receiving a rough reception. some living and moving specimens thereof. tailors not such fractions of humanity as is generally believed. gentle visitors receiving a gentle reception, which ends by shewing that two shakes joined together sound more melodiously on the heart-strings than two hands which shake of their own accord chap. xiii. specimens of target-practice, in which markers may become marked men.--a grave anecdote, shewing "how some men have honours thrust upon them." a line drawn between man and beast.--lines drawn between regiments, and shewing how credit may not be gained by losing what they are made of.--aristocratic.--dedicatic.--dissertation on advanced guards, and desertion of knapsacks, shewing that "the greater haste the worse speed" random shots from a rifleman. chapter i. family pictures, with select views of the estate, fenced with distant prospects. every book has a beginning, and the beginning of every book is the undoubted spot on which the historian is bound to parade his hero. the novelist may therefore continue to envelope his man in a fog as long as he likes, but for myself i shall at once unfold to the world that i am my own hero; and though that same world hold my countrymen to be rich in wants, with the article of modesty among them, yet do i hope to maintain the character i have assumed, with as much propriety as can reasonably be expected of one labouring under such a national infirmity, for "i am a native of that land, which some poets' lips and painters' hands" have pictured barren and treeless. but to shew that these are mere fancy sketches, i need only mention that as long as i remember anything, there grew a bonny brier and sundry gooseberry bushes in our kail-yard, and it was surrounded by a stately row of pines, rearing their long spinster waists and umbrella heads over the cabbages, as carefully as a hen does her wings over her brood of chickens, so that neither the sun nor moon, and but a very few favoured stars had the slightest chance of getting a peep therein, nor had anything therein a chance of getting a peep out, unless in the cabbages returning the sheep's eyes of their star-gazers; for, while the front was protected by a long range of house and offices, with no ingress or egress but through the hall-door, the same duty was performed on the other three sides by a thick quick-set hedge which was impervious to all but the sparrows, so that the wondrous wise man of islington might there have scratched his eyes out and in again a dozen times without being much the wiser. my father was the laird and farmed the small property i speak of, in the lowlands of stirlingshire, but he was unfortunately cut off in early life, and long before his young family were capable of appreciating the extent of their loss, and i may add, to the universal regret of the community to which he belonged; and in no country have i met, in the same walks of life, a body of men to equal in intelligence, prudence, and respectability, the small lowland scotch laird. marrying and dying are ceremonies which almost every one has to go through at some period of his life, and from being so common, one would expect that they might cease to be uncommon; but people, nevertheless, still continue to look upon them as important events in their individual histories. and while, with the class i speak of, the joys of the one and the grief at the other was as sensibly and unaffectedly shewn as amongst any, yet with them the loss of the head of the house produces no very material change in the family arrangements; for while in some places the proprietary of a sheep confers a sort of patent of gentility upon the whole flock, leaving as a bequest a scramble for supremacy, yet the lowland laird is another manner of man; one in fact who is not afraid to reckon his chickens before they are hatched, and who suffers no son of his to be born out of his proper place. the eldest therefore steps into his father's shoes as naturally as his father steps out of them. the second is destined to be a gentleman, that is, he receives a superior education, and as soon as he is deemed qualified, he is started off with a tolerable outfit and some ha'pence in his pocket to fulfil his destiny in one of the armed or learned professions, while the junior members of the family are put in such other way of shifting for themselves as taste and prudence may point out. and having thus, gentle reader, expounded as much of my family history as it behoveth thee to know, it only remains for me, with all becoming modesty, to introduce myself to you as, by birthright, the gentleman of the family, and without further ceremony to take you by the hand and conduct you along the path which i found chalked out for myself. in my native country, as elsewhere, dame fortune is to be seen cutting her usual capers, and often sends a man starving for a life-time as a parson looking for a pulpit, a doctor dining on his own pills, or as a lawyer who has nothing to insert in his last earthly testament, who would otherwise have flourished on the top of a hay-stack, or as a cooper round a tar-barrel. how far she was indulgent in my case is a matter of moonshine. suffice it that i commenced the usual process at the usual place, the parish school, under that most active of all teachers--whipping, "that's virtue's governess, tutress of arts and sciences; that mends the gross mistakes of nature, and puts new life into dull matter." and from the first letter in the alphabet i was successively flogged up through a tolerable quantity of english, some ten or a dozen books of latin, into three or four of french, and there is no saying whether the cat-o'-nine tails, wielded by such a masterly hand, might not eventually have stirred me up as high as the woolsack, had not one of those tides in the affairs of school-boys brought a leith merchant to a worthy old uncle of mine (who was one of my guardians) in search of a quill-driver, and turned the current of my thoughts into another channel. to be or not to be, that was the question; whether 'twere better to abide more stings and scourges from the outrageous cat, or to take the offer which was made, and end them. it may readily be believed that i felt a suitable horror at the sight of the leathern instrument which had been so long and so ably administered for my edification, nor had i much greater affection for the learned professions as they loomed in perspective, for i feared the minister, hated the doctor, and had no respect for the lawyer, and in short it required but little persuasion to induce me to bind my prospects for the ensuing three years to the desk of a counting-house. i therefore took leave of my indefatigable preceptor, not forgetting to insert on the tablets of my memory, a promissory note to repay him stripe for stripe with legal interest, as soon as i should find myself qualified to perform the operation; but i need not add that the note (as all such notes usually are) was duly dishonoured; for, when i became capable of appreciating his virtues, i found him a worthy excellent man, and one who meant for the best; but i have lived to see that the schoolmaster of that day was all abroad. the reminiscences of my three years' mercantile life leave me nothing worth recording, except that it was then i first caught a glimpse of my natal star. i had left school as a school-boy, unconscious of a feeling beyond the passing moment. but the period at length arrived when buonaparte's threatened invasion fired every loyal pair of shoulders with a scarlet coat. mine were yet too slender to fill up a gap in the ranks, and my arm too weak to wield any thing more formidable than a drum-stick, but in devotion to the cause i would not have yielded to don quixote himself. the pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war had in fact set my soul in an unquenchable blaze, and i could think of nothing else. in reckoning up a column of pounds, shillings, and pence, i counted them but as so many soldiers, the rumbling of empty puncheons in the wine cellar sounded in my ears as the thunder of artillery, and the croaking voice of a weasand old watchman at "half-past twelve o'clock," as the hoarse challenge of the sentry from the ramparts. my prospect of succeeding to the object on which i had placed my affections were at the time but slender, but having somewhere read that if one did but set his eye on any thing in reason, and pursued it steadily, he would finally attain it, i resolved to adhere to such an animating maxim, and fixing my heart on a captain's commission, i pursued it steadily, and for the encouragement of youth in all times to come, i am proud to record that i finally did attain it. i returned to the country on the expiration of my apprenticeship, which (considering the object i had in view) happened at a most auspicious moment; for the ensign of our parochial company of local militia had just received a commission in the line, and i was fortunate enough to step into his vacated commission as well as into his clothing and appointments. i had by that time grown into a tall ramrod of a fellow, as fat as a whipping-post--my predecessor had been a head and shoulders shorter, so that in marching into his trousers i was obliged to put my legs so far through them that it required the eye of a _connoisseur_ to distinguish whether they were not intended as a pair of breeches. the other end of my arms, too, were exposed to equal animadversion, protruding through the coat-sleeves to an extent which would have required a pair of gauntlets of the horse-guards blue to fill up the vacancy. nevertheless, no peacock ever strutted more proudly in his plumage than i did in mine--and when i found myself on a sunday in the front seat of the gallery of our parish church, exposed to the admiration of a congregation of milk-maids, my delight was without alloy. chap. ii. "no man can tether time or tide, the hour approaches tam maun ride." and he takes one side step and two front ones on the road to glory. it was a very fine thing, no doubt, to be an ensign in the local militia, and a remarkably pretty thing to be the admiration of all the milk-maids of a parish, but while time was jogging, i found myself standing with nothing but the precarious footing of those pleasures to stand upon, and it therefore behoved me to think of sinking the ornamental for the sake of the useful; and a neighbouring worthy, who was an importer and vender of foreign timber, happening at this time to make a proposition to unite our fortunes, and that i should take the charge of a branch establishment in the city of glasgow, it was arranged accordingly, and my next position therefore was behind my own desk in that wapping of glasgow, called the gorbals. mars, however, was still in the ascendant, for my first transaction in the way of business was to get myself appointed to a lieutenancy in one of the volunteer regiments, and, as far as i remember, i think that all my other transactions while i remained there redounded more to my credit as a soldier than as a citizen, and when, at the end of the year, the offer of an ensigncy in the militia enabled me to ascend a step higher on the ladder of my ambition, leaving my partner to sell or burn his sticks (whichever he might find the most profitable), i cut mine, and joined that finest of all militia regiments, the north york, when i began to hold up my head and to fancy myself something like a soldier in reality. our movements during the short period that i remained with them, were confined to casual changes among the different stations on the coasts of kent and sussex, where i got gradually initiated into all the mysteries of home service,--learnt to make love to the smugglers' very pretty daughters, and became a dead hand at wrenching the knocker from a door. the idleness and the mischievous propensities of the officers of that district (of the line as well as the militia) were proverbial at the period i speak of; but, while as usual the report greatly exceeded the reality, there was this to be said in their behalf, that they were almost entirely excluded from respectable society; owing partly, perhaps, to their not being quite so select as at the present time, (those heroes who had a choice of pleasures preferring almack's to napoleon's balls,) but chiefly to the numbers of the troops with which those districts were inundated during the war, and which put it out of the power of individual residents to notice such a succession of military interlopers, unless they happened to be especially recommended to them; so that, as the irishman expresses it--he was a lucky cove indeed who in those days succeeded in getting his legs under a gentleman's mahogany. it is not therefore much to be wondered at, if a parcel of wild young fellows thrown on their own resources, when that warlike age required a larking spirit to be encouraged rather than repressed amongst them,--i say, it is not to be wondered at if they did occasionally amuse themselves with a class of persons which, under other circumstances, they would have avoided, and if the consequences were sometimes what they had better not have been--but the accounts between the man and woman of that day having been long since closed, it is not for me to re-open them, yet i remember that even that manner of life was not without its charms. the only variety in my year's militia life was an encampment on the lines at chatham, where we did duty on board the hulks, in the medway. my post was for the greater period with a guard on board the old irresistible, which was laden with about eight hundred heavy danes who had been found guilty of defending their property against their invaders, and i can answer for it that they were made as miserable as any body of men detected in such a heinous crime had a right to be, for of all diabolical constructions in the shape of prisons the hulks claim by right a pre-eminence. however, we were then acting under the broad acknowledged principle, that those who are not for, are against us, and upon that same principle, the worthy danes with their ships were respectfully invited to repose themselves for a while within our hospitable harbours. on the breaking up of our encampment at chatham we marched to deal, where one of the periodical volunteerings from the militia, (to fill up the ranks of the line,) took place, and i need not add that i greedily snatched at the opportunity it offered to place myself in the position for which i had so long sighed. on those occasions any subaltern who could persuade a given number of men to follow him, received a commission in whatever regiment of the line he wished, provided there was a vacancy for himself and followers. i therefore chose that which had long been the object of my secret adoration, as well for its dress as the nature of its services and its achievements, the old ninety-fifth, now the rifle brigade.--"hurrah for the first in the field and the last out of it, the bloody fighting ninety-fifth," was the cry of my followers while beating up for more recruits--and as glory was their object, a fighting and a bloody corps the gallant fellows found it, for out of the many who followed captain strode and me to it, there were but two serjeants and myself, after the sixth campaign, alive to tell the tale. i cannot part from the good old north york without a parting tribute to their remembrance, for as a militia regiment they were not to be surpassed.--their officers _were officers_ as well as gentlemen, and there were few among them who would not have filled the same rank in the line with credit to themselves and to the service, and several wanted but the opportunity to turn up trumps of the first order. i no sooner found myself gazetted than i took a run up to london to get rid of my loose cash, which being very speedily accomplished, i joined the regiment at hythe barracks. they had just returned from sharing in the glories and disasters of sir john moore's retreat, and were busily employed in organizing again for active service. i have never seen a regiment of more gallant bearing than the first battalion there shewed itself, from their brilliant chief, (the late sir sidney beckwith), downwards; they were all that a soldier could love to look on; and, splendid as was their appearance, it was the least admirable part about them, for the beauty of their system of discipline consisted in their doing every thing that was necessary, and nothing that was not, so that every man's duty was a pleasure to him, and the _esprit de corps_ was unrivalled. there was an abundance of johny newcome's, like myself, tumbling in hourly, for it was then such a favourite corps with the militia men, that they received a thousand men over their complement within the first three days of the volunteering, (and before a stop could be put to it,) which compelled the horse-guards to give an additional battalion to the corps. on my first arrival my whole soul was so absorbed in the interest excited by the service-officers that, for a time, i could attend to nothing else--i could have worshipped the different relics that adorned their barrack-rooms--the pistol or the dagger of some gaunt spanish robber--a string of beads from the virgin mary of some village chapel--or the brazen helmet of some french dragoon, taken from his head after it had parted company with his shoulders, and with what a greedy ear did i swallow the stories of their hair-breadth 'scapes and imminent perils, and long for the time when i should be able to make such relics and such tales mine own. fate has since been propitious, and enabled me to spin as long a yarn as most folks, but as some of their original stories still dwell with much interest on my memory, i shall quote one or two of them, in the hope that they may not prove less so to my readers, for i am not aware that they have yet been published. anecdote the first. of all the vicissitudes of the late disastrous campaign, i found that nothing dwelt so interestingly on the remembrance of our officers as their affair at calcabellos--partly because it was chiefly a regimental fight, and partly because they were taken at a disadvantage, and acquitted themselves becomingly. the regiment was formed in front of calcabellos covering the rear of the infantry, and on the first appearance of the enemy they had been ordered to withdraw behind the town. three parts of them had already passed the bridge, and the remainder were upon it, or in the act of filing through the street with the careless confidence which might be expected from their knowledge that the british cavalry still stood between them and the enemy; but in an instant our own cavalry, without the slightest notice, galloped through and over them, and the same instant saw a french sabre flourishing over the head of every man who remained beyond the bridge--many were cut down in the streets, and a great portion of the rear company were taken prisoners. the remainder of the regiment, seeing the unexpected attack, quickly drew off among the vineyards to the right and left of the road, where they coolly awaited the approaching assault. the dismounted voltigeurs first swarmed over the river, assailing the riflemen on all sides, but they were met by a galling fire, which effectually stopped them. general colbert next advanced to dislodge them, and passing the river at the head of his dragoons, he charged furiously up the road; but, when within a few yards of our men, he was received with such a deadly fire, that scarcely a frenchman remained in the saddle, and the general himself was among the slain. the voltigeurs persevered in their unsuccessful endeavours to force the post, and a furious fight continued to be waged, until darkness put an end to it, both sides having suffered severely. although the principal combat had ceased with the day-light, the riflemen found that the troubles and the fatigues of twenty-four hours were yet in their infancy, for they had to remain in the position until ten at night, to give the rest of the army time to fall back, during which they had to sustain several fierce assaults, which the enemy made, with the view of ascertaining whether our army were on the move; but in every attempt they were gallantly repulsed, and remained in ignorance on the subject until day-light next morning. our people had, in the meantime, been on the move the greater part of the night, and those only who have done a mile or two of vineyard walking in the dark, can form an adequate notion of their twenty-four hours work. general colbert (the enemy's hero of the day) was, by all accounts, (if i may be permitted the expression,) splendid as a man, and not less so as a soldier. from the commencement of the retreat of our army he had led the advance, and been conspicuous for his daring: his gallant bearing had, in fact, excited the admiration of his enemies; but on this day, the last of his brilliant earthly career, he was mounted on a white charger, and had been a prominent figure in the attack of our men in the street the instant before, and it is not, therefore, to be wondered at if the admiration for the soldier was for a space drowned in the feeling for the fallen comrades which his bravery had consigned to death; a rifleman, therefore, of the name of plunket, exclaiming, "thou too shalt surely die!" took up an advanced position, for the purpose of singling him out, and by his hand he no doubt fell. plunket was not less daring in his humble capacity than the great man he had just brought to the dust. he was a bold, active, athletic irishman, and a deadly shot; but the curse of his country was upon him, and i believe he was finally discharged, without receiving such a recompense as his merits in the field would otherwise have secured to him. anecdote the second. in one of the actions in which our regiment was engaged, in covering the retreat to corunna, a superior body of the enemy burst upon the post of a young officer of the name of uniacke, compelling him to give way in disorder, and in the short scramble which followed, he very narrowly escaped being caught by the french officer who had led the advance,--a short stout fellow, with a cocked hat, and a pair of huge jack-boots. uniacke was one of the most active men in the army, and being speedily joined by his supporting body, which turned the tables upon his adversary, he resolved to give his _friend_ a sweat in return for the one he had got, and started after him, with little doubt, from his appearance and equipment, that he would have him by the neck before he had got many yards further; but, to his no small mortification, the stout gentleman plied his seven-league boots so cleverly that uniacke was unable to gain an inch upon him. anecdote the third. at astorga, a ludicrous alarm was occasioned by the frolic of an officer; though it might have led to more serious results. the regiment was quartered in a convent, and the officers and the friars were promiscuously bundled for the night on mattresses laid in one of the galleries; when, about midnight, captain ---- awaking, and seeing the back of one of the padres looking him full in the face, from under the bed-clothes, as if inviting the slap of a fist, he, acting on the impulse of the moment, jumped up, and with a hand as broad as a coal-shovel, and quite as hard, made it descend on the bottom of the astounded sleeper with the force of a paviour, and then stole back to his couch. the padre roared a hundred murders, and murder was roared by a hundred padres, while the other officers, starting up in astonishment, drew their swords and began grappling with whoever happened to be near them. the uproar, fortunately, brought some of the attendants with lights before any mischief happened, when the cause of the disturbance was traced, to the no small amusement of every one. the offender tried hard to convince the afflicted father that he had been under the influence of a dream; but the four fingers and the thumb remained too legibly written on the offended spot to permit him to swallow it. anecdote the fourth. when the straggling and the disorders of the army on the retreat to corunna became so serious as to demand an example, sir edward paget, who commanded the reserve, caused two of the plunderers to be tried by a court-martial, and they were sentenced to suffer death. the troops were ordered to parade in front of the town, to witness the execution, but, while in the act of assembling, a dragoon came galloping in from the front to inform sir edward by desire of his brother (lord paget), that the enemy were on the move, and that it was time for the infantry to retire. sir edward, however, took no notice of the message. the troops assembled, and the square was formed, when a second dragoon arrived, to say that the enemy were advancing so rapidly that if sir edward did not immediately retire, his lordship could not be answerable for the consequences. sir edward, with his usual coolness and determination, said he cared not, for he had a duty to perform, and were the enemy firing into the square, that he would persevere with it. dragoon after dragoon, in rapid succession, galloped in with a repetition of the message; still the preparations went on, and by the time they were completed, (and it wanted but the word of command to launch the culprits into eternity,) the clang of the carabines of the retreating dragoons was heard all around. in the breast of sir edward, it is probable, that the door of mercy never had been closed, and that he had only waited until the last possible moment to make it the more impressive; and impressive truly it must have been; nor is it easy to imagine such a moment; for, independently of the solemn and desolate feeling with which one at all times witnesses the execution of a comrade, let his offence be what it may, they had an additional intensity on this occasion, on the score of their own safety; for, brief as the span seemed to be that was allotted to the culprits, the clang of the carabine, and the whistling ball, told that it was possible to be even still more brief on the parts of many of the spectators. sir edward, however, now addressed the troops, with a degree of coolness which would argue that danger and he had been long familiar. he pointed out the enormity of the offence of which the culprits had been guilty, that they deserved not to be saved, and that though the enemy were now upon them, and might lay half their number dead while witnessing the execution, that only one thing would save them, and that was, "would the troops now present pledge themselves that this should be the last instance of insubordination that would occur in the course of the retreat?" a simultaneous "yes," burst from the lips of the assembled thousands, and the next instant saw the necessary measures taken to check the advancing foe, while the remainder resumed their retreat, lightened of a load of care, which a few minutes before had been almost intolerable. the conduct of these regiments, as compared with others, was very exemplary during the retreat, although their duty, in protecting the stragglers of the army till the last possible moment, was of the most harassing kind. they had no means of punishing those to whom they were indebted for their extra trouble, but by depriving them of their ill-gotten gains, so that whenever a fellow came in with a bag of flour under his arm, (which was no uncommon occurrence,) they made it a rule to empty the bag over his head, to make him a marked man. napier says of them, that "for twelve days these hardy soldiers covered the retreat, during which time they had traversed eighty miles of road in two marches, passed several nights under arms in the snow of the mountains, were seven times engaged with the enemy, and now assembled at the outposts (before corunna), having fewer men missing from the ranks, including those who had fallen in battle, than any other division in the army."[a] [a] the foregoing story, i find, has just made its appearance in a volume published by lieutenant-colonel cadell; but as this narrative was publicly noticed, as being in preparation, prior to the publication of his, i have not thought it necessary to expunge it. i shall now, with the reader's permission, resume the thread of my narrative. chap. iii. an old one takes to his heels, leaving a young one in arms.--the dessert does not always follow the last course of--a goose.--goes to the war, and ends in love. in those days, the life of a soldier was a stirring and an active one. i had not joined the regiment above a fortnight when the st battalion received orders for immediate active service, and general graham was to make his appearance on the morrow, to inspect them prior to their embarkation. every man destined for service was to appear in the ranks, and as my turn had not yet come, i was ordered, the previous evening, to commence my career as a rifleman, in charge of the guard; and a most unhappy _debut_ i made of it, and one that argued but little in behalf of my chances of future fame in the profession. my guard was composed of the lord knows who, for, excepting on the back of the sergeant, i remember that there was not a rag of uniform amongst them. i was too anxious to forget all about them to think of informing myself afterwards; but, from what i have since seen, i am satisfied that they must either have been a recent importation from "the first gem of the sea," or they had been furnished for the occasion by the governor of newgate;--however, be that as it may, i had some ten or a dozen prisoners handed over to me; and as my eye was not sufficiently practised to distinguish, in such a group, which was the soldier and which the prisoner, i very discreetly left the whole affair to the sergeant, who seemed to be a man of _nous_. but while i was dozing on the guard-bed, about midnight, i was startled by a scramble in the soldier's room, and the cry of "guard, turn out;" and, on running out to ascertain the cause, the sergeant told me that the light in the guard-house had been purposely upset by some one, and, suspecting that a trick was intended, he had turned out the guard; and truly his suspicions were well-grounded, although he took an erroneous method of counteracting it; for, the sentry over the door, not being a much shrewder fellow than myself in distinguishing characters in the dark, in suffering the guard to turn out, had allowed some of the prisoners to turn out too, and, amongst the rest, one who had been reserved for an especial example of some sort or other, and whose absence was likely to make a noise in the neighbourhood. this was certainly information enough to furnish me with food for reflection for the remainder of the night, and, as if to enhance its _agreeable_ nature, the sergeant-major paid me a visit at daylight in the morning, and informed me that such things did sometimes happen;--he enumerated several cases of the kind in different regiments, and left me with the consolatory piece of information that the officer of the guard had on each occasion been _allowed_ to retire without a court-martial!!! my readers, i am sure, will rejoice with me that in this, as in other cases, there is no rule without an exception, for otherwise they would never have had the pleasure of reading a book of mine. how i had the good fortune to be excepted on that occasion i never found out; probably, in the hurry and bustle of preparation it was overlooked,--or, probably, because they hoped better things of me thereafter,--but my commanding officer never noticed it, and his kindness in so doing put me more on the alert for the future than if he had written a volume of censure. among the other novelties of the aforesaid guard-house on that memorable night, i got acquainted with a very worthy goose, whose services in the rifle brigade well merit a chapter in its history. if any one imagines that a goose is a goose he is very much mistaken: and i am happy in having the power of undeceiving him, for i am about to show that my (or rather our regimental) goose was shrewd, active, and intelligent, it was a faithful public servant, a social companion, and an attached friend, (i wish that every biped could say but half so much). its death, or its manner of departure from this world, is still clouded in mystery; but while my book lives, the goose's memory shall not die. it had attached itself to the guard-house several years prior to my appearance there, and all its doings had been as steady as a sentry-box: its post was with the sentry over the guard; in fine weather it accompanied him in his walk, and in bad, it stood alongside of him in his box. it marched with the officer of the guard in all his visiting rounds, and it was the first on all occasions to give notice of the approach of any one in authority, keeping a particularly sharp look-out for the captain and field-officer of the day, whether by day or night. the guard might sleep, the sentry might sleep, but the goose was ever wide awake. it never considered itself relieved from duty, except during the breakfast and dinner-hours, when it invariably stepped into the guard-house, and partook of the soldiers' cheer, for they were so devotedly attached to it that it was at all times bountifully supplied, and it was not a little amusing, on those occasions, to see how the fellow cackled whenever the soldiers laughed, as if it understood and enjoyed the joke as much as they did. i did not see moore's almanack for , and, therefore, know not whether he predicted that michaelmas would be fatal to many of the tribe that year; but i never saw a comrade more universally lamented than the poor goose was when the news of its mysterious disappearance reached us in spain. our comrades at home, as a last proof of their affection, very magnanimously offered a reward of ten pounds for the recovery of the body, dead or alive; but whether it filled a respectable position in a banquet of that year, or still lives to bother the decayed tooth of some elderly maiden, at michaelmas next, remains to be solved. on the th of march, , our first battalion received orders to march at midnight for dover, there to be united with the d and d regiments, as a light brigade, under major-general robert crawfurd, and to embark next morning to join the army which was then assembling in the peninsula. in marching for embarkation in those stirring times, the feeling of the troops partook more of the nature of a ship's crew about to sail on a roving commission, than a land-crab expedition which was likely to prove eternal; for although one did occasionally see some blubber-headed fellow mourning over his severed affections for a day or two, yet a thorough-going one just gave a kiss to his wife, if he had one, and two to his sweetheart, if he had not, and away he went with a song in his mouth. i now joined the d battalion, where we were not permitted to rest long on our oars, for, within a month, we were called upon to join the expedition with which "the great earl of chatham, and a hundred thousand men, sailed over to holland, and then sailed back again." as the military operations of that expedition do not entitle them to a place in such an important history as mine is, i shall pass them over, simply remarking that some of our companies fired a few professional shots, and some of our people got professionally shot, while a great many more visited death by the doctor's road, and almost all who visited him not, got uncommonly well shaken. south beeveland ultimately became our head-quarters. it is a fine island, and very fertile, yielding about forty bushels of frogs an acre, and tadpoles enough to fence it with. we were there under the command of general w. stewart, whose active mind, continually in search of improvement, led him to try (in imitation of some foreign customs) to saddle the backs of the officers with knapsacks, by way of adding to their comfort; for he proved to demonstration that if an officer had a clean shirt in his knapsack on his back, that he might have it to put on at the end of his day's march; whereas, if he had it not on his own back, it might be left too far back to be of use to him when wanted. this was a fact not to be disputed, but so wedded were we to ancient prejudices that we remained convinced that the shirt actually in wear, with all its additions at the end of an extra day or two, must still weigh less than the knapsack with a shirt in it; and upon those grounds we made a successful kick, and threw them off, not, however, until an experimental field-day had been ordered to establish them. the order required that each officer should parade in a knapsack, or something answering the same purpose, and it was amusing enough to see the expedients resorted to, to evade, without committing a direct breach of it. i remember that my apology for one on that occasion was slinging an empty black oil-skin haversack knapsack-ways, which looked so much like a newly-lanced blister on my back that it made both the vraws and the frogs stare. the attempt was never repeated. what a singular change did a short residence in that pestiferous place work in the appearance of our army! it was with our regiment as with others; one month saw us embark a thousand men at deal, in the highest health and spirits, and the next month saw us land, at the same place, with about seven hundred men, carrying to hospital, or staggering under disease. i cannot shake off that celebrated walcheren fever without mentioning what may or may not be a peculiarity in it;--that a brother-officer and i experienced a return of it within a day of each other, after a lapse of five years, and again, within a week, after the lapse of the following three years. as my heart had embarked for the peninsula with the st battalion, although my body (for the reasons given) remained behind for a year, i shall, with the reader's permission, follow the first, as being in the more interesting position of the two; and although, under these circumstances, i am not permitted to speak in the first person singular until the two shall be again united, yet whatever i do speak of i have heard so often and so well authenticated, that i am enabled to give it with the same confidence as if i had been an eye-witness. "a lay of love for lady bright." lisbon was doubtless as rich in abominations now as it was a year after, without any other redeeming virtue, which is a very ugly commencement to a tale of love; but having landed my reader a second time at the same place, i am anxious to relieve him from the fear of being treated to a second edition of the same story, and to assure him that my head-piece has been some time charged with fresh ammunition and i mean to discharge it now, to prevent its getting rusty. i intend to fight those battles only that i never fought before, galloping over the ground lightly, and merely halting to give a little of my conversation, such as it is, whenever i have anything new to tell; and as i have no idea of enduring the fatigues of the march to talavera, nor the pleasures of fattening on the dinners of chopped straw which followed it, i shall leave my regiment to its fate until its return to the north of portugal, and take advantage of the repose it affords to make my editorial bow with all due deference to my fair and lovely readers, to express my joy that i have been once more enabled to put myself in communion with them, and to assure them of my continued unbounded love and admiration, for i feel and have ever felt that the man who gave frailty the name of woman was a blockhead, and must have been smarting under some unsuccessful bit of the tender, for i have met her in the bower and in the battle, and have ever found her alike admirable in both! that old fool shakspeare, too, having only a man's courage to meet a sprite with! had he but told macbeth to dare as woman dared, he would have seen the ghost of banquo vanish into the witches' kettle in the twinkling of a wheelbarrow; for although i have never seen a woman kick the bucket, i have certainly seen her kick every thing else, and in fact there is nothing in the heroics that i have not seen her do. see her again when she descends into herself, and it is very odd if i have not seen her there too! for no man has ever been so often or so deep in love as i have--my poor heart has been lacerated, torn, and finally scorched until it is withered up like a roasted potato with scarcely the size of a kiss left. how it was that i did not find myself dangling at a door-post by the end of a silk handkerchief some odd morning is to me astonishing, but here i am, living and loving still as fondly as ever. prudence at this moment whispers that i have said enough for the present, for if i go on making love so fiercely thus early in the day, i shall be forced to marry the whole sex and bring my book to a premature conclusion, for which posterity would never forgive me. i must therefore for the present take a most reluctant leave, with a promise of renewing my courtship from time to time as opportunities offer, if they will but good-naturedly follow me through the various scenes into which i am about to conduct them; and while i do my best to amuse them by the way, should i unintentionally dive so deeply into the pathetic as to beguile them of a tear, let me recommend them to wipe it away, for it is only their smiles i court. while on the way to join the light division on the northern frontier, i shall take the opportunity of introducing the reader to their celebrated commander, the late major-general robert crawfurd, an officer who, for a length of time, was better known than liked, but like many a gem of purer ray his value was scarcely known until lost. chap. iv. shewing how generals may descend upon particulars with a cat-o'-nine tails. some extra tales added. historical, comical, and warlike all. crawfurd was no common character. he, like a gallant cotemporary of his, was not born to be a great general, but he certainly was a distinguished one,--the history of his division and the position which he held beyond the coa in , attest the fact. he had neither judgement, temper, nor discretion to fit him for a chief, and as a subordinate he required to be held with a tight rein, but his talents as a general of division were nevertheless of the first order. he received the three british regiments under his command, finished by the hands of a master in the art, sir john moore, and, as regiments, they were faultless; but to crawfurd belonged the chief merit of making them the war brigade which they became, alike the admiration of their friends and foes. how he made them so i am about to show, but how such another is to be made now that his system has fallen into disrepute, will be for futurity to determine. i think i see a regiment of those writers who are just now taking the cat by the tail, parading for a day's march under that immortal chief--that he furnishes them with an ink-bottle for a canteen, fills their knapsacks with foolscap, their mouths with mouldy biscuit, and starts them off with sloped pens. they go along with the buoyancy of a corps of reporters reconnoitring for a memorandum, and they very quickly catch one and a tartar to the bargain, for the monotony of the road is relieved by the crossing of a fine broad stream, and over the stream is a very fine plank to preserve the polish of warren's jet on the feet of the pedestrian--they all jump gaily towards the plank, but they are pulled up by a grim gentleman with a drawn sword, who, with a voice of thunder, desires them to keep their ranks and march through the stream. well! this is all mighty pleasant, but now that they are up to their middles in the water, there surely can be no harm in stopping half a minute to lave a few handfuls of it into their parched mouths. i think i see the astonishment of their editorial nerves when they find a dozen lashes well bestowed _a posteriori_ upon each, by way of their further refreshment and clearing off scores for that portion of the day's work (for the general was a man who gave no credit on those occasions). he had borrowed a leaf from the history of the land-crabs, and suffered neither mire nor water to disturb the order of his march with impunity. now i daresay he would have had to flog an editor a dozen times before he had satisfied him that it was to his advantage; but a soldier is open to conviction, and such was the manner of making one of the finest and most effective divisions that that or any other army ever saw. where soldiers are to be ruled, there is more logic in nine tails of a cat than in the mouths of a hundred orators; it requires very little argument to prove, and i'll defy the most eloquent preacher, (with the unknown tongue to boot,) to persuade a regiment to ford a river where there is a bridge to conduct them over dry-shod, or to prevent them drinking when they are in that river if they happen to feel thirsty, let him promise them what he will as a reward for their obedience. it is like preaching to his own flock on the subject of their eternal welfare (and i make the comparison with all due reverence); they would all gladly arrive at the end he aims at, but at the same time how few will take the necessary steps to do so, and how many prefer their momentary present enjoyment? so it was with the soldiers, but with this difference, that crawfurd's cat forced them to take the right road whether they would or no, and the experiment once made carried conviction with it, that the comfort of every individual in the division materially depended on the rigid exaction of his orders, for he shewed that on every ordinary march he made it a rule to halt for a few minutes every third or fourth mile, (dependent on the vicinity of water,) that every soldier carried a canteen capable of containing two quarts, and that if he only took the trouble to fill it before starting, and again, if necessary, at every halt, it contained more than he would or ought to drink in the interim; and that therefore every pause he made in a river for the purpose of drinking was disorderly, because a man stopping to drink delayed the one behind him proportionately longer, and so on progressively to the rear of the column. in like manner the filing past dirty or marshy parts of the road in place of marching boldly through them or filing over a plank or narrow bridge in place of taking the river with the full front of their column in march, he proved to demonstration on true mathematical principles, that with the numbers of those obstacles usually encountered on a day's march, it made a difference of several hours in their arrival at their bivouac for the night. that in indulging by the way, they were that much longer labouring under their load of arms, ammunition, and necessaries, besides bringing them to their bivouac in darkness and discomfort; it very likely, too, got them thoroughly drenched with rain, when the sole cause of their delay had been to avoid a partial wetting, which would have been long since dried while seated at ease around their camp-fires; and if this does not redeem crawfurd and his cat, i give it up. the general and his divisional code, as already hinted at, was at first much disliked; probably, he enforced it, in the first instance, with unnecessary severity, and it was long before those under him could rid themselves of that feeling of oppression which it had inculcated upon their minds. it is due, however, to the memory of the gallant general to say that punishment for those disorders was rarely necessary after the first campaign; for the system, once established, went on like clock-work, and the soldiers latterly became devotedly attached to him; for while he exacted from them the most rigid obedience, he was, on his own part, keenly alive to every thing they had a right to expect from him in return, and woe befel the commissary who failed to give a satisfactory reason for any deficiencies in his issues. it is stated that one of them went to the commander-in-chief to complain that he had been unable to procure bread for the light division, and that general crawfurd had threatened that if they were not supplied within a given time, he would put him in the guard-house. "did he?" said his lordship; "then i would recommend you to find the bread, for if he said so, by ----, he'll do it!" having in this chapter flogged every man who had any shadow of claim to such a distinction, i shall now proceed and place myself along with my regiment to see that they prove themselves worthy of the _pains_ taken in their instruction. from the position which the light division then held, their commander must have been fully satisfied in his own mind that their military education had not been neglected, for _certes_ it required every man to be furnished with a clear head, a bold heart, and a clean pair of heels--all three being liable to be put in requisition at any hour by day or night. it was no place for reefing topsails and making all snug, but one which required the crew to be constantly at quarters; for, unlike their nautical brethren, the nearer a soldier's shoulders are to the rocks the less liable he is to be wrecked--and there they had more than enough of play in occupying a front of twenty-five miles with that small division and some cavalry. the chief of the st german hussars meeting our commandant one morning, "well, colonel," says the gallant german in broken english, "how you do?" "o, tolerably well, thank you, considering that i am obliged to sleep with one eye open." "by gott," says the other, "i never sleeps at all." colonel beckwith at this time held the pass of barba del puerco with four companies of the rifles, and very soon experienced the advantage of having an eye alive, for he had some active neighbours on the opposite side of the river who had determined to beat up his quarters by way of ascertaining the fact. the _padrè_ of the village, it appeared, was a sort of vicar of bray, who gave information to both sides so long as accounts remained pretty equally balanced between them, but when the advance of the french army for the subjugation of portugal became a matter of certainty, he immediately chose that which seemed to be the strongest, and it was not ours. the _padrè_ was a famous hand over a glass of grog, and where amusements were so scarce, it was good fun for our youngsters to make a _padrè_ glorious, which they took every opportunity of doing; and as is not unusual with persons in that state, (laymen as well as _padrès_,) he invariably fancied himself the only sober man of the party, so that the report was conscientiously given when he went over to the french general ferey, who commanded the division opposite, and staked his reputation as a _padrè_, that the english officers in his village were in the habit of getting blind drunk every night, and that he had only to march over at midnight to secure them almost without resistance. ferey was a bold enterprising soldier, (i saw his body in death after the battle of salamanca); he knew to a man the force of the english in the village, and probably did not look upon the attempt as very desperate were they even at their posts ready to receive him; but as the chances seemed to be in favour of every enemy's head being "nailed to his pillow," the opportunity was not to be resisted, and accordingly, at midnight on the th of march, he assembled his force silently at the end of the bridge. the shadows of the rocks which the rising moon had just cast over the place prevented their being seen, and the continuous roar of the mountain torrent, which divided them, prevented their being heard even by our double sentry posted at the other end of the bridge within a few yards of them. leaving a powerful support to cover his retreat in the event of a reverse, ferey at the head of six hundred chosen grenadiers burst forth so silently and suddenly, that, of our double sentry on the bridge, the one was taken and the other bayonetted without being able to fire off their pieces. a sergeant's party higher up among the rocks had just time to fire off as an alarm, and even the remainder of the company on picquet under o'hare had barely time to jump up and snatch their rifles when the enemy were among them. o'hare's men, however, though borne back and unable to stop them for an instant, behaved nobly, retiring in a continued hand-to-hand personal encounter with their foes to the top of the pass, when the remaining companies under sidney beckwith having just started from their sleep, rushed forward to their support, and with a thundering discharge, tumbled the attacking column into the ravine below, where, passing the bridge under cover of the fire of their supporting body, they resumed their former position, minus a considerable number of their best and bravest. the colonel, while urging the fight, observed a frenchman within a yard or two, taking deliberate aim at his head. stooping suddenly down and picking up a stone, he immediately shyed it at him, calling him at the same time a "scoundrel, to get out of that." it so far distracted the fellow's attention that while the gallant beckwith's cap was blown to atoms, the head remained untouched. the whole concern was but the affair of a few minutes, but we nevertheless looked upon it as no inconsiderable addition to our regimental feather, for the appointed alarm post of one of the companies had carried it to a place where it happened that they were not wanted, so that there were but three companies actually engaged; and therefore with something less than half their numbers they had beaten off six hundred of the _élite_ of the french army. but our chief pride arose from its being the first and last night-attempt which the enemy ever made to surprise a british post in that army. of the worthy pastor i never heard more--i know not whether the bold ferey paid the price of the information he had brought, in gold, or with an ounce of lead; but certain it is that his flock were without ghostly consolation during the remainder of our sojourn--not that it was much sought after at that particular time, for the village damsels had already begun running up a score of _peccadillos_, and it was of little use attempting to wipe it out until the final departure of their heretical visitors. among the wounded who were left on the field by the enemy, there was a french sergeant whom i have often heard our officers speak of with much admiration--he was a fine handsome young fellow, alike romantic in his bravery, and in devotion to his emperor and his country--he had come on with the determination to conquer or to die, and having failed in the first, he seemed resolved not to be balked in the other, which a ball through a bad part of the thigh had placed him in the high road for, and he, therefore, resisted every attempt to save him, with the utmost indignation, claiming it as a matter of right to be allowed to die on the field where he had fallen. our good, honest, rough diamonds, however, who were employed in collecting the wounded, were equally determined that the point in dispute should only be settled between him and the doctor in the proper place, and accordingly they shouldered him off to the hospital whether he would or no. but even there he continued as untameable as a hyena--his limb was in such a state that nothing but amputation could save his life--yet nothing would induce him to consent to it--he had courage to endure any thing, but nothing could reconcile him to receive any thing but blows from his enemies. i forget how, or in what way, the amputation of the limb was at length accomplished. to the best of my recollection death had already laid a hand upon him, and it was done while he was in a state of insensibility. but be that as it may, it was done, and the danger and the fit of heroics having travelled with the departed limb, he lived to thank his preservers for the brotherly kindness he had experienced at their hands, and took a grateful and affectionate farewell of them when his health was sufficiently restored to permit his being removed to the care of his countrymen. shortly after this affair at barba del puerco the french army under massena came down upon ciudad rodrigo, preparatory to the invasion of portugal, and obliged the light division to take up a more concentrated position. it is not my intention to take notice of the movements of the army further than is necessary to illustrate the anecdotes i relate; but i cannot, on this occasion, resist borrowing a leaf out of napier's admirable work, to shew the remarkable state of discipline which those troops had been brought to--for while i have no small portion of personal vanity to gratify in recording the fact of my having been for many years after an associate in all the enterprises of that gallant band, i consider it more particularly a duty which every military writer owes to posterity, (be his pretensions great or humble,) to shew what may be effected in that profession by diligence and perseverance. the light division, and the cavalry attached to it, was at this period so far in advance of every other part of the army that their safety depended on themselves alone, for they were altogether beyond the reach of human aid--their force consisted of about four thousand infantry, twelve hundred cavalry, and a brigade of horse artillery--and yet with this small force did crawfurd, trusting to his own admirable arrangements, and the surprising discipline of his troops, maintain a position which was no position, for three months, within an hour's march of six thousand horsemen, and two hours' march from sixty thousand infantry, of a brave, experienced, and enterprising enemy, who was advancing in the confidence of certain victory. napier says, "his situation demanded a quickness and intelligence in the troops, the like of which has seldom been known. seven minutes sufficed for the division to get under arms in the middle of the night, and a quarter of an hour, night or day, to bring it in order of battle to the alarm posts, with the baggage loaded and assembled at a convenient distance in the rear. and this not upon a concerted signal, or as a trial, but at all times, and certain!" "in peace love tunes the shepherd's reed; in war he mounts the warrior's steed." and thus, in humble imitation of her master-man, did mother coleman, one fine morning, mount her donkey, and join her french lover to war against her lord. while the troops of the light division, as already noticed, were strutting about with the consciousness of surpassing excellence, menacing and insulting a foe for which their persons' knapsacks and all would barely have sufficed for a luncheon--a dish of mortification was served up for those of our corps, by the hands of their better half, which was not easy of digestion. to speak of the wife of a regiment is so very unusual as to imply that she must have been some very great personage--and without depriving her of the advantage of such a magnificent idea, i shall only say that she was the only wife they had got--for they landed at lisbon with eleven hundred men and only one woman. by what particular virtues she had attained such a dignified position among them, i never clearly made out, further than that she had arrived at years of discretion, was what is commonly called a useful woman, and had seen some service. she was the wife of a sturdy german, who plyed in the art of shoemaking, whenever his duties in the field permitted him to resort to that species of amusement, so that it appeared that she had beauty enough to captivate a cobbler, she had money enough to command the services of a jackass, and finally she proved she had wit enough to sell us all, which she did the first favourable opportunity--for, after plying for some months at the tail of her donkey at the tail of the regiment, and fishing in all the loose dollars which were floating about in gentlemen's pockets, (by those winning ways which ladies know so well how to use when such favourable opportunities offer,) she finally bolted off to the enemy, bag and baggage, carrying away old coleman's all and awl. it was one of those french leave-takings which man is heir to, but we eventually got over it, under the deepest obligation all the time for the sympathy manifested by our friends of the d and d. the movements of the enemy were at length unshackled by the fall of ciudad rodrigo, after a desperate defence, which gave immortal glory to its old governor herrasti, and his brave spanish garrison--and although it may appear that i am saying one word in honour of the spaniards for the purpose of giving two to the british, yet my feelings are too national to permit me to pass over a fact which redounds so much to the glory of our military history--namely, that in this, the year , the french were six weeks in wresting from the spaniards the same fortress which we, in the year , carried, with fire and sword, out of the hands of the french in eleven days! now that the enemy's movements were unshackled, the cloud, which for months had been gathering over portugal, began to burst--and, sharp as crawfurd and his division looked before, it now behoved them to look somewhat sharper. had he acted in conformity with his instructions, he had long ere this been behind the coa, but deeply enamoured of his separate command as ever youth was of his mistress, he seemed resolved that nothing but force should part them; and having gradually given ground, as necessity compelled, the d of july found him with his back on the river, and his left resting on the fortress of almeida, determined to abide a battle, with about five thousand men of all arms to oppose the whole french army. i shall leave to abler pens the description of the action that followed, and which (as might have been foreseen, while it was highly honourable to the officers and troops engaged) ended in their being driven across the coa with a severe loss. my business is with a youth who had the day before joined the division. the history of his next day's adventure has beguiled me of many a hearty laugh, and although i despair of being able to communicate it to my readers with any thing like the humour with which i received it from an amiable and gallant friend, yet i cannot resist giving it such as it rests on my remembrance. mr. rogers, as already stated, had, the day before, arrived from england, as an officer of one of the civil departments attached to the light division, and as might be expected on finding himself all at once up with the outposts of the army, he was full of curiosity and excitement. equipped in a huge cocked hat, and a hermaphrodite sort of scarlet coat, half military and half civil, he was dancing about with his budget of inquiries, when chance threw him in the way of the gallant and lamented jock mac culloch, at the time a lieutenant in the rifles, and who was in the act of marching off a company to relieve one of the picquets for the night. mac culloch, full of humour, seeing the curiosity of the fresh arrival, said, "come, rogers, my boy, come along with me, you shall share my beefsteak, you shall share my boat-cloak, and it will go hard with me but you shall see a frenchman, too, before we part in the morning." the invitation was not to be resisted, and away went rogers on the spur of the moment. the night turned out a regular tam o'shanter's night, or, if the reader pleases, a wellington night, for it is a singular fact that almost every one of his battles was preceded by such a night;--the thunder rolled, the lightning flashed, and all the fire-engines in the world seemed playing upon the lightning, and the devoted heads of those exposed to it. it was a sort of night that was well calculated to be a damper to a bolder spirit than the one whose story i am relating; but he, nevertheless, sheltered himself as he best could, under the veteran's cloak, and put as good a face upon it as circumstances would permit. as usual, an hour before day-break, mac culloch, resigning the boat-cloak to his dosing companion, stood to his arms, to be ready for whatever changes daylight might have in store for him: nor had he to wait long, for day had just begun to dawn when the sharp crack from the rifle of one of the advanced sentries announced the approach of the enemy, and he had just time to counsel his terrified bedfellow to make the best of his way back to the division, while he himself awaited to do battle. nor had he much time for preparation, for, as napier says, "ney, seeing crawfurd's false dispositions, came down upon them with the stoop of an eagle. four thousand horsemen, and a powerful artillery, swept the plain, and loison's division coming up at a charging pace, made towards the centre and left of the position." mac culloch, almost instantly, received several bad sabre wounds, and, with five-and-twenty of his men, was taken prisoner. rogers, it may be believed, lost no time in following the salutary counsel he had received with as clever a pair of heels as he could muster. the enemy's artillery had by this time opened, and, as the devil would have it, the cannon-balls were travelling the same road, and tearing up the ground on each side of him almost as regularly as if it had been a ploughing match. poor rogers was thus placed in a situation which fully justified him in thinking, as most young soldiers do, that every ball was aimed at himself. he was half distracted; it was certain death to stop where he was, neither flank offered him the smallest shelter, and he had not wind enough left in his bellows to clear the tenth part of the space between him and comparative safety; but, where life is at stake, the imagination is fertile, and it immediately occurred to him that by dowsing the cocked hat he would make himself a less conspicuous object; clapping it, accordingly under his arm, he continued his frightful career, with the feelings of a maniac and the politeness of a courtier, for to every missile that passed he bowed as low as his racing attitude would permit, in ignorance that the danger had passed along with it, performing, to all appearance, a continued rotatory sort of evolution, as if the sails of a windmill had parted from the building, and continued their course across the plain, to the utter astonishment of all who saw him. at length, when exhausted nature could not have carried him twenty yards further, he found himself among some skirmishers of the d caçadores, and within a few yards of a rocky ridge, rising out of the ground, the rear of which seemed to offer him the long-hoped-for opportunity of recovering his wind, and he sheltered himself accordingly. this happened to be the first occasion in which the caçadores had been under fire; they had the highest respect for the bravery of their british officers, and had willingly followed where their colonel had led; but having followed him into the field, they did not see why they should not follow another out of it, and when they saw a red coat take post behind a rock, they all immediately rushed to take advantage of the same cover. poor rogers had not, therefore, drawn his first breath when he found himself surrounded by these portuguese warriors, nor had he drawn a second before their colonel (sir george elder) rode furiously at him with his drawn sword, exclaiming "who are you, you scoundrel, in the uniform of a british officer, setting an example of cowardice to my men? get out of that instantly, or i'll cut you down!" rogers's case was desperate--he had no breath left to explain that he had no pretensions to the honour of being an officer, for he would have been cut down in the act of attempting it: he was, therefore, once more forced to start for another heat with the round shot, and, like a hunted devil, got across the bridge, he knew not how; but he was helm up for england the same day, and the army never saw him more. general crawfurd's conduct in the affair alluded to, would argue that his usual soldier-like wits had gone a wool-gathering for the time being--he had, in fact, like a moth, been fluttering so long with impunity around a consuming power that he had at length lost all sense of the danger. but even then it is impossible to conceive upon what principle he took up the position he did--for, in the first place, it was in direct defiance of lord wellington's orders; and had the river behind him been flowing with milk and honey, or had the rugged bank on which he was posted been built of loaves and fishes, it would scarcely have justified him in running the risk he did to preserve the sweets; but as the one was flooded with muddy water, and the other only bearing a crop of common stones, and when we consider, too, that the simple passing of the river would have made a hundred of his troops equal to a thousand of the invaders, we must continue lost in wonder. it is difficult to imagine, however, that he ever contemplated the possibility of stopping the french army but for the moment. confiding, probably, in the superiority of his troops, he had calculated on successfully repelling their first attack, and that having thus taught them the respect that was due to him, he might then have made a triumphant retreat to the opposite bank, where, for a time, he could safely have offered them further defiance. if such was his object, (and it is the only plausible one i can find,) he had altogether overlooked that for a man with one pair of arms to grapple with another who had ten, it must rest with the ten-pair man to say when the play is over, for although the one-pair man may disable an equal number in his front, there are still nine pair left to poke him in the sides and all round about; and thus the general found it; for having once exposed himself to such overwhelming numbers, there was no getting out of it but at a large sacrifice--and but for the experience, the confidence, and the devotion of the different individual battalion officers, seconded by the gallantry of the soldiers, the division had been utterly annihilated. napier, as an eye-witness, states, (what i have often heard repeated by other officers who were there,) that "there was no room to array the line, no time for any thing but battle, every captain carried off his company as an independent body, and joining as he could with the ninety-fifth or fifty-second, the whole presented a mass of skirmishers acting in small parties, and under no regular command, yet each confident in the courage and discipline of those on his right and left, and all regulating their movements by a common discretion, and keeping together with surprising vigour." the result of the action was a loss on the british portion of the division of two hundred and seventy-two, including twenty-eight officers, killed, wounded, and taken. it is curious to observe by what singular interpositions of providence the lives of individuals are spared. one of our officers happening to have a pocket-volume of gil blas, was in the middle of one of his interesting stories when the action commenced. not choosing to throw it away, he thrust it into the breast of his jacket for want of a better place, and in the course of the day it received a musket-ball which had been meant for a more tender subject. the volume was afterwards, of course, treated as a tried friend. having, in one of the foregoing pages, introduced the name of mac culloch in a prominent part of the action, i must be forgiven for taking this opportunity of following him to the end of his highly honourable earthly career. john mac culloch was from scotland, (a native, i believe, of kirkudbright;) he was young, handsome, athletic, and active; with the meekness of a lamb, he had the heart of a lion, and was the delight of every one. at the time i first became acquainted with him he had been several years in the regiment, and had shared in all the vicissitudes of the restless life they then led. i brought him under the notice of the reader in marching off to relieve the advanced picquet on the night prior to the action of the coa. for the information of those who are unacquainted with military matters, i may as well mention that the command of an outline picquet is never an enviable one--it is a situation at all times dangerous and open to disgrace, but seldom to honour--for come what may, in the event of an attack spiritedly made, the picquet is almost sure to go to the wall. from the manner in which the french approached on the occasion referred to, it may readily be imagined that my gallant friend had but little chance of escape--it was, therefore, only left to him to do his duty as an officer under the circumstances in which he was placed. he gave the alarm, and he gave his visitors as warm a reception as his fifty rifles could provide for them, while he gallantly endeavoured to fight his way back to his battalion, but the attempt was hopeless; the cavalry alone of the enemy ought to have been more than enough to sweep the whole of the division off the face of the earth--and mac culloch's small party had no chance; they were galloped into, and he, himself, after being lanced and sabred in many places, was obliged to surrender. mac culloch refused to give his parole, in the hope of being able to effect his escape before he reached the french frontier; he was, therefore, marched along with the men a close prisoner as far as valladolid, where fortune, which ever favours the brave, did not fail him. the escort had found it necessary to halt there for some days, and mac culloch having gained the goodwill of his conductor, was placed in a private house under proper security, as they thought; but in this said house there happened to be a young lady, and of what avail are walls of brass, bolts, bars, or iron doors, when a lady is concerned? she quickly put herself in communion with the handsome prisoner--made herself acquainted with his history, name, and country, and as quickly communicated it, as well as her plans for his escape, to a very worthy countryman of his, at that time a professor in one of the universities there. need i say more than that before many hours had passed over his head, he found himself equipped in the costume of a spanish peasant, the necessary quantity of dollars in his pocket, and a kiss on each cheek burning hot from the lips of his preserver, on the high road to rejoin his battalion, where he arrived in due course of time, to the great joy of every body--lord wellington himself was not the least delighted of the party, and kindly invited him to dine with him that day, in the _costume_ in which he had arrived. mac culloch continued to serve with us until massena's retreat from portugal, when, in a skirmish which took place on the evening of the th of march, , i, myself, got a crack on the head which laid me under a tree, with my understanding considerably bothered for the night, and i was sorry to find, as my next neighbour, poor mac culloch, with an excruciatingly painful and bad wound in the shoulder joint, which deprived him of the use of one arm for life, and obliged him to return to england for the recovery of health. in the meantime, by the regular course of promotion, he received his company, which transferred him to the d battalion, and, serving with it at the battle of waterloo, he lost his sound arm by one of the last shots that was fired in that bloody field. as soon as he had recovered from this last wound he rejoined us in paris, and, presenting himself before the duke of wellington in his usual straightforward manly way, said, "here i am, my lord; i have no longer an arm left to wield for my country, but i still wish to be allowed to serve it as i best can!" the duke duly appreciated the diamond before him, and as there were several captains in the regiment senior to mac culloch, his grace, with due regard to their feelings, desired the commanding officer to ascertain whether they would not consider it a cause of complaint if mac culloch were recommended for a brevet majority, as it was out of his power to do it for every one, and, to the honour of all concerned, there was not a dissentient voice. he, therefore, succeeded to the brevet, and was afterwards promoted to a majority, i think, in a veteran battalion. he was soon after on a visit in london, living at a hotel, when one afternoon he was taken suddenly ill; the feeling to him was an unusual one, and he immediately sent for a physician, and told him that he cared not for the consequences, but insisted on having his candid opinion on his case. the medical man accordingly told him at once that his case was an extraordinary one--that he might within an hour or two recover from it, or within an hour or two he might be no more. mac culloch, with his usual coolness, gave a few directions as to the future, and calmly awaited the result, which terminated fatally within the time predicted--and thus perished, in the prime of life, the gallant mac culloch, who was alike an honour to his country and his profession. chap. v. the paying of a french compliment, which will be repaid in a future chapter. a fierce attack upon hairs. a niece compliment, and lessons gratis to untaught sword-bearers. after the action of the coa the enemy quickly possessed themselves of the fortress of almeida, when there remained nothing between massena and his kingdom but the simple article of lord wellington's army, of which he calculated he would be able to superintend the embarkation within the time requisite for his infantry to march to lisbon. he therefore put his legions in motion to pay his distinguished adversary that last mark of respect. the wellingtonians retired slowly before them shewing their teeth as often as favourable opportunities offered, and several bitter bites they gave before they turned at bay--first on the heights of busaco, and finally and effectually on those of torres vedras. the troops of all arms composing the rear guard conducted themselves admirably throughout the whole of that retreat, for although the enemy did not press them so much as they might have done, yet they were at all times in close contact, and many times in actual combat, and it was impossible to say which was the most distinguished--the splendid service of the horse artillery, the dashing conduct of the dragoons, or the unconquerable steadiness and bravery of the infantry. it was a sort of military academy which is not open for instruction every day in the year, nor was it one which every fond mamma would choose to send her darling boy to, calculated although it was to lead to _immortal_ honours. a youngster (if he did not stop a bullet by the way) might commence his studies in such a place with nothing but "the soft down peeping through the white skin," and be entitled to the respect due to a beard or a bald head before he saw the end of it. it is curious to remark how fashions change and how the change affects the valour of the man too. the dragoon since the close of the war has worn all his hair below the head and none on the top it, and how fiercely he fought in defence of his whiskers the other day when some of the regiments were ordered to be shaved, as if the debility of samson was likely to be the result of the operation. my stars! but i should be glad to know what the old royal _heavies_ or fourteenth and sixteenth _lights_ cared about hairs at the period i speak of, when with their bare faces they went boldly in and bearded muzzles that seemed fenced with furze bushes; and while it was "damned be he who first cries hold--enough!" they did hold enough too, sometimes bringing in every man his bird, mustachoes and all. in those days they seemed to put more faith in their good right hand than in a cart-load of whiskers, for with it and their open english countenances they carved for themselves a name as british dragoons, which they were too proud to barter for any other. every attempt at rearing a _moustache_ among the british in those days was treated with sovereign contempt, no matter how aristocratic the soil on which it was sown. but, to do justice to _every body_, i must say that, to the best of my recollection, a crop was seldom seen but on the lips of _nobodies_. it was in the course of this retreat, as i mentioned in a former work, that i first joined lord wellington's army, and i remember being remarkably struck with the order, the confidence, and the daring spirit which seemed to animate all ranks of those among whom it was my good fortune to be cast. their confidence in their illustrious chief was unbounded, and they seemed to feel satisfied that it only rested with him any day to say to his opponent, "thus far shalt thou come but no farther;" and if a doubt on the subject had rested with any one before, the battle of busaco removed it, for the portuguese troops having succeeded in beating their man, it confirmed them in their own good opinion, and gave increased confidence to the whole allied army. i am now treading on the heels of my former narrative, and although it did not include the field of busaco, yet, as i have already stated, it is foreign to my present purpose to enter into any details of the actions in which we were engaged, further than they may serve to illustrate such anecdotes as appear to me to be likely to amuse the reader. i shall therefore pass over the present one, merely remarking that to a military man, one of the most interesting spectacles which took place there, was the light division taking up their ground the day before in the face of the enemy. they had remained too long in their advanced position on the morning of the th of september while the enemy's masses were gathering around them; but lord wellington fortunately came up before they were too far committed and put them in immediate retreat under his own personal direction. nor, as napier says, "was there a moment to lose, for the enemy with incredible rapidity brought up both infantry and guns, and fell on so briskly that all the skill of the general and the readiness of the excellent troops composing the rear guard, could scarcely prevent the division from being dangerously engaged. howbeit, a series of rapid and beautiful movements, a sharp cannonade, and an hour's march, brought every thing back in good order to the great position." on the day of the battle (the th) the french general simon, who led the attack upon our division, was wounded and taken prisoner, and as they were bringing him in he raved furiously for general crawfurd, daring him to single combat, but as he was already a prisoner there would have been but little wit in indulging him in his humour. in the course of the afternoon his baggage was brought in under a flag of truce, accompanied by a charm to soothe the savage breast, in the shape of a very beautiful little spanish girl, who i have no doubt succeeded in tranquillizing his pugnacious disposition. i know not what rank she held on his establishment, but conclude that she was his niece, for i have observed that in spain the prettiest girl in every gentleman's house is the niece. the padrès particularly are the luckiest fellows in the world in having the handsomest brothers and sisters of any men living,--not that i have seen the brother or the sister of any one of them, but then i have seen nine hundred and ninety-nine padrès, and each had his niece at the head of his establishment, and i know not how it happened but she was always the prettiest girl in the parish. it was generally the fate of troops arriving from england, to join the army at an unhappy period--at a time when easy stages and refreshment after the voyage was particularly wanted and never to be had. the marches at this period were harassing and severe, and the company with which i had just arrived were much distressed to keep pace with the old campaigners--they made a tolerable scramble for a day or two, but by the time they arrived at the lines the greater part had been obliged to be mounted. nevertheless, when it became massena's turn to tramp out of portugal a few months after, we found them up to their work and with as few stragglers as the best. marching is an art to be acquired only by habit, and one in which the strength or agility of the animal, man, has but little to do. i have seen irishmen (and all sorts of countrymen) in their own country, taken from the plough-tail--huge, athletic, active fellows, who would think nothing of doing forty or fifty miles in the course of the day as countrymen--see these men placed in the rank as recruits with knapsacks on their backs and a musket over their shoulders, and in the first march they are dead beat before they get ten miles. i have heard many disputes on the comparative campaigning powers of tall and short men, but as far as my own experience goes i have never seen any difference. if a tall man happens to break down it is immediately noticed to the disadvantage of his class, but if the same misfortune befals a short one, it is not looked upon as being anything remarkable. the effective powers of both in fact depend upon the nature of the building. the most difficult and at the same time the most important duty to teach a young soldier on first coming into active service, is how to take care of himself. it is one which, in the first instance, requires the unwearied attention of the officer, but he is amply repaid in the long run, for when the principle is once instilled into him, it is duly appreciated, and he requires no further trouble. in our battalion, during the latter years of the war, it was a mere matter of form inspecting the men on parade, for they knew too well the advantages of having their arms and ammunition at all times in proper order to neglect them, so that after several weeks marching and fighting, i have never seen them on their first ordinary parade after their arrival in quarters, but they were fit for the most rigid examination of the greatest martinet that ever looked through the ranks. the only thing that required the officers' attention was their necessaries, for as money was scarce, they were liable to be bartered for strong waters. on service as every where else, there is a time for all things, but the time there being limited and very uncertain, the difficulty is to learn how to make the most of it. the first and most important part lies with the officer, and he cannot do better than borrow a leaf out of general crawfurd's book, to learn how to prevent straggling, and to get his men to the end of their day's work with the least possible delay. the young soldier when he first arrives in camp or bivouac will (unless forced to do otherwise) always give in to the languor and fatigue which oppresses him, and fall asleep. he awakens most probably after dark, cold and comfortless. he would gladly eat some of the undressed meat in his haversack, but he has no fire on which to cook it. he would gladly shelter himself in one of the numerous huts which have arisen around him since he fell asleep, but as he lent no hand in the building he is thrust out. he attempts at the eleventh hour to do as others have done, but the time has gone by, for all the materials that were originally within reach, have already been appropriated by his more active neighbours, and there is nothing left for him but to pass the remainder of the night as he best can, in hunger, in cold, and in discomfort, and he marches before day-light in the morning without having enjoyed either rest or refreshment. such is often the fate of young regiments for a longer period than would be believed, filling the hospitals and leading to all manner of evils. on the other hand, see the old soldiers come to their ground. let their feelings of fatigue be great or small, they are no sooner suffered to leave the ranks than every man rushes to secure whatever the neighbourhood affords as likely to contribute towards his comfort for the night. swords, hatchets, and bill-kooks are to be seen hewing and hacking at every tree and bush within reach,--huts are quickly reared, fires are quickly blazing, and while the camp kettle is boiling, or the pound of beef frying, the tired, but happy souls, are found toasting their toes around the cheerful blaze, recounting their various adventures until the fire has done the needful, when they fall on like men, taking especial care however that whatever their inclinations may be, they consume no part of the provision which properly belongs to the morrow. the meal finished, they arrange their accoutrements in readiness for any emergency, (caring little for the worst that can befal them for the next twenty-four hours,) when they dispose themselves for rest, and be their allowance of sleep long or short they enjoy it, for it does one's heart good to see "the rapture of repose that's there." in actual battle, young soldiers are apt to have a feeling, (from which many old ones are not exempt,) namely, that they are but insignificant characters--only a humble individual out of many thousands, and that his conduct, be it good or bad, can have little influence over the fate of the day. this is a monstrous mistake, which it ought to be the duty of every military writer to endeavour to correct; for in battle, as elsewhere, no man is insignificant unless he chooses to make himself so. the greater part of the victories on record, i believe, may be traced to the individual gallantry of a very small portion of the troops engaged; and if it were possible to take a microscopic view of that small portion, there is reason to think that the whole of the glory might be found to rest with a very few individuals. military men in battle may be classed under three disproportionate heads,--a very small class who consider themselves insignificant--a very large class who content themselves with doing their duty, without going beyond it--and a tolerably large class who do their best, many of which are great men without knowing it. one example in the history of a private soldier will establish all that i have advanced on the subject. in one of the first smart actions that i ever was in, i was a young officer in command of experienced soldiers, and, therefore, found myself compelled to be an observer rather than an active leader in the scene. we were engaged in a very hot skirmish, and had driven the enemy's light troops for a considerable distance with great rapidity, when we were at length stopped by some of their regiments in line, which opened such a terrific fire within a few yards that it obliged every one to shelter himself as he best could among the inequalities of the ground and the sprinkling of trees which the place afforded. we remained inactive for about ten minutes amidst a shower of balls that seemed to be almost like a hail-storm, and when at the very worst, when it appeared to me to be certain death to quit the cover, a young scampish fellow of the name of priestly, at the adjoining tree, started out from behind it, saying, "well! i'll be d----d if i'll be bothered any longer behind a tree, so here's at you," and with that he banged off his rifle in the face of his foes, reloading very deliberately, while every one right and left followed his example, and the enemy, panic struck, took to their heels without firing another shot. the action requires no comment, the individual did not seem to be aware that he had any merit in what he did, but it is nevertheless a valuable example for those who are disposed to study causes and effects in the art of war. in that same action i saw an amusing instance of the ruling passion for sport predominating over a soldier; a rifleman near me was in the act of taking aim at a frenchman when a hare crossed between them, the muzzle of the rifle mechanically followed the hare in preference, and, as she was doubling into our lines, i had just time to strike up the piece with my sword before he drew the trigger, or he most probably would have shot one of our own people, for he was so intent upon his game that he had lost sight of every thing else. chap. vi. reaping a horse with a halter. reaping golden opinions out of a dung-hill, and reaping a good story or two out of the next room. a dog-hunt and sheep's heads prepared at the expense of a dollar each, and a scotchman's nose. i have taken so many flights from our line of retreat in search of the fanciful, that i can only bring my readers back to our actual position, by repeating the oft told tale that our army pulled up in the lines of torres vedras to await massena's further pleasure; for, whether he was to persevere in his intended compliment of seeing us on board ship, or we were to return it by seeing him out of portugal again, was still somewhat doubtful; and, until the point should be decided, we made ourselves as comfortable as circumstances would permit, and that was pretty well. every young officer on entering a new stage in his profession, let him fancy himself ever so acute, is sure to become for a time the _butt_ of the old hands. i was the latest arrival at the time i speak of, and of course shared the fate of others, but as the only hoax that i believe they ever tried upon me, turned out a profitable one, i had less cause for soreness than falls to the lot of green-horns in general. it consisted in an officer, famous for his waggery, coming up to me one morning and mentioning that he had just been taking a ride over a part of the mountain, (which he pointed out,) where he had seen a wild horse grazing, and that he had tried hard to catch him, but lamented that he had been unable to succeed, for that he was a very handsome one! as the country abounded in wolves and other wild characters i did not see why there should not also be wild horses, and, therefore, greedily swallowed the bait, for i happened not only to be in especial want of a horse, but of dollars to buy one, and arming myself accordingly with a halter and the assistance of an active rifleman, i proceeded to the place, and very quickly converted the wild horse into a tame one! it was not until a year after that i discovered the hoax by which i had unwittingly become the stealer of some unfortunate man's horse; but, in the mean time, it was to the no small mortification of my waggish friend, that he saw me mounted upon him when we marched a few days after, for he had anticipated a very different result. the saddle which sat between me and the horse on that occasion ought not to be overlooked, for, take it all in all, i never expect to see its like again. i found it in our deserted house at arruda; the seat was as soft as a pillow, and covered with crimson silk velvet, beautifully embroidered, and gilt round the edges. i knew not for what description of rider it had been intended, but i can answer for it that it was exceedingly comfortable in dry weather, and that in wet it possessed all the good properties of a sponge, keeping the rider cool and comfortable. while we remained in the lines, there was a small, thatched, mud-walled, deserted cottage under the hill near our company's post, which we occasionally used as a shelter from the sun or the rain, and some of our men in prowling about one day discovered two massive silver salvers concealed in the thatch. the captain of the company very properly ordered them to be taken care of, in the hope that their owner would come to claim them, while the soldiers in the mean time continued very eager in their researches in the neighbourhood, in expectation of making further discoveries, in which however they were unsuccessful. after we had altogether abandoned the cottage, a portuguese gentleman arrived one day and told us that he was the owner of the place, and that he had some plate concealed there which he wished permission to remove. captain ---- immediately desired the salvers to be given to him, concluding that they were what he had come in search of, but on looking at them he said that they did not belong to him, that what he wished to remove was concealed under the dunghill, and he accordingly proceeded there and dug out about a cart load of gold and silver articles which he carried off, while our unsuccessful searchers stood by, cursing their mutual understandings which had suffered such a prize to slip through their fingers, and many an innocent heap of manure was afterwards torn to pieces in consequence of that morning's lesson. massena having abandoned his desolated position in the early part of november, the fifteenth of that month saw me seated on my cloth of crimson and gold, taking a look at the french rear guard, which, under junot, was in position between cartaxo and el valle. a cool november breeze whistled through an empty stomach, which the gilded outside was insufficient to satisfy. our chief of division was red hot to send us over to warm ourselves with the french fires, and had absolutely commenced the movement when the opportune arrival of lord wellington put a stop to it; for, as it was afterwards discovered, we should have burnt our fingers. while we therefore awaited further orders on the road side, i was amused to see general slade, who commanded the brigade of cavalry attached to us, order up his sumpter mule, and borrowing our doctor's medical panniers, which he placed in the middle of the road by way of a table, he, with the assistance of his orderly dragoon, undid several packages, and presently displayed a set-out which was more than enough to tempt the cupidity of the hungry beholders, consisting of an honest-looking loaf of bread, a thundering large tongue, and the fag end of a ham--a bottle of porter, and half a one of brandy. the bill of fare is still as legibly written on my remembrance as on the day that i first saw it--for such things cannot be, and overcome us like the vision of a christmas feast, without especial longings for an invitation; but we might have sighed and looked, and sighed again, for our longings were useless--our doctor, with his usual politeness, made sundry attempts to insinuate himself upon the hospitable notice of the general, by endeavouring to arrange the panniers in a more classical shape for his better accommodation, for which good service he received bow for bow, with a considerable quantity of thanks into the bargain, which, after he had done his best, (and that was no joke,) still left him the general's debtor on the score of civility. when the doctor had failed, the attempt of any other individual became a forlorn hope, but nothing seems desperate to a british soldier, and two thorough going ones, the commanders of the twelfth and fourteenth light dragoons, (colonels ponsonby and harvey,) whose olfactory nerves, at a distance of some hundred yards, having snuffed up the tainted air, eagerly followed the scent, and came to a dead point before the general and his panniers. but although they had flushed their game they did not succeed in bagging it; for while the general gave them plenty of his own tongue, the deuce take the slice did he offer of the bullock's--and as soon as he had satisfied his appetite he very deliberately bundled up the fragments, and shouted to horse, for the enemy had by this time withdrawn from our front, and joined the main body of the army on the heights of santarem. we closed up to them, and exchanged a few civil shots--a ceremony which cannot be dispensed with between contending armies on first taking up their ground, for it defines their territorial rights, and prevents future litigation. day-light next morning showed that, though they had passed a restless night, they were not disposed to extend their walk unless compelled to it, for their position, formidable by nature, had, by their unwearied activity, become more so by art--the whole crest of it being already fenced with an abbatis of felled trees, and the ground turned up in various directions. one of our head-quarter staff-officers came to take a look at them in the early part of the morning, and, assuming a superior knowledge of all that was passing, said that they had nothing there but a rear-guard, and that we should shove them from it in the course of the day--upon which, our brigadier, (sir sidney beckwith,) who had already scanned every thing with his practised eye, dryly remarked, in his usual homely but emphatic language, "it was a gay strong rear guard that built that abbatis last night!" and so it proved, for their whole army had been employed in its construction, and there they remained for the next four months. the company to which i belonged, (and another,) had a deserted farming establishment turned over for our comfort and convenience during the period that it might suit the french marshal to leave us in the enjoyment thereof. it was situated on a slope of the hill overlooking the bridge of santarem, and within range of the enemy's sentries, and near the end of it was one of the finest aloes i have ever seen, certainly not less than twelve or fourteen feet high. our mansion was a long range of common thatched building--one end was a kitchen--next to it a parlour, which became also the drawing and sleeping room of two captains, with their six jolly subs--a door-way communicated from thence to the barn, which constituted the greater part of the range, and lodged our two hundred men. a small apartment at the other extremity, which was fitted up for a wine-press, lodged our non-commissioned officers; while in the back-ground we had accommodation for our cattle, and for sundry others of the domestic tribes, had we had the good fortune to be furnished with them. the door-way between the officers' apartment and that of the soldiers showed, (what is so very common on the seat of war,) when "a door is not a door," but a shovel full of dust and ashes--the hinges had resisted manfully by clinging to the door-post, but a fiery end had overtaken the timber, and we were obliged to fill up the vacuum with what loose stones we could collect in the neighbourhood; it was, nevertheless, so open, that a hand might be thrust through it in every direction, and, of course, the still small voices on either side of the partition were alike audible to all. i know not what degree of amusement the soldiers derived from the proceedings on our side of the wall, but i know that the jests, the tales, and the songs, from their side, constituted our greatest enjoyment during the many long winter nights that it was our fate to remain there. the early part of their evenings was generally spent in witticisms and tales; and, in conclusion, by way of a lullaby, some long-winded fellow commenced one of those everlasting ditties in which soldiers and sailors delight so much--they are all to the same tune, and the subject, (if one may judge by the tenor of the first ninety-eight verses,) was battle, murder, or sudden death; but i never yet survived until the catastrophe, although i have often, to attain that end, stretched my waking capacities to the utmost. i have sometimes heard a fresh arrival from england endeavour to astonish their unpolished ears with "the white blossomed sloe," or some such refined melody, but it was invariably coughed down as instantaneously as if it had been the sole voice of a conservative amidst a select meeting of radicals. the wit and the humour of the rascals were amusing beyond any thing--and to see them next morning drawn up as mute as mice, and as stiff as lamp-posts, it was a regular puzzler to discover on which _post_ the light had shone during the bye-gone night, knowing, as we did, that there were at least a hundred original pages for joe miller, encased within the head-pieces then before us. their stories, too, were quite unique--one, (an englishman,) began detailing the unfortunate termination of his last matrimonial speculation. he had got a pass one day to go from shorncliffe to folkestone, and on the way he fell in with one of the finest young women "as ever he seed! my eye, as we say in spain, if she was not a _wapper_; with a pair of cheeks like cherries, and shanks as clean as my ramrod, she was bounding over the downs like a young colt, and faith, if she would not have been with her heels clean over my head if i had'n't caught her up and demanded a parley. o, jem, man, but she was a nice creature! and all at once got so fond of me too, that there was no use waiting; and so we settled it all that self same night, and on the next morning we were regularly spliced, and i carries her home to a hut which corporal smith and i hired behind the barrack for eighteen pence a week. well! i'll be blessed if i was'n't as happy as a shilling a day and my wife could make me for two whole days; but the next morning, just before parade, while nancy was toasting a slice of tommy[b] for our breakfast, who should darken our door but the carcase of a great sea marine, who began blinking his goggle eyes like an owl in a gooseberry bush, as if he did'n't see nothing outside on them; when all at once nancy turned, and, my eye, what a squall she set up as she threw the toast in the fire, and upset my tinful of crowdy, while she twisted her arms round his neck like a vice, and began kissing him at no rate, he all the time blubbering, like a bottle-nose in a shoal, about flesh of his flesh, and bones of his bones, and all the like o' that. well! says i to myself, says i, this is very queer any how--and then i eyes the chap a bit, and then says i to him, (for i began to feel somehow at seeing my wife kissed all round before my face without saying by your leave,) an' says i to him, (rather angrily,) look ye, mr. marine, if you don't take your ugly mouth farther off from my wife, i'll just punch it with the butt end of my rifle! thunder and oons, you great sea lobster that you are, don't you see that i married her only two days ago just as she stands, bones and all, and you to come at this time o' day to claim a part on her!" [b] brown loaf. the marine, however, had come from the wars as a man of peace--he had already been at her father's, and learnt all that had befallen her, and, in place of provoking the rifleman's further ire, he sought an amicable explanation, which was immediately entered into. it appeared that nancy and he had been married some three years before; that the sloop of war to which he belonged was ordered to the west indies, and while cruising on that station an unsuccessful night attempt was made to cut out an enemy's craft from under a battery, in the course of which the boat in which he was embarked having been sent to the bottom with a thirty-two pound shot, he was supposed to have gone along with it, and to be snugly reposing in davy jones's locker. his present turn up, however, proved his going down to have been a mistake, as he had succeeded in saving his life at the expense of his liberty, for the time being; but the vessel, on her voyage to france, was captured by a british frigate bound for india, and the royal marine became once more the servant of his lawful sovereign. in the meanwhile nancy had been duly apprised of his supposed fate by some of his west indian shipmates--she was told that she might still hope; but nancy had no idea of holding on by any thing so precarious--she was the wife of a sailor, had been frequently on board a ship, and had seen how arbitrarily every thing, even time itself, is made subservient to their purposes, and she determined to act upon the same principle, so that, as the first lieutenant authorizes it to be eight o'clock after the officer of the watch has reported that it is so, in like manner did nancy, when her husband was reported dead, order that he should be so; but it would appear that her commands had about as much influence over her husband's fate as the first lieutenant's had over time, from his making his untoward appearance so early in her second honey-moon. as brevity formed no part of the narrator's creed, i have merely given an outline of the marine's history, such as i understood it, and shall hasten to the conclusion in the same manner. the explanation over, a long silence ensued--each afraid to pop the question, which must be popp'd, of whose wife was nancy? and when, at last, it did come out, it was more easily asked than answered, for, notwithstanding all that had passed, they continued both to be deeply enamoured of their mutual wife, and she of both, nor could a voluntary resignation be extracted from either of them, so that they were eventually obliged to trust the winning or the losing of that greatest of all earthly blessings, (a beloved wife,) to the undignified decision of the toss of a halfpenny. the marine won, and carried off the prize--while the rifleman declared that he had never yet forgiven himself for being cheated out of his half, for he feels convinced that the marine had come there prepared with a ha'penny that had two tails. the tail of the foregoing story was caught up by a _patlander_ with--"well! the devil fetch me if i would have let her gone that way any how, if the marine had brought twenty tails with his ha'penny!--but you see i was kicked out of the only wife i never had without ere a chance of being married at all. "kitty, you see, was an apprentice to miss crump, who keeps that thundering big milliner's shop in sackville-street, and i was mike kinahan's boy at the next door--so you see, whenever it was kitty's turn to carry out one of them great blue boxes with thingumbobs for the ladies, faith, i always contrived to steal away for a bit, to give kitty a lift, and the darling looked so kind and so grateful for't that i was at last quite kilt!" i must here take up the thread of paddy's story for the same reasons given in the last, and inform the reader that, though he himself had received the finishing blow, he was far from satisfied that kitty's case was equally desperate, for, notwithstanding her grateful looks, they continued to be more like those of a mistress to an obliging servant than of a sweetheart. as for a kiss, he could not get any thing like one even by coaxing, and the greatest bliss he experienced, in the course of his love making, was in the interchange among the fingers which the frequent transfer of the band-box permitted, and which pat declared went quite through and through him. matters, however, were far from keeping pace with paddy's inclinations, and feeling convinced at last, that there must be a rival in the case, he determined to watch her very closely, in order to have his suspicions removed, or, if confirmed, to give his rival such a pounding as should prevent his ever crossing his path again. accordingly, seeing her one evening leave the shop better dressed than usual, he followed at a distance, until opposite the post-office, when he saw her joined, (evidently by appointment,) by a tall well-dressed spalpeen of a fellow, and they then proceeded at a smart pace up the adjoining street--paddy followed close behind in the utmost indignation, but before he had time to make up his mind as to which of his rival's bones he should begin by breaking, they all at once turned into a doorway, which paddy found belonged to one of those dancing shops so common in dublin. determined not to be foiled in that manner, and ascertaining that a decent suit of _toggery_ and five _tin_-pennies in his pocket would ensure him a _free_ admission, he lost no time in equipping in his sunday's best, and having succeeded in _borrowing_ the needful for the occasion out of his master's till, he sallied forth bent on conquest. paddy was ushered up stairs into the ball-room with all due decorum, but that commodity took leave of him at the door, for the first thing he saw on entering, was his mistress and his rival, within a yard of him, whirling in the mazes of a country dance. pat's philosophy was unequal to the sight, and throwing one arm round the young lady's waist, and giving her partner a douse in the chops with the other, it made as satisfactory a change in their relative positions as he could have reasonably desired, by sending his rival in a continuation of his waltzing movement, to the extremity of the room to salute the wall at the end of it. pat, however, was allowed but brief space to congratulate himself on his successful _debut_ in a ball-room, for in the next instant he found himself most ungracefully propelled through the door-way, by sundry unseen hands, which had grasped him tightly by the _scruff_ of the neck, and on reaching the top of the staircase, he felt as if a hundred feet had given a simultaneous kick which raised him like a balloon for a short distance, and then away he went heels over head towards the bottom. it so happened at this particular moment, that three gentlemen very sprucely dressed, had just paid their money and were in the act of ascending, taking that opportunity, as gentlemen generally do, of arranging their hair and adjusting their frills to make their _entré_ the more bewitching, and it is therefore unnecessary to say that the descent of our aëronaut not only disturbed the economy of their wigs but carried all three to the bottom with the impetus of three sacks of potatoes. paddy's temperament had somewhat exceeded madman's heat before he commenced his aërial flight, and, as may be imagined, it had not much cooled in its course, so that when he found himself safely landed, and, as luck would have it, on the top of one of the unfortunates, he very unceremoniously began taking the change out of his head for all the disasters of the night, and having quickly demolished the nose and bunged up both eyes, he (seeing nothing more to be done thereabouts) next proceeded to pound the unfortunate fellow's head against the floor, before they succeeded in lugging him off to finish his love adventure in the watch-house. that night was the last of paddy's love and of his adventures in the city of dublin. his friends were respectable of their class, and on the score of his former good conduct, succeeded in appeasing the aggrieved parties and inducing them to withdraw from the prosecution on condition that he quitted the city for ever, and, when he had time to reflect on the position in which the reckless doings of the few hours had placed him, he was but too happy to subscribe to it, and passing over to liverpool enlisted with a recruiting party of ours, and became an admirable soldier. having given two of the soldiers' stories, it may probably be amusing to my readers to hear one from our side of the wall. it was related by one of our officers, a young scotchman, who was a native of the place, and while i state that i give it to the best of my recollection, i could have wished, as the tale is a true one, that it had fallen into the hands of the late lamented author of waverly, who would have done greater justice to its merits. the officer's story. on the banks of the river carron, near the celebrated village of that name, which shows its glowing fields of fiery furnaces, stirred by ten thousand imps of darkness, as if all the devils from the nether world there held perpetual revels, toasting their red hot irons and twisting them into all manner of fantastic shapes--tea-kettles, ten-pounders, and ten-penny nails--i say, that near that village--not in the upper and romantic region of it, where old norval of yore fished up his basketful of young norvals--but about a mile below where the river winds through the low country, in a bight of it there stands a stately two-story house, dashed with pale pink and having a tall chimney at each end, sticking up like a pair of asses' ears. the main building is supported by a brace of wings not large enough to fly away with it, but standing in about the same proportions that the elbows of an easy chair do to its back. the hall door is flanked on each side by a pillar of stone as thick as my leg, and over it there is a niche in the wall which in the days of its glory might have had the honour of lodging neptune or nicodemus, but is now devoted exclusively to the loves of the sparrows. viewed at a little distance the mansion still wears a certain air of imposing gentility--looking like the substantial retreat of one who had well feathered his nest upon the high seas, or as an adventurer in foreign lands. but a nearer approach shews that the day of its glory has long departed, the winds are howling through the glassless casements, the roof is plastered by the pigeons, the pigs and the poultry are galloping at large over the ruins of the garden-wall, luxuriating in its once costly shrubbery, and a turkey is most likely seen at the hall-door, staring the visitor impertinently in the face, and blustering as if he would say, "if you want me you must down with the dust." had that same turkey, however, lived some six score years before, in the life-time, or in the death-time of the last of its lairds, he would have found himself compelled to gabble to another tune, for in place of being allowed to insult his guests in his master's hall, he would have been called upon to share his merry-thought for their amusement at the festive board. that the last laird of abbots-haugh had lived like a right good country gentleman all of the olden days, the manner of his death will testify, for though his living history is lost in the depth of time, his death is still alive in the recollections of our existing great grandfathers. he was, to the best of my belief, wifeless and relationless, nevertheless, when the time approached that "the old man he must die," he did as all prudent men do, made his temporal arrangements previous to the settling of that last debt which he owed to nature. the laird, it appeared, was not haunted by the fears of most men, which forbid the inspection of their last testaments, until the last shovelful of earth has secured their remains from the wrath of disappointed expectants, and from a conscious dread too that the only tears that would otherwise be shed at their obsequies, would be by the undertaker and his assistants with their six big black horses; but the laird, as before said, was altogether another manner of man, and his last request was, that certain persons should consider themselves his executors, that they should open his will the moment the breath was out of his body, and that they should see his last injunctions faithfully executed as they hoped that he should rest calmly in his grave. the laird quietly gave up the ghost, and his last wish was complied with; when, to the no small astonishment of the executors, the only bequest which his will decreed was, that every man within a given distance of his residence was to be invited to the funeral, and that they were all to be filled blind drunk before the commencement of the procession! this was certainly one of the most jovial wills that was ever made by a dying man, and it was acted upon to the letter. the appointed day arrived, and so did the guests too; and although the invitations had only extended to the men, yet did their wives, like considerate folks as they always are, reflect that a dying man cannot have all his wits about him, and had any one but taken the trouble to remind him that there were such things as angels even in this world, they would no doubt have been included, and with that view of the case they considered it their duty to give their aid in the _mournful_ ceremony. the duties of the day at length began as was usual on those days, by-- "one-mile prayers and half-mile graces," to which the assembled multitude impatiently listened with their "toom wames and lang wry faces." that ceremony over, they proceeded with all due diligence to honour the last request of the departed laird. the droves of bullocks, sheep, and turkeys, which had been sacrificed for the occasion, were served up at mid-day, and as every description of foreign and british wines, spirits, and ales flowed in pailfuls, the executors indulged in the very reasonable expectation that the whole party would be sufficiently glorious to authorize their proceeding with their last duty so as to have it over before dark: but they had grossly miscalculated the capacities of their guests, for even at dusk when they considered themselves compelled to put the procession in motion at all hazards, it was found that many of them were not more than "half seas over." the distance from abbots-haugh to the dormitory of the parish-church is nearly two miles, the first half of the road runs still between two broad deep ditches which convey the drainings of these lowlands into the river; the other half is now changed by the intersection of the great canal, but an avenue formed by two quick-set hedge-rows still marks its former line. doctor mac adam had not in those days begun to disturb the bowels of the harmless earth, by digging for stones wherewith to deface its surface, so that the roads were perfect evergreens, (when nobody travelled upon them,) but at the period i speak of, a series of wet weather and perpetual use had converted them into a sort of hodge-podge, which contributed nothing towards maintaining the gravity of the unsteady multitude now in motion, so that although the hearse started with some five or six hundred followers, all faithful and honest in their purpose to see the end of the ceremony, there were not above as many dozens who succeeded in following it into the church-yard, which it reached about midnight. these few however went on in the discharge of their duty and proceeded to remove the coffin from the hearse to its intended receptacle, but to their utter consternation there was no longer a coffin or a corpse there! tam o'shanter lived a generation later than the period of my history, and i believe that there were few scotchmen even in his days who were altogether free from supernatural dread however well primed with whiskey; but certain it is, that on this occasion every bonnet that was not on a bald head rose an inch or two higher, and many of them were pitched off altogether, as they began to reason (where reason there was none) as to the probable flight of the coffin; and though they were unanimously of opinion that it had gone the lord knows where, yet they at last agreed that it was nevertheless a duty they owed the deceased to go back to abbots-haugh and inquire whether the laird had not returned. they accordingly provided themselves with lanterns, and examined all parts of the road on their way back, which was easily traced by the sleeping and besotted persons of the funeral party which formed a continuous link from the one place to the other--some lying in the road--some stuck fast in the hedges, but the majority three parts drowned in the ditches. when our return party arrived near the site of the present distillery, which happened to be the deepest part of the way, they heard something floundering at a frightful rate at the edge of a pool of water on the road side, and which, on examination, proved to be a huge old woman who was in the habit of supplying the farmers in that part of the country with loaf bread for their sunday's breakfasts; she was holding on fiercely by what appeared to be the stump of a tree, while her nether end was immersed in the water, but when they went to pull her out, they found to their delight and astonishment that she was actually holding on by the end of the lost coffin, which had fallen at the edge of the pool. old nelly could give no information as to how it got there, she had some recollection of having been shoved into the hearse at first starting, but knew nothing more until she found herself up to her _oxters_ in the water, holding fast by something--that she had bawled until she was hoarse, and had now nothing but a kick left to tell the passers by that a poor creature was perishing. she had most probably been reposing on the coffin as a place of rest, and been jolted a step beyond it when the two fell out. a council was now called to determine the proper mode of further proceeding, when it was moved and carried that a vote of censure be passed upon the executors for having failed to fulfil the provisions of the laird's will, for in place of being drunk, as they ought to have been, they were all shamefully sober; secondly, that it was in vain to repeat the attempt to bury him until the conditions upon which he died were complied with, for he had pledged himself not to rest quiet in his grave if it was neglected, and it was evident from what he had already done that he was not to be humbugged, but would again slip through their fingers unless justice was done to his memory, and it was therefore finally resolved that the laird be carried back to his own hall, there to lie in state until the terms of his testament were confirmed and ratified beyond dispute. back, therefore, they went to abbots-haugh, and set themselves again right honestly to work, as good and loyal vassals to obey their master's last behests, and that they at length succeeded in laying the restless spirit may be inferred from the fact that it was the afternoon of the third day from that time before the party felt themselves in a condition to renew the attempt to complete the ceremony; however it was then done effectually, as for fear of accidents, and not to lose sight of the coffin a second time, as many as there was room for took post on the top of it, provided with the means of finishing, at their destination, what the defunct might have considered underdone on their departure. and accordingly when they had at last succeeded in depositing the coffin within the family vault, and had set the bricklayers to work, they renewed their revels in the church-yard, until they finally saw the tomb closed over one of the most eccentric characters that ever went into it. i shall now take leave of tales, and recommence the narration of passing events by mentioning that while we remained at valle, one of our officers made an amusing attempt to get up a pack of hounds. he offered a dollar a head for anything in the shape of a dog that might be brought to him, which in a very short time furnished his kennel with about fifteen couple, composed of poodles, sheep-dogs, curs, and every species but the one that was wanted. when their numbers became sufficiently formidable to justify the hope that there might be a few noses in the crowd gifted with the sense of smelling something more game than their porridge-pots; the essay was made, but they proved a most ungrateful pack, for they were no sooner at liberty than every one went howling away to his own home as if a tin kettle had been tied to his tail. (a prophetic sort of feeling of what would inevitably have befallen him had he remained a short time longer.) scotchmen are generally famed for the size of their noses, and i know not whether it is that on service they get too much crammed with snuff and gunpowder, or from what other cause, but certain it is that they do not prove themselves such useful appendages to the countenance there as they do in their own country, in scenting out whatever seemeth good unto the wearer, for i remember one day, while waging war against the snipes on the flooded banks of the rio maior, in passing by the rear of a large country house which was occupied by the commander-in-chief of the cavalry, (sir stapleton cotton,) i was quite horrified to find myself all at once amidst the ruins of at least twenty dozen of sheep's heads, unskinned and unsinged, to the utter disgrace of about two thousand highland noses belonging to the forty-second and seventy-ninth regiments, which had, all the while of their accumulation, been lodged within a mile, and not over and above well provided with that national standing dish. i will venture to say, that had such a deposit been made any evening on the north inch of perth in the days of their great grandfathers, there would have been an instinctive gathering of all the clans between the tay and cairngorum before day-light next morning. chap. vii. "blood and destruction shall be so in use, and dreadful objects so familiar, that mothers shall but smile when they behold their infants quartered with the hands of war." the month of march, eighteen hundred and eleven, showed the successful workings of lord wellington's admirable arrangements. the hitherto victorious french army, which, under their "spoilt child of fortune," had advanced to certain conquest, were now obliged to bundle up their traps and march back again, leaving nearly half their numbers to fatten the land which they had beggared. they had fallen, too, on nameless ground, in sickness and in want, and without a shot, by which their friends and relatives might otherwise have proudly pointed to the graves they filled. portugal, at that period, presented a picture of sadness and desolation which it is sickening to think of--its churches spoliated, its villages fired, and its towns depopulated. it was no uncommon sight, on entering a cottage, to see in one apartment some individuals of the same family dying of want, some perishing under the brutal treatment of their oppressors, and some (preferring death to dishonour) lying butchered upon their own hearths. these were scenes which no briton could behold without raising his voice in thanksgiving to the author of all good, that the home of his childhood had been preserved from such fearful visitations; and yet how melancholy it is to reflect that even in that cherished home there should be many self-styled patriots, who not only grumble at, but would deny their country's pittance to those who devoted the best part of their lives, sacrificed their health, and cheerfully scattered their limbs in rolling the tide of battle from its door. i lament it feelingly but not selfishly, for as far as i am individually concerned, my country and i are quits. i passed through the fiery ordeal of these bloody times and came out scatheless. while i parted from its service on the score of expediency, it is to me a source of pride to reflect (may i be pardoned the expression) that we parted with mutual regret. that she may never again require a re-union with such an humble individual as myself may heaven in its infinite mercy forfend; but if she does, i am happy in the feeling that i have still health and strength, and a heart and soul devoted to her cause. massena's retreat having again called the sword from its scabbard, where it had slumbered for months, it was long ere it had another opportunity of running to rust through idleness, seeing that it was not only in daily communication with the _heads_ of the enemy's corps in the course of their return through portugal, but wherever else these same heads were visible, and for a year and a half from that date they were rarely out of sight. on the th, we came up with their rear-guard on a table land near pombal. we had no force with which to make any serious attack upon it, so that it was a day's dragooning, "all cry and little wool." we had one company mixed among them from day-light until dark, but they came back to us without a scratch. on the morning of the th, finding that the enemy had withdrawn from the scene of the former day's skirmish, we moved in pursuit towards the town, which they still occupied as an advanced post. two of our companies, with some caçadores and a squadron of the royal dragoons, made a dash into it, driving the enemy out, and along with a number of prisoners captured the baggage of young soult. i know not whether young soult was the son of old soult or only the son of his father; all i know is, that by the letters found in his portmanteau, he was the colonel of that name. his baggage, i remember, was mounted on a stately white horse with a roman nose and a rat tail, which last i believe is rather an unusual appendage to a horse of that colour, but he was a waggish looking fellow, and probably had shaken all the hairs out of his tail in laughing at the contents of the portmanteau of which he was the bearer. he and his load were brought to the hammer the same day by his captors, and excited much merriment among us. i wish that i felt myself at liberty to publish an inventory of the contents of a french officer's portmanteau, but as they excited such excess of laughter in a horse i fear it would prove fatal to my readers--not to mention (as i see written on some of the snug corners of our thoroughfares) that "decency forbids." suffice it that it abounded in luxuries which we dreamt not of. next day, the th, in following the retiring foe we came to the field of redinha. i have never in the course of my subsequent military career seen a more splendid picture of war than was there shewn. ney commanded the opposing force, which was formed on the table land in front of the town in the most imposing shape. we light folks were employed in the early part of the action in clearing the opposing _lights_ from the woods which flanked his position, and in the course of an hour about thirty thousand british, as if by magic, were seen advancing on the plain in three lines, with the order and precision of a field day: the french disappeared before them like snow under the influence of a summer's sun. the forces on both sides were handled by masters in the art. a late lady writer (miss pardoe) i see has now peopled redinha with banditti, and as far as my remembrance goes, they could not have selected a more favourable position, with this single but important professional drawback, that there can be but few folks thereabout worth robbing. i know not what class of beings were its former tenants, but at the time i speak of, the curse of the mac gregors was upon them, for the retiring enemy had given "their roofs to the flames and their flesh to the eagles," and there seemed to be no one left to record its history. after the peace, in , i met, at a ball in castel sarrazin, the colonel who commanded the regiment opposed to us in the wood on that occasion. he confessed that he had never been so roughly handled, and had lost four hundred of his men. he was rather a rough sort of a diamond himself, and seemed anxious to keep his professional hand in practice, for he quarreled that same night with one of his countrymen and was bled next morning with a small sword. from redinha we proceeded near to condeixa, and passed that day and night on the road side in comparative peace. not so the next, for at casal nova, on the th, we breakfasted, dined, and supped on powder and ball. our general of division was on leave of absence in england during this important period, and it was our curse in the interim to fall into the hands successively of two or three of the worthiest and best of men, but whose only claims to distinction as officers was their sheet of parchment. the consequence was, that whenever there was any thing of importance going on, we were invariably found leaving undone those things which we ought to have done, and doing that which we ought not to have done. on the occasion referred to we were the whole day battering our brains out against stone walls at a great sacrifice of life, whereas, had we waited with common prudence until the proper period, when the flank movements going on under the direction of our illustrious chief had begun to take effect, the whole of the loss would have been on the other side, but as it was, i am afraid that although we carried our point we were the greatest sufferers. our battalion had to lament the loss of two very valuable officers on that occasion, major stewart and lieutenant strode. at the commencement of the action, just as the mist of the morning began to clear away, a section of our company was thrown forward among the skirmishers, while the other three remained in reserve behind a gentle eminence, and the officer commanding it, seeing a piece of rising ground close to the left, which gave him some uneasiness, he desired me to take a man with me to the top of it, and to give him notice if the enemy attempted any movement on that side. we got to the top; but if we had not found a couple of good sized stones on the spot, which afforded shelter at the moment, we should never have got any where else, for i don't think they expended less than a thousand shots upon us in the course of a few minutes. my companion, john rouse, a steady sturdy old rifleman, no sooner found himself snugly covered, than he lugged out his rifle to give them one in return, but the slightest exposure brought a dozen balls to the spot in an instant, and i was amused to see old rouse, at every attempt, jerking back his head with a sort of knowing grin, as if it were only a parcel of schoolboys, on the other side, threatening him with snow-balls; but seeing, at last, that his time for action was not yet come, he withdrew his rifle, and, knowing my inexperience in those matters, he very good-naturedly called to me not to expose myself looking out just then, for, said he, "there will be no moving among them while this shower continues." when the shower ceased we found that they had also ceased to hold their formidable post, and, as quickly as may be, we were to be seen standing in their old shoes, mixed up with some of the forty-third, and among them the gallant napier, the present historian of the peninsular war, who there got a ball through his body which seemed to me to have reduced the remainder of his personal history to the compass of a simple paragraph: it nevertheless kept him but a very short while in the back-ground. i may here remark that the members of that distinguished family were singularly unfortunate in that way, as they were rarely ever in any serious action in which one or all of them did not get hit. the two brothers in our division were badly wounded on this occasion, and, if i remember right, they were also at busaco; the naval captain, (the present admiral of that name,) was there as an amateur, and unfortunately caught it on a spot where he had the last wish to be distinguished, for, accustomed to face broadsides on his native element, he had no idea of taking in a ball in any other direction than from the front, but on shore we were obliged to take them just as they came! this severe harassing action closed only with the day-light, and left the french army wedged in the formidable pass of miranda de corvo. they seemed so well in hand that some doubt was entertained whether they did not intend to burst forth upon us; but, as the night closed in, the masses were seen to melt, and at day-light next morning they were invisible. i had been on picquet that night in a burning village, and the first intimation we had of their departure was by three portuguese boys, who had been in the service of french officers, and who took the opportunity of the enemy's night march to make their escape--they seemed well fed, well dressed, and got immediate employment in our camp, and they proved themselves very faithful to their new masters. one of them continued as a servant to an officer for many years after the peace. in the course of the morning we passed the brigade of general nightingale, composed of highlanders, if i remember right, who had made a flank movement to get a slice at the enemy's rear guard; but he had arrived at the critical pass a little too late. in the afternoon we closed up to the enemy at foz d'aronce, and, after passing an hour in feeling for their different posts, we began to squat ourselves down for the night on the top of a bleak hill, but soon found that we had other fish to fry. lord wellington, having a prime nose for smelling out an enemy's blunder, no sooner came up than he discovered that ney had left himself on the wrong side of the river, and immediately poured down upon him with our division, picton's, and pack's portuguese, and, after a sharp action, which did not cease until after dark, we drove him across the river with great loss. i have often lamented in the course of the war that battalion officers, on occasions of that kind, were never entrusted with a peep behind the curtain. had we been told before we advanced that there was but a single division in our front, with a river close behind them, we would have hunted them to death, and scarcely a man could have escaped; but, as it was, their greatest loss was occasioned by their own fears and precipitancy in taking to the river at unfordable places--for we were alike ignorant of the river, the localities, or the object of the attack; so that when we carried the position, and exerted ourselves like prudent officers to hold our men in hand, we were, from want of information, defeating the very object which had been intended, that of hunting them on to the finale. when there is no object in view beyond the simple breaking of the heads of those opposed to us, there requires no speechification; but, on all occasions, like the one related, it ought never to be lost sight of--it is easily done--it never, by any possibility, can prove disadvantageous, and i have seen many instances in which the advantages would have been incalculable. i shall mention as one--that three days after the battle of vittoria, in following up the retreating foe, we found ourselves in a wood, engaged in a warm skirmish, which we concluded was occasioned by our pushing the enemy's rear guard faster than they found it convenient to travel; but, by and bye, when they had disappeared, we found that we were near the junction of two roads, and that we had all the while been close in, and engaged with the flank of another french division, which was retiring by a road running parallel with our own. the road (and that there was a retiring force upon it) must, or ought to have been known to some of our staff officers, and had they only communicated their information, there was nothing to have prevented our dashing through their line of march, and there is little doubt, too, but the thousands which passed us, while we stood there exchanging shots with them, would have fallen into our hands. the day after the action at foz d'aronce was devoted to repose, of which we stood much in want, for we had been marching and fighting incessantly from day-light until dark for several consecutive days, without being superabundantly provisioned; and our jackets, which had been tolerably tight fits at starting, were now beginning to sit as gracefully as sacks upon us. when wounds were abundant, however, we did not consider it a disadvantage to be low in flesh, for the poorer the subject the better the patient! a smooth ball or a well polished sword will slip through one of your transparent gentlemen so gently that be scarcely feels it, and the holes close again of their own accord. but see the smash it makes in one of your turtle or turkey fed ones! the hospital is ruined in finding materials to reduce his inflammations, and it is ten to one if ever he comes to the scratch again. on descending to the river side next morning to trace the effects of the preceding night's combat, we were horrified and disgusted by the sight of a group of at least five hundred donkeys standing there ham-strung. the poor creatures looked us piteously in the face, as much as to say, "are you not ashamed to call yourselves human beings?" and truly we were ashamed to think that even our enemy could be capable of such refinement in cruelty. i fancy the truth was, they were unable to get them over the river, they had not time to put them to death, and, at the same time, they were resolved that we should not have the benefit of their services. be that as it may, so disgusted and savage were our soldiers at the sight, that the poor donkeys would have been amply revenged, had fate, at that moment, placed five hundred frenchmen in our hands, for i am confident that every one of them would have undergone the same operation. the french having withdrawn from our front on the th, we crossed the ciera, at dawn of day, on the th; the fords were still so deep, that, as an officer with an empty haversack on my back, it was as much as i could do to flounder across it without swimming. the soldiers ballasted with their knapsacks, and the sixty rounds of ball cartridge were of course in better fording trim. we halted that night in a grove of cork trees, about half a league short of the alva. next morning we were again in motion, and found the enemy's rear-guard strongly posted on the opposite bank of that river. the alva was wide, deep, and rapid, and the french had destroyed the bridge of murcella, and also the one near pombeira. nevertheless, we opened a thundering cannonade on those in our front, while lord wellington, having, with extraordinary perseverance, succeeded in throwing three of his divisions over it higher up, threatening their line of retreat--it obliged those opposed to us to retire precipitately, when our staff corps, with wonderful celerity, having contrived to throw a temporary bridge over the river, we passed in pursuit and followed until dark; we did not get another look at them that day, and bivouacked for the night in a grove of pines, on some swampy high lands, by the road side, without baggage, cloaks, or eatables of any kind. who has not passed down blackfriars-road of an evening? and who has not seen, in the vicinity of rowland hill's chapel, at least half a dozen gentlemen presiding each over his highly polished tin case, surmounted by variegated lamps, and singing out that most enchanting of all earthly melodies to an empty stomach, that has got a sixpence in its clothly casement, "hot, all hot!" the whole concern is not above the size of a drum, and, in place of dealing in its empty sounds, rejoices in mutton-pies, beef-steaks, and kidney-puddings, "hot, all hot!" if the gentlemen had but followed us to the wars, how they would have been worshipped in such a night, even without their lamps. in these days of invention, when every suggestion for ameliorating the condition of the soldier is thankfully received, i, as one, who have suffered severely by outward thawings and inward gnawings, beg to found my claim to the gratitude of posterity, by proposing that, when a regiment is ordered on active service, the drummers shall deposit their sheep-skins and their cat-o'-nine tails in the regimental store-room, leaving one cat only in the keeping of the drum major. and in lieu thereof that each drummer be armed with a _tin drum_ full of "hot, all hot!" and that whenever the quarter-master fails to find the _cold_, the odd cat in the keeping of the drum-major shall be called upon to remind him of his duty. if the simple utterance of the three magical monosyllables already mentioned did not rally a regiment more rapidly round the given point than a tempest of drums and trumpets, i should be astonished, and as we fought tolerably well on empty stomachs, i should like to see what we would not do on kidney puddings, "hot, all hot!" on the th we were again in motion at day-light, and both on that day and the next, although we did not come into actual contact with the enemy, we picked up a good many stragglers. we were obliged, however, to come to a halt for several days from downright want, for the country was a desert, and we had out-marched our supplies. until they came up, therefore, we remained two days in one village, and kept creeping slowly along the foot of the sierra, until our commissariat was sufficiently re-inforced to enable us to make another dash. i was amused at that time, in marching through those towns and villages which had been the head-quarters of the french army, to observe the falling off in their respect to the marquess d'alorna, a portuguese nobleman, who had espoused their cause, and who, during massena's advance, had been treated like a prince among them. on their retreat, however, it was easily seen that he was considered an incumbrance. their names were always chalked on the doors of the houses they occupied, and we remarked that the one allotted to the unfortunate marquis grew gradually worse as we approached the frontier, and i remember that in the last village before we came to celerico, containing about fifty houses, only a cow's share of the buildings had fallen to his lot. we halted one day at mello, and seeing a handsome-looking new church on the other side of the mondego, i strolled over in the afternoon to look at it. it had all the appearance of having been magnificently adorned in the interior, but the french had left the usual traces of their barbarous and bloody visit. the doors were standing wide open, the valuable paintings destroyed, the statues thrown down, and mixed with them on the floor, lay the bodies of six or seven murdered portuguese peasants. it was a cruel and a horrible sight, and yet in the midst thereof was i tempted to commit a most sacrilegious act, for round the neck of a prostrate marble female image, i saw a bone necklace of rare and curious workmanship, the only thing that seemed to have been saved from the general wreck, which i very coolly transferred to my pocket and in due time to my portmanteau. but a day of retribution was at hand, for both the portmanteau and the necklace went from me like a tale that is told, and i saw them no more. it was the th before we again came in contact with the enemy at the village of frexadas. two companies of ours and some dragoons were detached to dislodge them, which they effected in gallant style, sending them off in confusion and taking a number of prisoners; but the advantage was dearly purchased by the death of our adjutant, lieutenant stewart. he imprudently rode into the main street of the village, followed by a few riflemen, before the french had had time to withdraw from it, and was shot from a window. one would imagine that there is not much sense wrapped up in an ounce of lead, and yet it invariably selects our best and our bravest, (no great compliment to myself by the way, considering the quantity of those particles that must have passed within a yard of my body at different times, leaving all standing.) its present victim was a public loss, for he was a shrewd, active, and intelligent officer; a gallant soldier, and a safe, jovial, and honourable companion. i was not one of the party engaged on that occasion, but with many of my brother officers, watched their proceedings with my spy-glass from the church-yard of alverca. our rejoicings on the flight of the enemy were quickly turned into mourning by observing in the procession of our returning victorious party, the gallant adjutant's well-known bay horse with a dead body laid across the saddle. we at first indulged in the hope that he had given it to the use of some more humble comrade; but long ere they reached the village we became satisfied that the horse was the bearer of the inanimate remains of his unfortunate master, who but an hour before had left us in all the vigour of health, hope, and manhood. at dawn of day on the following morning the officers composing the advanced guard, dragoons, artillery, and riflemen, were seen voluntarily assembled in front of sir sidney beckwith's quarters, and the body, placed in a wooden chest, was brought out and buried there amid the deep but silent grief of the spectators. brief, however, is the space which can be allotted to military lamentations in such times, for within a quarter of an hour we were again on the move in battle array, to seek laurels or death in another field. our movement that morning was upon guarda, the highest standing town in portugal, which is no joke, as they are rather exalted in their architectural notions--particularly in convent-building--and were even a thunder-charged cloud imprudent enough to hover for a week within a league of their highest land, i verily believe that it would get so saddled with monks, nuns, and their accompanying iron bars, that it would be ultimately unable to make its escape. our movement, as already said, was upon guarda, and how it happened, the lord and wellington only knows, but even in that wild mountainous region the whole british army arriving from all points of the compass were seen to assemble there at the same instant, and the whole french army were to be seen at the same time in rapid retreat within gun-shot through the valley below us. there must have been some screws loose among our minor departments, otherwise such a brilliant movement on the part of our chief would not have gone for nothing. but notwithstanding that the enemy's masses were struggling through a narrow defile for a considerable time, and our cavalry and horse artillery were launched against them, three hundred prisoners were the sole fruits of the day's work. chap. vii. the persecution of the guardian of two angels. a caçadore and his mounted followers. a chief of hussars in his trousers. a chief of rifles in his glory, and a sub of ditto with two screws in the neck. in one of the first chapters of this book i not only pledged my constancy to my fair readers, but vowed to renew my addresses from time to time as opportunities offered. as my feet, however, have since trodden from one extremity of a kingdom to the other, and many months have, in the meanwhile, rolled away without giving me an opportunity of redeeming the pledge, i fear that my fidelity might be doubted if i delayed longer in assuring them that the spirit has all along been willing, but the subject fearfully wanting; for wherever i have wandered the angel of death has gone before, and carefully swept from the female countenance all lines of beauty, leaving nothing for the eye to dwell on but the hideous ruins of distress. the only exceptions were our fellow travellers, for the country on our line of march, as already said, was reduced to a desert, and no one remained in it who had either wealth or strength to remove, and our regimental wife had deserted, but our gallant associates, the d and d regiments, had one each, who had embarked with them, and remained true to the brigade until the end of the war. one of them was remarkably pretty, and it did one's heart good to see the everlasting sweets that hung upon her lovely countenance, assuring us that our recollections of the past were not ideal, which they would otherwise have been apt to revolve themselves into from the utter disappearance of reality for so long a period. the only addition to them which our division could boast, were two smart substantial looking portuguese angels, who followed our two caçadore regiments, and rode on mule-back under the especial protection of their regimental chaplain. these two were a continual source of amusement to us on the march whenever we found ourselves at liberty to indulge in it. the worthy father himself was quite a lady's man, (portuguese,) he was a short stout old fellow, with a snuff-coloured coat buttoned up to the throat, which was quite unnecessary with him, seeing that he shaved and put on a clean shirt sometimes as often as once a fortnight. the round mealy-faced ball which he wore as a head was surmounted by a tall cocked hat, and when mounted on his bay pony in his portuguese saddle, which is boarded up like a bucket, (the shape of his seat and thighs,) he was exactly like some of the cuts i have seen of hudibras starting on his erratic expedition. it was our daily amusement whenever we could steal away from our regiment a short time, for two or three of us to start with some design against the padré and his dark-eyed wards. one of us would ride quietly up alongside of him and another on that of the ladies as if we wished to pass, but in wishing them the compliments of the season we of course contrived to get ourselves entangled in conversation, while a third officer of our party rode some distance in the rear in readiness to take advantage of circumstances. the padré was a good-natured old fellow, fond of spinning a yarn, and as soon as one of us had got him fairly embarked in his story, the other began gradually to detach one or both of the damsels from his side, according as the inequalities of the road favoured the movement. they entered into the frolic merrily, but still he was so much alive that we rarely succeeded in stealing one out of sight; but if we did by any accident, it was a grand scene to see the scramble which he and his pony made after the fugitives, and on recovering the one, his rage on his return to find that the other had also disappeared. after one of these successful expeditions we found it prudent never to renew the attack until his wrath was assuaged, and it never abode with him long, so that week after week and year after year we continued to renew the experiment with various success. it is amusing to think to what absurdities people will have recourse by way of amusement when subjects for it are scarce. it was long a favourite one with us to hunt a caçadore as we called it. their officers as well as our own were always mounted, and when their corps happened to be marching in our front, any officer who stopped behind, (which they frequently had occasion to do,) invariably, in returning to rejoin his regiment, passed ours at a full gallop; and on those occasions he had no sooner passed our first company than the officers of it were hard at his heels, the others following in succession as he cleared them, so that by the time he had reached the head of the regiment the whole of our officers had been in full chace. we never carried the joke too far, but made it a point of etiquette to stop short of our commanding officer, (who was not supposed to see what was going on,) and then fell quietly back to our respective places. i have often seen the hunted devil look round in astonishment, but i do not think he ever saw the wit of the thing, and for that matter i don't know that my readers will feel that they are much wiser, but it was nevertheless amusing to us; and not without its use, for the soldiers enjoyed the joke, which, though trifling, helped to keep up that larking spirit among them, which contributed so much towards the superiority and the glory of our arms. in times of hardship and privation the officer cannot be too much alive to the seizing of every opportunity, no matter how ridiculous, if it serves to beguile the soldier of his cares. on the st of april we again closed up with the enemy on the banks of the coa, near sabugal. it was a wet muggy afternoon near dusk when we arrived at our ground, and i was sent, with the company which i had charge of, on picquet to cover the left front of our position. the enemy held an opposite post on our side of the river, and i was ordered if they were civil to me not to interfere with them, but in the event of the reverse, to turn them over to their own side. my stomach was more bent upon eating than fighting that evening, and i was glad to find that they proved to be _gentlemen_, and allowed me to post my sentries as close as i pleased without interruption. i found one of our german hussar videttes on a rising ground near me, and received an order from my brigadier to keep him there until he was relieved, and i accordingly placed a rifleman alongside of him for his better security, but after keeping him an hour or two in the dark and no relief appearing, i was forced to let him go or to share my slender allowance with him, for the poor fellow (as well as his horse) was starving. i have seen the day, however, that i would rather have dispensed with my dinner (however sharp set) than the services of one of those thorough-bred soldiers, for they were as singularly intelligent and useful on outpost duty, as they were effective and daring in the field. the first regiment of hussars were associated with our division throughout the war and were deserved favourites. in starting from a swampy couch and bowling along the road long ere dawn of day, it was one of the romances of a soldier's life to hear them chanting their national war songs--some three or four voices leading and the whole squadron joining in the chorus. as i have already said, they were no less daring in the field than they were surpassingly good on out-post duty. the hussar was at all times identified with his horse, he shared his bed and his board, and their movements were always regulated by the importance of their mission. if we saw a british dragoon at any time approaching in full speed, it excited no great curiosity among us, but whenever we saw one of the first hussars coming on at a gallop it was high time to gird on our swords and bundle up. their chief, too, was a perfect soldier, and worthy of being the leader of such a band, for he was to them what the gallant beckwith was to us--a father, as well as a leader. he was one who never could be caught napping. they tell a good anecdote of him after the battle of toulouse, when the news arrived of the capture of paris and bonaparte's abdication. a staff officer was sent to his outpost quarter to apprise him of the cessation of hostilities--it was late when the officer arrived, and after hearing the news, the colonel proceeded to turn into bed as usual, "all standing," when the officer remarked with some surprise, "why, colonel, you surely don't mean to sleep in your clothes to-night, when you know there is an armistice?" "air mistress or no air mistress," replied the veteran, "by got i sleeps in my breeches!" we remained another day in front of sabugal, and as it was known that reynier held that post with his single corps unsupported, lord wellington resolved to punish him for his temerity. the day dawned on the morning of the d of april, however, rather inauspiciously. aurora did not throw off her night-cap at the usual hour, and when she could no longer delay the ceremony she shed such an abundance of dewy tears that sabugal, with its steel-clad heights, remained invisible to the naked eye at the distance of a few hundred yards, which interfered materially with that punctuality in the combined movements so necessary to ensure the complete success of our enterprize. leaving, therefore, to those concerned to account for their delays, my object in renewing this battle is to pay a last tribute to the memory of sir sidney beckwith, the hero of that day. he, as he had been directed, moved his brigade to a ford of the coa, and was there waiting further orders, when a staff officer rode up, and hastily demanded why he had not attacked? beckwith was an actor of the immortal nelson's principle--that if a commander is in doubt he never can do wrong in placing himself alongside of the enemy. we instantly uncorked our muzzle-stoppers, off with our lock-caps, and our four companies of riflemen, led through the river, (which was deep and rapid,) followed by the d, driving in the enemy's picquet which defended it. the officer commanding, left his sky-blue cloak fluttering in the breeze on the top of a furze bush, and i felt a monstrous inclination to transfer it to my own shoulders, for it was an article of which i happened, at that moment, to be in especial want; but as it was the beginning of a battle in place of the end of one, and i had an insurmountable objection to fight under false colours, i passed it by. as soon as we gained the summit of the hill it became as clear as the mist that we were regularly in for it. beckwith, finding himself alone and unsupported, in close action, with only hundreds to oppose to the enemy's thousands, at once saw and felt all the danger of his situation; but he was just the man to grapple with any odds, being in his single person a host--of a tall commanding figure and noble countenance, with a soul equal to his appearance--he was as napier says, "a man equal to rally an army in flight." our four companies had led up in skirmishing order, driving in the enemy's light troops; but the summit was defended by a strong compact body, against which we could make no head; but opening out, and allowing the d to advance, they, with a tearing volley and a charge, sent the enemy rolling into the valley below, when the rifles again went to work in front, sticking to them like leeches. the hill we had just gained became our rally-post for the remainder of the day, and, notwithstanding the odds on the side of the enemy, they were never able to wrest it from us. our force was as well handled as theirs was badly, so that in the successive and desperate encounters which took place, both in advance and in retreat, we were as often to be seen in their position as they were in ours. beckwith himself was the life and soul of the fray; he had been the successful leader of those who were then around him in many a bloody field, and his calm, clear, commanding voice was distinctly heard amid the roar of battle, and cheerfully obeyed. he had but single companies to oppose to the enemy's battalions; but, strange as it may appear, i saw him twice lead successful charges with but two companies of the d, against an advancing mass of the enemy. his front, it is true, was equal to theirs, and such was his daring, and such the confidence which these hardy soldiers had in him, that they went as fiercely to work single-handed as if the whole army had been at their heels. beckwith's manner of command on those occasions was nothing more than a familiar sort of conversation with the soldier. to give an idea of it i may as well mention that in the last charge i saw him make with two companies of the d, he found himself at once opposed to a fresh column in front, and others advancing on both flanks, and, seeing the necessity for immediate retreat, he called out, "now, my lads, we'll just go back a little if you please." on hearing which every man began to run, when he shouted again, "no, no, i don't mean that--we are in no hurry--we'll just walk quietly back, and you can give them a shot as you go along." this was quite enough, and was obeyed to the letter--the retiring force keeping up a destructive fire, and regulating their movements by his, as he rode quietly back in the midst of them, conversing aloud in a cheerful encouraging manner--his eye all the while intently watching the enemy to take advantage of circumstances. a musket-ball had, in the meantime, shaved his forehead, and the blood was streaming down his countenance, which added not a little to the exciting interest of his appearance. as soon as we had got a little way up the face of our hill, he called out, "now, my men, this will do--let us shew them our teeth again!" this was obeyed as steadily as if the words halt, front, had been given on parade, and our line was instantly in battle array, while beckwith, shaking his fist in the faces of the advancing foe, called out to them, "now, you rascals, come on here if you dare!" those he addressed shewed no want of courage, but, for a while, came boldly on to the tune of _old trousers_,[c] notwithstanding the fearful havoc we were making in their ranks; but they could not screw themselves up the long disputed hill--the d (two battalions) had, by this time, come into the line of battle, and were plying them hard on the right, while our rifles were peppering them on their front and left, and, as soon as they came near enough, another dash by beckwith, at the head of the d, gave them the _coup de grace_. the fate of the day was now decided--the net which had been wove in the morning, and which the state of the weather had prevented being brought to a crisis as soon as was intended, now began to tighten around them--the th division crossed by the bridge of sabugal, and the d, (i believe,) by a ford to the right--and reynier, seeing no hopes of salvation but by immediate flight, very speedily betook himself to it, and, i believe, saved all that did not fall on the field of battle--a piece of good fortune of which his conduct that day shewed him undeserving, for, had not the extraordinary state of the weather caused the delays and mistakes which took place on our side, he could scarcely have taken a man out of the field. [c] _old trousers_ was a name given by our soldiers to the point of war which is beat by the french drummers in advancing to the charge. i have, when skirmishing in a wood, and a french regiment coming up to the relief of the opposing skirmishers, often heard the drum long before we saw them, and, on those occasions, our riflemen immediately began calling to each other, from behind the different bushes, "holloa there! look sharp! for damn me, but here comes old trousers!" while standing in our last position, awaiting the attack in our front, i was much amused in observing, on the opposite height, the approach of our d division, unnoticed by the enemy--a french column occupied the top of what seemed to be almost a precipice overlooking the river; but i observed some of the th rifles clambering up the face of it on all fours, and, to see their astonishment, when they poked their heads over the brink, to find themselves within a couple of yards of a french column! they, of course, immediately concealed themselves under the bank; but it was curious to observe that they were unseen by the enemy, who were imprudent enough either to consider themselves secure on that side, or to give all their attention to the fight going on between their comrades and us; but certain it is they allowed the riflemen to gather there in formidable numbers. as we advanced immediately, the intervening rising ground prevented my seeing what took place, but on crowning the opposite height, which the french had just evacuated, we found, by the bodies on the ground, that they had just received a volley from a part of the third division--and one of the most deadly which had been fired that day. our cavalry had been astray during the fight, but they afterwards made two or three ineffectual attempts to break in upon the enemy's line of retreat. immediately after the action, we drew up behind an old cow-shed, which lord wellington occupied for a short time, while it poured torrents of rain. sir william erskine, with some of his horsemen, joined us there, and i heard him say to the commander-in-chief that he claimed no merit for the victory, as it belonged alone to sidney beckwith! i believe his lordship wanted no conjurer to tell him so, and did ample justice to the combatants, by stating in his dispatch that "this was one of the most glorious actions that british troops were ever engaged in." to those accustomed to the vicissitudes of warfare it is no less curious to remark the many miraculous escapes from wounds than the recovery from them. as an instance of the former, i may observe, that, in the course of the action just related, i was addressing a passing remark to an officer near me, who, in turning round to answer, raised his right foot, and i observed a grape shot tear up the print which it had but that instant left in the mud. as an instance of the latter i shall here relate, (though rather misplaced,) that, at the storming of badajos, in april, , one of our officers got a musket-ball in the right ear, which came out at the back of the neck, and, though after a painful illness, he recovered, yet his head got a twist, and he was compelled to wear it, looking over the right shoulder. at the battle of waterloo, in , (having been upwards of three years with his neck awry,) he received a shot in the left ear, which came out within half an inch of his former wound in the back of the neck, and it set his head straight again! this is an anecdote which i should scarcely have dared to relate were it not that, independent of my personal knowledge of the facts, the hero of it still lives to speak for himself, residing on his property, in nottinghamshire, alike honoured and respected as a civilian, as he was loved and esteemed as a gentleman and a gallant soldier.[d] [d] lieutenant worsley. after the action at sabugal our brigade was placed under cover in the town, and a wild night it proved--the lightning flashed--the winds howled--and the rains rained. the house occupied by my brother sub and myself was a two-story one, and floored after the manner of some of our modern piers, with the boards six inches apart, and transferrable, if necessary, to a wider range, without the trouble of extracting or unscrewing nails. the upper floor, as the most honoured portion, was assigned to us, while the first was reserved for the accommodation of some ten or a dozen well-starved inmates. we had scarcely proceeded to dry our clothes, and to masticate the few remaining crumbs of biscuit, when we received a deputation from the lower regions, craving permission to join the mess; but, excepting the scrapings of our haversacks, we had literally nothing for ourselves, and were forced to turn a deaf ear to their entreaties, for there was no making them believe we were as destitute as we seemed. it was one of those cruel scenes to which the seats of war alone can furnish parallels, for their wan and wasted countenances shewed that they were wildly in want. the following day saw portugal cleared of its invaders, and the british standard once more unfurled within the spanish boundary. the french army retired behind the agueda, and our division took possession of a portion of its former quarters, fuentes d'onoro, gallegos, and espeja. there we enjoyed a few days repose, of which we stood in much need, it having been exactly a month since we broke up in front of santarem, and, as the foregoing pages shew, it was not spent in idleness. chap. viii. national characters. adventures of a pair of leather breeches. ditto of a pound of beef. shewing what the french general did not do, and a prayer which he did not pray; with a few random shots. fuentes, which was our first resting place, was a very handsome village, and every family so well known to the light division, that no matter into which quarter the billet fell, the individual was received as an old and approved friend. the change from portugal into spain, as alluded to in my first work, was very striking. in the former the monkish cowl seemed even on ordinary occasions to be drawn over the face of nature; for though their sun was a heavenly one, it shone over a dark and bigotted race; and though they were as ripe for mischief as those of more enlightened nations, yet even in that they were woefully defective, and their joys seemed often sadly miscalled. but at the time i speak of, as if to shroud every thing in unfathomable gloom, the ravages of the enemy had turned thousands of what (to them) were happy homes, into as many hells--their domestic peace ruined--their houses and furniture fired, and every countenance bearing the picture of melancholy and wan despair. their damsels' cheeks wore no roses, yet did they wear soil enough on which to rear them. but at the same time be it remarked that i quarrel not with the countenance but with the soil, for i am a pale lover myself. in spain, on the contrary, health and joy seemed to beam on every countenance, and comfort in every dwelling. i have observed some writers quarrel with my former statement on this subject, and maintain that though the difference in appearance was remarkable, that so far as regards the article of cleanliness, the facts were not so. with these, however, i must still differ after giving every thing due consideration. the portuguese did not assume to be a cleanly race, and they were a filthy one in reality. the spaniards did affect to be the former, and i do think that they approached it as nearly as may be. i allude to the peasantry, for the upper and middling classes sink into immeasurable contempt in the comparison, but their peasantry i still maintain are as fine and as cleanly a class as i ever saw. their dress is remarkably handsome, and though i can give no opinion as to the weekly value of soap expended on their manly countenances, yet in regard to the shirt, which is their greatest pride, and neatly embroidered in the bosom according to the position of the wearer in the minds of those on whom that portion of the ornamental devolves, i can vouch for their having shewn a clean one as often as need be. and though i do not feel myself at liberty to enter into the details of the dress of their lovely black-eyed damsels, i may be permitted to say that it is highly becoming to them; and, in short, i should have some dread of staking our national credit by parading the inmates of any chance village of our own against a similar one of theirs. their houses too are remarkably neat and cleanly, and would be comfortable were it not for those indefatigable villainous insects that play at a perpetual hop, skip, and jump, giving occasional pinches to the exposed parts of the inmate; and yet what warm country is exempt from them or something worse. go into boasted america, and so great is the liberty of all classes there, that what with the hum of the musquitto above, and the bug below the blanket, the unfortunate wight, as i can testify, is regularly _hum-bugged_ out of his natural repose. as i have taken a trip across the atlantic for the foregoing example, i cannot resist giving an anecdote to shew that our brethren on that side of the water sometimes have a night's rest sacrificed to _inexpressible_ causes as well as natural ones. a gentleman at the head of the law there, (not the hangman,) told me that in his early days while the roads were yet in their infancy, he was in the habit of going his circuit on horseback, with nothing but a change of linen tacked to his crupper--that one day he had been overtaken by a shower of rain before he could reach the lonely cottage, which he had destined for his night's repose--and that it interfered materially with the harmony which had hitherto existed between him and his leather breeches, for he felt uncomfortable in them, and he felt uncomfortable out of them, arising from the dread that he might never be able to get into them again. his landlady, however, succeeded in allaying his fears for the moment, and having lent him one of her nether garments for present use, she finally consigned him to bed, with injunctions to sleep undisturbed, for that she would take especial care, while they underwent the necessary fiery ordeal, that she would put that within which should preserve their capacities undiminished. notwithstanding the satisfactory assurance on the part of the dame, a doubt continued still to hang on the mind of the man in the petticoat; and as "the mind disturbed denies the body rest," so was every attempt of his to close an eye, met by the vision of a pair of shrivelled leathers, until at length in a fit of feverish excitement he started from his couch determined to know the worst; and throwing open the door of the kitchen, he, to his no small astonishment, beheld his leathers not only filled, but well filled too, by the landlady herself, who there stood in them, toasting and turning round and round; neither so gracefully nor so fast as taglioni, perhaps, but still she kept turning all the same; and it, most probably, was the smoke arising from the lawyer's wet leathers which tom moore saw curling so gracefully above the green elms when he wrote the woodpecker. but to return to the peninsula. while it must be admitted that the hidalgo's evil is the lesser, i could, nevertheless, wish that the good old spaniard would march a little more with the spirit of the times, for by the ordinary use of a small-tooth comb, he might be enabled to limit his _hair_ hunting to the sports of the field. the day after our arrival at fuentes i was amused to hear one of our soldiers describing to a comrade his last night's fare in the new quarter. soon after his taking possession of it, three days' rations had been served out to him, and his landlady, after reconnoitring it for a while with a wistful eye, at length proposed that they should mess together while he remained in their house, to which he readily assented; and by way of making a fair beginning, he cut off about a pound of the beef which he handed over to her, but at the same time allowing her about as much play with it as a cat does to a mouse--a precaution which he had reason to rejoice in, for he presently found it transferred to a kettle then boiling on the fire, containing, as he said, thirteen buckets of water, in which his pound of beef was floating about like a cork in the middle of the ocean! "hilloah, my nice woman, says i, if you and i are to mess together i'll just trouble you to take out twelve buckets and a half of that water, and in place thereof, that you will be pleased to put in a pound of beef for every mouth which you intend shall keep mine in company--and if you choose to give some butter or a slice or two of bacon in addition, i shall not object to it, but i'll have none of your gammon!" the dispute ended in the rifleman's being obliged to fish out his pound of beef and keep it under his own protection. our repose in fuentes was short. the garrison of almeida was blockaded with a fortnight's provision only, and two companies of ours under colonel cameron were immediately dispatched to shoot their bullocks while grazing on the ramparts, which still further contracted their means of subsistence. lord wellington had in the mean time hurried off to the south in consequence of the pressing importance of the operations of the corps under marshal beresford, leaving the main army for the time being under the command of sir brent spencer. in the afternoon of the th of april we were hastily ordered under arms, and passing through gallegos we were halted behind a hill on the banks of the agueda, when we found that the movement had been occasioned by the passing of a convoy of provisions which the enemy were attempting to throw into ciudad rodrigo, and which was at that moment with its escort of two hundred men shut up in some inclosures of stone walls within half a mile of us surrounded by our dragoons. i don't know how it happened, but we were kept there inactive for a couple of hours with eight thousand men sending in summonses for them to surrender, when a couple of our idle guns would have sent the loose wall about their ears and made them but too happy to be allowed to do so. but as it was, the garrison of ciudad rodrigo came out and carried them off triumphantly from under our noses. "there's nae luck about the house, there's nae luck ava; there's nae luck about the house, when our gude man's awa." this was the most critical period of the whole war; the destinies not only of england but of europe hung upon it, and all hinged on the shoulders of one man,--that man was wellington! i believe there were few even of those who served under him capable of knowing, still less of appreciating, the nature of the master-mind which there, with god's assistance, ruled all things; for he was not only the head of the army but obliged to descend to the responsibility of every department in it. in the different branches of their various duties, he received the officers in charge, as ignorant as schoolboys, and, by his energy and unwearied perseverance, he made them what they became--the most renowned army that europe ever saw. wherever he went at its head, glory followed its steps--wherever he was not--i will not say disgrace, but something near akin to it ensued, for it is singular enough to remark that of all the distinguished generals who held separate commands in that army throughout the war lord hill alone (besides the commander-in-chief) came out of it with his fame untarnished by any palpable error. in all his battles lord wellington appeared to us never to leave any thing to chance. however desperate the undertaking--whether suffering under momentary defeat, or imprudently hurried on by partial success--we ever felt confident that a redeeming power was at hand, nor were we ever deceived. those only, too, who have served under such a master-mind and one of inferior calibre can appreciate the difference in a physical as well as a moral point of view--for when in the presence of the enemy, under him, we were never deprived of our personal comforts until prudence rendered it necessary, and they were always restored to us again at the earliest possible moment. under the temporary command of others we have been deprived of our baggage for weeks through the timidity of our chief, and without the shadow of necessity; and it is astonishing in what a degree the vacillation and want of confidence in a commander descends into the different ranks. of all the commanders in that army at the period i speak of, none stood more distinguished than he who was for the moment our head (the gallant spencer,) and yet, singularly enough, the moment he was left to himself, not only his usual daring but all spirit of enterprise seemed to have forsaken him. witness the escape of the french detachment as just related, as well as the various subsequent movements under him; whereas, within a few days, when in the field of fuentes under wellington, he was himself again. while halted behind the hill already mentioned, i got my first look at the celebrated guerilla chief, don julian sanchez. he was a middling-sized thick-set fellow, with a spanish complexion, well whiskered and mustached, with glossy black hair, and dressed in a hussar uniform. the peasantry of that part of the country used to tell rather a romantic story of the cause which induced him to take up arms,--namely, that the french had maltreated and afterwards murdered his wife and family before his face, besides firing his house, (cause enough in all conscience,) and for which he amply revenged himself, for he became the most celebrated throat-cutter in that part of the world. his band when he first took the field did not exceed fifty men, but about the period i speak of his ranks had swelled to about fifteen hundred. they were a contemptible force in the field, but brave, enterprising, and useful in their mountain fastnesses--in cutting off supplies and small detachments. i did not see his troops until some time after, when his heavy dragoons one day crossed our line of march. they afterwards cut a more respectable figure; but at that period they looked a regular set of ragamuffins, wearing cocked hats with broad white lace round the edges; yellow coats, with many more than button-holes, and red facings; breeches of various colours and no stockings, but a sort of shoe on the foot with a spur attached, and their arms were as various as their colours; some with lances, some with carabines, and in short, every one seemed as if he had equipped himself in whatever the fortune of war had thrown in his way. as the battle of fuentes approached, our life became one of perpetual motion, and when i raised my head from its stone pillow in the morning, it was a subject of speculation to guess within a league of its next resting place, although we were revolving within a very limited space. nothing clings so tenaciously to my mind as the remembrance of the different spots on which i have passed a night. out of six years campaigning it is probable that i slept at least half the period under the open canopy of heaven, (barring latterly a sheet of canvas,) and though more than twenty years have since rolled over my head, i think i could still point out my every resting place. on the night of the st of may i was sent from alameda with thirty riflemen and six dragoons to watch a ford of the agueda. the french held a post on the opposite side--but at daylight in the morning i found they had disappeared. seeing a spanish peasant descending on the opposite bank--and the river not being fordable to a person on foot, while its continuous roaring through its rugged course drowned every other voice--i detached one of the dragoons, who brought him over behind him, and as he told me that the french were, at that moment, on the move to the left, i immediately transmitted the information to head quarters. i was soon after ordered to join my battalion, which i found lodged in a stubble field about half way between gallegos and alameda, on a piece of rising ground which we had christened kraüchenberg's hill, in compliment to that gallant captain of german hussars, who, with his single troop, had made a brilliant and successful charge from it the year before on the enemy's advancing horsemen. the following night we had gone to bed in the village of espeja, but were called to arms in the middle of it, and took post in the wood behind. with the enemy close upon us, our position was any thing but a safe one; but, as it included a conical hill, which commanded a view of their advance, lord wellington was anxious to retain it until the last possible moment. the chief of the german hussars, who covered the reconnoitring party, looked rather blank when he found, next morning, that the infantry were in the act of withdrawing, and tried hard to persuade beckwith to leave two companies of riflemen as a support, assuring him that all the cavalry in the world were unable to harm them in such a cover; but as the cover was, in reality, but a sprinkling of the spanish oaks, our chief found it prudent to lend his deaf ear to the request. however, we all eventually reached the position of fuentes unmolested--a piece of good luck which we had no right to expect, considering the military character of our adversaries, and the nature of the ground we had to pass over. having been one of the combatants in that celebrated field, and having already given a history of the battle such as the fates decreed, it only remains with me, following the example of other historians, to _favour_ the public with my observations thereon. in the course of my professional career several events have occurred to bother my subaltern notions on the principles of the art of war, and none more than the battle of fuentes; but to convey a just idea of what i mean to advance, it is necessary that i should describe the ground, and while those who choose, may imagine that they see it sketched by one who never before drew any thing but the cork out of a bottle, or a month's pay out of the hands of the pay-master, others, whose imaginations are not so lively, must be contented in supposing themselves standing, with an army of thirty thousand men, between the streams of the tourones and dos casas, with our right resting on nava d'aver, and our left on fort conception, a position extending seven miles. the french advanced from rodrigo with forty-five thousand men to relieve their garrison, which we had shut up in almeida, which is in rear of our left--and in place of going the straight road to it, through alameda and fort conception, massena spreads his army along our whole front, and finally attacks the most distant part of it, (nava d'aver.) that, i believe, was all strictly according to rule, for the purpose of preserving his base of operations; but i am labouring to shew that it was an occasion on which massena might and ought to have set every rule at defiance, for, in possession of a strong fortress under his own lee, and another under that of his adversary, with an army in the field exceeding ours by a fourth, he ought to have known that no possible cast of the dice could have enabled us to do more than maintain the blockade--that, if we gave him a defeat it was impossible for us to follow it up, and if he defeated us our ruin was almost inevitable--in short, had i been prince of essling, i would have thrust every thing but my fighting men under the protection of the guns of rodrigo, and left myself, free and unfettered, to go where i liked, do what i could, and, if need be, to change bases with my adversary; and it is odd to me if i would not have cut such capers as would have astonished the great duke himself. from fuentes to alameda, a distance of between two and three miles, trusting to the ruggedness of the banks of the dos casos, the position was nearly altogether unoccupied on our side, and had massena but taken the trouble to wade through that stream as often as i had, sometimes for love and sometimes for duty, he would have found that it was passable in fifty places--and, as the ground permitted it, had he assembled twenty thousand infantry there, to be thrust over at day-light, and held the rest of his army in readiness to pounce upon the wing to be attacked--and, had he prayed too, as did the scottish knight of old, (who had more faith in his good sword than in the justice of his cause,) in these words, "o, lord, we all know that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, and that, whichever side you take, will be sure to win; but, if you will, for this once, stand aside, and leave us two to fight it out, i shall be for ever obliged to you"--he might then have commenced the day's work with a tolerable prospect of success--for, if half the twenty thousand men, on reaching the top of the hill, remained to keep the one wing in check, and the remainder turned against the flank of the devoted one, while his main army took it in front, they would have had good cause to feel ashamed of themselves if they did not dispose of it long before human aid could have reached, and odd would it have been if the others had not then considered it high time to be off. what alterations lord wellington would have made in his dispositions had he found himself opposed to one who held such fighting views as i do, it is not for me to say; but it is evident that he estimated massena at his full value when he persisted in holding such an extended position with an inferior army, while the other, with his superior force, was satisfied with battering a portion of his best regimental[e] brains out against the stone walls about fuentes, and retiring, at last, without attaining the object of his advance. [e] the most formidable attack there on the th was made by his most choice troops, and they succeeded in penetrating to the high ground behind the church, where they were met by a brigade of the d division, and routed with great slaughter. one of the wounded prisoners pointed out to me the body of a captain of grenadiers, (whose name i forget,) who was renowned in their army for his daring. the foregoing reflections will, no doubt, to many, appear wild; but, with a tolerable knowledge of the ground, and of the comparative strength, i am not the less satisfied that my plan may be often tried with success. in speaking of distance, however, it must not be forgotten that in war the opposing bodies come together with wonderful celerity; for, although soldiers do not see so far as severed lovers, who, by transmitting their looks at each other through the moon or some favoured star, contrive to kill space more quickly, yet the soldier, who has no great stomach for the battle, and sees his enemy in the morning almost out of sight, begins to reckon himself secure for that day, must be rather astonished when he finds how soon a cannon-ball makes up the difference between them! packenham, (the gallant sir edward,) who was then adjutant-general, led the brigade of the third division, which restored the battle in the village. he came to us immediately after, faint with excitement, where we were standing in reserve, and asked if any officer could oblige him with some wine or brandy--a calabash was unslung for his use, and after taking a small sip out of it, and eulogizing, in the handsomest manner, the conduct of the troops, he left us to renew his exertions wherever they might be wanted. he was as gallant a spirit as ever went into a field! lord wellington, in those days, (as he was aware,) was always designated among the soldiers by the name of _old douro_. the morning after the battle, the celebrated d. m. of the guards, rode up to a group of staff officers, and demanded if any of them had seen beau douro this morning? his lordship, who was there reclining on the ground in his boat-cloak, started up, and said, "well! by ---- i never knew i was a beau before!" the same morning that officer came galloping to us with an order--our chief, (sidney beckwith,) who was never on horseback except when his duty required it, had the greatest horror of the approach of a staff officer, who generally came at full speed until within a yard or two--seeing m. coming on as usual on his fiery dark chesnut, he began waving his hand for him to stop before he had got within fifty yards, and calling out, "aye, aye, that will do! we'll hear all you have got to say quite well enough!" among the many great and goodly names of general officers which the army-list furnished, it was lamentable to see that some were sent from england, to commands in that army, who were little better than old wives,[f] and who would have been infinitely more at home in feeding the pigs and the poultry of a farm-yard than in furnishing food for powder in the field; yet so it was:--the neglect of such an one to deliver an order with which he had been entrusted, lost us the fame and the fruits of our victory, it prevented a gallant regiment from occupying the important post intended for it, and it cost that regiment its gallant chief, whose nice sense of honour could see no way of removing the stain which the neglect of his superior had cast upon his reputation, than by placing a pistol to his own head. his fate was sadly and deeply deplored by the whole army. [f] no allusion to the last-mentioned officer, who was one of another stamp. as this particular period furnished few occurrences to vary the monotony of the hammer-and-tongs sort of life we led, i shall take advantage of the opportunity it affords to fire a few random shots for the amusement of my readers. shot the first. _the duel._ on reaching paris, after the battle of waterloo, we found johnny petit in very bad humour; and that three out of every four of the officers in each army were not disposed of by private contract, with pistols and small swords, must be ascribed to our ignorance alike of their language and their national method of conveying offence; for, in regard to the first, although we were aware that the _sacre boeuftake_ and _sacre pomme de terre_, with which we were constantly saluted, were not applied complimentarily, yet, as the connecting offensive links were lost to most of us, these words alone were not looked upon as of a nature requiring _satisfaction_; and, with regard to practical insults, a favourite one of theirs, as we afterwards discovered, was to tread, as if by accident, on the toe of the person to be insulted. now, as the natural impulse of the englishman, on having his toe trodden on, is to make a sort of apology to the person who did it, by way of relieving him of a portion of the embarrassment which he expects to be the attendant of such awkwardness, many thousand insults of the kind passed unnoticed:--the frenchman flattering himself that he had done a bold thing,--the englishman a handsome one; whereas, had the character of the tread been distinctly understood, it would, no doubt, have been rewarded on the spot by _our_ national method--a douse on the chops! however, be that as it may, my business is to record the result of one in which there was no misunderstanding; and, as some one has justly remarked, "when people are all of one mind, it is astonishing how well they agree." it occurred at an early hour in the morning, at one of those seminaries for grown children so common in paris, and the parties (a french officer and one of ours) agreed to meet at day-light, which left them but brief space for preparation, so that when they arrived on the ground, and their fighting irons were paraded, the frenchman's were found to consist of a brace of pocket-pistols, with finger-sized barrels,--while our officer had a huge horse pistol, which he had borrowed from the quarter-master, and which looked, in the eyes of the astonished frenchman, like a six-pounder, the bore of it being large enough to swallow the stocks, locks, and barrels of his brace, with the ball-bag and powder-horn into the bargain; and he, therefore, protested vehemently against the propriety of exposing himself to such fearful odds, which being readily admitted on the other side, they referred the decision to a halfpenny whether they should take alternate shots with the large, or one each with the small. the fates decreed in favour of the small arms; and, the combatants having taken their ground, they both fired at a given signal, when the result was that the frenchman's pistol burst, and blew away his finger, while our man blew away his ramrod; and as they had no longer the means of continuing the fight, they voted that they were a brace of good fellows, and after shaking the frenchman by his other three fingers, our officer accompanied him home to breakfast. shot the second. _cannon-law._ while stationed, in the province of artois, with the army of occupation, one of our soldiers committed a most aggravated case of highway-robbery upon a frenchwoman, for which he was tried by a court-martial, condemned, and suffered death within three days. about a fortnight after, when the whole affair had nearly been forgotten by us, the french report of the outrage, after having gone through its routine of the different official functionaries, made its appearance at our head-quarters, describing the atrocious nature of the offence, and calling for vengeance on the head of the offender. the commander-in-chief's reply was, as usual, short, but to the purpose:--the man was hanged for it ten days ago. shot the third. _civil law._ whilst on the station mentioned in the foregoing anecdote, two of our medical officers went in a gig, on a short tour, in the neighbourhood of our cantonments, and having unconsciously passed the line of demarkation, they were pulled up on their entrance into the first town they came to, for the payment of the usual toll; but they claimed a right to be exempted from it on the score of their being officers of the army of occupation. the collector of the customs, however, being of a different opinion, and finding his oratorical powers thrown away upon them, very prudently called to his aid one of those men-at-arms with which every village in france is so very considerately furnished. that functionary, squaring his cocked hat, giving his mustachoes a couple of twists, and announcing that he was as brave as a lion, as brave as the devil, and sundry other characters of noted courage, he, by way of illustration, drew his sword, and making half-a-dozen furious strokes at the paving stones, made the sparks fly from them like lightning. seeing that the first half dozen had failed to extract the requisite quantity of sous, he was proceeding to give half-a-dozen more, but his sword broke at the first, and our two knights of the lancet, having fewer scruples about surrendering to him as an unarmed than an armed man, made no further difficulty in accompanying him to the municipal magistrate. that worthy, after hearing both sides of the case with becoming gravity, finally sentenced our two travellers to pay for the repairs of the sword which had been so courageously broken in defence of their civic rights. shot the fourth. _sword law._ at the commencement of the battle of waterloo, three companies of our riflemen held a sand bank, in front of the position, and abreast of la haye saint, which we clung to most tenaciously, and it was not until we were stormed in front and turned in both flanks that we finally left it. previous to doing so, however, a french officer rushed out of their ranks and made a dash at one of ours, but neglecting the prudent precaution of calculating the chances of success before striking the first blow, it cost him his life. the officer he stormed happened to be a gigantic highlander about six feet and a half--and, like most big men, slow to wrath, but a fury when roused. the frenchman held that in his hand which was well calculated to bring all sizes upon a level--a good small sword--but as he had forgotten to put on his spectacles, his first (and last) thrust passed by the body and lodged in the highlander's left arm. saunders's blood was now up (as well as down) and with our then small regulation half-moon sabre, better calculated to shave a lady's-maid than a frenchman's head, he made it descend on the pericranium of his unfortunate adversary with a force which snapped it at the hilt. his next dash was with his fist (and the hilt in it) smack in his adversary's face, which sent him to the earth; and though i grieve to record it, yet as the truth must be told, i fear me that the chivalrous frenchman died an ignominious death, viz. by a kick. but where one's own life is at stake, we must not be too particular. shot the fifth. _love law._ of all the evils with which a sober community can be cursed, there is none so great as a guard-house; for while the notable house-wife is superintending the scouring of her kitchen coppers, and the worthy citizen is selling his sweets, the daughters are as surely to be found lavishing their's upon their gaudy neighbour, while the nursery-maid standing a story higher is to be seen sending her regards a step lower--into the sentry-box. though many years have now passed away, i remember as if but yesterday, my first guard mounting, in a certain garrison town which shall be nameless. after performing the first usual routine of military duties, my next was, as a matter of course, to reconnoitre the neighbourhood; for if a house happened to be within range of the officer's beat, he seldom had to look for an adventure in vain,--nor had i on the occasion alluded to. the station was in the centre of a populous city, the purlieus were genteel, and at the window of one of the opposite houses i soon descried a bevy of maidens who seemed to be regarding me with no small curiosity. eyes met eyes which looked again, and as all seemed to go merry as a marriage bell, i took out my pencil and motioned as if i would write, which meeting with an approving smile, i straightway indited an epistle suitable to the occasion, and shewing it to them when ready, i strolled past the door, where, as i expected, i found a fair hand which seemed to belong to nobody, in readiness to receive it. in the course of a few minutes i received a note from the same mysterious hand, desiring to be informed for which of the group my last effusion was intended; and though the question was rather a puzzler to a person who had never seen them before, and, even then, too far off to be able to distinguish whether their eyes were green or yellow, yet i very judiciously requested that my correspondent would accept it on her own account. it was arranged accordingly, and her next epistle, while it preached prudence and discretion, desired that i should come to the door at eleven at night when she would have an opportunity of speaking to me. it may be imagined that time flew on leaden wings until the arrival of the appointed hour, when proceeding as directed, i found the door ajar, and the vision of the hand, now with a body in the back ground, beckoning me to enter. following the invitation the door was gently closed, and i was soon in a large dimly lighted hall, by the side of my fair incognita, with my hand clasped in hers. but ah me! i had barely time to unburthen myself of a hurricane of sighs (enough to have blown a fire out) and to give one chaste salute, when papa's well-known knock was heard at the door and dissolved the charm. in an agony of affright my fair friend desired me to run up stairs to the first landing, and as i valued my life, not to stir from it until she should come to fetch me. misfortunes they say seldom come single, and so i found it, for i had scarcely reached the desired place when the voice of the sentry thundered, "guard, turn out!" and conveyed to me the very pleasant information that the grand rounds approached, while i, the officer of the guard, was absent, the captive of a damsel. i was in a precious scrape; for, prior to the arrival of the other evil, i held it to be somewhat more than doubtful whether i was reserved for a kiss or a kick, but the odds were now two to one in favour of the latter, for if i did not find my way outside the walls within three quarters of a minute, it was quite certain that if i failed to receive what was due to me inside the house i should catch it outside, by getting kicked from the service. my case was therefore desperate, and as the voice of papa was still heard at the stair-foot and precluded the possibility of bolting undetected by the door, my only alternative was the stair window. the field officer was passing under it as i threw up the sash, and though the distance to the ground loomed fearfully long there was no time for deliberation, but bundling out, and letting myself down by the hands as far as i could, i took my chance of the remainder and came down on the pavement with such a tremendous clatter that i thought i had been shivered to atoms. the noise fortunately startled the field officer's horse, so that it was as much as he could do to keep his seat for the moment, which gave me time to gather myself up; when, telling him that in my hurry to get to my place before him, i had stumbled against a lamp post and fallen, the affair passed away without further notice, but my aching bones, for many an after-day, would not permit me to forget the adventure of that night. in my next turn for guard at the same place i got a glimpse of my fair friend, and but for once. i saw on my arrival that the family were in marching order, and my old acquaintance, the hand, soon after presented me with a billet announcing their immediate departure for the season, to a distant watering place. she lamented the accident which she feared had befallen me, and as she thought it probable that we would never meet again, she begged that i would forgive and look upon it merely as the badinage of a giddy girl. shot the sixth. _at a sore subject._ "they who can feel for other's woes should ne'er have cause to mourn their own!" so sayeth the poet, and so should i say if i saw them feeling; but i have found such a marvellous scarcity of those tender-hearted subjects on the field of battle, that, in good sooth, if the soldier had not a tear to shed for his own woes, he stood a very good chance of dying unwept, which may either be considered a merry or a dreary end, according to the notion of the individual. in taking a comparative view of the _comforts_ attending a sea and land fight, i know not what evils our nautical brethren may have to contend against, which we have not; but they have this advantage over us--that, whatever may be the fate of the day, they have their bed and breakfast, and their wounds are promptly attended to. this shot, be it observed, is especially fired at the wounded. when a man is wounded the corps he belongs to is generally in action, and cannot spare from the ranks the necessary assistance, so that he is obliged to be left to the tender mercies of those who follow after, and they generally pay him the attention due to a mad dog, by giving him as wide a berth as they possibly can--so that he often lies for days in the field without assistance of any kind. those who have never witnessed such scenes will be loth to believe that men's hearts can get so steeled; but so it is--the same chance befals the officer as the soldier, and one anecdote will illustrate both. at the battle of vittoria one of our officers was disabled by a shot through the leg, but having contrived to drag himself to a road-side, he laid himself down there, in the hope that, among the passing thousands, some good samaritan might be found with compassion enough to bind up his wound, and convey him to a place of shelter. the rear of a battle is generally a queer place--the day is won and lost there a dozen times, unknown to the actual combatants--fellows who have never seen an enemy in the field, are there to be seen flourishing their drawn swords, and "cutting such fantastic tricks before high heaven, as make angels weep," while others are flying as if pursued by legions of demons; and, in short, while every thing is going on in front with the order and precision of a field-day, in rear every thing is confusion worse confounded. when my wounded friend took post on the road-side, it was in the midst of a panic amongst the followers of the army, caused by an imaginary charge of cavalry--he tried in vain, for a length of time, to attract the notice of somebody, when his eyes were at length regaled by a staff surgeon of his acquaintance, who approached amid the crowd of fugitives, and, having no doubt but he would at length receive the requisite attention, he hailed him by name as soon as he came within reach. the person hailed, pulled up, with "ah! my dear fellow, how do you do? i hope you are not badly hit?" "i can't answer for that," replied my friend, "all i know is, that my leg is bleeding profusely, and until some good-natured person dresses it and assists me to remove, here i must lie!" "ah! that's right," returned the other, "keep yourself quiet--this is only an affair of cavalry--so that you may make yourself quite comfortable," and, clapping spurs to his horse, he was out of sight in a moment! the next known character who presented himself was a volunteer, at that time attached to the regiment--an eccentric sort of a gentleman, but one who had a great deal of method in his eccentricity--for, though he always went into battle with us, i know not how it happened, but no one ever saw him again until it was all over--he must have been an especial favourite of the fickle goddess--for, by his own shewing, his absence from our part of the battle was always occasioned by his accidentally falling in with some other regiment which had lost all its officers, and, after rallying and leading them on to the most brilliant feat of the day, he, with the modesty becoming a hero, left them alone in their glory--in ignorance of the person to whom they owed so much, while he retired to his humble position as a volunteer! on the occasion referred to, however, in place of being at the head of a regiment and leading them on to the front, he was at the head of half a dozen horses, which he had contrived to scrape together in the field, and was leading them the other road. as soon as he had descried my wounded friend he addressed him as did the doctor--was remarkably glad to see him, and hoped he was not badly hit--and, having received a similar reply, he declared that he was very sorry to hear it--_very_--"but," added he, "as you are lying there, at all events, perhaps you will be good enough to hold these horses for me until i return, for i know where i can get about as many more!" patience had not then ceased to be a virtue--and, lest my readers should think that i am drawing too largely on theirs, i shall resume the thread of my narrative. chap. ix. a bishop's gathering.--volunteers for a soldier's love, with a portrait of the lover.--burning a bivouac.--old invented thrashing machines and baking concerns.--a flying padre taking a shot flying. soon after the battle of fuentes lord wellington was again called to the south, leaving us with a burning desire to follow, which was eventually gratified; for, after various coquettish movements between us and the enemy, which carried us in retreat near to sabugal, we, at length, received an order for the south; and, leaving our adversaries to do that which might seem best unto them, we were all at once helm up for the other side of the tagus. on our way there we halted a night at castello branco, and hearing that the bishop's garden was open for inspection, and well worth the seeing, i went with a brother-officer to reconnoitre it. throughout the country which we had been traversing for a season, the ravages of the contending armies had swept the fruits, flowers, and even the parent stems, from the face of the earth, as if such things had never been; and it is, therefore, difficult to convey an idea of the gratification we experienced in having our senses again regaled with all that was delightful in either, and in admirable order. beauty, in whatever shape it comes before us, is almost irresistible, and the worthy prelate's oranges proved quite so; for they looked so brightly yellow--so plumply ripe--and the trees groaned with their load, as if praying for relief, that with hearts framed as ours, so sensitively alive to nature's kindlier feelings, it was impossible to refuse the appeal. stolen kisses, they say, are the sweetest, and besides, as there might have been some impropriety in pressing the oranges to our lips so publicly, we were at some loss to provide for their transfer to a suitable place, as our dress was pocketless, and fitted as tight as a glove; but we contrived to stow away about a dozen each in our then sugar-loaf-shaped regimental caps, and placing them carefully on the head, we marched off as stiffly as a brace of grenadiers. as the devil would have it, however, in traversing the palace-hall, we encountered the bishop himself, and as it was necessary that the compliments of the season should pass between us, it was rather an awkward meeting; i was myself alive to the consequences of having more brains above the head than in it, and, therefore, confined myself to the stiff soldier's salute; but my companion, unluckily, forgot his load, and in politely returning the prelate's bow, sent his cap and oranges rolling at his feet, while his face shone as a burnt offering at the same shrine! the bishop gave a benevolent smile, and after very good naturedly assisting the youth to collect the scattered fruit, he politely wished us a good morning, leaving us not a little ashamed of ourselves, and deeply impressed with a sense of his gentleman-like demeanour and amiable disposition. our third march from castello branco brought us to portalegre, where we halted for some days. in a former chapter, i have given the portuguese national character, such as i found it generally,--but in nature there are few scenes so blank as to have no sunny side, and throughout that kingdom, the romantic little town of portalegre still dwells the greenest spot on memory's waste. unlike most other places in that devoted land, it had escaped the vengeful visit of their ruthless foe, and having, therefore, no fatal remembrance to cast its shade over the future, the inhabitants received us as if we had been beings of a superior order, to whom they were indebted for all the blessings they enjoyed, and showered their sweets upon us accordingly. in three out of four of my sojourns there, a friend and i had the good fortune to be quartered in the same house. the family consisted of a mother and two daughters, who were very good-looking and remarkably kind. our return was ever watched for with intense interest, and when they could not command sufficient influence with the local authorities to have the house reserved, they nevertheless contrived to squeeze us in; for when people are in a humour to be pleased with each other, small space suffices for their accommodation. such uniform kindness on their part, it is unnecessary to say, did not fail to meet a suitable return on ours. we had few opportunities of falling in with things that were rich and rare, (if i except such _jewels_ as those just mentioned,) yet were we always stumbling over something or other, which was carefully preserved for our next happy meeting; and whether they were gems or gew-gaws, they were alike valued for the sake of the donors. the kindness shown by one family to two particular individuals goes, of course, for nothing beyond its value; but the feeling there seemed to be universal. our usual morning's amusement was to visit one or other of the convents, and having ascertained the names of the different pretty nuns, we had only to ring the bell, and request the pleasure of half-an-hour's conversation with one of the prettiest amongst them, to have it indulged; and it is curious enough that i never yet asked a nun, or an attendant of a nunnery, if she would elope with me, that she did not immediately consent,--and that, too, unconditionally. my invitations to that effect were not general, but, on the contrary, remarkably particular; and to show that in accepting it they meant no joke, they invariably pointed out the means, by telling me that they were strictly watched at that time, but if i returned privately, a week or two after the army had passed, they could very easily arrange the manner of their escape. i take no credit to myself for any preference shewn, for if there be any truth in my looking-glass--and it was one of the most flattering i could find--their discriminating powers would entitle them to small credit for any partiality shewn to me individually; and while it was no compliment, therefore, to me, or to the nunnery, it must necessarily be due to nature, as showing that the good souls were overflowing with the milk of human kindness, and could not say nay while they possessed the powers of pleasing: for, as far as i have compared notes with my companions, the feeling seemed to have been general. on quitting portalegre, we stopped, the next night, at aronches, a small miserable walled town, with scarcely a house in it that would entitle the holder to vote on a ten shilling franchise; and on the night following we went into bivouac, on monte reguingo, between campo mayor and the caya, where we remained a considerable time. we were there, as our gallant historian (napier) tells us, in as judicious but, at the same time, in as desperate a position as any that lord wellington had held during the war; yet, i am free to say, however, that none of us knew any thing at all about the matter, and cared still less. we there held, as we ever did, the most unbounded confidence in our chief, and a confidence in ourselves, fed by continued success, which was not to be shaken; so that we were at all times ready for any thing, and reckless of every thing. the soldiers had become so inured to toil and danger that they seemed to have set disease, the elements, and the enemy alike at defiance. head-aches and heart-aches were unknown amongst them, and whether they slept under a roof, a tent, or the open sky, or whether they amused themselves with a refreshing bath in a stream, or amused the enemy with a shot, was all a matter of indifference. i do not eulogize our own men at the expense of others, for although the light division stood on that particular post alone, our chief confidence originated in the hope and belief that every division in the army was animated by the same spirit. the day after our taking post at reguingo, notwithstanding my boasted daring, we were put to the rout by an unlooked-for enemy, namely, a fire in the bivouac;--a scorching sun had dried up the herbage, and some of the camp-fires communicated with the long grass on which we were lodged; the fresh summer-breeze wafted the ground flame so rapidly through the bivouac that before all the arms and accoutrements could be removed, many of the men's pouches were blown-up, and caused some accidents. i believe it is not generally, and cannot be too well known to military men, that this is a measure which is very often had recourse to by an enemy, (when the wind favours,) to dislodge a post from a field of standing corn or long grass; and the only way to counteract it is, for the officer commanding the post to fire the grass immediately behind him, so that by the time the enemy's fire has burnt up, his own will have gone away in proportion, and left a secure place for him to stand on, without losing much ground. our bivouac at monte reguingo abounded in various venomous reptiles, and it is curious enough to think that amongst the thousands of human beings sleeping in the same bed and at their mercy, one rarely or never heard of an injury done by them. a decayed tree full of holes, against which the officers of our company had built their straw hut, was quite filled with snakes, and i have often seen fellows three feet long winding their way through the thatch, and voting themselves our companions at all hours, but the only inconvenience we experienced was in a sort of feeling that we would rather have had the hut to ourselves. one morning in turning over a stone on which my head had rested all night, i saw a scorpion with the tail curled over his back looking me fiercely in the face; and though not of much use, i made it a rule thereafter to take a look at the other side of my pillow before i went to sleep, whenever i used a stone one. an officer in putting on his shoe one morning, found that he had squeezed a scorpion to death in the toe of it. that fellow must have been caught napping, or he certainly would have resisted the intruder. the only thing in the shape of an accident from reptiles that i remember ever having occurred in our regiment was to a soldier who had somehow swallowed a lizard. he knew not when or how, and the first hint he had of the tenement being so occupied, was in being troubled with internal pains and spitting of blood, which continued for many months, in spite of all the remedies that were administered. but a powerful emetic eventually caused him to be delivered of as ugly a child of the kind as one would wish to look at, about three inches long. i believe that dr. burke, late of the rifles, has it still preserved. in that neighbourhood i was amused in observing the primitive method adopted by the farmers in thrashing their corn,--namely, in placing it on a hard part of the public road and driving some bullocks backwards and forwards through it; and for winnowing, they tossed it in a sieve and trusted to the winds to do the needful. notwithstanding the method, however, they contrived to shew us good looking bread in that part of the world--as white as a confectioner's seed cake--and though the devil take such seeds as these sons of cows had contrived to grind up with the flour, yet it was something like the cooking on board ship; we ought to have been thankful for the good which the gods provided and asked no questions. in july, the breaking up of the assembled armies which had so long menaced us, sent our division again stretching off to the north in pursuit of fresh game. the weather was so intensely hot, that it was thought advisable to perform the greater part of our marches during the night. i can imagine few cases, however, in which a night march can prove in any way advantageous; for unless the roads are remarkably good, it requires double time to perform them. the men go stumbling along half asleep, and just begin to brighten up when their permitted hour of repose arrives. the scorching sun, too, murders sleep, and of our ten or twelve days' marching on that occasion, i scarcely ever slept at all. i have always been of opinion that if men who are inured to fatigue are suffered to have a decent allowance of repose during the night, that you may do what you like with them during the day, let the climate or the weather be what it may. i remember having been at that time in possession of a small black pony, and like the old man and his ass, it might have admitted of a dispute among the spectators which of us ought to have carried the other, but to do myself justice i rarely put him to the inconvenience of carrying anything beyond my boat-cloak, blanket, &c.; but one morning before day-light, in stumbling along through one of those sleepy marches, my charger, following at the length of the bridle-rein, all at once shot past me as if he had been fired out of a mortar, and went heels over head, throwing a complete somerset and upsetting two of the men in his headlong career. i looked at the fellow in the utmost astonishment to see whether he was in joke or earnest, thinking that i had by accident got hold of one of astley's cast-off's, who was shewing me some of his old stage tricks, but when he got up, he gave himself a shake and went quietly on as usual, so that it must have been nothing beyond a dreaming caper, seeing that he was not much given to the exhibition of feats of agility in his waking moments. on reaching our destination in the north, our division took up a more advanced position than before, and placed the garrison of ciudad rodrigo under blockade. in the first village we occupied (mortiago) the only character worthy of note was a most active half-starved curate, whose duty it was to marry and to bury every body within a wide range, besides performing the usual services in sundry chapels in that and the adjoining villages. he was so constantly at a gallop on horseback in pursuit of his avocations that we dubbed him the _padrè volante_ (the flying parson.) we did there, as in all the spanish villages the moment we took possession, levelled the ground at the end of the church, and with wooden bats cut out in the shape of rackets, got up something like an apology for that active and delightful game. our greatest enjoyment there was to catch the padrè in one of his leisure moments and to get him to join in the amusement, of which he was remarkably fond, and he was no sooner enlisted, than it became the malicious aim of every one to send the ball against his lank ribs. whenever he saw that it was done intentionally, however, he made no hesitation in shying his bat at the offender; but he was a good-natured soul, as were also his tormentors, so that every thing passed off as was intended. the padrè in addition to his other accomplishments was a sportsman, and as he was possessed of a pointer dog (a companion which, as we had more mouths than food, we were obliged to deny ourselves), his company in the field on that account was in great request; whatever his feats might have been there however, he generally came off but second best. i remember that two of our gentlemen accompanied him the first day, and when they sprung the first covey, the padrè's bird, out of the three shots, was the only one that came to the ground; but notwithstanding, one of the officers immediately ran up and very coolly placed it in his own bag. the padrè ran up too, and stood gaping open-mouthed thinking he had pocketed the bird in joke; however, the other went on deliberately loading as if all had been right. meanwhile, the other officer coming up, said, "why, s. that was not your bird, it is the padrè's!" "my dear sir," he replied, "i know it is not my bird, but do you suppose that i would allow a fellow like that to think that he had killed a bird? my good sir, i would not allow him to suppose for one moment that he had even fired at it!" chap. x. shewing how a volunteer may not be what doctor johnson made him.--a mayor's nest.--cupping.--the author's reasons for punishing the world with a book.--and some volunteers of the right sort. when we next changed our quarter we found the new one peopled exclusively by old wives and their husbands, and, as the enemy were at a distance, we should certainly have gone defunct through sheer ennui, had not fortune sent us a fresh volunteer--a regular "broth of a boy," from the emerald isle, who afforded ample scope for the exercise of our mischievous propensities during our hours of idleness. a volunteer--be it known to all who know it not--is generally a young man with some pretensions to gentility--and while, with some, those pretensions are so admirably disguised as to be scarcely visible to the naked eye, in others they are conspicuous; but, in either case, they are persons who, being without the necessary influence to obtain a commission at home, get a letter of introduction to the commander of the forces in the field, who, if he approves, attaches them to regiments, and, while they are treated as gentlemen out of the field, they receive the pay, and do the duty of private soldiers in it. in every storming party or service of danger, in which any portion of a regiment is engaged, if a volunteer is attached to it, he is expected to make one of the number, and, if a bullet does not provide for him in the meantime, he eventually succeeds to the commission of some officer who has fallen in action. tommy dangerfield, the hero of my tale, was, no doubt, (as we all are,) the hero of his mother--in stature he was middle sized--rather bull shouldered, and walked with bent knees--his face was a fresh good-natured one, but with the usual sinister cast in the eye worn by common irish country countenances--in short, tommy was rather a good-looking, and, in reality, not a bad, fellow, and the only mistake which he seemed to have made, was in the choice of his profession, for which his general appearance and his ideas altogether disqualified him--nevertherless, had he fallen into other hands it is possible that he might have passed muster with tolerable repute until the termination of the war; but i don't know how it was, nor do i know whether we differed from other regiments in the same respect, but our first and most uncharitable aim was to discover the weak points of every fresh arrival, and to attack him through them. if he had redeeming qualities, he, of course, came out scatheless, but, if not, he was dealt with most unmercifully. poor tommy had none such--he was weak on all sides, and therefore went to the wall. at the time he joined, we were unusually situated with regard to the enemy, for, on ordinary occasions, we had their sentries opposite to ours within a few hundred yards; but, at that period, we had the french garrison of ciudad rodrigo behind us, with the d regiment between; while the nearest enemy in our front was distant some ten or twelve miles--nevertheless, our first essay was to impress tommy with a notion that our village was a fortified place, and that we were closely blockaded on all sides--and it became our daily amusement to form a reconnoitring party to endeavour to penetrate beyond the posts--which posts, be it remarked, were held by a few of our own men, disguised for the purpose, and posted at the out-skirts of the village wood. tommy, though not a desperate character, shewed no want of pluck--wherever we went he followed, and wherever we fled he led the way! on the first occasion of the kind we got him on horseback, and conducting him through the wood until we received the expected volley, we took to our heels in the hope that he would get unseated in the flight, but he held on like grim death, and arrived in the village with the loss of his cap only. it was, however, brought to him in due time by an old rifleman of the name of brotherwood, who had commanded the enemy on that occasion, but who claimed peculiar merit in its recovery; and, having taken the opportunity of cutting a hole in it as if a ball had passed through, he got a dollar for the cut! poor tommy, from that time, led the life of the devil--he could not shew his nose outside his own house that he was not fired at--and whenever we made up a larger party to shew him more of the world it was only to lead him into further mischief. i was some time after this removed into the left wing of our regiment, which belonged to a different brigade, so that i ceased to be a daily witness of his torments, though aware that they went on as theretofore. tommy continued to rub on for a considerable time. death had become busy in our ranks--first, by the siege and storming of ciudad rodrigo, and immediately after, by that of badajos. i had heard little or nothing of him during those stirring events of real war--and it was not until the morning after the storming of badajos that he again came under my notice--from having heard that he had been missing the night before. i there saw him turn up, like a half-drowned rat, covered with mud and wet, which looked very much as if he had passed the night in the inundation, adjoining the breach, up to his neck in the water, and probably a little deeper at times, when the fire-balls were flying thickest. he nevertheless contrived to hold on yet a little longer--one day, (agreeably to order,) taking post in the middle of a river, with his face towards ispahan, to watch the enemy in that direction--and the next day, in conformity with the same orders, applying to the quarter-master-general for a route for himself and party to go to kamskatcha to recruit, he got so bewildered that he could not distinguish between a sham and a real order, and, at last, when in the face of the enemy, in front of salamanca, he absolutely refused to take the duty for which he had been ordered, and was consequently obliged to cut. it was the best thing that could have happened both for him and the service; for, as i said before, he had mistaken his profession, and as he was yet but a youth, it is to be hoped that he afterwards stumbled upon the right one. atalya, which we now occupied, is a mountain village about half a league in front of the vadillo. the only amusing characters we found in it were the pigs. i know not whether any process was resorted to in the mornings to entice them from their homes to grub up the falling acorns from the beautiful little evergreen oaks which adorned the hills above, but it was a great scene every evening at sunset to go to the top of the village, and see about five hundred of them coming thundering down the face of the mountain at full speed, and each galloping in to his own door. we had been a considerable time there before we discovered that the neighbourhood could furnish metal more attractive, but a shooting excursion at last brought us acquainted with the quinta horquera (i think it was called), a very respectable farm-house, situated on a tongue of land formed by the junction of another mountain stream with the vadillo. the house itself was nothing out of the common run, but its inmates were, for we found it occupied by the chief magistrate of ciudad rodrigo, with his wife and daughter, and two young female relatives. he himself was a staunch friend of his country, and when the fortress of rodrigo fell into the hands of the french, rather than live in communion with them, he retired with his family to that remote property, in the hope that as it was so much out of the way he might rest there in peace and security until circumstances enabled him to resume his position in society as a true and loyal spaniard; but as the sequel will shew, he had reckoned without his host, for with a british regiment in the neighbourhood, and his house filled with young ladies he was an unreasonable man to expect peace there, and the enemy also by and bye came down upon him, as if to prove that his notions of security were equally fallacious. don miguel himself was a splendid ruin of a man of three score, of a majestic figure, regular features, and stern dark castilian countenance. he was kind and amusing withal, for though his own face was forbidden to smile, yet he seemed to enjoy it in others, and did all in his power to promote amusement, that is, as much as a spaniard ever does. his wife was very tall and very slender--the skin of her pale fleshless face fitting so tight as to make it look like a pin-head. she was very passive and very good-natured, her other day having long passed by. their only daughter was a woman about twenty-eight years of age, with rather a dull pock-pitted countenance, and a tall, stout, clumsy figure. she had very little of the spaniard in her composition, but was nevertheless a kind good-natured girl. her relatives, however, were metal of another sort: the eldest was a remarkably well made plump little figure, with a fair complexion, natural curly hair, and a face full of dimples which shewed eternal sunshine; while her sister, as opposite as day from night, shewed the flashing dark eye, sallow complexion, and the light sylph-like figure for which her country-women are so remarkable. to look at her was to see a personification of that beautiful description of byron's in his first canto of childe harold-- "yet are spain's maids no race of amazons, but formed for all the witching arts of love!" their house, under the circumstances in which we were placed, became an agreeable lounge for many of us for a month or two, for though the sports of the field, with the limited means at our disposal, formed our daily amusement, we always contrived that it should terminate somewhere in the neighbourhood of the quinta, where we were sure of three things--a hearty welcome, a dish of conversation, and another of chestnuts fried in hog's-lard, with a glass of aguadente to wind up with, which, after the fatigues of the day, carried us comfortably home to our more substantial repast, with a few little pleasing recollections to dream about. the french marshal, as if envious of our enjoyments, meagre as they were, put a sudden stop to them. his advance, however, was not so rapid but that we were enabled to give our first care towards providing for the safety of our friends of the quinta, by assisting them with the means of transporting themselves to a more remote glen in the mountains, before it was necessary to look to our own, and although the links of love that morn which war's rude hands had asunder torn had not been patent ones, yet did it savour somewhat of chivalric times when we had been one evening in the field in the front of the quinta sporting with the young and the lovely of the land, as if wars and rumours of wars were to be heard of no more. i say i felt it rather queerish or so, to be spreading down my boat-cloak for a bed in the same field the next night, with an enemy in my front, for so it was, and to find myself again before day-light next morning, from my cold clay couch, gazing at the wonderful comet of , that made such capital claret, and wishing that he would wag his fiery tale a little nearer to my face, for it was so stiff with hoar frost that i dared neither to laugh nor cry for fear of breaking it. we passed yet another night in the same field hallowed by such opposite recollections; but next day, independently of the gathered strength of the enemy in our front, we found a fight of some magnitude going on behind us, the combat of elbodon; and our major-general, getting alarmed at last at his own temerity, found a sleeping place for us, some distance in the rear, in a hollow, where none but the comet and its companions might be indulged with a look. our situation was more than ticklish--with an enemy on three sides and an almost impassable mountain on the fourth--but starting with the lark next morning and passing through robledillo, we happily succeeded in joining the army in front of guinaldo in the afternoon, to the no small delight of his grace of wellington, whose judicious and daring front with half the enemy's numbers, had been our salvation. and it must no doubt have been a mortifying reflection to our divisional chief, to find that his obstinacy and disobedience of orders had not only placed his own division, but that of the whole army in such imminent peril. marmont had no doubt a laurel-wreath in embryo for the following day, but he had allowed _his_ day to go by; the night was ours and we used it, so that when day-light broke, he had nothing but empty field-works to wreak his vengeance on. he followed us along the road, with some sharp partial fighting at one or two places, and there seemed a probability of his coming on to the position in which lord wellington felt disposed to give him battle; but a scarcity of provisions forced him to retrace his steps, and break up to a certain extent for the subsistence of his army, while our retreat terminated at soita, which it appeared was about the spot on which lord wellington had determined to make a stand. i shall ever remember our night at soita for one thing. the commissariat had been about to destroy a cask of rum in the course of that day's retreat, when at the merciful intercession of one of my brother officers, it was happily spared and turned over to his safe keeping, and he shewed himself deserving of the trust, for by wonderful dexterity and management, he contrived to get it wheeled along to our resting-place, when establishing himself under the awning of a splendid chestnut-tree, he hung out the usual emblem of its being the head-quarters of a highland chief--not for the purpose of scaring way-fairers as erst did his forefathers of yore, to exclude the worthy baillie nicol jarvie from the clachan of aberfoyle--but for the more hospitable one of inviting them to be partakers thereof; and need i add that among the many wearers of empty calabashes which the chances of war had there assembled around him, the call was cheerfully responded to, and a glorious group very quickly assembled. the morrow promised to be a bloody one; but we cared not for the morrow:--"sufficient for the day is the evil thereof:"--the song and the jest went merrily round, and, if the truth must be told, i believe that though we carried our cups to the feast, we all went back in them, and with the satisfaction of knowing that we had relieved our gallant chieftain of all further care respecting the contents of the cask. the enemy having withdrawn the same night, we retraced our steps, next day, to our former neighbourhood; and though we were occasionally stirred up and called together by the menacing attitudes of our opponents, yet we remained the unusually long period of nearly three months without coming again into actual contact with them. no officer during that time had one fraction to rub against another; and when i add that our paunches were nearly as empty as our pockets, it will appear almost a libel upon common sense to say that we enjoyed it; yet so it was,--our very privations were a subject of pride and boast to us, and there still continued to be an _esprit de corps_,--a buoyancy of feeling animating all, which nothing could quell; we were alike ready for the field or for frolic, and when not engaged in the one, went headlong into the other. ah me! when i call to mind that our chief support in those days of trial was the anticipated delight of recounting those tales in after years, to wondering and admiring groups around our domestic hearths, in merry england; and when i find that so many of these after years have already passed, and that the folks who people these present years, care no more about these dear-bought tales of former ones than if they were spinning-wheel stories of some "auld wife ayont the fire;" i say it is not only enough to make me inflict them with a book, as i have done, but it makes me wish that i had it all to do over again; and i think it would be very odd if i would not do exactly as i have done, for i knew no happier times, and they were their own reward! it is worthy of remark that lord wellington, during the time i speak of, had made his arrangements for pouncing upon the devoted fortress of ciudad rodrigo, with such admirable secrecy, that his preparations were not even known to his own army. i remember, about a fortnight before the siege commenced, hearing that some gabions and fascines were being made in the neighbourhood, but it was spoken of as a sort of sham preparation, intended to keep the enemy on the _qui vive_, as it seemed improbable that he would dare to invest a fortress in the face of an army which he had not force enough to meet in the field, unless on some select position; nor was it until the day before we opened the trenches that we became quite satisfied that he was in earnest. the sieges, stormings, and capture of ciudad rodrigo and badajos followed hard on each other's heels; and as i gave a short detail of the operations in my former volume, it only remains for me now to introduce such anecdotes and remarks as were there omitted. the garrison of ciudad was weak in number, but had a superabundant store of ammunition, which was served out to us with a liberal hand; yet, curious enough, except what was bestowed on the working parties, (and that was plenty in all conscience,) the greater portion of what was intended for the supporting body was expended in air, for they never seemed to have discovered the true position of the besieging force; and though some few of us, in the course of each night, by chance-shots, got transferred from natural to eternal sleep, yet their shells were chiefly employed in the ploughing-up of a hollow way between two hills, where we were supposed to have been, and which they did most effectually at their own cost. when our turn of duty came for the trenches, however, we never had reason to consider ourselves neglected, but, on the contrary, could well spare what was sent at random. i have often heard it disputed whether the most daring deeds are done by men of good or bad repute, but i never felt inclined to give either a preference over the other, for i have seen the most desperate things done by both. i remember one day during the siege that a shell pitched in the trenches within a few yards of a noted bad character of the d regiment, who, rather than take the trouble of leaping out of the trench until it had exploded, went very deliberately up, took it in his arms, and pitched it outside, obliging those to jump back who had there taken shelter from it. a wild young officer, whose eccentricities and death, at waterloo, were noticed in my former volume, was at that time at variance with his father on the subject of pecuniary matters, and in mounting the breach, at ciudad, sword in hand, while both sides were falling thick and fast, he remarked to a brother-officer alongside of him, in his usual jocular way, "egad, if i had my old father here now, i think i should be able to bring him to terms!" nothing shows the spirit of daring and inherent bravery of the british soldier so much as in the calling for a body of volunteers for any desperate service. in other armies, as napier justly remarks, the humblest helmet may catch a beam of glory; but in ours, while the subaltern commanding the forlorn hope may look for death or a company, and the field-officer commanding the stormers an additional step by brevet, to the other officers and soldiers who volunteer on that desperate service, no hope is held out--no reward given; and yet there were as many applicants for a place in the ranks as if it led to the highest honours and rewards. at the stormings of badajos and st. sebastian i happened to be the adjutant of the regiment, and had the selection of the volunteers on those occasions, and i remember that there was as much anxiety expressed, and as much interest made by all ranks to be appointed to the post of honour, as if it had been sinecure situations, in place of death-warrants, which i had at my disposal. for the storming of st. sebastian, the numbers from our battalion were limited to twenty-five; and in selecting the best characters out of those who offered themselves, i rejected an irishman of the name of burke, who, although he had been on the forlorn hope both at ciudad and badajos, and was a man of desperate bravery, i knew to be one of those wild untameable animals that, the moment the place was carried, would run into every species of excess. the party had been named two days before they were called for, and burke besieged my tent night and day, assuring me all the while that unless he was suffered to be of the party, the place would not be taken! i was forced at last to yield, after receiving an application in his behalf from the officer who was to command the party; and he was one of the very few of that gallant little band who returned to tell the story. nor was that voracious appetite for fire-eating confined to the private soldier, for it extended alike to all ranks. on the occasion just alluded to, our quota, as already stated, was limited to a subaltern's command of twenty-five men; and as the post of honour was claimed by the senior lieutenant, (percival,) it in a manner shut the mouths of all the juniors; yet were there some whose mouths would not be shut,--one in particular (lieutenant h.) who had already seen enough of fighting to satisfy the mind of any reasonable man, for he had stormed and bled at ciudad rodrigo, and he had stormed at badajos, not to mention his having had his share in many, and not nameless battles, which had taken place in the interim; yet nothing would satisfy him but that he must draw his sword in that also. our colonel was too heroic a soul himself to check a feeling of that sort in those under him, and he very readily obtained the necessary permission to be a volunteer along with the party. having settled his temporal affairs, namely, willing away his pelisse, jacket, two pairs of trousers, and sundry nether garments,--and however trifling these bequests may appear to a military youth of the present day, who happens to be reconnoitring a merchant tailor's settlement in st. james's street, yet let me tell him that, at the time i speak of, they were valued as highly as if they had been hundreds a year in reversion. the prejudice against will-making by soldiers on service is so strong, that had h. been a rich man in place of a poor one, he must have died on the spot for doing what was accounted infinitely more desperate than storming a breach; but his poverty seemed to have been his salvation, for he was only half killed,--a ball entered under his eye, passed down the roof of the mouth, through the palate, entered again at the collar-bone, and was cut out at the shoulder-blade. he never again returned to his regiment, but i saw him some years after, in his native country (ireland), in an active situation, and, excepting that he had gotten an ugly mark on his countenance, and his former manly voice had dwindled into a less commanding one, he seemed as well as ever i saw him. will-making, as already hinted at, was, in the face of the enemy, reckoned the most daring of all daring deeds, for the doer was always considered a doomed man, and it was but too often verified--not but that the same fatality must have marked him out without it; but so strong was the prejudice generally on that subject that many a goodly estate has, in consequence, passed into what, under other circumstances, would have been forbidden hands. on the subject of presentiments of death in going into battle, i have known as many instances of falsification as verification. to the latter the popular feeling naturally clings as the more interesting of the two; but i am inclined to think that the other would preponderate if the account could be justly rendered. the officer alluded to may be taken as a specimen of the former--he had been my messmate and companion at the sieges and stormings of both ciudad and badajos--and on the morning after the latter, he told me that he had had a presentiment that he would have fallen the night before, though he had been ashamed to confess it sooner--and yet to his credit be it spoken, so far from wishing to avoid, he coveted the post of danger--as his duty for that day would have led him to the trenches, but he exchanged with another officer, on purpose to ensure himself a place in the storm. of my own feelings on the point in consideration, i am free to say that, while i have been engaged in fifty actions, in which i have neither had the time, nor taken the trouble to ask myself any questions on the subject, but encountered them in whatever humour i happened to be--yet, in many others, (the eve of pitched battles,) when the risk was imminent, and certain that one out of every three must go to the ground, i have asked myself the question, "do i feel like a _dead_ man?" but i was invariably answered point blank, "_no!_" and yet must i still look like a superstitious character, when i declare that the only time that i ever went into action, labouring under a regular depression of spirits, was on the evening on which the musket-ball felt my head at foz d'aronce. but to return to the storming of ciudad. the moment which is the most dangerous to the honour and the safety of a british army is that in which they have won the place they have assaulted. while outside the walls, and linked together by the magic hand of discipline, they are heroes--but once they have forced themselves inside they become demons or lunatics--for it is difficult to determine which spirit predominates. to see the two storming divisions assembled in the great square that night, mixed up in a confused mass, shooting at each other, and firing in at different doors and windows, without the shadow of a reason, was enough to drive any one, who was in possession of his senses, mad. the prisoners were formed in a line on one side of the square--unarmed, it is true--but, on my life, had they made a simultaneous rush forward, they might have made a second bergen-op-zoom of it--for so absolute was the sway of the demon of misrule, that half of our men, i verily believe, would have been panic-struck and thrown themselves into the arms of death, over the ramparts, to escape a danger that either did not exist or might have been easily avoided. after calling, and shouting, until i was hoarse in endeavouring to restore order, and when my voice was no longer audible, seeing a soldier raising his piece to fire at a window, i came across his shoulders with a musket-barrel which i had in my hand, and demanded, "what the devil, sir, are you firing at?" to which he answered, "i don't know, sir! i am firing because every body else is!" the storming of a fortress was a new era to the british army of that day, and it is not to be wondered at if the officers were not fully alive to the responsibility which attaches to them on such an occasion--but on their conduct every thing hinges--by judgement and discretion men may be kept together--but once let them loose and they are no longer redeemable. i have often lamented that speechifying was at such a discount in those days, for, excepting what was promulgated in lord wellington's orders, which were necessarily brief, the subordinates knew nothing of the past, present, or the future, until the glimpse of an english newspaper some months after served to enlighten their understandings; but there were every day occasions, in which the slightest hint from our superiors, as to the probable results, would have led to incalculable advantages, and in none more so than in the cases now quoted. so far from recommending caution, the chief of one of the storming divisions is grievously belied if he did not grant some special licenses for that particular occasion, though i am bound to say for him that he did all he could to repress them when he found the advantage taken. ciudad, being a remote frontier fortress, could boast of few persons of any note within its walls--our worthy friends of horquera, (the alcaldé, with his family,) were probably the best, and he returned and resumed his official functions as soon as he found that the place had reverted to its legal owners--his house had been a princely one, but was, unfortunately, situated behind the great breach, and was blown to atoms--so that, for the time being, he was obliged to content himself with one more humble--though, if i may speak as i have felt, i should say not less comfortable, for i contrived to make it my home as often as i could find an excuse for so doing--and, as the old proverb goes, "where there is a will there is a way," it was as often as i could. one portion of the ceremony of spanish hospitality was their awaking me about five in the morning to take a cup of chocolate, made so thick that a tea-spoon might stand in it, which, with a little crisp brown toast, was always administered by the fair hands of one of the damsels, and certes i never could bring myself to consider it an annoyance, however unusual it may seem in this cold land of ours. chap. xi. very short, with a few anecdotes still shorter; but the principal actors thought the scenes long enough. after the fall of ciudad rodrigo, our battalion took possession for a time of ituera, a pretty little village on the banks of the azava. it was a delightful coursing country, abounding in hares; and as the chase in those days afforded a double gratification--the one present, and the other in perspective, (the dinner hour,) it was always followed with much assiduity. the village, too, happened to be within a short ride of ciudad, so that frequent visits to our friends formed an agreeable variety, and rendered our short sojourn there a season of real enjoyment. i was much struck, on first entering spain, in observing what appeared to be a gross absurdity in their religious observances; for whenever one of those processions was heard approaching, the girls, no matter how they had been employed, immediately ran to the window, where, kneeling down, they continued repeating their _aves_ until it had passed, when they jumped up again and were ready for any frolic or mischief. such was the effect produced inwardly by the outward passage of the _hoste_, but it was not until i went to ituera that i had an opportunity of witnessing the fatal results of a more familiar visit from those gentlemen bearing torches and dark lanterns, for they certainly seemed to me to put several souls to flight before they were duly prepared for it. one happened to be the landlady of the house in which i was quartered, a woman about three score, and blind; but she was, nevertheless, as merry as a cricket, and used to amuse us over the fireside in the evening, while "twisting her rock and her wee pickle tow," in chaunting malbrook and other ditties equally interesting, with a voice which at one time might have had a little music in it, but had then degenerated into the squeak of a penny trumpet. in her last evening on earth, she had treated us with her usual serenade, and seemed as likely to live a dozen years longer as any one of the group around her; but on my return from a field-day next forenoon, i met the padré, the sexton, and their usual accompaniments, marching out of the house to the tune of that _grave_ air of theirs; and i saw that further question was needless, for the tears of the attendant damsels told me the tale of woe. her sudden departure was to me most unaccountable, nor could i ever obtain an explanation beyond that she was very aged; that they had sent for the father to comfort her, and now she was happy in the keeping of their blessed virgin. there was much weeping and wailing for a day or two, and her grand-daughter, a tall thin lath of a girl, about eleven or twelve years of age, seemed the most distressed of the group. it so happened that a few days after, an order was promulgated authorising us to fill up our ranks with spanish recruits, to the extent of ten men for each company, and i started off to some of the neighbouring villages, where we were well-known, in the hope of being able to pick up some good ones. on my return i was rather amused to find that the damsel already mentioned, whom i had left ten days before bathed in tears, was already a blushing bride in the hands of a strapping muleteer. while on the subject of those spanish recruits i may here remark that we could not persuade the countrymen to join us, and it was not until we got to madrid that we succeeded in procuring the prescribed number for our battalion. those we got, however, were a very inferior sample of the spaniard, and we therefore expected little from them, but to their credit be it recorded, they turned out admirably well--they were orderly and well-behaved in quarters, and thoroughly good in the field; and they never went into action that they had not their full portion of casualties. there were fifty of them originally, and at the close of the war, (about a year and a half after,) i think there were about seventeen remaining, and there had not been a single desertion from among them. when we were leaving the country they received some months' gratuitous pay and were discharged, taking with them our best wishes, which they richly merited. lord wellington during the whole of the war kept a pack of fox-hounds, and while they contributed not a little to the amusement of whatever portion of the army happened to be within reach of head-quarters, they were to his lordship valuable in many ways; for while he enjoyed the chase as much as any, it gave him an opportunity of seeing and conversing with the officers of the different departments, and other individuals, without attracting the notice of the enemy's emissaries; and the pursuits of that manly exercise, too, gave him a better insight into the characters of the individuals under him, than he could possibly have acquired by years of acquaintance under ordinary circumstances. it is not unusual to meet, in the society of the present day, some old peninsular trump, with the rank very probably of a field officer, and with a face as polished, and its upper story as well furnished as the figure-head of his sword hilt, gravely asserting that all the merit which the duke of wellington has acquired from his victories was due to the troops! and having plundered the commander-in-chief of his glory, and divided it among the followers, he, as an officer of those same followers, very complacently claims a field officer's allowance in the division of the spoil. i would stake all i have in this world that no man ever heard such an opinion from the lips of a private soldier--i mean a thorough good service one--for the ideas of such men are beyond it; and i have ever found that their proudest stories relate to the good or gallant deeds of those above them. it is impossible, therefore, to hear such absurdities advanced by one in the rank of an officer, without marvelling by what fortuitous piece of luck he, with the military capacity of a baggage animal, had contrived to hold his commission, for he must have been deeply indebted to the clemency of those above, and takes the usual method of that class of persons, to shew his sense thereof, by kicking down the ladder by which he ascended. our civil brethren in general are of necessity obliged to swallow a considerable portion of whatever we choose to place before them. but when they meet with such an one as i have described, they may safely calculate that whenever the items of his services can be collected, it will be found that his majesty has had a hard bargain! for, knowing, as every one does, what the best ship's crew would be afloat in the wide world of waters without a master, they may, on the same principle, bear in mind that there can no more be an efficient army without a good general, than there can be an efficient general without a good army, for the one is part and parcel of the other--they cannot exist singly! the touching on the foregoing subject naturally obliges me to wander from my narrative to indulge in a few professional observations, illustrative not only of war but of its instruments. those unaccustomed to warfare, are apt to imagine that a field of battle is a scene of confusion worse confounded, but that is a mistake, for, except on particular occasions, there is in general no noise or confusion any thing like what takes place on ordinary field days in england. i have often seen half the number of troops put to death, without half the bluster and confusion which takes place in a sham fight in the phoenix-park of dublin. the man who blusters at a field day is not the man who does it on the field of battle: on the contrary his thoughts there are generally too big for utterance, and he would gladly squeeze himself into a nutshell if he could. the man who makes a noise on the field of battle is generally a good one, but all rules have their exceptions, for i have seen one or two thorough good ones, who were blusterers in both situations; but it nevertheless betrays a weakness in any officer who is habitually noisy about trifles, from the simple fact that when any thing of importance occurs to require an extraordinary exertion of lungs, nature cannot supply him with the powers requisite to make the soldiers understand that it is the consequence of an occurrence more serious, than the trifle he was in the habit of making a noise about. in soldiering, as in every thing else, except billingsgate and ballad singing, the cleverest things are done quietly. at the storming of the heights of bera, on the th of october, , colonel, now sir john colbourne, who commanded our second brigade, addressed his men before leading them up to the enemy's redoubt with, "now, my lads, we'll just charge up to the edge of the ditch, and if we can't get in, we'll stand there and fire in their faces." they charged accordingly, the enemy fled from the works, and in following them up the mountain, sir john, in rounding a hill, accompanied only by his brigade-major and a few riflemen, found that he had headed a retiring body of about of the french, and whispering to his brigade-major to get as many men together as he could, he without hesitation rode boldly up to the enemy's commander, and demanded his sword! the frenchman surrendered it with the usual grace of his countrymen, requesting that the other would bear witness that he had conducted himself like a good and valiant soldier! sir john answered the appeal with an approving nod; for it was no time to refuse bearing witness to the valour of men, while they were in the act of surrendering to half a dozen. if a body of troops is under fire, and so placed as to be unable to return it, the officer commanding should make it a rule to keep them constantly on the move, no matter if it is but two side steps to the right or one to the front, it always makes them believe they are doing something, and prevents the mind from brooding over a situation which is the most trying of any. the coolness of an officer in action, if even shewn in trifles, goes a great way towards maintaining the steadiness of the men. at the battle of waterloo, i heard sir john lambert call one of his commanding officers to order for repeating his (the general's) word of command, reminding him that when the regiments were in contiguous close columns, they ought to take it from himself! as the brigade was under a terrific fire at the time, the notice of such a trifling breach of rule shewed, at all events, that the gallant general was at home! in the course of the five days' fighting which took place near bayonne, in december, , a singular change of fate, with its consequent interchange of civilities, took place between the commanding officer of a french regiment and one of ours; i forget whether it was the th or th, but i think it was one of the regiments of that brigade--it had been posted amongst some enclosures which left both its flanks at the mercy of others. the fighting at that place had been very severe, with various success, and while the regiment alluded to was hotly engaged in front, a french corps succeeded in getting in their rear; when the enemy's commandant advancing to the english one, apologised for troubling him, but begged to point out that he was surrounded, and must consider himself his prisoner! while the british colonel was listening to the mortifying intelligence, and glancing around to see if no hope of escape was left, he observed another body of english in the act of compassing the very corps by which he had been caught; and, returning the frenchman's salute, begged his pardon for presuming to differ with him in opinion, but that he was labouring under a mistake, for he (the frenchman) was, on the contrary, his prisoner, pointing in his turn to the movement that had taken place while they had been disputing the point. as the fact did not admit of a doubt, the frenchman giving a shrug of the shoulders, and uttering a lament over the fickleness of the war-goddess, quietly surrendered. chap. xii. shewing rough visitors receiving a rough reception. some living and moving specimens thereof. tailors not such fractions of humanity as is generally believed. gentle visitors receiving a gentle reception, which ends by shewing that two shakes joined together sound more melodiously on the heart-strings than two hands which shake of their own accord. pass we on to badajos--to that last, that direful, but glorious night--the th of april--"so fiercely fought, so terribly won, so dreadful in all its circumstances, that posterity can scarcely be expected to credit the tale." any one who has taken the trouble to read and digest what napier has said in vindication of the measures adopted by lord wellington for the subjugation of those fortresses in the manner in which it was done, must feel satisfied that their propriety admits of no dispute. but as the want of time rendered it necessary to set the arts and sciences at defiance--and that, if carried at all, it must have been done with an extra sacrifice of human life, it will for ever remain a matter of opinion at what period of the siege the assault should have been made with the best prospect of success, and with the least probable loss--and such being the case it must be free to every writer to offer his own ideas. lord wellington, as is well known, waited on each occasion for open breaches, and was each time successful--so far he did well, and they may do better who can. colonel lamarre would have attacked badajos the first night of the siege with better hopes of success than on the last, as the garrison, he says, would have been less prepared, and the defences not so complete. but i differ from him on both positions, for, depend upon it, that every garrison is excessively alive for the first few days after they have been invested. and as to defensive preparations, i have reason to think that few after ones of consequence took place, but those of counteracting the effects of our battering guns. i am, nevertheless, one of those who would like to see the attempt made at an intermediate period. breaches certainly serve the important end of distracting the attention of the garrison, and leading them to neglect other assailable points--though, whenever they have the opportunity of retrenching them, as at badajos, they are undoubtedly the strongest parts of the works. i should therefore carry on the siege in the usual manner until about the time the batteries began to come into operation, and as it might then be fairly presumed that the garrison, by the regular order of proceedings, would be lulled into a notion of temporary security, i should feel monstrously inclined to try my luck. if it turned up trumps it might save valuable time and a thousand or two of valuable lives. if it failed, the loss would be in proportion; but it would neither lose time, nor compromise the result of the siege. colonel jones, an able writer and an able fighter, in his particular department, would have had us do what his great guns ought to have done on that memorable night--namely, to have cleared away the defences on the top of the breach, which he affirms might have been done by the rush of a dense mass of troops. but had he been where i was he would have seen that there was no scarcity of rushes of dense masses of troops; but, independently of every other engine of destruction which human ingenuity could invent--they were each time met by a dense rush of balls, and it is the nature of man to bow before them. no dense mass of troops could reach the top of that breach. major (then lieutenant) johnston, of ours, who was peculiarly calculated for desperate enterprize, preceded the forlorn hope, in command of a party carrying ropes, prepared with nooses, to throw over the sword blades, as the most likely method of displacing, by dragging them down the breach; but he and his whole party were stricken down before one of them had got within throwing distance. when an officer, as i have already mentioned, with a presentiment of death upon him, resigned a safe duty to take a desperate one--when my own servant, rather than remain behind, gave up his situation and took his place in the ranks--when another man of ours (resolved to win or to die,) thrust himself beneath the chained sword blades, and there suffered the enemy to dash his brains out with the ends of their muskets--these, i say, out of as many thousand instances of the kind which may be furnished, will shew that there was no want of daring leaders or desperate followers. the defences on the tops of the breaches ought to have been cleared away by our batteries before the assault commenced. but failing that, i cannot see why a couple of six-pounders (or half a dozen) might not have been run up along with the storming party, to the crest of the glacis. our battalion took post there, and lay about ten minutes unknown to the enemy, and had a few guns been sent along with us, i am confident that we could have taken them up with equal silence, and had them pointed at the right place--when, at the time that the storming party commenced operations, a single discharge from each, at that range of a few yards, would not only have disturbed the economy of the sword blades and sand-bags, but astonished the wigs of those behind them. as it was, however, when i visited the breaches next morning, instead of seeing the ruin of a place just carried by storm, the whole presented the order and regularity of one freshly prepared to meet it--not a sword blade deranged, nor a sand-bag removed! the advance of the fourth division had been delayed by some accident, and the head of their column did not reach the ditch until our first attack had been repulsed, and when considerable confusion consequently prevailed. the seventh fusileers came gallantly on, headed by major ----, who, though a very little man, shouted with the lungs of a giant, for the way to be cleared, to "let the royal fusileers advance!" several of our officers assisted him in such a laudable undertaking; but, in the mean time, a musket-ball found its way into some sensitive part, and sent the gallant major trundling heels over head among the loose stones, shouting to a less heroic tune--while his distinguished corps went determinedly on, but with no better success than those who had just preceded them, for the thing was not to be done. after we had withdrawn from the ditch and reformed the division for a renewal of the attack, (it must have been then about two or three o'clock in the morning,) some of those on the look-out brought us information that the enemy were leaving the breaches, and our battalion was instantly moved forward to take possession. we stole down into the ditch with the same silence which marked our first advance--an occasional explosion or a discharge of musketry continued to be heard in distant parts of the works; but in the awful charnel pit we were then traversing to reach the foot of the breach, the only sounds that disturbed the night were the moans of the dying, with an occasional screech from others suffering under acute agony; while a third class lying there disabled, and alive to passing events, on hearing the movement of troops, (though too dark to distinguish them,) began proclaiming their names and regiments, and appealing to individual officers and soldiers of the different corps, on whose friendly aid they seemed to feel that they could rely if they happened to be within hearing. it was a heart-rending moment to be obliged to leave such appeals unheeded; but, though the fate of those around might have been ours the next instant, our common weal, our honour, and our country's, alike demanded that every thing should be sacrificed to secure the prize which was now within our grasp; and our onward movement was therefore continued into the breach with measured tread and stern silence, leaving the unfortunate sufferers to doubt whether the stone walls around had not been their only listeners. once established within the walls we felt satisfied that the town was ours--and, profiting by his experience at ciudad, our commandant (colonel cameron) took the necessary measures to keep his battalion together, so long as the safety of the place could in any way be compromised--for, knowing the barbarous license which soldiers employed in that desperate service claim, and which they will not be denied, he addressed them, and promised that they should have the same indulgence as others, and that he should not insist upon keeping them together longer than was absolutely necessary; but he assured them that if any man quitted the ranks until he gave permission he would cause him to be put to death on the spot. that had the desired effect until between nine and ten o'clock in the morning, when, seeing that the whole of the late garrison had been secured and marched off to elvas, he again addressed his battalion, and thanked them for their conduct throughout: he concluded with, "now, my men, you may fall out and enjoy yourselves for the remainder of the day, but i shall expect to see you all in camp at the usual roll-call in the evening!" when the evening came, however, in place of the usual tattoo report of all present, it was all absent, and it could have been wished that the irregularities had ended with that evening's report. as soon as a glimpse of day-light permitted i went to take a look at the breach, and there saw a solitary figure, with a drawn sword, stalking over the ruins and the slain, which, in the grey dawn of morning, appeared to my astonished eyes like a headless trunk, and concluded that it was the ghost of one of the departed come in search of its earthly remains. i cautiously approached to take a nearer survey, when i found that it was captain m'nair, of the d, with his head wrapped in a red handkerchief. he told me that he was looking for his cap and his scabbard, both of which had parted company from him in the storm, about that particular spot; but his search proved a forlorn hope. i congratulated him that his head had not gone in the cap, as had been the case with but too many of our mutual companions on that fatal night. when our regiment had reformed after the assault we found a melancholy list of absent officers, ten of whom were doomed never to see it more, and it was not until our return to the camp that we learnt the fate of all. the wounded had found their way or been removed to their own tents--the fallen filled a glorious grave on the spot where they fell. the first tent that i entered was johnston's, with his shattered arm bandaged; he was lying on his boat-cloak fast asleep; and, coupling his appearance with the recollection of the daring duty he had been called on to perform but a few hours before, in front of the forlorn hope, i thought that i had never set my eyes on a nobler picture of a soldier. his whole appearance, even in sleep, shewed exactly as it had been in the execution of that duty; his splendid figure was so disposed that it seemed as if he was taking the first step on the breach--his eyebrows were elevated--his nostrils still distended--and, altogether, he looked as if he would clutch the castle in his remaining hand. no one could have seen him at that moment without saying, "there lies a hero!" of the doomed, who still survived, was poor donald mac pherson, a gigantic highlander of about six feet and a half, as good a soul as ever lived; in peace a lamb--in war a lion. donald feared for nothing either in this world or the next; he had been true to man and true to his god, and he looked his last hour in the face like a soldier and a christian! donald's final departure from this life shewed him a worthy specimen of his country, and his methodical arrangements, while they prove what i have stated, may, at the same time, serve as as a model for joe hume himself, when he comes to cast up his last earthly accounts. donald had but an old mare and a portmanteau, with its contents, worth about £ , to leave behind him. he took a double inventory of the latter, sending one to the regiment by post, and giving the other in charge of his servant--and paying the said worthy his wages up to the probable day of his death; he gave him a conditional order on the paymaster for whatever more might be his due should he survive beyond his time--and, if ever man did, he certainly quitted this world with a clear conscience. poor donald! peace be to thy manes, for thou wert one whom memory loves to dwell on! it is curious to remark the fatality which attends individual officers in warfare. in our regiment there were many fine young men who joined us, and fell in their first encounter with the enemy; but, amongst the old standing dishes, there were some who never, by any chance got hit, while others, again, never went into action without. at the close of the war, when we returned to england, if our battalion did not shew symptoms of its being a well-shot corps, it is very odd: nor was it to be wondered at if the camp-colours were not covered with that precision, nor the salute given with the grace usually expected from a reviewed body, when i furnish the following account of the officers commanding companies on the day of inspection, viz. beckwith with a cork-leg--pemberton and manners with a shot each in the knee, making them as stiff as the other's tree one--loftus gray with a gash in the lip, and minus a portion of one heel, which made him march to the tune of dot and go one--smith with a shot in the ankle--eeles minus a thumb--johnston, in addition to other shot holes, a stiff elbow, which deprived him of the power of disturbing his friends as a scratcher of scotch reels upon the violin--percival with a shot through his lungs. hope with a grape-shot lacerated leg--and george simmons with his riddled body held together by a pair of stays, for his was no holyday waist, which naturally required such an appendage lest the burst of a sigh should snap it asunder; but one that appertained to a figure framed in nature's fittest mould to "brave the battle and the breeze!" i know not to what particular circumstances british tailors were in the first instance indebted, for ranking them so low in the scale of humanity, but, as far as my knowledge extends, there never was a more traduced race. those of our regiment i know were among the best soldiers in it, and more frequently hit than any, very much to our mortification; for the very limited allowance of an officer's campaigning baggage left him almost constantly at their mercy for the decoration of his outward man; but as the musket-balls shewed no mercy to them, we could not of course expect them to extend it to us. our master-man having at this time got his third shot, we deemed it high time to place him on the shelf, by confining his operations in the field, to the baggage guard. so long as we could preserve him in a condition to wield the scissors, we luckily discovered that there were minor thimble-plyers ready to rally round him, for we should otherwise have been driven sometimes to the extraordinary necessity of invading the nether garments of the ladies! the last night at badajos had been to the belligerents such as few had ever seen--the next, to its devoted inhabitants, was such as none would ever wish to see again, for there was no sanctuary within its walls. i was conversing with a friend the day after, at the door of his tent, when we observed two ladies coming from the city, who made directly towards us; they seemed both young, and when they came near, the elder of the two threw back her _mantilla_ to address us, shewing a remarkably handsome figure, with fine features, but her sallow, sunburnt, and careworn, though still youthful countenance, shewed that in her, "the time for tender thoughts and soft endearments had fled away and gone." she at once addressed us in that confident heroic manner so characteristic of the high bred spanish maiden, told us who they were, the last of an ancient and honourable house, and referred to an officer high in rank in our army, who had been quartered there in the days of her prosperity, for the truth of her tale. her husband she said was a spanish officer in a distant part of the kingdom; he might or he might not still be living. but yesterday, she and this her young sister were able to live in affluence and in a handsome house--to day, they knew not where to lay their heads--where to get a change of raiment or a morsel of bread. her house, she said, was a wreck, and to shew the indignities to which they had been subjected, she pointed to where the blood was still trickling down their necks, caused by the wrenching of their earrings through the flesh, by the hands of worse than savages who would not take the trouble to unclasp them! for herself, she said, she cared not; but for the agitated, and almost unconscious maiden by her side, whom she had but lately received over from the hands of her conventual instructresses, she was in despair, and knew not what to do; and that in the rapine and ruin which was at that moment desolating the city, she saw no security for her but the seemingly indelicate one she had adopted, of coming to the camp and throwing themselves upon the protection of any british officer who would afford it; and so great, she said, was her faith in our national character, that she knew the appeal would not be made in vain, nor the confidence abused. nor was it made in vain! nor could it be abused, for she stood by the side of an angel!--a being more transcendantly lovely i had never before seen--one more amiable, i have never yet known! fourteen summers had not yet passed over her youthful countenance, which was of a delicate freshness, more english than spanish--her face though not perhaps rigidly beautiful, was nevertheless so remarkably handsome, and so irresistibly attractive, surmounting a figure cast in nature's fairest mould, that to look at her was to love her--and i did love her; but i never told my love, and in the meantime another, and a more impudent fellow stepped in and won her! but yet i was happy--for in him she found such a one as her loveliness and her misfortunes claimed--a man of honour, and a husband in every way worthy of her! that a being so young, so lovely, so interesting, just emancipated from the gloom of a convent, unknowing of the world and to the world unknown, should thus have been wrecked on a sea of troubles, and thrown on the mercy of strangers under circumstances so dreadful, so uncontrollable, and not to have sunk to rise no more, must be the wonder of every one. yet from the moment she was thrown on her own resources, her star was in the ascendant. guided by a just sense of rectitude, an innate purity of mind, a singleness of purpose which defied malice, and a soul that soared above circumstances, she became alike the adored of the camp and of the drawing-room, and eventually the admired associate of princes. she yet lives, in the affections of her gallant husband in an elevated situation in life, a pattern to her sex, and the every body's _beau ideal_ of what a wife should be. my reader will perhaps bear with me on this subject yet a little longer. thrown upon each other's acquaintance in a manner so interesting, it is not to be wondered at that she and i conceived a friendship for each other, which has proved as lasting as our lives--a friendship which was cemented by after circumstances so singularly romantic, that imagination may scarcely picture them! the friendship of man is one thing--the friendship of woman another; and those only who have been on the theatre of fierce warfare, and knowing that such a being was on the spot, watching with earnest and unceasing solicitude over his safety, alike with those most dear to her, can fully appreciate the additional value which it gives to one's existence. about a year after we became acquainted, i remember that our battalion was one day moving down to battle, and had occasion to pass by the lone country-house in which she had been lodged. the situation was so near to the outposts, and a battle certain, i concluded that she must ere then have been removed to a place of greater security, and, big with the thought of coming events, i scarcely even looked at it as we rolled along, but just as i had passed the door, i found my hand suddenly grasped in her's--she gave it a gentle pressure, and without uttering a word had rushed back into the house again, almost before i could see to whom i was indebted for a kindness so unexpected and so gratifying. my mind had the moment before been sternly occupied in calculating the difference which it makes in a man's future prospects--his killing or being killed, when "a change at once came o'er the spirit of the dream," and throughout the remainder of that long and trying day, i felt a lightness of heart and buoyancy of spirit which, in such a situation, was no less new than delightful. i never, until then, felt so forcibly the beautiful description of fitz james's expression of feeling, after his leave-taking of helen under somewhat similar circumstances:-- "and after oft the knight would say, that not when prize of festal day, was dealt him by the brightest fair that e'er wore jewel in her hair, so highly did his bosom swell, as at that simple, mute, farewell." chap. xiii. specimens of target-practice, in which markers may become marked men.--a grave anecdote, shewing how "some men have honours thrust upon them."--a line drawn between man and beast.--lines drawn between regiments, and shewing how credit may not be gained by losing what they are made of.--aristocratic.--dedicatic.--dissertation on advanced guards, and desertion of knapsacks, shewing that "the greater haste the worse speed." with discipline restored, badajos secured, and the french relieving army gone to the right about, we found ourselves once more transferred to the north. marmont had, during our absence, thrown away much valuable time in cutting some unmeaning vagaries before the portuguese militia, which, happily for us, he might have spent more profitably; and now that we approached him, he fell back upon salamanca, leaving us to take quiet possession of our former cantonments. lord wellington had thus, by a foresight almost superhuman, and by a rapidity of execution equal to the conception, succeeded in snatching the two frontier fortresses out of the enemy's hands in the face of their superior armies, it gave him a double set of keys for the security of rescued portugal, and left his victorious army free and unfettered for the field. we had been on the watch long enough, with the enemy before, beside, and around us; but it had now become their turn to look out for squalls, and by and bye they caught it--but in the meanwhile we were allowed to have some respite after the extraordinary fatigues of the past. spring had by that time furnished the face of nature with her annual suit of regimentals, (i wish it had done as much for us,) our pretty little village stood basking in the sunshine of the plain, while the surrounding forest courted the lovers of solitude to repose within its shady bosom. there the nightingale and the bee-bird made love to their mates--and there too the wolf made love to his meat, for which he preferred the hind-quarter of a living horse, but failing that, he did not despise a slice from a mule or a donkey. nature seemed to have intended that region as the abode of rural tranquillity, but man had doomed it otherwise. the white tent rearing its fiery top among the green leaves of the forest--the war-steed careering on the plains--the voice of the trumpet for the bleat of the lamb--and the sharp clang of the rifle with its thousand echoes reverberating from the rocks at target-practice, were none of them in keeping with the scene; so that the nightingale was fain to hush its melody, and the wolf his howl, until a change of circumstances should restore him to his former sinecure of head ranger. the actors on that busy scene too continued to be wild and reckless as their occupation, their lives had been so long in perpetual jeopardy that they now held them of very little value. a rifleman one day in marking the target, went behind to fix it more steadily; another, who did not observe him go there, sent a ball through, which must have passed within a hair's breadth of the marker, but the only notice he took was to poke his head from behind, and thundering out, "hilloah there, d---- your eyes, do you mean to shoot us?" went on with his work as if it had been nothing. whilst on the subject of rifle-shooting, and thinking of the late indian exhibition of its nicety on the london stage, it reminds me that the late colonel wade, and one of the privates of our second battalion, were in the habit of holding the target for each other at the distance of yards. i cannot think of those days without reflecting on the mutability of human life, and the chances and changes which man is heir to. for, to think that i, who had so many years been the sleeping and waking companion of dead men's bones, and not only accustomed to hold them valueless, but often to curse the chance "which brought them between the wind and my nobility;" i say that, under such circumstances, to think i should e'er have stood the chance of dying the death of a body snatcher, is to me astonishing, and would shew, even without any scriptural authority, "that in the midst of life we are in death," for so it was. some years after, i was on my way from ireland to scotland, when i was taken seriously ill at belfast. after being confined to bed several days in a hotel there, and not getting better, i became anxious to reach home, and had myself conveyed on board a steam-boat which was on the point of sailing. i had been but a few minutes in bed when i heard a confused noise about the boat; but i was in a low, listless mood, dead to every thing but a feeling of supreme misery, until my cabin-door was opened, and the ugly faces of several legal understrappers protruded themselves, and began to reconnoitre me with a strong sinister expression; i was dead even to that, but when they at length explained, that in searching the luggage of the passengers, they had found a defunct gentleman in one of the boxes, and as he belonged to nobody out of bed, he must naturally be the property of the only one in it, viz. myself! a very reasonable inference, at which i found it high time to stir myself, the more particularly as the intimation was accompanied by an invitation to visit the police-office. my unshaved countenance worn down to a most cadaverous hue with several days intense suffering, was but ill calculated to bear me out in assertions to the contrary, but having some documentary evidence to shew who i was, and seeing too that i was really the invalid which they thought i had only affected, they went away quite satisfied. not so, however, the mob without, who insisted on being allowed to judge for themselves, so that the officers were obliged to return and beg of me to shew myself at the cabin widow to pacify them. there is no doubt but i must at that time, have borne a much stronger resemblance to the gentleman in the box, than to the gentleman proprietor; but to shew the justice and discrimination of mobites, i had no sooner exhibited my countenance such as it was, than half of them shouted that they knew me to be the man, and demanded that i should be handed over to them; and had there not been some of the family of the hotel fortunately on board seeing their friends off, who vouched for my authenticity, and for my having been in bed in their house ever since i came to town, there is little doubt but they would have made a _subject_ of me. returning from this grave anecdote to the seat of war, i pass on to the assembling of the army in front of ciudad rodrigo preparatory to the advance upon salamanca. our last assemblage on the same spot was to visit the walls of that fortress with the thunder of our artillery, and having, by the force of such persuasive arguments, succeeded in converting them into friends, in whom, with confidence, we might rely in the hour of need, we were now about to bid them and our peasant associates an adieu, with a fervent wish on our part that it might be a final one, while with joy we looked forward to the brightening prospect which seemed to promise us an opportunity of diving a little deeper into their land of romance than we had yet done. division after division of our iron framed warriors successively arrived, and took possession of the rugged banks of the agueda, in gallant array and in gayer shape than formerly, for in our first campaigns the canopy of heaven had been our only covering, and our walking on two legs, clothed in rags, the only distinction between us and the wild beast of the forest--whereas we were now indulged in the before unheard of luxury of a tent--three being allowed to the soldiers of each company, and one to the officers. there is nothing on earth so splendid--nothing so amusing to a military soul as this assembling of an army for active service--to see fifty thousand men all actuated by one common spirit of enterprize, and the cause their country's! and to see the manner, too, in which it acts on the national characters enlisted in it--the grave-looking, but merry-hearted englishman--the canny, cautious, and calculating scotchman, and the devil-may-care _nonchalance_ of the irish. i should always prefer to serve in a mixed corps, but i love to see a national one--for while the natives of the three amalgamate well, and make, generally speaking, the most steady, there is nevertheless an _esprit_ about a national one which cannot fail to please. nothing occasions so much controversy in civil life as the comparative merits of those same corps--the scotchman claiming every victory in behalf of his countrymen, and the irishman being no less voracious--so that the unfortunate english regiments, who furnish more food for powder than both put together, are thus left to fight and die unhonoured. those who know no better naturally enough award the greatest glory to the greatest sufferers; but that is no time criterion--for great loss in battle, in place of being a proof of superior valour and discipline, is not unfrequently occasioned by a want of the latter essential. the proudest trophy which the commanding officer of a regiment can ever acquire is the credit of having done a brilliant deed with little loss--and although there are many instances in which they may justly boast of such misfortunes--witness the fifty-seventh at albuera, the twenty-seventh at waterloo, and a hundred similar cases, in which they nearly all perished on the spot they were ordered to defend, yet i am of opinion that if the sentiments of old service officers could be gathered, it would be found among a majority, that their proudest regimental days were not those on which they had suffered most. national regiments have perhaps a greater _esprit de corps_ generally than the majority of mixed ones, but in action they are more apt to be carried away by some sudden burst of undisciplined valour, as napier would have it, to the great danger of themselves and others. an irishman, after the battle of vimiera, in writing home to his friends, said, "we charged them over fifteen leagues of country, we never waited for the word of command, for we were all irish!" and i think i could furnish a highland anecdote or two of a similar tendency. in the present day, the crack national regiments, officered as they are with their share of the _elite_ of their country's youth, are not to be surpassed--but in war time i have never considered a crack national regiment equal to a crack mixed one. the irishman seems sworn never to drink water when he can get whiskey, unless he likes it better--the scotchman, for a soldier, sometimes shews too much of the lawyer--the englishman, too, has his besetting sin--but by mixing the three in due proportions, the evils are found to counteract each other. as regards personal bravery there is not a choice among them--and for the making of a perfect regiment i should therefore prescribe one-half english, and of irish and scotch a quarter each. yet, as i said before, i love to see a national corps, and hope never to see a british army without them. with regard to officers, i think i mentioned before that in war we had but a slender sprinkling of the aristocracy among us. the reason i consider a very sensible one, for whatever may be the sins with which they have, at different times, been charged, the want of pluck has never been reckoned among the number. but as there never was any scarcity of officers for the field, and consequently their country did not demand the sacrifice--they may very conscientiously stand acquitted for not going abroad, to fight and be starved, when they could live at home in peace and plenty. i have often lamented however that a greater number had not been induced to try their fortunes on the tented field, for i have ever found that their presence and example tended to correct many existing evils. how it should have happened i leave to others, but i have rarely known one who was not beloved by those under him. they were not better officers, nor were they better or braver men than the soldiers of fortune,[g] with which they were mingled; but there was a degree of refinement in all their actions, even in mischief, which commanded the respect of the soldiers, while those who had been framed in rougher moulds, and left unpolished, were sometimes obliged to have recourse to harsh measures to enforce it. the example was therefore invaluable for its tendency to shew that habitual severity was not a necessary ingredient in the art of governing--and however individuals may affect to despise and condemn the higher orders, it is often because they feel that they sink in the comparison, and thus it is that they will ever have their cringers and imitators even among their abusers. [g] meaning soldiers of no fortune. i have, without permission, taken the liberty of dedicating this volume to one of their number--not because he is one of them, but that he is what i have found him--a nobleman! i dedicate it to him, because, though personally unacquainted, i knew and admired him in war, as one of the most able and splendid assistants of the illustrious chief with whom he served--and, "though poor the offering be," i dedicate it to him in gratitude, that with no other recommendation than my public services, i have ever since the war experienced at his hands a degree of consideration and kindness which none but a great and a good man could have known how to offer. it may appear to my reader that i have no small share of personal vanity to gratify in making this announcement, and i own it. i am proud that i should have been thought deserving of his lordship's notice, but i am still prouder that it is in my power to give myself as an example that men of rank in office are not all of them the heartless beings which many try to make them appear. with the army assembled, and the baggage laden on a fine may morning, i shall place every infantry man on his legs, the dragoon in his saddle, and the followers on their donkeys, starting the whole cavalcade off on the high road to salamanca, which, being a very uninteresting one, and without a shot to enliven the several days' march, i shall take advantage of the opportunity it affords to treat my young military readers to a dissertation on advanced guards--for we have been so long at peace that the customs of war in the like cases are liable to be forgotten, unless rubbed into existence from time to time by some such old foggy as i am, and for which posterity can never feel sufficiently thankful, as to see our army taking the field with the advanced guard on a plain, prescribed by the book of regulations, would bring every old soldier to what i for one am not prepared for--a premature end; as however well the said advanced guard may be calculated to find birds' nests in a barrack square or on a common parade, in the field it would worry an army to death. in the first place, if a plain is an honest plain, it requires no advanced guard, for a man's eyes are not worth preserving if they cannot help him to see three or four miles all round about--but there is no such thing as a plain any where. look at the plains of salamanca, where you may fancy that you see fifty miles straight on end without so much as a wart on the face of nature, as big as a mole hill; yet within every league or two you find yourself descending into a ravine a couple of miles deep, taking half a day to regain the plain on the opposite side, within a couple of stones' throw of where you were. in place of harassing the men with perpetual flank patroles, blistering their feet over the loose stones with shoes full of sand, and expending their valuable wind, which is so much wanted towards the end of the day, in scrambling over uneven ground, let me recommend the advanced guard to confine itself to the high road until patrolling becomes necessary, which, in a forest, will be from the time they enter until they leave it, unless they can trust to the information that the enemy are otherwise engaged. and in the open country every officer commanding a regiment, troop, or company, who has got half a military eye in his head, will readily see when it is advisable to send a patrole to examine any particular ground; and in so doing his best guide is to remember the amount of the force which he covers; for while he knows that the numbers necessary to surprize an army of fifty thousand men cannot be conveniently crammed within the compass of a nutshell, he must, on the other hand, remember that there are few countries which do not afford an ambuscade for five or ten thousand--_ergo_, if there be any truth in cocker, the man covering five thousand men must look exactly ten times sharper than the man who covers fifty thousand. with an army of rough and ready materials such as ours had now become, the usual precautions were scarcely necessary, except in the immediate vicinity of the foe, for they had by this time discovered that it was more easy to find than to get rid of us; but they ought, nevertheless, to be strictly observed at all times, unless there are good and sufficient reasons why they need not. in an open country a few squadrons of dragoons shoved well to the front will procure every necessary information; but, in a close country, i hold the following to be the best advanced guard. st. a subaltern with twelve hussars, throwing two of them a hundred yards in front, and four at fifty. d. a section of riflemen or light infantry at fifty yards. d. the other three sections of the company at fifty yards. th. four companies of light infantry at a hundred yards, with communicating files, and followed closely by two pieces of horse artillery, and a squadron of dragoons. on falling in with the enemy, the advanced videttes will fire off their carabines to announce it, and if their opponents fall back they will continue their onward movement. if they do not, the intermediate four will join them, and try the result of a shot each; when, if the enemy still remain, it shews that they decline taking a civil hint, which, if they are infantry, they assuredly will; and dispositions must be made accordingly. while the remaining hussars are therefore dispatched to watch the flanks, the leading section of infantry will advance in skirmishing order, and take possession of the most favourable ground near the advanced videttes. the other three sections will close up to within fifty yards, one of them, if necessary, to join the advanced one, but a subdivision must remain in reserve. the guns will remain on the road, and the dragoons and infantry composing the main body of the advanced guard will be formed on the flanks, in such manner as the ground will admit, so as to be best ready for either attack or defence; and in that disposition they will wait further orders, presuming that the officer commanding the division will not be a hundred miles off. the foregoing applies more particularly to the following of an enemy whom you have not lately thrashed, whereas, if following a beaten one, he ought never to be allowed a moment's respite so long as you have force enough of any kind up to shove him along. he ought to be bullied every inch of the way with dragoons and horse artillery, and the infantry brought to bear as often as possible. however much additional celerity of movement on the part of the latter force may be desirable, i must impress upon the minds of all future comptrollers of knapsacks, that on no consideration should an infantry man ever be parted from his pack. he will not move a bit faster without than he does with it, nor do i think he can do a yard further in a day's walking; they become so accustomed to the pace, and so inured to the load, that it makes little difference to them whether it is on or off,[h] while the leaving of them behind leads, at all times, to serious loss, and to still more serious inconvenience. [h] lightly however as they felt the load at the time, it was one that told fearfully on the constitution, and i have seen many men discharged in consequence, as being worn out, at thirty-five years of age. the rifles during the war were frequently, as an indulgence, made to fight without them, but on every occasion it proved a sacrifice, and a great one. for although they were carried for us by the dragoons, who followed after, yet as our skirmishing service took us off the road, the kit of every man who got wounded was sure to be lost, for while he was lying kicking on his back in the middle of a field, or behind a stone wall, impatiently waiting for assistance, his knapsack had passed on to the front, and was never heard of more, (for every one has quite enough to do to take care of his own affairs on those occasions,) and the poor fellow was thus deprived of his comforts at a time when they were most needed. a dragoon, too, carrying several of them would sometimes get hit, and he of course pitched them all to the devil, while he took care of himself, and the unfortunate owners after their hard day's fighting were compelled to sleep in the open air for that and many succeeding nights, without the use of their blankets or necessaries. on one occasion i remember that they were left on the ground, and the battle rolled four miles beyond them, so that when it was over, and every one had already done enough, the soldiers were either obliged to go without, or to add eight or ten miles walk to a harassing day's work. the secretary at war eventually came in for his share of the trouble attendant on those movements, for many were the claims for compensation which poured in upon the war-office in after years, by the poor fellows who had bled and lost their all upon those occasions, nor do i know whether they have ever yet been set at rest. so much for advanced guards and people in a hurry, and as i happen to have a little leisure time and a vacant leaf or two to fill up, i shall employ it in taking a shot at field fortification; and in so doing, be it remarked, that i leave science in those matters to the scientific, for i am but a practical soldier. the french shewed themselves regular moles at field work, for they had no sooner taken post on a fresh position, than they were to be seen stirring up the ground in all directions. with us it was different. i have always understood that lord wellington had a dislike to them, and would rather receive his enemy in the open field than from behind a bank of mud. how far it was so i know not; but the report seemed to be verified by circumstances, for he rarely ever put us to the trouble of throwing up either redoubts or breast works, except at particular outposts, where they were likely to be useful. at fuentes indeed he caused some holes to be dug on the right of the line, in which the enemy's cavalry might have comfortably broken their necks without hurting themselves much; but i do not recollect our ever disturbing the ground any where else--leaving the lines of torres vedras out of the question, as containing works of a different order. if time and circumstances permitted common field works to be so constructed as to prevent an enemy from scrambling up the walls, they would indeed be a set of valuable pictures in the face of a position; but as with mud alone they never can, i, for one, hold them to be worse than nothing, and would rather go against one of them, than against the same number of men in the open field. it is true that in such a place they will suffer less in the first instance, but if they do not repulse their assailants or make a speedy retreat, they are sure to be all netted in the long run, and the consequence is, that one rarely sees a work of that kind well defended, for while its garrison is always prepared for a start, its fire is not so destructive as from the same number of men in the field, for in the field they will do their duty, but in the redoubt they will not, and half of their heads will be well sheltered under the ramparts, while they send the shot off at random. i know the fellows well, and it is only to swarm a body of light troops against the nearest angle, to get into the ditch as quickly as possible, to unkennel any garrison of that kind very cleverly, unless there be other obstacles than their bayonets to contend against. from field works i return to our work in the field, to state that after several days march under a broiling hot sun, and on roads of scorching dust, which makes good stiff broth in winter, we found ourselves on the banks of the tormes, near the end of the bridge of salamanca; but as the gatekeeper there required change for twenty-four pound shot, and we had none at the moment to give him, we were obliged to take to the stream. i know not what sort of toes the pope keeps for his friends to kiss, but i know that after a week's marching in summer i would not kiss those of the army for a trifle; however, i suppose that walking feet and kissing ones wear quite different pairs of shoes. the fording of the clear broad waters of the tormes at all events proved a luxury in various ways, and considerably refreshed by that part of the ceremony, we found ourselves shortly after in the heart of that classical city, where the first classics which we were called upon to study, were those of three forts, of a class of their own, which was well calculated to keep their neighbours in a constant supply of hot water. they were not field works such as i have been treating of in the last few pages, but town ones, with walls steep enough and ditches deep enough to hold the army, if packed like herrings. for ourselves we passed on to the front, leaving the seventh division to deal with them; and a hard bargain they drove for a time, though they finally brought them to terms. i rode in from the outposts several times to visit them during the siege, and on one occasion finding an officer, stationed in a tower, overlooking the works and acting under rather particular orders, it reminded me of an anecdote that occurred with us in the early part of the war. one of our majors had posted a subaltern with a party of riflemen in the tower of a church, and as the place was an important one, he ordered the officer, in the event of an attack, never to quit the place alive! in the course of the evening the commanding officer went to visit the picquet, and after satisfying himself on different points, he demanded of lieut. ---- what dispositions he had made for retreat in the event of his post being forced?--to which the other replied, "none." "none, sir," said the commanding officer, "then let me tell you that you have neglected an important part of your duty." "i beg your pardon," returned the officer, "but my orders are never to quit this spot alive, and therefore no arrangements for retreat can be necessary!" it may be needless to add that a discretionary power was then extended to him. in a midnight visit which i paid to the same place in company with a staff friend, while the batteries were in full operation, we were admiring the splendour of the scene, the crash of the artillery, and the effect of the light and shade on the ruins around, caused by the perpetual flashes from the guns and fire-balls, when it recalled to his remembrance the siege of copenhagen, where he described a similar scene which was enacted, but in a position so much more interesting. the burying-grounds in the neighbourhood of that capital, were generally very tastefully laid out like shrubberies with beds of flowers, appropriate trees, &c., and intersected by winding gravel-walks, neatly bordered with box. one of the prettiest of these cemeteries was that at the lecton suburb, in which there was a profusion of white marble statues of men and women--many of them in loose flowing drapery, and also of various quadrupeds, erected in commemoration or in illustration of the habits and virtues of the dead. these statues were generally overshadowed by cypress and other _lugubrious_ trees. closely adjoining this beautiful cemetery, two heavy batteries were erected, one of ten-inch mortars, and the other of twenty-four pound battering guns. in passing alone through this receptacle of the dead, about the hour of midnight, the rapid flashes of the artillery seemed to call all these statues, men, women, and beasts, with all their dismal accompaniments, into a momentary and ghastly existence--and the immediate succession of the deep gloom of midnight produced an effect which, had it been visible to a congregation of scotch nurses, would in their hands have thrown all the goblin tales of their ancestors into the shade, and generations of bairns yet unborn would have had to shudder at the midnight view of a church-yard. even among the stern hearts to whose view alone it was open, the spectacle was calculated to excite very interesting reflections. the crash of the artillery on both sides was enough to have awakened the dead, then came the round shot with its wholesale sweep, tearing up the ornamental trees and dashing statues into a thousand pieces,--next came the bursting shell sending its fragments chattering among the tombs and defacing every-thing it came in contact with. these, all these came from the danes themselves, and who knew but the hand that levelled the gun which destroyed that statue was not the same which had erected it to the memory of a beloved wife? who knew but that the evergreens which had just been torn by a shot from a new-made grave, were planted there over the remains of an angelic daughter, and watered by the tears of the man who fired it? and who knew but that that exquisitely chiseled marble figure, which had its nose and eye defaced by a bursting shell, was not placed there to commemorate the decease of a beauteous and adored sweetheart, and valued more than existence by him who had caused its destruction! ah me! war, war! that "snatching from the hand of time, the scythe of ruin, sits aloft, or stalks in dreadful majesty abroad." i know not what sort of place salamanca was on ordinary occasions, but at that time it was remarkably stupid. the inhabitants were yet too much at the mercy of circumstances to manifest any favourable disposition towards us, even if they felt so inclined, for it was far from decided whether the french, or we, were to have the supremacy, and therefore every one who had the means betook himself elsewhere. our position, too, in front of the town to cover the siege was anything but a comfortable one--totally unsheltered from a burning spanish sun and unprovided with either wood or water, so that it was with no small delight that we hailed the surrender of the forts already mentioned, and the consequent retreat of the french army, for in closing up to them, it brought us to a merry country on the banks of the douro. mirth and duty there, however, were, as they often are, very much at variance. our position was a ticklish one, and required half the division to sleep in the field in front of the town each night fully accoutred, so that while we had every alternate night to rejoice in quarters, the next was one of penance in the field, which would have been tolerably fair had they been measured by the same bushel, but it could not be, for while pleasure was the order of the evening we had only to close the window-shutters to make a summer's night as long as a winter's one--but in affairs of duty, stern duty, it told in an inverse ratio; for our vineyard beds on the alternate nights were not furnished with window-shutters, and if they had been, it would have made but little difference, for in defiance of sun, moon, or stars, we were obliged to be on our legs an hour before day-break, which in that climate and at that season, happened to be between one and two o'clock in the morning. our then brigadier, sir o. vandeleur, was rigorous on that point, and as our sleeping, bore no proportion to our waking moments, many officers would steal from the ranks to snatch a little repose under cover of the vines, and it became a highly amusing scene to see the general on horseback, threading up between the rows of bushes and ferreting out the sleepers. he netted a good number in the first cast or two, but they ultimately became too knowing for him, and had only to watch his passing up one row, to slip through the bushes into it, where they were perfectly secure for the next half hour. i have already mentioned that rueda was a capital wine country. among many others there was a rough effervescent pure white wine, which i had never met with any where else, and which in warm weather was a most delicious beverage. their wine cellars were all excavated in a sort of common, immediately outside the town; and though i am afraid to say the extent, they were of an amazing depth. it is to be presumed that the natives were all strictly honest, for we found the different cellars so indifferently provided with locks and keys, that our men, naturally inferring that good drinkers must have been the only characters in request, went to work most patriotically, without waiting to be pressed, and the cause being such a popular one, it was with no little difficulty that we kept them within bounds. a man of ours, of the name of taylor, wore a head so remarkably like lord wellington's, that he was dubbed "sir arthur" at the commencement of the war, and retained the name until the day of his death. at rueda he was the servant of the good, the gallant charley eeles, who afterwards fell at waterloo. sir arthur, in all his movements for twenty years, had been as regular as shrewsbury clock; he cleaned his master's clothes and boots, and paraded his traps in the morning, and in the evening he got blind drunk, unless the means were wanting. in one so noted for regularity as he was, it is but reasonable to expect that his absence at toilet time should be missed and wondered at; he could not have gone over to the enemy, for he was too true-blue for that. he could not have gone to heaven without passing through the pains of death--he was too great a sinner for that. he could not have gone downwards without passing through the aforesaid ceremony, for nobody was ever known to do so but one man, to recover his wife, and as sir arthur had no wife, he had surely no inducement to go there; in short the cause of his disappearance remained clouded in mystery for twenty-five hours, but would have been cleared up in a tenth part of the time, had not the rifleman, who had been in the habit of sipping out of the same favourite cask, been on guard in the interim, but as soon as he was relieved, he went to pay his usual visit, and in stooping in the dark over the edge of the large headless butt to take his accustomed sip, his nose came in contact with that of poor sir arthur, which, like that of his great prototype, was of no mean dimensions, and who was floating on the surface of his favourite liquid, into which he must have dived deeper than he intended and got swamped. thus perished sir arthur, a little beyond the prime of life, but in what the soldiers considered, a prime death! our last day at rueda furnished an instance so characteristic of the silence and secrecy with which the duke of wellington was in the habit of conducting his military movements, that i cannot help quoting it. in my former volume i mentioned that when we were called to arms that evening, our officers had assembled for one of their usual dances. our commanding officer, however, colonel cameron, had been invited to dine that day with his lordship, and in addition to the staff, the party consisted of several commanding officers of regiments and others. the conversation was lively and general, and no more allusion made to probable movements than if we were likely to be fixed there for years. after having had a fair allowance of wine, lord wellington looked at his watch, and addressing himself to one of his staff, said, "campbell, it is about time to be moving--order coffee." coffee was accordingly introduced, and the guests, as usual, immediately after made their bow and retired. our commandant in passing out of the house was rather surprised to see his lordship's baggage packed, and the mules at the door, saddled and ready to receive it, but his astonishment was still greater when he reached his own quarter, to find that his regiment was already under arms along with the rest of the troops, assembled on their alarm posts, and with baggage loaded in the act of moving off, we knew not whither! we marched the whole of the night, and day-light next morning found us three or four leagues off, interposing ourselves between the enemy and their projected line of advance. it was the commencement of the brilliant series of movements which preceded the battle of salamanca. pass we on, therefore, to that celebrated field. it was late in the afternoon before it was decided whether that day's sun was to set on a battle or our further retreat. the army all stood in position with the exception of the third division, which lay in reserve beyond the tormes. its commander, sir edward packenham, along with the other generals of divisions, attended on the commander-in-chief, who stood on an eminence which commanded a view of the enemy's movements. the artillery on both sides was ploughing the ground in all directions, and making fearful gaps in the ranks exposed--the french were fast closing on and around our right--the different generals had received their instructions, and waited but the final order--a few minutes must decide whether there was to be a desperate battle or a bloody retreat; when, at length, lord wellington, who had been anxiously watching their movements with his spy-glass, called out, "packenham, i can stand this no longer; now is your time!" "thank you," replied the gallant packenham, "give me your hand, my lord, and by g--d it shall be done!" shaking hands accordingly, he vaulted into his saddle, and the result of his movement, as is well known, placed two eagles, several pieces of artillery, and four thousand prisoners in our possession. packenham afterwards told a friend of mine who was on his staff, that, while in the execution of that movement, he saw an opportunity in which, by a slight deviation from his original instructions, he might have cut off twenty thousand of the enemy, without greater risk to his own division than he was about to encounter; but he dreaded the possibility of its compromising the safety of some other portion of the army, and dared not to run the hazard. i have, in the early part of this volume, in speaking of individual gallantry in general, given it as my opinion that if the merits of every victory that had been hotly contested could be traced to the proper persons, it would be found to rest with a very few--for to those who know it not, it is inconceivable what may be effected in such situations by any individual ascending a little above mediocrity. the day after the battle of salamanca a brigade of heavy german dragoons, under the late baron bock, made one of the most brilliant charges recorded in history. the enemy's rear guard, consisting of, i think, three regiments of infantry, flanked by cavalry and artillery, were formed in squares on an abrupt eminence, the approach to which was fetlock deep in shingle. in short, it was a sort of position in which infantry generally think they have a right to consider themselves secure from horsemen. the baron was at the head of two splendid regiments, and, as some of the english prints, up to that period, had been very severe upon the employment of his countrymen in the british service, he was no doubt burning with the desire for an opportunity of removing the unjust attack that had been made upon them, and he could not have even dreamt of one more glorious than that alluded to. lord wellington, who was up with the advanced guard, no sooner observed the dispositions of the enemy than he sent an order for the baron to charge them. they charged accordingly--broke through the squares, and took the whole of the infantry--the enemy's cavalry and artillery having fled. colonel may, of the british artillery, not satisfied with being the bearer of the order, gallantly headed the charge, and fell covered with wounds, from which he eventually recovered; but lord wellington, however much he must have admired the action, cut him for a considerable time in consequence, by way of marking his disapproval of officers thrusting themselves into danger unnecessarily. in an attempt so gallantly made--so gloriously executed--it would be invidious to exalt one individual above another, and yet i have every reason to believe that their success was in a great measure owing to the decisive conduct of one man. our battalion just rounded the hill in time to witness the end of it; and in conversing with one of the officers immediately after, he told me that their success was owing to the presence of mind of a captain commanding a squadron, who was ordered to charge the cavalry which covered a flank of the squares--that, while in full career, the enemy's horse in his front, without awaiting the shock, gave way, but, in place of pursuing them, he, with a decision calculated to turn the tide of any battle, at once brought up his outward flank, and went full tilt against a face of the square, which having until that moment been protected, was taken by surprise, and he bore down all before him! my informant mentioned the name of the hero, but it was a severe german one, which died on the spot like an empty sound--nor have i ever since read or heard of it--so that one who ought to have filled a bright page in our history of that brilliant field, has, in all probability, passed-- "nor of his name or race hath left a token or a trace," save what i have here related. the baron, presuming that he had all the merit due to a leader on that occasion, (for i knew him only by sight,) shewed, in his own person, what we frequently see, that to be a bold man it is not necessary to be a big one. in stature he was under the middle size, slenderly made, and with a hump on one shoulder. he lived through many a bloody peninsular field to perish by shipwreck in returning to his native country. throughout our many hard-fought and invariably successful peninsular fields, it used to be a subject of deep mortification for us to see the breasts of our numerous captives adorned with the different badges of the legion of honour, and to think that our country should never have thought their captors deserving of some little mark of distinction, not only to commemorate the action, but to distinguish the man who fought, from him who did not--thereby leaving that strongest of all corps, the _belem rangers_, who had never seen a shot fired, to look as fierce and talk as big as the best. many officers, i see, by the periodicals, continue still to fight for such a distinction, but the day has gone by. no correct line could now be drawn, and the seeing of such a medal on the breast of a man who had no claim, would deprive it of its chief value in the eyes of him who had. to shew the importance attached to such distinctions in our service, i may remark that, though the waterloo medal is intrinsically worth two or three shillings, and a soldier will sometimes be tempted to part with almost any thing for drink, yet, during the fifteen years in which i remained with the rifles after waterloo, i never knew a single instance of a medal being sold, and only one of its being pawned. on that solitary occasion it was the property of a handsome, wild, rattling young fellow, named roger black. he, one night, at cambray, when his last copper had gone, found the last glass of wine so good, that he could not resist the temptation of one bottle more, for which he left his medal in pledge with the _aubergiste_, for the value of ten sous. roger's credit was low--a review day arrived, and he could not raise the wind to redeem the thing he gloried in, but, putting a bold face on it, he went to the holder, and telling him that he had come for the purpose of redemption, he got it in his hands, and politely wished the landlord good morning, telling him, as he was marching off, that he would call and pay the franc out of the first money he received; but the arrangement did not suit mine host, who opposed his exit with all the strength of his establishment, consisting of his wife, two daughters, a well-frizzled waiter, and a club-footed hostler. roger, however, painted the whole family group, ladies and all, with a set of beautiful black eyes, and then marched off triumphantly. poor roger, for that feat, was obliged to be paid in kind, very much against the grain of his judges, for his defence was an honest one--namely, that he had no intention of cheating the man, but he had no money, "and, by jove, you know gentlemen, i could never think of going to a review without my medal!" the end. marchant, printer, ingram-court, fenchurch-street. published by t. and w. boone, , new bond street. colonel napier's history of the war in the peninsula, and in the south of france; from the year to the year . with plates. four volumes vo. price £ ; or, sold separately, _s._ each. * * * * * in one volume, post vo. price _s._ _d._ boards, a narrative of events in the south of france, and of the attack on new orleans, in & . by capt. s. h. cooke, d regt. "this clever and fearless account of the attack on new orleans is penned by one of the "occupation;" whose soldier-like view and keen observation during the period of the stirring events he so well relates, has enabled him to bring before the public the ablest account that has yet been given of that ill-fated and disgraceful expedition, and also to rescue the troops who were employed on it from those degrading reflections which have hitherto unjustly been insinuated against them. the admirable conduct of the navy throughout this campaign it is impossible too highly to extol."--_gentleman's magazine._ "we like this sort of thing extremely, and we say unhesitatingly, that the work before us makes its _entrée_ in that easy off-hand manner, which makes us friends with the author at once, and the volume will afford more amusement infinitely, and peradventure as much real instruction, as ten goodly tomes of the merely learned. we wish earnestly to call the attention of military men to the campaign before new orleans. it is fraught with a fearful interest, and fixes upon the mind reflections of almost every hue. captain cooke's relation is vivid; every evolution is made as clear to the eye as if we had been present, and the remarks, we think, are eminently judicious. the book must be generally read," &c.--_metropolitan._ "it is full of good feeling, and it abounds with sketches of the service, views of other countries, and anecdotes of our own troops and of the enemy, which are many of them striking and few of them uninteresting. much that he narrates is amusing, and there is a point in many of his stories that tells effectively."--_sunday herald._ * * * * * an essay on the principles and construction of military bridges, _and the passage of rivers in military operations_, by major-general sir howard douglas, bart. k.s.c., d.c.l., f.r.s., &c. &c. the second edition, containing much additional matter and plates, vo. price s. boards. * * * * * colonization; particularly in southern australia: with some remarks on small farms and over population. by colonel charles james napier, c.b. author of "the colonies; particularly the ionian islands." in vol. vo. price _s._ boards. "i have never persuaded, or endeavoured to persuade, any one to quit england with the view of exchanging it for another country; and i have always had great reluctance to do any thing having that tendency."--_cobbett's guide to emigrants, letter_ i. _paragraph _. "i have always, hitherto, advised _englishmen_ not to emigrate, even to the united states of america; but to remain at home, _in the hope that some change_ for the better would come in the course of a _few years_. it is now eleven years since i, in my years' residence, deliberately gave that advice. not only has there, since , when the year's residence was written, been no change for the better, but things have gradually become worse and worse, in short, things have now taken that turn, and they present such a prospect for the future, that i not only think it advisable for many good people to emigrate, but i think it my duty to give them all the information i can to serve them as a guide in that very important enterprize."--_cobbett's guide to emigrants, letter_ i. _paragraph _. * * * * * just published, in foolscap vo. price _s._ the nursery governess. by elizabeth napier; published after her death by her husband, col. charles james napier, c.b. "hear the instructions of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother."--_proverbs_, ch. i. v. . "this is an admirable little book."--_true sun._ "the excellent instructions laid down by mrs. napier will, we have no doubt, prove a 'rich legacy' not only to her own children, but to those in many a nursery."--_liverpool chronicle._ "not only the nursery-governess, but the mother and daughter, especially in the higher walks of life, may read it with advantage."--_atlas._ "we are so convinced of its utility, that we would strongly recommend it to the diligent study of every female who has the care of a family, either as a mother or governess."--_sun._ * * * * * just published, in post vo. price s. recollections and reflections relative of the duties of troops composing the advanced corps of an army. by lieutenant colonel i. leach, c.b. late of the rifle brigade. author of "rough sketches of the life of an old soldier." * * * * * in vo. price _ s._ prussia in ; organization of the army of prussia, and her civil institutions. translated from the french of m. de chambray. with an appendix by general de caraman. "we would recommend to military readers in general, and especially to the authorities who have the destiny of the army in their hands, an attentive perusal of this work. the public will learn from it that the army of prussia, hitherto supposed to be the worst paid force, is, in fact, better dealt with than is the case '_with the best paid army in europe_.'"--_united service journal._ * * * * * the history of the king's german legion, from the period of its organization in , to that of its dissolution in . _compiled from manuscript documents._ by n. ludlow beamish, esq. f.r.s. late major unattached. vol. i. vo. with coloured plates; price _s._ boards; to be completed in two volumes. "of the late war we have had histories, partial or complete, in countless abundance; but we have not seen one, displaying more moderation, more diligence in investigating the truth, or more shrewdness in deciding between conflicting statements. though professedly merely a history of the services of the german legion, it is, in fact, a history of the entire war; for, from 'what glorious and well-foughten field' can we record the absence of german chivalry? the work is not like others we could name--a mere compilation from newspapers and magazines. major beamish has left no source of information unexplored; and the access he obtained to manuscript journals has enabled him to intersperse his general narrative with interesting personal anecdotes, that render this volume as delightful for those who read for amusement, as those who read for profit."--_athenæum._ * * * * * a treatise on the game of whist; by the late admiral charles burney, author of voyages and discoveries in the pacific, &c. _second edition._ mo. boards, price _s._ "the kind of play recommended in this treatise is on the most plain, and what the author considers the most safe principles. i have limited my endeavours to the most necessary instructions, classing them as much as the subject enabled me, under separate heads, to facilitate their being rightly comprehended and easily remembered. for the greater encouragement of the learner, i have studied brevity; but not in a degree to have prevented my endeavouring more to make the principles of the game, and the rationality of them intelligible, than to furnish a young player with a set of rules to get by rote, that he might go blindly right." in vo. price _s._ * * * * * sketches in spain, during the years - - and ; containing notices of some districts very little known; of the manners of the people, government, recent changes, commerce, fine arts, and natural history. by captain s. e. cook, r.n. k.t.s. f.g.s. two vol. vo. price _s._ "volumes of great value and attraction; we would say, in a word, they afford us the most complete account of spain in every respect which has issued from the press."--_literary gazette._ "the value of the book is in its matter and its facts. if written upon any country it would have been useful, but treating of one like spain, about which we know almost nothing, but of which it is desirable to know so much, captain cook's sketches must be considered an acquisition to the library."--_spectator._ "these volumes, the work of a gentleman of high and varied accomplishments, whose opportunities of observation have been unusually extensive and well-improved, will command and repay attention. they contain by far the best account of spain that has yet issued from the press. "these volumes comprize every point worthy of notice, and the whole is so interspersed with lively adventure and description; so imbued with a kindly spirit of good-nature, courting and acknowledging attention, as to render it attractive reading."--_united service gazette._ "approbation can be the only sentiment which this well-written and deeply-searching book must elicit. no one could either pretend to write or converse upon this country without preparing himself by a previous perusal of this instructive work."--_metropolitan._ * * * * * to be completed in four volumes, the life of the emperor napoleon, with an appendix; containing an examination of sir walter scott's "life of napoleon bonaparte:" and a notice of the principal errors of other writers, respecting his character and conduct. by h. lee. vir neque silendus, neque dicendus sine cura,----aliquando fortuna, semper animo maximus.--_vell. paterculus_, l. . c. . "quelques parcelles de tant de gloire parviendront-elles aux siècles à venir, ou, le mensonge, la calomnie, le crime, prévaudront-ils?"--_napoleon à ste. hélène._ _vol. i. with a portrait of napoleon, price s._ "it is exceedingly curious and interesting. it has been much less talked of than it deserves to be. he has produced a portion of a singularly interesting work. as soon as another volume appears, we propose to give our readers a fuller account of this new life. in the meanwhile, we recommend this one to notice."--_tait's magazine._ "the life of bonaparte now reads like a connected story, where we can trace each successive step. we shall be glad to see the future volumes."--_spectator._ transcribers' notes: punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional unbalanced quotation marks retained. ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. text uses "padré", "padrè", and "padre". advertisement at front: "déjá" was printed with those accent marks. there are two "chapter vii"'s in the contents and in the body. page : "remarkable" has been changed to "remarkably" as indicated in the book's "erratum". page : "bill-kooks" probably should be "bill-hooks". page : the "oe" ligature in "sacre boeuftake" may have been printed incorrectly or transcribed incorrectly; the "t" was in the original. page : "fiery tale" probably should be "fiery tail". page : closing parenthesis added in "to win or to die,) thrust". page : "to day" was printed that way, with a space, without a hyphen. recollections of rifleman harris, (old th.) with anecdotes of his officers and his comrades. edited by henry curling, esq., half-pay d foot, author of "john of england." "this story the world may read in me: my body's mark'd with roman swords; and when a soldier was the theme, my name was not far off." shakespeare. london: h. hurst, , king william street, charing cross. . clayton and co, printers, , hart street, covent garden. notice. since the printing of this volume was commenced, "rifleman harris" has removed from richmond street, soho, to , upper james street, golden square. to the most noble the marquess of londonderry, g.c.b. and g.c.h., colonel of the second life guards, _&c._ _&c._, this volume, in token of high admiration of his lordship's chivalrous bearing during the battles of the peninsula, is respectfully dedicated, by his obedient servant, the editor. _london, march, ._ advertisement by the editor. the following pages, describing the chequered life of a private soldier, who served during the most glorious period of our military history, speak so plainly for themselves, as scarcely to need any introductory remarks from the editor, further than the assurance of his own sincere conviction of their truth. such works as the narratives of rifleman harris, from the very nature of their details, afford occasionally more graphic sketches of the actual scenes of war, in its stern realities and concomitant circumstances, than the more stately and largely-grouped pictures of the historian. nor are these humble records without their moral. many abuses and grievances are incidentally brought to light, that can be but rarely heeded in the excitement and bustle of active service, but which, nevertheless, for the good of the soldier, may be of sufficient importance to require correction. the main source of our military superiority over foreign nations has been almost universally ascribed to the incomparable discipline of the british army. that the well-being and judicious treatment of the private soldier is the basis of this system can (we think) scarcely be doubted. to maintain this discipline it is surely incumbent on the officers to become acquainted with the nature and peculiar characteristics of the men they have to conduct and control, both in the elation of victory and the more difficult emergencies consequent upon retreat. how this is best effected--by what potent influence this mastery is exercised--and by what sort of standard the "rough and ready" private soldier estimates, and accordingly respects and obeys his officer, will be duly shewn in the autobiography of. rifleman harris. henry curling. _march, ._ recollections of rifleman harris (old th). chapter i. recruiting for the army of reserve--the penalty for desertion--general craufurd's cure for cowardice and treachery--trial of general whitelock--irish recruits and the shillelagh--protestant and catholic--danish expedition--riflemen at home. my father was a shepherd, and i was a sheep-boy from my earliest youth. indeed, as soon almost as i could run, i began helping my father to look after the sheep on the downs of blandford, in dorsetshire, where i was born. whilst i continued to tend the flocks and herds under my charge, and occasionally (in the long winter nights) to learn the art of making shoes, i grew a hardy little chap, and was one fine day in the year , drawn as a soldier for the army of reserve. thus, without troubling myself much about the change which was to take place in the hitherto quiet routine of my days, i was drafted into the th regiment of foot, bid good-bye to my shepherd companions, and was obliged to leave my father without an assistant to collect his flocks, just as he was beginning more than ever to require one; nay, indeed, i may say to want tending and looking after himself, for old age and infirmity were coming on him; his hair was growing as white as the sleet of our downs, and his countenance becoming as furrowed as the ploughed fields around. however, as i had no choice in the matter, it was quite as well that i did not grieve over my fate. my father tried hard to buy me off, and would have persuaded the serjeant of the th that i was of no use as a soldier, from having maimed my right hand (by breaking the fore-finger when a child). the serjeant, however, said i was just the sort of little chap he wanted, and off he went, carrying me (amongst a batch of recruits he had collected) away with him. almost the first soldiers i ever saw were those belonging to the corps in which i was now enrolled a member, and, on arriving at winchester, we found the whole regiment there in quarters. whilst lying at winchester (where we remained three months), young as i was in the profession, i was picked out, amongst others, to perform a piece of duty that, for many years afterwards, remained deeply impressed upon my mind, and gave me the first impression of the stern duties of a soldier's life. a private of the th regiment had deserted from that corps, and afterwards enlisted into several other regiments; indeed, i was told at the time (though i cannot answer for so great a number) that sixteen different times he had received the bounty and then stolen off. being, however, caught at last, he was brought to trial at portsmouth, and sentenced by general court-martial to be shot. the th received a route to portsmouth, to be present on the occasion, and, as the execution would be a good hint to us young 'uns, there were four lads picked out of our corps to assist in this piece of duty, myself being one of the number chosen. besides these men, four soldiers from three other regiments were ordered on the firing-party, making sixteen in all. the place of execution was portsdown hill, near hilsea barracks, and the different regiments assembled must have composed a force of about fifteen thousand men, having been assembled from the isle of wight, from chichester, gosport, and other places. the sight was very imposing, and appeared to make a deep impression on all there. as for myself, i felt that i would have given a good round sum (had i possessed it) to have been in any situation rather than the one in which i now found myself; and when i looked into the faces of my companions, i saw, by the pallor and anxiety depicted in each countenance, the reflection of my own feelings. when all was ready, we were moved to the front, and the culprit was brought out. he made a short speech to the parade, acknowledging the justice of his sentence, and that drinking and evil company had brought the punishment upon him. he behaved himself firmly and well, and did not seem at all to flinch. after being blindfolded, he was desired to kneel down behind a coffin, which was placed on the ground, and the drum-major of the hilsea depôt, giving us an expressive glance, we immediately commenced loading. this was done in the deepest silence, and, the next moment, we were primed and ready. there was then a dreadful pause for a few moments, and the drum-major, again looking towards us, gave the signal before agreed upon (a flourish of his cane), and we levelled and fired. we had been previously strictly enjoined to be steady, and take good aim, and the poor fellow, pierced by several balls, fell heavily upon his back; and as he lay, with his arms pinioned to his sides, i observed that his hands waved for a few moments, like the fins of a fish when in the agonies of death. the drum-major also observed the movement, and, making another signal, four of our party immediately stepped up to the prostrate body, and placing the muzzles of their pieces to the head, fired, and put him out of his misery. the different regiments then fell back by companies, and the word being given to march past in slow time, when each company came in line with the body, the word was given to "mark time," and then "eyes left," in order that we might all observe the terrible example. we then moved onwards, and marched from the ground to our different quarters. the th stopped that night about three miles from portsdown hill, and in the morning we returned to winchester. the officer in command that day, i remember, was general whitelock, who was afterwards brought to court-martial himself. this was the first time of our seeing that officer. the next meeting was at buenos ayres, and during the confusion of that day one of us received an order from the fiery craufurd to shoot the traitor dead if he could see him in the battle, many others of the rifles receiving the same order from that fine and chivalrous officer. the unfortunate issue of the buenos ayres affair is matter of history, and i have nothing to say about it; but i well remember the impression it made upon us all at the time, and that sir john moore was present at whitelock's court-martial; general craufurd, and i think general auchmuty, captain eleder of the rifles, captain dickson, and one of our privates, being witnesses. we were at hythe at the time, and i recollect our officers going off to appear against whitelock. so enraged was craufurd against him, that i heard say he strove hard to have him shot. whitelock's father i also heard was at his son's trial, and cried like an infant during the proceedings. whitelock's sword was broken over his head i was told; and for months afterwards, when our men took their glass, they used to give as a toast "success to _grey hairs_, but bad luck to _white-locks_." indeed that toast was drunk in all the public-houses around for many a-day. everything was new to me, i remember, and i was filled with astonishment at the bustling contrast i was so suddenly called into from the tranquil and quiet of my former life. whilst in winchester, we got a route for ireland, and embarking at portsmouth, crossed over and landed at cork. there we remained nine weeks; and being a smart figure and very active, i was put into the light company of the th, and, together with the light corps of other regiments, we were formed into light battalions, and sent off to dublin. whilst in dublin, i one day saw a corps of the th rifles, and fell so in love with their smart, dashing, and devil-may-care appearance, that nothing would serve me till i was a rifleman myself; so, on arriving at cashel one day, and falling in with a recruiting-party of that regiment, i volunteered into the nd battalion. this recruiting-party were all irishmen, and had been sent over from england to collect (amongst others) men from the irish militia, and were just about to return to england. i think they were as reckless and devil-may-care a set of men as ever i beheld, either before or since. being joined by a serjeant of the nd highlanders, and a highland piper of the same regiment (also a pair of real rollicking blades), i thought we should all have gone mad together. we started on our journey, one beautiful morning, in tip-top spirits, from the royal oak, at cashel; the whole lot of us (early as it was) being three sheets in the wind. when we paraded before the door of the royal oak, the landlord and landlady of the inn, who were quite as lively, came reeling forth, with two decanters of whiskey, which they thrust into the fists of the sergeants, making them a present of decanters and all, to carry along with them, and refresh themselves on the march. the piper then struck up, the sergeants flourished their decanters, and the whole route commenced a terrific yell. we then all began to dance, and danced through the town, every now and then stopping for another pull at the whiskey decanters. thus we kept it up till we had danced, drank, shouted, and piped thirteen irish miles, from cashel to clonmel. such a day, i think, i never spent, as i enjoyed with these fellows; and on arriving at clonmel, we were as glorious as any soldiers in all christendom need wish to be. in about ten days after this, our sergeants had collected together a good batch of recruits, and we started for england. some few days before we embarked (as if we had not been bothered enough already with the unruly paddies), we were nearly pestered to death with a detachment of old irish women, who came from different parts (on hearing of their sons having enlisted), in order to endeavour to get them away from us. following us down to the water's edge, they hung to their offspring, and, dragging them away, sent forth such dismal howls and moans that it was quite distracting to hear them. the lieutenant commanding the party, ordered me (being the only englishman present) to endeavour to keep them back. it was, however, as much as i could do to preserve myself from being torn to pieces by them, and i was glad to escape out of their hands. at length we got our lads safe on board, and set sail for england. no sooner were we out at sea, however, than our troubles began afresh with these hot-headed paddies; for, having now nothing else to do, they got up a dreadful quarrel amongst themselves, and a religious row immediately took place, the catholics reviling the protestants to such a degree that a general fight ensued. the poor protestants (being few in number) soon got the worst of it, and as fast as we made matters up among them, they broke out afresh and began the riot again. from pill, where we landed, we marched to bristol, and thence to bath. whilst in bath, our irish recruits roamed about the town, staring at and admiring everything they saw, as if they had just been taken wild in the woods. they all carried immense shillelaghs in their fists, which they would not quit for a moment. indeed they seemed to think their very lives depended on possession of these bludgeons, being ready enough to make use of them on the slightest occasion. from bath we marched to andover, and when we came upon salisbury plain, our irish friends got up a fresh row. at first they appeared uncommonly pleased with the scene, and, dispersing over the soft carpet of the downs, commenced a series of irish jigs, till at length as one of the catholics was setting to his partner (a protestant), he gave a whoop and a leap into the air, and at the same time (as if he couldn't bear the partnership of a heretic any longer), dealt him a tremendous blow with his shillelagh, and stretched him upon the sod. this was quite enough, and the bludgeons immediately began playing away at a tremendous rate. the poor protestants were again quickly disposed of, and then arose a cry of huzza for the wicklow boys, huzza for the connaught boys, huzza for munster, and huzza for ulster! they then recommenced the fight as if they were determined to make an end of their soldiering altogether upon salisbury plains. we had, i remember, four officers with us, and they did their best to pacify their pugnacious recruits. one thrust himself amongst them, but was instantly knocked down for his pains, so that he was glad enough to escape. after they had completely tired themselves, they began to slacken in their endeavours, and apparently to feel the effect of the blows they dealt each other, and at length suffering themselves to be pacified, the officers got them into andover. scarcely had we been a couple of hours there, and obtained some refreshment, ere these incorrigible blackguards again commenced quarrelling, and, collecting together in the streets, created so serious a disturbance that the officers, getting together a body of constables, seized some of the most violent and succeeded in thrusting them into the town jail; upon this their companions again collected, and endeavoured to break open the prison gates. baffled in this attempt, they rushed through the streets knocking down every body they met. the drums now commenced beating up for a volunteer corps of the town, which, quickly mustering, drew up in the street before the jail, and immediately were ordered to load with ball. this somewhat pacified the rioters, and our officers persuading them to listen to a promise of pardon for the past, peace was at length restored amongst them. the next day we marched for ashford, in kent, where i joined the th rifles, and about six months after my joining, four companies of the second battalion were ordered on the expedition to denmark. we embarked at deal, and sailing for the hostile shores, landed on a little place called, i think, scarlet island, somewhere between elsineur and copenhagen. the expedition consisted of about , men, and at the moment of our getting on shore, the whole force set up one simultaneous and tremendous cheer, a sound i cannot describe, it seemed so inspiring. this, indeed, was the first time of my hearing the style in which our men give tongue when they get near the enemy, though afterwards my ears became pretty well accustomed to such sounds. as soon as we got on shore, the rifles were pushed forward as the advance, in chain order, through some thick woods of fir, and when we had cleared these woods and approached copenhagen, sentries were posted on the roads and openings leading towards the town, in order to intercept all comers, and prevent all supplies. such posts we occupied for about three days and nights, whilst the town was being fired on by our shipping. i rather think this was the first time of congreve rockets being brought into play, and as they rushed through the air in the dark, they appeared like so many fiery serpents, creating, i should think, terrible dismay among the besieged. as the main army came up, we advanced and got as near under the walls of the place as we could without being endangered by the fire from our own shipping. we now received orders ourselves to commence firing, and the rattling of the guns i shall not easily forget. i felt so much exhilarated that i could hardly keep back, and was checked by the commander of the company (capt. leech), who called to me by name to keep my place. about this time, my front-rank man, a tall fellow named jack johnson, shewed a disposition as though the firing had on him an effect the reverse of what it had on many others of the company, for he seemed inclined to hang back, and once or twice turned round in my face. i was a rear-rank man, and porting my piece, in the excitement of the moment i swore that if he did not keep his ground, i would shoot him dead on the spot; so that he found it would be quite as dangerous for him to return as to go on. i feel sorry to record the want of courage of this man, but i do so with the less pain as it gives me the opportunity of saying that during many years' arduous service, it is the only instance i remember of a british soldier endeavouring to hold back when his comrades were going forward. indeed, johnson was never again held in estimation amongst the rifle corps; for the story got wind that i had threatened to shoot him for cowardice in the field, and lieut. cox mentioned to the colonel, that he had overheard my doing so; and such was the contempt the man was held in by the rifles, that he was soon afterwards removed from amongst us to a veteran battalion. whilst in denmark we led a tolerably active life, the rifles being continually on the alert--ordered hither to-day, and countermanded the next. occasionally, too, when wanted in a hurry, we were placed in carts, and rattled over the face of the country, in company with the dragoons of the german legion; so that, if we had not so much fighting as afterwards in the peninsular, we had plenty of work to keep us from idleness. occasionally, also, we had some pleasant adventures among the blue-eyed danish lasses, for the rifles were always terrible fellows in that way. one night, i remember, a party of us had possession of a gentleman's house, in which his family were residing. the family consisted of the owner of the mansion, his wife, and five very handsome daughters, besides their servants. the first night of our occupation of the premises the party was treated with the utmost civility, and everything was set before us as if we had been their equals; for although it was not very pleasant to have a company of foreign soldiers in the house, it was doubtless thought best to do everything possible to conciliate such guests. accordingly, on this night, a large party of the green-jackets unceremoniously sat down to tea with the family. five beautiful girls in a drawing-room were rather awkward companions for a set of rough and ready riflemen, unscrupulous and bold, and i cannot say i felt easy. all went on very comfortably for some time; our fellows drank their tea very genteelly, whilst one young lady presided at the urn to serve it out, and the others sat on each side of their father and mother, chatting to us, and endeavouring to make themselves as agreeable as they could. by and bye, however, some of our men expressed themselves dissatisfied with tea and toast, and demanded something stronger; and liquors were accordingly served to them. this was followed by more familiarity, and, the ice once broken, all respect for the host and hostess was quickly lost. i had feared this would prove the case, and on seeing several of the men commence pulling the young ladies about, kissing them, and proceeding to other acts of rudeness, i saw that matters would quickly get worse, unless i interfered. jumping up, therefore, i endeavoured to restore order, and upbraided them with the blackguardism of their behaviour after the kindness with which we had been used. this remonstrance had some effect; and when i added that i would immediately go in quest of an officer, and report the first man i saw ill use the ladies, i at length succeeded in extricating them from their persecutors. the father and mother were extremely grateful to me for my interference, and i kept careful guard over the family whilst we remained in that house, which luckily was not long. soon after this the expedition returned to england, and i came, with others of the rifles, in a danish man-of-war (the princess caroline), and landed at deal, from whence we had started. from deal we marched to hythe, and there we lay until the year , and in that year four companies of the second battalion, to which i belonged, were ordered to portugal. in that year i first saw the french. chapter ii. embarkation for portugal--aldermanic fare--lord hill over his wine, and in the field--use of a dead rifleman--wounded wine-butts. i wish i could picture the splendid sight of the shipping in the downs, at the time we embarked with about , men. those were times which the soldiers of our own more peaceable days have little conception of. at cork, where our ships cast anchor, we lay for something like six weeks, during which time the expedition was not disembarked, with the exception of our four companies of rifles, who were every day landed for the purpose of drill. on such occasions our merry bugles sounded over the country, and we were skirmished about in very lively fashion, always being embarked again at night. at the expiration of the time i have mentioned, our sails were given to the wind, and amidst the cheers of our comrades, we sailed majestically out of the cove of cork for the hostile shore, where we arrived safely, and disembarked at mondego bay. the rifles were the first out of the vessels, for we were, indeed, always in the front in advance, and in rear in the retreat. like the kentish men of old, we claimed the post of honour in the field. being immediately pushed forwards up the country in advance of the main body, many of us, in this hot climate, very soon began to find out the misery of the frightful load we were condemned to march and fight under, with a burning sun above our heads, and our feet sinking every step into the hot sand. the weight i myself toiled under was tremendous, and i often wonder at the strength i possessed at this period, which enabled me to endure it; for, indeed, i am convinced that many of our infantry sank and died under the weight of their knapsacks alone. for my own part, being a handicraft, i marched under a weight sufficient to impede the free motions of a donkey; for besides my well-filled kit, there was the great-coat rolled on its top, my blanket and camp kettle, my haversack, stuffed full of leather for repairing the men's shoes, together with a hammer and other tools (the lapstone i took the liberty of flinging to the devil), ship-biscuit and beef for three days. i also carried my canteen filled with water, my hatchet and rifle, and eighty rounds of ball cartridge in my pouch; this last, except the beef and biscuit, being the best thing i owned, and which i always gave the enemy the benefit of, when opportunity offered. altogether the quantity of things i had on my shoulders was enough and more than enough for my wants, sufficient, indeed, to sink a little fellow of five feet seven inches into the earth. nay, so awkwardly was the load our men bore in those days, placed upon their backs, that the free motion of the body was impeded, the head held down from the pile at the back of the neck, and the soldier half beaten before he came to the scratch. we marched till it was nearly dark, and then halted for the night. i myself was immediately posted sentinel between two hedges, and in a short time general fane came up, and himself cautioned me to be alert. "remember, sentinel," he said, "that we are now near an active enemy; therefore be careful here, and mind what you are about." next day the peasantry sent into our camp a great quantity of the good things of their country, so that our men regaled themselves upon oranges, grapes, melons, and figs, and we had an abundance of delicacies which many of us had never before tasted. amongst other presents, a live calf was presented to the rifles, so that altogether we feasted in our first entrance into portugal like a company of aldermen. the next day we again advanced, and being in a state of the utmost anxiety to come up with the french, neither the heat of the burning sun, long miles, or heavy knapsacks were able to diminish our ardour. indeed, i often look back with wonder at the light-hearted style, the jollity, and reckless indifference with which men who were destined in so short a time to fall, hurried onwards to the field of strife; seemingly without a thought of anything but the sheer love of meeting the foe and the excitement of the battle. it was five or six days before the battle of roliça, the army was on the march, and we were pushing on pretty fast. the whole force had slept the night before in the open fields; indeed, as far as i know, (for the rifles were always in the front at this time,) they had been for many days without any covering but the sky. we were pelting along through the streets of a village, the name of which i do not think i ever knew, so i cannot name it; i was in the front, and had just cleared the village, when i recollect observing general hill (afterwards lord hill) and another officer ride up to a house, and give their horses to some of the soldiery to hold. our bugles at that moment sounded the halt, and i stood leaning upon my rifle near the door of the mansion which general hill had entered: there was a little garden before the house, and i stood by the gate. whilst i remained there, the officer who had entered with general hill came to the door, and called to me. "rifleman," said he, "come here." i entered the gate, and approached him. "go," he continued, handing me a dollar, "and try if you can get some wine; for we are devilish thirsty here." taking the dollar, i made my way back to the village. at a wine-house, where the men were crowding around the door, and clamouring for drink, (for the day was intensely hot,) i succeeded, after some little difficulty, in getting a small pipkin full of wine; but the crowd was so great, that i found as much trouble in paying for it as in getting it; so i returned back as fast as i was able, fearing that the general would be impatient, and move off before i reached him. i remember lord hill was loosening his sword-belt as i handed him the wine. "drink first, rifleman," said he; and i took a good pull at the pipkin, and held it to him again. he looked at it as i did so, and told me i might drink it all up, for it appeared greasy; so i swallowed the remainder, and handed him back the dollar which i had received from the officer. "keep the money," he said, "my man. go back to the village once more, and try if you cannot get me another draught." saying this, he handed me a second dollar, and told me to be quick. i made my way back to the village, got another pipkin full, and returned as fast as i could. the general was pleased with my promptness, and drank with great satisfaction, handing the remainder to the officer who attended him; and i dare say, if he ever recollected the circumstance afterwards, that was as sweet a draught, after the toil of the morning march, as he has drank at many a nobleman's board in old england since. i remember remarking lord hill, for the second time in my life, under circumstances which (from their not being of every-day occurrence) fixed it upon my mind. the th regiment received so terrible a fire, that i saw the right wing almost annihilated, and the colonel (i think his name was lennox) lay sprawling amongst the rest. we had ourselves caught it pretty handsomely; for there was no cover for us, and we were rather too near. the living skirmishers were lying beside heaps of their own dead; but still we had held our own till the battalion regiments came up. "fire and retire"[ ] is a very good sound; but the rifles were not over fond of such notes. we never performed that manoeuvre, except when it was made pretty plain to us that it was quite necessary; the th, however, had got their fairing here at this time; and the shock of that fire seemed to stagger the whole line, and make them recoil. at the moment, a little confusion appeared in the ranks, i thought. lord hill was near at hand, and saw it, and i observed him come galloping up. he put himself at the head of the regiment, and restored them to order in a moment. pouring a regular and sharp fire upon the enemy, he galled them in return; and, remaining with the th till he brought them to the charge, quickly sent the foe to the right about. it seemed to me that few men could have conducted the business with more coolness and quietude of manner, under such a storm of balls as he was exposed to. indeed, i have never forgotten him from that day. at the time i was remarking these matters (loading and firing as i lay), another circumstance divided my attention for a while, and made me forget even the gallant conduct of general hill. a man near me uttered a scream of agony; and, looking from the th, who were on my right, to the left, whence the screech had come, i saw one of our sergeants, named frazer, sitting in a doubled-up position, and swaying backwards and forwards, as though he had got a terrible pain in his bowels. he continued to make so much complaint, that i arose and went to him, for he was rather a crony of mine. "oh! harris!" said he, as i took him in my arms, "i shall die! i shall die! the agony is so great that i cannot bear it." it was, indeed, dreadful to look upon him; the froth came from his mouth, and the perspiration poured from his face. thank heaven! he was soon out of pain; and, laying him down, i returned to my place. poor fellow! he suffered more for the short time that he was dying, than any man i think i ever saw in the same circumstances. i had the curiosity to return and look at him after the battle. a musket-ball, i found, had taken him sideways, and gone through both groins. within about half-an-hour after this i left sergeant frazer, and, indeed, for the time, had as completely forgotten him, as if he had died a hundred years back. the sight of so much bloodshed around, will not suffer the mind to dwell long on any particular casuality, even though it happen to one's dearest friend. there was no time either to think, for all was action with us rifles just at this moment; and the barrel of my piece was so hot from continual firing, that i could hardly bear to touch it, and was obliged to grasp the stock beneath the iron, as i continued to blaze away. james ponton was another crony of mine (a gallant fellow!); he had pushed himself in front of me, and was checked by one of our officers for his rashness. "keep back, you ponton!" the lieutenant said to him, more than once. but ponton was not to be restrained by anything but a bullet when in action. this time he got one; which, striking him in the thigh, i suppose hit an artery, for he died quickly. the frenchmen's balls were flying very wickedly at that moment; and i crept up to ponton, and took shelter by lying behind, and making a rest for my rifle of his dead body. it strikes me that i revenged his death by the assistance of his carcase. at any rate, i tried my best to hit his enemies hard. there were two small buildings in our front; and the french, having managed to get into them, annoyed us much from that quarter. a small rise in the ground close before these houses, also favoured them; and our men were being handled very severely in consequence. they became angry, and wouldn't stand it any longer. one of the skirmishers, jumping up, rushed forward, crying, "over, boys!--over! over!" when instantly the whole line responded to the cry, "over! over! over!" they ran along the grass like wildfire, and dashed at the rise, fixing their sword-bayonets as they ran. the french light bobs could not stand the sight, but turned about, and fled; and, getting possession of their ground, we were soon inside the buildings. after the battle was over, i stepped across to the other house i have mentioned, in order to see what was going on there; for the one i remained in was now pretty well filled with the wounded (both french and english,) who had managed to get there for a little shelter. two or three surgeons, also, had arrived at this house, and were busily engaged in giving their assistance to the wounded, now also here lying as thickly as in the building which i had left; but what struck me most forcibly was, that from the circumstance of some wine-butts having been left in the apartment, and their having in the engagement been perforated by bullets, and otherwise broken, the red wine had escaped most plentifully, and ran down upon the earthen floor, where the wounded were lying, so that many of them were soaked in the wine with which their blood was mingled. footnotes: [footnote : "fire and retire,"--one of the bugle sounds to the skirmishers, when hard pressed.] chapter iii. coming up with the enemy--manoeuvres of the advance--battle of roliça--conjugal devotion. it was on the th of august, when we first came up with the french, and their skirmishers immediately commenced operations by raining a shower of balls upon us as we advanced, which we returned without delay. the first man that was hit was lieutenant bunbury; he fell pierced through the head with a musket-ball, and died almost immediately. i thought i never heard such a tremendous noise as the firing made on this occasion, and the men on both sides of me, i could occasionally observe, were falling fast. being overmatched, we retired to a rising ground, or hillock, in our rear, and formed there all round its summit, standing three deep, the front rank kneeling. in this position we remained all night, expecting the whole host upon us every moment. at day-break, however, we received instructions to fall back as quickly as possible upon the main body. having done so, we now lay down for a few hours' rest, and then again advanced to feel for the enemy. on the th, being still in front, we again came up with the french, and i remember observing the pleasing effect afforded by the sun's rays glancing upon their arms, as they formed in order of battle to receive us. moving on in extended order, under whatever cover the nature of the ground afforded, together with some companies of the th, we began a sharp fire upon them; and thus commenced the battle of roliça. i do not pretend to give a description of this or any other battle i have been present at. all i can do is, to tell the things which happened immediately around me, and that, i think, is as much as a private soldier can be expected to do. soon afterwards the firing commenced, and we had advanced pretty close upon the enemy. taking advantage of whatever cover i could find, i threw myself down behind a small bank, where i lay so secure, that, although the frenchmen's bullets fell pretty thickly around, i was enabled to knock several over without being dislodged; in fact, i fired away every round i had in my pouch whilst lying on this spot. at length, after a sharp contest, we forced them to give ground, and, following them up, drove them from their position in the heights, and hung upon their skirts till they made another stand, and then the game began again. the rifles, indeed, fought well this day, and we lost many men. they seemed in high spirits, and delighted at having driven the enemy before them. joseph cochan was by my side loading and firing very industriously about this period of the day. thirsting with heat and action, he lifted his canteen to his mouth; "here's to you, old boy," he said, as he took a pull at its contents. as he did so a bullet went through the canteen, and perforating his brain, killed him in a moment. another man fell close to him almost immediately, struck by a ball in the thigh. indeed we caught it severely just here, and the old iron was also playing its part amongst our poor fellows very merrily. i saw a man named symmonds struck full in the face by a round shot, and he came to the ground a headless trunk. meanwhile, many large balls bounded along the ground amongst us so deliberately that we could occasionally evade them without difficulty. i could relate many more of the casualties i witnessed on this day, but the above will suffice. when the roll was called after the battle, the females who missed their husbands came along the front of the line to inquire of the survivors whether they knew anything about them. amongst other names i heard that of cochan called in a female voice, without being replied to. the name struck me, and i observed the poor woman who had called it, as she stood sobbing before us, and apparently afraid to make further inquiries about her husband. no man had answered to his name, or had any account to give of his fate. i myself had observed him fall, as related before, whilst drinking from his canteen; but as i looked at the poor sobbing creature before me, i felt unable to tell her of his death. at length captain leech observed her, and called out to the company, "does any man here know what has happened to cochan? if so, let him speak out at once." upon this order i immediately related what i had seen, and told the manner of his death. after awhile mrs. cochan appeared anxious to seek the spot where her husband fell, and in the hope of still finding him alive, asked me to accompany her over the field. she trusted, notwithstanding what i had told her, to find him yet alive. "do you think you could find it?" said captain leech, upon being referred to. i told him i was sure i could, as i had remarked many objects whilst looking for cover during the skirmishing. "go then," said the captain, "and shew the poor woman the spot, as she seems so desirous of finding the body." i accordingly took my way over the ground we had fought upon, she following and sobbing after me, and, quickly reaching the spot where her husband's body lay, pointed it out to her. she now soon discovered all her hopes were in vain; she embraced a stiffened corpse, and after rising and contemplating his disfigured face for some minutes, with hands clasped, and tears streaming down her cheeks she took a prayer-book from her pocket, and kneeling down, repeated the service for the dead over the body. when she had finished she appeared a good deal comforted, and i took the opportunity of beckoning to a pioneer i saw near with some other men, and together we dug a hole, and quickly buried the body. mrs. cochan then returned with me to the company to which her husband had been attached, and laid herself down upon the heath near us. she lay amongst some other females, who were in the same distressing circumstances with herself, with the sky for her canopy, and a turf for her pillow, for we had no tents with us. poor woman! i pitied her much; but there was no remedy. if she had been a duchess she must have fared the same. she was a handsome woman, i remember, and the circumstance of my having seen her husband fall, and accompanied her to find his body, begot a sort of intimacy between us. the company to which cochan had belonged, bereaved as she was, was now her home, and she marched and took equal fortune with us to vimiero. she hovered about us during that battle, and then went with us to lisbon, where she succeeded in procuring a passage to england. such was my first acquaintance with mrs. cochan. the circumstances of our intimacy were singular, and an attachment grew between us during the short time we remained together. what little attention i could pay her during the hardships of the march i did, and i also offered on the first opportunity to marry her. "she had, however, received too great a shock on the occasion of her husband's death ever to think of another soldier," she said; she therefore thanked me for my good feeling towards her, but declined my offer, and left us soon afterwards for england. chapter iv. battle of vimiero--presentiments--the cobbler and the cannon ball--value of a handicraft--a lubberly artilleryman--a bad shot and a good one--conversation during the heat of action. it was on the st of august, that we commenced fighting the battle of vimiero. the french came down upon us in a column, and the riflemen immediately commenced a sharp fire upon them from whatever cover they could get a shelter behind, whilst our cannon played upon them from our rear. i saw regular lanes torn through their ranks as they advanced, which were immediately closed up again as they marched steadily on. whenever we saw a round shot thus go through the mass, we raised a shout of delight. one of our corporals, named murphy, was the first man in the rifles who was hit that morning, and i remember more particularly remarking the circumstance from his apparently having a presentiment of his fate before the battle began. he was usually an active fellow, and up to this time had shewn himself a good and brave soldier, but on this morning he seemed unequal to his duty. general fane and major travers were standing together on an early part of this day. the general had a spy-glass in his hand, and for some time looked anxiously at the enemy. suddenly he gave the word to fall in, and immediately all was bustle amongst us. the honourable captain packenham spoke very sharply to murphy, who appeared quite dejected and out of spirits, i observed. he had a presentiment of death, which is by no means an uncommon circumstance, and i have observed it once or twice since this battle. others besides myself noticed murphy on this morning, and, as we had reason to know he was not ordinarily deficient in courage, the circumstance was talked of after the battle was over. he was the first man shot that day. early on the morning of the battle, i remember being relieved from picket, and throwing myself down to gain a few hour's repose before the expected engagement. so wearied was i with watching that i was hardly prostrate before i was in a sound sleep,--a sleep, which those only who have toiled in the field can know. i was not, however, destined to enjoy a very long repose before one of our serjeants, poking me with the muzzle of his rifle, desired me to get up, as many of the men wanted their shoes repaired immediately. this was by no means an uncommon occurrence, and i would fain have declined the job, but as several of the riflemen who had followed the serjeant, soon afterwards came round me and threw their shoes and boots at my head, i was fain to scramble on my legs, and make up my mind to go to work. on looking around, in order to observe if there was any hut or shed in which i could more conveniently exercise my craft, i espied a house near at hand, on the rise of a small hill. so i gathered up several pairs of the dilapidated boots and shoes, and immediately made for it. seating myself down in a small room as soon as i entered, i took the tools from my haversack and prepared to work; and as the boots of the captain of my company, were amongst the bad lot, and he was barefooted for want of them, i commenced with _them_. hardly had i worked a quarter of an hour, when a cannon-ball (the first announcement of the coming battle) came crashing through the walls of the house, just above my head, and completely covered the captain's boot (as it lay between my knees) with dust and fragments of the building. there were only two persons in the room at the time, an old and a young woman, and they were so dreadfully scared at this sudden visitation, that they ran about the room, making the house echo with their shrieks, till at length they rushed out into the open air, leaving me alone with the boots around me on the floor. for my own part, although i was more used to such sounds, i thought it was no time and place to mend boots and shoes in, so, being thus left alone in my glory, i shook the dust from my apron, gathered up the whole stock-in-trade from the floor, and hastily replacing my tools in my haversack, followed the example of the mistress of the mansion and her daughter, and bolted out of the house. when i got into the open air, i found all in a state of bustle and activity, the men falling in, and the officers busily engaged, whilst twenty or thirty mouths opened at me the moment i appeared, calling out for their boots and shoes.--"where's my boots, harris, you humbug?" cried one. "give me my shoes, you old sinner," said another. "the captain's boots here, harris, instantly," cried the serjeant. "make haste, and fall into the ranks as fast as you can." there was, indeed, no time for ceremony, so, letting go the corners of my apron, i threw down the whole lot of boots and shoes for the men to choose for themselves; the captain's being amongst the lot, with the wax-ends hanging to them (as i had left them when the cannon-ball so unceremoniously put a stop to my work), and quickly shouldering my piece, i fell into the ranks as i was ordered. just before the battle commenced in earnest, and whilst the officers were busily engaged with their companies, shouting the word of command, and arranging matters of moment, captain leech ordered a section of our men to move off, at double quick, and take possession of a windmill, which was on our left. i was amongst this section, and set off full cry towards the mill, when captain leech espied and roared out to me by name to return.--"hallo! there, you harris!" he called, "fall out of that section directly. we want you here, my man." i, therefore, wheeled out of the rank, and returned to him. "you fall in amongst the men here, harris," he said. "i shall not send you to that post. the cannon will play upon the mill in a few moments like hail; and what shall we do," he continued, laughing, "without our head shoemaker to repair our shoes?" it is long since these transactions took place. but i remember the words of the captain as if they had been uttered but yesterday; for that which was spoken in former years in the field, has made a singular impression on my mind. as i looked about me, whilst standing enranked, and just before the commencement of the battle, i thought it the most imposing sight the world could produce. our lines glittering with bright arms; the stern features of the men, as they stood with their eyes fixed unalterably upon the enemy, the proud colours of england floating over the heads of the different battalions, and the dark cannon on the rising ground, and all in readiness to commence the awful work of death, with a noise that would deafen the whole multitude. altogether, the sight had a singular and terrible effect upon the feelings of a youth, who, a few short months before, had been a solitary shepherd upon the downs of dorsetshire, and had never contemplated any other sort of life than the peaceful occupation of watching the innocent sheep as they fed upon the grassy turf. the first cannon-shot i saw fired, i remember was a miss. the artilleryman made a sad bungle, and the ball went wide of the mark. we were all looking anxiously to see the effect of this shot; and another of the gunners (a red-haired man) rushed at the fellow who had fired, and in the excitement of the moment, knocked him head over heels with his fist. "d---- you, for a fool," he said; "what sort of a shot do you call that? let me take the gun." he accordingly fired the next shot himself, as soon as the gun was loaded, and so truly did he point it at the french column on the hill side, that we saw the fatal effect of the destructive missile, by the lane it made and the confusion it caused. our riflemen (who at the moment were amongst the guns), upon seeing this, set up a tremendous shout of delight, and the battle commencing immediately, we were all soon hard at work. i myself was very soon so hotly engaged, loading and firing away, enveloped in the smoke i created, and the cloud which hung about me from the continued fire of my comrades, that i could see nothing for a few minutes but the red flash of my own piece amongst the white vapour clinging to my very clothes. this has often seemed to me the greatest drawback upon our present system of fighting; for whilst in such state, on a calm day, until some friendly breeze of wind clears the space around, a soldier knows no more of his position and what is about to happen in his front, or what _has_ happened (even amongst his own companions) than the very dead lying around. the rifles, as usual, were pretty busy in this battle. the french, in great numbers, came steadily down upon us, and we pelted away upon them like a shower of leaden hail. under any cover we could find, we lay; firing one moment, jumping up and running for it the next; and, when we could see before us, we observed the cannonballs making a lane through the enemy's columns as they advanced, huzzaing and shouting like madmen. such is my remembrance of the commencement of the battle of vimiero. the battle began on a fine bright day, and the sun played on the arms of the enemy's battalions, as they came on, as if they had been tipped with gold. the battle soon became general; the smoke thickened around, and often i was obliged to stop firing, and dash it aside from my face, and try in vain to get a sight of what was going on, whilst groans and shouts and a noise of cannon and musketry appeared almost to shake the very ground. it seemed hell upon earth i thought. a man named john low stood before me at this moment, and he turned round during a pause in our exertions, and addressed me: "harris, you humbug," he said, "you have got plenty of money about you, i know; for you are always staying about and picking up what you can find on the field. but i think this will be your last field-day, old boy. a good many of us will catch it, i suspect, to-day." "you are right, low," i said. "i have got nine guineas in my pack, and if i am shot to-day, and you yourself escape, it's quite at your service. in the meantime, however, if you see any symptoms of my wishing to flinch in this business i hope you will shoot me with your own hand." low, as well as myself, survived this battle, and after it was over, whilst we sat down with our comrades and rested, amongst other matters talked over, low told them of our conversation during the heat of the day, and the money i had collected, and the rifles from that time had a great respect for me. it is, indeed, singular, how a man loses or gains caste with his comrades from his behaviour, and how closely he is observed in the field. the officers, too, are commented upon and closely observed. the men are very proud of those who are brave in the field, and kind and considerate to the soldiers under them. an act of kindness done by an officer has often during the battle been the cause of his life being saved. nay, whatever folks may say upon the matter, i know from experience, that in _our_ army the men like best to be officered by gentlemen, men whose education has rendered them more kind in manners than your coarse officer, sprung from obscure origin, and whose style is brutal and overbearing. my observation has often led me to remark amongst men, that those whose birth and station might reasonably have made them fastidious under hardship and toil, have generally borne their miseries without a murmur;--whilst those whose previous life, one would have thought, might have better prepared them for the toils of war, have been the first to cry out and complain of their hard fate. and here let me bear testimony to the courage and endurance of that army under trials and hardships such as few armies, in any age, i should think, endured. i have seen officers and men hobbling forward, with tears in their eyes from the misery of long miles, empty stomachs, and ragged backs, without even shoes or stockings on their bleeding feet, and it was not a little that would bring a tear into the eyes of a rifleman of the peninsular. youths, who had not long been removed from their parents' home and care, officers and men, have borne hardships and privations such as (in our own more peaceful days) we have little conception of; and yet these men, faint and weary with toil, would brighten up in a moment when the word ran amongst us that the enemy were at hand. i remember on the march from salamanca seeing many men fail. our marches were long, and the weakly ones were found out. it was then pretty much "every one for himself;" those whose strength began to fail looked neither to the right nor the left, but, with glassy eyes, they kept onward, staggering on as well as they could. when once down, it was sometimes not easy to get up again, and few were inclined to help their comrades when their own strength was but small. on this march, i myself (strong as i was) felt completely done up, and fell in the streets of a town called, i think, zamora, where i lay, like one dead, for some time. chapter v. the battle-field of vimiero--major travers and his wig--a military family--a scapegrace--unpleasant surprise--playing fast and loose with fortune--general napier--boney's invincibles--firing cold steel at the enemy--church plunder--a haphazard shot. it was just at the close of the battle of vimiero: the dreadful turmoil and noise of the engagement had hardly subsided, and i began to look into the faces of the men close around me, to see who had escaped the dangers of the hour. four or five days back i had done the same thing at roliça. one feels, indeed, a sort of curiosity to know, after such a scene, who is remaining alive amongst the companions endeared by good conduct, or disliked from bad character, during the hardships of the campaign. i saw that the ranks of the riflemen looked very thin; it seemed to me one half had gone down. we had four companies of the th, and were commanded that day by major travers. he was a man much liked by the men of the rifles, and, indeed, deservedly beloved by all who knew him. he was a tight hand; but a soldier likes that better than a slovenly officer. i had observed him more than once during this day, spurring here and there, keeping the men well up, and apparently in the highest spirits. he could not have enjoyed himself more, i am sure, if he had been at a horse-race, or following a good pack of hounds. the battle was just over; a flag of truce had come over from the french; general kellerman, i think, brought it. we threw ourselves down where we were standing when the fire ceased. a frenchman lay close beside me; he was dying, and called to me for water; which i understood him to require more from his manner than his words (he pointed to his mouth). i need not say that i got up, and gave it him. whilst i did so, down galloped the major in front, just in the same good spirits he had been all day; plunging along, avoiding, with some little difficulty, the dead and dying, which were strewed about. he was never a very good-looking man, being hard-featured and thin; a hatchet-faced man, as we used to say. but he was a regular good 'un,--a real english soldier; and that's better than if he had been the handsomest ladies'-man in the army. the major just now disclosed what none of us, i believe, knew before; namely, that his head was bald as a coot's, and that he had covered the nakedness of his nob, up to the present time, by a flowing caxon, which, during the heat of the action, had somehow been dislodged, and was lost; yet was the major riding hither and thither, digging the spurs into his horse's flanks, and just as busy as before the firing had ceased. "a guinea," he kept crying as he rode, "to any man who will find my wig!" the men, i remember, notwithstanding the sight of the wounded and dead around them, burst into shouts of laughter at him as he went; and "a guinea to any man who will find my wig," was the saying amongst us long after that affair. many a man has died in crossing a brook, it is said, who has escaped the broad waves of the atlantic half-a-dozen times; the major had escaped the shot and shell of the enemy in many a hard-fought field, and came off with credit and renown; but it is somewhat singular that punch and judy were the individuals who were destined by the fates to cut his thread of life, for his horse was startled one day, as he rode through the streets of dublin city, by the clatter those worthies made with their sticks in one of their domestic quarrels, and, swerving to one side, that noble soldier was killed. the family of the comyns. in the band of the first battalion of the rifles, we had a father and seven sons, of the name of comyns. the elder son, who was called fluellyn, was the best musician of them all, and on the regiment going on service to portugal, he was made band-master. whilst fighting against massena, fluellyn comyns, one night, took offence at a man named cadogan, also belonging to our band, and, catching him at advantage, beat him so severely that he left him for dead. the transaction having been seen by some of the soldiery, fluellyn comyn was fearful of the consequences, and, supposing he had committed murder, fled to marshal massena's army, where he was received kindly, and, in consequence of his musical knowledge, promoted to a good situation in the band of one of the french regiments. after a while, however, he made some mistake or other _there_, and, the french army being no safe place for him any longer, he once more changed service, and returned amongst his old companions, the rifles, where he found, to his surprise, cadogan in the ranks, sound and well again. this species of inconstancy not being approved of by our leaders, he was tried by court-martial, and sentenced to be shot. two or three other men, who had also committed heavy crimes, were under orders at the same time, i recollect, to undergo the same punishment. colonel beckwith was at that time our lieutenant-colonel, and, having a great respect for comyn's father, made application to the duke of wellington for a pardon for his son fluellyn. accordingly, when he was brought forth amongst the other criminals, it was notified to him that, taking into consideration the interest made by his lieutenant-colonel, he should be forgiven: but the duke, i understand, desired it to be expressly stated to him, that if he ever detected him in that country again, in the garb of a soldier in the british service, nothing should save him from punishment. comyn, therefore, left spain, without the good wish of a single man in our corps, for he was pretty well known to be altogether a bad subject. meanwhile, the news had reached his friends in england that he had been shot, and his wife, having quickly found a substitute, was married again, when he thought proper, somewhat tardily, to seek his home. at first the meeting was rather a stormy one, and the neighbours thought that murder would ensue, for comyn found himself provided, not only with a _locum tenens_, but also with a little baby, neither of whom he could possibly have any great liking for. however, matters were eventually amicably arranged, and fluellyn comyn having made out his claim, and satisfied the second husband that he had never had a musket-ball in his body, broke up the establishment, and took his wife off to hythe, in kent, where he again enlisted in the _third_ battalion of the rifles, and joined them at shoreham cliff. in the third battalion he once more displayed his art, and, from his excellence as a musician, was made master of the band. not satisfied with his good fortune, he again misconducted himself, and was once more reduced to the ranks. after a while he succeeded in getting exchanged to the eighty-fifth regiment, where he likewise managed to insinuate himself into the good graces of the commanding officer, and by his musical talents, also, once more, into the situation of master of the band. here he might even yet have retrieved himself, and lived happily, but he began to cut fresh capers, and his ill-disposition and drunken conduct were so apparent the moment he got into an easy way of life, that it was found impossible to keep him in the situation, and he was again reduced, and eventually entirely dismissed, as _too bad for anything_. one of his brothers had, meanwhile, obtained the situation he held in the first battalion of the rifles, and was greatly respected for his good conduct. he was killed, i remember, at vittoria, by a cannon-ball striking his head from his shoulders. the other five comyns, as far as i ever knew, lived and prospered in the service. the old father was eventually discharged, and received a pension. what was, however, the ultimate fate of the bad sheep of this flock (fluellyn comyn), and whether he ever succeeded in becoming a band-master in the service of any other country, or whether he ultimately reached a still more elevated situation, i never heard, but should think from all i knew and have related, that it was not likely he ever came to good. general napier. i remember meeting with general napier before the battle of vimiero. he was then, i think, a major; and the meeting made so great an impression on me, that i have never forgotten him. i was posted in a wood the night before the battle, in the front of our army, where two roads crossed each other. the night was gloomy, and i was the very out-sentry of the british army. as i stood on my post, peering into the thick wood around me, i was aware of footsteps approaching, and challenged in a low voice. receiving no answer, i brought my rifle to the port, and bade the strangers come forward. they were major napier, (then of the th foot, i think,) and an officer of the rifles. the major advanced close up to me, and looked hard in my face. "be alert here, sentry," said he, "for i expect the enemy upon us to-night, and i know not how soon." i was a young soldier then, and the lonely situation i was in, together with the impressive manner in which major napier delivered his caution, made a great impression on me, and from that hour i have never forgotten him. indeed, i kept careful watch all night, listening to the slightest breeze amongst the foliage, in expectation of the sudden approach of the french. they ventured not, however, to molest us. henry jessop, one of my companions in the rifles, sank and died of fatigue on this night, and i recollect some of our men burying him in the wood at day-break, close to my post. during the battle, next day, i remarked the gallant style in which the th, major napier's regiment, came to the charge. they dashed upon the enemy like a torrent breaking bounds, and the french, unable even to bear the sight of them, turned and fled. methinks at this moment i can hear the cheer of the british soldiers in the charge, and the clatter of the frenchmen's accoutrements, as they turned in an instant, and went off, hard as they could run for it. i remember, too, our feeling towards the enemy on that occasion was the north side of friendly; for they had been firing upon us rifles very sharply, greatly outnumbering our skirmishers, and appearing inclined to drive us off the face of the earth. their lights, and grenadiers, i, for the first time, particularly remarked on that day. the grenadiers (the th, i think) our men seemed to know well. they were all fine-looking young men, wearing red shoulder-knots and tremendous-looking moustaches. as they came swarming upon us, they rained a perfect shower of balls, which we returned quite as sharply. whenever one of them was knocked over, our men called out "there goes another of boney's invincibles." in the main body, immediately in our rear, were the second battalion nd, the th, the second battalion rd, and a german corps, whose number i do not remember, besides several other regiments. the whole line seemed annoyed and angered at seeing the rifles outnumbered by the invincibles, and as we fell back, "firing and retiring," galling them handsomely as we did so, the men cried out (as it were with one voice) to charge. "d--n them!" they roared, "charge! charge!" general fane, however, restrained their impetuosity. he desired them to stand fast, and keep their ground. "don't be too eager, men," he said, as coolly as if we were on a drill-parade in old england; "i don't want you to advance just yet. well done, th!" he called out, as he galloped up and down the line; "well done rd, nd, and well done all. i'll not forget, if i live, to report your conduct to-day. they shall hear of it in england, my lads!" a man named brotherwood, of the th, at this moment rushed up to the general, and presented him with a green feather, which he had torn out of the cap of a french light-infantry soldier he had killed.--"god bless you general!" he said; "wear this for the sake of the th." i saw the general take the feather, and stick it in his cocked hat. the next minute he gave the word to charge, and down came the whole line, through a tremendous fire of cannon and musketry,--and dreadful was the slaughter as they rushed onwards. as they came up with us, we sprang to our feet, gave one hearty cheer, and charged along with them, treading over our own dead and wounded, who lay in the front. the th were next us as we went, and i recollect, as i said, the firmness of that regiment in the charge. they appeared like a wall of iron. the enemy turned and fled, the cavalry dashing upon them as they went off. after the day's work was over, whilst strolling about the field, just upon the spot where this charge had taken place, i remarked a soldier of the rd, and a french grenadier, both dead, and lying close together. they had apparently killed each other at the same moment, for both weapons remained in the bodies of the slain. brotherwood was lying next me during a part of this day; he was a leicestershire man, and was killed afterwards by a cannon-ball at vittoria. i remember his death more particularly from the circumstance of that very ball killing three of the company at the same moment, viz. lieutenant hopwood, patrick mahone, and himself. brotherwood was amongst the skirmishers with me on this day. he was always a lively fellow, but rather irritable in disposition. just as the french went to the right-about, i remember he d--d them furiously; and, all his bullets being gone, he grabbed a razor from his haversack, rammed it down, and fired it after them. during this day i myself narrowly escaped being killed by our own dragoons, for, somehow or other, in the confusion, i fell whilst they were charging, and, the whole squadron thundering past, just missed me, as i lay amongst the dead and wounded. tired and overweighted with my knapsack and all my shoe-making implements, i lay where i had fallen, for a short time, and watched the cavalry as they gained the enemy. i observed a fine, gallant-looking officer leading them on in that charge. he was a brave fellow, and bore himself like a hero; with his sword waving in the air, he cheered the men on, as he went dashing upon the enemy, and hewing and slashing at them in tremendous style. i watched for him as the dragoons came off after that charge, _but saw him no more_; he had fallen. fine fellow! his conduct indeed made an impression upon me that i shall never forget, and i was told afterwards that he was a brother of sir john eustace. a french soldier was lying beside me at this time; he was badly wounded, and hearing him moan as he lay, after i had done looking at the cavalry, i turned my attention to him, and, getting up, lifted his head, and poured some water into his mouth. he was dying fast; but he thanked me in a foreign language, which, although i did not exactly understand, i could easily make out by the look he gave me. mullins, of the rifles, who stepped up whilst i supported his head, d--d me for a fool for my pains. "better knock out his brains, harris," said he; "he has done _us_ mischief enough, i'll be bound for it, to-day." after the battle, i strolled about the field, in order to see if there was anything to be found worth picking up amongst the dead. the first thing i saw was a three-pronged silver fork, which, as it lay by itself, had most likely been dropped by some person who had been on the look out before me. a little further on i saw a french soldier sitting against a small rise in the ground or bank. he was wounded in the throat, and appeared very faint, the bosom of his coat being saturated with the blood which had flowed down. by his side lay his cap, and close to that was a bundle containing a quantity of gold and silver crosses, which i concluded he had plundered from some convent or church. he looked the picture of a sacrilegious thief, dying hopelessly, and overtaken by divine wrath. i kicked over his cap, which was also full of plunder, but i declined taking anything from him. i felt fearful of incurring the wrath of heaven for the like offence, so i left him, and passed on. a little further off lay an officer of the th regiment. i knew him by sight, and recognised him as he lay. he was quite dead, and lying on his back. he had been plundered, and his clothes were torn open. three bullet-holes were close together in the pit of his stomach: beside him lay an empty pocket-book, and his epaulette had been pulled from his shoulder. i had moved on but a few paces, when i recollected that perhaps the officer's shoes might serve me, my own being considerably the worse for wear, so i returned again, went back, pulled one of his shoes off, and knelt down on one knee to try it on. it was not much better than my own; however, i determined on the exchange, and proceeded to take off its fellow. as i did so i was startled by the sharp report of a firelock, and, at the same moment, a bullet whistled close by my head. instantly starting up, i turned, and looked in the direction whence the shot had come. there was no person near me in this part of the field. the dead and the dying lay thickly all around; but nothing else could i see. i looked to the priming of my rifle, and again turned to the dead officer of the th. it was evident that some plundering scoundrel had taken a shot at me, and the fact of his doing so proclaimed him one of the enemy. to distinguish him amongst the bodies strewn about was impossible; perhaps he might himself be one of the wounded. hardly had i effected the exchange, put on the dead officer's shoes, and resumed my rifle, when another shot took place, and a second ball whistled past me. this time i was ready, and turning quickly, i saw my man: he was just about to squat down behind a small mound, about twenty paces from me. i took a haphazard shot at him, and instantly knocked him over. i immediately ran up to him; he had fallen on his face, and i heaved him over on his back, bestrode his body, and drew my sword-bayonet. there was, however, no occasion for the precaution, as he was even then in the agonies of death. it was a relief to me to find i had not been mistaken. he was a french light-infantry man, and i therefore took it quite in the way of business--he had attempted my life, and lost his own. it was the fortune of war; so, stooping down, with my sword i cut the green string that sustained his calibash, and took a hearty pull to quench my thirst. chapter vi. booty--portuguese chivalry--general kellerman--day after a battle. after i had shot the french light-infantry man, and quenched my thirst from his calibash, finding he was quite dead, i proceeded to search him. whilst i turned him about in the endeavour at finding the booty i felt pretty certain he had gathered from the slain, an officer of the sixtieth approached, and accosted me. "what! looking for money, my lad," said he, "eh?" "i am sir," i answered; "but i cannot discover where this fellow has hid his hoard." "you knocked him over, my man," he said, "in good style, and deserve something for the shot. here," he continued, stooping down, and feeling in the lining of the frenchman's coat, "this is the place where these rascals generally carry their coin. rip up the lining of his coat, and then search in his stock. i know them better than you seem to do." thanking the officer for his courtesy, i proceeded to cut open the lining of his jacket with my sword-bayonet, and was quickly rewarded for my labour by finding a yellow silk purse, wrapped up in an old black silk handkerchief. the purse contained several doubloons, three or four napoleons, and a few dollars. whilst i was counting the money, the value of which, except the dollars, i did not then know, i heard the bugle of the rifles sound out the assembly, so i touched my cap to the officer, and returned towards them. the men were standing at ease, with the officers in front. as i approached them, major travers, who was in command of the four companies, called me to him. "what have you got there, sir?" he said. "shew me." i handed him the purse, expecting a reprimand for my pains. he, however, only laughed as he examined it, and, turning, shewed it to his brother-officers. "you did that well, harris," he said, "and i am sorry the purse is not better filled. fall in." in saying this, he handed me back the purse, and i joined my company. soon afterwards, the roll being called, we were all ordered to lie down and gain a little rest after our day's work. we lay as we had stood enranked upon the field, and in a few minutes, i dare say, one half of that green line, overwearied with their exertions, were asleep upon the ground they had so short a time before been fighting on. after we had lain for some little time, i saw several men strolling about the fields, so i again quietly rose, with one or two others of the rifles, and once more looked about me, to see what i could pick up amongst the slain. i had rambled some distance, when i saw a french officer running towards me with all his might, pursued by at least half a dozen horsemen. the frenchman was a tall, handsome-looking man, dressed in a blue uniform; he ran as swiftly as a wild indian, turning and doubling like a hare. i held up my hand, and called to his pursuers not to hurt him. one of the horsemen, however, cut him down with a desperate blow, when close beside me, and the next wheeling round, as he leaned from his saddle, passed his sword through the body. i am sorry to say there was an english dragoon amongst these scoundrels; the rest, by their dress, i judged to be portuguese cavalry. whether the frenchman thus slaughtered was a prisoner trying to escape, or what was the cause of this cold-blooded piece of cruelty, i know not, as the horsemen immediately galloped off without a word of explanation; and feeling quite disgusted with the scene i had witnessed, i returned to my comrades, and again throwing myself down, was soon as fast asleep as any there. i might have slept perhaps half an hour, when, the bugles again sounding, we all started to our feet, and were soon afterwards marched off to form the picquets. towards evening i was posted upon a rising ground, amongst a clump of tall trees. there seemed to have been a sharp skirmish here, as three frenchmen were lying dead amongst the long grass upon the spot were i was standing. as i threw my rifle to my shoulder, and walked past them on my beat, i observed they had been plundered, and their haversacks having been torn off, some of the contents were scattered about. among other things, a small quantity of biscuit lay at my feet. war is a sad blunter of the feelings, i have often thought since those days. the contemplation of three ghastly bodies in this lonely spot failed then in making the slightest impression upon me. the sight had become, even in the short time i had been engaged in the trade, but too familiar. the biscuits, however, which lay in my path, i thought a blessed windfall, and, stooping, i gathered them up, scraped off the blood with which they were sprinkled with my bayonet, and ate them ravenously. as i stood at the edge of the little plantation, and looked over to the enemy's side, i observed a large body of their cavalry drawn up. i love to call to mind the most trivial circumstances which i observed whilst in the peninsular, and i remember many things, of small importance in themselves, and, indeed, hardly remarked at the time, as forcibly as if they had been branded into my memory. i recollect keeping a very sharp look-out at the french cavalry on that evening, for i thought them rather too near my post; and whilst i stood beneath one of the tall trees and watched them, it commenced raining, and they were ordered to cloak up. general kellerman and his trumpets at this moment returned to the french side; and soon afterwards, the picquets being withdrawn, i was relieved from my post, and marched off to join my company. a truce, i now found, had been concluded, and we lay down to rest for the night. next day was devoted to the duty of burying the dead and assisting the wounded, carrying the latter off the field into a churchyard near vimiero. the scene in this churchyard was somewhat singular. two long tables had been procured from some houses near, and were placed end to end amongst the graves, and upon them were laid the men whose limbs it was found necessary to amputate. both french and english were constantly lifted on and off these tables. as soon as the operation was performed upon one lot, they were carried off, and those in waiting hoisted up: the surgeons with their sleeves turned up, and their hands and arms covered with blood, looking like butchers in the shambles. i saw as i passed at least twenty legs lying on the ground, many of them being clothed in the long black gaiters then worn by the infantry of the line. the surgeons had plenty of work on hand that day, and not having time to take off the clothes of the wounded, they merely ripped the seams and turned the cloth back, proceeding with the operation as fast as they could. many of the wounded came straggling into this churchyard in search of assistance, by themselves. i saw one man, faint with loss of blood, staggering along, and turned to assist him. he was severely wounded in the head, his face being completely incrusted with the blood which had flowed during the night, and had now dried. one eyeball was knocked out of the socket, and hung down upon his cheek. another man i observed who had been brought in, and propped against a grave-mound. he seemed very badly hurt. the men who had carried him into the churchyard, had placed his cap filled with fragments of biscuit close beside his head, and as he lay he occasionally turned his mouth towards it, got hold of a piece of biscuit, and munched it. as i was about to leave the churchyard, dr. ridgeway, one of the surgeons, called me back, to assist in holding a man, he was endeavouring to operate upon. "come and help me with this man," he said, "or i shall be all day cutting a ball out of his shoulder." the patient's name was doubter, an irishman. he disliked the doctor's efforts, and writhed and twisted so much during the operation that it was with difficulty dr. ridgeway could perform it. he found it necessary to cut very deep, and doubter made a terrible outcry at every fresh incision. "oh, doctor dear!" he said, "it's murdering me you are! blood an' 'ounds! i shall die!--i shall die! for the love of the lord don't cut me all to pieces!" doubter was not altogether wrong; for, although he survived the operation, he died shortly afterwards from the effects of his wounds. after i was dismissed by the doctor, i gladly left the churchyard, and returning to the hill where the rifles were bivouacked, was soon afterwards ordered by captain leech to get my shoe-making implements from my pack, and commence work upon the men's waist-belts, many of which had been much torn during the action, and i continued to be so employed as long as there was light enough to see by, after which i lay down amongst them to rest. we lay that night upon the hill-side, many of the men breaking boughs from the trees at hand, in order to make a slight cover for their heads; the tents not being then with us. i remember it was intensely cold during that night. so much so that i could not sleep, but lay with my feet drawn up, as if i had a fit of the cramp. i was indeed compelled more than once during the night to get up and run about, in order to put warmth into my benumbed limbs. chapter vii. the march to spain--a hornet's nest--beating up for quarters--a momentous question--the reply--salamanca--heavy marches. three days' march brought us without the walls of lisbon, where we halted, and, the tents soon after coming up, were encamped. the second day after our arrival, as i was lying in my tent, captain leech and lieutenant cox entering it, desired me to rise and follow them. we took the way towards the town, and wandered about the streets for some time. both these officers were good-looking men, and, in their rifle uniform, with the pelisse hanging from one shoulder, and hessian-boots then worn, cut a dash, i thought, in the streets of lisbon. there were no other english that i could observe in the town this day; and, what with the glances of the black-eyed lasses from the windows, and the sulky scowl of the french sentinels as we passed, i thought we caused quite a sensation in the place. indeed i believe we were the first men that entered lisbon after the arrival of the army without its walls. after some little time had been spent in looking about us, the officers spied an hotel, and entering it, walked up-stairs. i myself entered a sort of taproom below, and found myself in the midst of a large assemblage of french soldiers, many of whom were wounded, some with their arms hanging in scarfs, and others bandaged about the head and face. in short, one half of them appeared to carry tokens of our bullets of a few days before. at first they appeared inclined to be civil to me, although my appearance amongst them caused rather a sensation, i observed, and three or four rose from their seats, and with all the swagger of frenchmen strutted up, and offered to drink with me. i was young then, and full of the natural animosity against the enemy so prevalent with john bull. i hated the french with a deadly hatred, and refused to drink with them, shewing by my discourteous manner the feelings i entertained; so they turned off, with a "_sacré!_" and a "_bah!_" and, reseating themselves, commenced talking at an amazing rate all at once, and no man listening to his fellow. although i could not comprehend a word of the language they uttered, i could pretty well make out that i myself was the subject of the noise around me. my discourteous manners had offended them, and they seemed to be working themselves up into a violent rage. one fellow, in particular, wearing an immense pair of mustachios, and his coat loosely thrown over his shoulders, his arm being wounded, and in a sling, rose up, and attempted to harangue the company. he pointed to the pouch at my waist, which contained my bullets, then to my rifle, and then to his own wounded arm, and i began to suspect that i should probably get more than i had bargained for on entering the house, unless i speedily managed to remove myself out of it, when, luckily, lieutenant cox and captain leech entered the room in search of me. they saw at a glance the state of affairs, and instantly ordered me to quit the room, themselves covering my retreat. "better take care, harris," said the captain, "how you get amongst such a party as that again. you do not understand their language; i do: they meant mischief." after progressing through various streets, buying leather and implements for mending our shoes, the two officers desired me again to await them in the street, and entered a shop close at hand. the day was hot, and a wine-house being directly opposite me, after waiting some time, i crossed over, and, going in, called for a cup of wine. here i again found myself in the midst of a large assemblage of french soldiers, and once more an object of curiosity and dislike. nevertheless, i paid for my wine, and drank it, regardless of the clamour my intrusion had again called forth. the host, however, seemed to understand his guests better than i did, and evidently anticipated mischief. after in vain trying to make me understand him, he suddenly jumped from behind his bar, and seizing me by the shoulder without ceremony, thrust me into the street. i found the two officers looking anxiously for me when i got out, and not quite easy at my disappearance. i however excused myself by pleading the heat of the day, and my anxiety to taste the good wines of lisbon, and together we left the town, with our purchases, and reached the camp. next morning captain leech again entered my tent, and desired me to pick out three good workmen from the company, take them into the town, and seek out a shoemaker's shop as near the camp as possible. "you must get leave to work in the first shop you can find," he said, "as we have a long march before us, and many of the men without shoes to their feet." accordingly, we carried with us three small sacks filled with old boots and shoes, and entering lisbon, went into the first, shoemaker's shop we saw. here i endeavoured in vain to make myself understood for some time. there was a master shoemaker at work and three men. they did not seem to like our intrusion, and looked very sulky, asking us various questions, which i could not understand; the only words i could at all comprehend being "bonos irelandos, brutu englisa." i thought, considering we had come so far to fight their battles for them, that this was the north side of civil; so i signed to the men, and, by way of explanation of our wishes, and in order to cut the matter short, they emptied the three sacksful of boots and shoes upon the floor. we now explained what we would be at; the boots and shoes of the rifles spoke for themselves, and, seating ourselves, we commenced work forthwith. in this way we continued employed whilst the army lay near lisbon, every morning coming in to work, and returning to the camp every night to sleep. after we had been there several days, our landlord's family had the curiosity to come occasionally and take a peep at us. my companions were noisy, good-tempered, jolly fellows, and usually sang all the time they hammered and strapped. the mistress of the house, seeing i was the head man, occasionally came and sat down beside me as i worked, bringing her daughter, a very handsome dark-eyed spanish girl, and as a matter of course i fell in love. we soon became better acquainted, and the mother, one evening, after having sat and chattered to me, serving me with wine, and other good things, on my rising to leave the shop, made a signal for me to follow her. she had managed to pick up a little english, and i knew a few words of the spanish language, so that we could pretty well comprehend each other's meaning; and after leading me into their sitting-room, she brought her handsome daughter, and, without more circumstance, offered her to me for a wife. the offer was a tempting one; but the conditions of the marriage made it impossible for me to comply, since i was to change my religion, and desert my colours. the old dame proposed to conceal me effectually when the army marched; after which i was to live like a gentleman, with the handsome maria for a wife. it was hard to refuse so tempting an offer, with the pretty maria endeavouring to back her mother's proposal. i, however, made them understand that nothing would tempt me to desert; and, promising to try and get my discharge when i returned to england, protested i would then return and marry maria. soon after this the army marched for spain; the rifles paraded in the very street where the shop i had so long worked at was situated, and i saw maria at the window. as our bugles struck up, she waved her handkerchief; i returned the salute, and in half an hour had forgotten all about her. so much for a soldier's love. our marches were now long and fatiguing. i do not know how many miles we traversed ere we reached almeida, which i was told was the last town in portugal: some of my companions said we had come five hundred miles since we left lisbon. we now passed to the left, and bade adieu to portugal for ever. we had fought and conquered, and felt elated accordingly. spain was before us, and every man in the rifles seemed only anxious to get a rap at the french again. on and on we toiled, till we reached salamanca. i love to remember the appearance of that army, as we moved along at this time. it was a glorious sight to see our colours spread in these fields. the men seemed invincible; nothing, i thought, could have beaten them. we had some of as desperate fellows in the rifles alone as had ever toiled under the burning sun of an enemy's country in any age; but i lived to see hardship and toil lay hundreds of them low, before a few weeks were over our heads. at salamanca we stayed seven or eight days, and during this time the shoemakers were again wanted, and i worked with my men incessantly during their short halt. our marches were now still more arduous; fourteen leagues a-day, i have heard the men say, we accomplished before we halted; and many of us were found out, and floored in the road. it became every one for himself. the load we carried was too great, and we staggered on, looking neither to the right nor the left. if a man dropped, he found it no easy matter to get up again, unless his companion assisted him, and many died of fatigue. as for myself, i was nearly floored by this march; and on reaching a town one night, which i think was called zamora, i fell at the entrance of the first street we came to; the sight left my eyes, my brain reeled, and i came down like a dead man. when i recovered my senses, i remember that i crawled into a door i found open, and, being too ill to rise, lay for some time in the passage unregarded by the inhabitants. after i had left the house i have alluded to in the account of the battle of roliça, i walked a few paces onwards, when i saw some of the rifles lying about and resting. i laid myself down amongst them, for i felt fatigued. a great many of the french skirmishers were lying dead just about this spot. i recollect that they had long white frock-coats on, with the eagle in front of their caps. this was one of the places from which they had greatly annoyed us; and, to judge from the appearance of the dead and wounded strewed around, we had returned the compliment pretty handsomely. i lay upon my back, and, resting upon my knapsack, examined the enemy in the distance. their lines were about a couple of miles off: here they remained stationary, i should think, until near sunset, when they began to vanish, beating towards vimiero, where we had at them again. whilst i lay watching them, i observed a dead man directly opposite to me whose singular appearance had not at first caught my eye. he was lying on his side amongst some burnt-up bushes; and whether the heat of the firing here had set these bushes on fire, or from whatever cause they had been ignited, i cannot take upon me to say; but certain it is (for several of my companions saw it as well as myself, and cracked many a joke upon the poor fellow's appearance,) that this man, whom we guessed to have been french, was as completely roasted as if he had been spitted before a good kitchen-fire. he was burnt quite brown, every stitch of clothes was singed off, and he was drawn all up like a dried frog. i called the attention of one or two men near me, and we examined him, turning him about with our rifles with no little curiosity. i remember now, with some surprise, that the miserable fate of this poor fellow called forth from us very little sympathy, but seemed only to be a subject of mirth. chapter viii. a gallant fop--an ill-humoured recruit--the military agriculturist and the gentleman farmer--death or glory--the duke at vimiero--picking off the enemy--the brothers hart. i remember there was an officer, named, i think, cardo, with the rifles. he was a great beau; but although rather effeminate and ladylike in manners, so much so as to be remarked by the whole regiment at that time, yet he was found to be a most gallant officer when we were engaged with the enemy in the field. he was killed whilst fighting bravely in the pyrenees; and amongst other jewellery he wore, he had a ring on his finger worth one hundred and fifty guineas. as he lay dead on the field, one of our riflemen, named orr, observed the sparkling gem, and immediately resolved to make prize of it. the ring, however, was so firmly fixed that orr could not draw it from the finger, and whipping out his knife cut the finger off by the joint. after the battle, orr offered the ring for sale amongst the officers, and, on inquiry, the manner in which he had obtained it transpired. orr was in consequence tried by court-martial, and sentenced to receive five hundred lashes, which sentence was carried into execution. a youth joined the rifles soon after i myself put on the green jacket, whose name was medley. he was but a small chap, being under the standard one inch;[ ] but our officers thought he promised fair to become a tall fellow, and he was, accordingly, not rejected. medley did not deceive them; for, on the day he first joined the rifles, he was five feet one inch in height, and on the day he was killed, at barrossa, he was exactly six feet one. he was celebrated for being the greatest grumbler, the greatest eater, and the most quarrelsome fellow in the whole corps. i remember he cut a most desperate figure in the retreat to corunna; for there he had enough to bear both of fatigue and hunger; and a very little of either of these disagreeables would make him extremely bad company at any time. it was dangerous, too, to bid him hold his tongue sometimes; for he had picked up so amongst us since he was only five feet one, and grown so bony as well as tall, that he would challenge and thrash any man in the corps. corunna, however, though it could not stop his growling, took the desire of boxing quite out of him; and he sprawled, scrambled, and swore, till he somehow got through that business. if general craufurd could have heard but the twentieth part of what i heard him utter about him on that retreat, i think he would have cut medley in half. he was, as i said, a capital feeder; and his own allowance was not half enough to satisfy his cravings, so that he often got some of his comrades to help him out with a portion of theirs. he was my comrade for about two years; and, as i was a shoemaker, i often had food to give him; indeed it was highly necessary either to give him what i had for my own allowance, or find some provision elsewhere, for he was the most cross-grained fellow, if his belly was not filled, that we ever had amongst us. he was killed at barrossa, as i said, and he carried his ill-humour with him to the very last hour of his life; for, being knocked over by a musket-ball in the thigh, he was spoken to as he lay by some of his comrades, who, asking if they should assist him, and carry him to the rear, he told them to "_go and be d--d!_" and, bidding them mind their own business, abused them till they passed on and left him. i was told this last anecdote of him by the very men who had spoken to him, and got this blessing as he lay. we had another tall fellow in the four companies of rifles who were in that retreat. his name was thomas higgins; he was six feet one and a half, and quite as lank and bony as medley. he also was an ill-tempered fellow, but nothing to compare with him either in eating or grumbling. the tall men, i have often observed, bore fatigue much worse than the short ones; and higgins, amongst others of the big 'uns, was dreadfully put to it to keep on. we lost him entirely when about half through this business, i remember; for, during a short halt of about ten minutes he was reprimanded by one of our officers for the slovenly state of his clothing and accoutrements; his dress almost dropping from his lower limbs, and his knapsack hanging by a strap or two down about his waist. higgins did not take it at all kind being quarrelled with at such a time, and, uttering sundry impertinences, desired to know if they were ever to be allowed to halt any more, adding that he did not see very well how he was to be very smart after what he had already gone through. the officer spoke to one of the sergeants upon this, and bid him remember, if they got to their journey's end, to give higgins an extra guard for his behaviour. "oh! then, d--n me," says higgins, "if ever i take it!" and, turning about, as we all moved on at the word to march, he marched off in the contrary direction, and we never either saw or heard of him from that hour; and it was supposed afterwards, amongst us, that he had either perished alone in the night, or joined the french, who were at our heels. these were the two tallest men in the four companies of rifles; and both were in the company i belonged to. higgins was the right hand, and medley the left hand man. the yorkshire farmer. it was about the year or , that a man volunteered from the nottingham militia into the rifles. after receiving the half of his bounty, he thought that was quite as much as would serve him of the rifle regiment, and so he declined to serve them in return, and accordingly made off, without joining them at all at that time. four years afterwards he was discovered by the very sergeant of the nottingham militia who belonged to his own company when he volunteered from them into our corps. this same sergeant was then himself recruiting, and fell in with his former comrade in some town, of which i forget the name; but it was in yorkshire. the man (whose name, also, i have forgotten now,) was then grown very fat, and was, likewise, as much altered in dress as in condition, being clad in the habiliments of a respectable and comfortable farmer of that delightful county. the sergeant, however, had a sharp eye, and penetrated both through the disguise of his then calling, and also even his portly look failed in throwing him off the scent. in fact, he went warily to work, made his inquiries, compared his notes, allowed for the time and circumstances, and, notwithstanding the respectability and reputed worth of our farmer, arrested him forthwith as a deserter from the ninety-fifth. from yorkshire he was marched a prisoner to hythe, in kent; and i remember seeing him brought in, dressed as he was apprehended, and handcuffed, and guarded by a corporal and three or four men. he was, as i said, clad in his farmer's dress, and that it was which made myself and others (who happened to be out) more especially regard him; for, although it was no great sight at that time to see a deserter brought along, yet it was not often we beheld one so apparently well off and respectable looking in such a situation. in fact, the yorkshire farmer made a great talk amongst us; and we pitied him much. no man in his present circumstances could, i should think, feel more acutely, and he dwindled perceptibly in bulk every day, till he was brought to trial. during his confinement he had written to the colonel of the regiment, offering him sixty pounds to let him off; but i believe he never at that time got any reply to his offer, and, being tried, was sentenced to receive seven hundred lashes. when he was brought into the hollow square to receive his punishment, i remember the anxiety amongst us was twice as great as on an ordinary occasion of the sort. he did not seem a man who was afraid of the lash, as regarded the pain of its infliction, but the shame of it (considering the situation he had attained to) was apparently the thing that hurt him most. even now, although fallen away, he was a jolly and portly-looking man, though his flesh seemed to hang about him from the quickness he had been reduced in bulk by long marches, and anxiety of mind. he addressed a few words to the colonel in a firm and manly tone, and begged him to consider his situation and circumstances, and that he was the husband of a respectable woman, and father of several children; but, however, it was not possible for the colonel to forgive him at that time, and he was ordered to be quick and prepare. the farmer, accordingly, stripped, and was tied up. the colonel addressed him, and referred to the offer he had made him when in confinement, which, he told him, had much aggravated his crime, as supposing him (the colonel) capable of selling his honour for sixty pounds. so the farmer received his seven hundred lashes that day, and never uttered a word of complaint during the infliction, except that, as he sometimes turned his head, and looked after the can of water, he would say, "oh! poor tom! poor tom! i little thought ever to come to this!" i remember, after four hundred, the colonel asked him if he would sign his banishment, telling him it was to send him to another regiment, which was in foreign parts; but the farmer refused to do so, and the punishment went on. i recollect, too, that the doctor desired the drummer to lay the lash on the other shoulder, and the farmer received the whole sentence, as he well deserved. in a week or more he was to be seen walking in the barrack-square; but he avoided the society of the men, and in about two or three days afterwards, he was missing altogether, having taken an opportunity to escape; and we never again either heard of, or saw, the yorkshire farmer. there was another agriculturist who, i remember, was in the rifles with me. he was the eldest son of a gentleman-farmer, who resided in yorkshire, and as handsome a youth as i think i ever beheld; but he was one of the wildest chaps, perhaps, in the whole county, and, although he was not above four or five-and-twenty, his parents had found it out to their cost. in one of his sprees, happening to fall in with sergeant sugden of our corps, nothing would content him but he must enlist. sugden, you may easily conceive, was not averse to indulge such a "_perspiring_" hero, and very soon had him for a recruit. although there must have been considerable difference in the style of life amongst us to what he had been used to, yet he appeared nowise displeased with, the change. to be sure, he was rather too lively a bird at times, and, having plenty of money, occasionally got himself into trouble, but nothing particularly disagreeable happened, and altogether he was very much liked in the corps, in which he went by the name of "the gentleman farmer." just before a detachment of the rifles started for portugal, a gentleman rode into the barrack-square, and inquired of some of the men for this young spark, whose name i cannot now remember. the meeting was not a very amicable one, for the new-comer was the gentleman-farmer's brother, who upbraided him with his conduct in enlisting, and told of the anxiety and sorrow this new freak had caused at home. after they had somewhat mollified their quarrel, they sought an interview with our commanding-officer; and the brother immediately, in the name of the parents, offered any reasonable sum the colonel chose to name, so he would but grant the gentleman-farmer a discharge. the colonel, however, was not willing to lose him, and refused at that time to grant the request. "he is a wild and untamed spirit," he said; "and as he is just now under orders for foreign service, he had better go; let him have a year of that fun; it will do his complaint good; and, if he lives, we shall see him, i hope, return an improved man." the new-comer, therefore, was fain to put up with this answer, and next morning returned home to his parents, apparently much cut up and disappointed at his ill success. accordingly the gentleman-farmer embarked for portugal, and was soon after witness of a wilder scene of discord and horror than, i dare say, even his hair-brained ideas quite contemplated when he enlisted for a soldier; in short, he took his first lesson of actual warfare at the siege of badajoz, and, entering with heart and soul into the breach, his head was dashed into a hundred pieces by a cannon ball. thomas mayberry was a man well known at that time in the rifles. he was a sergeant in my day, and was much thought of by our officers as a very active and useful non-commissioned officer, being considered, up to the time of his committing the slight mistake i shall have to tell of, one of the most honest men in the army. with the men he was not altogether so well liked, as he was considered rather too blusterous and tyrannical. whilst in the town of hythe, he got the fingering of about two hundred pounds, for the purpose of paying for necessaries purchased for the men of his company, and which two hundred pounds he had, in a very short space of time, managed to make away with, and lose in the society of a party of gamblers, who at that time infested the town of hythe. captain hart, who then commanded the company mayberry belonged to, was not a little thunderstruck, some little time after, at finding that the several tradesmen who furnished the articles for the men had never been settled with, and, sending for mayberry, discovered the delinquency. mayberry was a prisoner in a moment; and captain hart was as much astonished as if his own father had committed a fraud, so well and so much was mayberry thought of. he was brought to court-martial, together with two other men, whom he had seduced to become partners in his gambling transactions; and, on the inquiry, it was further discovered that he had been in the habit of cheating the men of his company out of a farthing a-week each for the last ten months. that was, perhaps, the worst thing against him. he was sentenced to receive seven hundred lashes. corporal morrisson and patrick divine, his two participators in this roguery, got, i remember, the former three, and the latter one hundred, awarded to them. when the square was formed for punishment, and the three were brought out, it was necessary to check the men of the regiment, or they would have hooted and hissed them on the parade. i recollect, also, that there was a civilian, of the name of gilbert, whom mayberry had defrauded, and he had inquired the time of his punishment, and was present in the rear during the infliction, having expressed to some of mayberry's companions that he was content to lose the money, so that he saw the fellow well flogged:--a pretty good proof that, when their own interests are nearly concerned, your civilian has no objection to even be an eye-witness of the infliction of the lash, about which there has lately been such an outcry. it is, indeed, no uncommon thing, now-a-days, to see a man who has committed crimes, which have caused him to receive the execrations of his sometime companions in arms, as he is being drummed out of the corps, received by a host of folks without the barrack-gates, and taken to their bosoms as an object of commiseration. when mayberry was tied up, he was offered, as was then customary, the option of banishment; but he refused it, notwithstanding considerable entreaty was made to him by his two comrades to accept it, as, by so doing, they thought they all would escape the lash. however, mayberry decided to take the seven hundred, and bore the sentence without a murmur. not so the two others: morrisson screamed and struggled so much, that he capsized the triangle, and all came sprawling together, so that he was obliged to be held by a man at each side. divine came last. he was rather an effeminate-looking man; and the colonel rode round, and told him he lamented being obliged to break so fair a skin; but he must do his duty. however, as he had borne a good character, and was not so much to blame as the other two, he let him down after five-and-twenty. mayberry after this was much scouted by his fellow-soldiers, and also ill-thought of by the officers; and, on a detachment being sent to portugal, he volunteered for the expedition. captain hart, however, would fain have declined taking him, as he had so bad an opinion of him after this affair; but mayberry shewed himself so desirous of going, that at last he consented, and took him. at the siege of badajoz, mayberry wiped off, in a measure, all his former ill conduct. he was seen by captain hart to behave so bravely in the breach, that he commended him on the spot. "well done, mayberry!" said he; "you have this day done enough to obliterate your disgrace; and, if we live, i will endeavour to restore you to your former rank. go now to the rear; you have done enough for one day." mayberry, however, refused to retire, although covered with wounds; for he was known to have killed seven with his own hand, with his rifle-sword-bayonet. "no going to the rear for me," he said. "i'll restore myself to my comrades' opinion, or make a finish of myself altogether." he accordingly continued in the front of all, till at last he was seen to be cut down, in the clear light of the fire-balls, by a tremendous sword-cut, which cleft his skull almost in twain. morrisson, i heard, also died at that siege. divine returned safe home, and died of fatigue at fermoy. it has been said, i have heard, by officers of high rank in the army of the peninsula, that there never were such a set of devil-may-care fellows, and so completely up to their business, as the th. it would be invidious to make a distinction, or talk of any one regiment being better, or more serviceable, than another; but the rifles were generally in the mess before the others began, and also the last to leave off. it was their business to be so; and if they did their work well, so did every other british corps engaged in that country, at least i never either heard or saw to the contrary. there was, perhaps, as intelligent and talented a set of men amongst us, as ever carried a weapon in any country. they seemed at times, to need but a glance at what was going on to know all about its "why and wherefore." i remember seeing the duke of wellington during the battle of vimiero; and in these days, when so much anxiety is displayed to catch even a glance of that great man's figure as he gallops along the streets of london, it seems gratifying to me to recollect seeing him in his proper element, "the raging and bloody field," and i have frequently taxed my mind to remember each action and look i caught of him at that time. i remember seeing the great duke take his hat off in the field of vimiero, and methinks it is something to have seen that wonderful man even do so common-place a thing as lift his hat to another officer in the battle-field. we were generally enveloped in smoke and fire, and sometimes unable to distinguish or make remarks upon what was going on around, whilst we blazed away at our opponents; but occasionally we found time to make our comments upon the game we were playing. two or three fellows near me were observing what was going on just in the rear, and i heard one man remark, "here comes sir arthur and his staff;" upon which i also looked back, and caught sight of him just meeting with two other officers of high rank. they all uncovered as they met, and i saw the duke, as i said, (then sir arthur wellesley) take off his hat and bow to the other two. the names of the new-comers, however they were learnt, whether from some of the men who had before seen them, or picked up on the instant from an officer, seemed to be well known, as well as the business they were engaged in talking of; for it ran along the line from one to the other that sir hugh dalrymple and sir harry burrard were about to take the command, instead of sir arthur wellesley, a circumstance which, of course, could only be a random guess amongst these fellows at the moment. the intelligence of these men was indeed very great, and i could relate instances of their recklessness and management which would amuse the reader much. i remember a fellow, named jackman, getting close up to the walls at flushing, and working a hole in the earth with his sword, into which he laid himself, and remained there alone, spite of all the efforts of the enemy and their various missiles to dislodge him. he was known, thus earthed, to have killed, with the utmost coolness and deliberation, eleven of the french artillerymen, as they worked at their guns. as fast as they relieved each fallen comrade did jackman pick them off; after which he took to his heels, and got safe back to his comrades. there were three brothers in the rifles, named hart,--john, mike, and peter,--and three more perfectly reckless fellows, perhaps, never existed. nothing ever escaped their notice; and they would create the greatest fun and laughter, even when advancing under the hottest fire of the enemy, and their comrades being shot down beside them. i remember lieutenant molloy, who was himself as fine a "soldier as ever stepped, and as full of life in the midst of death" as these harts, being obliged to check them at vimiero. "d--n you!" he said to them, "keep back, and get under cover. do you think you are fighting here with your fists, that you are running into the teeth of the french?" i never saw those three men, to appearance, the least worse for hard work during the time we remained in portugal. they could run like deer, and were indeed formed by nature and disposition for the hardships, difficulties, and privations of the sort of life we then led. they were, however, all three pretty well done up during the retreat to corunna; though, even in that dreadful business, their light-heartedness and attempts at fun served to keep up the spirits of many a man, who would else have been broken-hearted before the english shipping appeared in sight. they even carried their pleasantry on that occasion so far as to make a jest of their own appearance, and the miserable plight of the whole turn-out, as we disembarked upon the beach at portsmouth. one of them even went so far as to observe, "that we looked more like the rakings of h-- than the fragments of an army!" nothing, indeed, but that grave of battalions, that unwholesome fen, flushing, could have broken the spirits of three such soldiers as john, mike, and peter hart. a few weeks, however, of that country sufficed to quiet them for evermore. one, i remember, died; and the other two, although they lived to return, were never worth a rush afterwards, but, like myself, remained living examples of what climate can bring even a constitution and body framed as if of iron to. nothing, i suppose, could exceed the dreadful appearance we cut on the occasion of the disembarkation from corunna; and the inhabitants of portsmouth, who had assembled in some numbers to see us land, were horror-stricken with the sight of their countrymen and relatives returning to england in such a ghastly state; whilst the three harts, with feet swathed in bloody rags, clothing that hardly covered their nakedness, accoutrements in shreds, beards covering their faces, eyes dimmed with toil, (for some were even blind,) arms nearly useless to those who had them left, the rifles being encrusted with rust, and the swords glued to the scabbard;--these three brothers, i say (for i heard them myself,) as they hobbled up the beach, were making all sorts of remarks, and cracking their jokes upon the misery of our situation, and the appearance they themselves cut. i recollect seeing at this time an affecting instance of female affection displayed. one of our officers, whose name i will not mention, and who was much beloved by us all, observed his wife waiting for him on the beach, as he disembarked from the boat. he met her as she rushed into the sea to embrace him, and they were locked in each others' arms before they touched the dry land. footnotes: [footnote : the standard at that time, when men were quickly used up, was five feet two with us.] chapter ix. the north mayo militiaman--chances of warfare--marshal beresford--eight hundred for nothing--moneymaking. whilst we lay near cork we were joined by one richard pullen, amongst others; he had exchanged from the english militia into the irish, and volunteered to us rifles from the north mayo. he brought with him little else to boast of but his wife and his two children, charles and susan. charles was a mischievous boy of about twelve, and susan was a pretty little lass, of about fourteen years of age. i remember they all went with us to copenhagen, and got through that expedition pretty well. that affair suited a man of pullen's description, for he didn't like too much service; and we soon found he was rather a shy cock. "none of your north may_ho_, here, master pullen!" used to be constantly flung in his teeth, when he was lagging behind on the march. in he was again wanted, when our four companies went to portugal; but pullen begged off, on account of the wife and the two children, charles and susan. often had he to endure the taunt again, "_none of your north mayho here, master pullen!_" till we were fairly away from hythe. after we had knocked the frogs out of portugal, marching on sahagun, we fell in with the army under sir john moore, and, amongst the rifles that came with them fresh from england, we found pullen and his wife, with their two children, charles and susan. i remember that the meeting with pullen caused no small fun amongst us; and north may_ho_ was again the bye-word for a few days. nothing, i thought at that time, could tame down the high spirits and thoughtlessness of the british soldier. alas! i lived to see that i was mistaken; and, indeed, saw them pretty well tamed before many days more were over our heads! i remember remarking that pullen (even on the first day of the retreat to corunna) looked very chap-fallen and seedy; and he was beginning even then to complain that he could not stand much more. the wife and children, too, were dropping behind. _they_ all thought, poor souls! that when night came on they were, of course, to be billeted; but the open world was now their only refuge; and no allowance to stop or lie down, even on the bare heath, at that time. i saw pullen again on the third or fourth day; neither the wife nor children were then with him, nor could he tell _where_ they were; he could only answer for himself, and expected to drop dead, he said, every step. that's all i saw of pullen, and his wife and children, on the retreat, or even thought of them; for i had enough to do to keep my own strength up. when we landed at portsmouth, both myself and others (to our no small surprise), saw pullen once more; and much we wondered at the sight of him, when so many better and stronger soldiers had died before half of that retreat was accomplished. we had not even then spirits enough left to jeer him about north may_ho_; and, to add to the dejection of poor pullen, we found that he had left behind him, and knew nothing of the fate of either his wife or his children, charles and susan. as the men continued to disembark, however, there was pullen inquiring anxiously of every one for some tidings of them. none, however, could he get. at last he saw his wife coming up the beach, and hobbled off to meet her, each at the same moment inquiring for the children, charles and susan. _he_ trusted they were with the wife; and _she_ hoped they were with the husband; and both sat down upon the beach, and cried in concert. all our men thought it useless of them to continue their inquiries; but they never failed to ask after their offspring of every fresh face they fell in with, who had been in that retreat. in about a fortnight's time, not satisfied, they advertised charles and susan in the public newspapers; and we all laughed at the very idea of their ever finding them again, and told them they might have spared the money. to our no small surprise, however, the artillery at plymouth answered their advertisement, stating that a little girl had been heard screaming upon the mountains in spain by them in the night, and that they had taken care of her as well as they could, and had her then with them. the description answering, the girl was forwarded to hythe; and pullen and his wife once more embraced their daughter susan. meanwhile, no tidings came of the boy; and pullen died at walcheren, with many a gallant soldier for his fellow-victim in that dreadful country. the wife had confessed long before that the child she had given birth to after the retreat, she had every reason to believe, was a frenchman by the father's side; for she related her adventures to many of us at that time, and told, amongst other things, that she and other women, having taken refuge in a barn, were there overtaken by the french in the night, and treated by those gentlemen in a very unceremonious manner. it is easy to suppose that mrs. pullen had no great wish to go on service again, and much did she endeavour to persuade pullen to evade it too; but, the whole regiment being under orders for walcheren, pullen could not escape the chance. at last, however, he tried to excuse himself by tampering with his eyes, which he made sore by putting snuff in them. he was, however, detected, disgraced, and, sailing with the expedition, died, as i before said, at walcheren. after his death, mrs. pullen and her daughter were sent to their parish, which was in warwickshire; and, after she had left us some time, a letter arrived from her son, charles, who was a prisoner in france. there was, i think, not a man in the regiment who recollected the north may_ho_ recruit but myself. war, and pestilence, and discharge, had taken all away. the bugle-major opened the letter; and, on inquiry, found that i alone knew the parents of the writer; but no answer, that i ever heard of, was sent to poor charles. the captain of pullen's company (crampton) was dead, and the company was almost entirely new. i myself was then almost in a dying state, and the matter was soon altogether forgotten. so that, whether mrs. pullen ever again saw her son, i cannot take upon me to say. it was during the heat of the day of vimiero. we were rather hotly pressed by the enemy, after having advanced somewhat too near their force. give and take is all fair enough; but we were getting more kicks than halfpence, as the saying is; and their balls stung us so sharply that the officers gave the word to "_fire and retire_".[ ] doubtless, many got a leaden messenger as they did so, which saved them the unpleasant necessity of retracing their ground altogether. jock gillespie and myself wheeled about, and obeyed the order. just as we had done so, i saw gillespie limp along as though some one had bestowed a violent kick upon his person. however, he didn't give up at first, but continued to load, and fire, and make off with the other skirmishers, till we halted, and made another stand; for we never went further from them when once engaged, than we could possibly help. gillespie loaded, and fired very sharply, i recollect; seemingly quite affronted at the treatment he had received; but he got weaker and more lame as he did so, and at last was quite unable to continue the game any longer; and, when we advanced again, he was floored from loss of blood. i had asked him once or twice where he was hit, but he seemed unwilling to say, till at last he confessed; and the confession gave him apparently as much pain as the wound. after the battle was over, i observed him endeavouring to get about, and limping as badly as if one leg was a foot shorter than the other, whilst our men, who had got hold of the story, kept calling after, and making all sorts of fun about his wound; till poor gillespie (who was a very sensitive man) sat down and cried like a child with vexation. i never saw him after that night; and i rather think his wound had completely disabled him, and that eventually he got a discharge. i remember a great many of the leaders and heroes of the wars of my own time. alas! they have been cleared off of late pretty handsomely! a few years more, and the world will be without another living remembrancer of either them or their deeds. the ranks are getting thin, too, amongst those who, like myself, were the tools with which the great men of former days won their renown. i don't know a single living man now who was a comrade during the time i served. very nearly fifteen years back, i remember, however, meeting with robert liston; and that meeting brings marshal beresford to my mind. robert liston was a corporal in the second battalion of the rifles, when we lay for a few days in the passages of a convent in portugal. we were then making for the frontiers of spain, when we were swept into that disastrous retreat to corunna. there was a punishment parade in the square of this convent. a soldier of the ninety-second or seventy-ninth was the culprit, and the kilts were formed to witness the performance. some of the rifles were looking from the windows of the convent at the punishment of the highlander, when a brickbat was hurled from one of the casements, and fell at the very toe of the lieutenant-colonel, who was standing in the midst, and in command of the regiment. the lieutenant-colonel (whose name i never knew,) was of course indignant at such an act; he gazed up at the window from which the brick had been thrown, and caused an inquiry instantly to be made. it was between the lights when this happened, and it was impossible to discover who had done it; however, two or three men of the rifles were confined on suspicion. a man named baker flatly accused corporal liston of the act; upon which liston was marched a prisoner to salamanca (a distance, i should think, of some hundred miles); and often did he complain of his hard fate in being a prisoner so long. when we got to salamanca we halted there for eight days; and liston, being tried by general court-martial, was sentenced to receive eight hundred lashes. the whole brigade turned out on the occasion; and i remember that the drummers of the ninth regiment were the inflictors of the lash. liston received the whole sentence without a murmur. he had, indeed, been a good soldier, and we were all truly sorry for him; in fact, he always declared solemnly that he had no more to do with the brickbat than marshal beresford who commanded the brigade. whoever committed the act, in my opinion, well deserved what _liston got_. marshal beresford was in command of the brigade at this time; and i well remember what a fine-looking soldier he was. he was equal to his business, too, i should say; and he, amongst others of our generals, often made me think that the french army had nothing to shew in the shape of officers who could at all compare with ours. there was a noble bearing in our leaders, which they, on the french side (as far as i was capable of observing) had not; and i am convinced that the english soldier is even better pleased to be commanded by some man of rank in his own country, than by one who has risen from his own station. they are a strange set, the english! and so determined and unconquerable, that they will have their way if they can. indeed, it requires one who has authority in his face, as well as at his back, to make them respect and obey him. they see too often, in the instance of serjeant-majors, that command does not suit ignorant and coarse-minded men; and that tyranny is too much used even in the brief authority which they have. a soldier, i am convinced, is driven often to insubordination by being worried by these little-minded men for the veriest trifles, about which the gentleman never thinks of tormenting him. the moment the severity of the discipline of our army is relaxed, in my opinion, farewell to its efficiency; but for our men to be tormented about trifles (as i have seen at times) is often very injurious to a whole corps. i never saw liston after that punishment whilst in spain; and i suppose he remained behind, and got on in the best manner he was able in the rear; but, about ten years afterwards, as i was passing down sloane street, chelsea, i observed a watchman calling the hour. it struck me that i knew his face, and, turning back, i stopped him, asking if he was not robert liston, formerly a corporal in the ninty-fifth rifles? after answering in the affirmative, the first words he spoke were, "oh! harris! do you remember what happened to me at salamanca?" "i do _well_," i said. "i was never guilty," he continued. "there is no occasion for me to deny it now; but i tell you that i was never guilty of the crime for which i suffered. baker was a villain, and i believe that he was himself the culprit." i recollect marshal beresford making a speech on the subject of the buttons of our great-coats; and, however such a subject may appear trifling for a general officer to speak on, i can tell you, it was a discourse which our men (some of them) much needed; for they had been in the habit of tearing off the buttons from their coats, and after hammering them flat, passing them as english coin, in exchange for the good wines of spain. so that, at last, the spaniards, finding they got nothing by the exchange but trumpery bits of battered lead, and the children in that country not being in the habit of playing at dumps as ours are, they made complaints to the marshal. halting the brigade, therefore, one day, he gave them a speech upon this fraud, and ended by promising a handsome flogging to the first man he found thereafter, whose great-coat would not keep buttoned in windy weather. footnotes: [footnote : one of the light-infantry movements, when pressed by the advance of the enemy.] chapter x. the retreat to corunna. hiding the gunpowder--false alarm--a halt--the advance countermanded, and the retreat commenced. at sahagun we fell in with the army under command of sir john moore. i forget how many thousand men there were; but they were lying in and around the town when we arrived. the rifles marched to an old convent, some two miles from sahagun, where we were quartered, together with a part of the th hussars, some of the welsh fusileers and straggling bodies of men belonging to various other regiments; all seeming on the _qui vive_, and expecting the french to fall in with them every hour. as our small and way-worn party came to a halt before the walls of the convent, the men from these different regiments came swarming out to greet us, loudly cheering us as they rushed up and seized our hands. the difference in appearance between ourselves and these new comers was indeed (just then) very great. _they_ looked fresh, from good quarters, and good rations. their clothes and accoutrements were comparatively new and clean, and their cheeks ruddy with the glow of health and strength; whilst our men, on the contrary, were gaunt-looking, way-worn, and ragged; our faces burnt almost to the hue of an asiatic's by the sun; our accoutrements rent and torn; and many without even shoes to their feet. however, we had some work in us yet; and perhaps were in better condition for it than our more fresh-looking comrades. and now our butchers tucked up their sleeves, and quickly set to work, slaughtering oxen and sheep, which we found within the convent walls; whilst others of our men, lighting fires in the open air upon the snow, commenced cooking the fragments, which were cut up, and distributing to them; so that very soon after our arrival, we were more sumptuously regaled than we had been for many days. after this meal we were ordered into the convent, and, with knapsacks on our backs, and arms in our hands, threw ourselves down to rest upon the floor of a long passage. overcome with hard toil, and long miles, our wearied men were soon buried in a deep and heavy sleep. in the middle of the night i remember, as well as if the sounds were at this moment in my ear, that my name was called out many times without my being completely awakened by the summons. the repeated call seemed mixed up with some circumstance in my dreams; and it was not until the noise awoke some of the men lying nearer to the entrance of the passage, and they took up the cry, that i was effectually aroused. from weariness, and the weight of my knapsack, and the quantity of implements i carried, i was at first quite unable to gain my legs; but when i did so, i found that quarter-master surtees was the person who was thus disturbing my rest. "come, be quick there, harris!" said he, as i picked my way by the light of the candle he held in his hand; "look amongst the men, and rouse up all the shoemakers you have in the four companies. i have a job for them, which must be done instantly." with some little trouble, and not a few curses from them, as i stirred them up with the butt of my rifle, i succeeded in waking several of our snoring handicrafts; and the quarter-master bidding us instantly follow him, led the way to the very top of the convent stairs. passing then into a ruinous-looking apartment, along which we walked upon the rafters, there being no flooring, he stopped when he arrived at its further extremity. here he proceeded to call our attention to a quantity of barrels of gunpowder lying beside a large heap of raw bullock's hides. "now, harris," said he, "keep your eyes open, and mind what you are about here. general craufurd orders you instantly to set to work, and sew up every one of these barrels in the hides lying before you. you are to sew the skins with the hair outwards, and be quick about it, for the general swears that if the job is not finished in half-an-hour he will hang you." the latter part of this order was anything but pleasant; and whether the general ever really gave it, i never had an opportunity of ascertaining. i only know that i give the words as they were given me; and, well knowing the stuff craufurd was made of, i received the candle from the hands of surtees, and bidding the men get needles and waxed thread from their knapsacks, as the quarter-master withdrew, i instantly prepared to set about the job. i often think of that night's work as i sit strapping away in my little shop in richmond street, soho. it was a curious scene to look at, and the task neither very easy nor safe. the riflemen were wearied, unwilling, and out of temper; and it was as much as i could do to get them to assist me. moreover, they were so reckless, that they seemed rather to wish to blow the convent into the air than to get on with their work. one moment the candle was dropped, and nearly extinguished; the next they lost their implements between the rafters of the floor, flaring the light about amongst the barrels; and wishing, as i remonstrated with them, that the powder might ignite, and blow me, themselves, and the general to ----. such were the riflemen of the peninsular war,--daring, gallant, reckless fellows. i had a hard task to get the work safely finished; but, at length, between coaxing and bullying these dare-devils, i managed to do so, and together we returned down the convent stairs; and, finding surtees awaiting us in the passage below, he reported to general craufurd that his order had been obeyed. after which we were permitted again to lie down, and sleep till the bugle awoke us next morning. we remained in the convent part of the next day, and towards evening received orders to leave all our women and baggage behind, and advance towards the enemy. our four companies accordingly were quickly upon the move, and before long we came up with the remainder of the rifle corps, which had recently arrived from england with sir john moore. as these men saw us coming up they halted for the moment, and gave us one hearty cheer, allowing our four companies to pass to the front, as the post of honour, calling us "the heroes of portugal." as we passed to the front, we returned their cheer with pride. our worn appearance and sun-burnt look gave us the advantage over our comrades, we thought, and we marched in the van of the vanguard. war is a sad blunter of the feelings of men. we felt eager to be at it again. nay, i am afraid we longed for blood as the cheer of our comrades sounded in our ears; and yet, amidst all this, softer feelings occasionally filled the breasts of those gallant fellows, even whilst they were thirsting for a sight of the enemy. some of the men near me suddenly recollected, as they saw the snow lying thickly in our path, that this was christmas eve. the recollection soon spread amongst the men; and many talked of home, and scenes upon that night in other days, in old england, shedding tears as they spoke of the relatives and friends never to be seen by them again. as the night approached we became less talkative. the increasing weariness of our limbs kept our tongues quieter, and we were many of us half asleep as we walked, when suddenly a shout arose in front that the french were upon us. in an instant every man was on the alert, and we were rushing forward, in extended order, to oppose them. it proved a false alarm; but it nearly cost me a broken bone or two. the honourable captain pakenham (now sir hercules pakenham), on the first sound of the enemy being in sight, made a dash to get to the front, at the same moment i myself was scrambling up a bank on the road side. in the darkness and hurry, the mule the captain was mounted on bore me to the ground, and, getting his fore-feet fast fixed somehow between my neck and my pack, we were fairly hampered for some moments. the captain swore, the mule floundered, and i bellowed with alarm lest the animal should dig his feet into my back, and quite disable me. at length, however, the captain succeeded in getting clear, and spurred over the bank, as i rolled back into the road. it might be somewhere about two o'clock in the morning that our advance into spain was, for that time, checked, and the retreat to corunna might be said to commence. general craufurd was in command of the brigade, and riding in front, when i observed a dragoon come spurring furiously along the road to meet us. he delivered a letter to the general, who turned round in his saddle the moment he had read a few lines, and thundered out the word "to halt!" a few minutes more, and we were all turned to the right-about, and retracing our steps of the night before;--the contents of that epistle serving to furnish our men with many a surmise during the retrograde movement. when we again neared sahagun, i remember seeing the wives and children of the men come rushing into the ranks, and embracing the husbands and fathers they expected never to see again. the entire rifle corps entered the same convent we had before been quartered in; but this time we remained enranked in its apartments and passages, no man being allowed to quit his arms or lie down. we stood leaning upon the muzzles of our rifles, and dozed as we stood. after remaining thus for about an hour, we were then ordered out of the convent, and the word was again given to march. there was a sort of thaw on this day, and the rain fell fast. as we passed the walls of the convent, i observed our general (craufurd) as he sat upon his horse, looking at us on the march, and remarked the peculiar sternness of his features: he did not like to see us going rearwards at all; and many of us judged there must be something wrong, by his severe look and scowling eye. "keep your ranks there, men!" he said, spurring his horse towards some riflemen who were avoiding a small rivulet. "keep your ranks and move on,--_no straggling_ from the main body." we pushed on all that day without halting; and i recollect the first thing that struck us as somewhat odd, was our passing one of the commissariat waggons, overturned and stuck fast in the mud, and which was abandoned without an effort to save any of its contents. a serjeant of the nd highlanders, just about this time, fell dead with fatigue, and no one stopped, as we passed, to offer him any assistance. night came down upon us, without our having tasted food, or halted--i speak for myself, and those around me--and all night long we continued this dreadful march. men began to look into each other's faces, and ask the question "are we ever to be halted again?" and many of the weaker sort were now seen to stagger, make a few desperate efforts, and then fall, perhaps to rise no more. most of us had devoured all we carried in our haversacks, and endeavoured to catch up anything we could snatch from hut or cottage in our route. many, even at this period, would have straggled from the ranks, and perished, had not craufurd held them together with a firm rein. one such bold and stern commander in the east, during a memorable disaster, and that devoted army had reached its refuge unbroken! thus we staggered on, night and day, for about four days, before we discovered the reason of this continued forced march. the discovery was made to our company by a good tempered, jolly fellow, named patrick mc lauchlan. he inquired of an officer, marching directly in his front, the destination intended. "by j----s! musther hills," i heard him say, "where the d---l is this you're taking us to?" "to england, mc lauchlan," returned the officer, with a melancholy smile upon his face, as he gave the answer,--"_if we can get there_." "more luck and grace to you," said mc lauchlan; "and it's that you're maning, is it?" this mc lauchlan was a good specimen of a thorough irish soldier. nothing could disturb his good-humour and high spirits; and even during a part of this dreadful march, he had ever some piece of irish humour upon his tongue's end, whilst he staggered under the weight of his pack. he would in all probability have been amongst the few who did reach england; but, during the march, he was attacked with the racking pains of acute rheumatism, and frequently fell to the ground screaming with agony. on such occasions, his companions would do that for him which they omitted to perform towards others. they many times halted, heaved him up, and assisted him forwards. sir dudley hill, too, was greatly interested for mc lauchlan, trying to cheer him on, whilst the men could scarcely refrain from laughter at the extraordinary things he gave utterance to whilst racked with pain, and staggering with fatigue. at length, however, mc lauchlan fell one dark night, as we hurried through the streets of a village, and we could not again raise him. "it's no use, harris," i heard him say, in a faint voice, "i can do no more." next morning, when day broke, he was no longer seen in the ranks, and as i never saw him again, i conclude he quickly perished. chapter xi. the retreat to corunna. sufferings of the troops--skirmishes with the pursuers--two narrow escapes--the general on his rounds--the enemy--capture of a french general--new year's day. the information mc lauchlan obtained from lieutenant hill quickly spread amongst us, and we now began to see more clearly the horrors of our situation, and the men to murmur at not being permitted to turn and stand at bay,--cursing the french, and swearing they would rather die ten thousand deaths, with their rifles in their hands in opposition, than endure the present toil. we were in the rear at this time, and following that part of the army which made for vigo, whilst the other portion of the british, being on the main road to corunna, were at this moment closely pursued and harassed by the enemy, as i should judge from the continued thunder of their cannon and rattle of their musketry. craufurd seemed to sniff the sound of battle from afar with peculiar feelings. he halted us for a few minutes occasionally, when the distant clamour became more distinct, and his face turned towards the sound, and seemed to light up, and become less stern. it was then indeed that every poor fellow clutched his weapon more firmly, and wished for a sight of the enemy. before long, they had their wish: the enemy's cavalry were on our skirts that night; and as we rushed out of a small village, the name of which i cannot now recollect, we turned to bay. behind broken-down carts and tumbrils, huge trunks of trees, and everything we could scrape together, the rifles lay and blazed away at the advancing cavalry, whilst the inhabitants, suddenly aroused from their beds to behold their village almost on fire with our continued discharges, and nearly distracted with the sound, ran from their houses, crying "_viva l'englisa!_" and "_viva la franca!_" in a breath;--men, women, and children flying to the open country, in their alarm. we passed the night thus engaged, holding our own as well as we could, together with the rd light infantry, the nd, a portion of the german legion, part of the th hussars, and the th dragoons. towards morning we moved down towards a small bridge, still followed by the enemy, whom, however, we had sharply galled, and obliged to be more wary in their efforts. the rain was pouring down in torrents on this morning i recollect, and we remained many hours with our arms ported, standing in this manner, and staring the french cavalry in the face, the water actually running out of the muzzles of our rifles. i do not recollect seeing a single regiment of infantry amongst the french force on this day; it seemed to me a tremendous body of cavalry--some said nine or ten thousand strong--commanded, as i heard, by general lefebvre. whilst we stood thus, face to face, i remember the horsemen of the enemy sat watching us very intently, as if waiting for a favourable moment to dash upon us like beasts of prey; and every now and then their trumpets would ring out a lively strain of music, as if to encourage them. as the night drew on, our cavalry moved a little to the front, together with several field-pieces, and succeeded in crossing the bridge; after which we also advanced, and threw ourselves into some hilly ground on either side the road; whilst the rd and nd lay behind some carts, trunks of trees, and other materials with which they had formed a barrier. general craufurd was standing behind this barricade, when he ordered the rifles to push still further in front, and conceal themselves amongst the hills on either side. a man named higgins was my front-rank man at this moment. "harris," said he, "let you and i gain the very top of the mountain, and look out what those french thieves are at on the other side." my feet were sore and bleeding, and the sinews of my legs ached as if they would burst, but i resolved to accompany him. in our wearied state, the task was not easy, but, by the aid of higgins, a tall and powerful fellow, i managed to reach the top of the mountain, where we placed ourselves in a sort of gully, or ditch, and looked over to the enemy's side, concealing ourselves by lying flat in the ditch, as we did so. thus, in favourable situations, like cats watching for their prey, were the rest of the rifles lying perdu upon the hills that night. the mountain, we found, was neither so steep nor so precipitous on the enemy's side. the ascent, on the contrary, was so easy, that one or two of the videttes of the french cavalry were prowling about very near where we lay. as we had received orders not to make more noise than we could help, not even to speak to each other, except in whispers, although one of these horsemen approached close to where i lay, i forebore to fire upon him. at length he stopped so near me, that i saw it was almost impossible he could avoid discovering that the rifles were in such close proximity to his person. he gazed cautiously along the ridge, took off his helmet, and wiped his face, as he appeared to meditate upon the propriety of crossing the ditch in which we lay; when suddenly our eyes met, and in an instant he plucked a pistol from his holster, fired it in my face, and, wheeling his horse, plunged down the hill side. for the moment i thought i was hit, as the ball grazed my neck,[ ] and stuck fast in my knapsack, where i found it, when, many days afterwards, i unpacked my kit on ship-board. about a quarter of an hour after this, as we still lay in the gully, i heard some person clambering up behind us, and, upon turning quickly round, i found it was general craufurd. the general was wrapped in his great-coat, and, like ourselves, had been for many hours drenched to the skin, for the rain was coming down furiously. he carried in his hand a canteen full of rum, and a small cup, with which he was occasionally endeavouring to refresh some of the men. he offered me a drink, as he passed, and then proceeded onwards along the ridge. after he had emptied his canteen, he came past us again, and himself gave us instructions as to our future proceedings. "when all is ready, riflemen," said he, "you will immediately get the word, and pass over the bridge. be careful, and mind what you are about." accordingly, a short time after he had left us, we were ordered to descend the mountain-side in single file, and having gained the road, were quickly upon the bridge. meanwhile the staff corps had been hard at work mining the very centre of the structure, which was filled with gunpowder, a narrow plank being all the aid we had by which to pass over. for my own part, i was now so utterly helpless, that i felt as if all was nearly up with me, and that, if i could steady myself so as to reach the further end of the plank, it would be all i should be able to accomplish. however, we managed all of us to reach the other side in safety, when, almost immediately afterwards, the bridge blew up with a tremendous report, and a house at its extremity burst into flames. what, with the concussion of the explosion, and the tremulous state of my limbs, i was thrown to the ground, and lay flat upon my face for some time, almost in a state of insensibility. after awhile i somewhat recovered; but it was not without extreme difficulty, and many times falling again, that i succeeded in regaining the column. soon after i had done so, we reached benevento, and immediately took refuge in a convent. already three parts of it were filled with other troops, among which were mingled the th hussars, the german legion, and the th dragoons; the horses of these regiments standing as close as they could stand, with the men dismounted between each horse, the animals' heads to the walls of the building, and all in readiness to turn out on the instant. liquor was handed to us by the dragoons, but having had nothing for some time to eat, many of our men became sick, instead of receiving any benefit from it. before we had been in the convent as long a time as i have been describing our arrival, every man of us was down on the floor, and well nigh asleep; and before we had slept half an hour, we were again aroused from our slumbers by the clatter of the horses, the clash of the men's sabres, and their shouts for us to clear the way. "the enemy! the enemy!" i heard shouted out. "clear the way, rifles! up boys, and clear the way!" in short, the dragoons hardly gave us time to rise, before they were leading their horses amongst us, and getting out of the convent as fast as they could scamper, whilst we ourselves were not long in following their example. as we did so, we discovered that the french cavalry, having found the bridge blown-up, had dashed into the stream, and succeeded in crossing. our cavalry, however, quickly formed, and charged them in gallant style. the shock of that encounter was tremendous to look upon, and we stood for some time enranked, watching the combatants. the horsemen had it all to themselves; our dragoons fought like tigers,[ ] and, although greatly overmatched, drove the enemy back like a torrent, and forced them again into the river. a private of the th hussars--his name, i think, was franklin--dashed into the stream after their general (lefebvre), assailed him, sword in hand, in the water, captured, and brought him a prisoner on shore again. if i remember rightly, franklin, or whatever else was his name, was made a serjeant on the spot. the french general was delivered into our custody on that occasion, and we cheered the th men heartily as we received him. after the enemy had received this check from our cavalry, and which considerably damped their ardour, making them a trifle more shy of us for awhile, we pushed onwards on our painful march. i remember marching close beside the french general during some part of this day, and observing his chap-fallen and dejected look as he rode along in the midst of the green jackets. being constantly in rear of the main body, the scenes of distress and misery i witnessed were dreadful to contemplate, particularly amongst the women and children, who were lagging and falling behind, their husbands and fathers being in the main body in our front. we now came to the edge of a deep ravine, the descent so steep and precipitous, that it was impossible to keep our feet in getting down, and we were sometimes obliged to sit, and slide along on our backs; whilst before us rose a ridge of mountains quite as steep and difficult of ascent. there was, however, no pause in our exertion, but, slinging our rifles round our necks, down the hill we went; whilst mules with the baggage on their backs, wearied and urged beyond their strength, were seen rolling from top to bottom; many of them breaking their necks with the fall, and the baggage crushed, smashed, and abandoned. i remember, as i descended this hill, remarking the extraordinary sight afforded by the thousands of our red-coats, who were creeping like snails, and toiling up the ascent before us, their muskets slung round their necks, and clambering with both hands as they hauled themselves up. as soon as we ourselves had gained the ascent we were halted for a few minutes, in order to give us breath for another effort, and then onwards we moved again. it is impossible for me to keep any account of time in this description, as i never exactly knew how many days and nights we marched; but i well know we kept on for many successive days and nights, without rest, or much in the way of food. the long day found us still pushing on, and the night caused us no halt. after leaving the hills i have mentioned, and which i heard at the time were called the mountains of galicia, as we passed through a village, our major resolved to try and get us something in the shape of a better meal than we had been able hitherto to procure. he accordingly despatched a small party, who were somewhat more fresh than their comrades, to try and procure something from the houses around; and they accordingly purchased, shot, and bayoneted, somewhere about a score of pigs, which we lugged along with us to a convent just without the town; and, halting for a short time, proceeded to cook them. the men, however, were too hungry to wait whilst they were being properly dressed and served out. after this hasty meal, we again pushed on, still cursing the enemy for not again shewing themselves, that we might revenge some of our present miseries upon their heads. "why don't they come on like men," they cried, "whilst we've strength left in us to fight them?" we were now upon the mountains; the night was bitter cold, and the snow falling fast. as day broke, i remember hearing lieutenant hill say to another officer (who, by the way, afterwards sank down, and died), "this is new year's day; and, i think if we live to see another, we shall not easily forget it." the mountains were now becoming more wild-looking and steep, as we proceeded; whilst those few huts we occasionally passed seemed so utterly forlorn and wretched-looking, it appeared quite a wonder how human beings could live in so desolate a home. after the snow commenced, the hills became so slippery (being in many parts covered with ice), that several of our men frequently slipped and fell, and being unable to rise, gave themselves up to despair, and died. there was now no endeavour to assist one another after a fall; it was every one for himself, and god for us all! the enemy, i should think, were at this time frequently close upon our trail; and i thought at times i heard their trumpets come down the wind as we marched. towards the dusk of the evening of this day i remember passing a man and woman lying clasped in each other's arms, and dying in the snow. i knew them both; but it was impossible to help them. they belonged to the rifles, and were man and wife. the man's name was joseph sitdown. during this retreat, as he had not been in good health previously, himself and wife had been allowed to get on in the best way they could in the front. they had, however, now given in, and the last we ever saw of poor sitdown and his wife was on that night, lying perishing in each other's arms in the snow. footnotes: [footnote : this ball i found in one of my shirts, and kept it long afterwards.] [footnote : it was said that napoleon observed this encounter from the heights.] chapter xii. the retreat to corunna. the wind and the shorn lamb--general craufurd, and his treatment of the mutineers--an officer unmanned--craufurd's inflexibility and endurance. many trivial things which happened during the retreat to corunna, and which on any other occasion might have entirely passed from my memory, have been, as it were, branded into my remembrance, and i recollect the most trifling incidents which occurred from day to day during that march. i remember, amongst other matters, that we were joined, if i may so term it, by a young recruit, when such an addition was anything but wished for during the disasters of the hour. one of the men's wives (who was struggling forward in the ranks with us, presenting a ghastly picture of illness, misery, and fatigue,) being very large in the family-way, towards evening stepped from amongst the crowd, and lay herself down amidst the snow, a little out of the main road. her husband remained with her; and i heard one or two hasty observations amongst our men, that they had taken possession of their last resting-place. the enemy were, indeed, not far behind at this time, the night was coming down, and their chance seemed in truth but a bad one. to remain behind the column of march in such weather was to perish, and we accordingly soon forgot all about them. to my surprise, however, i, some little time afterwards (being myself then in the rear of our party), again saw the woman. she was hurrying, with her husband, after us, and in her arms she carried the babe she had just given birth to. her husband and herself, between them, managed to carry that infant to the end of the retreat, where we embarked. god tempers the wind, it is said, to the shorn lamb; and many years afterwards i saw that boy, a strong and healthy lad. the woman's name was m'guire, a sturdy and hardy irishwoman; and lucky was it for herself and babe that she was so, as that night of cold and sleet was in itself sufficient to try the constitution of most females. i lost sight of her, i recollect, on this night, when the darkness came upon us; but with the dawn, to my surprise, she was still amongst us. the shoes and boots of our party were now mostly either destroyed or useless to us, from foul roads and long miles, and many of the men were entirely barefooted, with knapsacks and accoutrements altogether in a dilapidated state. the officers were also, for the most part, in as miserable a plight. they were pallid, way-worn, their feet bleeding, and their faces overgrown with beards of many days' growth. what a contrast did our corps display, even at this period of the retreat, to my remembrance of them on the morning their dashing appearance captivated my fancy in ireland! many of the poor fellows, now near sinking with fatigue, reeled as if in a state of drunkenness, and altogether i thought we looked the ghosts of our former selves; still we held on resolutely: our officers behaved nobly; and craufurd was not to be daunted by long miles, fatigue, or fine weather. many a man in that retreat caught courage from his stern eye and gallant bearing. indeed, i do not think the world ever saw a more perfect soldier than general craufurd. it might be on the night following the disaster i have just narrated, that we came to a halt for about a couple of hours in a small village, and together with several others, i sought shelter in the stable of a sort of farm-house, the first roof i saw near. here, however, we found nothing to refresh ourselves with, by way of food, but some raw potatoes lying in a heap in one of the empty stalls, and which, for want of better rations, we made a meal of, before we threw ourselves down upon the stones with which the place was paved. meanwhile, others of the men, together with two or three of our officers, more fortunate than ourselves, had possession of the rooms of the adjoining building, where they found at least a fire to warm themselves. lieutenant hill had a black servant with him in this retreat, a youth he had brought with him from monte video, where, i heard, the rifles had found him tied to a gun they had captured there. this lad came and aroused me as i lay in the mule-stable, and desired me to speak with his master in the adjoining room. i found the lieutenant seated in a chair by the fire when i entered. he was one of the few amongst us who rejoiced in the possession of a tolerably decent pair of boots, and he had sent for me to put a few stitches in them; in order to keep them from flying to pieces. i was so utterly wearied, that i at first refused to have anything to do with them; but the officer, taking off his boots, insisted upon my getting out my wax threads and mending them; and himself and servant, thrusting me into the chair he arose from, put the boots into my hands, got out my shoe-making implements, and held me up as i attempted to cobble up the boots. it was, however, in vain that i tried to do my best towards the lieutenant's boots. after a few stitches, i fell asleep as i worked, the awl and wax-ends falling to the ground. i remember there were two other officers present at the time, lieutenants molloy and keppel, the latter of whom soon afterwards fell dead from fatigue during this retreat. at the present time, however, they all saw it was in vain to urge me to mend lieutenant hill's boots. he therefore put them on again with a woeful face and a curse, and dismissed me to my repose. our rest was not, however, of long duration. the french were upon our trail, and before long we were up and hurrying onwards again. as the day began to dawn, we passed through another village--a long, straggling place. the houses were all closed at this early hour, and the inhabitants mostly buried in sleep, and, i dare say, unconscious of the armed thousands who were pouring through their silent streets. when about a couple of miles from this village, craufurd again halted us for about a quarter of an hour. it appeared to me that, with returning daylight, he wished to have a good look at us this morning, for he mingled amongst the men as we stood leaning upon our rifles, gazing earnestly in our faces as he passed, in order to judge of our plight by our countenances. he himself appeared anxious, but full of fire and spirit, occasionally giving directions to the different officers, and then speaking words of encouragement to the men. it is my pride now to remember that general craufurd seldom omitted a word in passing to myself. on this occasion, he stopped in the midst, and addressed a few words to me, and glancing down at my feet, observed: "what! no shoes, harris, i see, eh?" "none, sir," i replied; "they have been gone many days back." he smiled, and passing on, spoke to another man, and so on through the whole body. craufurd was, i remember, terribly severe, during this retreat, if he caught anything like pilfering amongst the men. as we stood, however, during this short halt, a very tempting turnip-field was close on the side of us, and several of the men were so ravenous, that although he was in our very ranks, they stepped into the field and helped themselves to the turnips, devouring them like famishing wolves. he either did not or would not observe the delinquency this time, and soon afterwards gave the word, and we moved on once more. about this period i remember another sight, which i shall not to my dying day forget; and it causes me a sore heart, even now, as i remember it. soon after our halt beside the turnip-field the screams of a child near me caught my ear, and drew my attention to one of our women, who was endeavouring to drag along a little boy of about seven or eight years of age. the poor child was apparently completely exhausted, and his legs failing under him. the mother had occasionally, up to this time, been assisted by some of the men, taking it in turn to help the little fellow on; but now all further appeal was vain. no man had more strength than was necessary for the support of his own carcass, and the mother could no longer raise the child in her arms, as her reeling pace too plainly shewed. still, however, she continued to drag the child along with her. it was a pitiable sight, and wonderful to behold the efforts the poor woman made to keep the boy amongst us. at last the little fellow had not even strength to cry, but, with mouth wide open, stumbled onwards, until both sank down to rise no more. the poor woman herself had, for some time, looked a moving corpse; and when the shades of evening came down, they were far behind amongst the dead or dying in the road. this was not the only scene of the sort i witnessed amongst the women and children during that retreat. poor creatures! they must have bitterly regretted not having accepted the offer which was made to them to embark at lisbon for england, instead of accompanying their husbands into spain. the women, however, i have often observed, are most persevering in such cases, and are not to be persuaded that their presence is often a source of anxiety to the corps they belong to. i do not think i ever admired any man who wore the british uniform more than i did general craufurd. i could fill a book with descriptions of him; for i frequently had my eye upon him in the hurry of action. it was gratifying to me, too, to think he did not altogether think ill of me, since he has often addressed me kindly when, from adverse circumstances, you might have thought that he had scarcely spirits to cheer up the men under him. the rifles liked him, but they also feared him; for he could be terrible when insubordination shewed itself in the ranks. "you think, because you are riflemen, you may do whatever you think proper," said he, one day, to the miserable and savage-looking crew around him, in the retreat to corunna; "but i'll teach you the difference before i have done with you." i remember one evening, during the retreat, he detected two men straying away from the main body: it was in the early stage of that disastrous flight, and craufurd knew well that he must do his utmost to keep the division together. he halted the brigade with a voice of thunder, ordered a drum-head court-martial on the instant, and they were sentenced to a hundred a-piece. whilst this hasty trial was taking place, craufurd dismounting from his horse, stood in the midst, looking stern and angry as a worried bull-dog. he did not like retreating at all, that man. the three men nearest him, as he stood, were jagger, dan howans, and myself. all were worn, dejected, and savage, though nothing to what we were after a few days more of the retreat. the whole brigade were in a grumbling and discontented mood; and craufurd, doubtless, felt ill pleased with the aspect of affairs altogether. "d--n his eyes!" muttered howans, "he had much better try to get us something to eat and drink, than harass us in this way." no sooner had howans disburdened his conscience of this growl, than craufurd, who had overheard it, turning sharply round, seized the rifle out of jagger's hand, and felled him to the earth with the butt-end. "it was not i who spoke," said jagger, getting up, and shaking his head. "you shouldn't knock me about." "i heard you, sir," said craufurd; "and i will bring you also to a court-martial." "i am the man who spoke," said howans. "ben jagger never said a word." "very well," returned craufurd, "then i'll try you, sir." and, accordingly, when the other affair was disposed of, howans' case came on. by the time the three men were tried, it was too dark to inflict the punishment. howans, however, had got the complement of three hundred promised to him; so craufurd gave the word to the brigade to move on. he marched all that night on foot; and when the morning dawned, i remember that, like the rest of us, his hair, beard, and eye-brows, were covered with the frost, as if he had grown white with age. we were, indeed, all of us in the same condition. scarcely had i time to notice the appearance of morning before the general once more called a halt--we were then on the hills. ordering a square to be formed, he spoke to the brigade, as well as i can remember, in these words, after having ordered the three before-named men of the th to be brought into the square:-- "although," said he, "i should obtain the good-will neither of the officers nor the men of the brigade here by so doing, i am resolved to punish these three men, according to the sentence awarded, even though the french are at our heels. begin with daniel howans." this was indeed no time to be lax in discipline, and the general knew it. the men, as i said, were, some of them, becoming careless and ruffianly in their demeanour; whilst others, again, i saw with the tears falling down their cheeks from the agony of their bleeding feet, and many were ill with dysentery from the effects of the bad food they had got hold of and devoured on the road. our knapsacks, too, were a bitter enemy on this prolonged march. many a man died, i am convinced, who would have borne up well to the end of the retreat, but for the infernal load we carried on our backs. my own knapsack was my bitterest enemy; i felt it press me to the earth almost at times, and more than once felt as if i should die under its deadly embrace. the knapsacks, in my opinion, should have been abandoned at the very commencement of the retrograde movement, as it would have been better to have lost them altogether, if, by such loss, we could have saved the poor fellows who, as it was, died strapped to them on the road. there was some difficulty in finding a place to tie howans up, as the light brigade carried no halberts. however, they led him to a slender ash tree which grew near at hand. "don't trouble yourselves about tying _me_ up," said howans, folding his arms; "i'll take my punishment like a man!" he did so without a murmur, receiving the whole three hundred. his wife, who was present with us, i remember, was a strong, hardy irishwoman. when it was over, she stepped up and covered howans with his grey great-coat. the general then gave the word to move on. i rather think he knew the enemy was too near to punish the other two delinquents just then; so we proceeded out of the corn-field in which we had been halted, and toiled away upon the hills once more, howans' wife carrying the jacket, knapsack, and pouch, which the lacerated state of the man's back would not permit him to bear. it could not have been, i should think, more than an hour after the punishment had been inflicted upon howans, when the general again gave the word for the brigade to halt, and once more formed them into square. we had begun to suppose that he intended to allow the other two delinquents to escape, under the present difficulties and hardships of the retreat. he was not, however, one of the forgetful sort, when the discipline of the army under him made severity necessary. "bring out the two other men of the th," said he, "who were tried last night." the men were brought forth accordingly, and their lieutenant-colonel, hamilton wade, at the same time stepped forth. he walked up to the general, and lowering his sword, requested that he would forgive these men, as they were both of them good soldiers, and had fought in all the battles of portugal. "i order _you_, sir," said the general, "to do your duty. these men shall be punished." the lieutenant-colonel, therefore, recovering his sword, turned about, and fell back to the front of the rifles. one of the men, upon this (i think it was armstrong), immediately began to unstrap his knapsack, and prepare for the lash. craufurd had turned about meanwhile, and walked up to one side of the square. apparently he suddenly relented a little, and, again turning sharp round, returned towards the two prisoners. "stop," said he. "in consequence of the intercession of your lieutenant-colonel, i will allow you thus much: you shall draw lots, and the winner shall escape; but one of the two i am determined to make an example of." the square was formed in a stubble-field, and the sergeant-major of the rifles, immediately stooping down, plucked up two straws, and the men, coming forward, drew. i cannot be quite certain, but i think it was armstrong who drew the longest straw, and won the safety of his hide; and his fellow gamester was in quick time tied to a tree; and the punishment commenced. a hundred was the sentence; but when the bugler had counted seventy-five, the general granted him a further indulgence, and ordered him to be taken down, and to join his company. the general calling for his horse, now mounted for the first time for many hours; for he had not ridden all night, not, indeed, since the drum-head court-martial had taken place. before he put the brigade in motion again, he gave us another short specimen of his eloquence, pretty much, i remember, after this style:-- "i give you all notice," said he, "that i will halt the brigade again the very first moment i perceive any man disobeying my orders, and try him by court-martial on the spot." he then gave us the word, and we resumed our march. many who read this, especially in these peaceful times, may suppose this was a cruel and unnecessary severity under the dreadful and harassing circumstances of that retreat; but i, who was there, and was, besides, a common soldier of the very regiment to which these men belonged, say _it was quite necessary_. no man but one formed of stuff like general craufurd could have saved the brigade from perishing altogether; and, if he flogged two, he saved hundreds from death by his management. i detest the sight of the lash; but i am convinced the british army can never go on without it. late events have taught us the necessity of such measures. it was perhaps a couple of days after this had taken place that we came to a river. it was tolerably wide, but not very deep, which was just as well for us; for, had it been deep as the dark regions, we must have somehow or other got through. the avenger was behind us, and craufurd was along with us, and the two together kept us moving, whatever was in the road. accordingly, into the stream went the light brigade, and craufurd, as busy as a shepherd with his flock, riding in and out of the water, to keep his wearied band from being drowned as they crossed over. presently he spied an officer who, to save himself from being wet through, i suppose, and wearing a damp pair of breeches for the remainder of the day, had mounted on the back of one of his men. the sight of such a piece of effeminacy was enough to raise the choler of the general, and in a very short time he was plunging and splashing through the water after them both. "put him down, sir! put him down! i desire you to put that officer down instantly!" and the soldier in an instant, i dare say nothing loth, dropping his burden, like a hot potatoe, into the stream, continued his progress through. "return back, sir," said craufurd to the officer, "and go through the water like the others. i will not allow my officers to ride upon the men's backs through the rivers: all must take their share alike here." wearied as we were, this affair caused all who saw it to shout almost with laughter, and was never forgotten by those who survived the retreat. general craufurd was, indeed, one of the few men who was apparently created for command during such dreadful scenes as we were familiar with in this retreat. he seemed an iron man; nothing daunted him--nothing turned him from his purpose. war was his very element, and toil and danger seemed to call forth only an increasing determination to surmount them. i was sometimes amused with his appearance, and that of the men around us; for, the rifles being always at his heels, he seemed to think them his familiars. if he stopped his horse, and halted to deliver one of his stern reprimands, you would see half-a-dozen lean, unshaven, shoeless, and savage riflemen, standing for the moment leaning upon their weapons, and scowling up in his face as he scolded; and when he dashed the spurs into his reeking horse, they would throw up their rifles upon their shoulders, and hobble after him again. he was sometimes to be seen in the front, then in the rear, and then you would fall in with him again in the midst, dismounted, and marching on foot, that the men might see he took an equal share in the toils which they were enduring. he had a mortal dislike, i remember, to a commissary. many a time have i heard him storming at the neglect of those gentry, when the men were starving for rations, and nothing but excuses forthcoming. "send the commissary to me!" he would roar. "d--n him! i will hang him if the provisions are not up this night!" twice i remember he was in command of the light brigade. the second time he joined them he made, i heard, something like these remarks, after they had been some little time in spain:-- "when i commanded you before," he said, "i know full well that you disliked me, for you thought me severe. _this time i am glad to find there is a change in yourselves._" chapter xiii. the retreat to corunna. nightfall in the wilderness--dangerous ground--men lost--craufurd's magic lantern--a friend in need--sir dudley hill. towards evening, of the same day howans was punished, we came to a part of the country of a yet wilder and more desolate appearance even than that we had already traversed; a dreary wilderness it appeared at this inclement season: and our men, spite of the vigilance of the general, seemed many of them resolved to stray into the open country, rather than traverse the road before them. the coming night favoured their designs, and many were, before morning, lost to us through their own wilfulness. amongst others, i found myself completely bewildered and lost upon the heath, and should doubtless have perished had i not fallen in with another of our corps in the same situation. as soon as we recognised each other, i found my companion in adversity was a strapping resolute fellow named james brooks, a north of ireland man. he was afterwards killed at toulouse, by a musket ball which struck him in the thigh. he was delighted at having met with me, and we resolved not to desert each other during the night. brooks, as i have said, was a strong, active, and resolute fellow, as indeed i had, on more occasions than one, witnessed in portugal. at the present time, his strength was useful to both of us. "catch hold of my jacket, harris," said he: "the ground here is soft, and we must help each other to-night, or we shall be lost in the bogs." before long, that which brooks feared, happened; and he found himself stuck so fast in the morass, that although i used my best efforts to draw him out, i only shared in the same disaster; so that, leaving him, i turned and endeavoured to save my own life if possible, calling to him to follow before he sank over head and ears. this was an unlucky chance in our wearied state, as the more we floundered in the dark, not knowing which way to gain a firmer foundation, the faster we fixed ourselves. poor brooks was so disheartened, that he actually blubbered like a child. at length, during a pause in our exertions, i thought i heard something like the bark of a dog come down the wind. i bade brooks listen, and we both distinctly heard it--the sound gave us new hope, just as we were about to abandon ourselves to our fate. i advised brooks to lay himself as flat as he could, and drag himself out of the slough, as i had found some hard tufts of grass in the direction i tried; and so, by degrees, we gained a firmer footing, and eventually succeeded in extricating ourselves, though in such an exhausted state, that for some time we lay helplessly upon the ground, unable to proceed. at length with great caution, we ventured to move forwards in the direction of the sounds we had just heard. we found, however, that our situation was still very perilous; for in the darkness we hardly dared to move a step in any direction, without probing the ground with our rifles, lest we should again sink, and be eventually smothered in the morasses we had strayed amongst. on a sudden, however (as we carefully felt our way), we heard voices shouting in the distance, and calling out "_men_ lost! _men_ lost!" which we immediately concluded were the cries of some of our own people, who were situated like ourselves. after awhile, i thought i saw, far away, something like a dancing light, which seemed to flicker about, vanish, and reappear, similar to a jack-o'-lantern. i pointed it out to brooks, and we agreed to alter our course, and move towards it. as we did so, the light seemed to approach us, and grow larger, and presently another and another appeared, like small twinkling stars, till they looked something like the lamps upon one of our london bridges, as seen from afar. the sight revived our spirits, more especially as we could now distinctly hear the shouts of people, who appeared in search of the stragglers, and as they approached us, we perceived that such was indeed the case. the lights, we now discovered, were furnished by bundles of straw and dried twigs, tied on the ends of long poles, and dipped in tar. they were borne in the hands of several spanish peasants, from a village near at hand, whom craufurd had thus sent to our rescue. he had discovered, on reaching and halting in this village, the number of men that had strayed from the main body, and immediately ordering the torches i have mentioned to be prepared, he collected together a party of spanish peasants, and obliged them to go out into the open country, and seek for his men, as i have said; by which means he saved (on that night) many from death. to return to my own adventures on this night. when brooks and myself reached the village i have mentioned, we found it filled with soldiers, standing and lying, huddled together like cattle in a fair. a most extraordinary sight it appeared, as the torches of the peasants flashed upon the way-worn and gaunt figures of our army. the rain was coming down, too, on this night, i remember; and soon after i reached our corps, i fell helplessly to the ground in a miserable plight. brooks was himself greatly exhausted, but he behaved nobly, and remained beside me, trying to persuade some of our men to assist him in lifting me up, and gaining shelter in one of the houses at hand. "may i be --!" i heard him say, "if i leave harris to be butchered in the streets by the cowardly spaniards the moment our division leaves the town." at length brooks succeeded in getting a man to help him, and together they supported me into the passage of a house, where i lay upon the floor for some time. after awhile, by the help of some wine they procured, i rallied and sat up, till eventually i got once more upon my legs, and, arm in arm, we proceeded again into the streets, and joined our corps. poor brooks certainly saved my life that night. he was one of the many good fellows whom i have seen out, and i often think of him with feelings of gratitude as i sit at my work in richmond street, soho. when the division got the order to proceed again, we were still linked arm in arm, and thus we proceeded; sometimes, when the day appeared, stopping for a short time and resting ourselves, and then hurrying on again. i remember sir dudley hill passing me on a mule this day. he wore a spanish straw-hat, and had his cloak on. he looked back when he had passed, and addressed me. "harris," said he, "i see you cannot keep up." he appeared sorry for me, for he knew me well. "you must do your best," he said, "my man, and keep with us, or you will fall into the hands of the enemy." as the day wore on, i grew weaker and weaker; and at last, spite of all my efforts, i saw the main body leave me hopelessly in the lurch. brooks himself was getting weaker too; he saw it was of little use to urge me on, and at length, assenting to my repeated request to be left behind, he hurried on as well as he was able without a word of farewell. i now soon sank down in the road and lay beside another man who had also fallen, and was apparently dead, and whom i recognised as one of our sergeants, named taylor, belonging to the honourable captain pakenham's (now general sir hercules pakenham) company. chapter xiv. the retreat to corunna. fate of the stragglers--a spanish welcome--scenes upon the line of march--the english ships in sight--the embarkation and arrival of the troops in england. whilst we lay exhausted in the road, the rear guard, which was now endeavouring to drive on the stragglers, approached, and a sergeant of the rifles came up, and stopped to look at us. he addressed himself to me, and ordered me to rise; but i told him it was useless for him to trouble himself about me, as i was unable to move a step further. whilst he was urging me to endeavour to rise up, the officer in command of the rear guard also stepped up. the name of this officer was lieutenant cox; he was a brave and good man, and observing that the sergeant was rough in his language and manner towards me, he silenced him, and bade the guard proceed, and leave me. "let him die quietly, hicks," he said to the sergeant. "i know him well; he's not the man to lie here if he could get on.--i am sorry, harris," he said, "to see you reduced to this, for i fear there is no help to be had now." he then moved on after his men, and left me to my fate. after lying still for awhile, i felt somewhat restored, and sat up to look about me. the sight was by no means cheering. on the road behind me i saw men, women, mules, and horses, lying at intervals, both dead and dying; whilst far away in front i could just discern the enfeebled army crawling out of sight, the women[ ] huddled together in its rear, trying their best to get forward amongst those of the sick soldiery, who were now unable to keep up with the main body. after awhile, i found that my companion, the sergeant, who lay beside me, had also recovered a little, and i tried to cheer him up. i told him that opposite to where we were lying there was a lane, down which we might possibly find some place of shelter, if we could muster strength to explore it. the sergeant consented to make the effort, but after two or three attempts to rise, gave it up. i myself was more fortunate: with the aid of my rifle i got upon my legs, and seeing death in my companion's face, i resolved to try and save myself, since it was quite evident to me that i could render him no assistance. after hobbling some distance down the lane, to my great joy i espied a small hut or cabin, with a little garden in its front; i therefore opened the small door of the hovel, and was about to enter, when i considered that most likely i should be immediately knocked on the head by the inmates if i did so. the rain, i remember, was coming down in torrents at this time, and, reflecting that to remain outside was but to die, i resolved at all events to try my luck within. i had not much strength left; but i resolved to sell myself as dearly as i could. i therefore brought up my rifle, and stepped across the threshold. as soon as i had done so, i observed an old woman seated beside a small fire upon the hearth. she turned her head as i entered, and immediately upon seeing a strange soldier, she arose, and filled the hovel with her screams. as i drew back within the doorway, an elderly man, followed by two, who were apparently his sons, rushed from a room in the interior. they immediately approached me; but i brought up my rifle again, and cocked it, bidding them keep their distance. after i had thus brought them to a parley, i got together what little spanish i was master of, and begged for shelter for the night and a morsel of food, at the same time lifting my feet and displaying them a mass of bleeding sores. it was not, however, till they had held a tolerably long conversation among themselves that they consented to afford me shelter; and then only upon the condition that i left by daylight on the following morning. i accepted the conditions with joy. had they refused me, i should indeed not have been here to tell the tale. knowing the treachery of the spanish character, i however refused to relinquish possession of my rifle, and my right hand was ready in an instant to unsheath my bayonet, as they sat and stared at me whilst i devoured the food they offered. all they gave me was some coarse black bread, and a pitcher of sour wine. it was, however, acceptable to a half-famished man; and i felt greatly revived by it. whilst i supped, the old hag, who sat close beside the hearth, stirred up the embers, that they might have a better view of their guest, and the party meanwhile overwhelmed me with questions, which i could neither comprehend nor had strength to answer. i soon made signs to them that i was unable to maintain the conversation, and begged of them, as well as i could, to shew me some place where i might lay my wearied limbs till dawn. notwithstanding the weariness which pervaded my whole body, i was unable for some time to sleep except by fitful snatches, such was the fear i entertained of having my throat cut by the savage-looking wretches still seated before the fire. besides which, the place they had permitted me to crawl into was more like an oven than anything else, and being merely a sort of berth scooped out of the wall, was so filled with fleas and other vermin, that i was stung and tormented most miserably all night long. bad as they had been, however, i felt somewhat restored by my lodging and supper, and with the dawn i crawled out of my lair, left the hut, retraced my steps along the lane, and once more emerged upon the high-road, where i found my companion, the sergeant, dead, and lying where i had left him the night before. i now made the best of my way along the road in the direction in which i had last seen our army retreating the night before. a solitary individual, i seemed left behind amongst those who had perished. it was still raining, i remember, on this morning, and the very dead looked comfortless in their last sleep, as i passed them occasionally lying on the line of march. it had pleased heaven to give me an iron constitution, or i must have failed, i think, on this day, for the solitary journey, and the miserable spectacles i beheld, rather damped my spirits. after progressing some miles, i came up with a cluster of poor devils who were still alive, but apparently, both men and women, unable to proceed. they were sitting huddled together in the road, their heads drooping forward, and apparently patiently awaiting their end. soon after passing these unfortunates, i overtook a party who were being urged forward under charge of an officer of the nd highlanders. he was pushing them along pretty much as a drover would keep together a tired flock of sheep. they presented a curious example of a retreating force. many of them had thrown away their weapons, and were linked together arm-in-arm, in order to support each other, like a party of drunkards. they were, i saw, composed of various regiments; many were bare-headed, and without shoes; and some with their heads tied up in old rags and fragments of handkerchiefs. i marched in company with this party for some time, but as i felt after my night's lodging and refreshment in better condition i ventured to push forwards, in the hope of rejoining the main body, and which i once more came up with in the street of a village. on falling in with the rifles, i again found brooks, who was surprised at seeing me still alive; and we both entered a house, and begged for something to drink. i remember that i had a shirt upon my back at this time, which i had purchased of a drummer of the ninth regiment before the commencement of the retreat. it was the only good one i had; i stripped, with the assistance of brooks, and took it off, and exchanged it with a spanish woman for a loaf of bread, which brooks, myself, and two other men, shared amongst us. i remember to have again remarked craufurd at this period of the retreat. he was no whit altered in his desire to keep the force together, i thought; but still active and vigilant as ever, he seemed to keep his eye upon those who were now most likely to hold out. i myself marched during many hours close beside him this day. he looked stern and pale; but the very picture of a warrior. i shall never forget craufurd if i live to a hundred years, i think. he was in everything a soldier. slowly and dejectedly crawled our army along. their spirit of endurance was now considerably worn out, and judging from my own sensations, i felt confident that if the sea was much further from us, we must be content to come to a halt at last without gaining it. i felt something like the approach of death as i proceeded--a sort of horror, mixed up with my sense of illness--a reeling i have never experienced before or since. still i held on; but with all my efforts, the main body again left me behind. had the enemy's cavalry come up at this time i think they would have had little else to do but ride us down without striking a blow. it is, however, indeed astonishing how man clings to life. i am certain that had i lain down at this period, i should have found my last billet on the spot i sank upon. suddenly i heard a shout in front, which was prolonged in a sort of hubbub. even the stragglers whom i saw dotting the road in front of me seemed to have caught at something like hope; and as the poor fellows now reached the top of a hill we were ascending, i heard an occasional exclamation of joy--the first note of the sort i had heard for many days. when i reached the top of the hill the thing spoke for itself. there, far away in our front, the english shipping lay in sight.[ ] its view had indeed acted like a restorative to our force, and the men, at the prospect of a termination to the march, had plucked up spirit for a last effort. fellows who, like myself, seemed to have hardly strength in their legs to creep up the ascent, seemed now to have picked up a fresh pair to get down with. such is hope to us poor mortals! there was, i recollect, a man of the name of bell, of the rifles, who had been during this day holding a sort of creeping race with me,--we had passed and repassed each other, as our strength served. bell was rather a discontented fellow at the best of times; but during this retreat he had given full scope to his ill-temper, cursing the hour he was born, and wishing his mother had strangled him when he came into the world, in order to have saved him from his present toil. he had not now spoken for some time, and the sight of the english shipping had apparently a very beneficial effect upon him. he burst into tears as he stood and looked at it. "harris," he said, "if it pleases god to let me reach those ships, i swear never to utter a bad or discontented word again." as we proceeded down the hill we now met with the first symptoms of good feeling from the inhabitants, it was our fortune to experience during our retreat. a number of old women stood on either side the road, and occasionally handed us fragments of bread as we passed them. it was on this day, and whilst i looked anxiously upon the english shipping in the distance, that i first began to find my eyesight failing, and it appeared to me that i was fast growing blind. the thought was alarming; and i made desperate efforts to get on. bell, however, won the race this time. he was a very athletic and strong-built fellow, and left me far behind, so that i believe at that time i was the very last of the retreating force that reached the beach, though doubtless many stragglers came dropping up after the ships had sailed, and were left behind. as it was, when i did manage to gain the sea-shore, it was only by the aid of my rifle that i could stand, and my eyes were now so dim and heavy that with difficulty i made out a boat which seemed the last that had put off. fearful of being left half blind in the lurch, i took off my cap, and placed it on the muzzle of my rifle as a signal, for i was totally unable to call out. luckily, lieutenant cox, who was aboard the boat, saw me, and ordered the men to return, and, making one more effort, i walked into the water, and a sailor stretching his body over the gunwale, seized me as if i had been an infant, and hauled me on board. his words were characteristic of the english sailor, i thought. "hollo there, you lazy lubber!" he said, as he grasped hold of me, "who the h-ll do you think is to stay humbugging all day for such a fellow as you?" the boat, i found, was crowded with our exhausted men, who lay helplessly at the bottom, the heavy sea every moment drenching them to the skin. as soon as we reached the vessel's side, the sailors immediately aided us to get on board, which in our exhausted state was not a very easy matter, as they were obliged to place ropes in our hands, and heave us up by setting their shoulders under us, and hoisting away as if they had been pushing bales of goods on board. "heave away!" cried one of the boat's crew, as i clung to a rope, quite unable to pull myself up, "heave away, you lubber!" the tar placed his shoulder beneath me as he spoke, and hoisted me up against the ship's side; i lost my grasp of the rope and should have fallen into the sea, had it not been for two of the crew. these men grasped me as i was falling, and drew me into the port-hole like a bundle of foul clothes, tearing away my belt and bayonet in the effort, which fell into the sea. it was not very many minutes after i was on board, for i lay where the sailors had first placed me after dragging me through the port-hole, ere i was sound asleep. i slept long and heavily, and it was only the terrible noise and bustle on board consequent upon a gale having sprung up, that at length awoke me. the wind increased as the night came on, and soon we had to experience all the horrors of a storm at sea. the pumps were set to work; the sails were torn to shreds; the coppers were overset; and we appeared in a fair way, i thought, of going to the bottom. meanwhile, the pumps were kept at work night and day incessantly till they were choked; and the gale growing worse and worse, all the soldiery were ordered below, and the hatches closed; soon after which the vessel turned over on one side, and lay a helpless log upon the water. in this situation an officer was placed over us, with his sword drawn in one hand, and a lantern in the other, in order to keep us on the side which was upper-most, so as to give the vessel a chance of righting herself in the roaring tide. the officer's task was not an easy one, as the heaving waves frequently sent us sprawling from the part we clung to, over to the lower-most part of the hold, where he stood, and he was obliged every minute to drive us back. we remained in this painful situation for, i should think, five or six hours, expecting every instant to be our last, when, to our great joy, the sea suddenly grew calm, the wind abated, the vessel righted herself, and we were once more released from our prison, having tasted nothing in the shape of food for at least forty-eight hours. soon after this we arrived in sight of spithead, where we saw nine of our convoy, laden with troops, which had been driven on shore in the gale. after remaining off spithead for about five or six days, one fine morning we received orders to disembark, and our poor bare feet once more touched english ground. the inhabitants flocked down to the beach to see us as we did so, and they must have been a good deal surprised at the spectacle we presented. our beards were long and ragged; almost all were without shoes and stockings; many had their clothes and accoutrements in fragments, with their heads swathed in old rags, and our weapons were covered with rust; whilst not a few had now, from toil and fatigue, become quite blind. let not the reader, however, think, that even now we were to be despised as soldiers. long marches, inclement weather, and want of food, had done their work upon us; but we were perhaps better than we appeared, as the sequel shewed. under the gallant craufurd we had made some tremendous marches, and even galled our enemies severely, making good our retreat by the way of vigo. but our comrades in adversity, and who had retired by the other road to corunna, under general moore, turned to bay there, and shewed the enemy that the english soldier is not to be beaten even under the most adverse circumstances. the field of death and slaughter, the march, the bivouac, and the retreat, are no bad places in which to judge of men. i have had some opportunities of judging them in all these situations, and i should say, that the british are amongst the most splendid soldiers in the world. give them fair play, and they are unconquerable. for my own part, i can only say, that i enjoyed life more whilst on active service, than i have ever done since; and as i sit at work in my shop in richmond street, soho, i look back upon that portion of my time spent in the fields of the peninsula as the only part worthy of remembrance. it is at such times that scenes long passed come back upon my mind as if they had taken place but yesterday. i remember even the very appearance of some of the regiments engaged; and comrades, long mouldered to dust, i see again performing the acts of heroes. footnotes: [footnote : some of these poor wretches cut a ludicrous figure, having the men's great-coats buttoned over their heads, whilst their clothing being extremely ragged and scanty, their naked legs were very conspicuous. they looked a tribe of travelling beggars.] [footnote : our division, under craufurd, in this retreat, as i have before mentioned, made for vigo.] chapter xv. the walcheren expedition. filling up the ranks--going out recruiting--bagging a blackbird--coaxing the militia, and hoaxing them--a demon runner--winning a commission. after the disastrous retreat to corunna, the rifles were reduced to a sickly skeleton, if i may so term it. out of perhaps nine hundred of as active and fine fellows as ever held a weapon in the field of an enemy's country, we paraded some three hundred weak and crest-fallen invalids. i myself stood the third man in my own company, which was reduced from near a hundred men, to _but three_. indeed, i think we had scarce a company on parade stronger than ten or twelve men, at the first parade. after a few parades, however, our companies gradually were augmented (by those of the sick who recovered), but many of those who did not sink in hospital, were never more of much service as soldiers. the captain of my company was sick, and lieutenant hill commanded the three men who answered for no. on this occasion. i remember he smiled when he looked at me. "harris," he said, "you look the best man here, this morning. you seem to have got over this business well." "yes, sir," i said, "thank god i feel pretty stout again now, which is more than many can say." both battalions of the rifles had been in that retreat. the first battalion lay at colchester at this time. ours (the second) was quartered at hythe. colonel beckwith commanded the first, and colonel wade the second. i remember the rd and nd regiments paraded with our battalion on this occasion at hythe, and both having been with us on the corunna retreat, cut as poor a figure as we ourselves did. after awhile, some of the strongest and smartest of our men were picked out to go on the recruiting service, and gather men from the militia regiments to fill up our ranks. i myself started off with lieutenant pratt, sergeant-major adams, and william brotherwood, the latter of whom was afterwards killed at vittoria by a cannon-ball, which at the same moment ended patrick mahon and lieutenant hopwood.[ ] i was a shoemaker in the corps, and had twenty pounds in my pocket which i had saved up. with this money i hired a gig, and the sergeant-major and myself cut a very smart figure. the only difficulty was, that neither of us knew how to drive very well, consequently we overturned the gig on the first day, before we got half way on our journey, and the shafts being broken we were obliged to leave it behind us in a small village, midway between hythe and rye, and take to our legs, as was more soldier-like and seemly. we reached rye the same night, and i recollect that i succeeded in getting the first recruit there, a strong, able-bodied chimney-sweep, named john lee. this fellow (whose appearance i was struck with as he sat in the taproom of the "red lion" on that night, together with a little boy as black and sooty as himself) offered to enlist the moment i entered the room, and i took him at his word, and immediately called for the sergeant-major for approval. "there's nothing against my being a soldier," said the sweep, "but my black face; i'm strong, active, and healthy, and able to lick the best man in this room." "hang your black face," said the sergeant-major; "the rifles can't be too dark: you're a strong rascal, and if you mean it, we'll take you to the doctor to-morrow and make a giniril of you the next day." so we had the sweep that night into a large tub of water, scoured him outside, and filled him with punch inside, and made a rifleman of him. the sergeant-major, however, on this night, suspected from his countenance, what afterwards turned out to be the case, that lee was rather a slippery fellow, and might repent. so, after filling him drunk, he said to me--"harris, _you_ have caught this bird, and _you_ must keep him fast. you must both sleep to-night handcuffed together in the same bed, or he will escape us;" which i actually did, and the next morning retraced my steps with him to hythe, to be passed by the doctor of our regiment. after rejoining sergeant-major adams at rye, we started off for hastings in sussex, and on our way we heard of the east kent militia at lydd; so we stopped there about an hour to display ourselves before them, and try if we could coax a few of them into the rifles. we strutted up and down before their ranks arm-in-arm, and made no small sensation amongst them. when on the recruiting service in those days, men were accustomed to make as gallant a show as they could, and accordingly we had both smartened ourselves up a trifle. the sergeant-major was quite a beau, in his way; he had a sling belt to his sword like a field-officer, a tremendous green feather in his cap, a flaring sash, his whistle and powder-flask displayed, an officer's pelisse over one shoulder, and a double allowance of ribbons in his cap; whilst i myself was also as smart as i dared appear, with my rifle slung at my shoulder. in this guise we made as much of ourselves as if we had both been generals, and, as i said, created quite a sensation, the militia-men cheering us as we passed up and down, till they were called to order by the officers. the permission to volunteer was not then given to the east kent, although it came out a few days afterwards, and we persuaded many men, during the hour we figured before them, that the rifles were the only boys fit for _them_ to join. after looking up the east kent, we reached hastings that same night, where we found that the volunteering of the leicester militia (who were quartered there) had commenced, and that one hundred and twenty-five men and two officers had given their names to the th fusileers, and these, adams and i determined to make change their minds in our favour if we could. the appearance of our rifle uniform, and a little of sergeant adams's[ ] blarney, so took the fancies of the volunteers, that we got every one of them for the rifle corps, and both officers[ ] into the bargain. we worked hard in this business. i may say that for three days and nights we kept up the dance and the drunken riot. every volunteer got ten guineas bounty, which, except the two kept back for necessaries, they spent in every sort of excess, till all was gone. then came the reaction. the drooping spirits, the grief at parting with old comrades, sweethearts, and wives, for the uncertain fate of war. and then came on the jeers of the old soldier; the laughter of adams and myself, and comrades, and our attempts to give a fillip to their spirits as we marched them off from the friends they were never to look upon again; and as we termed it, "_shove them on to glory_"--a glory they were not long in achieving, as out of the hundred and fifty of the leicestershire, which we enlisted in hastings, scarce one man, i should say, who served, but could have shewn at the year's end some token of the fields he had fought in; very many found a grave, and some returned to hythe with the loss of their limbs. i remember the story of many of these men's lives; that of one in particular, named demon, whom i myself enlisted from the leicester militia, is not a little curious. demon was a smart and very active man, and serving as corporal in the light company of the leicestershire when i persuaded him to join our corps, where he was immediately made a sergeant in the rd battalion, then just forming; and from which he eventually rose to be a commissioned officer in one of our line regiments, but whose number i cannot now remember. the cause which led to demon's merits being first noticed was not a little curious, being neither more nor less than a race. it happened that at shoreham cliff, (soon after he joined) a race was got up amongst some kentish men, who were noted for their swiftness, and one of them, who had beaten his companions, challenged any soldier in the rifles to run against him for two hundred pounds. the sum was large, and the runner was of so much celebrity, that although we had some active young fellows amongst us, no one seemed inclined to take the chance, either officers or men, till at length demon stepped forth and said he would run against this kentish boaster, or any man on the face of the earth, and fight him afterwards into the bargain, if any one could be found to make up the money. upon this, an officer subscribed the money, and the race was arranged. the affair made quite a sensation, and the inhabitants of the different villages for miles around flocked to see the sport; besides which the men from different regiments in the neighbourhood, infantry, cavalry, and artillery, also were much interested, and managed to be present, which caused the scene to be a very gay one. in short, the race commenced, and the odds were much against the soldier at starting, as he was a much less man than the other, and did not at all look like the winner. he however kept well up with his antagonist, and the affair seemed likely to end in a dead heat, which would undoubtedly have been the case, but demon, when close upon the winning-post, gave one tremendous spring forward, and won it by his body's length. this race, in short, led on to notice and promotion. general mackenzie was in command of the garrison at hythe. he was present, and was highly delighted at the rifleman beating the bumpkin, and saw that the winner was the very cut of a soldier, and in short that demon was a very smart fellow, so that, eventually, the news of the race reached the first battalion then fighting in spain. sir andrew barnard, as far as i recollect from hearsay, at the time, was then in command of the rifles in spain; and, as i now remember the story, either he or some other officer of rank, upon being told of the circumstance, remarked that, as demon was such a smart runner in england, there was very good ground for a rifleman to use his legs in spain. he was accordingly ordered out with the next draft to that country, where he so much distinguished himself that he obtained his commission, as already mentioned. i could give many more anecdotes connected with the recruiting at this time for the three battalions of rifles, but the above will suffice; and soon after the incident i have just narrated (our companies being full of young and active men), we started off with the expedition, then just formed, for walcheren. i could not help feeling, when we paraded, that i stood enranked for this first expedition comparatively amongst strangers, since in the company i belonged to, not a single man, except james brooks, whom i have before named, then paraded with me who had been a fellow comrade in the fields of portugal and spain. i felt also the loss of my old captain (leech), whom i much loved and respected, and who left the second battalion at that time to be promoted in the first. when i heard of this change, i stepped from the ranks and offered to exchange into the first, but lieutenant hill, who was present, hinted to captain hart (my new commanding officer) not to let me go, as, if he did, he would perhaps repent it. i will not say here what the lieutenant then said of me, but he persuaded captain hart to keep me, as my character had been so good in the former campaign; and accordingly i remained in the second battalion, and started on the walcheren expedition. from hythe to deal was one day's march; and i remember looking along the road at the good appearance the different regiments made as we marched along. it was as fine an expedition as ever i looked at, and the army seemed to stretch, as i regarded them, the whole distance before us to dover. footnotes: [footnote : the manner in which these three soldiers met with their death is extraordinary. as they were creeping from their cover to try and shoot one of the french generals, who was much exposed, the enemy pointed a gun at them, and succeeded in sweeping down all three, as they crawled along.] [footnote : the history of sergeant-major adams is somewhat singular. i was his great friend at this time, and he confided some part of it to me. he had been a croppy, (a rebel) and had fought at vinegar hill. when the rebels were defeated he escaped, and lived some time in the wilds of connemara. he afterwards thought it best to enlist in the donegal militia, and then volunteered to the rifles. here he soon rose (whilst in spain) to the rank of sergeant. during the retreat to corunna, sergeant-major crosby failed, and craufurd promoted adams in his place. at st. sebastian he was noticed by general graham, for his bravery with the forlorn hope, a commission was given him, and he afterwards joined a regiment in gibraltar, where he was made adjutant. he then went to america, where he served with credit till he died. i believe i was the only man in the regiment who knew of his having been a rebel, and i kept the secret faithfully till his death.] [footnote : the names of these two officers were chapman and freere, and i believe they are living now.] chapter xvi. the walcheren expedition. the embarkation--flushing--the walcheren fever--the doctors at fault--the riflemen attacked--the one survivor out of thirty-nine--the veteran battalion--the independent companies. at deal, the rifles embarked in the superb, a seventy-four, and a terrible outcry there was amongst the women upon the beach on the embarkation; for the ill consequences of having too many women amongst us had been so apparent in our former campaign and retreat, that the allowance of wives was considerably curtailed on this occasion, and the distraction of the poor creatures at parting with their husbands was quite heart-rending; some of them clinging to the men so resolutely, that the officers were obliged to give orders to have them separated by force. in fact, even after we were in the boats and fairly pushed off, the screaming and howling of their farewells rang in our ears far out at sea. the weather being fair, and the fleet having a grand and imposing appearance, many spectators (even from london) came to look at us as we lay in the downs, and we set sail (i think on the third day from our embarkation) in three divisions. a fair wind soon carried us off flushing, where one part of the expedition disembarked; the other made for south beveland, among which latter i myself was. the five companies of rifles immediately occupied a very pretty village, with rows of trees on either side its principal streets, where we had plenty of leisure to listen to the cannonading going on amongst the companies we had left at flushing. the appearance of the country (such as it was) was extremely pleasant, and for a few days the men enjoyed themselves much. but at the expiration of (i think) less time than a week, an awful visitation came suddenly upon us. the first i observed of it was one day as i sat in my billet, when i beheld whole parties of our riflemen in the street shaking with a sort of ague, to such a degree that they could hardly walk; strong and fine young men who had been but a short time in the service seemed suddenly reduced in strength to infants, unable to stand upright--so great a shaking had seized upon their whole bodies from head to heel. the company i belonged to was quartered in a barn, and i quickly perceived that hardly a man there had stomach for the bread that was served out to him, or even to taste his grog, although each man had an allowance of half-a-pint of gin per day. in fact i should say that, about three weeks from the day we landed, i and two others were the only individuals who could stand upon our legs. they lay groaning in rows in the barn, amongst the heaps of lumpy black bread they were unable to eat. this awful spectacle considerably alarmed the officers,[ ] who were also many of them attacked. the naval doctors came on shore to assist the regimental surgeons, who, indeed, had more upon their hands than they could manage; dr. ridgeway of the rifles, and his assistant, having nearly five hundred patients prostrate at the same moment. in short, except myself and three or four others, the whole concern was completely floored. under these circumstances, which considerably confounded the doctors, orders were issued (since all hopes of getting the men upon their legs seemed gone) to embark them as fast as possible, which was accordingly done with some little difficulty. the poor fellows made every effort to get on board; those who were a trifle better than others crawled to the boats; many supported each other; and many were carried helpless as infants. at flushing matters were not much better, except that there the soldiers had a smart skirmish with their enemies before the fever and ague attacked them. on ship-board the aspect of affairs did not mend; the men beginning to die so fast that they committed ten or twelve to the deep in one day. it was rather extraordinary that myself, and brooks, and a man named bowley, who had all three been at corunna, were at this moment unattacked by the disease, and, notwithstanding the awful appearance of the pest-ship we were in, i myself had little fear of it, i thought myself so hardened that it could not touch me. it happened, however, that i stood sentinel (men being scarce) over the hatchway, and brooks, who was always a jolly and jeering companion (even in the very jaws of death) came past me, and offered me a lump of pudding, it being pudding-day on board. at that moment i felt struck with a deadly faintness, shaking all over like an aspen, and my teeth chattering in my head so that i could hardly hold my rifle. brooks looked at me for a moment, with the pudding in his hand, which he saw i could not take. "hallo," he said, "why harris, old boy, _you_ are not going to begin, are you?" i felt unable to answer him, but only muttered out as i trembled, "for god's sake get me relieved, brooks!" "hallo?" said brooks, "it's all up with harris! you're catched hold of at last, old chap." in fact i was soon sprawling upon the forecastle, amongst many others, in a miserable state, our knapsacks and our great-coats over us. in this state the doctors, during our short voyage, were fully employed; pails of infusion of bark were carried amongst us and given to the men in horn tumblers, and thus we arrived at dover. as i lay on the deck, i looked up at that splendid castle in the distance. it was identified with old england, and many a languid eye was cheered by its sight. men naturally love to die upon their native land, and i felt i could now do so contentedly! nay, i have that frowning english fortress in my eye, at this moment, as i then beheld it. the warwickshire militia were at this time quartered at dover. they came to assist in disembarking us, and were obliged to lift many of us out of the boats like sacks of flour. if any of those militia-men remain alive, they will not easily forget that piece of duty; for i never beheld men more moved than they were at our helpless state. many died at dover and numbers in deal; whilst those who had somewhat rallied, on getting from the land of pestilence, were paraded, in order to get them on to their old quarters at hythe. i remember that the rd and nd regiments (all that were able) marched with us this day to hythe; but i'm afraid we did not (any of us) cut much of a figure on the road. in fact, such was the shaking fever we felt, we were left pretty much to our own discretion to get to our journey's end in the best manner we could. many, indeed, would never have got into barracks without assistance. in short, when i sat down exhausted by the road-side several times during the march, and looked at the men, i thought it bore in some degree a similitude to the corunna retreat; so awfully had disease enfeebled them. the hospital at hythe being filled with the sick, the barracks became a hospital, and as deaths ensued, and thinned the wards, the men were continually removed, making a progress from barrack to hospital, and from hospital to the grave. the ward of the hospital in which i myself was, accomodated eleven men, and i saw, from my bed in the corner where i lay, this ward refilled ten times, the former patients being all carried out to the grave. i had been gradually removed as the men died, until i was driven up into a corner of the ward, where i lay, and had plenty of leisure to observe my comrades in misfortune, and witness their end. some i beheld die quietly, and others were seized in various ways. many got out of bed in a shivering delirium, and died upon the floor in the night-time. having been a shoemaker in the rifles, i had saved during my service near two hundred pounds, which i had in the bank at hythe at this time, so that i was enabled to procure extra wine and other nourishing things, and often gave my companions in misfortune a treat also; and this i think enabled my iron constitution to keep death so long at bay. i saw one or two of my old peninsular comrades, whom i had often seen fighting bravely in the field, die in this hospital in a miserable condition, their bodies being swollen up like barrels. everything was done for us that skill could devise, and nothing could exceed the kindness and attention of dr. ridgeway towards us. hot baths were brought into the hospital--and many a man died whilst in the bath. i remember hearing, as i lay sick, that the firing over the graves of our comrades was dispensed with, the men died so fast; and when i got out, and went to the churchyard to look upon their graves i saw them lying in two lines there. as they in life had been enranked, so they lay also in similar order in death. the medical men made every effort to trace the immediate cause of this mortality amongst us; and almost all the men were examined after death; but it was of no avail, as nothing could arrest the progress of the malady after it had reached a certain height. the doctor, i heard, generally attributed the deaths, in most cases, to enlargement of the spleen, as almost all were swollen and diseased in that part. i myself was dreadfully enlarged in the side, and for many years afterwards carried "an extra paunch." as soon as the prospect began to brighten, and the men to recover a little, we managed to muster outside the hospital, some three hundred of us parading there morning and evening, for the benefit of fresh air; and medicine was served out to us as we stood enranked, the hospital orderlies passing along the files, and giving each man his dose from large jugs which they carried. as we got better, an order arrived to furnish two companies of the second battalion, and two companies of the third battalion, of rifles, for spain, as they were much wanted there. accordingly an inspection took place, and two hundred men were picked out, all of whom were most anxious to go. i myself was rejected at that time, as unfit, which i much regretted. however, on making application, after a few days, i was accepted, principally on the recommendation of lieutenant cochrane, who much wished for me; and i, in consequence, once more started for foreign service. from hythe to portsmouth, where we were to embark, was eight days' march; but the very first day found out some of the walcheren lads. i myself was assisted that night to my billet, the ague having again seized me, and on the third day waggons were put in requisition to get us along the road. as we proceeded, some of those men who had relapsed died by the way, and were buried in different places we passed through. at chichester, i recollect, a man was taken out of the waggon in which i myself lay, who had died beside me; and at that place he was buried. at portsmouth i remained one night, billeted with my fellow-travellers at the dolphin. here i was visited by an uncle who resided in the town; and who was much shocked at seeing me so much reduced, concluding it was impossible i could survive many days. such was the sad state we were again reduced to. the next morning spring-waggons were procured for us, and we were sent back to hilsea barracks for the benefit of medical advice; and i took a farewell of my uncle, expecting never to see him again. such, however, was not to be the case, as, out of the thirty-nine riflemen who went into hilsea hospital, i alone survived. it may seem to my readers extraordinary that i should twice be the survivor of so many of my comrades. i can only, therefore, refer them to the medical men who attended us, if they yet live, dr. ridgeway, of the rifles, and dr. frazer, who at that time was the surgeon at hilsea. i must not forget to mention an act of great kindness and humanity which was performed towards the soldiery whilst we lay sick at hilsea hospital. lady grey, who, i believe, was the wife of the commissioner of portsmouth dockyard at this time, was so much struck with the state of the sufferers, that she sent, one morning, two carts loaded with warm clothing for them; giving to each man, of whatsoever regiment, who had been at walcheren, two pairs of flannel drawers and two flannel waistcoats. this circumstance was greatly appreciated by the men, and many, like myself, have never forgotten it. after this, being the only rifleman left at hilsea, lieutenant bardell made application to the general for leave for me to go into dorsetshire to see my friends, which was granted; but the doctor shook his head, doubting i should ever be able to endure the journey. in about a week, however, i considered myself fit to undertake it; and, accordingly, a non-commissioned officer of one of the line regiments put me into a salisbury coach. a lady and gentleman were my fellow passengers inside, and we started about four o'clock. they seemed not much to relish the look of a sick soldier in such close quarters; and, indeed, we had hardly cleared the town of gosport before i gave them a dreadful fright. in short, i was attacked all at once with one of my periodical ague-fits, and shook to so desperate a degree that they were both horror-struck, and almost inclined to keep me company in my trembling. the lady thought that both herself and husband were lost, and would certainly catch the complaint; expressing herself as most unhappy in having begun her journey on that day. these fits generally lasted an hour and a quarter, and then came on a burning fever, during which i called for water at every place where the coach stopped. in fact, coachman, guard, and passengers, outside and in, by no means liked it, and expected every minute that i should die in the coach. "here's a nice go," said the coachman, as he stopped at a place called whitchurch, "catch me ever taking up a sick soldier again if i can help it. this here poor devil's going to make a die of it in my coach." it seemed, indeed, as if i had personally offended the burly coachman, for he made an oration at every place he stopped at, and sent all the helpers and idlers to look at me, as i sat in his coach, till at last i was obliged to beg of him not to do so. i had two attacks of this sort during the night, and was so bad that i myself thought with the coachman, that i should never get out of the vehicle alive. never, i should think, had passengers so unpleasant a journey as the lady and gentleman i travelled with. at length, early in the morning, the coach stopped at a village one mile from my father's residence, which was on the estate of the present marquis of anglesey. i had left my father's cottage quite a boy, and although i knew the landlord of the little inn where the coached stopped, and several other persons i saw there, none recognised me; so i made myself known as well as i could, for i was terribly exhausted, and the landlord immediately got four men to carry me home. my father was much moved at beholding me return in so miserable a plight, as were also my stepmother and my brother. i remained with them eight months, six of which i lay in a hopeless state in bed, certificates being sent every month to hythe, stating my inability to move; and during which time captain hart sent four letters to the commanding officer, desiring i might be drafted out, if possible, to spain, as, being a handicraft, i was much wanted there. the medical men round the neighbourhood hearing of my state, many of them came to see me, in order to observe the nature of a complaint that had proved so fatal to our soldiers. at the end of the eighth month (being once more somewhat recovered, and able to crawl about, with the aid of a stick, a few yards from our cottage door), as my mother-in-law had once or twice expressed herself burthened by this long illness, i resolved to attempt to return to my regiment. i was therefore transported in a cart to the king's arms inn, at dorchester, my body being swollen up hard as a barrel, and my limbs covered with ulcers. here the surgeons of the th and th dragoons made an examination of me, and ordered me into dorchester hospital, where i remained seven weeks; and here my case completely puzzled the faculty. at length dr. burroughs, on making his rounds, caught sight of me as i sat on my bed, dressed in my green uniform. "hallo! rifleman," he said, "how came you here?" being told, he looked very sharply at me, and seemed to consider. "walcheren," he inquired, "eh?" "yes, sir," i said, "and it has not done with me yet." "strip, my man," he said, "and lie on your back. what have you done for him?" he asked sharply of the doctor. the doctor told him. "then try with him mercury, sir," he said, "_both externally_ and _internally_." after saying which in a rapid manner, he turned as quickly, and proceeded in his rounds amongst the rest of the patients. i was now salivated most desperately, after which i got a little better, and resolved, at all hazards, to try and rejoin my regiment, for i was utterly tired of the hospital life i had altogether so long led. "for heaven's sake," i said, "let me go and die with my own regiment!" with some little difficulty i got leave to go, and once again started, at my own expense, for hythe, in kent, by the coach. before doing so, however, to my surprise, the medical man who had attended me under my father's roof, brought me in his bill, which was a pretty good one, amounting to sixty pounds! i thought this was pretty well for a poor soldier to be charged. having still, however, enough left of my savings, i paid it; but i kept the bill, and afterwards shewed it to dr. scott, of the rifles, who remarked--"it could not have been higher, harris, if you had been a man possessing a thousand a year." when i made my appearance in the barrack-square at hythe, i was like one risen from the dead; for i had been so long missing from amongst the few i knew there, that i was almost forgotten. a hardy scot, named mc pherson, was one of the first who recognised me. "eh, my certie," he said, "here's harris come back. why i thought, man, ye was gane amangst the lave o' them, but the deil will na kill ye, i think!" the day after my arrival i was once more in hospital, and here i remained under dr. scott for twenty-eight weeks. such was the walcheren fever, and to this day i sometimes feel the remains of it in damp weather. from hythe i was sent, amongst some other invalids, to chelsea. sixty of us marched together on this occasion. many had lost their limbs, which, from wounds as well as disease, had been amputated; and altogether we did not make a very formidable appearance, being frequently obliged to be halted in the road to repair our strength, when the whole turn-out would be seen sitting or sprawling at full length by the way side. this march took us ten days to accomplish, and when we halted at pimlico, we were pretty well done up. we were billeted in the different public-houses in chelsea. with others, i lodged at the three crowns, close beside the bun house. i remember we paraded in the five fields, then an open space, but now covered with elegant mansions, and become a part of london. three thousand invalids mustered here every morning--a motley group, presenting a true picture of the toils of war. there were the lame, the halt, and the blind, the sick, and the sorry, all in a lump. with those who had lost their limbs, there was not much trouble, as they became pensioners; but others were, some of them, closely examined from day to day as to their eligibility for service. amongst others i was examined by dr. lephan. "what age are you, rifleman?" he said. "thirty-two, sir," i replied. "what trade have you been of?" he inquired. "a shoemaker," i replied. "where have you been?" he said. "in denmark, spain, portugal, and walcheren," i said, "in which latter place i met the worst enemy of all." "never mind that," he said, "you'll do yet; and we will send you to a veteran battalion." accordingly i was appointed to the th veteran battalion, with others, and sent to fort cumberland. here i joined captain creswell's company--an officer who had lost one eye, whilst in the th regiment, in spain. i was again the only green jacket of the lot, and the officers assembled round me during the first muster, and asked me numerous questions about my service amongst the rifles, for we had a great reputation in the army at this time. major caldwell commanded the battalion; he had been in the fifth, and received a grievous wound in the head. he was a kind and soldier-like man, but if you put him out of temper, you would soon find out that he felt his wound. captain picard was there, too, and captain flaherty, and lieutenant moorhead; all of them were more or less shattered, whilst their men, although most of them were young, were very good specimens of war's stern service. one, perhaps, had a tale to tell of salamanca, where he lost an eye, another spoke of the breach at badajoz, where he got six balls at once in his body. many paraded with sticks in their hands, and altogether it was something of a different sort of force to the active chaps i had been in the habit of serving amongst. in fact, i much regretted my green jacket, and grieved at being obliged to part with it for the red coat of the veterans. i remained in the veterans only four months, as, at the expiration of that time, napoleon was sent to elba. we were then marched to chelsea, to be disbanded, where we met thousands of soldiers lining, the streets, and lounging about before the different public-houses, with every description of wound and casualty incident to modern warfare. there hobbled the maimed light-infantry man, the heavy dragoon, the hussar, the artilleryman, the fusileer, and specimens from every regiment in the service. the irishman, shouting and brandishing his crutch; the english soldier, reeling with drink; and the scot, with grave and melancholy visage, sitting on the steps of the public-house amongst the crowd, listening to the skirl of his comrades' pipes, and thinking of the blue hills of his native land. such were chelsea and pimlico in . in about a week's time i was discharged, and received a pension of sixpence per day; and, for the first time since i had been a shepherd lad on blandford downs, i saw myself in plain clothes, and with liberty to go and come where i liked. before, however, my pension became due, i was again called upon to attend, together with others, in consequence of the escape of bonaparte from elba; but i was then in so miserable a plight with the remains of the fever and ague, which still attacked me every other day, that i did not answer the call, whereby i lost my pension. and here i may perhaps as well mention a slight anecdote of the great duke. the duke, i was told, observed in spain that several men who had come out from england after walcheren were unable to keep up on the march, and afterwards completely failed. he inquired the reason of this, and was told they were men who had been on the walcheren expedition. "then never," said the duke, "let another man be sent here who has been at walcheren." at fort cumberland i remember another curious circumstance, which may, perhaps, in these times, be thought worthy of narration. many of the french prisoners had volunteered into the english service, and were formed into four companies, called the independent companies. these men were smart-looking fellows, and wore a green uniform, something like the rifles. whilst i was with the veterans, one of these men deserted and was re-taken at portsmouth, and tried by court-martial at fort cumberland. besides his crime of desertion he had aggravated it by gross insubordination, and he was accordingly sentenced to be flogged. we all, french and english, paraded to see the sentence carried into effect, and, in case of anything happening, and our opposite neighbours, the green jackets, shewing fight, the veterans were all ordered to load with ball. when the culprit heard the sentence read out to him, he was a good deal annoyed, and begged that he might be shot, as would have happened to him in his own country. such, however, it was explained to him, could not be allowed, and he was accordingly punished. the duke of york, who was then commander-in-chief, had thought it necessary to make this example, although all of us would have been glad to see him forgiven. shortly after this, on napoleon's being sent to elba, these men were all liberated and sent home to their own country, with four pounds given to each man; and gloriously drunk they all were at portsmouth the night they embarked. the veterans were very intimate and friendly with these frenchmen, as they were quartered together; and we were all sorry to hear (whether true or false i cannot say) that on their return, their uniforms betraying their having served us, they were grossly maltreated by their fellow countrymen. footnotes: [footnote : lord chatham (as is well known) commanded this expedition, and marshal beresford had command of that part of it which occupied the island of south beveland at this time.] the end. clayton and co., printers, , hart-street, covent garden. pg distributed proofreaders the young buglers by g.a. henty preface to my young readers. i remember that, as a boy, i regarded any attempt to mix instruction with amusement as being as objectionable a practice as the administration of powder in jam; but i think that this feeling arose from the fact that in those days books contained a very small share of amusement and a very large share of instruction. i have endeavored to avoid this, and i hope that the accounts of battles and sieges, illustrated as they are by maps, will be found as interesting as the lighter parts of the story. as in my tale, "_the young franc-tireurs_," i gave the outline of the franco-german war, so i have now endeavored to give the salient features of the great peninsular struggle. the military facts, with the names of generals and regiments, the dates and places, are all strictly accurate, and any one who has read with care the story of "the young buglers" could pass an examination as to the leading events of the peninsular war. yours truly, the author. contents chapter i. a coaching adventure chapter ii. the young pickles chapter iii. enlisted chapter iv. a tough customer chapter v. overboard chapter vi. portugal chapter vii. the passage of the douro--talavera chapter viii. a pause in operations chapter ix. "with the guerillas" chapter x. madrid chapter xi. the fight on the coa chapter xii. busaco and torres vedras chapter xiii. albuera chapter xiv. invalided home chapter xv. ciudad rodrigo and badajos chapter xvi. salamanca chapter xvii. caught in a trap chapter xviii. just in time chapter xix. vittoria chapter xx. toulouse the young buglers. chapter i. a coaching adventure. had any of the boys in the lower forms of eton in the year , been asked who were the most popular boys of their own age, they would have been almost sure to have answered, without the slightest hesitation, tom and peter scudamore, and yet it is probable that no two boys were more often in disgrace. it was not that they were idle, upon the contrary, both were fairly up in their respective forms, but they were constantly getting into mischief of one sort or another; yet even with the masters they were favorites, there was never anything low, disgraceful, or ungentlemanly in their escapades, and they could be trusted never to attempt to screen themselves from the consequences by prevarication, much less by lying. if the masters heard that a party of youngsters had been seen far out of bounds, they were pretty sure that the scudamores were among them; a farmer came in from a distance to complain that his favorite tree had been stripped of its apples--for in those days apples were looked upon by boys as fair objects of sport,--if the head-master's favorite white poodle appeared dyed a deep blue, if mr. jones, the most unpopular master in the school, upon coming out of his door trod upon a quantity of tallow smeared all over the doorstep, and was laid up for a week in consequence, there was generally a strong suspicion that tom and peter scudamore were concerned in the matter. one of their tricks actually came to the ears of the provost himself, and caused quite a sensation in the place, but in this case, fortunately for them, they escaped undetected. one fine summer afternoon they were out on the water with two or three other boys of their own age, when a barge was seen ahead at some short distance from the shore. she was apparently floating down with the stream, and the fact that a horse was proceeding along the towing-path a little way ahead was not noticed, as the rope was slack and was trailing under water. the boys, therefore, as they were rowing against stream, steered their boat to pass inside of her. just as they came abreast of the horse a man on the barge suddenly shouted to the rider of the horse to go on. he did so, the rope tightened, rose from the water just under the bow of the boat, and in another minute the boys were struggling in the water. all were good swimmers, and would have cared little for the ducking had it occurred accidentally, but the roars of laughter of the bargeman, and the chaff with which he assailed them as they scrambled up the bank, showed clearly enough that they had been upset maliciously. the boys were furious, and one or two proposed that they should report the case, but tom scudamore pointed out that the bargeman would of course declare that it was a pure accident, and that the boys were themselves in fault in not looking out whether the barge was being towed, before going inside her, and so nothing would come of reporting. the boat was dragged ashore and emptied, and in a few minutes they were rowing back towards the town. the distance was but short, and they did not repass the barge before they reached their boat-house. the brothers had exchanged a few words in a low voice on the way, and instead of following the example of the others, and starting at a run for the house where they boarded to change their clothes, they walked down by the river and saw that the barge had moored up against the bank, at a short distance below the bridge. they watched for a time, and saw the bargeman fasten up the hatch of the little cabin and go ashore. that night two boys lowered themselves with a rope from the window of one of the dames-houses, and walked rapidly down to the river. there were a few flickering oil lamps burning, and the one or two old watchmen were soundly asleep in their boxes. they did not meet a soul moving upon their way to the object of the expedition, the barge that had run them down. very quietly they slipped on board, satisfied themselves by listening at the half-open hatch to the snoring within that their enemy was there, then loosened the moorings so that they could be thrown off at a moment's notice. "now, peter," the elder brother said, "open our lantern. the night is quite still. you hold your hand behind it, so that the light will not fall on our faces, and i will look whether he is only wrapped up in a blanket or has a regular bed; we must not risk setting the place on fire. get the crackers ready." a dark lantern was now taken out from under tom's jacket, and was found to be still alight, an important matter, for striking a light with flint and steel was in those days a long and tedious business, and then opening it tom threw the light into the cabin. it was a tiny place, and upon a bench, wrapped up in a blanket, the bargeman was lying. as the light fell on his eyes, he moved, and a moment afterwards started up with an oath, and demanded who was there. no answer came in words, but half a dozen lighted crackers were thrown into the cabin, when they began to explode with a tremendous uproar. in an instant the hatch was shut down and fastened outside. the rope was cast off, and in another minute she was floating down stream with the crackers still exploding inside her, but with their noise almost deadened by the tremendous outcry of shouts and howls, and by a continued and furious banging at the hatch. "there is no fear of his being choked, tom, i hope?" "no, i expect he's all right," tom said, "it will be pretty stifling for a bit no doubt, but there's a chimney hole and the smoke will find its way out presently. the barge will drift down to the weir before it brings up, there is not enough stream out for there to be any risk of her upsetting, else we daren't have turned her adrift." the next day the whole town was talking of the affair, and in the afternoon the bargeman went up to the head-master and accused one of the boys of an attempt to murder him. greatly surprised, the provost demanded what reason the man had for suspecting the boys, and the bargeman acknowledged that he had that afternoon upset a boat with four or five boys in her. "they would not bear you malice on that account," the provost said; "they don't think much of a swim such weather as this, unless indeed you did it on purpose." the man hesitated in his answer, and the provost continued, "you evidently did do it on purpose, and in that case, although it was carried too far, for i hear you had a very narrow escape of being stifled, still you brought it upon yourself, and i hope it will be a lesson to you not to risk the lives of eton boys for your amusement. i know nothing about this affair, but if you can point out the boys you suspect i will of course inquire into it." the bargeman departed, grumbling that he did not know one of the young imps from another, but if he did find them, he'd wring their necks for them to a certainty. the provost had some inquiries made as to the boys who had been upset, and whether they had all been in at lock-up time; finding that they had all answered to their names, he made no further investigation. this affair had taken place in the summer before this story begins, on the th of october, . on that day a holiday was granted in consequence of the head-master's birthday, and the boys set off, some to football, some for long walks in the country. the scudamores, with several of their friends, strolled down the towing-path for some miles, and walked back by the road. as they entered their dames-house on their return, tom scudamore said for the twentieth time, "well, i would give anything to be a soldier, instead of having to go in and settle down as a banker--it's disgusting!" as they entered a boy came up. "oh, scudamore, jackson's been asking for you both. it's something particular, for he has been out three or four times, and he wanted to send after you, but no one knew where you had gone." the boys at once went into the master's study, where they remained all the afternoon. a short time after they went in, mr. jackson came out and said a word or two to one of the senior boys, and the word was quickly passed round, that there was to be no row, for the scudamores had just heard of the sudden death of their father. that evening, mr. jackson had beds made up for them in his study, so that they might not have the pain of having to talk with the other boys. the housekeeper packed up their things, and next morning early they started by the coach for london. mr. scudamore, the father of the young etonians, was a banker. he was the elder of two brothers, and had inherited his father's business, while his brother had gone into the army. the banker had married the daughter of a landowner in the neighborhood, and had lived happily and prosperously until her death, seven years before this story begins. she had borne him three children, the two boys, now fifteen and fourteen years old respectively, and a girl, rhoda, two years younger than peter. the loss of his wife afflicted him greatly, and he received another shock five years later by the death of his brother, colonel scudamore, to whom he was much attached. from the time of his wife's death he had greatly relaxed in his attention to his business, and after his brother's death he left the management almost entirely in the hands of his cashier, in whom he had unlimited confidence. this confidence was wholly misplaced. for years the cashier had been carrying on speculation upon his own account with the monies of the bank. gradually and without exciting the least suspicion he had realized the various securities held by the bank, and at last gathering all the available cash he, one saturday afternoon, locked up the bank and fled. on monday it was found that he was missing; mr. scudamore went down to the bank, and had the books taken into his parlor for examination. some hours afterwards a clerk went in and found his master lying back in his chair insensible. a doctor on arriving pronounced it to be apoplexy. he never rallied, and a few hours afterwards the news spread through the country that scudamore, the banker, was dead, and that the bank had stopped payment. people could believe the former item of news, but were incredulous as to the latter. scudamore's bank was looked upon in lincolnshire as at least as safe as the bank of england itself. but the sad truth was soon clear to all, and for awhile there was great distress of mind among the people, for many miles round, for most of them had entrusted all their savings of years to the scudamores' bank. when affairs were wound up, however, it was found that things were not quite so bad as had been feared. mr. scudamore had a considerable capital employed in the bank, and the sale of his handsome house and estate realized a large sum, so that eventually every one received back the money they had entrusted to the bank; but the whole of the capital and the profits of years of successful enterprise had vanished, and it was calculated by the executors that the swindler must have appropriated at least , _l._ for the first month after their father's death the boys stayed with the doctor who had long attended the family and had treated all their ailments since they were born. in the great loss of their father the loss of their fortune affected them but little, except that they were sorry to be obliged to leave eton; for the interest of the little fortune which their mother had brought at her marriage, and which was all that now remained to them, would not have been sufficient to pay for their expenses there, and indeed such an education would have been out of place for two boys who had to make their own way in life. at the end of this month it was arranged that they were to go to their only existing relative, an elder sister of mr. scudamore. the boys had never seen her, for she had not for many years been friends with her brother. the letter which she had written to the doctor, announcing her willingness to receive them, made the boys laugh, although it did not hold out prospects of a very pleasant future. "i am, of course," she said, "prepared to do my duty. no one can say that i have ever failed in my duty. my poor brother quarreled with me. it was his duty to apologize. he did not do so. had it been my duty to apologize i should have done so. as i was right, and he was wrong, it was clearly not my duty. i shall now do my duty to my niece and nephews. yet i may be allowed to say that i regret much that they are not all nieces. i do not like boys. they are always noisy, and not always clean. they do not wipe their shoes, they are always breaking things, they go about with all sorts of rubbish and dirt in their pockets, their hair is always rough, they are fond of worrying cats, and other cruel games. altogether they are objectionable. had my brother made up his mind to leave his children in my charge, it was clearly his duty to have had girls instead of boys. however, it is not because other people fail in their duty that i should fail in mine. therefore, let them come to me this day fortnight. by that time i shall have got some strong and suitable furniture in the room that my nephews will occupy, and shall have time to make other arrangements. this letter will, if all goes well, reach you, i believe, in three days after the date of posting, and they will take the same time coming here. assure them that i am prepared to do my duty, and that i hope that they will make a serious effort at doing theirs. ask my nephews, upon the occasion of their first arrival, to make as little noise as they can, because my cat, minnie, is very shy, and if she is scared at the first meeting, she will take a very long time to get accustomed to them. i also particularly beg that they do not, as they come up to the house, throw stones at any of the pigeons who may be resting upon the roof, for the slates were all set right a few weeks ago, and i am sure i do not wish to have the slater here again; they were hanging about for ten days the last time they came. i do not know that i have anything else to say." the boys received the reading of this singular epistle with shouts of laughter. "poor aunt," tom said. "what does she think of us that she can suppose that, upon our very first arrival, we should come in like wild indians, throwing stones at her pigeons, and frightening her minnie into fits. did you ever hear such an extraordinary idea, doctor jarvis?" "at any rate, boys," the doctor said, when the laughter had ceased, "you may find your aunt a little peculiar, but she is evidently determined to do her duty to you, and you must do yours to her, and not play more pranks than you can help. as to you, rhoda, you will evidently be in high favor, and as you are fortunately a quiet little lady, you will, i have no doubt, get on with her very well." "i hope so," rhoda said, smiling, "you see she means to be kind, though she does write funny letters, and, at any rate, there are minnie and the pigeons; it sounds nice, you know. do you know what aunt's place is like, dr. jarvis, and how to get there from here." "no, my dear, i never was in that part of england. it is close to marlborough that she lives, a very pretty country, i believe. there is, of course, no way to go across from here. you must go up to london by coach from here, and then to marlborough by the western coach. i will write to my brother james in town, where you stopped at night as you came through, boys, and i know that he will take you all in for the night, and see that you go off right in the morning." "you're very kind, indeed, doctor jarvis. i do not know how to thank you for all you have done for us," tom said earnestly, and the others cordially echoed the sentiment. the day before starting the doctor had a long talk with the boys. he pointed out to them that their future now depended upon themselves alone. they must expect to find many unpleasantnesses in their way, but they must take their little trials pleasantly, and make the best of everything. "i have no fear as to rhoda," their kind friend said. "she has that happy, amiable, and quiet disposition that is sure to adapt itself to all circumstances. i have no doubt she will become a favorite with your aunt. try to keep out of scrapes, boys. you know you are rather fond of mischief, and your aunt will not be able to understand it. if you get into any serious difficulty write to me, you can rely upon always finding a friend in me." the journey to london was no novelty to the boys, but rhoda enjoyed it immensely. her place had been taken inside, but most of the journey she rode outside with her brothers. she was greatly amazed at the bustle and noise of london, and was quite confused at the shouting and crowd at the place where the coach drew up, for two or three other coaches had just arrived from other directions. mr. jarvis had sent his man-servant to meet them, their luggage was sent direct to the booking-office from which the coach started for marlborough, and the servant carried a small bag containing their night things. it was evening when they got in, and rhoda could scarcely keep her eyes open long enough to have tea, for the coach had been two days and nights upon the road. the next day they stayed in town, and mrs. jarvis took them out to see the sights of london--the tower and st. paul's, and westminster abbey, and the beasts at exeter change. the boys had twice before spent a whole day in london, their father having, upon two occasions, made his visits to town to fit in with their going up to school, but to rhoda it was all new, and very, very wonderful. the next day the coach started early for marlborough. it was to take rather over twenty-four hours on the way. as before, rhoda rode outside with her brothers until the evening, but then, instead of going inside, where there were five passengers already, she said, as the night was so fine and warm, she would rather remain with them. they were sitting behind the coachman, there were two male passengers upon the same seat with them, and another in the box seat by the coachman. the conversation turned, as in those days it was pretty sure to turn, upon highwaymen. several coaches had been lately stopped by three highwaymen, who worked together, and were reported to be more reckless than the generality of their sort. they had shot a coachman who refused to stop, the week before on hounslow heath, they had killed a guard on the great north road, and they had shot two passengers who resisted, near exeter. tom and peter were greatly amused by observing that the passenger who sat next to them, and who, at the commencement of the conversation, showed a brace of heavy pistols with which he was provided, with much boasting as to what he should do if the coach were attacked, when he heard of the fate of the passengers who had resisted, became very quiet indeed, and presently took an opportunity, when he thought that he was not observed, of slipping his pistols under the tarpaulin behind him. "i hope those dreadful men won't stop our coach," rhoda said. "they won't hurt you if they do, rhoda," tom said assuringly. "i think it would be rather a lark. i say, peter," he went on in a whisper, "i think we might astonish them with those pistols that coward next to you has hid behind him." "i should just think so," peter said; "the bargee at eton would be nothing to it." the hours went slowly on. rhoda and the boys dozed uncomfortably against each other and the baggage behind them, until they were suddenly roused by a shout in the road beside them: "stand for your lives!" the moon was up, and they could see that there were three horsemen. one galloped to the horses' heads, and seized the rein of one of the leaders, the others rode by the coach. the first answer to the challenge was a discharge from the blunderbuss of the guard, which brought one of the highwaymen from his horse. the other, riding up to the side of the coach, fired at the guard, and a loud cry told that the shot had taken effect. in another moment the fellow was by the side of the coachman. "hold up!" he said, "or i will blow your brains out!" the coachman did as he was ordered, and indeed the man at the leader's head had almost succeeded in stopping them. the passenger next to the boys had, at the first challenge, again seized his pistols, and the boys thought that he was going to fire after all. "lie down at our feet, rhoda, quick!" tom said, "and don't move till i tell you." the fate of the guard evidently frightened away the short-lived courage of the passenger, for, as the coachman again pulled up, he hastily thrust the pistols in behind him. "get down, every one of you," the highwayman shouted. "lie still, rhoda," tom whispered. "now, peter, get in underneath the tarpaulin." this was done as the passengers descended. the luggage was not so heavily piled as usual, and the boys found plenty of room beneath the tarpaulin. "now, peter, you take one of these pistols and give me the other. now peep out. the moon is hidden, which is a good thing; now, look here, you shall shoot that fellow standing down below, who is swearing at the ladies inside for not getting out quicker. i'll take a shot at that fellow standing in front of the horse's heads." "do you think you can hit him, tom?" "i have not the least idea, but i can try; and if you hit the other one, the chances are he'll bolt, whether i hit him or not. open the tarpaulin at the side so as to see well, and rest the pistol upon something. you must take a good shot, peter, for if you miss him we shall be in a mess." "all right," peter said, in a whisper, "i can almost touch him with the pistol." in loud and brutal tones the highwayman now began to order the frightened ladies to give up their watches and rings, enforcing his commands with terrible curses. when suddenly a pistol flashed out just behind him, and he fell off his horse with a ball through his shoulder. tom's shot, though equally well intended, was not so truly aimed. the highwayman had dismounted, and was standing just in front of the leaders, so that tom had a fair view of him between them. the boys had both occasionally fired their father's pistols, for, in those days, each householder in the country always kept loaded pistols in his room, but his skill was not sufficient to make sure of a man at that distance. the bullet flew past at two feet to the left of his head. but its effect was scarcely less startling than if it had actually hit him, for, in its passage, it passed through the ear of the off leader. the horse made a start at the sudden pain, and then dashed forward. the rest of the team, already alarmed by the shot, followed her lead; before the startled highwayman could get out of the way they were upon him, in another instant he was under their heels, and the coach gave a sudden lurch as it passed over his body. "lie still, rhoda, a little longer; it's all right, but the horses have run away," tom exclaimed, as he scrambled forward, and caught hold of the reins, which the coachman had tied to the rail of the seat as he got down. "catch hold of the reins, peter, and help me pull." peter did so; but the united strength of the boys was wholly unequal to arresting the headlong flight of the horses. fortunately the highwaymen had chosen a low bottom between two hills, to arrest the coach, consequently the road was up a hill of moderate steepness. the boys hoped that the horses would stop when they got to the top; but they went on with redoubled speed. "this is something like going it," peter said. "isn't it, peter? they know their way, and we ain't lively to meet anything in the road. they will stop at their stable. at any rate, it's no use trying to steer them. here, rhoda dear, get up; are you very much frightened?" rhoda still lay quite still, and peter, holding on with difficulty, for the coach quite rocked with the speed at which they were going, climbed over to her, and stooped, down. "shall i help you up, rhoda?" "no, please, i would rather stop here till it's all over." fortunately the hill, up to the tillage where they made the change, was a steep one, and the horses broke into a trot before they reached the top, and, in another minute drew up at the door of the inn. the astonishment of the ostlers at seeing the horses covered with lather, and coachbox tenanted only by two boys, behind whom a little white face now peered out, was extreme, and they were unable to get beyond an ejaculation of hallo! expressive of a depth of incredulous astonishment impossible to be rendered by words. "look here," tom said, with all the composure, and much of the impudence, which then, as now, characterized the young etonian, "don't be staring like a pack of stuck pigs. you had better get the fresh horses in, and drive back to the bottom, about four miles from here. there has been regular row with some fellows, and i expect two or three are killed. now, just put up the ladder; i want to get my sister down." almost mechanically the men put the ladder up to the coach, and the boys and rhoda got down. "do you say the coach has been attacked by highwaymen in burnet bottom?" "i don't know anything about burnet bottom," tom said. "it was a bottom about four miles off. there were three of them. the guard shot one of them, and the others shot the guard. then we were stopped by them, and every one had to get down. then the horses ran away, and here we are." "then there are two of those highwayman chaps with the passengers," one of the men said. "you need not be afraid of them," tom said carelessly; "one got shot, and i don't know about the other, but the wheel of the coach went over him, so i do not suppose he will be much trouble. now, if i were you, i should not stand staring any more, but should make haste and take the coach back." "hullo, look at this grey," one of the men exclaimed, as, at last understanding what had taken place, they began to bustle about to change horses. "he's got blood all over the side of his head. one of those scoundrels has shot him through the ear." tom burst out laughing. "i am the scoundrel!" he said. "peter, that explains why we went off so suddenly. i missed the fellow, and hit the leader in the ear. however, it comes to the same thing. by the way, we may as well take the pistols." so saying, he ran up the ladder and brought down the pistols. by this time the fresh horses were in. "i can't make nought of it," one of the ostlers said, climbing up into the coachman's seat. "jump up, bill and harry. it's the rummiest go i ever heard of in coaching." "landlady, can you get us some tea at once, please," tom said, going up to the landlady, who was looking on from the door of the house with an astonishment equal to that of the men at the whole affair; "as quickly as you can, for my sister looks regularly done up with fatigue, and then, please let her lie down till the coach is ready to start again. it will be three quarters of an hour before it is back, and then, i daresay, there will be a lot of talking before they go on. i should think they will be wanting breakfast. at any rate, an hour's rest will do you good, rhoda." rhoda was too worn out with the over-excitement even to answer. fortunately there was hot water in order to make hot grog for the outriders of the coach, some tea was quickly made, and in ten minutes rhoda was fast asleep on the landlady's bed. tom and peter expressed their desire for something substantial in the way of eating, for the morning had now fairly broken. the landlady brought in some cold meat, upon which the boys made a vigorous attack, and then, taking possession of two benches, they dozed off until the coach arrived. it had but three horses, for one had been sent off to carry bill, the ostler, at full speed to the town at which they had last changed horses, to fetch a doctor and the constable. the other two men had remained with the guard, who was shot in the hip, and the highwayman, whose collar-bone was broken by peter's shot. the fellow shot by the guard, and the other one, whom the coach wheels had passed over, were both dead. "there's the coach, tom." "what a nuisance, peter, they'll all be wanting to talk now, and i am just so comfortably off. well, i suppose it's no use trying to get any more sleep." so saying, they roused themselves, and went out to the door just as the coach drew up. there was a general shout of greeting from the passengers, which was stopped, however, by a peremptory order from the coachman. he was a large, stout man, with a face red from the effects of wind and exposure. "jack," he said, to a man who was standing near, for the news of the attack upon the coach had quickly spread, and all the villagers were astir to see it come in. "jack, hold the leader's head. thomas, open the door, and let the insides out. gents," he said solemnly, when this was done, "i'm going to do what isn't a usual thing by no means, in fact, i ain't no precedence for doing it; but then, i do not know any precedence for this here business altogether. i never did hear of a coachman standing up on his box to give a cheer, no, not to king george himself; but, then, king george never polished off two highwaymen all to himself, leastway, not as i've heard tell of. now, these two young gents have done this. they have saved my coach and my passengers from getting robbed, and so i'm going to give 'em three cheers. i'll trouble you to help me up into the box seat, gentlemen." assisted by the other passengers, the driver now gravely climbed up into the box seat, steadied himself there by placing one hand upon the shoulder of the passenger next him, took off his low-crowned hat, and said. "follow me, gents, with three cheers for those young gents standing there; better plucked ones i never came across, and i've traveled a good many miles in my day." so saying, he gave three stentorian cheers, which were echoed by all the passengers and villagers. then there was a momentary silence, and tom, who, with his brother, had been feeling very uncomfortable, although rather inclined to laugh, seeing that he was expected to say something, said, "thank you all very much; but we'd much rather you hadn't done it." then there was a general laugh and movement, and a general pressing forward of the passengers to shake the boys by the hand. the driver was assisted down from his elevated position, and got off the coach and came up to them. "that's the first speech i ever made, young gentlemen, and, if i know myself, it will be the last; but, you see, i was druv to it. you're a good sort, that's certain. what will you drink?" the boys declared for beer, and drank solemnly with the driver, imitating him in finishing their mugs at a draught, and turning them topsy-turvy. there was now a great deal of talking, and many questions were asked. tom and peter modestly said that there was really nothing to tell. they saw that the gentleman next to them intended to use his pistols; but, not seeing a good opportunity, put them down behind the tarpaulin, and the thought occurred to them that, by slipping behind it, they would get a good chance of a certain shot. accordingly, they had fired, and then the horse had run away; and there was an end of it. there was nothing extraordinary in the whole matter. "at any rate, my boys, you have saved me from a loss of a couple of hundred pounds which i had got hid in my boots, but which those fellows would have been sure to have have discovered," one of the passengers said. there was a general chorus of satisfaction at many watches and trinkets saved, and then the first passenger went on,-- "i propose, gentlemen and ladies, that when we get to the end of our journey we make a subscription, according to the amount we have saved, and that we get each of these young gentlemen a brace of the very best pistols that can be bought. if they go on as they have begun, they will find them useful." there was a general exclamation of approval, and one of the ladies, who had been an inside passenger, said, "and i think we ought to give a handsome ring to their sister as a memorial through life. of course, she had not so much to do as her brothers, but she had the courage to keep still, and she had to run the risk, both of being shot, and of being upset by the coach just as they did." this also was unanimously approved, and, after doing full justice to the breakfast set before them, the party again took their places. rhoda being carried down asleep, by the landlady, and placed in the coach, one of the inside passengers getting out to make room for her, and she was laid, curled up, on the seat, with her head in a lady's lap, and slept quietly, until, to her astonishment, she was woke up, and told that she was in marlborough. chapter ii. two young pickles. an old-fashioned open carriage, drawn by a stiff, old-fashioned horse, and driven by a stiff, old-fashioned man, was in waiting at the inn at which the coach drew up at marlborough. into this the young scudamores were soon transferred, and, after a hearty good-bye from their fellow-passengers, and an impressive one from the coachman, they started upon the concluding part of their journey. "how far is it to aunt's?" tom asked. "about six miles, young sir," the driver said gravely. the young scudamores had great difficulty to restrain their laughter at tom's new title; in fact, peter nearly choked himself in his desperate efforts to do so, and no further questions were asked for some time. the ride was a pleasant one, and rhoda, who had never been out of lincolnshire before, was delighted with the beautiful country through which they were passing. the journey, long as it was--for the road was a very bad one, and the horse had no idea of going beyond a slow trot--passed quickly to them all; but they were glad when the driver pointed to a quaint old-fashioned house standing back from the road, and said that they were home. "there are the pigeons, rhoda, and there is minnie asleep on that open window-sill." very many times had the young scudamores talked about their aunt, and had pictured to themselves what she would be like; and their ideas of her so nearly approached the truth, that she almost seemed to be an old acquaintance as she came to the door as the carriage stopped. she was a tall, upright, elderly lady, with a kind, but very decided face, and a certain prim look about her manner and dress. "well, niece rhoda and nephews, i am glad to see that you have arrived safely," she said in a clear, distinct voice. "welcome to the yews. i hope that we shall get on very well together. joseph, i hope that you have not driven daisy too fast, and that you did not allow my nephews to use the whip. you know i gave you very distinct instructions not to let them do so." "no, my lady, they never so much as asked." "that is right," miss scudamore said, turning round and shaking hands with the boys, who had now got out of the carriage and had helped rhoda down. "i am glad to hear what joseph tells me, for i know that boys are generally fond of furious driving and like lashing horses until they put them into a gallop. and now, how are you, niece rhoda! give me a kiss. that is right. you look pale and tired, child; you must have something to eat, and then go to bed. girls can't stand racketing about as boys can. you look quiet and nice, child, and i have no doubt we shall suit very well. it is very creditable to you that you have not been spoilt by your brothers. boys generally make their sisters almost as noisy and rude as they are themselves." "i don't think we are noisy and rude, aunt," tom said, with a smile. "oh, you don't, nephew?" miss scudamore said, looking at him sharply, and then shaking her head decidedly two or three times. "if your looks do not belie you both sadly, you are about as hair-brained a couple of lads as my worst enemies could wish to see sent to plague me; but," she added to herself, as she turned to lead the way indoors, "i must do my duty, and must make allowances; boys will be boys, boys will be boys, so they say at least, though why they should be is more than i can make out. now, rhoda, i will take you up with me. your bedroom leads out of mine, dear. hester," she said to a prim-looking servant who had come out after her to the door; "will you show my nephews to their room? dinner will be ready at two; it is just a quarter to the hour now. i see that you have got watches, so that you will be able to be punctual; and i must request you, when you have done washing, not to throw the water out of the window, because my flower-beds are underneath." tom had great difficulty in keeping his countenance, while he assured his aunt that his brother and himself never did empty their basins out of the window. "that is right," miss scudamore said doubtfully; "but i have heard that boys do such things." once fairly in their room and the door shut, the boys had a great laugh over their aunt's ideas as to boys. "there is one comfort," tom said at last; "whatever we do we shall never surprise her." "i think we shall get on very well with her," peter said. "she means to be kind, i am sure. this is a jolly room, tom." it was a low wainscoted room, with a very wide window divided into three by mullions, and fitted with latticed panes. they were open, and a delicious scent of flowers came in from the garden. the furniture was all new and very strong, of dark stained wood, which harmonized well with the paneling. there were no window curtains, but a valance of white dimity hung above the window. there was a piece of carpet between the beds; the rest of the floor was bare, but the boards were of old oak, and looked as well without it. several rows of pegs had been put upon the walls, and there was a small chest of drawers by each bed. "this is very jolly, peter; but it is a pity that there are bars to the window." when they came down to dinner they found that rhoda, quite done up with her journey, had gone to bed. "you like your room, i hope, nephews," miss scudamore said, after they had taken their seats. "yes, aunt, very much. there is only one drawback to it." "what is that, thomas?" "oh, please, aunt, don't call me thomas; it is a dreadful name; it is almost as bad as tommy. please call me tom. i am always called tom by every one." "i am not fond of these nicknames," miss scudamore said. "there is a flippancy about them of which i do not approve." "yes, aunt, in nicknames; but tom is not a nickname; it is only a short way of speaking. we never hear of a man being called thomas, unless he is a footman or an archbishop, or something of that sort." "what do you mean by archbishop?" miss scudamore asked severely. "well, aunt, i was going to say footman, and then i thought of thomas à becket; and there was thomas the rhymer. i have heard of him, but i never read any of his rhymes. i wonder why they did not call them poems. but i expect even thomas à becket was called tom in his own family." miss scudamore looked sharply at tom, but he had a perfect command of his face, and could talk the greatest nonsense with the most serious face. he went on unmoved with her scrutiny. "i have often wondered why i was not christened tom, it would have been much more sensible. for instance, rhoda is christened rhoda and not rhododendron." "rhododendron?" miss scudamore said, mystified. "yes, aunt, it is an american plant, i believe. we had one in the green-house at home; it was sent poor papa by some friend who went out there, i don't see anything else rhoda could come from." "you are speaking very ignorantly, nephew," miss scudamore said severely. "i don't know anything about the plant you speak of, but the name of rhoda existed before america was ever heard of. it is a very old name." "i expect," peter said, "it must have meant originally a woman of rhodes. you see crusaders and templars were always having to do with rhodes, and they no doubt brought the name home, and so it got settled here." "the name is mentioned in scripture," miss scudamore said severely. "yes, aunt, and that makes it still more likely that it meant a woman of rhodes; you see rhodes was a great place then." miss scudamore was silent for some time. then she went back to the subject with which the conversation had commenced. "what is the objection you spoke of to the room?" "oh! it is the bars to the window, aunt." "i have just had them put up," miss scudamore said calmly. "just put up, aunt!" tom repeated in surprise, "what for?" "to prevent you getting out at night." the boys could not help laughing this time, and then peter said, "but why should we want to get out at night, aunt?" "why should boys always want to do the things they ought not?" miss scudamore said. "i've heard of boys being let down by ropes to go and buy things. i dare say you have both done it yourselves." "well, aunt," tom said, "perhaps we have; but then, you see, that was at school." "i do not see any difference, nephew. if you will get out at one window, you will get out at another. there is mischief to be done in the country as well as in towns; and so long as there is mischief to do, so long will boys go out of their way to do it. and now i will tell you the rules of this house, to which you will be expected to adhere. it is well to understand things at once, as it prevents mistakes. we breakfast at eight, dine at two, have tea at half-past six, and you will go to bed at half-past eight. these hours will be strictly observed. i shall expect your hands and faces to be washed, and your hairs brushed previous to each meal. when you come indoors you will always take off your boots and put on your shoes in the little room behind this. and now, if you have done dinner i think that you had better go and lie down on your bed, and get two or three hours' sleep. take your boots off before you get into the bed." "she means well, peter," the elder brother said, as they went upstairs, "but i am afraid she will fidget our lives out." for two or three days the boys wandered about enjoying the beautiful walks, and surprising and pleasing their aunt by the punctuality with which they were in to their meals. then she told them that she had arranged for them to go to a tutor, who lived at warley, a large village a mile distant, and who had some eight or ten pupils. the very first day's experience at the school disgusted them. the boys were of an entirely different class to those with whom they had hitherto associated, and the master was violent and passionate. "how do you like mr. jones, nephews?" miss scudamore asked upon their return after their first day at school. "we do not like him at all, aunt. in the first place, he is a good deal too handy with that cane of his." "'he who spares the rod--'" "yes, we know that, aunt, 'spoils the child,'" broke in tom, "but we would not mind so much if the fellow were a gentleman." "i don't know what you may call a gentleman," miss scudamore said severely. "he stands very high here a schoolmaster, while he visits the vicar, and is well looked up to everywhere." "he's not a gentleman for all that," tom muttered; "he wouldn't be if he visited the queen. one does not mind being trashed by a gentleman; one is used to that at eton; but to be knocked about by a fellow like that! well, we shall see." for a week the boys put up with the cruelty of their tutor, who at once took an immense dislike to them on finding that they did not, like the other boys, cringe before him, and that no trashing could extract a cry from them. it must not be supposed that they did not meditate vengeance, but they could hit upon no plan which could be carried out without causing suspicion that it was the act of one of the boys; and in that case they knew that he would question them all round, and they would not tell a lie to screen themselves. twice they appealed to their aunt, but she would not listen to them, saying that the other boys did not complain, and that if their master was more severe with them than with others, it could only be because they behaved worse. it was too evident that they were boys of very violent dispositions, and although she was sorry that their master found it necessary to punish them, it was clearly her duty not to interfere. the remark about violence arose from miss scudamore having read in the little paper which was published once a week at marlborough an account of the incident of the stopping of the coach, about which the boys had agreed to say nothing to her. the paper had described the conduct of her nephews in the highest terms, but miss scudamore was terribly shocked. "the idea", she said, "that she should have to associate with boys who had take a fellow-creature's life was terrible to her, and their conduct in resisting, when grown-up men had given up the idea as hopeless, showed a violent spirit, which, in boys so young, was shocking." a few days after this, as the boys were coming from school, they passed the carrier's cart, coming in from marlborough. "be you the young gentlemen at miss scudamore's?" the man asked. "because, if you be, i have got a parcel for you." tom answered him that they were, and he then handed them over a heavy square parcel. opening it after the cart had gone on, the boys, to their great delight, found that it consisted of two cases, each containing a brace of very handsome pistols. "this is luck, peter," tom said. "if the parcel had been sent to the house, aunt would never have let us have them; now we can take them in quietly, get some powder and balls, and practice shooting every day in some quiet place. that will be capital. do you know i have thought of a plan which will enrage old jones horribly, and he will never suspect us?" "no; have you, tom? what is that?" "look here, peter. i can carry you easily standing on my shoulders. if you get a very long cloak, so as to fall well down on me, no one would suspect in the dark that there were two of us; we should look like one tremendously tall man. well, you know, he goes every evening to dunstable's to sing with miss dunstable. they say he's making love to her. we can waylay him in the narrow lane, and make him give up that new watch he has just bought, that he's so proud of. i heard him say he had given thirty guineas for it. of course, we don't want to keep it, but we would smash it up between a couple of big stones, and send him all the pieces." "capital, tom; but where should we get the cloak?" "there is that long wadded silk cloak of aunt's that she uses when she goes out driving. it always hangs up in the closet in the hall." "but how are we to get in again, tom? i expect that he does not come back till half-past nine or ten. we can slip out easily enough after we are supposed to have gone to bed; but how are we to get back?" "the only plan, peter, is to get in through rhoda's window. she is very angry at that brute jones treating us so badly, and if i take her into the secret i feel sure she will agree." rhoda was appealed to, and although at first she said it was quite, quite impossible, she finally agreed, although with much fear and trembling, to assist them. first, the boys were to buy some rope and make a rope ladder, which rhoda was to take up to her room; she was to open the window wide when she went to bed, but to pull the blind down as usual, so that if her aunt came in she would not notice it. then, when she heard her aunt come tip to bed at half-past nine, she was to get up very quietly, drop the rope ladder out, fastening it as they instructed her, and then get into bed again, and go to sleep if she could, as the boys would not try to come in until after miss scudamore was asleep. two nights after this the schoolmaster was returning from his usual visit to mr. dunstable, when, to his horror, he saw a gigantic figure advance from under a tree which overshadowed the lawn, and heard a deep voice say, "your money or your life!" like all bullies, the schoolmaster was a coward, and no sooner did he see this terrible figure, and his ears caught the ominous click of a pistol which accompanied the words, than his teeth chattered, his whole figure trembled with fear, and he fell on his knees, crying, "spare my life!--take all that i have, but spare my life!" "you miserable coward!" the giant said, "i do not want to take your wretched life. what money have you?" "i have only two shillings," he exclaimed; "i swear to you that i have only two shillings." "what is the use of two shillings to me?--give them to the first beggar you see." "yes, sir," the schoolmaster said; "i swear to you that i will." "give me your watch." the schoolmaster took out his watch, and, getting upon his feet, handed it to the giant. "there now, you can go; but see," he added, as the schoolmaster turned with great alacrity to leave--"look here." "yes, sir." "look here, and mark my words well. don't you go to that house where you have been to-night, or it will be the worse for you. you are a wretch, and i won't see that poor little girl marry you and be made miserable. swear to me you will give her up." the schoolmaster hesitated, but there was again the ominous click of the pistol. "yes, yes, i swear it," he said hastily. "i will give her up altogether." "you had better keep your oath," the giant said, "for if you break it, if i hear you go there any more--i shall be sure to hear of it--i will put an ounce of lead in you, if i have to do it in the middle of your school. do you hear me? now you may go." only too glad to escape, the schoolmaster walked quickly off, and in a moment his steps could be heard as he ran at the top of his speed down the lane. in a moment the giant appeared to break in two, and two small figures stood where the large one had been. "capital, peter. now, i'll take the cloak, and you keep the pistol, and now for a run home--not that i'm afraid of that coward getting up a pursuit. he'll be only too glad to get his head under the bedclothes." rhoda had carried out her brother's instructions with great exactness, and was in a great fright when her aunt came in to see her in bed, lest she should notice that the window was open. however, the night was a quiet one, and the curtains fell partly across the blind, so that miss scudamore suspected nothing, but rhoda felt great relief when she said good-night, took the candle, and left the room. she had had hard work to keep herself awake until she heard her aunt come up to bed; and then, finding that she did not again come into the room, she got up, fastened one end of the rope ladder to a thick stick long enough to cross two of the mullions, let the other end down very quietly, and then slipped into bed again. she did not awake until hester knocked at her door and told her it was time to get up. she awoke with a great start, and in a, fright at once ran to the window. everything looked as usual. the rope ladder was gone, the window was closed, and rhoda knew that her brothers must have come in safely. great was the excitement in warley next day, when it became known that the schoolmaster had been robbed of his watch by a giant fully eight feet high. this height of the robber was, indeed, received with much doubt, as people thought that he might have been a tall man, but that the eight feet must have been exaggerated by the fear of the schoolmaster. two or three days afterwards the surprise rose even higher, when a party of friends who had assembled at mr. jones' to condole with him upon his misfortune, were startled by the smashing of one of the windows by a small packet, which fell upon the floor in their midst. there was a rush to the door, but the night was a dark one, and no one was to be seen; then they returned to the sitting-room, and the little packet was opened, and found to contain some watchworks bent and broken, some pulverized glass, and a battered piece of metal, which, after some trouble, the schoolmaster recognized as the case of his watch. the head-constable was sent for, and after examining the relics of the case, he came to the same conclusion at which the rest had already arrived, namely, that the watch could not have been stolen by an ordinary footpad, but by some personal enemy of the schoolmaster's, whose object was not plunder, but annoyance and injury. to the population of warley this solution was a very agreeable one. the fact of a gigantic footpad being in the neighborhood was alarming for all, and nervous people were already having great bolts and bars placed upon their shutters and doors. the discovery, therefore, that the object of this giant was not plunder, but only to gratify a spite against the master, was a relief to the whole place. every one was, of course, anxious to know who this secret foe could be, and what crime mr. jones could have committed to bring such a tremendous enemy upon him. the boys at the school assumed a fresh importance in the eyes of the whole place, and being encouraged now to tell all they knew of him, they gave such a picture of the life that they had led at school, that a general feeling of disgust was aroused against him. the parents of one or two of the boys gave notice to take their sons away, but the rest of the boys were boarders, and were no better off than before. miss scudamore was unshaken in her faith in mr. jones and considered the rumor current about him to be due simply to the vindictive nature of boys. "well, aunt," tom said one day, after a lecture of this sort from her, "i know you mean to be kind to us, but peter and i have stood it on that account, but we can't stand it much longer, and we shall run away before long." "and where would you run to, nephew?" miss scudamore said calmly. "that is our affair," tom said quite as coolly, "only i don't like to do it without giving you warning. you mean kindly, i know, aunt, but the way you are always going on at us from morning to night whenever we are at home, and the way in which you allow us to be treated by that tyrannical brute, is too much altogether." miss scudamore looked steadily at them. "i am doing, nephew, what i consider to be for your good. you are willful, and violent, and headstrong. it is my duty to cure you, and although it is all very painful to me, at my time of life, to have such a charge thrust upon me, still, whatever it costs, it must be done." for the next month mr. jones' life was rendered a burden to him. the chimney-pots were shut up with sods placed on them, and the fireplaces poured volumes of smoke into the rooms and nearly choked him. night after night the windows of his bedroom were smashed; cats were let down the chimney; his water-butts were found filled with mud, and the cord of the bucket of his well was cut time after time; the flowers in his garden were dug up and put in topsy-turvy. he himself could not stir out after dark without being tripped up by strings fastened a few inches above the path; and once, coming out of his door, a string fastened from scraper to scraper brought him down the steps with such violence that the bridge of his nose, which came on the edge of a step, was broken, and he was confined to his bed for three or four days. in vain he tried every means to discover and punish the authors of these provocations. a savage dog, the terror of the neighborhood, was borrowed and chained up in the garden, but was found poisoned next morning. watchmen were hired, but refused to stay for more than one night, for they were so harassed and wearied out that they came to the conclusion that they were haunted. if they were on one side of the house a voice would be heard on the other. after the first few attempts, they no longer dared venture to run, for between each round strings were tied in every direction, and they had several heavy falls, while as they were carefully picking their way with their lanterns, stones struck them from all quarters. if one ventured for a moment from the other's side his lantern was knocked out, and his feet were struck from under him with a sharp and unexpected blow from a heavy cudgel; and they were once appalled by seeing a gigantic figure stalk across the grass, and vanish in a little bush. at the commencement of these trials the schoolmaster had questioned the boys, one by one, if they had any hand in the proceeding. all denied it. when it came to tom scudamore's turn, he said. "you never do believe me, mr. jones, so it is of no use my saying that i didn't do it; but if you ask miss scudamore, she will bear witness that we were in bed hours before, and that there are bars on our windows through which a cat could hardly get." the boys had never used rhoda's room after the first night's expedition, making their escape now by waiting until the house was quiet, and then slipping along the passage to the spare room, and thence by the window, returning in the same way. under this continued worry, annoyance, and alarm, the schoolmaster grew thin and worn, his school fell off more and more; for many of the boys, whose rest was disturbed by all this racket, encouraged by the example of the boys of the place who had already been taken away, wrote privately to their friends. the result was that the parents of two or three more wrote to say that their boys would not return after the holidays, and no one was surprised when it became known that mr. jones was about to close his school and leave the neighborhood. the excitement of the pranks that they had been playing had enabled the boys to support the almost perpetual scoldings and complaints of their aunt; but school once over, and their enemy driven from the place, they made up their minds that they could no longer stand it. one day, therefore, when rhoda had, as an extraordinary concession, been allowed to go for a walk with them, they told her that they intended to run away. poor rhoda was greatly distressed. "you see, rhoda dear," tom said, "although we don't like leaving you, you will really be happier when we are gone. it is a perpetual worry to you to hear aunt going on, on, on--nagging, nagging, nagging for ever and ever at us. she is fond of you and kind to you, and you would get on quietly enough without us, while now she is in a fidget whenever you are with us, and is constantly at you not to learn mischief and bad ways from us. besides you are always in a fright now, lest we should get into some awful scrape, as i expect we should if we stopped here. if it weren't for you, we should not let her off as easily as we do. no, no, rhoda, it is better for us all that we should go." poor rhoda, though she cried bitterly at the thought of losing her brothers, yet could not but allow to herself that in many respects she should be more happy when she was freed from anxiety, lest they should get into some scrape, and when her aunt would not be kept in a state of continued irritation and scolding. she felt too that, although she herself could get on well enough in her changed life, that it was very hard indeed for the boys, accustomed as they had been to the jolly and independent life of a public school, and to be their own master during the holidays, with their ponies, amusements, and their freedom to come and go when they chose. rhoda was a thoughtful child, and felt that nothing that they could go through could do them more harm or make them more unhappy than they now were. she had thought it all over day after day, for she was sure that the boys would, sooner or later come to it, and she had convinced herself that it was better for them. still it was with a very sad heart that she found that the time had come. for some time she cried in silence, and then, drying her eyes, she said, trying to speak bravely, though her lips quivered. "i shall miss you dreadfully, boys; but i will not say a word to keep you here, for i am sure it is very, very bad for you. what do you mean to do? do you mean to go to sea?" "no, rhoda; you see uncle was in the army, and used to talk to us about that; and, as we have never seen the sea, we don't care for it as some boys do. no, we shall try and go as soldiers." "but my dear tom, they will never take you as soldiers; you are too little." "yes, we are not old enough to enlist at present," tom said; "but we might go in as buglers. we have thought it all over, and have been paying old wetherley, who was once in the band of a regiment, to teach us the bugle, and he says we can sound all the calls now as well as any bugler going. we did not like to tell you till we had made up our minds to go; but we have gone regularly to him every day since the first week we came here." "then you won't have to fight, tom," rhoda said joyfully. "no," tom said, in a rather dejected tone; "i am afraid they won't let us fight; still we shall see fighting, which is the next best thing." "i heard in warley yesterday that there will be a movement of the army in spain soon, and that some more troops will be sent out, and we shall try and get into a regiment that is going." they talked very long and earnestly on their plans, and were so engrossed that they quite forgot how time went, and got in late for tea, and were terribly scolded in consequence. for once none of them cared for the storm; the boys exulted over the thought that it would be the last scolding they would have to suffer; and rhoda had difficulty in gasping down her tears at the thought that it was the last meal that she would take with them, for they had settled that they would start that very night. chapter iii. enlisted. it was a bright moonlight night when the boys, after a sad farewell from rhoda, let themselves down from the window, and started upon their journey. each carried a bundle on a stick; each bundle contained a suit of clothes, a few shirts and stockings, a pair of shoes, and a pistol. the other pistols were carried loaded inside their jackets, for there was no saying whom they might meet upon the road. they had put on the oldest suit of clothes they possessed, so as to attract as little attention as possible by the way. after they had once recovered from their parting with rhoda their spirits rose, and they tramped along lightly and cheerfully. it was eleven o'clock when they started, and through the night they did not meet a single person. towards morning they got under a haystack near the road, and slept for some hours; then they walked steadily on until they had done twenty miles since their start. they went into a small inn, and had some breakfast, and then purchasing some bread and cold ham, went on through the town, and leaving the london road, followed that leading to portsmouth, and after a mile or two again took up their quarters until evening, in a haystack. it is not necessary to give the details of the journey to portsmouth. after the first two days' tramp, having no longer any fear of the pursuit, which, no doubt, had been made for them when first missed, they walked by day, and slept at night in sheds, or under haystacks, as they were afraid of being questioned and perhaps stopped at inns. they walked only short distances now, for the first night's long journey had galled their feet, and, as tom said, they were not pressed for time, and did not want to arrive at portsmouth like two limping tramps. walking, therefore, only twelve miles a day after the first two days, they arrived at portsmouth fresh and in high spirits. they had met with no adventures upon the road, except that upon one occasion two tramps had attempted to seize their bundles, but the production of the pistols, and the evident determination of the boys to use them if necessary, made the men abandon their intention and make off, with much bad language and many threats, at which the boys laughed disdainfully. arrived at portsmouth, their first care was to find a quiet little inn, where they could put up. this they had little difficulty in doing, for portsmouth abounded with public-houses, and people were so much accustomed to young fellows tramping in with their bundles, to join their ships, that their appearance excited no curiosity whatever. tom looked older than he really was, although not tall for his age, while peter, if anything, overtopped his brother, but was slighter, and looked fully two years younger. refreshed by a long night's sleep between sheets, they started out after breakfast to see the town, and were greatly impressed and delighted by the bustle of the streets, full of soldiers and sailors, and still more by the fortifications and the numerous ships of war lying in the harbor, or out at spithead. a large fleet of merchantmen was lying off at anchor, waiting for a convoy, and a perfect fleet of little wherries was plying backwards and forwards between the vessels and the shore. "it makes one almost wish to be a sailor," peter said, as they sat upon the southsea beach, and looked out at the animated ocean. "it does, peter; and if it had been ten years back, instead of at present, i should have been ready enough to change our plans. but what is the use of going to sea now? the french and spanish navies skulk in harbor, and the first time our fellows get them out they will he sure to smash them altogether, and then there is an end to all fighting. no, peter, it looks tempting, i grant, but we shall see ten times as much with the army. we must go and settle the thing to-morrow. there is no time to be lost if the expedition starts in a fortnight or three weeks." returning into the town, the boys were greatly amused at seeing a sailor's wedding. four carriages and pair drove along; inside were women, while four sailors sat on each roof, waving their hats to the passers-by, and refreshing themselves by repeated pulls at some black bottles, with which they were well supplied. making inquiries, the boys found that the men belonged to a fine frigate which had come in a day or two before, with several prizes. the next morning they went down to the barracks. several non-commissioned officers, with bunches of gay ribbons in their caps, were standing about. outside the gates were some boards, with notices, "active young fellows required. good pay, plenty of prize-money, and chances, of promotion!" the boys read several of these notices, which differed only from each other in the name of the regiment; and then tom gave an exclamation of satisfaction as he glanced at a note at the foot of one of them, "two or three active lads wanted as buglers." "there we are, peter; and, oh, what luck! it is uncle peter's regiment! look here, peter," he said, after a pause, "we won't say anything about being his nephews, unless there is no other way of getting taken; for if we do it won't be nice. we shall be taken notice of, and not treated like other fellows, and that will cause all sorts of ill-feeling and jealousy, and rows. it will be quite time to say who we are when we have done something to show that we shan't do discredit to him. you see it isn't much in our favor that we are here as two runaway boys. if we were older we could go as volunteers, but of course we are too young for that." it should be mentioned that in those days it was by no means unusual for young men who had not sufficient interest to get commissions to obtain permission to accompany a regiment as volunteers. they paid their own expenses, and lived with the officers, but did duty as private soldiers. if they distinguished themselves, they obtained commissions to fill up vacancies caused in action. "there is our sergeant, tom; let's get it over at once." "if you please," tom said, as they went up to the sergeant, "are you the recruiting sergeant of the norfolk rangers?" "by jove, summers, you are in luck to-day," laughed one of the other sergeants; "here are two valuable recruits for the rangers. the mounseers will have no chance with the regiment with such giants as those in it. come, my fine fellows, let me persuade you to join the th. such little bantams as you are would be thrown away upon the rangers." there was a shout of laughter from the other non-commissioned officers. tom was too much accustomed to chaffing bargees at eton to be put out of countenance. "we may be bantams," he said, "but i have seen a bantam lick a big dunghill cock many a time. fine feathers don't always make fine birds, my man." "well answered, young one," the sergeant of the rangers said, while there was a general laugh among the others, for the sergeant of the th was not a favorite. "you think yourself sharp, youngster," he said angrily. "you want a licking, you do; and if you were in the th, you'd get it pretty quickly." "oh! i beg your pardon," tom said gravely; "i did not know that the th were famous for thrashing boys. thank you; when i enlist it shall be in a regiment where men hit fellows their own size." there was a shout of laughter, and the sergeant, enraged, stepped forward, and gave tom a swinging box on the ear. there was a cry of "shame" from the others; but before any of them could interfere, tom suddenly stooped, caught the sergeant by the bottom of the trousers, and in an instant he fell on his back with a crash. for a moment he was slightly stunned, and then, regaining his feet, he was about to rush at tom, when the others threw themselves in between them, and said he should not touch the boy. he struck him first, and the boy had only given him what served him right. the sergeant was furious, and an angry quarrel was going on, when an officer of the rangers came suddenly out of barrack. "hullo, summers, what is all this about? i am surprised at you. a lot of non-commissioned officers, just in front of the barrack gates, quarreling like drunken sailors in a pothouse. what does it all mean?" "the fact is this, captain manley," the sergeant said, saluting, "these two lads came up to speak to me, when sergeant billow chaffed them. the lad gave the sergeant as good as he got, and the sergeant lost his temper, and hit him a box on the ear, and in a moment the young one tripped him up, and pretty nigh stunned him; when he got up he was going at the boy, and, of course, we wouldn't have it." "quite right," captain manley said. "sergeant billow, i shall forward a report to your regiment. chaffing people in the street, and then losing your temper, striking a boy, and causing a disturbance. now, sergeant," he went on, as the others moved away, "do you know those boys?" "no, sir; they are strangers to me." "do you want to see the sergeant privately, lads, or on something connected with the regiment?" "i see that you have vacancies for buglers, sir," tom said, "and my brother and myself want to enlist if you will take us." captain manley smiled. "you young scamps, you have got 'runaway from home' as plainly on your faces as if it was printed there. if we were to enlist you, we should be having your friends here after you to-morrow, and get into a scrape for taking you." "we have no friends who will interfere with us, sir, i can give you my word of honor as a gentleman." captain manley laughed. "i mean," tom said confused, "my word of honor, as--as an intending bugler." "indeed we have no one to interfere with us in any way, sir," peter put in earnestly. "we wouldn't tell a lie even to enlist in the rangers." captain manley was struck by the earnestness of the boys' faces, and after a pause he said to the sergeant,-- "that will do, summers; i will take these lads up to my quarters and speak to them." then, motioning to the boys to follow him, he re-entered the barracks, and led the way up to his quarters. "sit down," he said, when they had entered his room. "now, boys, this is a foolish freak upon your part, which you will regret some day. of course you have run away from school." "no, sir, we have run away from home," tom said. "so much the worse," captain manley said gravely. "tell me frankly, why did you do so? no unkindness at home can excuse boys from running away from their parents." "we have none, sir," tom said. "we have lost them both--our mother many years ago, our father six months. our only living relation, except a younger sister, is an aunt, who considers us as nuisances, and who, although meaning to do her duty, simply drives us out of our minds." captain manley could not resist a smile. "do you not go to school?" "we did go to a school near, but unfortunately it is broken up." captain manley caught a little look of amusement between the boys. "i should not be surprised if you had something to do with its breaking up," he said with a laugh. "but to return to your coming here. there is certainly less reason against your joining than i thought at first, but you are too young." "we are both strong, and are good walkers," tom said. "but you cannot be much over fifteen," captain manley said, "and your brother is younger." "we are accustomed to strong exercise, sir, and can thrash most fellows of our own size." "very likely," captain manley said, "but we can't take that into consideration. you are certainly young for buglers for service work; however, i will go across with you to the orderly-room, and hear what the colonel says." crossing the barrack-yard, they found the colonel was in and disengaged. "colonel tritton," captain manley said, "these lads want to enlist as buglers." the colonel looked up and smiled. "they look regular young pickles," he said. "i suppose they have run away from school." "not from school, colonel. they have lost both parents, and live with an aunt, with whom they don't get on well. there does not seem to be much chance of their being claimed." "you are full young," the colonel said, "and i think you will be sorry, boys, for the step you want to take." "i don't think so, sir," tom said. "of course, you don't at present," the colonel said. "however, that is your business. mind, you will have a rough time of it; you will have to fight your way, you know." "i'll back them to hold their own," captain manley said, laughing. "when i went out at the barrack-gate just now there was a row among a lot of recruiting sergeants, and when i went up to put a stop to it, i found that a fellow of the th had chaffed these boys when they went up to speak to summers, and that they had got the best of it in that line; and the fellow having lost his temper and struck one of them, he found himself on his back on the pavement. the boy had tripped him up in an instant." the colonel laughed, and then said suddenly and sharply to peter, "where did you learn that trick, youngster?" "at eton," peter answered promptly, and then colored up hotly at his brother's reproachful glance. "oh, ho! at eton, young gentlemen, eh!" the colonel said. "that alters the matter. if you were at eton your family must be people of property, and i can't let you do such a foolish thing as enlist as buglers." "our father lost all his money suddenly, owing to a blackguard he trusted cheating him. he found it out, and it killed him," tom said quietly. the colonel saw he was speaking the truth. "well, well," he said kindly, "we must see what we can do for you, boys. they are young, manley, but that will improve, and by the time that they have been a year at the depôt--" "oh, if you please, colonel," tom said, "we want to go on foreign service, and it's knowing that your regiment was under orders for foreign service we came to it." "impossible!" the colonel said shortly. "i am very sorry for that, sir," tom said respectfully, "for we would rather belong to this regiment than any in the service; but if you will not let us go with it we must try another." "why would you rather belong to us than to any other?" the colonel asked, as the boys turned to leave the room. "i had rather not say, sir," tom said. "we have a reason, and a very good one, but it is not one we should like to tell." the colonel was silent for a minute. he was struck with the boys' appearance and manner, and was sorry at the thought of losing them, partly from interest in themselves, partly because the sea service was generally so much more attractive to boys, that it was not easy to get them to enlist as buglers and drummers. "you see, lads, i should really like to take you, but we shall be starting in a fortnight, and it would be altogether impossible for you to learn to sound the bugle, to say nothing of learning the calls, by that time." "we can't play well, sir," tom answered, his spirits rising again, "but we have practiced for some time, and know a good many of the calls." "oh, indeed!" the colonel said, pleased; "that alters the case. well, lads, i should like to take you with the regiment, for you look straightforward, sharp young fellows. so i will enlist you. work hard for the next fortnight, and if i hear a favorable report of you by that time, you shall go." "thank you very much," the boys said warmly, delighted to find their hopes realized. "what are your names?" the colonel asked. "tom and peter," tom answered. "tom and peter what?" the colonel said. the boys looked at each other. the fact that they would of course be asked their names had never occurred to them, and they not had therefore consulted whether to give their own or another name. "come, boys," colonel tritton said good-temperedly, "never be ashamed of your names; don't sail under false colors, lads. i am sure you will do nothing to disgrace your names." tom looked at peter, and saw that he agreed to give their real names, so he said, "tom and peter scudamore." "peter scudamore! why, manley, these boys must be relations of the dear old colonel. that explains why they chose the regiment. now, boys, what relation was he of yours?" "i do not admit that he was a relation at all, colonel," tom said gravely, "and i hope that you will not ask the question. supposing that he had been a relation of ours, we should not wish it to be known. in the first place, it would not be altogether creditable to his memory that relations of his should be serving as buglers in his old regiment; and in the second place, it might be that, from a kindness towards him, some of the officers might, perhaps, treat us differently to other boys, which would make our position more difficult by exciting jealousy among others. should there be any relation between him and us, it will be time enough for us to claim it when we have shown ourselves worthy of it." "well said, boys," the officers both exclaimed. "you are quite right," the colonel went on, "and i respect your motive for keeping silence. what you say about jealousy which might arise is very sensible and true. at the same time, i will promise you that i will keep my eye upon you, and that if an opportunity should occur in which i can give you a chance of showing that there is more in you than in other boys, be sure you shall have the chance." "thank you very much indeed, colonel," both boys exclaimed. "now, manley, i shall be obliged if you will take them to the adjutant, and tell him to swear them in and attest them in regular form; the surgeon will, of course, examine them. please tell the quartermaster to get their uniforms made without loss of time; and give a hint to the bugle-major that i should be pleased if he will pay extra attention to them, and push them on as fast as possible." captain manley carried out these instructions, the boys were duly examined by the surgeon and passed, and in half an hour became his majesty's servants. "now, boys," captain manley said as he crossed with them to the quarters of the bandmaster, "you will have rather a difficult course to steer, but i have no doubt you will get through it with credit. this is something like a school, and you will have to fight before you find your place. don't be in a hurry to begin; take all good-natured chaff good-naturedly; resent any attempt at bullying. i have no doubt you will be popular, and it is well that you should be so, for then there will be no jealousy if your luck seems better than that of others. they will, of course, know that you are differently born and educated to themselves, but they will not like you any the worse for that, if they find that you do not try to keep aloof from them or give yourselves airs. and look here, boys, play any tricks you like with the men, but don't do it with the non-commissioned officers. there is nothing they hate so much as impudence from the boys, and they have it in their power to do you a great deal of good or of harm. you will not have much to do with the bandmaster. only a portion of the band accompanies us, and even that will be broken up when we once enter upon active campaigning. several of the company buglers have either left lately, or have got their stripes and given up their bugles, and i do not fancy that their places will be filled up before we get out there. now, your great object will be to get two of these vacancies. i am afraid you are too young, still there will be plenty more vacancies after we are once in the field, for a bullet has no respect for buglers; and you see the better you behave the better your chance of being chosen." "what is the difference exactly, sir?" tom asked. "the company bugler ranks on the strength of the company, messes, marches, and goes into action with them; the other buglers merely form part of the band, are under the bandmaster, play at the head of the regiment on its march, and help in the hospitals during a battle." "macpherson," he said as he entered the bandmaster's quarters, where a number of men and a few lads were practicing, "i have brought you two lads who have entered as buglers." the bandmaster was a scotchman--a stiff-looking, elderly man. "weel, captain manley, i'm wanting boys, but they look vera young, and i misdoubt they had better have been at school than here. however, i'll do my best with them; they look smart lads, and we shall have plenty of time at the depôt to get them into shape." "lots of time, macpherson, lots of time. they say they know a few calls on the bugle, so perhaps they had better stick to the calls at present; you will have plenty of time to begin with them regularly with the notes when all the bustle is over." "eh, ye know the calls, boys? hardy and graves, give them your bugles, and let us hear them. now for the advance." tom and peter felt very nervous, but they had really practiced hard for an hour a day for the last four months, and could play all the calls they knew steadily and well. the bandmaster made no remark until they had sounded some half a dozen calls as he named them, and then he said, "the lads have a vera gude idea of it, captain manley. they are steadier and clearer than mony a one of the boys already. will ye begin at once, lads, or will ye wait till ye get your uniform?" "we had rather begin at once," the boys answered together. "vera gude. hardy, take two bugles out of the chest, and then take these lads--what's your name, boys? eh? scudamore? a vera gude name--take them over to corporal skinner, he will be practicing with the others on the ramp." with a word of grateful thanks to captain manley as he went out before them, the boys followed their new guide out to the ramparts. a guide was hardly necessary, for an incessant bugling betokened the place, where, in one of the bastions behind the barracks, seven or eight buglers were sounding the various calls under the direction of corporal skinner. the corporal was a man of few words, for he merely nodded when the boy--who had not opened his lips on the way, indeed, he was too busy wondering who these young swells were, and what they had run away for, to say a word--gave the bandmaster's message to the effect that the new-comers knew some of the calls and were to be under his tuition for the present, pointed to them where to stand, and in another minute tom and peter were hard at work adding to the deafening din. after half an hour's practice they were pleased at seeing captain manley stroll up and call their instructor aside, and they felt sure that he was speaking to him of them. this was so, for the officer was carrying out the instructions he had received from colonel tritton. "corporal," he said, "i want to say a word to you about those boys who have just joined. they seem to have a fair idea of the calls." "yes, sir, they only know a few, but those they do know they can sound as well as any of them." "that is right, corporal. now look here, what i am going to say is not to go farther, you understand." "yes, sir, i will keep my mouth shut." "very well. you can see the lads are not like most of our band boys. they are a gentleman's sons who have got into some scrape or other and run away from school." "i was thinking as much, sir." "the colonel believes that he knows their family, skinner; but of course, that will not make any difference in regard to them. still he would be pleased, i know, if they could sound the calls well enough to go with the regiment. they are most anxious to learn. now i shall be glad if you can get them up to the mark. it will, of course, entail a lot of extra trouble upon you, but if you can get them fit in time, i will pay you a couple of guineas for your extra time." "thank you, sir," the corporal saluted. "i think i can manage it--at any rate if i don't it won't be for want of trying." "who are those nice-looking lads i saw with you, manley?" major james asked as the captain came into the messroom to lunch. "those are two buglers in his majesty's norfolk rangers." there was a general laugh. "no, but really, manley, who are they? i was quite struck with them; good style of boys." "it is a fact, major. harding will tell you so," and he nodded to the adjutant. "yes, manley is saying the thing that's right," the adjutant answered. "the doctor passed them, and i swore them in." "i am sorry for it," the major said. "there were three or four of us standing on the mess-room steps and we all noticed them. they were gentlemen, if i ever saw one, and a hard life they will have of it with the band boys. however, they are not likely to stay there. they have run away from school, of course, and will be claimed. i wonder you enlisted them." "the colonel's orders, major," the adjutant said. "manley took them to him, i believe, and then brought them to me." "i don't think you need feel anxious about them among the boys, major," captain manley said. "i fancy they can hold their own. i found them outside the gate where a row was going on among some of the recruiting sergeants, and one of those boys had just tripped up a sergeant of the th and nearly broken his head." there was a general laugh. "they are quite interesting, these prodigies of yours, manley. how did the boy do it? i should not have thought him strong enough to have thrown a man off his balance." "i asked summers about it afterwards," captain manley said, "the fellow gave one of the boys a box on the ear, and in an instant the boy stooped, caught his foot and pulled it forward and up. the thing was done in a moment, and the sergeant was on his back before he knew what's what." "by jove," a young ensign said, "i have seen that trick done at eton." "that is just where the boy said he learnt it," captain manley said. "the colonel asked him suddenly, and it slipped out." "if they're etonians, i ought to know them," the ensign said. "i only left six months ago. what are their names?" "their name is scudamore." "by jove, they were in the same house with me. uncommonly sharp little fellows, and up to no end of mischief. it was always believed, though no one could prove it, that they were the boys who nearly suffocated the bargee." there was a roar of laughter. "tell us all about, carruthers." "well, there was not very much known about it. it seems the fellow purposely upset a boat with four or five of our fellows in it, and that night a dozen lighted crackers were thrown down into the little cabin where the fellow was asleep; the hatch was fastened and he was sent drifting down stream with the crackers exploding all about him. the smoke nearly suffocated the fellow, i believe there was a tremendous row about it, but they could not bring it home to any one. we always put it down to the scudamores, though they never would own to it; but they were the only fellows in the boat who would have done it, and they were always up to mischief." "but what makes them come here as buglers?" the major asked. "their father was a banker, i believe, down in the eastern counties somewhere. he died suddenly in the middle of the half before i left, and they went away to the funeral and never came back again." "the fact is," captain manley said, "i fancy by what they say, though they did not mention their father was a banker, that he lost all his money suddenly and died of the shock. at any rate they are alone in the world, and the colonel has no doubt that they are some relation--nephews, i should imagine--of peter scudamore, who was our colonel when i joined. one of them is called peter. they acknowledged that they had a particular reason for choosing this regiment; but they would neither acknowledge or deny that he was a relation. now that we know their father was a banker, we shall find out without difficulty--indeed i have no doubt the colonel will know whether peter scudamore had a brother a banker." "what's to be done, manley?" major james said. "i don't like the thought of poor old peter's nephews turning buglers. all of us field officers, and the best part of you captains, served under him, and a better fellow never stepped. i think between us we might do something." "i would do anything i could," carruthers said, "and there are watson and talbot who were at eton too. dash it, i don't like to think of two etonians in a band," "you are all very good," captain manley said, "but from what i see of the boys they will go their own way. they have plenty of pride, and they acknowledge that their reason for refusing to say whether they are any relation of the colonel was that they did not want to be taken notice of or treated differently from other boys, because it would cause jealousy, and make their position more difficult. all they asked was that they might accompany the regiment, and not remain behind at the depôt; and as, fortunately, they have both been practising with the bugle, and can sound most of the calls as well as the others, the colonel was able to grant their request. had they been older, of course, we could have arranged for them to go with us as volunteers, we who knew the colonel, paying their expenses between us: as it is, the only thing we can do for them--and that is what they would like best is to treat them just like the other boys, but to give them every chance of distinguishing themselves. if they don't get knocked over, they ought to win a commission before the campaign is over." in the meantime tom and peter had been introducing themselves to the regiment. the exercise over, they had returned to dinner. it was a rough meal, but the boys enjoyed it, and after it was over a number of the men of the band, with whom they messed, crowded round to ask the usual questions of new-comers--their curiosity heightened in the present instance by the fact that the boys differed so widely from ordinary recruits. "look here," tom said, laughing, "i can't answer you all at once, but if you put me on the table i will tell you all about us." there was a general laugh, and many of the soldiers other than the band sauntered up to see what was going on. "the first thing to tell you," tom said, "is our names. we go by the names of tom and peter scudamore, but i need scarcely tell you that these are not our real names. the fact is--but this is quite a secret--we are the eldest sons of sir arthur wellesley--" here tom was interrupted by a shout of laughter. "sir arthur," tom went on calmly, "wished to make us colonels of two of the life guard regiments, but as they were not going on foreign service we did not see it, and have accordingly entered the regiment which sir arthur, our father, in speaking to a friend, said was the finest in the service--namely, the norfolk rangers. we believe that it is the custom, upon entering a regiment, to pay our footing, and i have given a guinea to corporal skinner, and asked him to make it go as far as he could." there was great laughter over tom's speech, which was just suited to soldiers, and the boys from that moment were considered part of the regiment. "there's good stuff in those boys," an old sergeant said to another, "plucky and cool. i shouldn't be surprised if what tom dillon said was about right; he was waiting at mess just now, and though he didn't hear all that was said, he picked up that there was an idea that these boys are related to the old colonel. he was a good fellow, he was, and, though i say nothing against colonel tritton, yet we missed colonel scudamore terribly. strict, and yet kind, just the sort of fellow to serve under. if the boys take after him they will be a credit to the regiment, and mark my words, we shan't see them in the band many years." chapter iv. a tough customer. like most boys who are fond of play, tom and peter scudamore were capable of hard work at a pinch, and during the three weeks that they spent at portsmouth they certainly worked with a will. they had nothing to do in the way of duty, except to practice the bugle, and this they did with a zeal and perseverance that quite won the heart of corporal skinner, and enabled him to look upon captain manley's two guineas as good as earned. but even with the best will and the strongest lungs possible, boys can only blow a bugle a certain number of hours a day. for an hour before breakfast, for two hours before dinner, and for an hour and a half in the evening they practiced, the evening work being extra, alone with their instructor. there remained the whole afternoon to themselves. their employment of those hours had been undertaken at peter's suggestion. "look here, tom," he said, at the end of the first day's work, "from what the corporal says, we shall have from one till about five to ourselves. now, we are going to spain, and it seems to me that it would be of great use to us, and might do us a great deal of good, to know something of spanish. we have got four pounds each left, and i don't think that we could lay it out better than in getting a spanish master and some books, and in setting to in earnest at it. if we work with all our might for four hours a day with a master, we shall have made some progress, and shall pick up the pronunciation a little. i dare say we shall be another ten days or a fortnight on the voyage, and shall have lots of time on our hands. it will make it so much easier to pick it up when we get there if we know a little to start with." "i think it is a capital idea, peter; i should think we are pretty sure to find a master here." there was no difficulty upon that score, for there were a large number of spanish in england at the time; men who had left the country rather than remain under the french yoke, and among them were many who were glad to get their living by teaching their native language. there were two or three in this condition in portsmouth, and to one of these the boys applied. he was rather surprised at the application from the two young buglers--for the uniforms were finished twenty-four hours after their arrival--but at once agreed to devote his whole afternoons to them. having a strong motive for their work, and a determination to succeed in it, the boys made a progress that astonished both themselves and their teacher, and they now found the advantage of their grounding in latin at eton. absorbed in their work, they saw little of the other boys, except at meals and when at practice. one evening when at supper, one of the buglers, named mitcham, a lad of nearly eighteen, made some sneering remark about boys who thought themselves above others, and gave themselves airs. tom saw at once that this allusion was meant for them, and took the matter up. "i suppose you mean us, mitcham. you are quite mistaken; neither my brother nor myself think ourselves better than any one, nor have we any idea of giving ourselves airs. the fact is--and i am not surprised that you should think us unsociable--we are taking lessons in spanish. if we go with the regiment it will be very useful, and i have heard it said that any one who lands in a foreign country, and who knows a little of the grammar and pronunciation, will learn it in half the time that he would were he altogether ignorant of both. i am sorry that i did not mention it before, because i can understand that it must seem as if we did not want to be sociable. i can assure you that we do; and that after this fortnight is over we shall be ready to be as jolly as any one. you see we are altogether behindhand with our work now, and have got to work hard to put ourselves on your level." tom spoke so good-temperedly that there was a general feeling in his favor, and several of them who had before thought with mitcham, that the new-comers were not inclined to be sociable, felt that they had been mistaken. there was, however, a general feeling of surprise and amusement at the idea of two boys voluntarily taking lessons in spanish. mitcham, however, who was a surly-tempered young fellow, and who was jealous of the progress which the boys were making, and of the general liking with which they seemed to be regarded, said,-- "i believe that's only an excuse for getting away from us." "do you mean to say that you think that i am telling a lie?" tom asked quietly. "yes, if you put it in that way, young 'un," mitcham said. "hold your tongue, mitcham, or i'll pull your ears for you," corporal skinner said: but his speech was cut short by tom's putting one hand on the barrack table, vaulting across it, and striking mitcham a heavy blow between the eyes. there was a cry of "a fight!" among the boys, but the men interfered at once. "you don't know what you are doing, young 'un," one said to tom; "when you hit a fellow here, you must fight him. that's the rule, and you can't fight mitcham; he's two years older, at least, and a head taller." "of course i will fight him," tom said. "i would fight him if he were twice as big, if he called me a liar." "nonsense, young 'un!" another said, "it's not possible. he was wrong, and if you had not struck him i would have licked him myself; but as you have done so, you had better put up with a thrashing, and have done with it." "i should think so, indeed!" tom said disdainfully. "i may get a licking; i dare say i shall; but it won't be all on one side. look here, mitcham, we will have it out to-morrow, on the ramparts behind the barracks. but, if you will apologize to me for calling me a liar, i'll say i am sorry i hit you." "oh, blow your sorrow!" the lad said. "i'll give you the heartiest licking you ever had in your life, my young cock." "oh, all right," tom said cheerfully. "we will see all about it when the time comes." as it was evident now that there was no way out of it, no one interfered further in the matter. quarrels in the army are always settled by a fair fight, as at school; but several of the older men questioned among themselves whether they ought to let this go on, considering that tom scudamore was only between fifteen and sixteen, while his opponent was two years older, and was so much heavier and stronger. however, as it was plain that tom would not take a thrashing for the blow he had struck, and there did not seem any satisfactory way out of it, nothing was done, except that two or three of them went up to mitcham, and strongly urged him to shake hands with tom, and confess that he had done wrong in giving him the lie. this mitcham would not hear of, and there was nothing further to be done. "i am afraid, tom, you have no chance with that fellow." peter said, as they were undressing. "no chance in the world, peter; but i can box fairly, you know, and am pretty hard. i shall be able to punish him a bit, and you may be sure i shall never give in. it's no great odds getting a licking, and i suppose that they will stop it before i am killed. don't bother about it. i had rather get knocked about in a fight than get flogged at eton any day. i would rather you did not come to see it, peter, if you don't mind. when you fought evans it hurt me ten times as much as if i had been fighting, and, although you licked him, it made me feel like a girl. i can stand twice the punishment if i don't feel that any blow is hitting you as well as myself." tom's prediction about the fight turned out to be nearly correct. he was more active, and a vastly better boxer than his antagonist, and although he was constantly knocked down, he punished him very heavily about the face. in fact, the fight was exactly similar to that great battle, fifty years afterwards, between sayers and heenan. time after time tom was knocked down, and even his second begged him to give in, but he would not hear of it. breathless and exhausted, but always cool and smiling, he faced his heavy antagonist, eluding his furious rushes, and managing to strike a few straight blows at his eyes before being knocked down. by the time that they had fought a quarter of an hour half the regiment was assembled, and loud were the cheers which greeted tom each time he came up, very pale and bleeding, but confident, against his antagonist. at last an old sergeant came forward. "come," he said, "there has been enough of this. you had better stop." "will he say he was sorry he called me a liar?" tom asked. "no, i won't," mitcham answered. the sergeant was about to use his authority to stop it, when tom said to him, in a low voice: "look, sergeant! please let us go on another five minutes. i think i can stand that, and he can hardly see out of his eyes now. he won't see a bit by that time." the sergeant hesitated, but a glance at tom's antagonist convinced him that what he said was correct. mitcham had at all times a round and rather puffy face, and his cheeks were now so swollen with the effect of tom's straight, steady hitting, that he could with difficulty see. it was a hard five minutes for tom, for his antagonist, finding that he was rapidly getting blind, rushed with fury upon him, trying to end the fight. tom had less difficulty in guarding the blows, given wildly and almost at random, but he was knocked down time after time by the mere force and weight of the rush. he felt himself getting weak, and could hardly get up from his second's knee upon the call of time. he was not afraid of being made to give in, but he was afraid of fainting, and of so being unable to come up to time. "stick a knife into me; do anything!" he said to his second, "if i go off, only bring me up to time. he can't hold out much longer." nor could he. his hitting became more and more at random, until at last, on getting up from his second's knee, mitcham cried in a hoarse voice, "where is he? i can't see him!" then tom went forward with his hands down. "look here, mitcham, you can't see, and i can hardly stand. i think we have both done enough. we neither of us can give in, well because--because i am a gentleman, you because you are bigger than i am; so let's shake hands, and say no more about it." mitcham hesitated an instant, and then held out his hand. "you are a good fellow, scudamore, and there's my hand; but you have licked me fairly. i can't come up to time, and you can. there, i am sorry i called you a liar." tom took the hand, and shook it, and then a mist came over his eyes, and his knees tottered, as, with the ringing cheers of the men in his ears, he fainted into his second's arms. "what a row the men are making!" the major said, as the sound of cheering came through the open window of the mess-room, at which the officers were sitting at lunch. "it's a fight of course, and a good one, judging by the cheering. does any one know who it is between?" no one had heard. "it's over now," the adjutant said, looking out of the window, "here are the men coming down in a stream. they look very excited over it. i wonder who it has been. stokes," he said, turning to one of the mess servants, "go out, and find out who has been fighting, and all about it." in a minute or two the man returned. "it's two of the band boys, sir." "oh, only two boys! i wonder they made such a fuss over that. who are they?" "one was one of the boys who have just joined, sir. tom scudamore, they call him." "i guessed as much," captain manley laughed; "i knew they would not be long here without a fight. who was the other?" "well, sir, i almost thought it must be a mistake when they told me, seeing they are so unequally matched, but they all say so, so in course it's true--the other was mitcham, the bugler of no. company." "what a shame!" was the general exclamation, while captain manley got up and called for his cap. "a brutal shame, i call it," he said hotly. "mitcham's nearly a man. it ought not to have been allowed. i will go and inquire after the boy. i will bet five pounds he was pretty nearly killed before he gave in." "he didn't give in, captain manley," the servant said. "he won the fight. they fought till mitcham couldn't see, and then young scudamore went up and offered to draw it, but mitcham acknowledged he was fairly licked. it was a close thing, for the boy fainted right off; but he's come round now, and says he's all right." "hurrah for eton!" carruthers shouted enthusiastically. "hurrah! by jove, he is game, and no mistake. he won a hard fight or two at eton, but nothing like this. i call it splendid." "the boy might have been killed," the major said gravely; while the younger officers joined in carruthers's exclamation at tom's pluck. "it is shameful that it was allowed. i suppose the quarrel began in their quarters. sergeant howden is in charge of the room, and ought to have stopped it at once. every non-commissioned officer ought to have stopped it. i will have howden up before the colonel to-morrow." "i think, major," captain manley said, "if you will excuse me, the best plan, as far as the boy is concerned, is to take no notice of it. as it is, he must have won the hearts of all the regiment by his pluck, and if he is not seriously hurt, it is the very best thing, as it has turned out, that could have happened. if any one gets into a scrape about it, it might lessen the effect of the victory. i think if you call howden up, and give him a quiet wigging, it will do as well, and won't injure the boys. what do you think?" "yes, you are right, manley, as it has turned out; but the boy might have been killed. however, i won't do more than give howden a hearty wigging, and will then learn how the affair begun. i think, dr. stathers, that it would be as well if you went round and saw both of them. you had better, i think, order them into hospital for the night, and then the boy can go to bed at once, and come out again to-morrow, if he has, as i hope, nothing worse than a few bruises. please come back, and tell us how you find them." the report was favorable, and the next morning tom came out of hospital, and took his place as usual, with the party upon the ramparts--pale, and a good deal marked, but not much the worse for his battle; but it was some days before the swelling of his adversary's face subsided sufficiently for him to return to duty. tom's victory--as captain manley had predicted--quite won the hearts of the whole regiment, and the nicknames of "sir tom," and "sir peter"--which had been given to them in jest after tom's speech about sir arthur wellesley--were now generally applied to them. the conversation in the mess-room had got about, and the old soldiers who had served under colonel scudamore would have done anything for the lads, although, as yet, they were hardly known personally except to the band, as their devotion to work kept them quite apart from the men. it was just three weeks after they had joined before the order came for embarkation, and a thrill of pleasure and excitement ran through the regiment when it was known that they were to go on board in four days. not the least delighted were tom and peter. it had already been formally settled that they were to accompany the regiment, and it was a proof of the popularity that they had gained, that every one looked upon their going as a matter of course, and that no comment was excited even among those who were left behind. three days before starting they had met captain manley in the barrack-yard, and after saluting, tom said, "if you please, sir, we wanted to ask you a question." "what is that, lads?" "if you please, sir, we understand that the boys of the band have their bags carried for them, but the company buglers carry knapsacks, like the men?" "yes, boys; the company buglers carry knapsacks and muskets." "i am afraid we could not carry muskets and do much marching, sir, but we have each a brace of pistols." captain manley smiled. "pistols would not look the thing on a parade-ground, boys; but in a campaign people are not very particular, and i have no doubt the colonel will overlook any little breach of strict uniformity in your cases, as it is evident you can't carry muskets. you can use your pistols, i hope," he said with a smile. "hit a penny every time at twenty paces!" "no, sir, we can't do that," tom said seriously. "we can hit a good-sized apple nineteen times out of twenty." "the deuce you can!" captain manley said. "how did you learn to do that?" "we have practiced twelve shots a day for the last six months, sir. we were thinking of asking you, sir, if you would like to carry a brace of them through the campaign. they are splendid weapons; and we shall only carry one each. they would get rusty and spoil, if we left them behind, and we should be very pleased to think they might be useful to you, after your great kindness to us." "it is not a very regular thing, boys," captain manley said, "for a captain to be borrowing a brace of pistols from two of his buglers; but you are exceptional buglers, and there is something in what you say about rusting. besides, it is possible you may lose yours, so i will accept your offer with thanks, with the understanding that i will carry the pistols, and you shall have them again if anything happens to yours. but how about the knapsacks?" "we were thinking of having two made of the regimental pattern, sir, but smaller and lighter, if you think that it would be allowed." "well, i think, boys, if you are allowed to carry pistols instead of muskets, no great objection will be made as to the exact size of the knapsacks. yes, you can get them made, and i will speak to the colonel about it." "perhaps," he hesitated, "you may be in want of a little money; do not hesitate if you do. i can let you have five pounds, and you can pay me," he said with a laugh, "out of your share of our first prize-money." the boys colored hotly. "no, thank you, captain manley; we have plenty of money. shall we bring the pistols to your quarters?" "do, lads, i am going in to lunch now, and will be in in half an hour." the boys at once went out and ordered their knapsacks. they had just sold their watches, which were large, handsome, and of gold, and had been given to them by their father when they went to eton. they were very sorry to part with them, but they agreed that it would be folly to keep gold watches when the twenty pounds which they obtained for them would buy two stout and useful silver watches and would leave them twelve pounds in money. they then returned to barracks, took out a brace of their pistols, carefully cleaned them, and removed the silver plates upon the handles, and then walked across to captain manley's quarters. rather to their surprise and confusion they found five or six other officers there, for captain manley had mentioned at lunch to the amusement of his friends that he was going to be unexpectedly provided with a brace of pistols, and several of them at once said that they would go up with him to his quarters, as they wanted to see the boys of whom they had spoken so much during the last fortnight. tom and peter drew themselves up and saluted stiffly. "you need not be buglers here, boys," captain manley said. "this is my room, we are all gentlemen, and though i could not, according to the regulations, walk down the street with you, the strictest disciplinarian would excuse my doing as i like here." the boys flushed with pleasure at captain manley's kind address, and as he finished carruthers stepped forward and shook them warmly by the hand. "how are you both?" he said. "you have not forgotten me, i hope." "i had not seen you before. i did not know you were in the regiment, carruthers," the boys said warmly, pleased to find a face they had known before; and then breaking off:--"i beg your pardon--mr. carruthers." "there are no misters here as far as i am concerned, scudamore. there were no misters at eton. this is a change, isn't it? better than grinding away at greek by a long way. well, i congratulate you on your fight. you showed there was some good in dear old eton still. i wish you had let me know it was coming off. i would have given anything to have seen it--from a distance, you know. if it had been the right thing, i would have come and been your backer." there was a general laugh, and then the officers all began to talk to the boys. they were quiet and respectful in their manners, and fully confirmed the favorable report which captain manley had given of them. "where are the pistols, boys?" their friend asked presently. "here, sir," and the boys produced them from under their jackets. "we have no case, sir; we were obliged to leave it behind us when we--" "ran away," one of the officers said, laughing. "they are a splendid pair of pistols," captain manley said, examining them; "beautifully finished, and rifled. they look quite new, too, though, of course, they are not." "they are new, sir," tom said; "we have only had them six months, and they were new then." "indeed," captain manley said surprised; "i thought, of course, they were family pistols. why, how on earth, if it is not an impertinent question, did you boys get hold of two brace of such pistols as these? i have no right to ask the question, boys. i see there has been a plate on the handles. but you said you had no relations, and i was surprised into asking." the boys colored. "the question was quite natural, sir; the pistols were presented to us by some people we traveled with once; we took the plates off because they made a great fuss about nothing, and we thought that it would look cockey." there was a laugh among the officers at the boys' confusion. "no one would suspect you of being cockey, scudamore," captain manley said kindly; "come, let me see the plates." the boys took the little silver plates from their pockets and handed them silently to captain manley, who read aloud, to the surprise of those around him,--"'to tom' and 'peter,' they are alike except the names. 'to tom scudamore, presented by the passengers in the highflyer coach on the th of august, , as a testimony of their appreciation of his gallant conduct, by which their property was saved from plunder.' why, what is this, you young pickles, what were you up to on the th of august last year?" "there was nothing in it at all, sir," tom said; "we were on the coach and were stopped by highwaymen. one of the passengers had pistols, but was afraid to use them, and hid them among the boxes. so when the passengers were ordered to get down to be searched, we hid ourselves, and when the highwaymen were collecting their watches, peter shot one, and i drove the coach over another. the matter was very simple indeed; but the passengers saved their money, so made a great fuss about it." there was much laughter over tom's statement, and then he had to give a detailed account of the whole affair, which elicited many expressions of approval. "it does you credit, boys," captain manley said, "and shows that you are cool as well as plucky. one quality is as valuable as the other. there is every hope that you will do the regiment credit, boys, and you may be sure that we shall give you every chance. and now good-bye for the present." "good-bye, sir," tom and peter again drew themselves up, gave the military salute, and went off to their comrades. for when the order came to prepare for the embarkation, both spanish and bugling were given up, and the boys entered into the pleasure of the holiday with immense zest. they had no regimental duties to perform beyond being present at parade. they had no packing to do, and fewer purchases to make. a ball or two of stout string, for, as peter said, string is always handy, and a large pocket-knife, each with a variety of blades, were the principal items. they had a ring put to the knives, so that they could sling them round the waist. they had, therefore, nothing to do but to amuse themselves, and this they did with a heartiness which astonished the other boys, and proved conclusively that they did not want to be unsociable. they hired a boat for a sail and took five or six other boys across to ryde, only just returning in time for tattoo, and they played such a number of small practical jokes, such as putting a handful of peas into the bugles and other wind instruments, that the band-master declared that he thought that they were all bewitched, and he threatened to thrash the boys all round, because he could not find out who had done it. especially angry was the man who played the big drum. this was a gigantic negro, named sam, a kind-hearted fellow, constantly smiling, except when the thought of his own importance made him assume a particularly grave appearance. he was a general favorite, although the boys were rather afraid of him, for he was apt to get into a passion if any jokes were attempted upon him, and of all offences the greatest was to call him sambo. now none of the men ventured upon this, for when he first joined, sam had fought two or three desperate battles on this ground, and his great strength and the insensibility of his head to blows had invariably given him the victory. but, treated with what he conceived proper respect, sam was one of the best-tempered and best-natured fellows in the regiment; and he himself, when he once cooled down, was perfectly ready to join in the laugh against himself, even after he had been most put out by a joke. the day before the regiment was to embark, the officers gave a lawn party; a large number of ladies were present, and the band was, of course, to play. the piece which the bandmaster had selected for the commencement began with four distinct beats of the big drum. just before it began, captain manley saw tom and peter, who with some of the other boys had brought the music-stands into the ground, with their faces bright with anticipated fun. "what is the joke, boys?" he asked good-humoredly, as he passed them. "i can't tell you, sir," tom said; "but if you walk up close to the band, and watch sam's face when he begins, you will be amused, i think." "those are regular young pickles," captain manley said to the lady he was walking with; "they are etonians who have run away from home, and are up to all kinds of mischief, but are the pluckiest and most straightforward youngsters imaginable. i have no doubt that they are up to some trick with our black drummer." on their way to where the band was preparing to play, captain manley said a word or two to several of the other officers, consequently there was quite a little party standing watching the band when their leader lifted his baton for the overture to begin. there was nothing that sam liked better than for the big drum to commence, and with his head thrown well back and an air of extreme importance, he lifted his arm and brought it down with what should have been a sounding blow upon the drum. to his astonishment and to the surprise of all the band, no deep boom was heard, only a low muffled sound. mechanically sam raised his other arm and let it fall with a similar result. sam looked a picture of utter astonishment and dismay, with his eyes opened to their fullest, and he gave vent to a loud cry, which completed the effect produced by his face, and set most of those looking on, and even the band themselves, into a roar of laughter. sam now examined his sticks, they appeared all right to the eye, but directly he felt them his astonishment was turned into rage. they were perfectly soft. taking out his knife he cut them open, and found that the balls were merely filled with a wad of soft cotton, the necessary weight being given by pieces of lead fastened round the end of the stick inside the ball with waxed thread. sam was too enraged to say more than his usual exclamation of astonishment, "golly!" and he held out his drumsticks to be examined with the face of a black statue of surprise. even the band-master was obliged to laugh as he took the sticks from sam's hand to examine them. "these are not your sticks at all, sam," he said, looking closely at them. "here, boy," he called to tom, who might have been detected from the fact of his being the only person present with a serious face, "run to the band-room and see if you can find the sticks." in a few minutes tom returned with the real drumsticks, which, he said truly, he had found on the shelf where they were usually kept. after that things went on as usual; sam played with a sulky fury. his dignity was injured, and he declared over and over again that if he could "find de rascal who did it, by jingo, i pound him to squash!" and there was no doubt from his look that he thoroughly meant what he said. however, no inquiries could bring to light the author of the trick. chapter v. overboard. there were no lighter hearts than those of tom and peter scudamore on board the transport "nancy," as, among the hearty cheers of the troops on board, and the waving of hats and handkerchiefs from friends who had come out in small boats to say good-bye for the last time, she weighed anchor, and set sail in company with some ten or twelve other transports, and under convoy of two ships of war. it would be difficult to imagine a prettier scene. the guns fired, the bands of the various regiments played, and the white sails opened out bright in the sun as the sailors swarmed into the rigging, anxious to outvie each other. even the soldiers pulled and hauled at the ropes, and ran round with the capstan bars to get the anchors apeak. tom and peter, of course, had, like the other boys, got very much in the way in their desire to assist, and, having been once or twice knocked over by the rush of men coming along with ropes, they wisely gave it up, and leaned over the side to enjoy the scene. "this is splendid, tom, isn't it?" "glorious, peter; but it's blowing pretty strong. i am afraid that we sha'n't find it quite so glorious when we get out of the shelter of the island." peter laughed. "no; i suppose we sha'n't all look as jolly as we do now by night-time. however, the wind is nor'-westerly, which will help us along nicely, if, as i heard one of the sailors say just now, it does not go round to the south." "bugler, sound companies one, two, and three to breakfast." the order interrupted the conversation, and, for the next hour, the boys had little time for talk. half the regiment was on board the "nancy," and, after breakfast, the men were divided into three watches, of which one was always to be on deck, for the ship was very crowded, and there was scarcely room for all the men to be below together. the boys were in the same watch, for the day previous to starting tom had been appointed bugler to the d company, peter to the d. the st company, or grenadiers, were in the watch with the band, the d and d companies were together, and the th and th. tom was very ill for the first two days of the voyage, while peter did not feel the slightest effects from the motion. upon the third day the wind dropped suddenly, and the vessels rolled heavily in the swell, with their sails flapping against the masts. tom came up that morning upon deck feeling quite well again, and the boys were immensely amused at seeing the attempts of the soldiers to move about, the sudden rushes, and the heavy falls. a parade had been ordered to take place; but as no one could have stood steady without holding on, it was abandoned as impossible. the men sat about under the bulwarks, and a few amused themselves and the rest by trying to play various games, such as laying a penny on the deck, and seeing which would pitch another to lay nearest to it, from a distance of five yards. the difficulty of balancing oneself in a heavily rolling vessel, and of pitching a penny with any degree of accuracy, is great, and the manner in which the coins, instead of coming down flat and remaining there, rolled away into the scuppers, the throwers not unfrequently following them, produced fits of laughter. tom was still feeling weak from his two days' illness, and was not disposed actively to enter into the fun; but peter enjoyed the heavy rolling, and was all over the ship. presently he saw sam, the black drummer, sitting in a dark corner below quietly asleep; his cap was beside him, and the idea at once occurred to peter that here was a great opportunity for a joke. he made his way to the caboose, and begged the cook to give him a handful of flour. the cook at first refused, but was presently coaxed into doing so, and peter stole to where sam was asleep, and put the flour into his cap, relying that, in the darkness, sam would put it on without noticing it. then, going up to the deck above, peter put his head down the hatchway, and shouted loudly, "sam!" the negro woke at the sound of his name. "what is it?" he asked. receiving no reply, he got on to his feet, muttering, "some one call sam, that for certain, can't do without sam, always want here, want there. i go up and see." so saying, he put on his cap, and made his way up to the upper deck. as he stood at the hatchway and looked round, there was, first a titter, and then a roar of laughter from the men sitting or standing along by the bulwarks. in putting on his cap some of the flour had fallen out, and had streaked his face with white. sam was utterly unconscious that he was the object of the laughter, and said to one of the men nearest to him, "who call sam?" the man could not reply, but tom, who was sitting close by, said, "it was no one here, sam, it must have been the bandmaster; there he is, close to the quarter-deck." sam made his way along towards the point indicated, and as he did so some of the officers upon the quarter-deck caught sight of him. "just look at sambo," carruthers exclaimed, "somebody has been larking with him again. look how all the men are laughing, and he evidently has no suspicion of the figure he is." the sergeant, who, the bandmaster having remained at the depôt, was now acting as chief of the band, did not see sam until the latter was close to him. "you want me, sergeant?" sergeant wilson looked up, and was astonished. "what on earth have you been doing to yourself, sam?" he asked. "me been having little nap down below," sam said. "yes; but your face, man. what have you been doing to your face?" sam, in his turn, looked astonished. "nothing whatsomeber, sargeant." "take off your cap, man, and look inside it." sam did as ordered; and as he removed the cap, and the powder fell from it all over his face and shoulders, there was a perfect shout of laughter from the soldiers and crew, who had been looking on, and the officers, looking down from the rail of the quarter-deck, retired to laugh unnoticed. the astonishment and rage of sam were unbounded, and he gave a perfect yell of surprise and fury. he stamped wildly for a minute or two, and then, with a sudden movement rushed up on to the quarter-deck with his cap in his hand. the colonel, who was holding on by the shrouds, and talking with the major, in ignorance of what was going on, was perfectly astounded at this sudden vision of the irate negro, and neither he nor the major could restrain their laughter. "scuse me, colonel, sah, for de liberty," sam burst out; "but look at me, sah; is dis right, sah, is it right to make joke like dis on de man dat play de big drum of de regiment?" "no, no, sam; not at all right," the colonel said, with difficulty. "if you report who has played the trick upon you, i shall speak to him very seriously; but, sam, i should have thought that you were quite big enough to take the matter in your own hands." "me big enough, massah colonel, me plenty big; but me not able to find him." "well, sam, it is carrying a joke too far; still, it is only a trick off duty, and i am afraid that it is beyond my power to interfere." sam thought for a moment, and, having by this time cooled down from his first paroxysm of rage, he said, "beg pardon, massa, you quite right, no business of any one but sam; but sam too angry to 'top to think. scuse liberty, colonel," and sam retired from the quarter-deck, and made a bolt below down the nearest hatchway, when he plunged his head into a bucket of water, and soon restored it to its usual ebony hue. then he went to the cook and tried to find out to whom he had given flour, but the cook replied at once, "lor, i've given flour to the men of each mess to make puddings of, about thirty of them," and sam felt as far off as ever. presently, however, a big sailor began to make fun of him, and sam retorted by knocking him down, after which there was a regular fight, which was carried on under the greatest difficulty, owing to the rolling of the ship. at last sambo got the best of it, and this restored him so thoroughly to a good temper that he was able to join in the laugh at himself, reserving, however, his right to "knock de rascal who did it into a squash." the following day the weather changed, a wind sprang up nearly from the north, which increased rapidly, until toward afternoon it was blowing half a gale, before which the whole fleet, with their main and topsails set, ran southward at great speed. a heavy cross sea was running, the wares raised by the gale clashing with the heavy swell previously rolling in from the westward, and so violent and sudden were the lurches and rolls of the "nancy" that the master feared that her masts would go. "how tremendously she rolls, tom." "tremendously; the deck seems almost upright, and the water right under our feet each time she goes over. she feels as if she were going to turn topsy-turvy each roll. it's bad enough on deck; but it will be worse down below." "a great deal worse, peter, it's nearly dark already; it will strike eight bells in a minute or two, and then we shall have to go down. there's no danger, of course, of the ship turning over, but it won't be pleasant down below. look out, peter!" the exclamation was caused by an awful crash. the ship had given a tremendous lurch, when the long-boat, which was stowed amidships, suddenly tore away from its fastenings and came crashing down. it passed within three feet of where the boys were sitting, and completely tore away the bulwark, leaving a great gap in the side, where it had passed through. "look, tom, sam's overboard!" peter exclaimed. sam had been sitting on the bulwark, a few feet from them, holding on by a shroud, when the boat came down upon him; with a cry he had let go of the shroud and started back, falling into the water just as the boat struck the bulwark. "there he is, tom," peter said, as he saw the black only a few yards from the side. "he is hurt, come on," catching up the end of a long rope coiled up on the deck close to their feet, the boys jumped overboard together. a dozen strokes took them up to sam; but the black hull of the ship had already glanced past them. they could hear loud shouts, but could not distinguish a word. "quick, round him, peter!" and, in a moment, the boys twisted the rope round the body of the black, and knotted it just as the drag of the ship tightened it. thus sam's safety was secured, but the strain was so tremendous as they tore through the water, that it was impossible for the boys to hold on, and, in a moment, they were torn from their hold. "all right, peter," tom said cheerily, as they dashed the water from their eyes, "there is the boat." the remains of the boat were not ten yards distant, and in a few strokes they had gained it. it was stove in and broken, but still held together, floating on a level with the water's edge. with some trouble the boys got inside her, and sat down on the bottom, so that their heads were just out of water. then they had time to look round. the ship was already disappearing in the gathering darkness. "this boat will soon go to pieces, tom," was peter's first remark. "i expect it will, peter; but we must stick to its pieces. we had better get off our boots. the water is pretty warm, that's one comfort." "do you think the ship will come back for us, tom?" "i don't think she can, peter; at any rate, it is certain she can't find us, it would take a long time to bring her round, and then, you see, she could not sail straight back against the wind." "look here, tom, i remember when i climbed up to look into the boats yesterday that there were some little casks lashed under the seats, and a sailor told me they were always kept full of water in case the boats were wanted suddenly. if they are still there we might empty them out, and they could keep us afloat any time." "hurrah! peter, capital, let's see." to their great delight the boys found four small water-kegs fastened under the seats. three of these they emptied, and fastening one of them to that which they had left full, and then each taking hold of one of the slings which were fastened to the kegs for convenience of carriage, they waited quietly. in less than ten minutes from the time when they first gained their frail refuge, a great wave broke just upon them, and completely smashed up the remains of the boat. they had cut off some rope from the mast, which they found with its sail furled ready for use in the boat, and now roughly lashed themselves together, face to face, so that they had a keg on each side. they had also fastened a long piece of rope to the other kegs, so that they would float near them. it was a long and terrible night for them, generally their heads and chests were well above the water, but at times a wave would break with its white crest, and, for a time, the foam would be over their heads. fortunately the water was warm, and the wind fell a good deal. the boys talked occasionally to each other, and kept up each other's courage. once or twice, in spite of the heavy sea, they were so much overcome with exhaustion that they dozed uneasily for a while, with their heads upon each other's shoulders, and great was their feeling of relief and pleasure when morning began to break. "it is going to be a splendid day, peter, and the wind is dropping fast." "look, tom," peter said, "there are some of the planks of the boat jammed in with the kegs." it was as peter said; the two kegs, one empty and the other full, were floating about ten yards off, at the length of the rope by which they were attached to the boys, while with them was a confused mass of wreckage of the boat. "that is capital, peter, we will see if we can't make a raft presently." as the sun rose and warmed the air, the boys strength and spirits revived, and in a few hours they were so refreshed that they determined to set about their raft. the wind had now entirely dropped, the waves were still very high, but they came in long, smooth, regular swells, over which they rose and fell almost imperceptibly. "they must be rolling a good deal more in the 'nancy' than we are here, peter. now, the first thing is to have a drink. what a blessing it is we have water." with their knives they soon got the bung out of the water-keg, and each took a long drink, and then carefully closed it up again. "there, peter, we have drunk as much as we wanted this time; but we must be careful, there is no saying how long we may be before we are picked up. hurrah, peter, here are the masts and sails, so we shall have plenty of cord." it took the boys nearly three hours to complete their task to their satisfaction. when it was concluded they had the three empty kegs lashed in a triangle about five feet apart, while two planks crossing the triangle, assisted to keep all firm and tight; floating in the center of the triangle was the keg of water. "there, i don't think we can improve that, peter," tom said at last, "now, let us get on and try it." they did so, and, to their great delight, found that it floated a few inches above water. "we may as well get the masts on board, peter, and let the sails tow alongside. they may come in useful; and now the first thing is to dry ourselves and our clothes." the clothes were soon spread out to dry, and the boys luxuriated in the warmth of the sun. "what great, smooth waves these are, tom, sometimes we are down in a valley which runs miles long, and then we are up on a hill." "here we lay, all the day, in the bay of biscay, oh!" tom laughed. "i only hope that the wished-for morrow may bring the sail in sight, peter. however, we can hold on for a few days, i suppose. that is a four-gallon keg, so that we have got a quart of water each for eight days, and hunger isn't so bad to bear as thirst. we have pretty well done for our uniforms, our bugles are the only things that have not suffered." for the boys' companies being on deck at the time of the accident, they both had their bugles on when they jumped overboard. "our last upset was when that bargee canted us over at eton, rather a different business that, peter." "my shirt is not dry yet, tom; but i shall put it on again, for the sun is too hot to be pleasant." tom followed peter's example. "do you think, tom, that we had better try to get up a sort of sail and make for land, or remain where we are?" "remain where we are, peter, i should say. i suppose we must be a hundred miles from the french coast, and even if the wind blew fair we should be a long time getting there, and with the certainty of a prison when we arrived. still, if there were a strong west wind, i suppose it would be our best way; as it is we have nothing to do but to wait quietly, and hope for a ship. we are in the right line, and there must be lots of vessels on their way, besides those which sailed with us, for portsmouth. so we must keep watch and watch. now, peter, you lie down on that plank, it is just about long enough, you shall have two hours' sleep, and then i'll have two, after that we will have four hours each." "how are we to count time?" peter said laughing. "i never thought of that," tom said, looking at his watch. "of course it has stopped. we must guess as near as we can; at any rate, you go to sleep first, and, when i am too sleepy to keep watch any longer, i will wake you up." so passed that day and the next night. a light breeze sprung up from the southwest, and the sun again shone out brightly. "i feel as if i wanted breakfast horribly," peter said, with an attempt at a smile. "do you think that there is any possibility of catching anything?" "we have nothing to make hooks with, peter, and nothing to bait them with if we had." "there are lots of tiny fish swimming all about, tom, if we could but catch them." tom was silent for awhile; then he said, "look here, peter. let us cut a piece off the sail about five feet long, and say three feet wide, double it longways, and sew up the ends so as to make a bag; we can unravel some string, and make holes with our knives. then we can sink it down two or three feet, and watch it; and when we see that some little fish have got in it, we can draw it up very gently, and, by raising it gradually from the sea, the water will run out, and we shall catch the fish." peter agreed that at any rate it was worth trying; for, even if it did not succeed, it was better for them to be doing something than sitting idle. the sail and the floating wreckage were pulled alongside, and the boys set to work. in three hours a large and shallow bag was made, with some improvements upon tom's original plan. the mouth was kept open by two crossed pieces of wood, and four cords from the corners were attached to the end of the oar which formed their fishing-rod. at last it was finished, and the bag lowered. to the horror of the boys, it was discovered that it would not sink. they were ready to cry with vexation, for the want of food had made them feel faint and weak. "what have we got that is heavy?" tom asked in despair. "i have got fourpence in halfpence, tom, and there are our knives and watches." their pockets were ransacked, and the halfpence, knives, and watches were placed in the bottom of the bag and lowered. still the wood-work kept afloat. "there are the bugles, tom," peter cried in delight. these had been fastened to the raft, and were now hastily untied and placed in the canvas bag. it sank now, and the boys lowered it five or six feet, so that they could partly see into it. "there are lots of little fish swimming about, tom," peter said in a whisper. "some are almost as long as one's hand. do you think that they will go in, tom?" "i hope the glitter of the bugles and watches will attract them, peter." "there, tom, there--i saw a whole swarm of little ones go in." "wait a minute or two, peter, to let them get well down, and then draw up as quietly as possible." very cautiously the boys raised the point of their rod until the top of the square-mouthed bag was level with the surface; then they brought it close to them and looked in, and as they did so gave a simultaneous cheer. there, in the bottom of the canvas, two feet below them, were a number of little fish moving about. raising the rod still higher, they gradually lifted the net out of the sea, the water running quickly off as they did so, and then they proceeded to examine their prize. "we will take out one and one, peter; give them a nip as you take them up, that will kill them." there were two fish of about three inches long, another three or four of two inches, and some thirty or forty the size of minnows. it was scarcely more than a mouthful each, but it was a stay for a moment to their stomachs, and no one ever said a thanksgiving with deeper feeling and heartiness than did the boys when they had emptied their canvas net. "we need not be anxious about food now, peter; if we can catch these in five minutes, we can get enough each day to satisfy us. they quench the thirst too. we must limit ourselves to half a pint of water a day, and we can hold on for a fortnight. we are safe to be picked up before that." all the afternoon and evening the boys continued to let down and draw up their net, sometimes bringing in only a few tiny fish, sometimes getting half a dozen of the larger kind. by nightfall they had satisfied the cravings of hunger, and felt stronger and better. one or two sails had been seen during the day, but always at such distances that it was evident at once that they could not pass within hail. that night, fatigued with their exertions, both laid down and went to sleep until morning, and slept more comfortably than before; for they had fastened a piece of the sail tightly on the top of the raft, and lay softly suspended in that, instead of being balanced upon a narrow and uncomfortable plank. they felt new creatures when they woke, pulled up their net, had a mouthful of raw fish, took off their clothes, and had a swim, and then set to earnestly to fish. the sun was brighter, and the fish in consequence kept deeper than upon the preceding day; still by evening they had caught enough to take the edge off, if not to satisfy, their hunger. the fishing, however, during the last hours of daylight was altogether neglected, for behind them they could see a sail, which appeared as if it might possibly come close enough to observe them. there was still the long, steady swell coming in from the atlantic, and a light breeze was blowing from the north. the boys had been so intent upon their fishing, that they had not noticed her until she was within nine or ten miles of them. "she will not be up for an hour and a half, peter," tom said, "and the sun will be down long before that. i fear that the chance of their seeing us is very small indeed. however, we will try. let us get the net out of the water, and hold it and the oar up. it is possible that some one may see the canvas with a telescope before the sun goes down. take the things out of the net." the oar with the canvas bag was elevated, and the boys anxiously watched the course of the vessel. she was a large ship, but they could only see her when they rose upon the top of the long smooth waves. "i should think that she will pass within a mile of us, peter," tom said, after half an hour's watching, "but i fear that she will not be much closer. how unfortunate she had not come along an hour earlier. she would have been sure to see us if it had been daylight. i don't think that there is much chance now, for there is no moon. however, thank god, we can hold on very well now, and next time we may have better luck." the sun had set more than half an hour before the ship came abreast of them. they had evidently not been seen. "now, peter," tom said, "let us both hallo together; the wind is very light, and it is just possible they may hear us." again and again the boys shouted, but the ship sailed steadily on. peter dashed the tears aside, and tom said, with a quiver in his voice, "never mind, peter; better luck next time, old boy. god has been so good to us, that i feel quite confident we shall be saved." "so do i, tom," peter said. "it was only a disappointment for a minute. we may as well put the oar down, for my arm and back ache holding it." "mind how you do it, peter. if we let the end go through the canvas, we shall lose our watches and bugles, and then we shall not be able to fish." "oh, tom, the bugles!" "what, peter?" tom said, astonished. "we can make them hear, tom, don't you see?" "hurrah, peter! so we can. what a fool i was to forget it!" in a moment the bugles rang out the assembly across the water. again and again the sharp, clear sound rose on the quiet evening air. "look, peter, there are men going up the rigging to look round. sound again!" again and again they sounded the call, and then they saw the ship's head come round, and her bow put towards them, and then they fell on their knees and thanked god that they were saved. in ten minutes the ship was close to them, thrown up into the wind, a boat was lowered, and in another minute or two was alongside. "hallo!" the officer in charge exclaimed, "two boys, all alone. here, help them in, lads--that's it; now pull for the ship. here, boys, take a little brandy from this flask. how long have you been on that raft?" "it is three days since we went overboard, sir; but we were in the water for about eighteen hours before we made the raft." tom and peter drank a little brandy, and felt better for it; but they were weaker than they thought, for they had to be helped up the side of the ship. a number of officers were grouped round the gangway, and the boys saw that they were on board a vessel of war. "only these boys?" asked the captain in surprise of the officer who had brought them on board. "that is all, sir." "doctor, you had better see to them," the captain said. "if they are strong enough to talk, after they have had some soup, let them come to my cabin; if not, let them turn in in the sick bay, and i will see them in the morning. one question though, boys. are there any others about--any one for me to look for or pick up?" "no one else, sir," tom said, and then followed the doctor aft. a basin of soup and a glass of sherry did wonders for the boys, and in an hour they proceeded to the captain's cabin, dressed in clothes which the doctor had borrowed from two of the midshipmen for them, for their own could never be worn again; indeed, they had not brought their jackets from the raft, those garments having shrunk so from the water, that the boys had not been able to put them on again, after first taking them off to dry. the doctor accompanied them, and in the captain's cabin they found the first lieutenant, who had been in charge of the boat which picked them up. "i am glad to see you looking so much better," the captain said as they entered. "sit down. do you know," he went on with a smile, "i do not think that any of us would have slept had you not recovered sufficiently to tell your story to-night. we have been puzzling over it in vain. how you two boys came to be adrift alone on a raft, made up of three water-kegs, as mr. armstrong tells me, and how you came to have two bugles with you on the raft, is altogether beyond us." "the last matter is easily explained, sir," tom said. "my brother and myself are buglers in h.m.'s regiment of norfolk rangers, and as we were on duty when we went overboard, we had our bugles slung over our shoulders." "buglers!" the captain said in surprise. "why from your appearance and mode of expressing yourselves, i take you to be gentlemen's sons." "so we are, sir," tom said quietly, "and i hope gentlemen--at any rate we have been etonians. but we have lost our father, and are now buglers in the rangers." "well, lads," the captain said after a pause, "and now tell us how you came upon this little raft?" tom related modestly the story of their going overboard from the "nancy," of the formation of the raft, and of their after proceedings. their hearers were greatly astonished at the story; and the captain said, "young gentlemen, you have done a very gallant action, and have behaved with a coolness and bravery which would have done credit to old sailors. had your father been alive he might have been proud indeed of you. i should be proud had you been my sons. if you are disposed to change services i will write directly we reach the tagus to obtain your discharge, and will give you midshipmen's berths on board this ship. don't answer now; you can think it over by the time we reach portugal. i will not detain you now; a night's rest will set you up. mr. armstrong will introduce you to the midshipmen to-morrow; you are passengers here now, and will mess with them. good-night." it was not many minutes before the boys were asleep in their hammocks. if people's ears really tingle when they are being spoken about, tom and peter would have had but little sleep that night. the first lieutenant related the circumstances to the other lieutenants; the second lieutenant, whose watch it was, told the gunner, who related it to the petty officers; the doctor told his mates, who retailed the story to the midshipmen; and so gradually it went over the whole ship, and officers and men agreed that it was one of the pluckiest and coolest things ever done. the boys slept until nearly breakfast time, and were just dressed when mr. armstrong came for them and took them to the midshipmen's berth, where they were received with a warmth and heartiness which quite surprised them. the midshipmen and mates pressed forward to shake hands with them, and the stiflingly close little cock-pit was the scene of an ovation. the boys were quite glad when the handshaking was over, and they sat down to the rough meal which was then usual among midshipmen. as the vessel had only left england four days before, the fare was better than it would have been a week later, for there was butter, cold ham and tongue upon the table. after breakfast they were asked to tell the story over again, and this they did with great modesty. many questions were asked, and it was generally regretted that they were not sailors. upon going up on deck there was quite an excitement among the sailors to get a look at them, and the gunner and other petty officers came up and shook hands with them heartily, and the boys wished from the depths of their hearts that people would not make such a fuss about nothing; for, as tom said to peter, "of course we should not have jumped overboard if we had thought that we could not have kept hold of the rope." that day they dined in the cabin with the captain, who, after the officers present had withdrawn, asked them if they would tell him about their past lives. this the boys did frankly, and took the opportunity of explaining that they had chosen the army because the enemies' fleet having been destroyed, there was less chance of active service in the navy than with the army just starting for lisbon, and that their uncle having commanded the regiment that they were in, they had entered it, and had received so much kindness that they had fair reason to hope that they would eventually obtain commissions. hence, while thanking him most warmly for his offer, they had decided to go on in the path that they had chosen. the captain remarked that, after what they had said, although he should have been glad to have them with him, he thought that they had decided rightly. the next morning, when the boys woke, they were surprised at the absence of any motion of the vessel, and upon going on deck they found that they were running up the tagus, and that lisbon was in sight. chapter vi. portugal. the boys were delighted with the appearance of the tagus, covered as it now was with a fleet of transports and merchantmen. as they were looking at it, the officer commanding the marines on board, who had talked a good deal to them upon the preceding day, came up to them. "i thought that you would be in a fix about clothes, my lads," he said. "you could not very well join in these midshipman's uniforms, so i set the tailor yesterday to cut down a couple of spare suits of my corps. the buttons will not be right, but you can easily alter that when you join. you had better go below at once and see if the things fit pretty well. i have told the tailor to take them to the cock-pit and if they do not fit they can alter them at once." thanking the officer very much for his thoughtful kindness, and much relieved in mind--for they had already been wondering what they should do--the boys ran below, and found that the tailor had guessed their sizes pretty correctly, aided as he had been by the trousers they had worn when they came on board. a few alterations were necessary, and these he promised to get finished in a couple of hours. they had scarcely gone on deck again when the anchor was let fall, and a boat was lowered, in order that the captain might proceed to shore with the despatches of which he was the bearer. just as he was upon the point of leaving the deck, his eye fell upon the boys. "i shall be back again in an hour or two," he said; "do not leave until i return. i will find out where your regiment is, and if it has marched i will give you a certificate of how i picked you up, otherwise you may be stopped on the way, and get into a scrape as two boys who have strayed away from their regiment." so saying, the captain got into his boat and rowed to shore. it was one o'clock before he returned. the boys had dinner with the gunroom officers, then changed their dress, and had now the appearance of buglers in the marines. the captain at once sent for them. "your regiment went on yesterday with the rest of the division. it halts to-day ten miles out of the town. there is the certificate i spoke of. mr. armstrong is just going off with two boats' crew to assist in unloading stores; i have asked him to hand you over to the charge of some officer going up with a convoy. and now good-bye, lads. i wish you every luck, and hope that some day or other you may win your epaulets." with renewed thanks for his kindness, the boys went up on deck. there they shook hands and said good-bye to all the officers and midshipmen. as they were waiting while the boats were being lowered, two of the sailors went aft to the captain, who had come up from below and was walking alone on the quarter-deck, and, with a touch of the hat, the spokesman said, "your honor, we're come to ax as how, if your honor has no objection, we might just give a parting cheer to those 'ere youngsters." "well, jones," the captain said, smiling, "it's rather an unusual thing for the crew of one of his majesty's ships to cheer two young soldiers." "it is unusual, your honor, mighty unusual, because soldiers ain't in general of much account at sea; but you see, your honor, this ain't a usual circumstance, nohow. these here boys, which ain't much more than babbies, have done what there ain't many men, not even of those who are born and bred to the sea, would have done; and we should just like to give them a bit of a cheer for good luck." "very well, jones, tell the men they can do as they like." accordingly, as the boys took their seats in the boat they were surprised at seeing the crew clustering to the side of the ship, while some of the men ran up the rigging. "what can the men be up to?" tom asked mr. armstrong in surprise. the lieutenant smiled, for he knew what was coming. "sheer off, men," he said, and as he did so the boatswain of the ship gave the word, "now, lads, three cheers for them boys; may they have the luck they deserve." three thundering cheers burst from the whole crew, the men in the boats tossing their oars in the naval fashion of acknowledgment of the salute. tom and peter, astonished and affected, stood up, took off their caps, and waved their hands in thanks to the crowd of faces looking down upon them, and then sat down again and wiped their eyes. "row on," the lieutenant said, and the oars fell in the water with a splash; one more cheer arose, and then the boats rowed for the landing-place. the boys were too much affected to look up or speak, until they reached the shore, nor did they notice a boat which rowed past them upon its way to the vessel they had left, just after they had started. it contained an officer in a general's uniform. the boat steered to the ship's side, and the officer ascended the ladder. the captain was on deck. "ah, craufurd," he said, "this is an unexpected pleasure." "i have just come back from my division for a few hours, merivale; there are a lot of stores which are essential, and some of my artillery is not landed, so i thought i could hurry things up a bit. my spare charger, and most of the chargers of my staff, are being landed, too; the ship they came in was a day or two late; and as i had to confer with the portuguese minister of war, i am killing a good many birds with one stone. i heard you had just come in, and as i was on board the "clio" about my charger, i thought it would not be much out of my way to run round and shake hands with you." "i am very glad you did. come into my cabin; you can spare time to take some lunch, i hope." while they were at lunch general craufurd remarked, "so you have just lost one of your officers, i see; promoted to another ship, eh?" "lost an officer!" captain merivale said in surprise. "no, not that i have heard of. what makes you think so?" "i thought so by the cheering the ship's crew gave that boat that left the ship just before i came up. there was only a naval lieutenant in her, and i supposed that he had just got his ship, and i thought by the heartiness of the cheering what a good fellow he must be." "but it was not the lieutenant the men were cheering," captain merivale said with a smile. "no!" general craufurd said, surprised. "why, there was no one else in the boat. i looked attentively as i passed. there was only a lieutenant, a midshipman who was steering, the men rowing, and two little marine buglers, who had their handkerchiefs up to their faces. so you see i took a very minute survey." "you did indeed," captain merivale said, laughing. "well, it was just these little buglers that the crew of the ship were cheering." general craufurd looked up incredulously. "you're joking, merivale. the crew of his majesty's frigate 'latona' cheer two buglers of marines! no, no, that won't do." "it is a fact, though, craufurd, unlikely as it seems, except that the buglers belong to the norfolk rangers, and not to the marines." "the rangers! they are in hill's division. what is it all about? there must be something very strange about it." "there is indeed," captain merivale said, "very strange." and he then related the whole story to his visitor. "they are trumps indeed," the general said when the narrative was ended, "and i am very glad that i happened to hear it. i will speak to hill about it, and will keep my eye upon them. be assured they shall have their epaulets as soon as possible--that is, if their conduct is at all equal to their pluck. it is the least we can do when, as you say, they have refused midshipmen's berths to stick to us. and now i must be off." the boat landed general craufurd at the same landing-place at which tom and peter had disembarked half an hour before. lieutenant armstrong had spoken a few words to the officer who was superintending the landing of stores and horses, and he, being far too busy to stop to talk, briefly said that the boys could go up to join their regiment with a convoy of stores which would start that night. after saying good-bye to their friend the lieutenant, the boys sat down upon some bales, and were watching with much amusement and interest the busy scene before them. as general craufurd passed they rose and saluted. "you are the boys from the 'latona,' are you not?" "yes, sir," the boys answered in surprise. "can you ride?" "yes, sir." "follow me, then." much surprised, the boys followed the general until he made his way through the confusion to a group of newly landed horses. near them were a couple of mounted hussars, who, at the sight of the general, rode forward with his charger. he made a sign to them to wait a moment, and walked up to the men who were holding the newly landed horses. "which of you have got charge of two horses?" several of the men answered at once. "which of you are servants of officers on my staff?" three of those who had answered before replied now. "very well; just put saddles on to two of them. these lads will ride them; they are going out with me at once; they will hand them over to your masters." in another five minutes tom and peter, to their surprise and delight, were clattering along through the streets of lisbon upon two first-rate horses in company with the two hussars, while, twenty lengths ahead, trotted general craufurd with two officers who had been down to lisbon upon duty similar to his own. once outside the town, the general put his horse into a gallop, and his followers of course did the same. once or twice general craufurd glanced back to see how the boys rode, for a doubt had crossed his mind as to whether he had been wise in putting them upon such valuable horses, but when he saw that they were evidently accustomed to the work, he paid no further attention to them. the officers riding beside him, however, looked back several times. "what luck we have, to be sure, tom," peter said, "and i can't understand this a bit. how could the general know that we came from the 'latona'; as he evidently did, and by the way these officers have looked back twice, i can't help thinking that he is talking about us." tom was as puzzled as peter, but they soon forgot the subject, and engaged in an animated conversation with the hussars as to the situation and position of the army, and the supposed strength and locality of the french, concerning which they were, of course, in complete ignorance. an hour and a half's sharp riding took them to torres vedras, a small town which afterwards became celebrated for the tremendous lines which wellington erected there. the troops were encamped in its vicinity, the general having his quarters at the house of the alcalde, or mayor. "your regiment is a mile and a half distant, lads," general craufurd said as they drew up at his quarters; "you will have difficulty in finding it this evening. sergeant, take these lads round to the house where my orderlies are quartered, and give them some supper. they can join their regiment in the morning. i have heard of you, lads, from captain merivale, and shall mention your conduct to general hill, and be assured i will keep my eye upon you." the boys were soon asleep upon a heap of straw, and at six next morning were upon the road, having already had some coffee and bread for breakfast. they had no difficulty in finding their way, for orderlies were already galloping about, and the bugle calls came sharp upon their ears. the division was to march at seven. the rangers happened to be the first in advance, so that they passed through the other regiments to arrive at theirs. the tents were down when they arrived, and packed in readiness for the bullock carts which stood by. the boys paused a little distance off, and looked on with delight at the busy scene. at a note on the bugle the tents and other baggage were stowed in the carts, and then the men hitched on their knapsacks, unpiled arms, and began to fall into rank. no one noticed the boys as they passed between the groups and approached the band, who were mustering by the colors, which were as usual placed in front of the guard tent. "there's sambo," tom said; "i am glad they got him safe on board." the negro was the first to perceive the boys as they came close up to him. as he saw them he gave a sudden start, his eyes opened wider and wider until the whites showed all round, his teeth chattered, the shiny black of his face turned to a sort of dirty gray, and he threw up his hands with a loud cry, "oh, golly, here's dose boys' spirits!" he stepped back, heedless that the big drum was behind him, and the next moment went back with a crash into it, and remained there with his knees doubled up and his face looking out between them, too frightened and horror-struck to make the least movement to extricate himself. for a moment no one noticed him, for at his cry they had all turned to the boys, and stood as if petrified at seeing those whom they believed had been drowned before their eyes a week before. the silence did not last long, the boys bursting into a shout of laughter at sam's appearance. "spirits! sam," tom said; "not by a long way yet, man. how are you all? come, get out of that, sam and shake hands." and as the band with a shout crowded round them, the boys helped sam, who was trembling all over from the shock and fright, from the drum. for a moment the boys were quite confused and bewildered, for as they hauled sam to his feet their comrades of the band pressed round them cheering, every one trying to shake them by the hand. the news spread like wildfire among the troops, and there was at once a general rush to the spot. the boys were seized in an instant, and each raised on the shoulders of two of the grenadiers, and as they made their appearance above the heads of the crowd a tremendous cheer broke from the whole regiment. "what can be the matter?" was the general exclamation of the colonel and officers, who were just finishing their breakfasts in a cottage which stood close behind the spot where their tents had been pitched in the rear of the regiment. "what can be the matter?"--and as the cheering continued there was a general rush to the door. there they stood astonished at seeing the whole of the men clustered in one spot, shouting and waving their caps. "what can be the matter?" the colonel said again; "the whole regiment seems to have gone mad." "we shall know in a minute," captain manley said; "they are coming in this direction." "look at that fellow sambo," exclaimed carruthers; "he looks madder than all the rest." in spite of the intense surprise which all were feeling, there was a general laugh, for the black was performing antics like one possessed; his cap was gone, he jumped, he yelled, he waved his arms, with a drumstick in each hand, wildly over his head, he twisted round and round; he seemed really out of his mind. suddenly he left the crowd, and rushed on ahead at full speed towards the group of officers, still leaping and yelling and waving his drumsticks. the officers instinctively drew together as he approached, for they thought that the gigantic negro was really out of his mind. he stopped suddenly as he came up to them, and tried to fall into his usual attitude of attention. "oh, massa colonel," he said in hoarse, sobbing tones, "only to think, only to think. scuse sam, sar, but sam feel he's going to bust right up wid joy, massa. dat no matter, but only to think. bress de almighty, sar! only to think!" none of the officers spoke for a minute in answer to these disjointed exclamations. they were affected at the man's great emotion. his black skin was still strangely pale, his eyes were distended, his lips quivered, tears were rolling down his cheeks, and his huge frame was shaken with sobs. "calm yourself, sam--be calm, my man," the colonel said kindly. "try and tell us what has happened. what are the men so excited about? what is the matter with them?" "oh, massa colonel," sam said, "me try tell you all 'boat it. only to think, sar, dose boys cum back again; dose boys, sar, bress dem, dat jumped into de water and got drowned just to save dis poor niggar, sar. dey cum back again; only tink ob dat!" the officers looked at one another in surprise. "i do believe he means the scudamores! colonel," captain manley exclaimed; "but no, it is impossible, no one could have lived five minutes in that sea, and we know that they could not have been picked up, for we were the last ship in the fleet." "yes, yes, sar, dat's dem, dey cum back sure enuff," sam said. then carruthers exclaimed, "i do believe it is so; there are a couple of boys on the shoulders of the men in the middle of the crowd. yes, and, by jove, it is the scudamores. hurrah! i am glad." there was a general exclamation of pleasure from the whole group, for the regret for the boys, who had, as was believed, perished in the performance of such a gallant action, had been general and sincere, and captain manley lifted his cap and said reverently, "thank god, these gallant lads are saved;" and those around, although some of them were but little addicted to prayer, repeated the words and imitated the action. carruthers would have stepped forward in his eagerness to greet his former school-fellows, but captain manley laid his hand quietly on his shoulder and said in a low tone, "wait, carruthers, let the colonel welcome them." and now the crowd came up to the cottage, those in front falling back as they approached, so as to let the grenadiers come forward with their burden. the boys were lowered to the ground, and stood at once at attention; their faces were both flushed with excitement, and their eyes swollen with tears, so much were they both moved by the welcome which had greeted them. there was a dead silence for a moment, and then colonel tritton said in a loud, clear voice, which was heard all over the throng of men, "i am glad, lads, to see you back again. i never expected to have seen you again after we caught a glimpse of you as the sea washed you away. you have seen how the men have welcomed you, and i can assure you that the pleasure of the officers that two such gallant young fellows should have been saved is no less than that of your comrades. a braver act than that which you performed was never done. i shake hands with you, and congratulate you in the name of the whole regiment." and, suiting the action to the words, colonel tritton stepped forward and shook the boys warmly by the hand, amidst a great cheer upon the part of the whole regiment. then he held up his hand for silence again. "bugler, sound the assembly; fall in, my lads, or we shall be late. come in here, boys; you can get something to eat, and tell us in a few words how you were saved, for, even now that i see you it seems almost impossible." chapter vii. the passage of the duoro--talavera. very severe was the drill and discipline, and not very abundant was the food, and there was a general feeling of pleasure when, by the general concentration of the army at coimbra, it was evident that active operations were about to commence. on the th of may portuguese, germans, and , british troops were assembled. sir arthur was already there, and upon the th general beresford marched with , men, and orders were issued for the rest of the army to march out early the next day. the norfolk rangers were in high glee that night, and many were the tales told by the old soldiers of former engagements in which they had taken part. next morning, at daybreak, the tents were struck, the baggage packed, and the wagons loaded. the people of coimbra came out in crowds to see the troops march, and many were the blessings and good wishes poured out as the long line wound through the streets of the city. hill's division was the last, and the rain was pouring down with great force by the time they started. the march, however, was not a very long one, for beresford's division, which was to operate upon the upper duoro, had a long distance to make, and it was necessary that all should be ready for simultaneous action. for this purpose the army halted the next day, and upon the th marched to aveiro on the river vonga. here a large flotilla of boats was found, and the norfolk rangers with two other regiments were ordered to embark at once. the portuguese fishermen entered heart and soul into the business, and in perfect silence the little flats were rowed up the lake of ovar. the soldiers were greatly crowded in the boats, and were glad, indeed, when just as morning dawned they landed at the town of ovar. by this movement they were placed upon the right flank of francheschi, the general who commanded the advanced division of the french army. soon after they had landed the french were attacked in front, and finding their flank turned, and the whole british force, which they had believed to be seven days' march away, in their front, they fell back hastily. to their great disappointment, the rangers took no share in this the first skirmish of the war. but hill's orders were not to press on the enemy's rear. three days more of marching and skirmishing brought them close to the duoro on the evening of the th. the enemy crossed that evening and destroyed the bridge, and during the night the british troops were all brought up, and massed behind the hill called the serra. this hill stood upon a sharp elbow which the river makes just above the town of oporto, and the british were here completely hidden from marshal soult, who had no idea that they were so close at hand. indeed, knowing that the bridge was broken and that all the boats had been carefully taken over to that side of the river, the marshal dreamt not that sir arthur would attempt to cross, but imagined that he would take boats lower down near the mouth of the river and there endeavor to cross. to prevent such an attempt soult had massed his army below oporto. the troops were ordered to pile arms, and eat their breakfast, but to keep in position. "i wonder how we are to cross the river, tom?" peter said. "it is three hundred yards across, with a rapid current, no man in the world could swim that, and carry his musket and ammunition across." "i expect sir arthur is reconnoitering, peter; i saw him go up the hill to that convent there; he must be able to see from there right over oporto." an hour passed, and then two or three officers were seen coming down from the hill; one went up to general hill, who happened at that moment to be talking to colonel tritton. "you are to prepare to cross, sir, colonel waters has discovered a small boat brought across by a portuguese in the night. they are going to cross to that great convent you see upon the other side. they will bring back boats with them, and you will cross at once, take possession of the convent, and hold it against any force that may be brought against you until reinforcements arrive." very quickly were the orders passed, and with a smile of satisfaction the men took their arms and fell in. they were moved near the river, and kept under shelter of some houses. "keep near me," colonel tritton said to tom and peter, "i may want you to carry messages, there will be no sounding of bugles to-day." keeping under the shade of some trees so that they could command a view of the river without being seen from the opposite side, colonel tritton with two of his officers and his two buglers, watched what was going on. a few paces ahead of them were generals paget and hill, like themselves, watching the daring experiment. behind, under shelter of the houses, were the troops in dense masses. the rangers, as the first regiment in general hill's division, were in front, and would naturally be the first to cross. it was a most anxious moment, as colonel waters and two portuguese pushed the tiny boat from shore and pulled across stream. the bulk of the serra hill hid the river at this point, and even the convent opposite, from the sight of the french army formed up below the town, but there were no doubt stragglers all over the city, and the whole baggage of the french army was in retreat by the road to valarga which ran at a short distance behind the convent. most anxiously their eyes were strained upon the opposite bank, from which they expected to see the flash of musketry, as the little boat neared the convent. all, however, was as still as death. behind them they heard a rumble, and looking round saw eighteen guns on their way up the hill. from this eminence they could command the ground around the seminary, as the convent across the water was called, and thus afford some aid to the troops as they crossed. there was a murmur of satisfaction as the boat neared the opposite shore, and after lying still for a moment to reconnoiter the convent, pulled boldly up to the landing-place, where its occupants disembarked and entered the seminary. their absence was not long. in a few minutes they reappeared with eight or ten men, and then at once entered and cast off three large boats moored along side. the boys could hardly repress a cheer as they saw them fairly under weigh. an officer now left the side of the general, and came to colonel tritton, "you will get your first company in readiness to embark, sir; do not let them show themselves until the last moment." colonel tritton joined his men. "captain manley, take your company forward, when the first boat touches the shore embark. let there be no noise or confusion." "god bless you, peter," tom said, as they separated; "your company won't be many minutes after us;" for the bugler of the first company was ill, and tom was ordered to take his place. as the boat touched the shore captain manley ordered the leading files of his company to come from under cover and take their place in the boat. twenty-four men entered, and when the other boats were also full captain manley took his place, followed by his bugler, and the boats pushed off again. there was a dead silence in the boat, broken only by the sound of the oars as the portuguese tugged manfully at them, each oar being double-banked by a soldier. the rest sat with their muskets in their hands, their pouches open ready for use, and their eyes fixed upon the shore. all was quiet, and with a sigh of relief, and a hearty hurrah muttered under their breath, the men leapt from the boat and ran up to the seminary. it was a large building with a flat roof, and the enclosure around it was surrounded by a high wall which swept round to the water's edge on either side. the only entrance was through a stout gate studded with iron. this was already closed and barred; the captain at once distributed his men at the upper windows of the seminary, with orders not to show themselves until the alarm was given. they had scarcely taken their places when they were joined by the occupants of the second boat, while those of the third, in which general paget himself crossed, were but a minute or two later. just as they touched the shore, however, there was a sudden shout heard, this was followed by others, and in five minutes a wild hubbub was heard in the town. drums beat to arms, and it was evident that the enemy were at last awake to the fact that the british had effected a lodgment upon their side of the stream. "we shall have it hot presently," captain manley said to tom. "they will be a quarter of an hour before they can get round here, and we shall have the three boats back by that time. the one we came in is half-way across already." seven or eight minutes later a heavy column of men was seen pouring out of the upper gate of the town. as they got into the open ground, they threw out clouds of skirmishers, and pushed down towards the convent. a heavy fire was at once opened upon them by the english guns upon the serra hill. there was no longer any need for concealment. the soldiers in the convent took their places at the windows, and as they did so could hear the loud hurrahs of their comrades as they crowded down to the bank upon the other side of the river to await their turn to embark. before the enemy were within musket-shot, three boat loads more had been landed, and there were, therefore, men now in the convent. from the gates of the city the french artillery came pouring out, and, taking up a position upon an eminence, opened fire upon the convent just as the infantry had got within musket-range. so suddenly did the noise of the enemy's cannonade, the crashing of the balls against the thick walls of the seminary, the rattle of the enemy's musketry, and the louder roar of the muskets of the defenders, blended on both sides with shouts and cheers, break out, that for a minute or two tom felt almost bewildered. he had no time, however, to think, for an officer came up to captain manley. "the general is up on the roof; he wants a bugler sent up to him." captain manley nodded to tom, who followed the aide-de-camp on to the roof. here he could see all that was passing, and an exciting sight it was. crowds of french soldiers were approaching the wall, keeping up a tremendous musketry fire, whilst behind them three batteries of field-guns were sending their messengers of death. from every upper window of the convent the answering flashes came thick and fast, while overhead hummed the shot from the british guns, on the serra hill. oporto itself was in a state of uproar. drums were beating, trumpets sounding, bells clanging, while from the house-tops the population, men and women, were waving their handkerchiefs to the english, gesticulating and making all sorts of pantomimic expression of joy. looking at the river behind, tom saw with pleasure that some more boats had been obtained, and that strong reinforcements would soon be across. the whistling of the bullets and the hum of the round shot were incessant, and tom acknowledged to himself that he felt horribly uncomfortable--much more uncomfortable than he had any idea that he should feel under fire. had he been actively engaged, he would have hardly experienced this feeling; but to stand impassive under a heavy fire is trying to the nerves of the oldest soldier. he was angry with himself that he was not more indifferent to the whizzing of the balls; but the sensation of discomfort under fire is beyond the control of the will, and it is no unusual thing to see a young soldier who, later in the day, may display an almost reckless courage, yet at first flinch whenever balls hiss close by him, in spite of all his efforts to the contrary. tom was able, however, to control any outward manifestation of his feelings, and took his place a few paces behind general paget, who was standing with one of his officers by his side, watching the force which, momentarily increasing, was, in spite of the british fire, making its way onward towards the gate. it was evident that the general considered the danger to be pressing, as he once or twice looked back to see how quickly the reinforcements were crossing the river. the first time that he did so, his eye fell on tom. "get behind those big chimneys, lad. there is no use in exposing yourself unnecessarily." tom obeyed the order with alacrity, and, once in shelter, was soon able to bring his nerves under control, and to look round the corner of his shelter without flinching when the bullets sang past. in five minutes general hill joined paget on the roof, and just as he did so the latter was severely wounded and fell. tom ran forward to assist him, and, kneeling beside him, partially supported him until four men came up and carried him below. the position of the little garrison was now very precarious, the artillery fire concentrated upon them was heavy, and the french swarmed up to the wall, which they in vain endeavored to climb. the english kept up a tremendous fire upon them, cheering constantly as fresh reinforcements arrived, or as the enemy was momentarily repulsed. tom had now lost all nervousness, and was standing eagerly watching the fight, when a ball knocked his shako off. the general happened to turn around at the moment. "that was a narrow escape," he said with a smile. "what is your name, lad?" "scudamore, sir," tom answered. "scudamore--scudamore. yes, i remember the name now. you are one of the lads general craufurd spoke to me about. i want to see you. come to me to-morrow with your brother. go down now and join your company; i do not want you here." tom gladly went down, for he longed to be doing something. he soon found his company, and, taking up a firelock of one of the men who had fallen, was soon hard at work loading and firing into the assailants. for an hour the strife continued. fortunately general murray had found some boats three miles higher up the stream, and had crossed, thus menacing the enemy's line of retreat. suddenly a great pealing of bells were heard in oporto, with shouting and cheering, and the house-tops were covered with people waving their handkerchiefs. the french were evacuating the town. the inhabitants at once took across some large barges to villa neva, a suburb lying across the river and just below the serra hill. here sherbrooke began to cross. it was now the time for the english to take the offensive. there were now three battalions in the seminary, and as the french drew sullenly off to join the column now flowing steadily out from oporto along the valonga road, the gates were thrown open, and the english passing out formed outside the walls, and poured volley after volley into the retreating foe. had murray fallen upon their flank, the disaster of the french would have been complete; but this general feared that the enemy would turn upon him, and destroy his division before assistance could arrive, and he therefore remained inactive, and allowed the long column of fugitives to pass unmolested. for the next eight days the english army followed hotly in pursuit, and several skirmishes occurred; but soult effected a most masterly retreat, saving his army, when it seemed upon the brink of destruction, by leaving his guns and baggage behind him, and leading his men by paths over mountains supposed to be impassable for any large body of men. he lost altogether men in this short campaign. this included prisoners either captured in action or left behind in the hospitals, and killed. the number of guns left behind was fifty-eight. the english had only killed and wounded. sir arthur's plans for the invasion of spain were not yet complete, and he accordingly halted his army to await supplies and reinforcements. during this time the young buglers had no opportunity of calling upon major-general hill. the transport supplied by the spanish government had failed grossly, and the troops were badly fed at a time when, taking long marches, they most required support. the first day after they halted the boys determined that they would, as soon as they were off duty, call upon general hill. while parade was going on, however, they saw the general ride up to colonel tritton, and enter into conversation with him. the bugler, who was standing near, was ordered to sound the call for the officers to assemble in front; and when they did so, colonel tritton left the general's side and spoke a few words with them. there was a short conversation, and then the colonel rejoined the general's side, and the officers returned to their places. the colonel now rode forward to the center of the line, and said in loud tones, "men, i have a piece of news to tell you which i think that you will be glad to hear. upon my arrival at lisbon i reported the gallant conduct of tom and peter scudamore in rescuing one of their comrades when washed overboard in the bay of biscay. captain merivale, of the "latona," also reported it, and general hill, when he heard the circumstances, was also good enough to send home a report recommending them for promotion. he has received an answer from the commander-in-chief announcing that they are both granted commissions in this regiment as a reward for their act of distinguished gallantry. the regiment is dismissed." as the men fell out they gave a loud and general cheer, and tom and peter were surrounded by their comrades, who shook them by the hand, and congratulated them upon their promotion. the boys were too much surprised and affected to speak, and they had scarcely recovered from their bewilderment, when carruthers came up to them, and led them to the colonel. here general hill first, and then all the officers, warmly shook hands with them. the boys were much touched by the warmth with which they were received, and were soon hurried off to the tents of the officers. several of the ensigns were slight young men, and they insisted upon rigging the boys out in uniform, and the boys had the less scruple in accepting the kind offer, inasmuch as they expected every day to enter spain, when the baggage would be cut down to the smallest possible proportion, and the officers as well as the men be obliged to leave almost everything behind them. sam was delighted at the promotion of his friends, and asked to be appointed their servant, a request which was at once acceded to. the regiment had now been three months in spain, and the boys had continued to work hard at spanish, devoting several hours a day to its study, and talking it whenever they could find an opportunity--no difficult matter, as portugal was full of spanish who had crossed the frontier to avoid the hated yoke of the french. the delay in invading spain was caused partly from want of transport, but more by the utter incapacity of the spanish junta or government, and by the arrogance and folly of cuesta, the spanish commander-in-chief, who was always proposing impracticable schemes to wellington, and, inflated with spanish pride and obstinacy, believed that his own worthless troops were fully a match for the french, and was jealous in the highest degree of the british general. at last, on the th of june, the british army advanced. scarcely had they made a day's march, however, when the utter faithlessness of the spaniards became manifest. the provisions and transport promised were not forthcoming, and from the very day of their advance the british were badly fed, and indeed often not fed at all; and so great were their sufferings during the campaign--sufferings caused by the heartlessness of the people whom they had come to deliver from a foreign yoke, that the british soldiers came to cherish a deep and bitter hatred against the spanish; and it was this intense feeling of animosity which had no little to do with the cruel excesses of the english soldiery upon the capture of burgos and san sebastian. after many delays from these causes, the british army reached oropesa upon the th july, and there formed a junction with cuesta's army. upon the d the allied armies moved forward, and upon the same day the spaniards came in contact with the french, and should have inflicted a severe blow upon them, but the ignorance and timidity of the spanish generals enabled the enemy to draw off and concentrate without loss. the british troops had now been for many days upon half rations, and sir arthur gave notice to the junta, that unless his requisitions were complied with, he should retire from spain. cuesta, however, believing that the french were retreating in haste, pushed his army across the river alberche, with the vain idea of defeating them, and entering madrid in triumph. sir arthur, seeing the fatal consequences which would ensue, were the spaniards attacked alone, laid aside his previously-formed resolution, and put his army in motion across the alberche. the position of the allied armies was now most dangerous--far more so, indeed, than the english general supposed. badly informed by the spanish, he greatly underrated the enemy's forces. taking advantage of the delay caused by the want of provisions and carriage, soult, victor, and ney were marching their forces from various points, and concentrating to crush the invading army. upon the th the french met the spanish army. general zayas, who commanded the spanish advance of infantry and cavalry, scarcely offered any resistance, his men broke and fled in disorder, and the panic would have spread to the whole spanish army, had not general albuquerque brought up more cavalry and held the french at bay, while cuesta retreated in great disorder. the spanish loss by dispersion and flight was no less than men, and the whole army would have been broken up had not general sherbrooke advanced with his division, and placed it between the french and the flying spaniards. the allies now recrossed the alberche and took up a position to cover talavera. sir arthur chose a strong defensive position, as it was evident that the spanish were worse than useless in the open field. the spaniards were placed with their right resting upon talavera, their left upon a mound whereon a large field-redoubt was constructed. their front was covered by a convent, by ditches, stone walls, breastworks, and felled trees; and thus, worthless as were the troops, they could scarcely be driven from a position almost impregnable. the line beyond the spanish was continued by campbell's division, next to which came that of sherbrooke, its left extending to a steep hill. mackenzie and donkin had not yet fallen hack from the alberche. hill was in rear. the british troops, including the german legion, were , strong, with thirty guns. the spaniards had , men and seventy guns. the spanish contingent could, however, be in no way relied upon, and were, indeed, never seriously engaged. the real battle was between the , british troops and , french. the french attacked the british outposts with great impetuosity, and mackenzie and donkin were driven in with a loss of men. the latter took up his position with his brigade on the hill on sherbrooke's left; the former took post with campbell's division, to which he belonged. the french cavalry now galloped up towards the portion of the line held by the spanish, and discharged their pistols at them, whereupon , spanish infantry and the whole of their artillery broke and fled in wild confusion. for miles they continued their flight, but in the evening the spanish cavalry were sent round in pursuit, and drove some of these cowards back to their lines. seeing the wild confusion which was raging on the allies' right, victor resolved, although evening was at hand, to make a sudden dash upon the hill upon their left, which, held only by donkin's brigade, was the key of the position. the hill was very steep upon the front, or french side, while towards the rear it sloped gradually. ruffin's division was ordered to the attack, followed by villette in support, while lapisse was ordered to engage the german legion, which was on the left of sherbrooke's division. hill's division was lying down behind the hill when ruffin's troops advanced to the attack. there was no expectation of an attack that evening, and the woods and increasing darkness covered the movements of the french troops. weary and hungry, the english soldiers, disgusted at the inhuman neglect of the spaniards, and furious at their cowardice, were chatting over the events of the day and discussing the chances, by no means bright, of the expected battle to-morrow. all that day they had had no food whatever save a small portion of grain, served out raw and unground. tom and peter had been chatting with the officers, who were grouped under a tree, when sambo came up to them and beckoned them aside. "look here, massa tom, here six eggs; tree for you, tree for massa peter." "thank you, sam, that is capital; but you know you will get into a row if you get caught taking things." "me no take 'em, massa. old hen give them to me." tom laughed. "how was that, sam?" "well, massa, me saw her sitting on nest. me went up and said to her, 'give me some eggs, old girl.' she say 'cluck.' i says, 'cluck means yes, i suppose?' she say 'cluck' again. clear 'nuff that, so me take eggs, eat tree, bring six, young massa." "i am afraid, sam," tom said, laughing, "your story would hardly save you from the triangles, if you had been caught. however, as it is rude to return a present, of course you cannot take them back to the hen. i suppose they are raw?" "yes, massa; no good make fire; make hole bofe ends, suck 'em." "all right, sam; it is not the nicest way, but, under the circumstances, perhaps it is the best; at any rate, i am too hungry to wait till we can get a fire lighted." so saying, the boys sucked the raw eggs, and then joined the men, when, just as they did so, first a dropping rifle shot, and then a perfect roar of musketry broke out upon the hill above them. it needed no order to be given. the men fell into their places and prepared to climb the hill and assist donkin's brigade, which was evidently unable alone to resist the attack. knapsacks were thrown off, firelocks tightly grasped, and the regiment impatiently awaited orders to advance. none were more impatient than the colonel, who after a few minutes, seeing by the fire that the english were falling back, and that the french had gained the crest of the hill, waited no longer for orders, but gave the word for the regiment to advance. they were but half way up the hill when general hill himself galloped down to meet them, and then turning, led the way beside colonel tritton. general hill had had a narrow escape. donkin had repulsed the french who attacked him in front, but his force was insufficient to guard the whole crest of the hill. consequently, the enemy had come up round his flank, and were now in actual possession of the crest. general hill, ignorant of this, had ridden with his brigade-major right into the midst of the french before he found out his mistake. his brigade-major, fordyce, was killed, his own horse wounded, and his bridle seized by a french grenadier. he had, however, broken away, and had ridden off under a storm of bullets. with a cheer the norfolk rangers followed their gallant leader. they reached the crest, poured a tremendous volley into the enemy, and charged with the bayonet. the french, of whom but a small portion had as yet gained the crest, were unable to resist the impetuous onslaught, and at once gave way. the rangers were now joined by the th and the th, so that these, with donkin's brigade, formed a strong body of troops. the french, who had fallen back, now united with their main body, and the attack was renewed with all the force of ruffin's division. the heavy mass pressed upwards, in spite of the destructive fire of the british, and were within twenty yards of the crest, when, with a hearty cheer, the english troops burst upon them with the bayonet, and the french again fell back, broken and disheartened. this ended the fighting on the th of july. long lines of bivouac fires soon blazed upon either side. the wounded were carried down the hill to the field-hospital, which had been erected under its cover, and the men, eating their scanty supper, wrapped themselves in their great coats, and were soon asleep. the officers chatted for a short time longer, but as all were tired, and the next day was sure to be a severe one, they, too, soon lay down by their fire. when morning broke, it was seen that the enemy had massed a large force of artillery upon a hill just opposite to the one held by the english. soon afterwards ruffin's division, as before supported by villette, advanced to the attack, covered by the tremendous fire from his artillery. the british had no adequate force of artillery to reply to the iron storm, and the balls swept through their lines, mowing down their ranks, and causing great loss. the regiments in reserve lay down to avoid the iron shower, while the rangers and th prepared to resist the french when they came within fighting distance. as their men approached the summit of the hill, the french artillery was obliged to cease playing in that direction, and turned its attention to the british center, while a fierce musketry contest took place between the french and hill and donkin's men. the ground was rough, and the troops on both sides, broken up into small bodies, fought desperately. general hill was wounded, and the british troops fell fast. the french, however, suffered even more, and, as hill brought up his reserve, the english gained ground foot by foot, until they drove them again down the steep side of the hill. as the french retired, their artillery once more opened fire to cover their retreat. a pause now ensued; the french in this brief contest had lost men, and the british had suffered severely. the french then held a council of war, and determined to attack along the whole line in force. hours passed away; the english munched their corn, smoked their pipes, and watched the enemy scattered over the plain. the weather was very hot, and the men of both sides went down to a little stream which divided their positions, drank, and filled their water-bottles in perfect amity. some of the officers, who spoke french conversed with the french officers, exchanged cigars for brandy, and joked and laughed as if they had been the best of friends. at one o'clock the french drums were heard to beat, and the men were soon formed in order. tom and peter stood with a group of officers on the brow of the hill. nothing could be finer than the sight. far away the view stretched over the country, thickly wooded, and with château and farm-houses scatted here and there. through the trees the dense masses of the french could be seen, as they moved in columns towards the positions from which they were to attack. upon an eminence, nearly opposite to their position, the boys could see a long line of the french artillery. far away, to the right, rose the churches of talavera, while behind the hill were the british and spanish cavalry, ready to charge should the french endeavor to turn the british left by pushing round its foot. fifty paces from the officers of the norfolk rangers sat sir arthur wellesley, on horseback, watching attentively through a field-glass the movements of the enemy, and at a short distance behind him were his staff. the british troops were standing in easy order, a little behind the crest of the hill, so as to be sheltered from the artillery fire with which the french were sure to cover the advance of their column of attack. "this is a grand sight, peter," tom said, "but i wish they would begin; it makes one fidgety waiting for it." scarcely had tom spoken when, as if in answer to his wish, a series of jets of white smoke puffed out from the opposite hill, and two or three seconds later came the thunder of eighty guns, and the whizzing sound of as many balls. instinctively the group drew back a pace, but it was not upon them that this tremendous fire was opened. it was directed against the right of the british line, and almost at the same moment a cloud of skirmishers appeared among the trees, followed by the dark columns of sebastiani's division. upon these the english guns at once opened fire; but rushing forward with their usual impetuosity, they cleared away the obstacles which had been raised across the british front, and charged with fury against the british position. campbell's division, however, assisted by mackenzie's brigade and two spanish battalions, stood firm, and driving back the skirmishers, advanced in line, cheering loudly. the head of the french column withered away under their tremendous fire, and, pushing forward, they overlapped it, and drove them back with terrible loss, capturing ten guns. then campbell prudently recalled his men to their first position, and the british artillery, which had necessarily been silent while friend and foe were mingled together, opened furiously upon the french as they tried to re-form upon their supports. a spanish cavalry regiment dashed down upon their flank, and they retired again in great disorder. every incident of the fight could be seen from the british position on the hill, and the troops almost held their breath with excitement as the british lines clashed against the head of the french column, and a loud shout of triumph burst out spontaneously as the french broke and fled. but it was now the turn of the left. already villette's division, preceded by the grenadiers and supported by ruffin's division, was advancing, and the british cavalry were ordered to charge them. the ground was, however, quite unfit for cavalry. colonel arentschild, a very experienced officer, who commanded the german hussars, drew up his regiment at the edge of a deep cleft which crossed their front, and refused to take his men to certain destruction. the d dragoons, however, dashed into the ravine. men and horses rolled over in all directions; still, they got across, and, charging furiously between the french infantry regiments, which poured in a terrible fire, fell upon a brigade of chasseurs in their rear. victor sent up his polish lancers and westphalian light horse to the assistance of the chasseurs, who already outnumbered the d, and this gallant regiment was completely broken, the survivors escaping to the shelter of bassecourt's spanish division, which lay beyond the hill, having lost men and officers. tom and peter did not see this disastrous affair, for on the approach of the enemy's column they fell into their places in the ranks. it was, however, in vain that the french tried to gain the crest of the hill, their efforts at this point being indeed far more feeble than they had been either in the morning or upon the previous night. it was in the center that their great effort was made. here lapisse threw his division against that of sherbrooke, and, covered by his own artillery and by the guns upon the hill, charged right up to the position. the british, however, repulsed them, and the guards, carried away by the excitement of the moment, followed them with reckless ardor. the french reserves of infantry and cavalry came up, the artillery plied the british with shot and shell, the fugitives rallied and again came to the attack, and the guards fell back in confusion. the germans next to them, severely pressed, began to waver, and for a time it seemed that the british, victorious upon both flanks, were yet to lose the battle by being broken in the center. now, however, the th, which sir arthur had ordered down from the hill when he saw the rash advance of the guards, was seen advancing in line through the disordered masses. wheeling back, it allowed the retreating regiments to pass through it and then again formed and fell upon the flank of the victorious french column. the french paused in their advance, the guards and germans rallied and came back again to the fight, the shots of the british guns plowed lines in the column, the french wavered, and, as the british light cavalry trotted up with the intention of charging them, fell back, and drew off to their first position amidst shouts of victory along the whole length of the british line. thus the battle ceased, each party occupying the ground it had held in the morning. the british loss in killed, wounded, and missing, in the two days' fighting, was ; that of the french . had the british been in a condition to have sallied from their position and pursued the retiring enemy, the victory would have had far greater results; but, exhausted and half-starved, the british were incapable of following up their advantage. the next morning at daybreak, the french army quitted its position, and, retiring across the alberche, formed line of battle there, and awaited the attack, should the english take the offensive. this they were in no position to do, although in the course of the day craufurd had come up with the d, d, and th regiments. these three regiments had heard of the first day's fighting from the spanish fugitives, and had marched with all speed to the assistance of their friends. they had, carrying their kit and ammunition, weighing from lb. to lb., actually marched sixty-two miles in twenty-six hours in the hottest season of the year, one of the greatest feats recorded in military history. the rangers had suffered heavily, and in the two days' fighting had lost thirty-eight killed and wounded. among the former were two officers, while several others were wounded. the scudamores had, fortunately, both escaped without a scratch. the inhumanity of the spaniards was now more markedly shown than ever. although both in cuesta's army, and in the town of talavera provisions were abundant, yet the inhabitants carefully concealed them, while both the wounded and fighting men of the british army were in want. so great was the misery and indignation of the soldiers at this shameful treatment, from those for whom they were doing so much, that they would willingly have attacked the spanish army and plundered the town; and from this period to the end of the war the british hated the spanish with a deep and bitter hatred. wellesley now received news that soult had crossed the mountains through the pass of banos, which had been left undefended by the spanish, and was marching upon his rear. believing that soult had only , men with him--whereas in fact, he had , --sir arthur left the spanish army at talavera in charge of the hospitals, with sick and wounded, and retraced his steps, with the intention of giving battle to this new enemy. upon the d, however, he learned the real strength of soult's army, and upon the same day heard that general cuesta had basely retreated from talavera, without having provided any transport whatever, according to his promise, for the british sick and wounded. all of these who had strength to crawl rejoined the british army, but , who were unable to walk, were left behind, and fell into the hands of the french, by whom they were treated with far greater kindness and attention than they had been by the spanish. upon the th cuesta joined sir arthur, and at six o'clock next morning the only possible course for safety was adopted. victor was advancing from talavera, soult was hurrying from placentia to cut off the retreat of the british, and accordingly sir arthur fell back upon arzobispo, on the tagus. the artillery, the baggage and wounded, first crossed the bridge, and at two o'clock the entire army was across. so great was the hunger of the men that a herd of swine happening to be seen close to the line of march, the soldiers ran upon them, shot and bayoneted them, and devoured them raw. taking up a strong position, guarding the bridges of the tagus, the british army remained quiet until the end of august. during this time they became so weakened by starvation that they could scarcely walk; a great portion of the cavalry horses, and nearly all the baggage animals died of hunger, and at last, sir arthur, finding that no remonstrances availed with the junta, fell back again to the portuguese frontier by slow marches, for the army was so utterly enfeebled that it resembled a vast body of invalids, rather than an army of unbeaten soldiers. chapter viii. a pause in operations. talavera was fought in july, , and for four months longer sir arthur wellesley kept his troops on the spanish frontier, where his presence served as a check against any invasion, even by a very formidable army, of portugal. after the utter bad faith and cowardice shown by the spanish, the great commander was determined never again to trust in their promises, or to undertake any movement dependent for success upon their co-operation. the junta then declared that the spaniards would alone and unaided sweep the french beyond the pyrenees, and a spanish army of , infantry, cavalry, and guns advanced in november against madrid. it was met by a french army of , infantry, cavalry, and guns. the battle began at eleven in the morning, and by three the french, with a loss of only killed and wounded, had utterly routed the spanish, with a loss of killed and wounded, guns, and , prisoners! after this signal and disgraceful defeat, lord wellington--for he had now been raised to the peerage--felt that nothing whatever could be done at present in spain, and so fell back into portugal, where for many months he occupied himself in preparing to meet the storm which would, he knew, fall ere long upon that country. the portuguese authorities were as incapable, as untrustworthy, and as intractable as were those of spain; but here, happily, lord wellington had more power. england was paying large subsidies towards keeping up the portuguese army, which was commanded by lord beresford, having under him many british officers. the portuguese troops were hardy, obedient, and far braver than the spaniards; but difficulties often arose in keeping the army together, because the portuguese government, although england was paying the principal expenses of the army, yet starved their soldiers, and often kept them for months without pay. it was only by the strongest remonstrances, and by the oft-repeated threat that he would embark the british troops, and abandon portugal altogether, unless these and other abuses were done away with, that lord wellington succeeded in reducing this incapable and insolent government to reason. reinforcements arrived but slowly from england, for a considerable portion of the available troops of england were frittered away in holding cadiz and in an expedition to sicily. in these two places some , english troops were wasted--a force, which, had it been added to wellington's army, would have enabled him to take the field against the french, instead of being forced to remain in portugal for upwards of a year without discharging a single shot against the enemy. tom and peter scudamore, however, were not destined to remain inactive all these weary months. one day in november, just before the army fell back from the spanish frontier, general hill was dining at mess with the regiment; for, rough as was the accommodation, the officers had succeeded in establishing a general mess. the conversation turned upon the difficulty of discovering what force the various french generals had at their disposal, the reports received by the commander-in-chief being often ridiculously incorrect. there was also an immense difficulty in communicating with the guerilla chiefs who, almost always beaten when they came to blows with any considerable bodies of the french, yet managed to harass them terribly by cutting off convoys, falling upon small parties, and attacking outposts and bands of foragers. knowing every mountain pass and road, these men could, if they would, keep lord wellington informed of every considerable movement of the enemy, and might in return receive instruction for acting, when required, in concert before the communication of an advancing army, or might create a diversion by uniting their bands, and threatening some important post. the next day the boys went to colonel tritton's quarters, and, referring to the conversation of the day before, said that they were willing to carry any messages that the general might require sent, and to obtain any information wanted. "nonsense, boys, you would be hung as spies before you had been gone a week." "i don't think so, sir," tom said; "we have had very little to do during the six months we have been out here except to learn the language of the country, and i think now we could pass very well as spanish boys. besides, who would suspect boys? we are quite ready to chance detection if we can be allowed to go." "i don't like it, boys; you are too young. well, if not too young," he said, in answer to a movement of tom's to speak, "we all like you too well to run the risk of hearing you have been hung like a couple of young puppies." "you are very kind, colonel; but you know you promised to give us a chance if you could, and having a chance of course means having extra danger; but i really don't think that there would be any great danger in it." "well, boys," colonel tritton said, after a few moments' thought, "i do not feel justified in refusing your application, and will mention it to general hill. there are very few officers in the army who speak spanish fluently, and you being boys would, as you say, avert suspicion. but i tell you fairly that i hope general hill will at once refuse to entertain the idea." "thank you, sir," the boys said. "of course that is all we could ask you to do." the next day, after parade was over, colonel tritton walked on to general hill's quarters at a sort of half farm-house, half country-seat, a short distance from the village, round which the rangers were encamped. as he came up to the house, general hill came out from his door talking to a spanish officer, who had the day before brought some despatches from one of the spanish generals to lord wellington. colonel tritton joined them, and they stood talking together upon the state of affairs in spain, and of the advance of the spanish army on madrid, which was then just taking place. as they did so two very ragged, unkempt spanish boys, shoeless and wretched-looking, limped up, and began to beg. general hill shook his head, and the spaniard impatiently motioned them away. "por dios," one whined; "give us something; we are starving. the french have burnt down our houses, and killed our fathers and mothers--we are starving. 'por l'amor de dios!'" "what's the poor little beggar say?" general hill asked the spaniard. "the usual story--house burnt, father and mother killed, starving. i dare say it's all a lie." "where did you live?" he asked in spanish. "in the village of oros, near valencia." "and how did you come here?" "the french burnt the village because the guerillas had killed a party of theirs in it, and they killed all the people, and then carried off the mules and horses, and took us to drive some of them. that was four months ago. we had to drive till the other day at tamanes, when our men beat the french; our mules were taken, and, as they did not want us as drivers we had nothing to do but to come on in hopes that the kind english would give us food." the spanish officer translated what the boy said, and general hill remarked, "yes, that was a brilliant affair of the duke del pasque's. here," he called to an orderly, "give these boys some bread. i will see what can be done for them afterwards. i am afraid nothing. poor little wretches! their story is a very common one." the boys received the bread with a great show of thankfulness, and, sitting down by the roadside, began to munch it with great appetite. the spanish officer now mounted his horse and rode off, while general hill and colonel tritton remained standing where he had left them. colonel tritton then told general hill of the scudamores' request to be allowed to penetrate into spain as spies or with dispatches. "the young pickles!" general hill laughed. "what will they be wanting to do next? pooh, pooh! it would be out of the question." "i believe they do really speak spanish exceedingly well." colonel tritton said. "they generally act as interpreters for us, and none of the officers speak spanish with anything like the same fluency." "as far as the language goes, they might get on, perhaps," general hill said; "but they look as thorough english boys as you could see. they would be detected at once." "yes," colonel tritton said, "they are both thorough english boys; i should know them anywhere. what a contrast to the miserable, limping, hang-dog lads there! poor little chaps! why, upon my word, i believe the fellows are laughing." general hill looked sharply at them, and, as he looked from one to the other, he said sarcastically, "poor little chaps indeed! you said that very naturally, tritton. it really does you credit as an actor." colonel tritton looked at the general with an expression of blank astonishment. "what," said the general, "were you really taken in too" "taken in?" repeated colonel tritton vaguely. "don't you see, tritton, those poor little chaps you are pitying so are those two young scamps we were talking about." colonel tritton stared in astonishment at the boys, and then, as he recognized them, he joined the general in a shout of laughter, while the two boys stood up and saluted with an attempt at gravity which was only partially successful, so amused were they at the astonishment of their colonel, as well as pleased at the success of their disguise. just at this moment there was a sound of tramping horses, and directly afterwards an officer rode up, followed by four or five others, and at a short distance in the rear by an escort of orderlies. the boys needed not the exclamation of general hill, "here is wellington." they knew who the rider was, who checked his horse as he reached the gate, for they had often seen him as he rode through the camp. a slight man, very careful and neat in his dress, with an aquiline nose and piercing eyes. peter was rising as he drew up his horse, when tom said, "don't get up, peter; go on with your bread. it would look absurd for us to salute now, and would draw attention to us," he went on, as lord wellington dismounted, threw the bridle off his horse to an orderly, and saying to general hill, "i wanted to see you; come in." colonel tritton went into the house, followed by the two officers. "we'll stop here till they come out again, peter. perhaps general hill may speak to him about us. at any rate, we will keep up our disguise till they've gone. let us play at odd and even." it was a game of which spanish boys are very fond, and they may be seen in any of the spanish towns sitting by the houses on door-steps in the sun playing. it was half an hour before the general came out again. he was about to mount his horse, when he glanced at the boys, who were sitting against the wall a few paces off, seemingly absorbed in their play, and paying no attention whatever to him. suddenly he changed his mind, dropped his rein, and walked up to them. "what are you playing for?" he asked abruptly in spanish. "reals, señor," tom said looking up, but not moving. "you are poor; how can you pay?" asked the general. "oh! we don't pay," tom laughed. "we keep count. i owe him twelve thousand now. i will pay him when i get rich. he can wait." and he held out his closed hand again for peter to guess the number of stones it contained. "come inside," lord wellington said abruptly, and, turning led the way into the house again, followed by general hill, colonel tritton, and the two boys. "it is not often i change my mind," he said to general hill; "but for once i do so now. when you told me about these lads, i refused to employ them on such dangerous service, even when you told me of the courage and coolness which they exhibited on the voyage. now i have tried them myself, i see that they will do. if they could keep up their disguise when i spoke to them suddenly, and answer without hesitation or any excitement which could have shown that they were not what they pretended to be, they can do so with a french general. i am no judge of the purity of their spanish; but as you tell me they deceived a spanish officer just now, they will be able to pass with frenchmen. now, lads," he went on turning to them, "you have thought over, of course, the risks you are going to run, and are prepared, if detected, to be hung like dogs." the boys bowed. "you will receive detailed instructions through colonel tritton, together with such despatches as i may wish sent. they will be written as small as possible. you will not go for a week; devote all your time to studying the map. the largest size we have shall be sent to your colonel this afternoon. of course you will be supplied with money, and for anything you can think of likely to assist you, speak to colonel tritton. you are beginning well, young sirs. if you like, you ought to made a noise in the world. now, hill, i must be off." and the general left the room with the officers, while the boys were stammering out their thanks. "where did you dress up, boys?" colonel tritton asked them after the general had ridden off. "you did not come out from camp like this i hope?" "no, colonel; we changed in that little wood there." "what have you colored your skins with?" "we got some iodine from the doctor, sir, and mixed it with water till it was just thick enough to tinge our skin. it will wash pretty well off with plenty of scrubbing, but we mean to use walnut juice when we start; it lasts much longer, and is a better brown." "i am not sure, boys, that you had not better leave your faces alone, they and your hands are so sunburnt that you would pass well enough, though you must dye your arms and legs. fortunately, your hair is pretty dark, for you can't well carry dye. think well over all these things, for your lives may depend on some trifle of this kind. i shall see you at mess." so saying, colonel tritton walked on, leaving the boys to follow at their leisure. just as they were about to turn off to make for the woods they saw a soldier coming along the road. "that's sam, if i am not mistaken, peter, we will have some fun with him. we can trust him to say nothing in the regiment about meeting us like this." the two boys accordingly sat down by a low wall by the roadside, and as sam came up talked away to each other in spanish. he passed without paying any attention to them. after he had gone a few yards, tom said in a deep, loud voice, "sambo." the black halted suddenly, and turned round. first he looked angrily at the boys, then he went to the side of the road and looked over the wall. then with a very perplexed air he looked up and down the road. "who dat have impudence to call dis colored gentleman sambo," he said to himself. "some fellow did, dat for sartin, not dose little spanish trash, dey not know sam's name, some rascal in regiment; he's hid somewhere. i pound him to squash when i find him." muttering thus he turned to proceed on his way, but before he had gone twenty yards, he again heard a deep shout. "here, you, sambo." the black jumped as if he was shot, "my golly," he exclaimed, and then walked back to the boys, who were talking together, shook his head and again looked over the wall. then he stooped down to the boys, and shook his fist in their faces, "you little debils, you call sambo, i pound you to squash." the boys both leapt to their feet with an air of intense surprise and alarm, and began to cry out in spanish. "no, can't be you," sam said, "dis chile must be witched, no place for men to hide, sartin not dem boys. stone wall can't call sambo all by self, sam's going out of mind. oh! lor, dis berry bad affair," and sam sat down by the roadside with a face of such perfect bewilderment and dismay that the boys could stand it no longer, but went off together into a scream of laughter, which caused sam to jump to his feet again. "what you larf for, what you larf for, you little rascals, you play trick, eh? you call sambo, who taught you dat name?" and he seized the two boys and shook them furiously. "oh! sam, sam, you will kill us with laughing," tom got out at last. "do leave go, man, or we shall choke," and as sam, astonished, loosed his hold, the boys sat down and laughed till their sides ached. "golly," exclaimed the negro, as he looked at them, "dose boys again. what on earth you do, massa tom, massa peter, in dose ragged close, what you dress up like two beggars for? lor! how you take in dis chile, me tink you little spanish trash, sure enuff." it was some time before the boys could compose themselves, and then tom made sam sit close by his side. "look here, sam, this isn't a joke, this is a serious business and before i tell you anything about it, you must promise to keep the secret strictly, as it would do us a great deal of harm if it was known." sam declared at once that if they tore him to pieces with wild horses he would say nothing. tom then explained the whole thing to him and sam at once declared that he would go too. "quite impossible, sam. you do not speak a word of spanish and although at any of the seaport towns you could pass as a runaway sailor, there could be no possible reason for your wandering about the country with two spanish boys." sam thought for some time. "now dat berry unlucky massa tom, dat sam play big drum. big drum fine music, but big drum not go well by self. if sam had played fiddle, sam could go, but sam couldn't go nohow with big drum." "i should think not, sam, with the name of the regiment painted on it. no, no, you must stay behind. there won't be any fighting now till the spring, and by that time we shall be back with the regiment." "but what you do without sam? who black massa's boots? who brush his clothes?" tom laughed. "these clothes would fall all to pieces, if they were brushed much, sam, and at present we have no boots to be blacked." "where you get dose clothes, massa tom," sam asked, examining with great disgust the rags the boys had on. "we bought some peasant's clothes about our size, and the first beggar boys we saw we offered to exchange. you should have seen their faces of astonishment. when we got the clothes we made them into a bundle, and took them to the bakehouse, and got the baker to put them into the oven for a few hours to kill anything there might be in them. now, sam, it is time for us to be going. it will take us an hour's scrubbing to get the color off us. be sure you keep our secret." chapter ix. with the guerillas. it was on a fine morning at the end of march that a cortége of muleteers and mules left the little town of alonqua. it was now four months since the scudamores left the army, and in the intervening time they had tramped through a large portion of spain. they had carried with them only a dozen or so little despatches done up in tiny rolls of the length and about the thickness of a bodkin, these were sewn inside the lining of their coats, in the middle of the cloth where it was doubled in at the seams, so that, even were the clothes to be examined carefully and felt all over, the chances of detection were slight indeed. they had each, on starting, half a dozen pieces of spanish gold coin sewn between the thicknesses of leather of the soles of each of their shoes, for they did not start in the beggar clothes in which they had first disguised themselves. their clothes were, indeed, worn and somewhat patched, but were of stout material, and they wore shoes, but no stockings. they had, indeed, the appearance of spanish boys of the peasant class. the weather in the north of spain is often very cold in winter, and the boys felt that, with rags and bare feet, they should suffer severely. all that they had to say and do had been learned by heart. the names and addresses of the agents of the british government at every town had been laboriously learned before starting, and, as peter said ruefully, it was worse than a dozen greek impositions. at each place of any importance they would find the person to whom they were instructed to apply, would accost him with some password, and would be put up by him while they remained there. when they had gained the intelligence they required--of the number of french troops in the place and its neighborhood, a knowledge always obtained by going round, counting the men on parade, or, in the case of small villages, finding out easily enough from a peasant the number, quartered there, they would write a report on the number the intentions as far as they could learn them, the amount of food in store, and the sentiments of the population, would enclose the despatch in a goose-quill and give it to their host, who was responsible for forwarding it. in a great number of cases, indeed, the man to whom they were accredited was a muleteer. these men hated the french with a hatred even more deep and deadly than that of other spaniards, for, in addition to the national causes of hatred, their mules were constantly being requisitioned or seized by the troops and they themselves forced to accompany the army for long distances at a nominal rate of pay for themselves and their animals. then, too, they were in close connection with the guerillas, for whom they carried goods up into the mountains from the towns, and when the chance came would leave their animals in the mountains and join in cutting off an enemy's convoy. they acted as messengers and spies too, and took their friends in the hills early news of intended movements of the enemy. many a day had the boys traveled in the company of these muleteers, merry, careless fellows, singing and talking to their mules, apparently the best-natured of men, until something would be said which would recall the hated foe, and then their black eyes would flash, their fingers clutch their knife-handles, and they would pour out long strings of deep spanish oaths. great was the surprise of these men on receiving the password from two boys, but they never hesitated an instant in taking them in, in giving them hospitality as long as they remained, and in either accompanying them to the next town, or handing them over to the charge of some comrade going in that direction. not even to them did the scudamores ever betray that they were not what they were taken to be, two spanish boys employed by the english commander as messengers. often they were questioned how the english had come to entrust important communications to two boys, and their reply always was that their father and mother had fled to portugal from the french, and were living there near the english lines, and that they had offered their lives in case of their sons' treachery. this system of hostages seemed probable enough to their questioners, and if the boys' fare was rather harder, and their treatment more unceremonious than it would have been had they said that they were british officers in disguise, they ran far less risk of detection from an accidental word or sign. indeed it would have been next to impossible for them, had they desired it, to convince any one of their identity. there was no fear now of their accent betraying them. since they had left the army they had never, even when alone together, spoken in english. they made the rule and kept to it for two reasons, the one being that they found that if they did not get into this habit of always speaking spanish, they might inadvertently address each other in english, and thus betray themselves; the second, that they wanted to learn to speak absolutely like natives. this they had in the four months thoroughly learned to do. at first their pronunciation and occasional mistakes excited curiosity when asked questions as to the part of spain from which they had come, but their constant communication with their muleteer friends had quite removed this, and for the last two months not one person had doubted that they were not only spanish, but that they came from the northern provinces. hitherto they had journeyed principally between large towns and over country held by the french, but that part of their work was finished; they had accurately computed the number of the army with which massena was to advance shortly to besiege ciudad rodrigo, and they had now to carry the despatches to the guerilla leaders. hitherto they had not in a single instance excited suspicion. not a frenchman had asked them a question, and no adventure of anything like an exciting nature had taken place. they were now, however, entering into a country entirely different from that which they had hitherto traversed. the northeast of spain is wild and mountainous, and offers immense natural facilities for irregular warfare. through the various passes of the pyrenees lead all the roads from france, whether to vittoria on the great road to madrid, or through navarre to catalonia. here and there fortified towns still held out against the french, and the town of gerona, in catalonia, had only fallen after a six months' regular siege, and a desperate defense which fully rivals that of saragossa. is it not a little singular that the spaniards, who in the open field were, with a few remarkable exceptions, absolutely contemptible, yet frequently defended towns with wonderful fortitude, courage, and desperation. it may, indeed, be said that in every siege where the spaniards were commanded by brave and resolute chiefs they behaved admirably. this great range of hill country was the stronghold of the guerillas, and every convoy from france had to be protected by a large force, and even then often suffered greatly from the harassing attacks of their active enemies. the bands of the guerilla chiefs differed greatly in strength, varying from merely ten or a dozen men to three or four thousand, and indeed each band varied continually. the men, when not required, would scatter to their homes, cultivate their little patches of ground, and throw down the spade and take up the rifle again when they heard of a convoy to cut off, or an invading column to beat back. the bands, too, would vary in proportion to the renown of their chiefs. an energetic man, who, at the head of a handful, had performed some daring feats, would find himself a week afterwards the leader of many hundreds, while a chief who was slow and dilatory would find his band melt away like snow in summer. the character of the warfare depended much upon the character of the french generals. a few of these kept the troops under their command sternly in hand, would permit no plundering, and insisted upon their fair treatment of the spaniards. these in turn wanted nothing better than to remain quietly in their homes, and the guerilla bands would melt away to nothing. other generals, furious at the savage nature of the warfare, and the incessant toil and loss entailed upon their troops, allowed the latter to do as they pleased, and burning houses and dead bodies marked their course. then the peasantry, now turned guerillas, retaliated as savagely, giving no quarter, sacrificing all prisoners, and putting the wounded to death, sometimes with torture. on both sides horrible atrocities were committed. the guerillas were armed partly with rifles and carbines, partly with muskets landed on the coast by the british government, who also, from time to time, sent powder and money to assist them to continue their resistance to the french. although nowhere really formidable, yet, being scattered over a great extent of country, these bands occupied very large bodies of french troops, who would otherwise have been disposable for general operations in the field. the english commander-in-chief had, of course, no shadow of authority over the guerillas, or, indeed, over any of the spanish troops, and his communication to them simply asked what arms and ammunition they required, and begged them to send him a list of the number of men they could each throw on the french communications and lines of retreat in case he should find himself in a position to make a general advance against them. he also recommended most strongly the bearers of the despatch to their care. it was to the chief known as nunez that they were now bound. the mule train was nominally destined for vittoria, to which town the leader had got a pass, specifying the number of mules and the nature of the goods they carried, from the french commandant at alonqua, for no one was allowed to take the goods about the country without a pass, in order to prevent supplies being forwarded to the mountains. this pass, however, only mentioned twelve mules with four drivers, and this was the number which started from alonqua. another score of mules, however, joined them at a short distance from the town where a by-road turned off. some of these had gone out from the town unloaded, as if taken out to graze, others had not entered the town, but had come direct from the sea-coast by by-paths with powder, and had been awaiting the departure of garcias, the name of the leader of the party. they had eight men with them, all armed to the teeth. "is it all right, garcias?" "all right," the leader said; "they have sent out their squadrons on the other road, so i think we are safe for to-day." "what boys have you got there with you?" "they have business with nunez; letter from the coast." the cavalcade was now in motion again, and wound gradually up into the hills. presently they came to a point where four roads met. a clump of trees grew hard by, and the boys gave a start of horror at seeing the bodies of six french soldiers swinging from them. "ay, that's nunez's work, i expect," garcias said coolly. "there were three of his men swinging there last week, so as a lesson he has hung up six of the french. he is a rough boy to play with, is nunez." at sunset the party slept in a small farm, and at daybreak continued their journey. they were now in the heart of the mountains, and their path lay sometimes up deep ravines, sometimes along rocky ledges. at last, about midday, they entered a valley in which stood a small village. "that's nunez's head-quarters to-day," garcias said; "to-morrow he may be no one knows where." "but does he have to sally out by the wretched road by which we have come?" tom asked. "no, no," garcias replied; "he would not catch much prey that way. there are three other ways out of the valley. that winding path you see there leads up to santona. that road on the other side leads out on to the plain, and thence to vittoria; while the footpath over the brow opposite leads right down into the wide valley through which the main north road runs. so you see this is a handy spot. from that brow we can see the convoys going to and from france, and can pour down upon them if they are weak; while, if a column is sent in search of us, we can vanish away long before they can catch us. nunez does not use the direct road over the brow for his attack, but follows the santona or vittoria road for a while, and then makes a swoop round. he does not want to bring the french up to this village, for his family and the families of many of the men live here." as they approached the village, they found that there was a good deal of bustle going on. armed men were coming out of the cottages, and gathering in a group round a rough stone cross, which stood in the center of a sort of green. "we are just in time," garcias said; "nunez is starting on some expedition or other." when they reached the spot there were nearly two hundred men assembled. they greeted garcias with shouts of welcome as he arrived. "ah, ah! garcias, just in time. our last skin of wine was emptied last night; we will bring some more up to-morrow; but if you had not come we should have had to start thirsty, and that's unlucky besides being unpleasant." "where is nunez!" garcias asked. "here he comes," was the reply; and the boys turning saw a figure approaching, which by no means answered to the expectation of the celebrated guerilla chief. he was small and almost humpbodied, but very broad. his head seemed too large for his body, and a pair of fierce eyes gleamed out from beneath his shaggy eyebrows. his mustache was thin and bristly and his month wide, but with thin lips. the boys could understand the reputation for cruelty and mercilessness which attached to this sinister-looking figure, but there was none of the savage power which they had expected to see in so celebrated a leader. "any news, garcias?" he asked shortly, as he came up. "none, captain, except that these boys have brought some despatches for you from the english lord." nunez looked sharply at them, and held out his hand without speaking. tom gave him the little quill. the guerilla opened it, read the contents, and, saying briefly, "an answer to-morrow," strode on to his men, and in a few minutes they were defiling out at the end of the valley. "that hardly seems a strong enough body to attack a french convoy, garcias," tom remarked. "no, it would not be, but there is only a part of his band here; the rest will join him at some place agreed on--perhaps ten miles from here. i believe he has about thousand men under his orders. now come along; we shall be none the worse for dinner," and, leaving his men to unload the mules, he led the way into the little posada, or inn. "ah! mother morena," he said to an old woman who was crouching near a blazing wood fire, "warming yourself as usual; it's well you've a good fire, for you will be able to get us some dinner all the more quickly. twelve of us altogether, and all as hungry as wolves." "ah!" exclaimed the old woman crossly; "it seems as if i were never to have an hour's quiet, just as all that roaring, greedy lot, with their mother morena here and mother morena there, and their grumbling at the olla, and their curses and their quarrels, are off, and i think i am going to have a quiet afternoon, then you come in with your twelve hungry wolves." "ah! mother, but wolves don't pay, and we do, you see." the frugal supper over, the boys laid down on the benches, and were soon asleep. the next day passed slowly, for the band were not expected to return until late at night--perhaps not until the next morning, as the pass where the attack would be made was some fifteen miles off, and the convoy might not pass there until late in the afternoon. the boys soon made friends with some of the women and children of the place, to whom they told stories of the great cities of the plain, and of the great water which washed the shores of spain. the greater portion of the spanish peasantry are incredibly ignorant, and very few of the inhabitants of this village had ever gone beyond the mountains. walking about in the village, but apparently mixing but very little in the games of the other children, were two little girls, whose gay dress of rich silk seemed strangely out of place in such a spot. tom asked one of the women who they were, and she replied, with a toss of the head, "they are the captain's children. the last time the band went out they found among the baggage and brought up here, the dresses of the children of some fine lady, and the captain kept them all as part of his share, just as if there were no children in the village whom it would become a great deal better than those stuck-up little things. not," she said, softening a little, "that they were not nice enough before they got these things; but since they came their heads have been quite turned by the finery and they are almost too grand to speak to their old playfellows." "is their mother alive?" "no, poor thing, she was killed by the french when the village she lived in was burned by them, because some of them were found hung in the neighborhood. the captain was away at the time and the children were out in the woods. when he came back he found them crying by the side of their mother's body, in the middle of the burning village. so then he took to the mountains, and he never spares a frenchman who falls into his hands. he has suffered, of course, but he brought it upon himself, for he had a hand in hanging the french soldiers, and now he is a devil. it will be bad for us all; for some day, when the french are not busy with other things, they will rout us out here, and then who can blame them if they pay us for all the captain's deeds? ah! me, they are terrible times, and father predo says he thinks the end of the world must be very near. i hope it will come before the french have time to hunt us down." the boys had a hard struggle not to smile, but the woman spoke so earnestly and seriously, that they could only shake their heads in grave commiseration for her trouble; and then tom asked, "is the captain very fond of the children?" "he worships them," the woman said; "he has no heart and no pity for others. he thinks no more of blood than i do of water; but he is as tender as a woman with them. one of them was ill the other day--a mere nothing, a little fever--and he sat by her bedside for eight days without ever lying down." "i suppose," tom said, "they never bring prisoners up here?" "yes, they do," the woman said; "not common soldiers; they kill them at once; but sometimes officers, if they want to exchange them for some of ours who may have been taken, or if they think they are likely to get a high ransom for them. but there, it always comes to the same thing; there, where you see that mound on the hillside, that's where they are. they blindfold them on their way up here, lest they might find their way back after all. only one or two have ever gone down again. i wish they would finish with them all down below; they are devils and heretics these french; but i don't care about seeing them killed. many of us do, though, and we have not many diversions up here, so i suppose it's all for the best." "i wish that fellow had given us our answer before he went away," tom said to peter when they were alone. "i hope he won't bring any prisoners up here; these massacres are frightful, and one side seems as bad as the other. well, in another month we shall have finished with all this work, and be making for the frontier again. shan't i be glad when we catch sight of the first red-coats!" in the middle of the night the boys were roused by a general bustle, and found that a messenger had just arrived, saying that the expedition had been successful, that a portion of the enemy had been cut off, their rear-guard destroyed, and that the whole band would be up soon after daylight. the village was astir early, but it was not until nine o'clock that the guerilla band arrived. the boys saw at a glance that they were stronger in numbers than when they started, and that with them were some twenty or thirty baggage animals. the women flocked out to meet them with shrill cries of welcome. the booty taken was not of any great value in money, but was more valuable than gold to the guerillas. each one of the band carried, in addition to his own piece, a new french musket, while in the barrels on the mules were powder and ball; there were bales of cloth, and some cases of brandy and champagne, and a few boxes and portmanteaus of officers' baggage. in the rear of all, under a strong guard, were two french officers, both wounded, a lady and a child of some seven or eight years old. after a boisterous greeting to their wives, the band broke up, and scattered over the village, three or four men remaining to guard the captives, who were told to sit down against a wall. the whole band were soon engaged in feasting, but no one paid the least attention to the prisoners. the lady had sunk down exhausted, with the little girl nestled close to her, the officers faint and pale from loss of blood, leaned against the wall. one of them asked the guards for some water, but the men paid no attention to the request, answering only with a savage curse. tom and peter, who were standing by, immediately went to the inn, filled a jug with water, and, taking a drinking horn and some bread, went back. one of the guards angrily ordered them back as they approached. "i am not going to free them," tom said, soothingly; "there can be no reason why they should die of thirst, if they are enemies." "i am thirsty myself," one of the guard said, "and it does us good to see them thirst." "what, has no one brought you anything to drink?" tom said, in a tone of surprise. "here, peter, you give this bread and water to these prisoners; i will run to mother morena's and bring some wine for the guard." the guard would not allow peter to approach the captives until tom arrived with a large jug of wine, and a cold fowl, which he had obtained at the inn. these the spaniards accepted, and allowed the boys to give the water to the prisoners. all drank eagerly, with every expression of thankfulness, the lady seizing peter's hand and kissing it as he handed the horn to the child. the lady was a very bright, pretty woman, though now pale and worn with fatigue and emotion, and the child was a lovely little creature. the boys, on leaving the prisoners, hurried to garcias. "what are they going to do with the prisoners, garcias?" "they have brought them up here to exchange for nunez's lieutenant, who was taken last week. one of the men went off last night to vittoria with a letter to offer to exchange. one of the officers is a colonel, and the young one a captain. the lady is, they say, the wife of general reynier." "then they are safe," tom said joyfully, "for, of course the french would exchange a guerilla against three such prisoners." "yes," garcias said, "they are safe if vagas has not been shot before the messenger gets to vittoria. the messenger will hear directly he gets there, and if they have finished vagas, he will come straight back, for his letter will be of no use then." "but the french would pay a ransom for them." "yes; but the captain is never fond of ransoming, and if the news comes that vagas is shot it is all up with them." "but they will never murder a woman and child in cold blood!" tom said, in tones of indignant horror. "women are killed on both sides," the muleteer said, placidly. "i don't hold to it myself, but i don't know, after all, why a woman's life is a bit more precious than a man's. vagas's wife and children are here, too, and if the news comes of his death, she would stir the band up to kill the prisoners, even if the captain wanted to save them, which he certainly will not do." "when is the messenger expected back?" "if he goes to vittoria and finds vagas is alive, and arranges for the exchange, he won't be back till late to-night, perhaps not till to-morrow; but, if he hears, either on the way or directly he gets there, that he is dead, he may be back this afternoon." soon after this conversation garcias was sent for to the chief, and returned with a small note, which he handed to the boys as the answer to the despatch, and urged them to go at once. the boys said that they could not leave until they saw the end of this terrible drama which was passing before their eyes. it was early in the afternoon when a man was seen coming along the path from vittoria. a hundred eager eyes examined him, and ere long it was declared as certain that it was the messenger. the boys' heart sank within them as they saw the fierce look cast by the spaniards in the direction of the prisoners, for every one in the village was well aware of the meaning of this early return. the boys had arranged upon the course they would pursue, and they at once hurried to garcias. "please come with us at once to nunez. we want to see him before the messenger arrives." "i will come with you," garcias said; "but if you think that any talking of yours will persuade nunez to move out of his way, you are mistaken. it is more likely to cost you your own lives, i can tell you; however, i gave you the promise i would do my best for you when you started with me, and i will go with you now, though what you want to interfere for here is more than i can make out. pshaw! what matters two or three of these accursed french, more or less?" as they neared the chief's house they saw him coming towards them. his brow was as black as thunder; he was evidently prepared for the news of his lieutenant's death. "these messengers want to speak to you for a moment," garcias said. the chief stopped with an impatient gesture. "señor," tom said, with a dignity which surprised the chief; "we are not what we seem. we are two english officers, and we have come to beg of you, to implore you, not to tarnish the cause for which you fight by shedding the blood of women and children." the boys had agreed that it would be altogether hopeless to try to save the french officers. "british officers, indeed," exclaimed nunez, "a likely story. do you know them as such, garcias?" "no," garcias said bluntly, "i never guessed at it; but now they say so, i think it's likely enough, for they don't seem to see things in the same way as other people." "i can give you proof of it," tom said, calmly, pulling up the sleeve of his coat, and showing a cicatrix in his forearm. taking a knife from his pocket, he cut into the skin, and drew forth a tiny silver tube. this he opened, and handed to nunez a paper signed by lord wellington, declaring the bearers to be british officers, and requesting all loyal spaniards to give them every assistance. the captain read it through, and flung it down. "you may be officers," he said contemptuously; "but if you were lord wellington himself, i would not spare these accursed french. listen!" and as he spoke a howl of rage ran from the other end of the village, and told too plainly the nature of the tidings the messenger had brought. "i again protest," tom said firmly. "i protest, as a british officer, and in the name of humanity, against this cold-blooded murder of a woman and child. it is a disgrace to spain, a disgrace to the cause, it is a brutal and cowardly act." the guerilla furiously drew a pistol; but garcias placed himself between him and tom. "i have promised him a safe conduct," he said, "and have given my word for his safety. he is only a boy, and a young fool; don't trouble with him." fortunately at this moment, for the guerilla was still irresolutely handling his pistol, a crowd was seen coming towards them, headed by a woman who seemed frantic with rage and grief. all were shouting, "death to the assassins! death to the french!" the chief at once moved forward to meet them. tom and peter gave a significant glance towards each other, and then tom turned to go back towards the house which nunez inhabited, while peter hurried towards the spot where the prisoners were kept. already a crowd was assembling who were talking threateningly at the french officers. peter made his way through them until he stood by the lady, who, with her child clinging to her neck, looked in terror at the angry crowd, whose attention, however, was directed to the officers, who stood looking calmly indifferent to their threats and insults. "do you speak spanish, madam?" peter asked, leaning over her. she shook her head. "do you speak english?" he asked, in that tongue. "yes, yes, a little." the lady said, eagerly; "who are you? what is this fierce crowd about?" "hush!" peter said. "i am a friend. listen. in a few minutes they are going to shoot you all." the lady gave a stifled cry, and pressed her child close to her. "remember, when they come to you, ask for a priest; gain a few minutes, and i hope to save you and the child." so saying, he slipped away into the crowd again. he had scarcely done so when nunez arrived, accompanied by many of his men. the crowd fell back, and he strode up to the french officers. "french dogs," he said, "you are to die. i spared you to exchange, but your compatriots have murdered my lieutenant, and so now it's your turn. you may think yourselves lucky that i shoot you, instead of hanging you. take them to that wall," he said, pointing to one some twenty yards off. the frenchmen understood enough spanish to know that their fate was sealed. without a word they took each other's hands, and marched proudly to the spot pointed out. here, turning round, they looked with calm courage at the spaniards, who formed up with leveled muskets at a few paces distance. "vive la france! tirez," said the elder, in a firm, voice, and in a moment they fell back dead, pierced with a dozen balls. peter had turned away when nunez appeared on the scene, to avoid seeing the murder, and with his eyes fixed in the direction in which tom had gone, he listened almost breathlessly to what should come. the french lady had sat immovable, cowering over her child, while her countrymen were taken away and murdered. as nunez passed where she crouched, he said to two of his men, "put your muskets to their heads, and finish them!" as the men approached, she lifted up her face, pale as death, and said,-- "un prêtre, uno padre!" "she wants a priest," the men said, drawing back; "she has a right to absolution." there was a murmur of assent from those around, and two or three started to the priest's house, situated only a few yards away, being one of the end houses of the village. the priest soon appeared, came up to the spot, and received orders to shrive the frenchwoman. he attempted a remonstrance, but was silenced by a threat from nunez, and knowing from experience of such scenes that his influence went for nothing with nunez and his fierce band, he bent over her, and the crowd drew back, to let them speak unheard. at this moment, to peter's intense relief, he saw tom approaching with the captain's two children walking beside him. absorbed in what was passing before them, no one else looked round, and peter slipped away and joined his brother. they came within twenty yards of the crowd, and then paused. "wait a minute," tom said to the children, "your father is busy." in another minute nunez shouted roughly, "there that will do; finish with it and have done! i want to be off to my dinner." tom and peter simultaneously drew out a large spanish knife, and each took one of the children firmly by the shoulder. "stop! señor nunez!" tom shouted in a loud, clear tone. "stop! or by heaven there will be four victims instead of two! let one of you lift a finger against these captives--let one of you come one step nearer to us--and, by the holy virgin, we will drive our knives into these children's hearts!" a cry of astonishment broke from the crowd, and one of agony and rage from nunez, who tottered against a wall in horror at the danger in which his daughters were placed. "listen! all of you," tom said, "we are english officers, we have shown our papers to nunez, and he knows it is so. we will not suffer this murder of a mother and her child. if they are to die, we will die with them; but these two children shall die too! now, what is it to be?" a dozen of the guerillas leveled their guns at the two daring boys. "no! no!" nunez shrieked; "lower your guns. don't hurt the children, señors. the captives shall not be hurt; i swear it! they shall go free. give me my children." "not if i know it," tom said; "do you think i could trust the word of a man who would murder women and children in cold blood? no; these girls shall go with us as hostages, till we are safe under french guard." "they will tell them the way up here," said one of the woman in the group, "and then we shall be all killed." "no," tom said; "the lady shall swear not to tell the way up here. she shall swear on your priest's crucifix. we will give you our words as british officers." "but how are the children to get back here again?" another asked, for nunez was so paralyzed that he could only gaze on the children, who were crying bitterly, and implore them to stand quiet, and not try to get away. after more parleying the arrangements were completed. the crowd fell back on either side, so as to leave a large space round the french lady. tom and peter then went up to them with the little girls. the lady was sobbing with joy and excitement at this unexpected relief. "can you walk?" tom asked her in english. "yes," she said, getting up hastily, but almost falling again. "garcias will go first, as guide. the priest will give you his arm," tom went on, "these two young women will go with you and carry your child if necessary. you will walk on, twenty yards ahead of us. we follow with these girls. no one is to follow us, or accompany us. we are to go on like that till we come upon your outposts, and then the priest and the two women will bring back nunez's children." "you will send them safe back, you swear?" asked nunez, in tremulous tones. "psha!" tom said contemptuously, "you don't suppose we are child-murderers, like yourself." "remember!" the guerilla said, in a sudden burst of passion, "if you ever cross my path again, i will--" "do terrible things no doubt," tom said scornfully; "and do you beware, too. it is wild beasts like yourself who have brought disgrace and ruin on spain. no defeat could dishonor and disgrace her as much as your fiendish cruelty. it is in revenge for the deeds that you and those like you do, that the french carry the sword and fire to your villages. we may drive the french out, but never will a country which fights by murder and treachery become a great nation. are you ready, garcias!" "i am ready," the muleteer said, stepping forward from the silent and scowling throng. "we can trust you," tom said heartily; "take us the short way straight down into the valley; we may have the luck to come upon a passing french troop in an hour. think of that, madam," he said to the french lady, "let that give you strength and courage." so saying, the procession set out in the order tom had indicated, amidst the curses of the guerillas, who were furious at seeing themselves thus bearded. at the brow of the hill tom looked back, and saw that the guerillas were still standing in a group, in front of which he could distinguish the figure of nunez. taking off his hat, he waved an ironical farewell, and then followed the party down the hillside into the broad valley below. they could see the road stretching like a thread along it, but to their disappointment, not a figure was visible upon it. now that there was no longer danger of treachery, the party closed up together. "how far is it to vittoria, garcias?" "twenty good miles, señor." "but we shall never get there," tom said in dismay. "i am sure the lady could not walk another five miles; she is quite exhausted now." "you will not have to go five miles, señor. there is a body of four or five hundred french in that large village you see there; it is not more than three miles at most." it was a weary journey, for the french lady, exhausted by fatigue and excitement, was often obliged to stop and sit down to rest, and, indeed, could not have got on at all had not garcias on one side and the padre on the other helped her on. at last, just as the sun was setting, they approached the village, and could see the french sentries at its entrance. when within a hundred yards they paused. "we are safe now," tom said; "it is not necessary for you to go farther. good-by, little ones; i am sorry we have given you such a fright, but it was not our fault. good-by, padre; i know that you will not grudge your walk, for the sake of its saving the lives of these unfortunates. good-by, garcias; thanks for your kindness and fidelity. i will report them when i return, and will, if i get a chance, send you a remembrance of our journey together." "good-by, señors," garcias said, shaking them by the hand; "you english are different to us, and i am not surprised now at your general holding portugal against all the french armies." then he lowered his voice, so that the spanish women standing by could not hear him. "be on your guard, señors; don't move on from the village without a strong convoy is going on; change your disguise, if possible; distrust every one you come across, and, in heaven's name, get back to your lines as soon as possible, for you may be assured that your steps will be dogged, and that you will be safe nowhere in spain from nunez's vengeance. the guerillas communicate with each other, and you are doomed if you fall into the hands of any, except, perhaps, one or two of the greater chiefs. be always on your guard; sleep with your eyes open. remember, except in the middle of a french regiment, you will never be really safe." "thanks, garcias!" the boys said earnestly, "we will do our best to keep our throats safe. at any rate, if we go down, it shall not be for want of watchfulness!" another shake of the hands, and the party separated. the spanish woman who was carrying the sleeping french child handed her over to tom, who took her without waking her while peter lent his arm to the french lady. "madam," tom said in english, "you will soon be among your friends. i know that you will keep your promise not to divulge the situation of the village you have left. i must ask you, also, to promise me not to say that we speak english, or to say anything which may create a suspicion that we are not what we seem. you will, of course, relate your adventures, and speak of us merely as spanish boys, who acted as they did being moved by pity for you. we must accompany you for some time, for nunez will move heaven and earth to get us assassinated, and all we want is that you shall obtain permission for us to sleep in the guard-room, so as to be under shelter of french bayonets until we can decide upon our course of action." the lady assented with a gesture, for she was too exhausted to speak, and as they reached the french sentries she tottered and sank down on the ground insensible. chapter x. madrid. the french sentries, who had been watching with surprise the slow approach of two peasant boys, the one carrying a child, the other assisting a woman clad in handsome, but torn and disheveled clothes, on seeing the latter fall, called to their comrades, and a sergeant and some soldiers came out from a guard-room close by. "hallo!" said the sergeant. "what's all this? who is this woman? and where do you come from?" the boys shook their heads. "of course," the sergeant said, lifting the lady, "they don't understand french; how should they? she looks a lady, poor thing. who can she be, i wonder?" "general reynier," tom said, touching her. "general reynier!" exclaimed the sergeant to his comrades. "it must be the general's wife. i heard she was among those killed or carried off from that convoy that came through last night. jacques, fetch out captain thibault, and you, noel, run for dr. pasques." the officer on guard came out, and, upon hearing the sergeant's report, had madame reynier at once carried into a house hard by, and sent a message to the colonel of the regiment. the little girl, still asleep, was also carried in and laid down, and the regimental doctor and the colonel soon arrived. the former went into the house, the latter endeavored in vain to question the boys in french. finding it useless, he walked up and down impatiently until a message came down from the doctor that the lady had recovered from her fainting fit, and wished to see him at once. tom and peter, finding that no one paid any attention to them, sat, quietly down by the guard-house. in a few minutes the french colonel came down. "where are those boys?" he exclaimed hastily. there was quite a crowd of soldiers round the house, for the news of the return of general reynier's wife and child had circulated rapidly and created quite an excitement. "where are those boys?" he shouted again. the sergeant of the guard came forward. "i had no orders to keep them prisoners, sir," he said in an apologetic tone, for he had not noticed the boys, and thought that he was going to get into a scrape for not detaining them; but he was interrupted by one of the soldiers who had heard the question, bringing them forward. to the astonishment of the soldiers, the colonel rushed forward, and, with a frenchman's enthusiasm, actually kissed them. "mes braves garçons!" he exclaimed. "mes braves garçons! look you, all of you," he exclaimed to the soldiers, "you see these boys, they are heroes, they have saved, at the risk of their own lives, mark you, general reynier's wife and daughter; they have braved the fury of that accursed nunez and his band, and have brought them out from that den of wolves." and then, in excited tones, he described the scene as he had heard it from madame reynier. at this relation the enthusiasm of the french soldiers broke out in a chorus of cheers and excited exclamations. the men crowded round the boys, shook them by the hands, patted them on the back, and in a hundred strange oaths vowed an eternal friendship for them. after a minute or two, the colonel raised his hand for silence. "look you," he said to the men. "you can imagine that, after what these boys have done, their life is not safe for a moment. this accursed nunez will dog them and have them assassinated if he can. so i leave them to you; you will take care of them, my children, will you not?" a chorus of assurances was the reply, and the boys found themselves as it were adopted into the regiment. the soldiers could not do enough for them, but, as neither party understood the other's language, the intercourse did not make much progress. they had, however, real difficulty in refusing the innumerable offers of a glass of wine or brandy made to them by every group of soldiers as they moved about through the village. the boys felt that their position was a false one; and although, in point of fact, they had no report to make upon the regiment, still the possibility that if discovered they might be thought to have been acting as spies on men who treated them with so much friendliness was repugnant to them. however, their stay was not to be prolonged, for the regiment had already been stationed for a month at the village, and was to be relieved by another expected hourly from france, and was then to go on to madrid. this they learned from one of the soldiers who could speak a few words of spanish. it was upon the third day after their arrival that the expected regiment came in, and next morning the boys started soon after daybreak with their friends. they had not seen madame reynier during their stay in the village, for she was laid up with a sharp attack of illness after the excitement she had gone through. she was still far from fit to travel, but she insisted on going on, and a quantity of straw was accordingly laid in a cart, pillows and cushions were heaped on this, and an awning was arranged above to keep off the sun. the regiment had taken on the transport animals which had come in with the baggage of the troops the night before; hence the mule drivers and other followers were all strangers. the boys were marching beside the regiment, talking with one of the sergeants who had been previously for two years in spain, and spoke a little spanish, when the colonel, who had been riding alongside madame reynier, told them as he passed on to the head of the regiment, that she wished to speak to them. the boys fell out, and allowed the troops and the line of baggage animals and carts to pass them. as the latter came along, tom observed one of the spanish drivers glance in their direction, and immediately avert his head. "peter, that fellow is one of nunez's band; i will almost swear to his face. no doubt he has joined the convoy for the purpose of stabbing us on the first opportunity. i expected this. we must get rid of them at once." the boys had both been furnished with heavy cavalry pistols by order of the colonel, to defend themselves against any sudden attack, and, placing his hand on the butt in readiness for instant use, tom, accompanied by his brother walked up to the spaniard. "you and those with you are known," he said. "unless you all fall out at the next village we come to, i will denounce you, and you haven't five minutes to live after i do so. mind, if one goes on you all suffer." the spaniard uttered a deep execration, and put his hand on his knife, but seeing that the boys were in readiness, and that the french baggage guard marching alongside would certainly shoot him before he could escape, he relinquished his design. "mind," tom said, "the first village; it is only a mile ahead, and we shall probably halt there for five minutes; if one of you goes a single foot beyond it, you will swing in a row." so saying, the boys dropped behind again until madame reynier's cart came along. the sides were open, and the lady, who was sitting up, supported by pillows, with her child beside her, saw them, and called to them to climb up to her. they did so at once, and she then poured forth her thanks in tones of the deepest gratitude. "my husband is not at madrid," she said when she saw by the boys' confusion that they would be really glad if she would say no more; "but when he hears of it he will thank you for saving his wife and child. of course," she went on, "i can see that you are not what you seem. spanish boys would not have acted so. spanish boys do not speak english. that makes it impossible for me in any way to endeavor to repay my obligation. had you been even spanish peasants, the matter would have been comparatively easy; then my husband could have made you rich and comfortable for life; as it is--" she paused, evidently hoping that they would indicate some way in which she could serve them. "as it is, madam," tom said, "you can, if you will, be of great service to us by procuring for us fresh disguises in madrid, for i fear that after what happened with nunez our lives will not be safe from his vengeance anywhere in spain. already we have discovered that some of his band are accompanying this convoy with the intention of killing us at the first opportunity." "why do you not denounce them instantly?" madame reynier said, rising in her excitement and looking round. "we cannot well do that," tom said, "at least not if it can be avoided. they know already that we have recognized them, and will leave at the next village; so we are safe at present, but in madrid we shall be no longer so. we cannot remain permanently under the guard of the bayonets of the d line; and indeed our position is as you may guess, a false and unpleasant one, from which we would free ourselves at the first opportunity. we shall therefore ask you, when you get to madrid, to provide us with fresh disguises and a pass to travel west as far as the limits of the french lines." "you can consider that as done," madame reynier answered; "i only regret that it is so slight a return. and now," she said lightly, to change the conversation, "i must introduce you to this young lady. julie," she asked in french, "do you remember those boys?" "yes," julie said; "these are the boys who gave mamma and julie water when those wicked men would not give us anything to drink when we were thirsty; and it was these boys that mamma said prevented the wicked men from killing us. they are good boys, nice boys, but they are very ragged and dirty." madame reynier smiled, and translated julie's answer. "you know," she went on, hesitatingly, "that i know that--that you are english officers. i heard you say so when you saved us. but how is it that you can be officers so very young?" tom explained that in england the officers entered for the most part directly, and not, as in the french army, by promotion from the ranks, and that, consequently, the junior officers were much younger than those of equal rank in the french service. the convoy had now reached the village, and a halt was ordered, and the boys alighting, walked forward to see that their unwelcome attendants quitted them. as the soldiers fell out from their order of march and sat down under the shade of the houses many of the spaniards with the baggage-train followed their example, and the boys saw the man to whom they had spoken go up to four others, and in a short time these separated themselves from the rest, went carelessly round a corner, and when the order came to continue the march, failed to make their appearance. their absence passed unnoticed save by the boys, for the natives frequently took advantage of the passage of troops and convoys to travel from one part of the country to another, for the guerillas were for the most part little better than brigands, and would plunder their own countrymen without scruple whenever the opportunity was favorable. the march to madrid was accomplished without adventure, and the boys improved the occasion by endeavoring to pick up as many french phrases as they could, as they marched along by the side of the sergeant who had specially taken them under his charge. he knew a little spanish, so they managed to keep up a conversation with him in a strange medley of the two languages, which helped to pass the time away merrily. at madrid they took up their quarters in the barracks with the regiment; they had already explained their plan of disguise to madame reynier, and she had promised to provide all that was necessary and to obtain the military pass for them. they had soon reason to congratulate themselves that their stay in madrid was under the protection of french bayonets. during the day after their arrival they remained quietly in barracks, as the appearance of two spanish peasants walking about the street with french soldiers would have excited comments. in the evening, however, they agreed with their friend the sergeant, who was going into the town with three or four of his comrades, that they should accompany them, not, however, walking actually with them, but following a few paces behind, so as to be within reach of their assistance should any one molest them. they reached the piazza del sol, the great central square of madrid, without incident, and amused themselves with the sight of the constant stream of people passing to and fro, the ladies in their graceful black mantillas, the men in cloaks and spanish sombreros, or round felt hats. presently the sergeant and his companions left the square, and turning down one of the narrow streets which run into it, amused themselves by looking into the shops, with their gay fans, bright handkerchiefs, and other articles of spanish manufacture. tom and peter followed their example, keeping some ten paces behind them. it was now nearly dark, and the streets were but badly lighted except by the lamps in the shop windows. "it may be all fancy, tom," peter said, "but i can't help thinking that we are followed. there are three follows who have passed us twice, and i am pretty sure they are particularly noticing us. keep your hand on your pistol." as the boys paused at another shop window, the three men again approached, this time from ahead. "look out, tom," peter said sharply. as the men came up to them, one of them exclaimed, "now!" the boys faced round, pistol in hand, with a cry to their friends, just as the three spaniards, with drawn knives, were upon them. the sudden movement disconcerted them, and two sprang back from the leveled tubes of the pistols, with fierce oaths of surprise, the third, however, rushed in and struck at tom; the latter instinctively moved aside, and the knife inflicted a heavy gash on the shoulder, and almost at the same moment peter's bullet crashed through the fellow's skull. his comrades, with a cry of rage, rushed in, but before they could strike, the sergeant was up and ran one through the body with his sword, whereon the other fled. the whole affair lasted only three or four seconds. in less than a minute the street was absolutely deserted, for rows and fights were so common between the soldiers and the people, that all prudent people got out of the way the moment a knife was drawn. "well done, lad," the sergeant said to peter, "i thought your brother was done for. luckily i had faced your way when the fellow attacked you, and was on my way to help you before they began, but i feared i should be too late. that was a wonderfully pretty snap shot of yours, and you were as cool as old hands. peste! i don't know what to make of you boys. now come along, we had better get away from this carrion before any one comes up and asks questions. first, though, let me tie up your shoulder." this was soon done, and while the sergeant was engaged upon it, his comrades, old soldiers, turned over the dead spaniards, searched their pockets, and chuckled as they found several gold pieces. one or two french soldiers alone came near them before they left the spot, attracted by the sound of the pistol. a word from the sergeant, "these scoundrels attacked us, they have got their _coup_," satisfied them, and the boys and their friend soon regained the crowded main street, leaving the bodies for the watch to find and bury. arrived at the barracks, tom's arm was examined by the surgeon, and the cut pronounced a deep flesh wound, but of no consequence; it was soon strapped up, and with his arm in a sling tom went down to the sergeant's quarters, where they slept. here they had to go through much patting on the back, for their friend had described the readiness and coolness with which they stood at bay, and popular as they were before they were now more so than ever. for the rest of their stay in madrid the boys did not stir out of barracks. one at least of nunez's envoys they knew to be alive, and he could enlist any number of the lower class against them, so they resolved not to go out until they should finally start. after a fortnight's stay they were sent for to the colonel's quarters, where they found madame reynier and her child. "i had a letter from my husband this morning," she said, "from his camp near cordova, thanking you with all his heart for the inestimable service you rendered him, and begging me to tell you that you can count on his gratitude to the extent of his life at any and all times. you need no assurance of mine. and now about your journey. all is prepared for you to leave to-morrow morning. you are to come here to the colonel's quarters soon after daybreak. here are your two disguises, for the one as a young bachelor of medicine, for the other as a young novice. here is your pass, signed by the minister, authorizing you both to pass on to your relations at ciudad rodrigo, and to go unmolested thence where you choose, also recommending you to the care of all french and spanish authorities. a regiment marches to-morrow morning for the frontier; the colonel is a cousin of my husband. i have told him that some friends of yours rendered me much kindness and service on my way down, and that i particularly commend you to his care. he has promised to allow you to follow the regiment, and to see that you get quarters at each halting-place. he does not know you for anything but what you appear to be. when you have put on these dresses to-morrow morning, step out by the private door from these quarters, looking carefully when you start to see that there is no one in the street. then go boldly to no. , rue st. geronimo; go into the courtyard, there you will see two stout mules with all necessaries, under charge of a soldier, who will have instructions to hand them over to you without asking any questions; then go down to the retiro and wait till the th come along. the colonel will be on the look-out for you, and you will ride up to him and hand him this note. and now farewell, dear boys; never shall i forget you, or cease to pray for you, and may be when this terrible war is over we may meet as friends again. keep these little tokens of remembrance of your grateful friends." so saying, madame reynier pressed into the boys' hands two magnificent gold watches and chains, held her child up for each of them to kiss, threw her arms round their necks and kissed them herself, and then drawing down her veil to conceal the tears which were standing in her eyes, left them hastily. that night the boys said good-by to their friend the sergeant, and to those soldiers with whom they had most companionship. "you have guessed, no doubt, sergeant," tom said, in his mixture of spanish and french, "that we are not exactly what we seem to be, but if we should ever meet again, under different circumstances, i want you to remember that our connection with the regiment has been in a way forced upon us. i should not like you to think, that is that under the pretence of friendship, we have been treacherously learning things. do you understand?" "i understand, mes braves," the sergeant said, "jacques pinteau is no fool, and he saw from the first that you were not two ragged spanish peasant boys by birth. i daresay i can guess what you are, but there need be no ill-will for that, and as you only came among us by accident, as it were, there is no more to be said either way. there is one thing certain, wherever or however we meet, we shall be friends." so well were madame reynier's plans arranged that the boys passed from madrid to the frontier without a single hitch or unpleasantness. tom was soberly attired as a student at the university, peter was muffled up to the eyes as a timid young novice, going from school to enter a convent, of which his aunt was lady superior, at ciudad rodrigo. the colonel, and, following his example, the officers of the regiment were polite and civil. the marches were of easy length, the mules stout and smooth-going, with well-filled traveling sacks. the weather was delightful, and the boys enjoyed the fortnight's march exceedingly. upon the road they learned that massena had laid siege to ciudad rodrigo, and that the th was on its way to join the besieging army. it was the end of june, , when the th joined massena's force before ciudad rodrigo. the siege had continued for some time, the british light division, under general craufurd, lay upon the other side of the river agueda, which separated them alike from the town and the french army. the colonel of the th politely expressed to tom his regret that he could not, for the present, conduct them to their final destination, but that he hoped that the gate would soon be open for them. tom thanked him for the civility which he had shown them upon the road, and said that he would, with his sister, take up his abode for the present a few miles from the beleaguered fortress. on leaving the regiment the boys went higher up the agueda to the little town of villar, where there was a bridge. this however, was watched by the troops of both armies, and there was, at present, no chance of affecting a passage. chapter xi. the fight on the coa. all through the winter of - , wellington had remained quietly on the frontier of portugal, engaged in disciplining his troops, many of whom were raw drafts from the militia, in urging upon the home government the necessity of fresh reinforcements, if the war was to be carried on with the smallest hopes of success, and in controversies and disputes with the portuguese regency. this body of incapables starved their own army, refused supplies and transport to the british, and behaved with such arrogance and insolence that wellington was several times driven to use the threat that, unless measures were taken to keep the portuguese troops from starving, and to supply food to the british, he would put his army on board the transports at lisbon, and give up the struggle altogether. spring found the army still on the frontier, and when the french advanced in force in may to lay siege to the spanish frontier fortress of ciudad rodrigo, wellington to the intense disappointment of his own troops, and the bitter anger of the portuguese and spaniards, refused to fight a battle to save the fortress, which, under its gallant old governor, andrea hernati, was defending itself nobly. wellington's position was, however, a very difficult one, and his responsibilities were immense. allowing for the detachments which were massing to check three other french columns advancing in different directions, he had but , men with which to attempt to raise the siege of ciudad rodrigo, or to draw off the besieged garrison. massena had under him , french veterans, and was desiring nothing more than that wellington should attack him. the chances of victory then were by no means strong, and in any case victory could only have been purchased by a loss of men which would have completely crippled the british general, and would have rendered it absolutely necessary for him to fall back again at once. a defeat or even a heavy loss of men, would have so dispirited the faint-hearted government at home that they would undoubtedly have recalled the whole expedition, and resigned portugal to its fate. thus wellington decided not to risk the whole fate of the british army and of portugal for merely a temporary advantage, and so stood firm against the murmurs of his own troops, the furious reproaches of the portuguese and spaniards, and the moving entreaties for aid of the gallant governor of the besieged town. at the same time that he refused to risk a general battle, he kept craufurd's division in advance of the coa, and within two hours' march of the enemy, thereby encouraging the garrison of ciudad rodrigo, and preventing massena from pushing forward a portion of his army while the rest pursued the siege. craufurd's front was guarded by the agueda, a river only passable by two or three bridges and fords in wet weather, but fordable in many places in the dry season. at the commencement of june the agueda fell, and the french crossed in strength at various places. craufurd, however, still maintained his position in front of the coa with great skill and boldness. he had under his command only infantry, cavalry, and six guns, and his maintenance of his position, almost within gun-shot of an enemy's army, , strong, for three months, is one of the finest feats of military audacity and ability ever performed. until the th of july the boys remained quietly at a cottage occupied by peasants, who believed their story that they were only waiting to proceed when the french army advanced. they were freed from molestation or inquiry upon the part of the french by the pass with which madame reynier had supplied them. upon that day ciudad rodrigo surrendered, and massena prepared at once to enter portugal. upon the st the cavalry advanced in great force, and upon the following day the boys resolved upon endeavoring to rejoin the british army. the agueda was now easily fordable in many places, but the boys determined to swim across, at a distance from the point at which the french army was now pouring forward. as evening came on they left the cottage, and walked two miles up the stream, and, as soon as night fell, took off the costumes which had proved of such service to them and left them on the bank; then fastening their peasants' suits upon two bundles of rushes to keep them dry, entered the little river, and were soon upon the opposite shore. they knew, from what they had heard in the afternoon, that craufurd had fallen back upon almeida, a fortified town, and that it was probable he would at once cross the coa, as resistance to the force now approaching him seemed nothing short of madness. no good, indeed, could be gained by a fight in such a position, with a deep river in the rear, crossed by only a narrow bridge, and commanded by both banks, and wellington's orders had been imperative "that, upon no account whatever was craufurd to fight beyond the coa." craufurd, however, a rash and obstinate, although a skilful general, was determined upon having a brush with the enemy before he fell back. he anticipated, no doubt, that only an advanced guard of the enemy would come up at first, and his intention was to inflict a severe check upon them with the magnificent little division under his command, and then fall back triumphantly across the coa. massena, however, was well aware of the fighting powers of the light division, and was preparing to hurl suddenly upon him a force more than sufficient to crush it. the scudamores had but little fear of meeting with any large body of the enemy, as the main french advance was direct from ciudad rodrigo; their cavalry would, however, be scattered all over the country, and were they to fall into the hands of any of these parties they would have been shot instantly, upon suspicion of endeavoring to convey news of the french movements to craufurd. the point where they crossed the river was between villar and naves frias, and, after an hour's walking, they struck the little rivulet called duas casas. this they crossed at once, as they knew that by following its southern bank until they saw some high ground to their left they would find themselves near almeida, which they hoped to reach before the english retreated. all night they tramped through the fields of stubble, where the corn had been long since cut for the use of craufurd's cavalry, but walking at night through an unknown country is slow work, and when day began to break they entered a small wood just beyond the point where the turones, as the southern arm of the duas casas is called, branches off from the main stream. several times in the course of the day bodies of the enemy's cavalry came near their place of concealment, and the scudamores congratulated themselves that they had not given way to their impatience, and tried to push on across the twenty miles that alone separated them from their friends. at nightfall the wind rose, and a heavy rain began to fall. they had no stars by which to steer their course, and were, therefore, forced to follow the bank of the turones, although they knew that it would lead them some distance to the north of almeida. it was slow work, indeed, for they had to grope their way along in the storm, following every turn and bend of the river, which formed their only guide. after several hours' toil they came into a road running north and south. this they knew was the road leading from guarda to almeida, and it gave them a clue as to the distance they had come. still following the river, they continued their course until they approached san pedro, whence they knew that a road ran directly to the british position in front of almeida, that is if the british still maintained their position there. as they approached the village, they heard a deep, hollow sound, and stopping to listen, and laying their ears to the ground, could distinguish the rumble of heavy carriages. "the french are advancing in force, peter; we are just in time; they are going to attack us in the morning at daybreak. we know the direction now; let us turn to the left, and try to get on in advance of them. they probably will not push on much farther until there is light enough to permit them to form order of battle; they are evidently, by the sound, going to the left, rather than straight on." the scudamores now hurried on, and presently the rumbling of the artillery died away, and they ventured to push to their left, and to get on the road, which they found deserted. half an hour's run, for they knew that every minute was of importance, and they heard the welcome challenge, "who comes there?" "two british officers," they answered, and in a few minutes they were taken to the officer in charge of the picket, and having once convinced him of their identity, were heartily greeted and welcomed. "the french are advancing in great force to attack," tom said; "please forward us instantly to the general." the matter was too important for an instant's delay, and a sergeant was at once told off to accompany them. the first faint blush of daylight was in the east when they arrived at the cottage which served as general craufurd's quarters, and, upon their speaking to the sentinel at the door, a window was thrown open, and a deep voice demanded "what is it?" "we have just arrived through the french lines," tom said, "the enemy are at hand in force." the casement closed, and an instant afterwards the general came out. "who are you?" "we belong to the norfolk rangers, general, and have been detached on service in the interior; we have only just made our way back." "how am i to know your story is true?" the general asked sharply. "you may, perhaps, remember, sir, we landed from the 'latona,' and you kindly lent us horses to accompany you." "aha! i remember," the general said. "well, your news?" "the french have crossed the turones in force, sir; at least they have a good many guns with them." "which way were they going?" "as far as we could judge by the sound, sir, they were taking up a position between villa formosa and fort conception." "good," the general said shortly; then turning to three or four of his staff who had followed him from the cottage, "get the troops under arms at once. come in here, gentlemen." the scudamores entered, and as they came into the light of a candle which stood on the table the general smiled grimly. "it is lucky you were able to recall yourselves to my memory, for i should have needed some strong evidence to persuade me you were british officers had i seen you before you spoke. you are wet to the skin; there is a brandy bottle, and you will find some bread and cold fowl in that cupboard." five minutes later the boys followed general craufurd from his hut. short as was the time which had elapsed since their arrival, the troops were already under arms, for three months of incessant alarm and watchfulness had enabled this splendid division to act as one man, and to fall in at any hour of the day or night in an incredibly short time. ten minutes later and the ramble of the baggage wagons was heard along the road towards the bridge. the morning was clearing fast, the clouds lifted, and the daylight seemed to break with unusual suddenness. the dark masses of the french became visible forming up before the turones, and craufurd hurried forward his cavalry and guns to check their advance. "hurry the infantry up, hurry them up," the general said urgently to the officers by him. "let them take post along the ridge, and then fall back fighting towards the bridge. major macleod," he said to an officer of the d, "take these gentlemen with you; they are officers of the norfolk rangers. they will join your regiment for the present. when your regiment falls back, occupy that stone inclosure a little way down the slope at the left of the road, and hold the enemy in check while the troops file over the bridge." the officer addressed looked with surprise at the boys, and signing to them to follow, hurried off to his regiment, which was on the left of the british line. next to them came a regiment of portuguese riflemen, with a wing of the th upon either flank, while the d formed the right of the line. upon reaching the regiment, major macleod briefly introduced the boys to the colonel, who said, "as you have no arms, gentlemen, i think you had better make for the bridge at once." "thank you, sir," tom replied, "there will be some muskets disposable before long, and directly they are so we will take our place in the ranks." they had now leisure to look round and examine their position, and a glance was sufficient to show how great was the peril in which general craufurd's obstinacy had placed his little force. in front of them were , french infantry, cavalry, and pieces of artillery. an overwhelming force indeed, and one which could scarcely have been withstood by the british infantry, even under the most favorable conditions of position. the position, however, was here wholly against the british. they stood at the edge of a plateau, and behind them the ground fell away in a steep hillside to the coa, a mile distant, and across the coa there was but a single bridge. the enemy was approaching fast. ney's great brigade of cavalry swept the british horse before them, and the infantry were following at a run. resistance on the edge of the plateau was hopeless, and craufurd ordered the infantry to fall back at once. the d filed into the inclosure, rapidly cut loopholes in the wall, and as the enemy appeared on the crest above opened a tremendous fire, under cover of which the cavalry and artillery trotted briskly and in good order down the road to the bridge. the scudamores, having no duty, stood at the entrance to the inclosure and watched the fight on their right. as the masses of french infantry appeared on the edge of the plateau they made no pause, but opening a heavy fire pressed forward on the retiring british troops, who were falling back in open order, contesting every inch of ground. so rapidly and hotly, however, did the french press after them that the british were soon pushed back beyond the line of the inclosure, and as the french followed closely, it was evident that the d would be cut oft and surrounded. their colonel saw their danger, and called upon them to fall in and retreat, but the entrance was so narrow that it was clear at a glance that ere one company could pass through it the french would be upon them, and the regiment caught like rats in a trap. officers and men alike saw the danger, and there was a pause of consternation. peter was standing next to the colonel, and said suddenly as the idea flashed across him, "the wall is not very strong, sir, if the men mass against it and push together i think it will go." the colonel caught at the idea. "now, lads, steady, form against the rear wall four deep, close together, shoulder to shoulder, as close as you can pack; now get ready, one, two, three!" and at the word the heavy mass of men swung themselves against the wall; it swayed with the shock, and many stones were displaced; another effort and the wall tottered and fell, and with a glad shout the d burst out, and trotting on at the double soon joined the rifles and th. the ground was rough and broken with rocks, vineyards and inclosures, and the troops, fighting with admirable coolness and judgment, took advantage of every obstacle and fell back calmly and in good order before the overwhelming force opposed to them. fortunately the jealousies of the french generals, which throughout the campaign contributed in no slight degree to the success of the british, was now the cause of their safety, for montbrun, who commanded the french heavy cavalry, refused to obey ney's order to charge straight down to the bridge, in which case the whole english infantry would have been cut off; the french hussars, however, being on the british rear, charged among them whenever the ground permitted them to do so. upon the british right the ground was more open than upon the left, and the d was therefore obliged to fall back more quickly than the rest of the line, and were the first to arrive at the bridge head, which was still choked with artillery and cavalry. this was the most dangerous moment, the rest of the infantry could not retreat until the bridge was clear, and the french with exulting shouts pressed hard upon them to drive them back upon the river. major macleod, seeing the urgent danger, rallied four companies of his regiment upon the little hill on the right of the road, while major rowan collected two companies on another to the left. here they were joined by many of the riflemen, and for a while the french advance was checked. the scudamores had remained throughout close to major macleod, and had long since armed themselves with the muskets and pouches of fallen men, and with d shakoes on their heads, were fighting among the ranks. the cloud of french skirmishers pressed hotly forward, and macleod, seeing that the bridge was still blocked, resolved suddenly upon a desperate measure. taking off his cap, he pointed to the enemy, and calling upon his men to follow him, rode boldly at them. peter scudamore caught up a bugle which had fallen from a dead bugler by his side, blew the charge, and the soldiers, cheering loudly, followed macleod against the enemy. astounded at this sudden and unexpected attack, the french skirmishers paused, and then fell back before the furious charge of the d, who pressed after them with loud and continuous cheering. looking back, macleod saw that the bridge was now clear, and recalled the troops, who fell back rapidly again before the french infantry had recovered sufficiently from their surprise to press them. the hussars were, however, again forward, and were galloping down the road, which was here sunken between somewhat high banks. tom and peter were with the last company, which turned and prepared to receive them, when tom, pointing to a coil of rope upon a cart which had broken down, shouted, "quick, tie it to these posts across the road." two or three men sprang to assist him, and in a minute the rope was stretched across the road at a foot from the ground, and fastened round a stone post on either side. they had scarcely seized their muskets and leapt on the bank again, when the french cavalry came thundering down the road. "fire, a few of you," tom said, "so as to call their attention up here," and in accordance with his order a dropping fire was opened. the french came along at a gallop; a few of the leading horses saw the rope and leapt it, but those behind caught it and fell, the mass behind pressed on, and in an instant the lane was choked with a confused mass of men and horses. "now a volley," tom cried, "and then to the bridge." every musket was emptied in to the struggling mass, and then with a cheer, the men ran briskly down to the bridge, and crossed--the last of the british troops over the coa. the rest of the infantry and artillery had already taken ground on the heights behind the river, and these opened fire upon the french as they approached the head of the bridge in pursuit. the british were now, however, safe in the position which they ought to have taken up before the advance of the french, and had general craufurd obeyed his orders not to fight beyond the coa, the lives of of his gallant troops, including the officers, would have been saved. the battle, however, was not yet over. the artillery on both sides played across the ravine, the french skirmishers swarmed down to the river bank, and between them and the british infantry a rapid fire was exchanged, while a heavy column marched down to the bridge. with a deep-sounding cheer they advanced upon it, while with answering cheers the british opened fire upon them. the depth of the ravine at first deceived the british marksmen, and the column pressed on until its head was three-quarters across the bridge. then the shower smote it, and beneath that terrible fire the head of the column melted away. still it pressed on until across the bridge the corpses lay piled in a mass as high as the parapet, and beyond this heap, this terrible line, there was no living. then sullenly and slowly the french fell back, while the british cheers rose exultingly along the hillside. twice again did fresh columns pour on to the bridge, but only to melt away under the british fire, neither of them reaching the dreadful line which marked the point reached by the head of the first. the artillery and musketry fire on both sides continued until four in the afternoon, when a heavy rain set in, and the fire ceased altogether. as the coa was fordable at several points lower down, and the french could therefore have turned the position next day, the british troops fell back during the night behind the pinhel river, where picton's division was also encamped. next morning the boys exchanged their spanish suits for the uniform of british officers, which they obtained from the effects of some of those who had fallen upon the previous day, these being, as is usual in a campaign, at once sold by auction, the amount realized being received by the paymaster for the benefit of the dead men's relatives. major macleod had witnessed their ready presence of mind in throwing the rope across the road, and so checking the french charge, and giving time to the rear-guard to cross the bridge, and had made a very favorable report upon the subject. two days later and they joined the rangers, who were stationed at guarda, and were received with the greatest heartiness by their brother officers, with warm but respectful greetings by the men, and with uproarious demonstrations of gladness on the part of sambo. "the betting was two to one that you had gone down, boys," captain manley said, after the first greetings; "but carruthers and myself have taken up all offers, and win i don't know how many dinners and bottles of wine. i had the strongest faith you would get through somehow. you will take up your quarters with me. i have two bedrooms upstairs there, which sam has taken possession of in your name. he would have it that you were sure to be back in time for the first fight. dinner will be ready at six, and after that there will be a general gathering round the fire in the open to hear your adventures. no doubt you would be dining with the colonel, but i know he is engaged to the general." "yes, he told us so," tom said, "and we are to dine with him to-morrow." "all right, then; we'll make a night of it. carruthers is coming to dine, and burke and lethbridge; but the room won't hold more than six. we are going to have a feast, for sam has got hold of a sucking-pig; where he got it from i dare not inquire, and lethbridge said his fellow had, somehow or other, found a turkey; as to wine, we shall have it of the best, for burke is quartered at the monastery, and the monks are so delighted at finding him a good catholic that they have given him the run of their cellar." it was a jovial dinner, and no words can express the satisfaction and delight which beamed on sam's face as he stood behind his master, or the grin of pride with which he placed the sucking-pig on the table. "sam, sam!" captain manley said reprovingly, "i fear that pig is not honestly come by, and that one of these days we shall hear that you have come to a bad end." "no, no, massa captain manley, sar," sam said, "dat pig come quite honest, dat pig made present to sam." "a likely story that, sam. come, out with it. i have no doubt it was quite as honest as lethbridge's turkey anyhow. come, tell us how it was." thus invoked, sam's face assumed the pompons air with which he always related a story, and he began,-- "well, sar, de affair happened in dis way. when de massas arribe, two o'clock, and went in for long talk wid de colonel, dis chile said to himself, 'now what am i going to get them for dinner?' de rations sarve out dis morning war all skin and bone, and war pretty nigh finished at lunch. sam say to himself, 'captain manley's sure to say, 'you dine wid me;' but as captain manley hadn't got no food himself, de invitation was berry kind, berry kind indeed; but massa wasn't likely to get fat on dat invitation." sam's narrative was interrupted by a perfect shout of laughter upon the part of all at table, captain manley joining heartily in the laugh against himself. when they had a little recovered again, sam went on as gravely as ever. "dis struck sam berry serious, not to have nothing for dinner after being away seben months; presently idea occur to dis chile, and he stroll permiscuous up to big farm-house on hill. when sam got near house, kept out of sight of window; at last got quite close, took off shako, and put head suddenly in at window. sure enough, just what sam expected, dere sat missus of farm, fat ole woman, wid fat ole servant opposite her. de door was open, and dis little pig and several of his broders and sisters was a frisking in and out. de old women look up bofe togeder, and dey give a awful shriek when dey saw dis chile's head; dey fought it were de debil, sure enough. dey drop down on dere knees, and begin to pray as fast as maybe. den i give a loud 'yah! yah!' and dey screams out fresh. 'oh! good massa debil!' says the ole woman, 'what you want? i been berry, berry bad, but don't take me away.' you see, massa tom, i pick up little spanish, 'nuff to understand since you been gone. i not say nuffin, and de ole woman den go on, 'if you want one soul massa debil, take dis here,' pointing to her serbant;' she been much more wicked nor me.' den de serbant she set up awful shriek, and i says, 'dis time i hab pity on you, next time i come, if you not good i carry you bofe away. but must take soul away to big debil 'else he neber forgibe me. dere, i will carry off soul of little pig. gib it me.' de serbant she gives cry ob joy, jump up, seize little pig, and berry much afraid, bring him to window. before i take him i say to old missus, 'dis a free gibt on your part?' and she say, 'oh, yes, oh, yes, good massa debil, you can take dem all if you like.' i say, 'no; only one--and now me gib you bit advice. my massa down below hear you very bad ole women, never gib noting to de poor, berry hard, berry hard. me advise you change your conduct, or, as sure as eggs is eggs, he send me up again for you no time.' den i gave two great 'yah! yah's!' again berry loud, and showed de white ob my eyes, and dey went down on to knees again, and i go quietly round corner ob house, and walk home wid de pig which was giben to me. noting like stealing about dat, massa manley, sar!" sam's story was received with roars of laughter, and when they had recovered themselves a little, captain manley said, "it is lucky we march to-morrow, sam, for if the good woman were to catch a glimpse of you in uniform, and were to find she had been tricked, she might lay a complaint against you, and although, as you say, the pig was freely given to you, i imagine the provost marshal might consider that it was obtained under false pretences. but here are the other men outside, we had better adjourn, for every one is longing to hear your adventures." it was a lovely evening, and as the officers of the norfolk rangers sat or lay round the fire, which was lit for light and cheerfulness rather than warmth, the boys, after their long wanderings among strangers, felt how pleasant and bright life was among friends and comrades. they had first to relate their adventures with the guerillas, after which it was agreed that they had earned the right to be silent for the rest of the evening, and song, and jest, and merry story went round the ring. sam was installed under the direction of the doctor, a jovial irishman, as concocter of punch, and his office was by no means a sinecure. "now, major, give us the song of the regiment," captain manley said, and, as he spoke, there was a general cry round the circle of "the rangers, the rangers." "i'm agreeable," the major said. "give me another tumbler of punch to get my pipes in order. make it a little sweeter than the last brew, sam; yes, that's better. well, here goes--full chorus, and no shirking." the rangers. "hurrah for the rangers, hurrah! hurrah! here's to the corps that we love so well; ever the first in the deadly fray, steady and firm amid shot and shell. scattered as skirmishers out in the front, contesting each foot of the ground we hold, nor yielding a step though we bear the brunt of the first attack of the foeman bold. hurrah for the rangers, hurrah! hurrah! here's to the corps that we love so well; ever the first in the deadly fray, steady and firm amid shot and shell. "steady boys, steady, the foe falls back, sullenly back to the beat of the drum, hark to the thunder that nears our flank rally in square, boys, their cavalry come. squadron on squadron, wave upon wave, dashing along with an ocean's force, but they break into spray on our bayonets' points, and we mock at the fury of rider and horse. hurrah for the rangers, &c. "the gunner may boast of the death he deals as he shatters the foe with his iron hail, and may laugh with pride as he checks the charge, or sees the dark column falter and quail. but the gunner fights with the foe afar, in the rear of the line is the battery's place, the ranger fights with a sterner joy for he strives with his foemen face to face. hurrah for the rangers, &c. "the cavalry man is dashing and gay, his steed is fast, and his blade is fine, he blithely rides to the fiercest fray, and cuts his way through the foeman's line, but the wild, fierce joys of the deadly breach, or the patient pluck of the serried square are far away from the horseman's reach, while the norfolk rangers are sure to be there. hurrah for the rangers, &c." long, loud, and hearty was the cheering as the last chorus concluded. "very good song, very well sung, jolly companions every one," shouted the doctor. "now, manley, keep the ball rolling, give us the 'the bivouac,'" captain manley emptied his glass, and, without hesitation, began-- the bivouac. "the weary march is over, boys, the camp fire's burning bright, so gather round the blazing logs, we'll keep high feast to-night, for every heart is full of joy, and every cheek aglow, that after months of waiting, at last we meet the foe. to-morrow's sun will see the fight, and ere that sun goes down, our glorious flag another wreath of victory shall crown. hurrah, hurrah for the bivouac, with comrades tried and true, with faces bright, and spirits light, and the foemen's fires in view. "then fill your cups with spanish wine, and let the toast go round, here's a health to all who love us on dear old england's ground. be their tresses gold or auburn, or black as ebon's hue, be their eyes of witching hazel, loving gray, or heaven's blue, here's to them all, the girls we love, god bless them every one; may we all be here to toast them when to-morrow's work is done. hurrah, hurrah, &c. "but whate'er to-morrow bring us, it shall shed no gloom to-night, for a british soldier does not flinch from thought of death in fight; no better ending could we wish, no worthier do we know, than to fall for king and country, with our face towards the foe; and if we go, our friends who stay will keep our memory bright, and will drink to us in silence by many a camp-fire's light. hurrah, hurrah, &c." when the last chorus had ceased, the boys, who had had a long march that morning, and were thoroughly tired, stole quietly off to bed, but it was not till long after they had gone to sleep that the jovial party round the fire broke up, and that sam was relieved from his duties of concocter of punch. chapter xii. busaco and torres vedras. instead of pressing forward upon his invasion of portugal, massena prepared to besiege almeida, and for a month the british and portuguese army remained in their position within a few hours' march of that town. wellington expected that almeida would be able to resist for two months, and hoped to find some opportunity for falling suddenly upon the besiegers; but even a resistance of two months would have made it so late in the season that massena must have postponed his invasion until the next spring. upon the morning of the th of august the french batteries opened fire, and from guarda the dull, heavy roar of artillery could be heard all day. as darkness fell, the officers of the rangers were, as usual, assembling round their fire, when the earth seemed to shake beneath their feet, and a flash like that of summer lightning lit the eastern sky. "what can that be?" was the general exclamation. a minute later, and a deep, heavy, prolonged roar sounded in their ears--then all was quiet. "that is a big magazine," captain manley said, "and i'm afraid it's the town, for it sounded too heavy for a mere field magazine. if it be the town, you'll see it won't hold out much longer; even if the actual damage is not very great, a great explosion always damages the morale of a defense, and in that case we shall have massena upon us, and there will be wigs on the green ere many days are over." captain manley's conclusions were correct. the magazine of almeida had exploded with terrific effect. only six houses were left standing in the town, a considerable portion of the ramparts was thrown down, and five hundred people killed on the spot. the stones were hurled in all directions with such force that forty of the besiegers were hurt in the trenches. colonel cox, who commanded, endeavored to rally the panic-stricken garrison, and upon the following morning attempted to negotiate with massena, who sent an officer to demand instant surrender. defense was, in fact, impossible, but colonel cox attempted to negotiate, because he hoped that wellington would at once advance to his rescue. his intentions were frustrated, however, by the treachery and mutiny of the principal portuguese officers under him, and the french at once took possession of the ruins. the british army fell back a short distance when the news of the disaster arrived, and a fortnight of great anxiety and watchfulness passed, as it was not certain by which road or roads massena would advance. it was not until the th of september that massena fairly commenced his march, having chosen the road from visen through martagoa, and the next day the news reached the rangers that the british army was to concentrate on the heights of busaco. "so we are going to have a fight for it," carruthers said to the boys, as the officers assembled in readiness to take their places when the troops had fallen in. "what will be the end of it?" "we shall lick them," an old captain said, "though they are two to one, and then they will march round us somehow, and then we shall have to fall back in all haste on lisbon, and embark there, and we shall eat our christmas dinner in england." there was a general murmur of assent, for at that time the belief was almost universal in the british army that they would be forced to abandon portugal. "i do not know," major fanshawe said. "i heard last night, from a man who has just returned from sick leave at lisbon, that there are thousands of peasants employed under our engineers in getting up some tremendous works some fifteen miles this side of lisbon. i should not be surprised yet if massena finds the chief a nut too hard to crack, with all his force." "i have heard something about these works at torres vedras," captain manley said, "a mere rumor; still i believe there must be something in it. wellington has only some twenty-five thousand british troops, and as many portuguese, while massena has over a hundred thousand veterans at his command. our game would be hopeless unless we have something to fall back on. no; i have every faith in our general. but there goes the bugle." on the th the rangers, with the rest of picton's division, arrived on the crest of busaco, where cole's and craufurd's divisions arrived on the same day. this position was one of immense strength, being a long ridge, with a very deep valley in front. upon the opposite side of this ravine the slope was as steep and sharp as that of busaco itself, so that the opposite crest was within easy cannon shot. the enemy, in order to attack the british position, would have to descend into the bottom of this steep ravine, and then climb up the precipitous ascent, to meet the british soldiers awaiting them, fresh and unshaken, at the top. so strong, indeed, was the position that the english generals were doubtful whether massena would venture to attack. upon the th craufurd moved his division forward, and would have repeated his mistake of the coa had not wellington himself gone forward and recalled the troops, bringing them off with difficulty in the face of the advancing masses of the french. by three in the afternoon, , french infantry were on the ridge opposite busaco, and it appeared probable that the battle would take place that afternoon, in which case the british position would have been precarious, for neither spencer's, hill's, nor leith's divisions were up. massena, however, was miles behind, and ney, who commanded the advance, could not attack without orders; thus, the moment favorable for the french passed by. when massena arrived next day, the british divisions were all up and in their places, and the long crest of busaco swarmed with troops. hill occupied the right across the road to pena cova, then came leith's th division, then came picton with the d division, with spencer's division, the st, next to him. on a plateau in front of a convent lay craufurd and pack, while cole, with the th division, was on the left. the th and th were passed in comparative tranquillity, the rival armies surveying each other across the chasm. from the woods far below came up the constant crack of the rifle, as the skirmishers on either side pushed each other backwards; and on the evening of the th this fighting increased so much in strength and intensity, that the british troops were some time under arms in expectation of a night attack, for the enemy's riflemen had pressed far up on the hill-side towards the british lines. as the night went on, however, the fire ceased, and the dark ravine between the two long lines of bright watch-fires became hushed and still. the rangers were with picton's division, and were out as an advance half way down the ravine, two companies being down in the bottom as skirmishers. morning was but just breaking when a heavy fire burst out in front. the regiment sprang to its feet, and prepared for action. it was not long in coming, for the fire rolled rapidly up the hill towards them, and the skirmishing companies came running back, pressed by a heavy column of the enemy. reynier had formed in two divisions, one of which was now pressing forward against picton's right, while the object of the other was to gain the crest still farther to the right, and so place themselves between picton and leigh. the whole regiment was at once engaged, but the french assault was too powerful to be resisted, and the rangers and the other regiments of the advanced brigade gave way sullenly, while the french eagerly pressed up the hill, although a battery opened upon them from the crest, while they were unsupported by their own artillery. "golly, massa peter, dese fellows fight berry hard; look as if dey lick us dis time," the black, who was in peter's company, said to him as the regiment retreated. "the battle has only begun yet, sam. we have plenty of fresh troops at the top of the hill." "good ting, dat, massa peter. berry hard work, dis--climb hill, carry kit, fire gun, dodge de bullets, all sam time." "you didn't dodge that bullet sharp enough, sam," peter said with a laugh, as the negro's shako was carried off with a ball. "him cum too fast. dere, you frog-eating thief." he said angrily as he fired his musket at an advancing foe. "dat serve you right," he went on to himself as the frenchman fell. "you spoil sam's hat. dis colored gentleman catch cold first time him come on to rain." the french continued their impetuous advance. picton's right, as they climbed the hill, fell back towards his center, and in half an hour from the first shot being fired the head of the french column had won the crest, and, being between leigh and picton's divisions, had cut the british position. then the column nearest to picton's division began to wheel to its right, so as to sweep the crest. "lie down, the rangers; every man down," shouted the colonel, and the breathless men threw themselves panting on the ground. a wild irish shout was heard behind them as they did so, and a tremendous volley of musketry rang over their heads, and then the th and a wing of the th dashed across them, and, with fierce cheers, charged that portion of the column engaged in wheeling. breathless and in disorder from their prodigious efforts, the french were unable to resist this fresh attack. in an instant the british were among them, and mixed up in wild confusion, fighting hand to hand, the mass of combatants went mingled together down the hill. nor was the success of the french column which had gained the crest of long duration, for leith brought up one of his brigades; colonel cameron, with the th regiment, dashed at the enemy with the bayonet, without firing a single shot, while the th attacked their flank; and the french, unable to resist the onslaught, relinquished their position and retreated down the hill. nor upon the french right had ney's attack proved more successful. napier thus describes the combat in this quarter of the field:--"when the light broke, three heavy masses detached from the sixth corps were seen to enter the woods below, and to throw forward a profusion of skirmishers; one of them, under general marchand, emerging from the dark chasm and following the main road, seemed intent to turn the right of the light division; a second, under loison, made straight up the mountain against the front; the third remained in reserve. simon's brigade, leading loison's attack, ascended with a wonderful alacrity, and though the light troops plied it incessantly with musketry, and the artillery bullets swept through it from the first to the last section, its order was never disturbed, nor its speed in the least abated. ross's guns were worked with incredible quickness, yet their range was palpably contracted every round; the enemy's shots came ringing up in a sharper key, the english skirmishers, breathless and begrimed with powder, rushed over the edge of the ascent, the artillery drew back, and the victorious cries of the french were heard within a few yards of the summit. craufurd, standing alone on one of the rocks, had been intently watching the progress of their attack, and now, with a shrill tone, ordered the two regiments in reserve to charge. the next moment a horrid shout startled the french column, and eighteen hundred british bayonets went sparkling over the hill. yet so brave, so hardy were the leading french, that each man of the first section raised his musket, and two officers and ten men fell before them. not a frenchman had missed his mark. they could do no more. the head of their column was violently thrown back upon the rear, both flanks were overlapped at the same time by the english wings, three terrible discharges at five yards' distance shattered the wavering mass, and a long line of broken arms and bleeding carcases marked the line of flight." ney did not renew the attack, and with some desultory skirmishing the battle ended at two o'clock, and an hour's truce enabled both parties to carry off their wounded. small parties of the french came in contact with the english skirmishers during the afternoon, but the battle of busaco was over. "don't call dat much of battle," sam said discontentedly. "just little fierce fight, berry out of bref, and den, just as second wind came, all ober." the battle of busaco was indeed one of secondary importance. the losses were not great on either side, although that of the french was fully threefold greater than that of the british, as the former were exposed during their attack to the grape and shell of the british guns, while the french guns afforded no assistance to their infantry. the french loss, in killed and wounded and prisoners, did not exceed , of which only were killed. nor was any strategical advantage gained by the battle, for the french, upon the following day, found a road across the hills to the british left from martagoa through bonzalva. throughout the day they made feints of renewing the attack upon the english position, and it was not until late in the afternoon that long columns of men were seen crossing the hill to the left; and wellington discovered that busaco had been won in vain, for that his flank was turned, and there was nothing for it but to fall back upon torres vedras. before night the whole british army was in retreat. "what a horrible scene of confusion," tom remarked, as they marched into the town of coimbra next day. "confusion!" captain manley said; "it is enough to drive a commander-in-chief out of his mind. here wellington has for weeks been endeavoring to get the portuguese government to compel all the population to retire upon lisbon, carrying all they can, destroying the mills, and burning all the corn they could not carry off. the government did issue the order, but it has taken no steps whatever to carry it out, although they knew all along that we could never repel the invasion in the open. as it is, the greater portion of these poor wretches will lose all they possess, which they might have carried off quietly enough during the last two months. many of them will lose their lives, and they will block the roads so that we shall have the french down on us to a certainty." nothing could be more sad than the scene. the streets of coimbra were crowded with fugitives from the country round, and these, as well as the inhabitants, were all preparing to push onwards towards lisbon. bullock carts and carriages, mules, donkeys, and horses were crowded together, all laden with the aged, the children, the sick, and such property as was most portable and valuable. happily massena had a circuitous detour to make; the road in the mountain defile was scarcely passable, and throughout the march he displayed but little energy; consequently it was not until the morning of the first of october that his cavalry engaged those of the light division which was covering the retreat. the division fell back through the town, and the inhabitants, who had lingered to the last in some vague hope that the french would not come, now rushed out again. the bridge behind the town was choked, and the troops had to halt for some time. in the rear the pistol shots of the cavalry told of the approach of the french, and the din made by the panic-stricken fugitives was increased by the yells of the prisoners shut up and forgotten in the prison hard by. their cries and supplications were too painful to be resisted, and the british forced the prison doors and let them free. once across the bridge, the troops found the defile of condeixa so choked up that it was impossible to effect a passage, and, had the french pressed them the division must have been destroyed. the french infantry, however, had not arrived, and by night the road was cleared, and the troops passed on. there was no pursuit, for massena allowed his troops to halt and plunder coimbra, and the british by easy marches, fell back to torres vedras; but though unpursued, the disorder and relaxation of discipline which always marks a retreat, showed itself, and wellington was obliged to hang several plunderers, and to resort to other severe measures to restore to discipline that army which, only a week before, had repulsed the best troops of france. towards the end of the march the french pressed them again, and craufurd, with his light division, had a narrow escape of being cut off. great was the satisfaction of the british troops when they took up the position so carefully prepared for them; equally great the surprise of massena and the french army when they beheld the almost impregnable line of redoubts and fortresses of whose very existence they had only heard a confused rumor two or three days before. and yet formidable as was the chain of forts occupied by the british, this was weak in comparison to the second line, some five or six miles in the rear, to which wellington would have fallen back if driven from his first position. this second position was indeed that which he had originally intended to have taken up, the redoubts on the exterior range of hills being intended as outposts; but, while massena delayed his advance, the outside line of fortifications had so grown and increased in strength, that wellington resolved to hold them in the first place. there were, therefore, as will be seen by the plan, three lines of defense. the first from alhandra on the tagus to zizandre on the sea-coast. this, following the windings of the hills, was twenty-nine miles long; the second and main line was from quintella on the tagus to the mouth of the san lorenza, twenty-four miles in length; the third, intended to cover an embarkation, in case of necessity, extended from passo d'arcos on the tagus to the town of junquera on the coast. massena spent some days in surveying the british position, and came to the conclusion that it was too strong to be attacked. had the order of wellington been carried out, and the whole country wasted of provisions, the french army must have made a precipitate retreat to avoid starvation, for they had no provisions or connection with spain. wilson and trant, with portuguese levies, hung upon their rear, and captured coimbra, where massena had left his sick and wounded, in number, upon the very day after the main french army advanced from the town. so vast were the supplies, however, left in the country that massena was able to take up his position, first immediately in front of the british lines, and afterwards at santarem, within a day's march of them, and to maintain his army in food throughout the winter until the beginning of march. "have you seen the _gazette_, scudamore?" carruthers asked, rushing into the tent one morning about a week after the regiment had settled down in its tents on the heights of torres vedras. "no; what's up?" tom replied. "there you are; you have both got your steps. thomas scudamore, ensign, norfolk rangers, to be lieutenant, for distinguished services in the field. peter scudamore, ditto, ditto. i wondered the chief had done nothing for you after your journey through spain." "i am sure i did not expect anything," tom answered, "and was quite content when the colonel told us that lord wellington had said he was pleased with the manner we had done our work. however, i am very glad; but it is not pleasant going over five or six fellows' heads." "fortune of war," carruthers said laughing. "besides, two of them are at the depôt, sankey is away on sick leave, and none of the three who are senior to you here will ever set the thames on fire. no, no, you have fairly earned your step and no one can say a word against it." the news soon spread, and the boys were heartily congratulated by all the officers of the regiment on their promotion, which placed them next on the list to carruthers, who had previously been the junior lieutenant. promotion in those days was rapid, and after a severe engagement an ensign only joined upon the previous week might find himself a lieutenant, from the number of death vacancies caused in the ranks above him. the norfolk rangers had not suffered heavily at talavera, or the boys might have had their lieutenant's rank before this, without performing any exceptional services. "i wish we could get two months' leave, tom," peter said that night. "of course it is impossible, but it would be jolly to drop in upon rhoda. by her letter she seems well and happy, and aunt is very kind to her. it would be nice; and now we are lieutenants, aunt wouldn't tell us to rub our shoes." "no," tom laughed, "or be afraid of our pelting her pigeons and minnie." "no," peter said. "evidently she is coming round. rhoda said that since she has heard that we have got our commissions she has given up prophesying once or twice a day that we shall come to a bad end--probably hanging." "yes, and rhoda said in her letter yesterday that aunt was quite touched with those lace mantillas we got at madrid, and sent off the day after we rejoined, and actually remarked that, although we could no longer be looked upon as boys, and seemed really as hair-brained and fond of getting into scrapes as ever, yet it was evident that we were good, kindly lads, and meant well at heart." "i wish," tom said, with a sudden burst of laughter, "that we could dress in our old disguises, i as a student of theology you as a mild young novice; what a lark we would have with her!" and the boys went off into such shouts of laughter, that their aunt would have thought them more scatter-brained than ever if she had heard them, while from the tent of captain manley on one side, and of carruthers and another young officer on the other, came indignant expostulations, and entreaties that they would keep quiet, and let other people go to sleep. chapter xiii. albuera. very heavily did five months in the lines of torres vedras pass to the norfolk rangers. when, in the beginning of november, massena fell back to sautarem, the greater portion of the army followed him in readiness for attack should any openings be found. massena, however, entrenched himself in a very strong position, and wellington could no more attack him than he could attack the lines of torres vedras; so that both armies faced each other in inactivity until the beginning of march, when massena broke up his camp and began to retreat. the norfolk rangers had been one of the regiments which had remained in their quarters on torres vedras throughout the winter, and great was the joy with which they received orders to strike their tents and push on in pursuit. the retreat of massena was masterly. ney's division covered the rear, and several sharp fights took place which are known in history as the combats of pombal, redinha, cazal nova, foz d'aronce, and sabugal. in most of these the enemy were driven from their position by the british outflanking them and threatening their line of retreat; but in the last, by a mistake of general erskine, a portion of his division attacked the enemy in rear, and, although vastly outnumbered, drove him off from the crest he held with desperate valor. wellington himself said, "this was one of the most glorious actions british troops were ever engaged in." the next day the french crossed the coa and turones, and took up their position under the guns of ciudad rodrigo, which they had left six months before with the full assurance that they were going to conquer portugal, and drive the british into the sea. the invasion cost massena thirty thousand men, killed in battle, taken prisoners, or dead from hardships, fatigues and fevers. the scudamores were not present at the battle of sabugal, for on the afternoon after the combat of foz d'aronce an orderly rode up to the regiment and handed a note to the colonel. he read it, and at once summoned the scudamores at his side. "an order from the commander-in-chief," he said, "for you to go to him at once." following the orderly, the boys soon arrived at the cottage at which lord wellington had established his headquarters. "his lordship is with lord beresford," the aide-de-camp to whom they gave their names said, "but the orders are that you are to be shown in at once." the lads were ushered into a small room, where, seated at a table, were the commanders-in-chief of the british and the portuguese troops. "young gentlemen," the former said, looking up with his keen piercing eyes, "i have not seen you since your return from spain. i am content with what you did, and with the detailed report you sent me in. i shall keep my eye upon you. lord beresford has asked me for two officers as aides-de-camp, and he specially requires them to have a perfect knowledge of spanish. i have mentioned your names to him. it is not often that i confidently recommend young officers, but from what i know of you i have felt able to do so in the present case. you will, with him, have opportunities of distinguishing yourselves such as you could not have with your regiment. you accept the appointments?" tom and peter would far rather have remained with their regiment, but they felt that, after what lord wellington had said, they could not refuse; they consequently expressed at once their willingness to serve, and their thanks to the general for his kindness in recommending them. "you can ride, i hope?" lord beresford, a powerfully-built, pleasant-looking man, said. "yes, sir, we can both ride, but at present--" "you have no horses, of course?" lord beresford put in. "i will provide you with horses, and will assign servants to you from one of the cavalry regiments with me. will you join me at daybreak to-morrow? we shall march at once." there was a general expression of regret when the scudamores informed their comrades that they were again ordered on detached duty. as to sam, when tom told him that he could not accompany them, he was uproarious in his lamentations, and threatened to desert from his regiment in order to follow them. at this the boys laughed, and told sam that he would be arrested and sent back before he had gone six hours. "i tink, massa tom, dat you might hab told de general dat you hab got an fust-class serbent, and dat you bring him wid you." "but we shall be mounted now, sam, and must have mounted men with us. you can't ride, you know." "yes, massa, dis child ride first-rate, he can." "why, sam, i heard you say not long ago you had never ridden on a horse all your life." "never hab, massa, dat's true 'nuff; but sam sure he can ride. berry easy ting dat. sit on saddle, one leg each side--not berry difficult dat. sam see tousand soldiers do dat ebery day; dey sit quite easy on saddle; much more easy dat dan beat big drum." the boys laughed heartily at sam's notion of riding without practice, and assured him that it was not so easy as he imagined. "look here, sam," peter said at last, "you practice riding a little, and then next time we get away we will ask for you to go with us." and with this sam was obliged to be content. half an hour later, when the boys were chatting with captain manley, carruthers, and two or three other officers, in the tent of the first-named officer, they heard a commotion outside, with shouts of laughter, in which they joined as soon as they went out and saw what was going on. sam, upon leaving the scudamores, determined at once upon trying the experiment of riding, in order that he might--for he had no doubt all would be easy enough--ride triumphantly up to his masters' tent and prove his ability to accompany them at once. he was not long before he saw a muleteer coming along sitting carelessly on his mule, with both legs on one side of the animal, side-saddle fashion, as is the frequent custom of muleteers. it was evident, by the slowness of his pace, that he was not pressed for time. sam thought that this was a fine opportunity. "let me have a ride?" he said to the muleteer in broken portuguese. the man shook his head. sam held out a quarter of a dollar. "there," he said, "i'll give you that for a hour's ride." the muleteer hesitated, and then said, "the mule is very bad tempered with strangers." "oh, dat all nonsense," sam thought, "he only pretend dat as excuse; any one can see de creature as quiet as lamb; don't he let his master sit on him sideways?" "all right," he said aloud, "i try him." the muleteer dismounted, and sam prepared to take his place on the saddle. by this time several of the rangers had gathered round, and these foreseeing, from the appearance of the mule and the look of sly amusement in the face of the muleteer, that there was likely to be some fun, at once proposed to assist, which they did by giving advice to sam of the most opposite nature. sam was first going to mount on the off side, but this irregularity was repressed, and one wag, taking the stirrup of the near side in his hand, said, "now, sam, up you go, never mind what these fellows say, you put your right foot in the stirrup, and lift your left over the saddle." sam acted according to these instructions, and found himself, to his intense amazement and the delight of the bystanders, sitting with his face to the mule's tail. "hullo," he exclaimed in astonishment, "dis all wrong; you know noting about de business, you bill atkins." and sam prepared to descend, when, at his first movement, the mule put down his head and flung his heels high in the air. sam instinctively threw himself forward, but not recovering his upright position before the mule again flung up her hind quarters, he received a violent blow on the nose. "golly!" exclaimed the black in a tone of extreme anguish, as, with water streaming from his eyes, he instinctively clutched the first thing which came to hand, the root of the mule's tail, and held on like grim death. the astonished mule lashed out wildly and furiously, but sam, with his body laid close on her back, his hands grasping her tail, and his legs and feet pressing tight to her flanks, held on with the clutch of despair. "seize de debil!--seize him!--he gone mad!"--he shouted frantically, but the soldiers were in such fits of laughter that they could do nothing. then the mule, finding that he could not get rid of this singular burden by kicking, started suddenly off at full gallop. "stop him--stop him," yelled sam. "gracious me, dis am drefful." this was the sight which met the eyes of the scudamores and their brother officers as they issued from their tents. the soldiers were all out of their tents now, and the air rang with laughter mingled with shouts of "go it, moke!" "hold on, sam!" "stop that mule," captain manley shouted, "or the man will be killed." several soldiers ran to catch at the bridle, but the mule swerved and dashed away out of camp along the road. "look, look," tom said, "there are the staff, and lord wellington among them. the mule's going to charge them." the road was somewhat narrow, with a wall of four feet high on either side, and the general, who was riding at the head of the party, drew his rein when he saw the mule coming along at a furious gallop. the staff did the same, and a general shout was raised to check or divert her wild career. the obstinate brute, however, maddened by the shouts which had greeted her from all sides, and the strange manner in which she was being ridden, never swerved from her course. when she was within five yards of the party, the general turned his horse, touched him with his spur, and leaped him lightly over the wall; one or two others followed his example, but the others had not time to do so before the mule was among them. two horses and riders were thrown down, one on either side, with the impetus of the shock, and then, kicking, striking and charging, the animal made its way past the others and dashed on in despite of the attempts to stop her, and the cries of "shoot the brute," "ride him down," and the angry ejaculations of those injured in its passage. thirty yards behind the group of officers were the escort, and these prepared to catch the mule, when turning to the left she leaped the wall, eliciting a scream of terror from sam, who was nearly shaken from his hold by the sudden jerk. the anger of the officers was changed into a burst of amusement at seeing sam's dark face and staring eyes over the mule's crupper, and even lord wellington smiled grimly. an order was hastily given, and four troopers detached themselves from the escort and started off in pursuit. the mule was, however, a fast one, and maddened by fright, and it was some time before the foremost of the troopers was up to her. as he came alongside, the mule suddenly swerved round and lashed out viciously, one of her heels coming against the horse's ribs, and the other against the leg of the rider, who, in spite of his thick jack-boot, for some time thought that his leg was broken. he fell behind, and the others, rendered cautious by the lesson, came up but slowly, and prepared to close upon the animal's head, one from each side. just as they were going to do so, however, they were startled by a scattered fire of musketry, and by the sound of balls whizzing about their ears, and discovered that in the ardor of the chase they had passed over the space which separated the french from the english lines, and that they were close to the former. at the same moment they saw a party of cavalry stealing round to cut off their retreat. turning their horses, the dragoons rode off at full speed, but the french cavalry, on fresher horses, would have caught them before they reached the english lines had not a troop of british horse dashed forward to meet them upon seeing their danger. as to the mule, she continued her wild gallop into the french lines, where she was soon surrounded and captured. the boys were greatly vexed at the loss of their faithful black, but they had little time for grieving, for an hour after they rode off with general beresford's division. three days' march brought them to campo mayor, a town which had, two days before, surrendered to the french, who, surprised by the sudden appearance of the british, evacuated the place hastily and retreated, after suffering much from a brilliant charge of the th hussars, who, although unsupported, charged right through the french cavalry, and beresford then prepared to lay siege to badajos. had he pushed forward at once, he would have found the place unprepared for a siege, but, delaying a few days at elvas to give his tired troops repose, the french repaired the walls, and were in a position to offer a respectable defense, when he made his appearance under its walls. the army was very badly provided with heavy guns, but the approaches were opened and the siege commenced in regular form, when the news arrived that soult was marching with a powerful army to its relief. the guns were therefore withdrawn, the siege raised, and beresford marched to meet soult at albuera. on the th of may he took up his position on rising ground looking down on albuera, having the river in his front. acting with him, and nominally under his orders, was a spanish force under blake. this was intended to occupy the right of the position, but with the usual spanish dilatoriness, instead of being upon the ground, as he had promised, by noon, blake did not arrive until past midnight; the french accordingly crossed the river unmolested, and the british general found his right turned. beresford's position was now a very faulty one, as the woods completely hid the movements of the enemy, and a high hill, which they had at once seized, flanked the whole allied position and threatened its line of retreat. when the morning of the th dawned the armies were numerically very unequal. the british had , infantry, , cavalry, and guns; the french, , infantry, , cavalry, and guns; but of these the french were all veteran troops, while beresford had but , british troops, the remainder being spanish and portuguese, upon whom no reliance whatever was to be placed. the british officers present were all of opinion that their chances of success, under the circumstances, were slight indeed. the battle commenced at nine in the morning by an attack by the french general godinot upon the bridge of albuera. their columns were, however, so completely plowed by the guns of the portuguese upon the eminence behind it, that they made no progress, and beresford perceived at once that the main attack would be made on his right. he despatched tom scudamore with orders to blake to throw back his troops at right angles to the main front. the pig-headed spaniard refused to obey, asserting that the main attack was in front. colonel hardinge was sent to insist upon the order being carried out, but blake still refused, and beresford himself rode furiously across and took the command just as the french column debouched from the wood on the right. before the spanish movement was completed the french were among them. their cavalry swept round to the right rear, and menaced the line of retreat, the infantry charged the wavering spanish battalions, and the latter at once fell into confusion and began to fall back. william stewart now arrived with a brigade of the second division to endeavor to retrieve the day; but as they were advancing into position, four regiments of french cavalry, whose movements were hidden in the driving rain until they were close at hand, fell upon them and rode down two-thirds of the brigade, the st regiment alone having time to form square and repulse the horsemen. beresford himself, with his staff, was in the middle of the mélée, and the lads found themselves engaged in hand-to-hand combats with the french troopers. all was confusion. peter was unhorsed by the shock of a french hussar, but tom shot the trooper before he could cut peter down. free for a moment, he looked round, and saw a french lancer charging, lance at rest, at lord beresford. "look out, sir!" he shouted, and the general, turning round, swept aside the lance thrust with his arm; and as the lancer, carried on by the impetus of his charge, dashed against him, he seized him by the throat and waist, lifted him bodily from his saddle, and hurled him insensible to the ground. just at this moment general lumley arrived with some portuguese cavalry, and the french lancers galloped off. the spanish cavalry, who had orders to charge the french cavalry in flank, galloped up until within a few yards of them, and then turned and fled shamefully. beresford, now furious at the cowardice of the spanish infantry, seized one of their ensigns by the shoulder, and dragged him, with his colors, to the front by main force, but the infantry would not even then advance. the driving rain saved the allied army at this critical moment, for soult was unable to see the terrible confusion which reigned in their ranks, and kept his heavy columns in hand when an attack would have carried with it certain victory. in the pause which ensued, the british regiments began to make their way to the front. colbourn, with the st regiment, was already there; stewart brought up haughton's brigade; and the th burst its way through the flying spaniards and joined the st, these movements being made under a storm of shot and shell from the french artillery. colonel hartman brought up the british artillery, and the spanish generals zayas and ballesteros succeeded in checking and bringing forward again some of the spanish infantry. the french advanced in great force, the artillery on both sides poured in grape at short distance, and the carnage was terrible. still the little band of british held their ground. stewart was twice wounded, haughton and colonels duckworth and inglis slain. of the th regiment twenty-two officers and four hundred men fell out of the five hundred that had mounted the hill, and the other regiments had suffered nearly as severely. not a third were standing unhurt, and fresh columns of the french were advancing. the battle looked desperate, and beresford made preparations for a retreat. at this moment, however, colonel hardinge brought up general cole with the fourth division, and colonel abercrombie with the third brigade of colbourn's second division. beresford recalled his order for retreat, and the terrible fight continued. the fourth division was composed of two brigades, the one, a portuguese under general harvey, was pushed down to the right to keep off the french cavalry, while the fusilier brigade, composed of the th and rd fusilier regiments, under sir william myers, climbed the desperately contested hill, which abercombie ascended also, more on the left. it was time, for the whole of the french reserves were now coming into action; six guns were already in the enemy's possession, the remnant of haughton's brigade could no longer sustain its ground, and the heavy french columns were advancing exultantly to assured victory. suddenly, through the smoke, cole's fusilier brigade appeared on the right of haughton's brigade, just as abercrombie came up on its left. startled by the sight, and by the heavy fire, the french column paused, and, to quote napier's glowing words, "hesitated, and then, vomiting forth a storm of fire, hastily endeavored to enlarge their front, while a fearful discharge of grape from all their artillery whistled through the british ranks. myers was killed, cole and the three colonels, ellis, blakeney and hawkshawe, fell wounded; and the fusilier battalions, struck by the iron tempest, reeled and staggered like sinking ships; but suddenly and sternly recovering, they closed with their terrible enemies, and then was seen with what a strength and majesty the british soldier fights. in vain did soult with voice and gesture animate his frenchmen; in vain did the hardiest veterans break from the crowded columns and sacrifice their lives to gain time for the mass to open out on such a fair field; in vain did the mass itself bear up, and, fiercely striving, fire indiscriminately upon friends and foes, while the horsemen hovering on its flank threatened to charge the advancing line. nothing could stop that astonishing infantry; no sudden burst of undisciplined valor, no nervous enthusiasm weakened the stability of their order; their flashing eyes were bent on the dark columns in their front, their measured tread shook the ground, their dreadful volleys swept away the head of every formation, their deafening shouts overpowered the dissonant cries that broke from all parts of the tumultuous crowd, as, slowly and with horrid carnage, it was pushed by the incessant vigor of the attack to the farthest edge of the hill. in vain did the french reserves mix with the struggling multitude to sustain the fight; their efforts only increased the irremediable confusion, and the mighty mass breaking off like a loosened cliff, went headlong down the steep; the rain flowed after in streams discolored with blood, and eighteen hundred unwounded men, the remnant of six thousand unconquerable british soldiers, stood triumphant on the fatal hill." while this dreadful fight was going on, hamilton's and collier's portuguese divisions, ten thousand strong, marched to support the british, but they did not reach the summit of the hill until the battle was over; they suffered, however, a good deal of loss from the french artillery, which, to cover the retreat, opened furiously upon them. the french were in no position to renew the attack, the allies quite incapable of pursuit, and when night fell the two armies were in the same position they had occupied twenty-four hours before. never was british valor more conspicuously displayed than at the battle of albuera. out of , infantry they lost , killed and wounded, while the spanish and portuguese had but , killed and wounded out of a total of , ; the french loss was over , . this desperate fight had lasted but four hours, but to all engaged it seemed an age. the din, the whirl, the storm of shot, the fierce charges of the cavalry, the swaying backwards and forwards of the fight, the disastrous appearance of the battle from the first, all combined to make up a perfectly bewildering confusion. the scudamores, after its commencement, had seen but little of each other. whenever one or other of them found their way to the general, who was ever in the thickest of the fray, it was but to remain there for a moment or two before being despatched with fresh messages. tom's horse was shot under him early in the day, but he obtained a remount from an orderly and continued his duty until, just as the day was won, he received a musket ball in the shoulder. he half fell, half dismounted, and, giddy and faint, lay down and remained there until the cessation of the fire told him that the battle was over. then he staggered to his feet and sought a surgeon. he presently found one hard at work under a tree, but there was so large a number of wounded men lying or sitting round, that tom saw that it would be hours before he could be attended to. as he turned to go he saw an officer of the staff ride by. "ah, scudamore! are you hit too?--not very badly, i hope? the chief was asking after you just now." "my shoulder is smashed, i think," tom said, "and the doctor has his hands full at present; but if you will tie my arm tight across my chest with my sash, i shall be able to get on." the officer at once leapt from his horse, and proceeded to bind tom's arm in the position he requested. "have you seen my brother," tom asked. "no, i have not; he was close to beresford when the fusiliers dashed up the hill; his horse fell dead, but he was not hit, for i saw him jump up all right. i did not see him afterwards. as he could not have got a fresh mount then, i expect he joined the fusiliers and went up the hill." "is the loss heavy?" tom asked. "awful--awful," the officer said. "if it had lasted another quarter of an hour, there would have been nobody left alive; as it is, there are not , men at the outside on their feet." "what, altogether?" tom exclaimed. "altogether," the officer answered sadly. "we have lose two men out of every three who went into it." "thank you," tom said. "now where shall i find the general?" "up on the hill. i shall see you there in a few minutes. i hope you will find your brother all right." very slowly did tom make his way up the steep slope, sitting down to rest many times, for he was faint from loss of blood and sick with the pain of his wound, and it was a long half hour before he joined the group of officers clustered round the commander-in-chief. he was heartily greeted; but in answer to his question as to whether any one had seen his brother, no one could give a satisfactory reply. one, however, was able to confirm what had been before told to him, for he had seen peter on foot advancing with the fusilier brigade. tom's heart felt very heavy as he turned away towards the front, where the fusiliers were standing on the ground they had so hardly won. the distance he had to traverse was but short, but the journey was a ghastly one. the ground was literally heaped with dead. wounded men were seen sitting up trying to stanch their wounds, others lay feebly groaning, while soldiers were hurrying to and fro from the water carts, with pannikins of water to relieve their agonizing thirst. "do you know, sergeant, whether they have collected the wounded officers, and, if so, where they are?" "yes, sir, most of them are there at the right flank of the regiment." tom made his way towards the spot indicated, where a small group of officers were standing, while a surgeon was examining a long line of wounded laid side by side upon the ground. tom hardly breathed as he ran his eye along their faces, and his heart seemed to stop as he recognized in the very one the surgeon was then examining the dead-white face of peter. he staggered forward and said in a gasping voice, "he is my brother--is he dead?" the surgeon looked up. "sit down," he said sharply, and tom, unable to resist the order, sank rather than sat down, his eyes still riveted on peter's face. "no," the surgeon said, answering the question, "he has only fainted from loss of blood, but he is hit hard, the bullet has gone in just above the hip, and until i know its course i can't say whether he has a chance or not." "here, sergeant, give me the probe," and with this he proceeded cautiously to examine the course of the ball. as he did so his anxious face brightened a little. "he was struck slantingly," he said, "the ball has gone round by the back; turn him over, sergeant. ah, i thought so; it has gone out on the other side. well, i think it has missed any vital part, and in that case i can give you hope. there," he said after he had finished dressing the wound and fastening a bandage tightly round the body; "now pour some brandy-and-water down his throat, sergeant, and sprinkle his face with water. now, sir, i will look at your shoulder." but he spoke to insensible ears, for tom, upon hearing the more favorable report as to peter's state, had fainted dead off. the surgeon glanced at him. "he'll come round all right," he said. "i will go on in the mean time," and set to work at the next in the ghastly line. it was some time before tom recovered his consciousness; when he did so, it was with a feeling of intense agony in the shoulder. "lie quiet," the surgeon said, "i shan't be long about it." it seemed to tom, nevertheless, as if an interminable time passed before the surgeon spoke again. "you'll do," he said. "it is an awkward shot, for it has broken the shoulder bone and carried a portion away, but with quiet and care you will get the use of your arm again. you are lucky, for if it had gone two inches to the left it would have smashed the arm at the socket, and two inches the other way and it would have been all up with you. now lie quiet for awhile; you can do nothing for your brother at present. it may be hours before he recovers consciousness." tom was too faint and weak to argue, and a minute later he dropped off to sleep, from which he did not wake until it was dusk. sitting up, he saw that he had been aroused by the approach of an officer, whom he recognized as one of general beresford's staff. "how are you, scudamore?" he asked. "the general has just sent me to inquire." "he is very kind," tom said. "i think that i am all right, only i am horribly thirsty." the officer unslung a flask from his shoulder. "this is weak brandy-and-water. i have brought it over for you. i am sorry to hear your brother is so bad, but the doctor gives strong hopes of him in his report." tom bent down over peter. "he is breathing quietly," he said. "i hope it is a sort of sleep he has fallen into. what are we doing?" "nothing," the officer answered; "there is nothing to do; every unbounded man is under arms in case the french attack us in the night. i expect, however, they will wait till morning, and if they come on then, i fear our chance is a slight one indeed. we have only , of our infantry; the german regiments and the portuguese will do their best; but the spanish are utterly useless. soult has lost more men than we have, but we are like a body which has lost its back-bone; and if the french, who are all good soldiers, renew the battle, i fear it is all up with us." "have you got all our wounded in?" tom asked. "no," the officer said bitterly. "our unwounded men must stand to arms, and lord beresford sent over to blake just now to ask for the assistance of a battalion of spaniards to collect our wounded, and the brute sent back to say that it was the custom in allied armies for each army to attend to its own wounded." "the brute!" tom repeated with disgust. "how the poor fellows must be suffering!" "the men who are but slightly wounded have been taking water to all they can find, and the doctors are at work now, and will be all night going about dressing wounds. the worst of it is, if the fight begins again to-morrow, all the wounded who cannot crawl away must remain under fire. however, the french wounded are all over the hill too, and perhaps the french will avoid a cannonade as much as possible, for their sake. it is a bad look-out altogether; and between ourselves, beresford has written to lord wellington to say that he anticipates a crushing defeat." "is there any chance of reinforcements?" tom asked. "we hope that the third brigade of the fourth division will be up to-morrow by midday; they are ordered to come on by forced marches. if soult does not attack till they arrive, it will make all the difference, for , fresh men will nearly double our strength. but i must be going now. good-bye." the surgeon presently came round again to see how the wounded officers were getting on. tom asked him whether there was anything he could do for peter; but the surgeon, after feeling his pulse, said: "no, not as long as he breathes quietly like this; but if he moves pour a little brandy-and-water down his throat. now gentlemen, all who can must look after the others, for there is not an available man, and i must be at work all night on the field." there were many of the officers who were not hit too severely to move about, and these collected some wood and made a fire, so as to enable them to see and attend to their more severely wounded comrades. tom took his place close to peter, where he could watch his least movement, and once or twice during the night poured a little brandy-and-water between his lips. the other officers took it by turns to attend to their comrades, to keep up the fire, and to sleep. those whose turn it was to be awake sat round the fire smoking, and talking as to the chances of the morrow, getting up occasionally to give drink to such of the badly wounded as were awake. tom, faint with his wound, found it, towards morning, impossible to keep awake, and dozed off, to wake with a start and find that it was broad daylight. soon afterwards, to his intense satisfaction, peter opened his eyes. tom bent over him. "don't try to move, peter; lie quiet, old boy." "what's the matter?" peter asked with a puzzled look. "you have been hit in the body, peter, but the doctor means to get you round in no time. yes," he continued, seeing peter's eyes fixed on his bandaged shoulder, "i have had a tap too, but there's no great harm done. there, drink some brandy-and-water, and go off to sleep again, if you can." the morning passed very slowly, the troops being all under arms, expecting the renewed attack of soult, but it came not; and when early in the afternoon, the third brigade of the fourth division marched into camp, they were received with general cheering. a heavy load seemed taken off every one's heart, and they felt now that they could fight, if fight they must, with a hope of success. the new-comers, wearied as they were with their long forced marches, at once took the outpost duties, and those relieved set about the duty of collecting and bringing in all the wounded. next morning the joyful news came that soult was retiring, and all felt with a thrill of triumph that their sacrifices and efforts had not been in vain, and that the hard-fought battle of albuera was forever to take its place among the great victories of the british army. chapter xiv. invalided home. two days after the battle of albuera, lord wellington himself arrived, and from the officers of his staff tom heard the details of the battle of fuentes d'onoro, which had been fought a few days previously, and which had been nearly as hardly contested as had albuera itself, both sides claiming the victory. the next day, the bulk of beresford's army returned to the neighborhood of badajos, which they again invested, while a long convoy of wounded started for lisbon. the scudamores accompanied it as far as campo major, where a large hospital had been prepared for those too ill to bear the journey. peter was still unconscious. fever had set in upon the day after the battle, and for three weeks he lay between life and death. tom's arm was mending very slowly, and he would have had hard work indeed in nursing peter had it not been for the arrival of unexpected assistance. a large villa had been taken close to the main hospital for the use of officers, and one of the rooms was allotted to the scudamores. upon the evening of the second day after their arrival, tom was sitting by peter's bedside, when, after a preliminary tap, the door opened, and to tom's perfect amazement sambo entered. the negro hurried forward, threw himself on his knees, seized tom's hand and kissed it passionately, and then looking at the thin and fever-flushed face of peter, he hid his face in his hands and sobbed unrestrainedly. "hush, sam, hush," tom said soothingly. "my poor fellow, why, where have you come from? i thought you were a prisoner with the french." "i knew how it would be, massa tom," the black said, paying no attention to the questions. "first thing sam said to himself when he got among french fellows, 'dere, dose young gentlemen dey get into all sorts of danger widout sam, sartin sure dey get hurt widout sam to look after dem.' dat idea troubled sam berry much, took away sam's sleep altogether." "well it turned out so, as you see, sam," tom said with a smile, "but tell me how did you get away? but first give me some lemonade out of that jug, then you can tell me all about it." "why, massa tom," sam said, when he had complied with the request, "you didn't think dat dis chile was going to stop prisoner with dose french chaps; sam not such a fool as dat, nohow. when dat cussed mule--i tell you fair, massa tom, dis chile conclude dat riding not such a berry easy ting after all--when dat cussed mule ran into french camp, de soldiers dey catch him, and dey take sam off, and den dey jabber and laugh for all de world like great lots of monkeys. well, for some time sam he didn't say nothing, all de wind shook out of his body. besides which he couldn't understand what dey say. den all of a sudden, to sam's surprise, up came a colored soldier, and he speak to sam in de english tongue. 'holla, broder, how you come here?" i ask. 'i been cook on board english merchant ship,' he say. 'ship she taken by french privateer. when dey come to port dey say to me, "you not englishman, you hab choice, you go to prison, or you be french soldier." natural, i not want go prison, so i conclude be french soldier. i daresay dey gib you choice too.' well, massa, a wink as good as a nod to blind hoss. so dey take me to tent, put me under guard, and next day a french officer come dat speak english. he ask me all sorts ob questions, and at last he ask me why i list english soldier. so you see i had got a little lie all ready, and me tell him, me one poor melican negro man, cook on board melican ship. ship taken by english man-ob-war. put sam in prison and give him choice to go as soldier. "den you not care about english,' de officer say, and sam draw hisself up and pat his chest and say, 'me melican citizen, me no britisher's slave, some day me go back states, go on board melican man-ob-war, me pay out dese britishers for make sam slave.' den de officer laugh, and say dat if i like i could fight dem now; and if i prefer french uniform to french prison, me could have him. ob course i accep' offer, and harp an hour after me in french uniform. french officer try to make joke ob sam, and ask whether i like cavalry or foot soldier. sam say he had enuff of quadruples at present. me remain french soldier three weeks, den cum great battle, dey call him fuentes donory. sam's regiment fight. sam not like fire at red coats, so break bullet off catridge, neber put him in gun. we charge right into middle of village full of english soldiers, de bullets fly all about. sam not see de point ob getting kill by mistake, so he tumble down, pretend to be dead. presently french beaten back; when english soldier wid doctor cum look at wounded, dey turn sam ober, and dey say, 'hullo, here dead nigger.' 'nigger yourself, john atkins,' i say for sure enuff it's de ole regiment--'you say dat once again me knock your head off;' me jump up, and all de world call out, 'hullo, why it's sam.' den me splain matter, and all berry glad, cept john atkins, and next morning me gib him licking he member all his life, me pound him most to a squash. four days ago colonel send for sam, say, 'sam, berry bad job, bofe massas wounded bad, send you to nurse dem;' so dis chile come. dat all, massa tom. here letter for you from colonel, now you read dis letter, den you get in bed, you sleep all night, sam watch massa peter." greatly relieved to have his faithful servant again, and to know that peter would be well cared for, instead of being left in charge of the spanish hospital orderly, whenever weakness and pain obliged him to lie down, tom abandoned his place by the bedside, and prepared for a tranquil night's rest, first reading the colonel's letter. "we are all grieved, my dear scudamore, at hearing that you are both wounded, and that your brother is at present in a serious state. we trust, however, that he will pull through. i hear that beresford has praised you both most highly in despatches, and that your names are sent home for companies. i heartily congratulate you. we have had some tough work at fuentes d'onoro, although nothing to what yours must have been at albuera, still it was hot enough in all conscience, and we had over a hundred casualties in the regiment. carruthers and manley were both slightly wounded. jones, anstruther, palmer, and chambers were killed, and several of the others hit more or less hard. sam has leave to remain with you until you rejoin, which will not, i fear, be for some little time. every one sends kind messages. yours truly, j. tritton." nothing could exceed the care and devotion with which sam nursed his two masters, and tom had the greatest difficulty in persuading him to lie down and get a short sleep each day while he sat by peter's bed. at the end of three weeks peter took a favorable turn. his fever abated, and he awoke to consciousness. another fortnight and he was sufficiently convalescent to be moved, and accordingly they started to travel by very easy stages to lisbon, there to take ship for england, as the doctor ordered tom as well as his brother to go home for a while to recruit. tom was the less reluctant to do so, as it was evident that with the force at his command wellington would not be able to undertake any great operation, and that the siege and capture of badajoz was the utmost likely to be accomplished in that season's campaign. the mails in due course had brought out the _gazette_, and in it tom and peter scudamore were promoted to be captains, unattached. colonel tritton, upon being applied to, readily gave leave for sam to accompany his masters. it was a long journey to lisbon, but the jolting of the country cart was made bearable by a layer of hay, two feet deep, upon which the mattresses were laid, sam seeing that at each night's halt the hay was taken out, well shaken, and then returned to the cart, so as to preserve it light and elastic. a thick canopy of boughs kept off the heat of the sun, and under it, within reach of the invalids hung a gourd of fresh water, and a basket of fruit. several other cart-loads of wounded officers accompanied them, and at night they would draw up by a grove of trees where water was handy, those who could walk would get out, the others would be lifted out on their mattresses, a great fire made, and round it the beds laid in a circle, and then the evening would be spent in pleasant chat, with many an anecdote and an occasional song, until the fire burnt low, the talk died away, and each, covered in his blankets to keep off the night dew, fell asleep. pleasant as was the journey, however, it was with a thrill of delight that they caught their first sight of lisbon, with its broad river, and the blue line of the sea beyond. a few days later, and they embarked on board a transport, which seven days afterwards, after a calm passage, arrived at spithead. peter was by this time gaining strength fast, but his back was so stiff and sore that he was unable to move it, and was obliged to swing himself along on crutches. the next day the coach took them to london, and they started the morning after for marlborough. this time they had to go inside the coach, two gentlemen, who had previously secured the seats, kindly giving them up in favor of the wounded young officers, while sam took his place on the roof, and amused his fellow-passengers with wonderful accounts of his adventures at the war. at the inn at which they took dinner, they alighted, and tom recognized in the driver the same coachman who had driven them upon the memorable occasion of their being stopped by highwaymen three years before. "you don't remember us, coachman, do you?" "no, gentlemen, i can't say as how,--but eh! no, why you're the werry boys as shot the highwaymen. well, i am glad to see you again, though you do look white and bad, both of you. i heard as how there were two wounded officers inside, and that black soldier has been telling all sorts of tales of the wonderful things as his masters had done, but not knowing as how it was you, i didn't much believe all he was telling. now i quite see as how it was true; and how are you both?" "getting on all right," tom said, returning the warm shake of the coachman's hand, "and do you know, those pistols have saved our lives more than once." "have they now," the coachman said, in high admiration, "but there, we most be moving, we are three minutes after time as it is; i shall see you again next time we stop, gentlemen." during the next stage the coachman and guard recounted to the outside passengers the affair of the stopping the coach, and sam's black face shone with delight at the tale. then he had his say, and related the story of his falling overboard and being rescued, and in consequence the lads were quite embarrassed when they next halted, by the attention of their fellow-travelers, who could scarcely understand how it was possible that two mere boys should have performed such feats of bravery. arrived at marlborough they looked round in vain for the one-horsed vehicle which had before met them. "i expect that aunt has not got our letter, peter," tom said. "it would probably go up to town in the coach with us, and is likely enough in the letter-bag in the boot. well, we must have a post-chaise. won't aunt and rhoda be surprised; but they must be expecting us, because they will have had our letter from lisbon." the horses were soon in, sam took his seat in the rumble, and in a few minutes they were bounding over the road at a very different pace to that at which they had before traversed it. "there's the house among the trees," peter said at last, "with aunt's pigeons on the roof as usual, and there's minnie asleep on the window-sill, and there! yes, there's rhoda." as he spoke a girl, who was sitting reading under a tree, leapt to her feet, on hearing a carriage stop, and then, catching sight of peter waving his hat, while tom made frantic efforts to open the door, gave a scream of delight, and rushed towards them, threw her arms round tom's neck as he jumped out, and then leapt into the chaise and hugged and cried over peter. he was soon helped out, and as they turned to go towards the house they saw their aunt coming out to meet them. tom ran forward and throwing his arms round her neck kissed her heartily, and before she could recover from her surprise, peter was alongside. "please, aunt, you must kiss me," he said, "for i want my arms for my crutches." his aunt leaned forward and kissed him, and then wiped the tears from her eyes. "i am glad to see you back, my dear nephews," she said. "we did not understand each other very well before, but we shan't make any more mistakes. this is your black servant, i suppose," she said, as sam came along, with a trunk in each hand. "dear! dear! what a dreadfully ugly man." "how do you do, sam?" rhoda said, when he came up. "we have heard so much of you, and how kindly you nursed my brothers." "sam quite well, tank you, little missy," sam said, grinning all over his face and showing his white teeth. miss scudamore shrank towards tom as sam passed on, "dear me, what sharp-looking teeth he has, tom. they don't eat curious things, these black men, do they?" "what sort of curious things, aunt?" "well, my dear, i know that these outlandish people do eat strange things, and i have heard the chinese eat dogs and cats. now, if he has a fancy for cats, i daresay i could buy him some in the village, only he will have to cook them himself, i could never ask hannah to cook cats; but please ask him not to touch minnie." peter had to stop in his walk and grasp his crutches tightly, not to burst into a scream of laughter, while tom answered with great gravity, "my dear aunt, do not alarm yourself, i will answer for the safety of minnie as far as sam is concerned." when they reached the house, miss scudamore said-- "i think you young people will enjoy yourselves more if you go and sit under the shade of the elm there, you will have a deal to say to each other, and had better be alone." they were all glad at the suggestion, as they were longing to be alone together. sam, by miss scudamore's directions, carried out a great easy chair, of which peter took possession. rhoda sat on the grass at his feet, and tom threw himself down at full length. they were all too happy to speak much for a time, and could only look fondly at each other. "you have grown a great deal, rhoda, but i do not think that you are altered a bit otherwise." "you are neither of you altered so much as i expected," rhoda said. "i had made up my mind that you would be changed a great deal. it sounds so grand--captains, indeed! i expected to have curtsey to you and treat you with great respect; instead of that you look regular boys, both of you. of course you are big, and peter looks very tall; how tall are you, peter?" "just over six feet," peter said. "yes," rhoda said, "you are tall enough, and tom is broad enough for men, but somehow you look regular boys still." "this is very disrespectful rhoda, to two captains in his majesty's service." "it seems ridiculous, doesn't it," rhoda said. "it does," tom said heartily, and the three went off into a shout of laughter. "it isn't really ridiculous you know," rhoda said, when they had recovered their gravity. "to think of all the dangers you have gone through. aunt was as proud as could be when she saw your names over and over again in despatches, and i have been like a little peacock. your doings have been the talk of every one round here, and i am sure that if they had known you had been coming, the village would have put up a triumphal arch, and presented you with an address." "thank goodness, they did not know it then," tom said, "for it would have been a deal worse to stand than the fire of a french battery. well, rhoda, and now as to yourself; so you have really been always very happy with aunt?" "very happy," rhoda said; "she is most kind and indulgent, and so that i attend to her little fancies, i can do just as i like. i have had lessons regularly from the rector's eldest daughter, who has been educated for a governess; and in every respect, aunt is all that is kind. fancy her being afraid of sam eating minnie." after chatting for upwards of an hour, they went into the house, and the rest of the day was spent in talking over all that had happened since they left. sam was in the kitchen where he made himself very much at home, and although hannah and the cook were at first rather awed by his size, his black face and rolling eyes, they were soon pacified by his good humor and readiness to make himself useful, and were wonderfully interested by his long stories about what "massas" had done in the war. miss scudamore, who was a little uneasy as to how things would go on in the kitchen, made some excuse for going in once or twice in the course of the evening. she found things going on much better that she had expected, indeed so much better, that after rhoda had gone up to bed, where peter had two hours before betaken himself, she said to tom as he was lighting his candle, "one minute, nephew; i could not speak before rhoda, but i wanted to say something to you about your negro. i have heard that all soldiers are very much given to make love, and we know from shakespeare, that othello, who was black too, you will remember, nephew, made love to desdemona, which shows that color does not make so much difference as one would think. now i do hope your man will not make love to hannah, i don't think she would like it, my dear, and yet you know she might; one never knows what women will do; they are always making fools of themselves," she added angrily, thinking at the moment how a young girl she had trained up as a cook had, after being with her three years, left a few weeks before to marry the village blacksmith, "and i should be sorry to lose hannah. she has been with us more than twenty years. if he must fall in love with one, my dear, let it be the cook." tom had a great command of his countenance, but he had great difficulty in steadying his muscles. after a moment or two he said, "i will give sam a hint, aunt, if it becomes necessary, but i do not think you need fear. i do not fancy sam is matrimonially inclined at present, and he wouldn't leave us even to marry desdemona herself. good night, aunt." so saying, tom went upstairs, where he repeated to peter, who was still awake, his conversation with his aunt, and the two went into shouts of laughter over the idea of sam making love to the prim hannah. the next six months passed over quietly and happily. the boys were made a great deal of by the whole county, and miss scudamore was greatly gratified at the name and credit they had gained for themselves. she no longer worried about them, but as rhoda declared, quite spoiled them, and as sam made no attempt to win the love of the faithful hannah, there was no cloud to mar the pleasure of the holiday. chapter xv. ciudad rodrigo and badajos. it was in the beginning of december, , that the scudamores again sailed up the tagus to lisbon, after an absence of just six months. when they had passed the medical board, they were transferred from the unattached list to the d regiment, which was, fortunately for them, also in spain. no events of great importance had taken place during their absence. wellington, after the battles of fuentes d'onoro and albuera, had been compelled to fall back again to the frontier in the face of greatly superior forces, and had maintained his old position on the coa till the approach of winter compelled the french to retire into the interior, where they had their magazines and depôts. the scudamores found that the d were encamped on the agueda, and they at once prepared to go up country to join them. their chargers--presents from their aunt on leaving--were fresh and vigorous, and they purchased a strong country horse for sambo, who, thanks to some practice which he had had in england, was now able to cut a respectable figure on horseback. a few hours were sufficient to make their preparations, and at noon on the day after landing, they mounted, and, followed by sam, accompanied by a muleteer and two mules carrying their baggage, they started from the hotel at which they had put up. as they rode down the main street they saw several mounted officers approaching, and at once recognized in the leader the commander-in-chief, who had just arrived from the front to pay one of his flying visits, to endeavor to allay the jealousies in the portuguese council, and to insist upon the food which the british government was actually paying for, being supplied to the starving portuguese soldiers. drawing their horses aside, they saluted lord wellington as he rode past. he glanced at them keenly, as was his custom, and evidently recognized them as he returned the salute. when he had passed, they turned their horses and continued their way. they had not gone fifty yards, however, when an officer came up at a gallop. lord wellington wished them to call at his quarters in an hour's time. there are few things more annoying than, after having got through all the trouble of packing and getting fairly on the road, to be stopped; but there was no help for it, and the boys rode back to their hotel again, where, putting up their horses, they told sam not to let the muleteer leave, for they should probably be on the road again in an hour. at the appointed time they called at the head-quarters, and giving their cards to two officers on duty, took their seats in the anteroom. it now became evident to them that their chance of an early interview was not great, and that they would in all probability be obliged to pass another night in madrid. portuguese grandees passed in and out, staff officers of rank entered and left, important business was being transacted, and the chance of two line captains having an interview with the commander-in-chief appeared but slight. two hours passed wearily, and then an orderly sergeant came into the room and read out from a slip of paper the names "captain thomas scudamore; captain peter scudamore. this way, if you please," he added, as the boys rose in answer to their names, and he led the way into a room where a colonel on the staff was seated before a table covered with papers. "gentlemen," he said, "i have news which i think will be pleasant to you both. lord wellington has not forgotten the services you rendered in carrying his communications to the guerilla chiefs. your reports were clear and concise, and your knowledge of spanish especially valuable. lord beresford, too, has reported most favorably of your conduct while with him. there happen to be two vacancies on his staff, and he has desired me to fill them up with your names." although the scudamores would in some respects rather have remained with their regiment, yet they could not refuse an honor which was generally coveted as being a post in which an active officer had plenty of opportunities of distinguishing himself, and which was certain to lead to speedy promotion. they accordingly expressed their warm thanks for the honor which lord wellington had done them. "are you well mounted?" colonel somerset asked. "we have one capital charger each," tom said. "you will want another," colonel somerset remarked. "there are a lot of remounts landed to-day. here is an order to captain halket, the officer in charge. choose any two you like. the amount can be stopped from your pay. how about servants; you are entitled to two each?" "we have one man of the norfolk rangers--a very faithful fellow, who has returned with us from leave; if he could be transferred, he would do for us both if we had a cavalry man each for our horses." the colonel at once wrote an order for sam's transfer from his regiment on detached service, and also one to the officer commanding a cavalry regiment stationed in madrid, to supply them with two troopers as orderlies. "may i ask, sir, if we are likely to stay in madrid long--as, if so, we will look out for quarters?" tom asked. "no; the general returns to-morrow, or next day at latest, to almeida, and of course you will accompany him. oh, by-the-by, lord wellington will be glad if you will dine with him to-day--sharp six. by-the-way, you will want to get staff uniform. there is the address of a spanish tailor, who has fitted out most of the men who have been appointed here. he works fast, and will get most of the things you want ready by to-morrow night. don't get more things than are absolutely necessary--merely undress suits. excuse my asking how are you off for money? i will give you an order on the paymaster if you like." tom replied that they had plenty of money, which indeed they had, for their aunt had given them so handsome a present upon starting, that they had tried to persuade her to be less generous, urging that they really had no occasion for any money beyond their pay. she had insisted, however, upon their accepting two checks, saying that one never knew what was wanted, and it was always useful to have a sum to fall back on in case of need. two days later the scudamores, in their new staff uniforms, were, with some six or eight other officers, riding in the suite of lord wellington on the road to the coa. the lads thought they had never had a more pleasant time, the weather was fine and the temperature delightful, their companions, all older somewhat than themselves, were yet all young men in high health and spirits. the pace was good, for lord wellington was a hard rider, and time was always precious with him. at the halting-places the senior officers of the staff kept together, while the aides-de-camp made up a mess of their own, always choosing a place as far away as possible from that of the chief, so that they could laugh, joke, and even sing, without fear of disturbing his lordship. sam soon became a high favorite with the light-hearted young fellows, and his services as forager for the mess were in high esteem. three days of hard riding took them to almeida, where the breaches caused by the great explosion had been repaired, and the place put into a defensible position. tom and peter had been afraid that there would be at least four months of enforced inactivity before the spring; but they soon found that the post of aide-de-camp to wellington was no sinecure. for the next month they almost lived in the saddle. the greater portion of the english army was indeed lying on the agueda, but there were detached bodies of british and large numbers of portuguese troops at various points along the whole line of the portuguese frontier, and with the commanders of these lord wellington was in constant communication. towards the end of december some large convoys of heavy artillery arrived at almeida, but every one supposed that they were intended to fortify this place, and none, even of those most in the confidence of the commander-in-chief, had any idea that a winter campaign was about to commence. the french were equally unsuspicious of the truth. twice as strong as the british, they dreamt not that the latter would take the offensive, and the french marshals had scattered their troops at considerable distances from the frontier in winter quarters. upon the last day of the year the scudamores both happened to have returned to the front--tom from lisbon, and peter from a long ride to a distant portuguese division. there was a merry party gathered round a blazing fire in the yard of the house where they, with several other aides-de-camp, were quartered. some fifty officers of all ranks were present, for a general invitation had been issued to all unattached officers in honor of the occasion. each brought in what liquor he could get hold of, and any provisions which he had been able to procure, and the evening was one of boisterous fun and jollity. in the great kitchen blazed a fire, before which chickens and ducks were roasting, turkeys and geese cut up in pieces for greater rapidity of cooking, were grilling over the fire, and as they came off the gridiron they were taken round by the soldier-servants to their masters as they sat about on logs of wood, boxes, and other substitutes for chairs. most of the officers present had already supped, and the late-comers were finishing their frugal meal, after which the soldiers would take their turn. there was a brewing of punch and an uncorking of many a bottle of generous wine; then the song and laugh went round, and all prepared to usher in the new year joyously, when a colonel of the staff, who had been dining with lord wellington, entered. "here's a seat, colonel," was shouted in a dozen places, but he shook his head and held up his hand. "gentlemen, i am sorry to disturb you, but orders must be obeyed. villiers, hogan, scudamores both, esdaile, cooper, and johnson, here are despatches which have to be taken off at once. gentlemen, i should recommend you all to look to your horses. all attached to the transport had better go to their head-quarters for orders." "what is up, colonel?" was the general question. "the army moves forward at daybreak. we are going to take ciudad." a cheer of surprise and delight burst from all. there was an emptying of glasses, a pouring out of one more bumper to success, and in five minutes the court was deserted save by some orderlies hastily devouring the interrupted supper, and ere long the tramp of horses could be heard, as the scudamores and their comrades dashed off in different directions with their despatches. the next morning a bridge was thrown over the agueda at marialva, six miles below ciudad, but the investment was delayed, owing to the slowness and insufficiency of the transport. ciudad rodrigo was but a third-class fortress, and could have been captured by the process of a regular siege with comparatively slight loss to the besiegers. wellington knew, however, that he could not afford the time for a regular siege. long before the approaches could have been made, and the breaches effected according to rule, the french marshals would have been up with overwhelming forces. beginning the investment on the th, wellington determined that it must be taken at all costs in twenty-four days, the last day of the month being the very earliest date at which, according to his calculations, any considerable body of french could come up to its relief. ciudad lies on rising ground on the bank of the agueda. the fortifications were fairly strong, and being protected by a very high glacis, it was difficult to effect a breach in them. the glacis is the smooth ground outside the ditch. in well-constructed works the walls of the fortification rise but very little above the ground beyond, from which they are separated by a broad and deep ditch. thus the ground beyond the ditch, that is, the glacis, covers the walls from the shot of a besieger, and renders it extremely difficult to reach them. in the case of ciudad, however, there were outside the place two elevated plateaux, called the great and small teson: guns placed on these could look down upon ciudad, and could therefore easily breach the walls. these, then, were the spots from which wellington determined to make the attack. the french, however, were aware of the importance of the position, and had erected on the higher teson an inclosed and palisadoed redoubt, mounting two guns and a howitzer. a great difficulty attending the operation was that there were neither fuel nor shelter to be obtained on the right bank of the river, and the weather set in very cold, with frost and snow, at the beginning of the siege. hence the troops had to be encamped on the left bank, and each division, as its turn came, to occupy the trenches for twenty-four hours, took cooked provisions with it, and waded across the agueda. on the th, pack's division of portuguese and the light division waded the river three miles above the fortress, and, making a circuit took up a place near the great teson. there they remained quiet all day. the french seeing that the place was not yet entirely invested paid but little heed to them. at nightfall, however, colonel colborne, with two companies from each of the regiments of the light division, attacked the redoubt of san francisco with such a sudden rush that it was carried with the loss of only twenty-four men, the defenders, few and unprepared, being all taken prisoners. scarcely, however, was the place captured than every gun of ciudad which could be brought to bear upon it opened with fury. all night, under a hail of shot and shell, the troops labored steadily, and by daybreak the first parallel, that is to say, a trench protected by a bank of earth six hundred yards in length was sunk three feet deep. the next day the first division, relieved the light division. tom and peter, now that the army was stationary, had an easier time of it, and obtained leave to cross the river to see the operations. the troops had again to wade through the bitter cold water, and at any other time would have grumbled rarely at the discomfort. when they really engage in the work of war, however, the british soldier cares for nothing, and holding up their rifles, pouches and haversacks, to keep dry, the men crossed the river laughing and joking. there was but little done all day, for the fire of the enemy was too fast and deadly for men to work under it in daylight. at night the scudamores left their horses with those of the divisional officers, and accompanied the troops into the trenches, to learn the work which had there to be done. directly it was dusk twelve hundred men fell to work to construct their batteries. the night was dark, and it was strange to the scudamores to hear the thud of so many picks and shovels going, to hear now and then a low spoken order, but to see nothing save when the flash of the enemy's guns momentarily lit up the scene. every half minute or so the shot, shell, and grape came tearing through the air, followed occasionally by a low cry or a deep moan. exciting as it was for a time, the boys having no duty, found it difficult long to keep awake, and presently dozed off--at first to wake with a start whenever a shell fell close, but presently to sleep soundly until dawn. by that time the batteries, eighteen feet thick, were completed. on the th the fourth division, and on the th the third, carried on the works, but were nightly disturbed, not only by the heavy fire from the bastions, but from some guns which the french had mounted on the convent of san francisco in the suburb on the left. little was effected in the next two days, for the frost hardened the ground and impeded the work. on the night of the th the santa cruz convent was carried and the trenches pushed forward, and on the next afternoon the breaching batteries opened fire with twenty-five guns upon the points of the wall at which it had been determined to make the breaches, while two cannons kept down the fire of the french guns at the convent of san francisco. the french replied with more than fifty pieces, and all night the tremendous fire was kept up on both sides without intermission. just at daybreak the sound of musketry mingled with the roar of cannon, as the th regiment attacked and carried the convent of san francisco. through the th, th, and th the artillery duel continued, some times one side, sometimes the other obtaining the advantage; but during each night the trenches of the besiegers were pushed forward, and each day saw the breaches in the ramparts grow larger and larger. on the th the breaches were reported as practicable--that is, that it would be possible for men to scramble up the fallen rubbish to the top, and orders were therefore given for the assault for that night. the attack was to be made at four points simultaneously; the th, th, and th were to attack from the convent of santa cruz, to make for the ditch, enter it, and work their way along to the great breach; mackinnon's brigade of the third division was to attack the great breach from the front; the light division posted behind the convent of san francisco were to attack from the left, and make their way to the small breach; while a false attack, to be converted into a real one if the resistance was slight, was to be made by pack's portuguese at the st. jago gate at the opposite side of the town. as night fell the troops moved into their position, and lord wellington went to the convent of san francisco, from whose roof he could survey the operations. the scudamores, with the rest of the staff, took up their places behind him. suddenly there was a shout on the far right, followed by a sound of confused cheering and firing, while flashes of flame leapt out along the walls, and the guns of the place opened fire with a crash. now the th, th, and th rushed with great swiftness along the ditch, when, at the foot of the great breach, they were met by the third division. together they poured up the breach, and the roar of musketry was tremendous. once at the top of the breach, however, they made no progress. from a trench which had been cut beyond it, a ring of fire broke out, while muskets flashed from every window in the houses near. it was evident that some serious obstacle had been encountered, and that the main attack was arrested. "this is terrible," peter said, as almost breathless they watched the storm of fire on and around the breach. "this is a thousand times worse than a battle. it is awful to think how the shot must be telling on that dense mass. can nothing be done?" "hurrah! there go the light division at the small breach," tom exclaimed, as the french fire broke out along the ramparts in that quarter. a violent cheer came up even above the din from the great breach, but no answering fire lights the scene, for major napier, who commanded, had forbidden his men to load, telling them to trust entirely to the bayonet. there was no delay here; the firing of the french ceased almost immediately, as with a fierce rush the men of the light division bounded up the ruins and won the top of the breach. for a moment or two there was a pause, for the french opened so fierce a fire from either side, that the troops wavered. the officers sprang to the front, the soldiers followed with the bayonet, and the french, unable to stand the fierce onslaught, broke and fled into the town. then the men of the light division, rushing along the walls, took the french who were defending the great breach in rear, and as these gave way, the attacking party swept across the obstacles which, had hitherto kept them, and the town was won. pack's portuguese had effected an entrance at the st. jago gate, which they found almost deserted, for the garrison was weak, and every available man had been taken for the defence of the breaches. thus was ciudad rodrigo taken after twelve days' siege, with a loss of twelve hundred men and ninety officers, of which six hundred and fifty men and sixty officers fell in that short, bloody fight at the breaches. among the killed was general craufurd, who had commanded at the fight on the coa. upon entering the town three days afterwards, at the termination of the disgraceful scene of riot and pillage with which the british soldier, there as at other places, tarnished the laurels won by his bravery in battle, the boys went to the scene of the struggle, and then understood the cause of the delay upon the part of the stormers. from the top of the breach there was a perpendicular fall of sixteen feet, and the bottom of this was planted with sharp spikes, and strewn with the fragments of shells which the french had rolled down into it. had it not been for the light division coming up, and taking the defenders--who occupied the loopholed and fortified houses which commanded this breach--in rear, the attack here could never have succeeded. the next few days were employed in repairing the breaches, and putting the place again in a state of defence, as it was probable that marmont might come up and besiege it. the french marshal, however, when hurrying to the relief of the town, heard the news of its fall, and as the weather was very bad for campaigning, and provisions short, he fall back again to his winter quarters, believing that wellington would, content with his success, make no fresh movement until the spring. the english general, however, was far too able a strategist not to profit by the supineness of his adversary, and, immediately ciudad rodrigo was taken, he began to make preparations for the siege of badajos, a far stronger fortress than ciudad, and defended by strong detached forts. three days after the fall of rodrigo general hill came up with his division; to this the norfolk rangers now belonged, and the scudamores had therefore the delight of meeting all their old friends again. they saw but little of them, however, for they were constantly on the road to lisbon with despatches, every branch of the service being now strained to get the battering-train destined for the attack on badajos to the front, while orders were sent to silviera, trant, wilson, lecca, and the other partisan leaders, to hold all the fords and defiles along the frontier, so as to prevent the french from making a counter-invasion of portugal. on the th of march the army arrived at elvas, and on the th a pontoon bridge was thrown across the guadiana. the following day the british troops crossed the river, and invested badajos, with fifteen thousand men, while hill and graham, with thirty thousand more moved forward, so as to act as a covering army, in case the french should advance to raise the siege. badajos was defended by five thousand men, under general phillipson, a most able and energetic commander, who had in every way strengthened the defences, and put them in a position to offer an obstinate resistance. before attacking the fortress it was necessary to capture one of the outlying forts, and that known as the picurina was selected, because the bastion of the trinidad, which lay behind it, was the weakest portion of the fortress. the trenches were commenced against this on the night of the th, and, although the french made some vigorous sorties, the works progressed so rapidly that all was ready for an assault on the forts on the th, a delay of two days having been occasioned by the french taking guns across the river, which swept the trenches, and rendered work impossible, until a division was sent round to drive in the french guns and invest the fortress on that side. the picurina was strong, and desperately defended, but it was captured after a furious assault, which lasted one hour, and cost nineteen officers and three hundred men. it was not, however, until next evening that the fort could be occupied, for the guns of the town poured such a hail of shot and shell into it, that a permanent footing could not be obtained in it. gradually, day by day, the trenches were driven nearer to the doomed city, and the cannon of the batteries worked day and night to establish a breach. soult was known to be approaching, but he wanted to gather up all his available forces, as he believed the town capable of holding out for another month, at least. still he was approaching, and, although the three breaches were scarcely yet practicable, and the fire of the town by no means overpowered, wellington determined upon an instant assault, and on the night of the th of april the troops prepared for what turned out to be the most terrible and bloody assault in the annals of the british army. there were no less than six columns of attack, comprising in all eighteen thousand men. picton, on the right with the third division was to cross the rivillas and storm the castle. wilson, with the troops in the trenches, was to attack san roque. in the center the fourth and light division, under colville and barnard, were to assault the breaches; and on the left leith, with the fifth division, was to make a false attack upon the fort of pardaleras, and a real attack upon the bastion of san vincente by the river side. across the river the portugese division, under power, was to attack the works at the head of the bridge. the night was dark and clouded, and all was as still as death outside the town, when a lighted carcass, that is a large iron canister filled with tar and combustibles, fell close to the third division, and, exposing their ranks, forced them to commence the attack before the hour appointed. crossing the rivillas by a narrow bridge, under a tremendous fire, the third division assaulted the castle, and, although their scaling-ladders were over and over again hurled down, the stormers at last obtained a footing, and the rest of the troops poured in and the castle was won. a similar and more rapid success attended the assault on san roque, which was attacked so suddenly and violently, that it was taken with scarce any resistance. in the mean time the assaults upon the breaches had commenced, and it is best to give the account of this terrible scene in the words of its eloquent and graphic historian, as the picture is one of the most vivid that was ever drawn. "all this time the tumult at the breaches was such as if the very earth had been rent asunder, and its central fires bursting upwards uncontrolled. the two divisions had reached the glacis just as the firing at the castle commenced, and the flash of a single musket, discharged from the covered-way as a signal, showed them that the french were ready; yet no stir was heard and darkness covered the breaches. some hay-packs were thrown, some ladders placed, and the forlorn hopes and storming parties of the light division, five hundred in all, descended into the ditch without opposition; but then a bright flame shooting upwards displayed all the terrors of the scene. the ramparts, crowded with dark figures and glittering arms were on one side, on the other the red columns of the british, deep and broad, were coming on like streams of burning lava. it was the touch of the magician's wand, for a crash of thunder followed, and with incredible violence the storming parties were dashed to pieces by the explosion of hundreds of shells and powder-barrels. for an instant the light division stood on the brink of the ditch, amazed at the terrific sight; but then, with a shout that matched even the sound of the explosion, the men flew down the ladders, or, disdaining their aid, leaped, reckless of the depth, into the gulf below--and at the same moment, amidst a blaze of musketry that dazzled the eyes, the fourth division came running in, and descended with a like fury. there were only five ladders for the two columns, which were close together; and a deep cut, made in the bottom of the ditch as far as the counter-guard of the trinidad, was filled with water from the inundation. into that watery snare the head of the fourth division fell, and it is said above a hundred of the fusiliers, the men of albuera, were there smothered. those who followed checked not, but, as if such a disaster had been expected, turned to the left, and thus came upon the face of the unfinished ravelin, which, being rough and broken, was mistaken for the breach, and instantly covered with men; yet a wide and deep chasm was still between them and the ramparts, from whence came a deadly fire, wasting their ranks. thus baffled, they also commenced a rapid discharge of musketry and disorder ensued; for the men of the light division, whose conducting engineer had been disabled early and whose flank was confined by an unfinished ditch intended to cut off the bastion of santa maria, rushed towards the breaches of the curtain and the trinidad, which were, indeed, before them, but which the fourth division had been destined to storm. great was the confusion, for the ravelin was quite crowded with men of both divisions; and while some continued to fire, others jumped down and ran towards the breach; many also passed between the ravelin and the counterguard of the trinidad, the two divisions got mixed, the reserves, which should have remained at the quarries, also came pouring in, until the ditch was quite filled, the rear still crowding forward, and all cheering vehemently. the enemy's shouts also were loud and terrible, and the bursting of shells, and of grenades, and the roaring of guns from the flanks, answered by the iron howitzers from the battery of the parallel, the heavy roll, and horrid explosion of the powder-barrels, the whizzing flight of the blazing splinters, the loud exhortations of the officers, and the continual clatter of the muskets, made a maddening din. now a multitude bounded up the great breach, as if driven by a whirlwind, but across the top glittered a range of sword-blades, sharp-pointed, keen-edged on both sides, and firmly fixed in ponderous beams chained together, and set deep in the ruins; and for ten feet in front the ascent was covered with loose planks, studded with sharp iron points, on which, feet being set, the planks moved, and the unhappy soldiers, falling forward on the spikes, rolled down upon the ranks behind. then the frenchmen, shouting at the success of their stratagem, and, leaping forward, plied their shot with terrible rapidity, for every man had several muskets, and each musket, in addition to its ordinary charge, contained a small cylinder of wood, stuck full of wooden slugs, which scattered like hail when they were discharged. once and again the assailants rushed up the breaches, but always the sword-blades, immovable and impassable, stopped their charge, and the hissing shells and thundering powder-barrels exploded unceasingly. hundreds of men had fallen, hundreds more were dropping, still, the heroic officers called aloud for new trials, and sometimes followed by many, sometimes by a few, ascended the ruins; and so furious were the men themselves, that, in one of these charges, the rear strove to push the foremost on to the sword-blades, willing even to make a bridge of their writhing bodies, but the others frustrated the attempt by dropping down; and men fell so fast from the shot, it was hard to know who went down voluntarily, who were stricken and many stooped unhurt that never rose again. vain also would it have been to break through the sword-blades, for the trench and parapet behind the breach were finished, and the assailants, crowded into even a narrower space than the ditch was, would still have been separated from their enemies, and the slaughter would have continued. at the beginning of this dreadful conflict andrew barnard had, with prodigious efforts, separated his division from the other, and preserved some degree of military array; but now the tumult was such, no command would be heard distinctly except by those close at hand, and the mutilated carcasses heaped on each other, and the wounded struggling to avoid being trampled upon, broke the formations; order was impossible! officers of all ranks, followed more or less numerously by the men, were seen to start out as if struck by sudden madness, and rash into the breach, which, yawning and glittering with steel, seemed like the mouth of a huge dragon belching forth smoke and flame. in one of these attempts, colonel macleod, of the rd, a young man whose feeble body would have been quite unfit for war if it had not been sustained by an unconquerable spirit, was killed; wherever his voice was heard his soldiers had gathered, and with such a strong resolution did he lead them up the fatal ruins that, when one behind him, in falling, plunged a bayonet into his back, he complained, not; but, continuing his course, was shot dead within a yard of the sword-blades. yet there was no want of gallant leaders, or desperate followers, until two hours passed in these vain efforts had convinced the troops the breach of the trinidad was impregnable; and, as the opening in the curtain, although less strong, was retired, and the approach to it impeded by deep holes and cuts made in the ditch, the soldiers did not much notice it after the partial failure of one attack which had been made early. gathering in dark groups, and leaning on their muskets, they looked up with sullen desperation at the trinidad, while the enemy, stepping out on the ramparts, and aiming their shots by the light of the fire-balls which they threw over, asked, as their victims fell, 'why they did not come into badajos?' in this dreadful situation, while the dead were lying in heaps, and others continually falling, the wounded crawling about to get some shelter from the merciless shower above, and withal a sickening stench from the burnt flesh of the slain, captain nicholas, of the engineers, was observed by lieutenant shaw, of the rd, making incredible efforts to force his way with a few men into the santa maria bastion. shaw immediately collected fifty soldiers, of all regiments, and joined him, and although there was a deep cut along the foot of that breach also, it was instantly passed, and these two young officers led their gallant band, with a rush, up the ruins; but when they had gained two-thirds of the ascent, a concentrated fire of musketry and grape dashed nearly the whole dead to the earth. nicholas was mortally wounded, and the intrepid shaw stood alone! with inexpressible coolness he looked at his watch, and saying it was too late to carry the reaches, rejoined the masses at the other attack. after this no further effort was made at any point, and the troops remained passive but unflinching beneath the enemy's shot, which streamed without intermission; for, of the riflemen on the glacis many leaped early into the ditch and joined in the assault, and the rest, raked by a cross-fire of grape from the distant bastions, baffled in their aim by the smoke and flames from the explosions, and too few in number, entirely failed to quell the french musketry. about midnight, when two thousand brave men had fallen, wellington, who was on a height close to the quarries, ordered the remainder to retire and re-form for a second assault; he had heard the castle was taken, but thinking the enemy would still resist in the town, was resolved to assail the breaches again. this retreat from the ditch was not effected without further carnage and confusion. the french fire never slackened. a cry arose that the enemy was making a sally from the distant flanks, and there was a rush towards the ladders. then the groans and lamentations of the wounded, who could not move and expected to be slain, increased, and many officers who had not heard of the order, endeavored to stop the soldiers from going back; some would even have removed the ladders but were unable to break the crowd." while this terrible scene was passing, the victory had been decided elsewhere. the capture of the castle by picton would, in itself, have caused the fall of the town upon the following day, but leith, with the fifth division, after hard fighting, scaled the st. vincente bastion, and came up through the town and took the defenders of the breaches in the rear. then the french gave way, the british poured in, and the dreadful scenes which had marked the fall of ciudad rodrigo were repeated, and even surpassed. up to the present day the name of an englishman is coupled with a curse in the town of badajos. at this siege, as at the last, the scudamores acted the part of lookers on, and although they bitterly regretted it, it was well for them that it was so. the capture of badajos cost the allied army five thousand men, of whom three thousand five hundred fell on the night of the assault. each of the divisions which attacked the breaches lost over twelve hundred men, and the nd regiment, who formed part of the light division, lost their full share. among the ranks of the officers the slaughter was particularly great, and scarce one escaped without a wound. the scudamores would fain have volunteered to join their regiment in the assault, but it was well known that lord wellington would not allow staff officers to go outside their own work. therefore they had looked on with beating hearts and pale faces, and with tears in their eyes, at that terrible fight at the triudad, and had determined that when morning came they would resign their staff appointments and ask leave to join their regiment. but when morning came, and the list of the killed and wounded was sent in, and they went down with a party to the breach to collect the wounded, they could not but feel that they had in all probability escaped death, or what a soldier fears more, mutilation. "after all, tom," peter said, "we have done some active service, and our promotion shows that we are not cowards; there can be no reason why we should not do our duty as the chief has marked it out for us, especially when it is quite as likely to lead to rapid promotion as is such a murderous business as this." after this no more was said about resigning the staff appointment, which gave them plenty of hard work, and constant change of scene, whereas had they remained with the regiment they would often have been stationed for months in one place without a move. chapter xvi. salamanca. the great triumphs of ciudad rodrigo and badajos did not lead to the rapid successes which wellington had hoped. the french generals, on hearing of the loss of the latter fortress, again fell back, and wellington was so much hampered by shortness of money, by the inefficiency, obstinacy, and intrigues of the portuguese government, and by want of transport, that it was nearly three months before he could get everything in readiness for an advance into spain. at last all was prepared, and on the th of june the army once more crossed the agueda and marched towards the tamar in four columns. on the th it was within six miles of salamanca, and marshal marmont, unable for the moment to stem the tide of invasion, evacuated the city, which that evening blazed with illuminations, the people being half wild with joy at their approaching deliverance. the french, however, had not entirely departed, for eight hundred men still held some very strong forts overlooking and guarding the city. these forts held out desperately; the british battering train was weak, and upon the d marmont, having received considerable reinforcements, advanced to raise the siege. wellington, however, refused to be tempted to leave his trenches to deliver a general battle, but faced the enemy with a portion of his army while he continued the siege. marmont, upon his part, believing that the forts could hold out for fifteen days, put off the attack, as he knew that large reinforcements were coming up. his calculations were frustrated by one of the forts taking fire on the th, when an assault was delivered, and the whole of the forts surrendered; marmont at once fell back across the douro, there to await the arrival of his reinforcements. wellington, on his part, followed slowly, and his army took up a position between canizal and castrejon, thereby covering the roads from toro and tordesillas, the only points at which the french could cross the river. the reports of the spies all agreed that the former was the place at which the crossing would be made. on the th of july an officer rode into canizal, at headlong pace, with the news that a reconnoitering party had crossed the douro that morning near tordesillas, and had found that place deserted, except by a garrison; and an hour later the news came in that three divisions of the enemy were already across the river at toro. five minutes later the scudamores were on horseback, carrying orders that the whole of the army, with the exception of the fourth and light divisions, which were on the trabancos, under general cotton, were to concentrate at canizal that night. by the morning the movement was accomplished. the day wore on in somewhat anxious expectation, and towards afternoon wellington, accompanied by lord beresford, and escorted by alten's, bock's and le marchant's brigades of cavalry, started to make a reconnaissance of the enemy's movements. caution was needed for the advance, as it was quite uncertain whether the french were pushing on through the open country towards canizal, or whether they were following the direct road from toro to salamanca. evening closed in, but no signs of the french army were seen, and the party halted about six miles from toro, and small parties of cavalry were despatched right and left to scour the country, and find out where the enemy had gone. "it's very strange where the french can have got to," was the remark made, for the fiftieth time among the staff. the detached parties returned, bringing no news whatever, and lord wellington again advanced slowly and cautiously towards toro. small parties were pushed on ahead, and presently an officer rode back with the news that he had been as far as the river, and that not a frenchman was to be seen. it was too late to do any more, and they remained in uncertainty whether the enemy had recrossed the river after making a demonstration, or whether they had marched to their right, so as to make a circuit, and throw themselves between ciudad rodrigo and salamanca, upon the line of communication of the british army. lord wellington, with his staff, took possession of a deserted farm-house, the cavalry picketed their horses round it, and the scudamores, who had been more than twenty-four hours in the saddle, wrapped themselves in their cloaks, and stretching themselves on the floor, were soon asleep. just at midnight the sound of a horse's footfall approaching at a gallop was heard, and an officer, who had ridden, without drawing rein, from canizal, dashed up to the farm. five minutes later the whole party were in the saddle again. the news was important, indeed. marmont had drawn his whole army back across the toro on the night of the th, had marched to tordesillas, crossed there, and in the afternoon, after a march of fifty miles, had fallen upon cotton's outposts, and driven them across the trabancos. not a moment's time was lost by wellington after he received the news; but, unfortunately, six precious hours had already been wasted, owing to the despatches not having reached him at canizal. with the three brigades of cavalry he set off at once towards alaejos, while an officer was despatched to canizal, to order the fifth division to march with all speed to torrecilla de la orden, six miles in the rear of cotton's position at castrejon. four hours' riding brought them to alaejos, where a halt for two or three hours was ordered, to rest the weary horses and men. soon after daybreak, however, all thought of sleep was banished by the roar of artillery, which told that marmont was pressing hard upon cotton's troops. "to horse!" was the cry, and lords wellington and beresford, with their staff, rode off at full speed towards the scene of action, with the cavalry following hard upon their heels. an hour's ride brought them to the ground. not much could be seen, for the country was undulating and bare, like the brighton downs, and each depression was full of the white morning mist, which wreathed and tossed fantastically from the effects of the discharges of firearms, the movements of masses of men, and the charges of cavalry hidden within it. upon a crest near at hand were a couple of british guns, with a small escort of horse. suddenly, from the mist below, a party of some fifty french horsemen dashed out and made for the guns. the supporting squadron, surprised by the suddenness of the attack, broke and fled; the french followed hard upon them, and just as lord wellington, with his staff, gained the crest, pursuers and pursued came upon them, and in pell-mell confusion the whole were borne down to the bottom of the hill. for a few minutes it was a wild mélée. lords wellington, beresford, and their staff, with their swords drawn, were in the midst of the fight, and friends and foes were mingled together, when the leading squadrons of the cavalry from alaejos came thundering down, and very few of the frenchmen who had made that gallant charge escaped to tell the tale. the mists were now rapidly clearing up, and in a short time the whole french army could be seen advancing. they moved towards the british left, and wellington ordered the troops at once to retire. the british fell back in three columns, and marched for the guarena, through torrecilla de la orden. the french also marched straight for the river, and now one of the most singular sights ever presented in warfare was to be seen. the hostile armies were marching abreast, the columns being but a few hundred yards apart, the officers on either side waving their hands to each other. for ten miles the armies thus pressed forward the officers urging the men, and these straining every nerve to get first to the river. from time to time the artillery of either side, finding a convenient elevation, would pour a few volleys of grape into the opposing columns, but the position of the two armies, did not often admit of this. gradually cotton's men, fresher than the french, who had, in the two previous days, marched fifty miles, gained ground, and, reaching the river, marched across by the ford, the winners of the great race by so little that one division, which halted for a moment to drink, was swept by forty pieces of french artillery, which arrived on the spot almost simultaneously with it. on the guarena the british found the remaining divisions of the army, which had been brought up from canizal. these checked marmont in an attempt to cross at vallesa, while the th and th regiments, with a desperate bayonet charge, drove carier's french division back as it attempted to push forward beyond castrillo. thus the two armies faced each other on the guarena, and marmont had gained absolutely nothing by his false movement at toro, and his long and skillful detour by tordesillas. quickly the rest of the day passed, as did the one which followed, the troops on both sides resting after their fatigues. wellington expected to be attacked on the next morning and his army was arranged in two lines ready for the combat. at daybreak, however, marmont moved his army up the river, crossed at a ford there, and marched straight for salamanca, thus turning wellington's right, and threatening his communications. the british at once fell back, and the scene of the previous day was repeated the armies marching along the crest of two parallel hills within musket shot distance of each other. this time however, the french troops, although they had marched considerably farther than the english proved themselves the best marchers, and when night fell wellington had the mortification of seeing them in possession of the ford of huerta on the tormes, thus securing for marmont the junction with an army which was approaching under king joseph, and also the option of either fighting or refusing battle. wellington felt his position seriously threatened, and sent off a despatch to the spanish general castanos, stating his inability to hold his ground, and the probability that he should be obliged to fall back upon portugal. this letter proved the cause of the victory of salamanca for it was intercepted by the french, and marmont, fearing that wellington would escape him, prepared at once to throw himself upon the road to ciudad rodrigo, and thus cut the british line of retreat, in spite of the positive order which he had received from king joseph not to fight until he himself arrived with his army. upon the st both armies crossed the tormes, the french at alba and huerta, the british at aldea lengua, and san marta. upon that day the news reached wellington that general chauvel, with cavalry, and guns, would reach marmont on the evening of the d, or the morning of the d, and the english general therefore resolved to retreat, unless marmont should, by some mistake, give him a chance of fighting to advantage. close to the british right, and the french left, were two steep and rugged hills, called the hermanitos, or brothers, and soon after daybreak on the d, the french seized upon the one nearest to them, while the british took possession of the other. then, watching each other, the two armies remained until noon, for wellington could not commence his retreat by daylight; but a long cloud of dust along the road to ciudad rodrigo showed that the baggage of the army was already _en route_ for portugal. marmont now determined to make a bold stroke to cut off wellington's retreat, and, although all his troops had not yet arrived, he ordered maucune, with two divisions, to march round by the left and menace the ciudad road. it was at three o'clock in the afternoon, and wellington, who had been up all night, thinking that marmont would make no move that day, had gone to lie down for an hour or two, when tom scudamore who, from an elevated point, was watching the movements of the enemy, hurried in with the news that the french were pushing their left round towards the ciudad road. wellington leaped to his feet, and hurried to the high ground, where he beheld, with stern satisfaction, that marmont, in his eagerness to prevent the british escape, had committed the flagrant error of detaching his wing from his main body. instantly he issued orders for an attack, and the great mass of men upon the british hermanito moved down upon the plain to attack maucune in flank, while the third division was ordered to throw itself across his line of march, and to attack him in front. as the advance across the plain would be taken in flank by the fire from the french hermanito, general pack was ordered to assail that position directly the british line had passed it. marmont, standing on the french hermanito, was thunder-struck at beholding the plain suddenly covered with enemies, and a tremendous fire was at once opened upon the advancing british. officer after officer was despatched to hurry up the french troops still upon the march, and when marmont saw the third division dash across maucune's path, he was upon the point of hurrying himself to the spot, when a shell burst close to him, and he was dashed to the earth with a broken arm, and two deep wounds in his side. thus, at the critical point of the battle, the french army was left without a head. it was just five o'clock when pakenham, with the third division, fell like a thunderbolt upon the head of maucune's troops. these, taken by surprise by this attack, on the part of an enemy whom they had thought to see in full flight, yet fought gallantly, and strove to gain time to open out into order of battle. bearing onwards, however, with irresistible force, the third division broke the head of the column, and drove it back upon its supports. meanwhile, the battle raged all along the line; in the plain the fourth division carried the village of arapiles, and drove back bonnet's division with the bayonet, and the fifth division attacked maucune's command in flank, while pakenham was destroying its front. marmont was succeeded in his command by bonnet, who was also wounded, and clausel, an able general, took the command. he reinforced maucune with his own divisions, which had just arrived, and, for a while, restored the battle. then, past the right and left of pakenham's division, the british cavalry, under le marchant, anson, and d'urban, burst through the smoke and dust, rode down twelve hundred of the french infantry, and then dashed on at the line behind. nobly the charge was pressed, the third division following at a run, and the charge ceased not until the french left was entirely broken and five guns, and two thousand prisoners taken. but forty minutes had passed since the first gun was fired, and the french defeat was already all but irretrievable, and the third, fourth, and fifth divisions now in line, swept forward as to assured victory. clausel, however, proved equal to the emergency. he reinforced bonnet's division with that of fereij, as yet fresh and unbroken, and, at the same moment, sarrut's and brennier's divisions issued from the forest, and formed in the line of battle. behind them the broken troops of maucune's two divisions re-formed, and the battle was renewed with terrible force. pack, at the same moment, attempted unsuccessfully to carry the french hermanito by assault with his portuguese division, and the fate of the battle was again in the balance; the british divisions outnumbered, and outflanked, began to fall back, generals cole, leith, and spry, were all wounded, and the french cavalry threatened the flank of the line. wellington, however, had still plenty of reserves in hand, and at this critical moment he launched them at the enemy. the sixth division was brought up from the second line, and hurled at the center of the enemy in a fierce and prolonged charge, while the light and first divisions were directed against the french divisions which were descending from the french hermanito, and against that of foy, while the seventh division and the spaniards were brought up behind the first line. against so tremendous an assault as this the french could make no stand, and were pushed back in ever increasing disorder to the edge of the forest, where foy's and maucune's divisions stood at bay, and covered their retreat in the fast gathering darkness. wellington believed that he should capture a great portion of the beaten army, for he relied upon the castle of alba de formes, commanding the ford at that place, being held by the spaniards, but these had evacuated the place on the preceding day, and had not even informed wellington that they had done so. thus, hidden by the night, the french retreated with but slight loss from the pursuing columns. in the battle the french had forty-two thousand men and seventy-four guns; the allies forty-six thousand and sixty guns, but of the infantry a division were composed of spaniards, and these could not be relied upon in any way. it was probably the most rapidly fought action ever known, and a french officer described it as the defeat of forty thousand men in forty minutes. the french loss was over twelve thousand in killed, wounded, and prisoners, and so completely were they dispersed that clausel a week afterwards could only collect twenty thousand to their standards. it was a great victory, and celebrated as the first which wellington had gained over the french, for although at talavera and busaco he had repulsed the french attack, he was not in either case in a position to do more than hold his ground. throughout this short and desperate fight the scudamores had been fully engaged in conveying orders from one part of the field to another. shot and shell flew around them in all directions, and yet when they met at the end of the action they found that they had escaped without a scratch. the day following the battle the pursuit began. had king joseph's advancing army united with clausel's broken troops, he could have opposed wellington's advance with a force far superior in numbers to that defeated at salamanca. but joseph, after hesitating, fell back in one direction, clausel retreated in another, the opportunity for concentration was lost, and wellington found no foe to bar his way on his triumphant march upon madrid. joseph fell back from the capital as the english approached, leaving some thousands of men in the strong place known as the retiro, together with an immense amount of arms, ammunition, and military stores of all kinds, all of which, including the troops, fell into the hands of the english within a few days of their arrival at madrid. it was a proud moment for the scudamores, as riding behind lord wellington they entered madrid on the th august. the city was half mad with joy. crowds lined the streets, while every window and balcony along the route was filled with ladies, who waved their scarves, clapped their hands, and showered flowers upon the heads of their deliverers. those below, haggard and half-starved, for the distress in madrid was intense, thronged round the general's horse, a shouting, weeping throng, kissing his cloak, his horse, any portion of his equipments which they could touch. altogether it was one of the most glorious, most moving, most enthusiastic welcomes ever offered to a general. the next fortnight was spent in a round of fêtes, bull fights, and balls, succeeding each other rapidly, but these rejoicings were but a thin veil over the distress which was general throughout the town. the people were starving, and many deaths occurred daily from hunger. the british could do but little to relieve the suffering which they saw around them, for they themselves were--owing to the utter breakdown of all the arrangements undertaken by the portuguese government, and to the indecision and incapacity of the home government--badly fed, and much in arrears of their pay. nevertheless, the officers did what they could, got up soup kitchens, and fed daily many hundreds of starving wretches. the heat was excessive and a very great deal of illness took place among the troops. the french were gathering strength in the south, and wellington determined upon marching north and seizing burgos, an important place, but poorly fortified. leaving general hill with two divisions at madrid, he marched with the rest of the army upon burgos. chapter xvii. caught in a trap. so much had passed between the first visit of the scudamores to madrid as spanish peasant boys, and their second entry as captains upon lord wellington's staff, that they had scarcely given a thought to the dangers they had at that time run, or to the deadly hatred with which they had inspired the guerilla chief nunez. when they first rode into the town, indeed, they had spoken of it one to the other, and had agreed that it would be pleasant to be able to walk through the streets without fear of assassination; for even, as tom said, if the scoundrel had any of his band there, they would not be likely to recognize them in their uniforms. one evening, however, when they had been in madrid about a fortnight, an incident happened which caused them to doubt whether their security from the hatred of the guerilla was as complete as they had fancied. they were sitting with a number of other officers in a large café in the puerta del sol, the principal square in madrid, when a girl came round begging; instead of holding out her hand silently with a murmur for charity in the name of the holy virgin, she began a long story, poured out in rapid language. several of the officers present knew more or less spanish, but they were unable to follow her quick utterances, and one of them said laughingly, "scudamore, this is a case for you, she is beyond us altogether." the girl followed the direction of the speaker's eye, and moved across to the brothers, who happened to be sitting next to each other, and began her story again. it was a complicated tale of french oppression, and the boys, interrupting her here and there to ask for details, talked with her for some minutes. "i believe she is lying," tom said, in english, "she tells her story as if she had learned it by heart, and gets confused whenever we cross-question her; there, give her a few coppers, i am out of change." as peter put his hand into his pocket for the money, tom glanced up sharply at the girl. she was not, as might have been expected, watching peter's movements with interest, but was looking inquiringly at some one in the crowd of promenaders. tom followed her glance, and saw a peasant, standing half-hidden behind a group of passers, nod to her, and motion her to come to him. she waited until peter put the coins into her hand; then, with a brief word of thanks, she moved away into the crowd. "peter, i believe those scoundrels are up to their old game, and that we are watched. once or twice since we have been sitting here i have noticed a heavy-looking fellow glance at us very closely as he passed, and i just saw the same fellow, who was evidently hiding from observation, nod to that girl, and beckon her away." "her story was a lie from beginning to end," peter said, "and it is quite possible that it was a got-up thing, on purpose to see whether we could talk spanish well. i don't think any one could swear to us who only saw us then; but the fact of our speaking spanish so well would go a long way towards settling the point in the mind of any one who suspected us!" "we must be careful in future, peter, and avoid quiet streets after dark, and keep a sharp look-out at all times, or we shall get a knife between our ribs, as sure as fate." time, however, passed on without anything occurring to give any support to their suspicion, they could not discover that they were being watched, or their footsteps dogged. they, nevertheless, continued to be, to a certain extent, upon their guard after dark; in the daytime the number of english soldiers about the streets was so large that there was very little danger of any attack. on the evening before the army marched for burgos, tom, whose turn it was for duty at head-quarters, received a despatch, to carry to one of the generals of division encamped a mile or two out of the town. he did not need to go round to his quarters, as his horse was standing saddled in readiness in the courtyard. he was but an hour away, and, as he knew that he would not be farther required, he rode round to the house where he was quartered. his orderly came forward at his shout, and took his horse, and he mounted the broad stairs of the house, which was a very handsome one, and rang at the door on the second floor; for in spain, as indeed almost all over the continent, each floor is a separate dwelling. sam opened it. "nothing new, sam?" "no, sar, nothing new." tom passed through the sitting-room, and entered peter's bedroom. it was in darkness. "asleep, old man?" he asked. there was no answer. he came back into the sitting room, where two lamps were burning, and looked at his watch. "half-past eleven. he is off to bed early. sam, bring me some supper if you have got anything, i am hungry." sam came in, in a minute, with a small tray. "how long has my brother been gone to bed?" "me did not know he gone to bed at all," sam said, in surprise. "me thought massa peter been reading book." tom took up a light, and went into the bedroom, it was empty. "sam, there's something wrong here!" tom said sharply, for a sudden sensation of alarm seized him. "peter is not here." sam came into the bedroom, and looked round in astonishment. "what become of him?" he said. "where de debil he got to?" "that's what i want to know, sam. now, then, just give all your attention. what time did he come in?" "he came in at about nine o'clock, sar, with three other officers, captain farquharson, major heriot, and captain brown. dey have bottle wine, and sit here and smoke. well, massa tom, sam sit in his room, and smoke him pipe, and he doze off a little; after a bit, may be ten o'clock, sam hear dem move, and go to door; they were saying good-night, when massa peter said, 'i will just go down to see that the horses are all right.' den dey all go down togeder." "did they shut the door?" tom asked. "no, massa tom, dey did not shut de door, because, a little while after, sam, he wake up wid little start; he hear de door bang, and 'spose massa peter come back. sam go off to sleep again till you ring bell." tom looked very grave. "what can peter have gone off with farquharson at this time of night for?" then he looked round the room, and said, almost with a cry, "sam, look there, there are his cap and sword. he has not gone out with the others at all. what can have happened?" tom first glanced into his own room, and then ran downstairs in haste, followed by sam, who was now also thoroughly alarmed. the orderly had just made the horse comfortable for the night, and was leaving the stable. "johnstone, when did you see my brother?" "well, it may be an hour, or an hour and a half back, sir. he came down with some other officers; i did not see them, but i heard them talking for a minute or two before he came in to look at the horses, and he asked if they were all right, and said they must be saddled by half-past five, and then he went up again--at least, i suppose he went up, for he had not got his cap on. is anything wrong, sir?" "i don't know, i am afraid to think," tom said, in a dazed way. "he is not upstairs; he has not gone out; what can have become of him?" he stood quiet for a minute or two, and then, with a great effort, brought his thoughts within control again. "the first thing is to assure ourselves whether he returned upstairs. sam, fetch a lamp, the stairs are not lighted, and i want to examine them." sam soon returned with the lamp, and tom, beginning at the street door, examined every step carefully all the way up, sam and the soldier following him. "there has been no scuffle on the stairs," he said; then he went through the little hall into the sitting-room again. nothing appeared to have been disturbed. then he looked at the floor, which was of polished oak, and knelt down to examine it more closely. "there have been men with dirty shoes standing here," he cried. "do you see the marks on each side of the door, and there, do you see that scratch and that? there has been a scuffle. good heavens! what has taken place here?" sam's face was pale with apprehension that something had happened to peter; but, he said, "how dat be, massa tom, with sam in the next room all the time?" tom made no reply; but was closely examining the floor--back across the hall. "there is a mark; there is another," he said, "not made by boots, but by their native sandals." then he went out from the door, and up the next flight of stairs. "there," he said, "just as i thought." just round the angle of the stairs two steps were dirty and stained, as if dirty feet had been trampling upon them for some time. "i suppose they knew i was out, and watched here, for hours, perhaps. then, when peter went down, they slipped in through the open door, and then"--without completing the sentence, tom went back into the room, and threw himself into a chair in tearless despair. sam sobbed loudly. for some time there was silence. "there is no blood, sir, that i can see, not a speck," the orderly said. "they can't have killed captain scudamore, and, if they had, why should they have carried his body away?" this was the question tom had been asking himself. assassinations were, in madrid, every-day occurrences, and that peter and he were especially liable to be murdered, owing to the hatred of nunez and his gang, was clear; but, so far as he could see, not a drop of blood had been shed here. presently sam began to sob more loudly. "dis break my heart, massa tom, to tink dat sam be next door all de time, and, instead of watching, he sleep so sound dat massa peter carried straight away." "you are not to blame, sam, there was, probably, no noise whatever. but, what can it all mean? johnstone, you had better go to bed, you can do no good now. sam, give me my pistols; take that big stick of yours, and come round with me to head-quarters, we will call in at captain farquharson's on the way." that officer, on being roused, and made to understand what was the matter, confirmed the account given by the orderly; he and his companions had parted at the street door, and peter had gone down the yard to the stable. "it is clear that peter has been carried off," tom said, "and i have not the least doubt that it has been done by some of the band of nunez. as you have heard me say, they owe us a grudge, and have, no doubt, been on the look-out ever since we came here. we have been on guard, and never gave them a chance, and, i suppose, they got desperate when they found the army was moving again, and so carried out this audacious plan." "if your brother had been found murdered i should understand it," captain farquharson said; "but, what on earth did they carry him off for?" tom was silent for a minute. "that fiend, nunez, would have had us stabbed if he could do nothing else; but he would, if i judge him rightly, be really contented with nothing short of putting us to death himself in some horrible manner. my own idea is, that peter is hidden away somewhere near, will be kept in concealment until the road is clear, and will then be taken to nunez. i must go off and try and save him at all hazards." captain farquharson was silent, while tom walked up and down the room thoughtfully. "i don't suppose the chief would refuse me leave," tom said. "if he does, i must throw up my commission." "no, no; you are sure to get leave for such a thing as this, but the difficulty of the affair will be to know how to proceed. the country will swarm with french, the guerillas are sure to keep a sharp look-out, and if you find him, how are you going to rescue him?" "i don't know," tom said, "but it's got to be done; that's clear. i can't set out as a spanish peasant," he went on after a pause. "they know me as that now. at least, if i do i must get up as an old man and change my appearance. i might go as a woman, but i am too tall in the first place, and then women don't go wandering over the country in such times as this. but there, i have time to think it over before morning. i suppose the general will be moving about five o'clock; i will see him the first thing, and tell him the whole story. good-night." and so tom went back to his quarters, and sat thinking deeply until morning, while sam sat gloomily in his little room, sometimes with tears rolling down his cheeks, sometimes muttering terrible threats against the guerillas, at other times cursing himself for having been asleep instead of watching over his young master's safety. tom had briefly told him that he intended to get leave in order to search for peter. at daybreak, when he heard tom moving, he went into the sitting-room. "look here, massa tom, sam only one word to say. he going to look for massa peter. sam know dat him color berry spicuous, dat people look at him and tink he de debil. sam don't spect he going wid you. dat wouldn't do. dese fellows watch him, know dat black fellow here. only sam go somehow. he trabel night, hide up at day time. he join you de last ting when you go to mash up dem guerillas like squash. anyhow, sam must go. if can get leave, berry well, if not he desert. anyhow he go, dat sartin. sam kill himself if he stay behind." tom had already thought over this. he was sure that the faithful negro would not remain behind, but he had seen that his companionship would be fatal. he had, therefore, formed some plan in his head similar to that which sam proposed, and he knew that when the moment for action came his courage, strength, and devotion would be invaluable. "you shall go, sam," he said, holding out his hand to his attached follower. "as you say, you can't go with me, but you shall go somehow." "thank you, massa tom," the negro said gratefully, "you berry sure if massa peter die sam die too." tom now went to head-quarters, and found that lord wellington was just up. sending in to say that he wished to speak with him for a few minutes on a matter of urgent personal importance, he was admitted, and related as concisely as he could peter's disappearance, and told the story of the affair with the guerillas, which accounted for the intense desire for vengeance on the part of nunez. he ended by asking for leave of absence. the general heard him to the end, asking a brief question here and there. "you can have the leave certainly, captain scudamore, i know that it is needless for me to point out the risks that you will run, both from the french and guerillas. i think that it might be an advantage if i give you a note which you can, in case of absolute necessity, show to any french officer." so saying, the general sat down and wrote as follows:-- "to the french officer commanding.--the earl of wellington, commander-in-chief of his britannic majesty's forces in spain, gives his assurance that the bearer of this, captain scudamore, although not in english uniform, is not engaged upon any mission connected with the army, or to obtain information respecting the strength and position of the french forces. his business is entirely private, and he is engaged in an attempt to discover and rescue a brother who has been carried off by the guerilla chief nunez in order to gratify private vengeance. the earl of wellington, confiding in the natural courtesy of the french nation, trusts that officers of that service will, if applied to, assist captain scudamore in any way in their power, and he will feel personally obliged to them by their so doing." tom expressed his deep gratitude for this, which might, he foresaw, be of inestimable advantage to him. "i am taking my servant with me, sir--the negro; he will not travel with me by day, but will join me wherever i tell him; he is very strong and brave, and is deeply attached to us." "yes, i remember," the general said; "that is the man whose life you saved. do you leave at once?" "no, sir; i am thinking of riding with you to-morrow at any rate. the route lies on the way i have to go, and i am sure to be watched here." "very well," the general said; "i wish you good fortune; but you have a difficult, almost a desperate, service before you." upon leaving head-quarters, tom again called on captain farquharson. "farquharson, i hear that it will be eleven before the chief leaves. i wish you would go to that little shop opposite the opera-house; they have got wigs and all that sort of thing there. please get me two old men's wigs and beards, and one set of those mutton-chop shaped whiskers, and a woman's wig. i haven't made up my mind yet what i am going to wear, but i want these things to choose from. i am sure to be watched, and if i were to go there they would find out, five minutes afterwards, what i had bought. in the meantime i am going to the head of the police to give notice of peter's disappearance, and to ask him to have the carts leaving the town for the next few days searched. i have no doubt the fellows will outwit the police, but it's no use throwing away a chance." it was six days after this that an old man, with long white hair and gray beard, and with a box containing cheap trinkets, beads, necklaces, earrings, knives, scissors, and other like articles, was sitting at the junction of two roads near the lower slopes of the pyrenees, some twenty miles north of vittoria. he had one of his sandals off, and appeared to have just risen from a bed of leaves in the forest behind him. the dawn had broken, but it was still twilight. presently he heard a footstep coming along the road, and at once applied himself to wrapping the bandages, which serve for stockings to the spanish peasant, round his leg, looking eagerly from under his wide sombrero to see who was approaching. as the new-comer came in sight, the pedlar at once ceased his employment and rose to meet him. he had recognized the figure, but the face was hidden, the spanish cloak, worn as is usual by peasant and noble alike, with one end thrown over the shoulder, hiding the chin and lower part of the face, while the wide felt hat, pressed well down in front, allowed scarcely a glimpse even of the nose. that, however, would have been sufficient in the present case, for the man was a negro. upon seeing the pedlar rise, he ran forward to meet him. "ah, massa tom, tank de lord me find you safe and sound. i always keep on tinking you taken prisoner or killed eider by de french or de robbers--one as bad as de oder." "i have thought the same of you, sam, for your risk has been far greater than mine. well, thank god, it is all right thus far. but come back into the wood, i have got some food there, and here any one might come along." they were soon deep in the wood, where, by a pile of grass and leaves which had evidently been used as a bed, was an open wallet, with some bread, cheese, cold meat and a small skin of wine. "are you hungry, sam?" "downright starving, sar; dis chile eat noting for two days." "why, how is that, sam; you had six days' provision with you when you started?" "dat true enough, sar, but sam's appetite bigger than usual, noting to do all day sitting in de woods, waiting for night to come so as to go on again; so had to eat, and de food all went before sam thought dat dere was two more days before he meet you." "well, sit down now, sam, and eat away; we have plenty of time." they had much to tell each other. they had traveled by the same road, one by night, the other by day--sam passing the days sleeping in the woods, his master traveling by day and at night sleeping in wretched village posadas. he, too, would far rather have slept in the woods, for the insects and filth made sleep almost impossible in these places, besides which he ran a good deal of risk as to the discovery of his disguise. he had, however, chosen the inns in hopes of hearing something which might give him a clue as to the object of his search. the only information, which he had gained was to the effect that nunez still had his quarters at the old place. he had been driven out of it, and the village had been burned by the french, but the position was a convenient one, and the houses had been cleared and roughly roofed with boughs of trees and straw, and the band was still there. this much was satisfactory, and he could hardly have expected to learn more, unless he had happened to meet some of the members of the band itself. they had not traveled by the main road, as upon that large forces of the french were collected; and even if tom could have passed through, boldly, sam could not have made his way. even by the road they had chosen tom had met several bodies of french, while at vittoria a very large force was assembling, destined for the relief of burgos. sam had but few incidents to relate. he had been carefully instructed by tom before starting as to the road he should take, and the position and distances apart of the towns and villages upon it. he had traveled only at night, and had but once or twice exchanged a word with passers by. people did not travel much at night in so disturbed a country, and when sam heard a foot-passenger approaching, or, as was more frequently the case, a party of french cavalry, he left the road and lay down, until they had passed. the one or two foot-passengers he had met suddenly he had passed with the usual spanish muttered salutation, and the darkness and the disguise prevented any recognition of his color. "now, sar," sam said, when they had finished breakfast, "what am to be done next?" "i do not think, sam, that the party who have got peter have arrived yet. they could only have started on the day that we did; they have as long a road to go, and most likely they have got a bullock-cart, which won't travel more than fifteen miles a day at the outside. they have got peter in a cart covered up with something, we may be sure. i don't think they will be here for another day or so at the earliest. if we knew what sort of cart it was, we could attack them on the way if there are not too many of them; but unfortunately we don't know that; and as there are three or four roads up to the village, and they are sure to make a detour, we don't know which they will come by. i hope to learn at the village. we will stay where we are till dark, then we will push on; it is only a couple of miles or so from here. i will steal into the place after dark, and try and overhear what is going on. you shall remain at a point where you can see down into the village and can hear a shout. i will give you this letter of lord wellington, and if you hear a pistol shot and hear me shout 'sam!' you will know i am caught, and must make off as hard as you can to that small town in the plain, where there is a french garrison; ask for the commanding-officer, show this letter, and offer to guide them so as to surprise nunez and his band. that is our sole chance. but i don't think there is much risk of being caught. i shall be very careful, you may rely upon it; and as i know the position of the house, i shall be able to make my way about. once night has fallen they go off to bed; and even if i walked boldly about the place i should likely enough meet no one all night." that evening tom entered the village as soon as it was fairly dark. he knew, from his former experience, that sentries were always placed at points whence they could get a view of the roads, and he made his way so as to avoid any risk of observation by them; but when he reached a place whence he could in turn view the posts of the watchers, he found that they were deserted, and concluded that the brigands had become careless, from the belief that, now the french had once destroyed the village, they would not be likely to come up to search for them there a second time; besides which, they might reckon that the french had their hands much too full with the advance of the allied army to spare either men or time in raids upon the guerillas. in this particular, indeed, they would have argued wrongly, for the french during the whole war, however much they were pressed by wellington, always kept sufficient forces in hand to scatter the guerillas as fast as they become formidable. tom had now taken off his beard and wig, and had put on the small whisker, which is the general fashion of wearing the hair throughout spain. thus he trusted, if surprised in the dark, to pass as one of the band. so quiet was the village when he entered, that he at first thought it was deserted; at last, however, he saw a light in one of the houses in the center of the village. approaching carefully and noiselessly he saw a group of five men sitting and drinking round a fire made on the ground, in the center of one of the windowless rooms, the smoke finding its way out through the roof. "i tell you," one said, "i am getting sick of this life; i am ready to go and kill the french, but to be left up here, where there is nothing to do, no one to talk to, not a roof to cover one; bah! i am sick of it. but nunez will be back in three days, and we shall be merry enough then." "not we," another said, "this was a pleasant village in the old days, what is it now? there are no women, not even old mother morena, who used to cook well, if she was free of her tongue. there is not even a priest now to shrive us if one is brought in to die." "nunez will come back in a good temper if it is true what lope said yesterday when he came through, that the lads at madrid had got one of those english boys who made a fool of him two years ago. that was a go. demonio! but it was a fine thing. if it is true that they have got him and are bringing him here i would not be in his skin for all the treasures of king joseph. yes, nunez was always a devil, but he is worse now. somehow we always have bad luck, and the band gets smaller and smaller, i don't suppose there's above fifty with him now. i expect we shall have them pretty well all here this week." "no fear of a visit from the french?" "none; reynier at vittoria is busy now in sending every man he can spare forward to the army that's gathering near burgos." this was enough for tom, who stole silently away to the spot where sam was anxiously awaiting him. chapter xviii. just in time. "i shall go straight back to vittoria, sam. by what they say, general reynier is in command there, and as it was through his wife that all this terrible business has come about, we have a right to expect him to do his best to get us out of it. i will start at once. now look here, sam. you must put yourself where you can keep watch over the village. if you see any party come in, either to-night or to-morrow, you must try and discover if peter is among them. if he is, light a fire down in that hollow where it can't be seen from above, but where we can see it on that road. it's twenty miles to vittoria; if i can get to see general reynier to-morrow, i may be back here with cavalry by night; if he is out or anything prevents it, i will be here next night, as soon after dusk as it will be safe. i will dismount the men and take them over the hill, so as to avoid the sentinel who is sure to be posted on the road when nunez arrives. if they come in the afternoon, sam, and you find that anything is going to be done at once, do everything you can to delay matters." "all right, massa tom, if, when you come back you find massa peter dead, you be berry sure you find dis chile gone down too." it was seven o'clock next morning when tom entered vittoria, and a few cautious inquiries proved the fact that general reynier was really in command of the french division there. he at once sought his head-quarters, and after some talk with a woman selling fruit near the house, heard that the general and his staff had started at daybreak, but whither of course she knew not. tom hesitated for some time, and then, seeing an officer standing at the door, went up to him and asked if the general would be back soon. "he will be back in an hour or two," the officer replied in spanish, "but it is no use your waiting to see him. he has his hands full and can't be bothered with petitions as to cattle stolen or orchards robbed. wait till we have driven the english back, and then we shall have time to talk to you." "your pardon," tom said humbly. "it is not a complaint that i have to make, it is something of real importance which i have to communicate to him." "you can tell me, i am colonel decamps; it will be all the same thing if your news is really important." "thank you very kindly, señor, it must be the general himself; i will wait here." thereupon tom sat down with his back to the wall a short distance off, pulled out some bread and fruit he had bought in the town, and began quietly to eat his breakfast. an hour later a pretty carriage with two fine horses drew up to the door. it was empty, and was evidently intended for some one in the house. suddenly, the thought flashed across his mind, perhaps madame reynier and her child were there. it was curious that the thought had not occurred to him before, but it had not, and he drew near, when a sentry at the door roughly ordered him to stand further back. presently a lady came to the door, accompanied by a little girl. there she stood for a minute talking with the officer with whom tom had spoken. at the moment a young officer passed tom on his way to the house. "monsieur," tom said, in french, "do me the favor to place that ring in the hands of madame reynier. it is a matter of life and death. she will recognize the ring, it is her own," he added, as the young officer in surprise hesitated. he was a bright handsome young fellow, and after a moment's, pause, he went up to the lady. "my dear aunt," he said, "here is a mystery. an old spanish beggar speaks french, not very good french, but enough to make out, and he begs me to give you this ring, which he says is yours, and which, by the way, looks a valuable one." madame reynier, in some surprise, held out her hand for the ring. "it is not mine," she began, when a sudden thought struck her, and turning it round she saw "a louise reynier, tumors reconnaissance," which she had had engraved on it, before giving it to tom. "who gave it to you, jules?" she asked eagerly. "that old pedler," jules said. "bring him in," madame reynier said, "the carriage must wait; i must speak to him and alone." "my dear aunt," began her nephew. "don't be afraid, jules, i am not going to run away with him, and if you are a good boy you shall know all about it afterwards, wait here, louise, with your cousin;" and beckoning to tom to follow her, she went into the house, the two officers looking astounded at each other as the supposed spanish pedler followed her into her sitting-room. "what is your message?" she asked. tom's answer was to remove his wide hat, wig, and beard. "himself!" madame reynier exclaimed, "my preserver," and she held out both her hands to him. "how glad i am, but oh! how foolish to come here again, and--and"--she hesitated at the thought that he, an english spy, ought not to come to her, the wife of a french general. tom guessed her thought. "even general reynier might succor us without betraying the interests of his country. read that, madame; it is an open letter," and he handed her lord wellington's letter. she glanced through it and turned pale. "your brother! is he in the hands of the guerillas? where? how?" "he is in the hands of that scoundrel nunez; he swore he would be revenged for that day's work, and he has had peter carried off. no doubt to kill him with torture." "oh! and it is through me," madame reynier exclaimed, greatly distressed. "what can we do! please let me consult with my friends, every soldier shall be at your service," and she opened the door. "colonel deschamps, jules, come here directly, and bring louise with you." these officers, on entering, were struck dumb with astonishment on finding a young peasant instead of an old pedler, and at seeing tears standing in madame reynier's eyes. "louise," she said to her daughter, "look at this gentleman, who is he?" the child looked hard at tom; he was dressed nearly as when she first saw him--and as he smiled she recognized him. "oh, it is the good boy!" she cried, and leaped into tom's arms, and kissed him heartily. "do you think we have gone mad, jules, louise and i? this is one of the young english officers who saved our lives, as you have often heard me tell you." jules stepped forward, and shook tom's hand heartily, but colonel deschamps looked very serious. "but, madame," he began, "you are wrong to tell me this." "no, colonel;" madame reynier said, "here is a letter, of which this gentleman is the bearer, from lord wellington himself, vouching for him, and asking for the help of every frenchman." colonel deschamps read it, and his brow cleared, and he held out his hand to tom. "pardon my hesitation, sir," he said in spanish; "but i feared that i was placed in a painful position, between what i owe to my country, and what all french soldiers owe to you, for what you did for madame reynier. i am, indeed, glad to find that this letter absolves me from the former duty, and leaves me free to do all i can to discharge the latter debt. where is your brother, and why has he been carried off? i have known hundreds of our officers assassinated by these spanish wolves, but never one carried away. an english officer, too, it makes it the more strange!" tom now related the story of peter's abduction; the previous attempts of members of nunez's band to assassinate them, and the reasons he had for believing that peter was close to, if not already at, the headquarters of that desperado. "is he still there?" jules asked. "we routed him out directly the general came up here. my aunt declared herself bound by a promise, and would give us no clue as to the position of the village, but he had made himself such a scourge, that there were plenty of others ready to tell; if we had known the roads, we would have killed the whole band, but unfortunately they took the alarm and made off. so he has gone back there again. ah! there is the general." madame reynier went out to meet her husband, and drawing him aside into another room, explained the whole circumstance to him, with difficulty detaining him long enough to tell her story, as the moment he found that his wife and child's deliverer was in the next room, he desired to rush off to see him. the story over, he rushed impetuously into the room, where tom was explaining his plans to his french friends, seized him in his arms, and kissed him on both cheeks, as if he had been his son. "i have longed for this day!" he said, wiping his eyes. "i have prayed that i might some day meet you, to thank you for my wife and child, who would have been lost to me, but for you. and now i hear your gallant brother is paying with his life for that good deed. tell me what to do, and if necessary i will put the whole division at your orders." "i do not think that he will have above fifty men with him, general; say eighty, at the outside. two squadrons of cavalry will be sufficient. they must dismount at the bottom of the hill, and i will lead them up. we must not get within sight of the hill till it is too dark for their look-out to see us, or the alarm would be given, and we should catch no one. we shall know if they have arrived, by a fire my man is to light. if they have not come, then i would put sentries on guard upon every road leading there, and search every cart that comes up; they are sure to have got him hid under some hay, or something of that sort, and there are not likely to be more than two or three men actually with it, so as not to attract attention. it will be all right if they do not arrive there to-day." "it is about five hours' ride for cavalry," the general said, "that is at an easy pace; it will not be dark enough to approach the hill without being seen till eight o'clock. two squadrons shall be paraded here at three o'clock. i will go with you myself; yes, and you shall go too, jules," he said, in answer to an anxious look from his nephew. "in the mean time you can lend our friend some clothes; you are about the same size." "come along," jules said laughing; "i think we can improve your appearance," and, indeed, he did so, for in half an hour tom returned looking all over a dashing young french hussar, and little louise clapped her hands and said-- "he does look nice, mamma, don't he? why can't he stay with us always, and dress like that? and we know he's brave, and he would help papa and jules to kill the wicked english." there was a hearty laugh, and jules was about to tell her that tom was himself one of the wicked english, but madame reynier shook her head, for, as she told him afterwards, it was as well not to tell her, for little mouths would talk, and there was no occasion to set everyone wondering and talking about the visit of an english officer to general reynier. "there is no treason in it, jules, still one does not want to be suspected of treason, even by fools." sam watched all night, without hearing any sound of vehicles, but in the morning he saw that several more guerillas had come in during the night. in the morning parties of twos and threes began to come in from the direction of vittoria, and it was evident from the shouting and noise in the village that these brought satisfactory news of some kind. in the afternoon most of them went out again in a body to the wood at the foot of the hill, and soon afterwards sam saw a cart coming along across the plain. two men walked beside it, and sam could see one, if not two more perched upon the top of the load. three others walked along at a distance of some fifty yards ahead, and as many more at about the same distance behind. he could see others making their way through the fields. "dis berry bad job," sam said to himself; "me berry much afraid dat massa tom he not get back in time. der's too many for sam to fight all by himself, but he must do someting." whereupon sam set to to think with all his might, and presently burst into a broad grin. "sure enough dat do," he said; "now let me arrange all about what dey call de pamerphernalia." first, he emptied out the contents of a couple of dozen pistol cartridges; he wetted the powder and rolled it up in six cartridges, like squibs, three short ones and three much longer. then he opened tom's kit, and took out a small box of paints, which tom had carried with him for making dark lines on his face, and in other ways to assist his disguise. taking some white paint, sam painted his eyelids up to his eyebrows, and a circle on his cheeks, giving the eyes at a short distance the appearance of ghastly saucers. "dat will do for de present," he said; "now for business. if dey wait till it get dark, all right; if not, sam do for nunez and two or three more, and den go down with massa peter!" then carefully examining the priming of the pair of pistols, which he carried--the very pistols given to peter by the passengers of the marlborough coach--he prepared to set out. it was now six o'clock, and he calculated that the waggon would by this time have mounted the hill, and reached the village; he had already collected a large heap of dry sticks and some logs, at the point tom had pointed out, these he now lit, and then started for the top of the hill. looking back, just as he reached the crest, he could see, knowing where it was, a very light smoke curling up over a clump of trees which intervened between him and the fire, but it was so slight that he was convinced that it would not be noticed by an ordinary observer. sam saw at once, on reaching the top of the hill, that the guerillas were crowded round the waggon, which stood at the edge of a small clump of trees in the middle of the village. the moment was favourable, and he at once started forward, sometimes making a detour, so as to have the shelter of a tree, sometimes stooping behind a low stone wall, until he reached the first house in the village. it was now comparatively easy work, for there were enclosures and walls, the patches of garden-ground were breast-high with weeds, and, stooping and crawling, sam soon reached a house close to the waggon. it was a mere hut, and had not been repaired. the roof was gone, but the charred shutters and doors still hung on their hinges. it was the very place from which to see without being seen. sam entered by a door from behind, and found that, through a slight opening in the window-shutter, he could see all that was going on. some fifty guerillas were standing or sitting in groups at a distance of twenty yards. in the centre of the groups, lying on the ground, was a figure which he at once recognized as peter. it was wound round and round with ropes; beside it stood, or rather danced, nunez pouring forth strings of abuse, of threats, and of curses, and enforcing them with repeated kicks at the motionless figure. "de debil!" muttered sam, "me neber able to stand dis. if you not stop dat, massa nunez, me put a bullet through dat ugly head of yours, as sure as you stand dere. but me mustn't do it till last ting; for, whether i kill him or not, it's all up with massa peter and me if i once fire." fortunately nunez was tired, and in a short time he desisted, and threw himself down on the ground. "take off his ropes, one of you," he said: "there would be no fear of his running away had he three or four days to live, instead of as many hours. take the gag out of his mouth, throw some water over him to bring him round, and pour some wine down his throat. i want him to be fresh, so as to be able to enjoy the pleasure we have in store for him. and now let's have dinner." sam felt that for another hour at least peter was safe, and therefore, with the same precaution as before, he crept away from his hiding-place, through the village, and over the hill-crest, to the place where he had made his fire. the logs were burning well, but gave out but little smoke. sam looked at the sky. "dusk cum on berry fast," he said; "another hour massa tom come on with soldiers. if he see fire, he hurry up sharp." so saying, sam heaped on a pile of wood, and then made his way back. he knew that tom would not approach until it was too dark for the movements of the troops to be seen by the look-outs, and that he could not be expected to reach the village until fully an hour after dark. "just another hour and a half," he said to himself; "ebery thing depend upon what happen before dat time." it was quite dusk before he regained the shelter of the cottage. he had gone round by the wagon, and had taken from it a large stable-fork, muttering as he did so. "golly! dis de berry ting." close by he saw the carcase of a bullock which the guerillas had just slaughtered, and from this he cut off the horns and tail. when sam peeped out through the shutter he saw that something was going to be done. nunez was sitting smoking a cigarette, with a look of savage pleasure in his face, while the men heaped up a large fire in front of the trees. "i don't like dat gentleman's look," sam said to himself. "it's time dis chile begin to dress for de pantomime, dat quite plain. massa tom get here too late." thus saying, sam began to deliberately undress. peter, his arms and feet still bound, was sitting with his back against a tree, watching what were, he was convinced, the preparations for his death. for the last ten days he had lived in a sort of confused and painful dream. from the moment, when, upon entering his room two hands suddenly gripped his throat, others thrust a gag in the mouth, and then blindfolded him, while some one from behind lashed his arms to his side, and then altogether, lifting him like a log, carried him downstairs and threw him into a cart, he had not till now seen anything. the bandage had never been removed from his eyes, or the cords from his limbs. sometimes he had been made to sit up, and soup and wine had been poured down his throat, or a piece of bread thrust into his mouth; then he had been again gagged and thrown into a cart. over him brushwood and fagots had been piled, and there he had lain, until at night a stop was made, when he was taken out, fed, and then thrust back again and covered over. from the first he had never doubted who were his captors, or what was his destination, and he therefore experienced no surprise whatever, when, on his arrival at the village, on the bandage being taken off his eyes, he saw where he was. that it was useless to beg for mercy of the savages into whose power he had fallen he knew well enough, and he looked as calm and indifferent, as if he did not hear a word of the threats and imprecations which nunez was heaping on him. "you see that fire," the enraged guerilla said, "there you shall be roasted! english pig that you are! but not yet. that were too quick a death! here," he said to his followers, "make a little fire by the side of the big one--there under the arm of that tree; and put on plenty of green leaves: we will smoke our pig a bit before we roast him!" peter still eyed him unflinchingly. he was determined that no pain should wring a complaint or prayer for mercy. even now he did not quite despair, for he thought that he had just one chance of life. he was sure that tom would move heaven and earth to save him. he reckoned that he would at once guess who had carried him off, and with what object; and he felt that tom would be certain to set off to his rescue. all this he had reflected over in his long days of weary suffering, and from the moment that he was unbandaged, and propped against the tree, he had listened attentively for any unusual sound. how tom could rescue him he did not see. he was so utterly crippled, from his long confinement, that he knew that it would be hours, perhaps days, before he could walk a step; yet, still he thought it possible that tom might try; and he feared more than he hoped, for he trembled lest, if tom were really there, that he would do some rash thing, which would involve him in his fate. "whether tom is here or not," peter thought as he looked unflinchingly at nunez, "one thing is certain, if i know my brother, you will not have many days to live after me, for tom will follow you all over spain, but he will avenge me at last!" such were peter's thoughts, and so likely did he think it that tom was present, that he was scarcely surprised when he heard, as from the ground behind him, a well-known voice. "massa peter, you keep up your heart. sam here, massa tom he be here in another half hour with french soldiers. if dey go to kill you before dat, sam play dem trick. can you run, massa peter, if i cut de cord?" "no, sam." "dat bad job. neber mind, massa peter, you keep up your heart. sam keep quiet as long as he can, but when de worst come sam do de trick all right." "don't show yourself, sam. it would only cost you your life, and couldn't help me; besides, it would put them on their guard. they won't kill me yet. they will smoke me, and so on, but they will make it last as long as they can." peter was able to say this, for at the moment nunez was occupied in rolling and lighting a second cigarette. peter received no answer, for sam, seeing some guerillas bringing sticks and leaves to make a fire, as nunez, had ordered, crept back again into the deep shadow behind. the fire was now giving out volumes of smoke, a guerilla climbed up the tree and slung a rope over it, and three others approached peter. his heart beat rapidly; but it was with hope, not fear. he knew, from the words of nunez, that at present he was not going to be burned, but, as he guessed, to be hung over the smoke until he was insensible, and then brought to life again with buckets of water, only to have the suffocation repeated, until it pleased nunez to try some fresh mode of torture. it was as he imagined. the rope was attached to his legs, and amid the cheers of the guerillas, two men hauled upon the other end until peter swung, head downwards, over the fire. there was no flame, but dense volumes of pungent smoke rose in his face. for a moment his eyes smarted with agony, then a choking sensation seized him, his blood seemed to rush into his head, and his veins to be bursting: and there was a confused din in his ears and a last throb of pain, and then he was insensible. "that's enough for the present," nunez said; "cut him down." the men advanced to do so, but paused, with astonishment, for from behind the great fire was a loud yell--"yah, yah, yah!"--each louder than the last, and then, leaping through the flames appeared, as they supposed, the devil. sam's appearance was indeed amply sufficient to strike horror in the minds of a band of intensely superstitious men. he had entirely stripped himself, with the exception of his sandals, which he had retained in order to be able to run freely; on his head were two great horns; in one hand he held a fork, and in the other what appeared to be his tail, but which really belonged to the slaughtered bullock. from his month, his horns, and the end of his tail poured volumes of fire, arising, it needs not to say, from the squibs he had prepared. the great white circles round the eyes added to the ghastliness of his appearance, and seeing the terrible figure leap apparently from the flames, it is no wonder that a scream of terror rose from the guerillas. whatever a spanish peasant may believe about saints and angels, he believes yet more implicitly in a devil. black, with horns, and a tail--and here he was--with these appendages tipped with fire! those who were able turned and fled in terror, those who were too frightened to run fell on their knees and screamed for mercy, while one or two fell insensible from fear. taking the squibs from his mouth, and giving one more startling yell, to quicken the fugitives, sam made two strides to where peter was hanging, cut the rope, and lowered him down. nunez had at first joined in the flight, but looking over his shoulder he saw what sam was doing. his rage and frenzy, at the thought of being cheated of his victim, even by the evil one himself, overcame his fear, and he rushed back, shouting, "he is mine! he is mine! i won't give him to you!" and fired a pistol almost in sam's face. the ball carried away a portion of one of sam's ears, and with a yell, even more thrilling than those he had given before, he plunged his pitchfork into the body of the guerilla, then, exerting all his immense strength, he lifted him upon it, as if he had been a truss of straw, took three steps to the great bonfire and cast the brigand into it. there was a volume of sparks, a tumbling together of big logs, and the most cruel of the spanish guerillas had ceased to exist. this awful sight completed the discomfiture of the guerillas--some hearing their chief's shouts and the sound o his pistol had looked round, but the sight of the gigantic fiend casting him into the fire was too much for them. with cries of horror and fear they continued their flight; a few of them, who had fallen on their knees, gained strength enough, from fear, to rise and fly; the rest lay on their faces. sam saw that for the present all was clear, and lifting up peter's still insensible body, as if it had no weight whatever, he turned and went at a brisk trot out of the village, then over the crest and down towards the fire. then he heard a ring of metal in front of him, and a voice said, "_qui vive_!" while another voice said, "is that you, sam?" "bress de lord! massa tom, dis is me sure enough: and what is much better, here is massa peter." "thank god!" tom said fervently. "is he hurt? why don't you speak, peter?" "he all right, massa tom. he talk in a minute or two. now smoke choke him, he better presently. here, massa, you take him down to fire, pour a little brandy down his throat. now, massa officer, i lead de way back to village." as tom took peter in his arms a sudden fire of musketry was heard down on the road. "our fellows have got them," jules said. "i don't know what has alarmed them, but they are running away!" "push forward," general reynier said, "and give no quarter! jules, keep by the negro, and see that he comes to no harm. the men might mistake him for a guerilla." the night was pitch dark, and the extraordinary appearance of sam could not be perceived until after scouring the village and shooting the few wretches whom they found there, they gathered round the fire. before reaching it, however, sam had slipped away for a moment into the hut where he had stripped; here he quickly dressed himself, removed the paint from his face, and rejoined the group, who were not a little surprised at seeing his black face. in a short time the parties who had been posted on all the various roads came in, and it was found that they had between them killed some thirty or forty of the brigands, and had brought in two or three prisoners. "have you killed or taken nunez?" general reynier asked. "our work is only half done if that scoundrel has escaped." "i have asked the prisoners," one of the officers said, "and they tell an extraordinary story, that the devil has just thrown him into the fire!" "what do they mean by such folly as that," the general asked angrily. "were they making fun of you?" "no, sir, they were certainly serious enough over it, and they were all running for their lives when they fell into our hands; they had been horribly frightened at something." "ask that fellow there," the general said, pointing to a prisoner who had been brought in by another detachment, "he cannot have spoken to the others." the man was brought forward, and then jules asked him in spanish: "what were you all running away for?" the man gave a glance of horror at the fire. "the devil came with his pitchfork, fire came out of his mouth, his tail and his horns were tipped with sparks, the captain fired at him, of course the bullet did no good, and the devil put his fork into him, carried him to the fire, and threw him in." jules and some of the other young officers burst out laughing, but the general said:-- "humph! we can easily prove a portion of the story. see if there are any human remains in that fire." the wind was blowing the other way, but as a sergeant went up to the fire in obedience to the general's order, he said:-- "there is a great smell of burnt flesh here, and, sapristi, yes," as he tossed over the logs with his foot "there is a body here, sir, pretty well burnt up." "it's a curious story," the general said. "where is that negro, perhaps he can enlighten us?" but sam had already left to look after peter. "jules, put these fellows against that wall and give them a volley, then march the men down to the wood where their horses are. we will bivouac here for the night." a party now brought up peter, who had quite come round, but was unable to stand, or indeed to move his arms, so injured was he by the ropes, which had completely cut their way into his flesh. however, he was cheerful and bright, and able really to enjoy the supper which was soon prepared. that done, general reynier said:-- "captain scudamore, will you call your black man when he has finished his supper, which, no doubt, he needs? i want him to tell me what took place before we arrived. the prisoners were full of some cock-and-bull story, that the devil had stuck his fork into their captain and pitched him into the fire, and the story is corroborated, at least to the extent of the fact that, on turning the fire over, we found a body there." sam, called and questioned, told the whole story, which tom translated as he went on to the french officers, and it was received with a chorus of laughter at the thought of the oddity of sam's appearance, and of the brigands' terror, and with warm admiration for the able stratagem and courage shown by the black. tom was delighted, and peter, who had until now been entirely ignorant of the manner in which he had been saved, feebly pressed sam's hand and said a few words of gratitude and thanks, which so delighted sam that he retired to cry quietly. the next day they moved down to vittoria, where peter was tenderly nursed by madame reynier. a week later he was fit to sit on horseback, and the next day, after a hearty and affectionate parting, they started to rejoin their own army. both were now dressed as spanish gentlemen, and jules, with four troopers accompanied them as an escort. they made a long detour to avoid the french army in the field under clausel, and at last came within sight of the british outposts. here jules and his escort halted, and after a warm embrace with the merry young frenchman, they rode forward, and, after the usual parleying with the pickets, were passed forward to the officer commanding the post. he happened to be well known to them, and after the first surprise, and a few words of explanation, they rode on towards the head-quarters of the army besieging burgos. chapter xix. vittoria. general clausel fell back as wellington advanced to burgos, and the british laid siege to the castle of that place. like all wellington's sieges this was commenced with a wholly insufficient train of artillery, and without the time necessary to carry out regular siege operations. a considerable portion of the army were posted so as to watch clausel. the place was badly fortified, but the french under governor dubreton defended themselves with immense skill and courage, the english assaults were repulsed, successful sorties were made by the garrison, and at last, after the failure of the fourth assault, the siege was given up, and the allied armies turned their faces once more towards portugal. it was time; the operations in the south upon which wellington had relied to keep at least a portion of the french forces engaged, had failed signally, and the french generals were bringing up their troops from all parts of spain, and general souham, having under him generals clausel, maucune, and foy, with a force far superior to that of the british, advanced to give battle. then wellington, whose anglo-portuguese troops were much weakened by sickness, fell back rapidly, sending orders to general hill, who commanded the troops left behind in madrid, to evacuate that city, and to fall back and unite with him on the tormes. it was only by some masterly maneuvering and some stiff fighting at venta de pozo, on the carrion, and on the huebra, that wellington drew off his army to ciudad rodrigo. during the retreat the british suffered very severely, and the discipline of the army became greatly impaired, so much so that lord wellington issued a general order rebuking the army, saying that "discipline had deteriorated during the campaign in a greater degree than he had ever witnessed or read of in any army, and this without any unusual privation or hardship, or any long marches." the number of stragglers may be imagined by the fact that the loss of the allied army was upwards of nine thousand, of whom not more than two thousand were killed and wounded at burgos, and in the combats during the retreat. this number includes the spanish as well as the anglo-portuguese loss. it was the beginning of december when the allied army reached their winter quarters around ciudad rodrigo. it was fortunate that the season of the year, and the necessity which the french had to refill their magazines, and collect food, gave breathing time and rest to the british. although strengthened by his junction with hill, and by the arrival of reinforcements from the coast, wellington was not in a position to have made a stand against such a force as the french could have brought against him. tom and peter scudamore had rejoined the army at the hottest part of the siege of burgos, and had taken up their work at once. lord wellington heard from tom a brief account of what had taken place, and said a few kind words expressive of his pleasure at their both having escaped from so great a peril, and, grave and preoccupied as he was with the position of his army, he yet laughed at the account of the scare sam had given the guerillas. among their friends nothing was talked of for a day or two but their adventure. the times were stirring, however, and one event rapidly drove out another. sam became a greater favorite than ever among the officers of the staff, while the orderlies were never tired of hearing how he pretty nearly frightened a band of guerillas to death by pretending to be the evil one in person. the next four months were passed in preparations for the grand attack with which wellington confidently hoped to drive the french out of spain. the news of the defeat of napoleon in russia had cheered the hearts of the enemies of france, and excited them to make a great effort to strike a decisive blow. the french army was weakened by the withdrawal of several corps to strengthen the armies which napoleon was raising for his campaign in germany, and british gold had been so freely spent, that the portuguese army was now in a really efficient state; a portion of the spanish army had been handed over to wellington, and were now in a far more trustworthy condition than they had been heretofore, while the whole of the north of spain was in a state of insurrection, which the french, in spite of all their efforts, were unable to repress. the invasion was delayed until the end of may, in order that the crops might be in a fit state for the subsistence of the cavalry and baggage animals; but in the last week in that month all was ready, and, in several columns, the allied army poured into spain nearly a hundred thousand strong. the french, ignorant alike of wellington's intentions and preparations, were in no position to stem effectually this mighty wave of war, and were driven headlong before it, with many fierce skirmishes, until their scattered forces were, for the most part, united on the ebro. here joseph occupied a strong position, which he thought to hold until the whole of his troops could come up; but wellington made a detour, swept round his right, and the french fell back in haste, and took up their position in the basin of vittoria, where all the stores and baggage which had been carried off as the army retreated from madrid, valladolid, burgos, and other towns, were collected. at vittoria were gathered the court, and an enormous mass of fugitives, as all the spaniards who had adhered to the cause of joseph had, with their wives and families, accompanied the french in their retreat. hence the accumulation of baggage animals, and carts, of stores of all descriptions, of magazines, of food and artillery, of helpless, frightened people, was enormous, and, for the retreat of the army in case of defeat, there was but one good road, already encumbered with baggage and fugitives! this terrible accumulation arose partly from the fault of joseph, who was wholly unequal to the supreme command in an emergency like the present. confused and bewildered by the urgency of the danger, he had hesitated, wavered, and lost precious time. by resistance at any of the rivers, which wellington had passed unopposed, he might easily have gained a few days, and thus have allowed time for the great mass of fugitives to reach the french frontier, and for foy and clausel, each of whom were within a day's march upon the day of the battle, to have arrived with a reinforcement of , good fighting men. instead of this, he had suffered himself to be outflanked day after day, and his army forced into retreat, without an effort at resistance--a course of action irritating and disheartening to all troops, but especially to the french, who, admirable in attack, are easily dispirited, and are ill suited to defensive warfare. the position which he had now chosen for the battle, on which his kingdom was to be staked, was badly selected for the action. the front was, indeed, covered by the river zadora, but this was crossed by seven available bridges, none of which had been broken down, while there was but the one good line of retreat, and this, besides being already encumbered with baggage-wagons, could be easily turned by the allies. the french army, weakened by men, who had marched upon the preceding days, in charge of convoys for france, were still about , strong, the allies--british, portuguese, and spanish--about , . the french were the strongest in artillery. wellington, seeing that joseph had determined to stand at bay, made his arrangements for the battle. on the left, graham, with , men, was to attempt to cross the zadora at gamara mayor, when he would find himself on the main road, behind vittoria, and so cut the french line of retreat. hill, with a like force, was to attack on the right, through the defile of puebla, and so, entering the basin of vittoria, to threaten the french right, and obtain possession of the bridge of nanclares. in the center, wellington himself, with , troops, would force the four bridges in front of the french center, and attack their main position. at daybreak on the st of june, , the weather being rainy with some mist, the troops moved from their quarters on the bayas, passed in columns over the bridges in front, and slowly approached the zadora. about ten o'clock, hill seized the village of puebla, and commenced the passage of the defile, while one of the portuguese battalions scaled the heights above. here the french met them, and a fierce fight ensued; the french were reinforced on their side, while the st regiment and a battalion of light infantry joined the portuguese. villette's division was sent from the french center to join the fray, while hill sent up reinforcements. while the fight on the heights still raged, the troops in the defile made their way through, and, driving the french back, won the village of subijano de alava, in front of the french main position. meanwhile, far to the left, graham came into action with reille's division at gamara mayor. the french here, knowing the vital importance of the position, fought desperately, and the village of gamara was taken and retaken several times, but no effort upon the part of the allies sufficed to carry either the bridge at this place or that by which the main road crossed the river higher up. a force, however, was pushed still farther to the left, and there took up a position on the road at durana, drove back a franco-spanish force which occupied it, and thus effectively cut the main line of retreat to france for joseph's army. the main force under wellington himself was later in coming into action, the various columns being delayed by the difficulties of making their way through the defiles. while waiting, however, for the third and seventh divisions, which were the last to arrive, a peasant informed wellington that the bridge of tres puentes was unbroken and unguarded. kempt's brigade of the light division were immediately ordered to cross, and, being concealed by the inequalities of the ground, they reached it and passed over unobserved, taking their place under shelter of a crest within a few hundred yards of the french main line of battle, and actually in rear of his advanced posts. some french cavalry now advanced, but no attack was made upon this isolated body of british troops, for the french were virtually without a commander. joseph, finding his flank menaced by the movements of graham and hill, now ordered the army to fall back to a crest two miles in the rear, but at this moment the third and seventh divisions advanced at a run towards the bridge of mendoza, the french artillery opened upon them, the british guns replied, a heavy musketry fire broke out on both sides, and the battle commenced in earnest. now the advantage gained by the passage of kempt's brigade became manifest, for the riflemen of his division advanced and took the french advanced cavalry and artillery in flank. these, thus unexpectedly attacked, fell back hastily, and a brigade of the third division took advantage of the moment and crossed the bridge of mendoza. the other brigade forded the river a little higher up, the seventh division and vandeleur's brigade of the light division followed, hill pushed the enemy farther back, and the fourth division crossed by the bridge of nanclares; other troops forded the river, and the battle became general all along the line. seeing that the hill in front of arinez was nearly denuded of troops by the withdrawal of villette's division earlier in the day to oppose hill, wellington launched picton with the third division and kempt's brigade against it, and the french, thus attacked with great strength and fury, and dispirited by the order to retreat, began to fall back. fifty pieces of artillery and a cloud of skirmishers covered the movement, and the british guns answering, the whole basin became filled with a heavy smoke, under cover of which the french retired to the heights in front of gomecha, upon which their reserves were posted. picton and kempt carried the village of arinez with the bayonet, vandeleur captured the village of margarita, and the th regiment won that of hermandad. this advance turned the flank of the french troops near subijana de alava, and of those on the puebla mountain, and both fell back in disorder for two miles, until they made a junction with the main body of their army. still the british troops pressed forward, the french again fell back, and for six miles a running fight of musketry and artillery was kept up, the ground being very broken, and preventing the concerted action of large bodies of troops. at six o'clock in the afternoon the french stood at bay on the last heights before vittoria, upon which stood the villages of ali and armentia. behind them was the plain upon which the city stood, and beyond the city thousands of carriages, animals, and non-combatants, women, and children, were crowded together in the extremity of terror as the british shots rang menacingly over their heads. the french here defended themselves desperately, and for a while the allied advance was checked by the terrible fire of shot and shell. then the fourth division with a rush carried a hill on the left, and the french again commenced their retreat. joseph, finding the great road absolutely blocked up, gave orders for a retreat by the road to salvatierra, and the army, leaving the town of vittoria on its left, moved off in a compact mass towards the indicated road. this, however, like the other, was choked with carriages. it led through a swamp, and had deep ditches on each side; the artillery, therefore, had to cut their traces and leave their guns behind them, the infantry and cavalry thrust aside the encumbrances and continued their march. reille, who had defended the upper bridges nobly until the last moment, now came up, and his division acting as a rear guard, covered the retreat, and the french retired with little further loss. they had lost the battle solely and entirely from the utter incapacity of their general, for their loss had been but little greater than that of the allies, and they fell back in perfect order and full of fighting. the french loss, including prisoners, was not more than , and that of the allies exceeded . the french loss, however, in material was enormous. they carried off two guns only, and fell into the hands of the british. they lost all their parks of ammunition, all their baggage, all their stores, all their treasures, all their booty. last of all, they lost spain. the british pursued the french army for some days, and then invested the two fortresses of san sebastian and pampeluna. ten days after the battle of vittoria, napoleon despatched soult, one of the best of his generals, to displace joseph and assume the supreme command of the french troops. traveling with great speed, he reached the frontier upon the th of july and took command. he soon collected together the divisions which had retired beaten but not routed from vittoria, drew together the troops from bayonne and the surrounding towns, and in a few days found himself at the head of an army, including the garrisons, of , men. besides these there were the armies of aragon and catalonia, numbering , men. after spending a few days in organizing the army, soult moved forward to relieve pampeluna, and then in the heart of the pyrenees were fought those desperate combats at maya, roncevalles, buenza, sauroren, and dona maria, which are known in history as the battles of the pyrenees. in these terrible nine days' fighting there were ten serious combats, in which the allies lost men, the french, including prisoners, over , , and soult fell back baffled and beaten across the frontier. throughout this account of the short and sanguinary campaign by which in two short months wellington shattered the power of the french and drove them headlong from the peninsula, but little has been said respecting the doings of the scudamores. their duties had been heavy, but devoid of any personal achievements or events. wellington, the incarnation of activity himself, spared no one around him, and from early dawn until late at night they were on horseback, carrying orders and bringing back reports. at night their quarters were sometimes in a village hut, sometimes in a straggling château, which afforded accommodation to the commander-in-chief and his whole staff. sam, a good horseman now, was in the highest of spirits at being able to accompany his masters, and, although the spanish women crossed themselves in horror when they first saw his black face, the boys would hear shouts of laughter arising before they had been a quarter of an hour in fresh quarters. he was a capital cook, and a wonderful hand at hunting up provisions. there might not be a sign of a feathered creature in a village when the staff came in, but in half an hour sam would be sure to return from foraging with a couple of fowls and his handkerchief full of eggs. these were, of course, paid for, as the orders against pillaging were of the strictest character, and the army paid, and paid handsomely for everything it ate. it was, however, difficult to persuade the peasants that payment was intended, and they would hide everything away with vigilant care at the approach of the troops. when by the display of money they were really persuaded that payment was intended, they would produce all that they had willingly enough, but the number of officers wanting to purchase was so great and the amount of live stock so small in the war-ravaged country, that few indeed could obtain even for money anything beside the tough rations of freshly-killed beef issued by the commissariat. let the supply be ever so short, however, sam never returned empty-handed, and the fowls were quickly plucked and on the fire before any one else had succeeded in discovering that there was a bird in the village. sam's foraging powers passed into a joke with the staff, and the scudamores became so curious to discover the reason of his success, that after repeated questioning they persuaded him to tell them. "well, massa, de matter berry simple--just easy as fallin' off log. sam go along, look into yard ob de cottages, presently see feather here, feather there. dat sign ob fowl. den knock at door. woman open always, gib little squeak when she see dis gentleman's colored face. den she say, 'what you want? dis house full. quarter-master take him up for three, four officer.' den sam say, 'illustrious madam, me want to buy two fowls and eggs for master,' and sam show money in hand. den she hesitate a little, and not believe sam mean to pay. den she say, 'no fowls here.' den sam point to de feathers. den she get in rage and tell lie and say, 'dem birds all stole yesterday.' den sam see it time to talk to de birds--he know dem shut up somewhere in de dark, and sam he begin to crow berry loud; sam berry good at dat. he crow for all de world like de cock. dis wake dem up, and a minute one, two, three, half a dozen cock begin to answer eider from a loft ober house, or from shed, or from somewhere. den de woman in terrible fright, she say, 'me sell you two quick, if you will go away and swear you tell no one.' den sam swear. den she run away, come back wid de fowls and some eggs, and always berry much astonished when sam pay for dem. after dat she lose her fear, she see me pay, and she sells de chickens to oders when they come till all gone. dat how dis chile manage de affairs, massa tom." the scudamores had a hearty laugh, and were well pleased to find that sam's method was one to which not even the strictest disciplinarian could object, a matter concerning which they had previously had grave doubts. while the battles of the pyrenees were being fought, the siege of st. sebastian had continued, and once again the british troops had suffered a terrible loss, from the attempt to carry a fortress with an insufficient siege-train, and without the time necessary to drive the trenches forward in regular form. st. sebastian stood upon a peninsula. in front of the neck of this peninsula was the hill of san bartholomeo, on which stood the convent of that name. at the narrowest part of the neck stood a redoubt, which was called the cask redoubt, because it was constructed of casks filled with stand. behind this came the horn-work and other fortifications. then came the town, while at the end of the peninsula rose a steep rock, called mount orgullo, on which stood the citadel. upon its left side this neck of land was separated from the mainland by the river urumea; and upon the heights of mount olia and the chofres, across the urumea, were placed the british batteries, which breached the fortifications facing the river. general graham commanded the allied forces, which were detached to undertake the siege, and on the th of july batteries were commenced against the convent of san bartholomeo, which had been fortified by the french. on the th the convent was in ruins, and an assault was made upon the position. the th regiment took the place in gallant style, but an attempt being made to carry the cask redoubt, with a rush, the assault was repulsed, the british remaining possessors of san bartholomeo. on the th the batteries on mount olia, having effected what was believed to be a practicable breach, men of the fifth division, consisting of the d battalion of the royals, the th, and the th, made an assault at night. to arrive at the breach they had to make their way along the slippery rocks on the bed of the urumea, exposed to a flank-fire from the river-wall of the town. the breachers had been isolated from the town, and guns placed to take the stormers in flank. the confusion and slaughter were terrible, and at daybreak the survivors fell back, with a loss of forty-nine officers and men. the whole arrangement of the siege was bad. the plan of major smith, of the engineers, a most excellent officer, which had been approved by wellington, was not followed, and the assault, contrary to wellington's explicit order, took place at night, instead of by day, the consequence being confusion, delay, and defeat. the total loss to the allies of this first siege of st. sebastian was men. neither of the scudamores were present at the first siege, but both witnessed the second assault, of the st of august, as wellington himself was present on the th, to see to the execution of the preparation for attack, and they obtained leave to remain for the next day to witness the assault. the siege had been resumed on the th of that month, and on the d the batteries had opened fire in earnest, and immense damage was done to the defenses and garrison. but upon this occasion, as upon the former one, the proper precautions were not taken; no lodgment had been effected in the horn-work, and, worst of all, the blockade had been so negligently conducted by the fleet, that large bodies of fresh troops, guns, and ammunition had been passed in, and the defense was even stronger than it had been when the first assault was delivered. general graham took up his position on the heights of the chofres to view the assault, and the scudamores stationed themselves near him. a dense mist hid the fortress from view, and it was not until eight o'clock that the batteries were able to open. then for three hours they poured a storm of shot and shell upon the defences. the scudamores sat down in one of the trenches, where they were a little sheltered from the blazing heat of the sun, and sam took his place at a short distance from them. as the clock struck eleven the fire slackened, and at that moment sam exclaimed, "grolly, massa tom, dere dey go." as he spoke robinson's brigade poured out from the trenches, and, passing through the openings in the sea-wall, began to form on the beach. it was known that the french had mined the angle of the wall overhanging the beach, and a sergeant, followed by twelve men, dashed gallantly forward to try to cut the train leading to the mine. he was unsuccessful, but the suddenness of the rush startled the french, who at once fired the mine, which exploded, destroying the brave sergeant and his party, and thirty of the leading men of the column, but not doing a tithe of the damage which it would have inflicted had the column been fairly under it. "hurrah! dere dey go," sam exclaimed as the column clambered over the ruins and pursued its way unchecked along the beach. they had, however, to make their way under a storm of fire. the french, as before, lined the wall, and poured a tremendous musketry fire into their flank, and the batteries of mount orgullo and st. elmo plied them with shot and shell, while two pieces of cannon on the cavalier and one on the horn-work raked them with grape. still the column neither halted nor faltered, but dashed, like a wave, up the breach. when, however, they reached the top they could go no farther. a deep gulf separated them from the town, while from every loop-hole and wall behind, the french musketry swept the breach. the troops could not advance and would not retreat, but sullenly stood their ground, heaping the breach with their dead. fresh bodies of men came up, and each time a crowd of brave men mounted the breach, only to sink down beneath the storm of fire. "this is awful, horrible, tom!" peter said in a choked voice. "come away, i can't look at this slaughter, it is a thousand times worse than any battle." tom made no reply, his own eyes were dim with tears, and he rose to go, taking one more look at the deadly breach, at whose foot the survivors of the last attempt had sunk down, and whence the mass of soldiers were keeping up a musketry fire against the guns and unseen foes who were sweeping them away, when an officer ran up from general graham's side, and in a minute fifty guns from the chofres batteries opened a storm of fire upon the curtain and the traverses behind the breach. it was a terrible trial to the nerves of the assaulting columns when this terrific fire was poured upon a spot only twenty feet above them; but they were not men to shrink, and the men of the light division seized the opportunity to pull up the broken masonry and make a breastwork, known in military terms as a lodgment. for half an hour the iron storm poured overhead unchecked, smashing the traverse, knocking down the loop-holed walls, and killing numbers of the defenders. then it ceased, and the troops leapt to their feet, and again rushed up the breach, while the th portuguese regiment, followed by a detachment of the th, waded across the urumea under a heavy fire from the castle, and attacked the third breach. but still no entry could be effected. the french fire was as heavy as ever, and the stormers again sank baffled to the foot of the great breach. the assault seemed hopeless, the tide was rising, the reserves were all engaged, and the men had done all that the most desperate courage could do. for five hours the battle had raged, when, just as all appeared lost, one of those circumstances occurred which upset all calculations and decide the fate of battles. behind the traverses the french had accumulated a great store of powder barrels, shells, and other combustibles. just at this moment these caught fire. a bright flame wrapped the whole wall, followed by a succession of loud explosions; hundreds of french grenadiers were destroyed, and before the smoke had cleared away, the british burst like a flood through the first traverse. although bewildered by this sudden disaster, the french rallied, and fought desperately; but the british, desperate with the long agony of the last five hours, would not be denied; the light division penetrated on the left, the portuguese on the right. the french, still resisting obstinately, were driven through the town to the line of defense at the foot of mount orgullo, and the town of st. sebastian was won. "will you go across, peter, and enter the town?" "no, no, tom; the sight of that horrible breach is enough for me. let us mount, and ride off at once. i am quite sick after this awful suspense." it was as well that the scudamores did not enter the town, as, had they done so, they might have shared the fate of several other officers, who were shot down while trying to stop the troops in their wild excesses. no more disgraceful atrocities were ever committed by the most barbarous nations of antiquity than those which disgraced the british name at the storming of st. sebastian. shameful, monstrous as had been the conduct of the troops at the storming of ciudad rodrigo and at badajos, it was infinitely worse at st. sebastian. as rapin says, hell seemed to have broken loose. the castle held out until the th, when it surrendered, and the governor and his heroic garrison marched out with the honors of war. the british loss in the second siege exceeded men and officers. there was a pause of two months after the fall of st. sebastian, and it was not until the th of november that wellington hurled his forces against the lines which, in imitation of those of torres vedras, soult had formed and fortified on the river nivelle to withstand the invasion of france. after a few hours' desperate fighting the french were turned out of their position with a loss of killed, wounded, and prisoners, of men and officers, the loss of the allies being . now the army of invasion poured into france. the french people, disheartened by napoleon's misfortunes in germany, and by the long and mighty sacrifices which they had for years been compelled to make, in order to enable napoleon to carry out his gigantic wars, showed but slight hostility to the invaders. wellington enforced the severest discipline, paid for everything required for the troops, hanging marauders without mercy, and, finding that it was impossible to keep the spanish troops in order, he sent the whole spanish contingent, , strong, back across the pyrenees. he then with the anglo-portuguese army moved on towards bayonne, and took up a position on both sides of the river nive, driving the french from their position on the right bank on december th. on the th, however, soult attacked that portion of the army on the right of the river, and one of the most desperate conflicts of the war took place, known as the battle of st. pierre. general hill commanded at this battle, and with , anglo-portuguese, with guns, repulsed the furious and repeated attacks of , french, with guns. in five days' fighting on the river the french lost more than as many thousand men. the weather now for a time interrupted operations, but wellington was preparing for the passage of the adour. soult guarded the passages of the river above bayonne, and never dreamed that an attempt would be made to bridge so wide and rough a river as is the adour below the town. with the assistance of the sailors of the fleet the great enterprise was accomplished on the th of february, and leaving general hope to contain the force in the entrenched camp at bayonne, wellington marched the rest of the army to the gave. behind this river soult had massed his army. the british crossed by pontoon bridges, and before the operation was concluded, and the troops united, soult fell upon them near orthes. at first the french had the best of the fight, driving back both wings of the allied forces, but wellington threw the third and sixth divisions upon the left flank of the attacking column and sent the nd regiment to make a detour through a marsh and fall upon their other flank. taken suddenly between two fires the french wavered, the british pressed forward again, and the french fell back fighting obstinately, and in good order. the allies lost men, and the french . soult fell back towards toulouse, laying bordeaux open to the british. chapter xx. toulouse. promotion for those who have the good fortune to have a post upon the commander-in-chief's staff is rapid. they run far less risk than do the regimental officers, and they have a tenfold better chance of having their names mentioned in despatches. the scudamores were so mentioned for their conduct at vittoria, the pyrenees, and orthes, and shortly after the last-named battle the _gazette_ from england announced their promotion to majorities. this put an end to their service as aides-de-camp, and they were attached to the quarter-master's branch of the staff of lord beresford, who was upon the point of starting with a small force to bordeaux, where the authorities, thinking more of party than of patriotism, had invited the english to enter and take possession, intending to proclaim their adhesion to the bourbon dynasty. the boys were sorry at the exchange, as they feared that they should lose the crowning battle of the campaign. it was evident that the resistance of france was nearly at an end, the allies were approaching paris in spite of the almost superhuman efforts of napoleon; the people, sick of the war, refused all assistance to the military authorities, and were longing for peace, and the end of the struggle was rapidly approaching. lord beresford, however, divining their thoughts, assured them that his stay at bordeaux would be but short, and that they might rely upon being present at the great battle which would probably be fought somewhere near toulouse, towards which town soult had retreated after the battle of orthes. upon the th of march, beresford marched with , men for bordeaux, and meeting with no opposition by the way, entered that city on the th. the mayor, a royalist, came out to meet them, and by the upper classes of the town they were received as friends rather than foes. handsome quarters were assigned to lord beresford and his staff, and the scudamores for a day or two enjoyed the luxury of comfortable apartments and of good food after their hard fare for nine months. the day after they entered bordeaux tom had occasion to call at the office of a banker in order to get a government draft cashed, to pay for a number of wagons which had been purchased for the quarter-master's department. the banker's name was weale, an american, said to be the richest man in bordeaux. his fortune had been made, it was said, by large government contracts. when tom returned, peter was surprised to see him looking pale and excited. "what is the matter, tom?" "do you know, peter, i am convinced that that american banker i have been to see to-day is neither more nor less than that scoundrel, walsh, who bolted with all the bank funds, and was the cause of our father's death." "you don't say so, tom." "it is a fact, peter, i could swear to him." "what shall we do, tom?" "i only cashed one of the two drafts i had with me this morning; peter, you go this afternoon with the other, and, if you are as certain as i feel about it, we will speak to beresford at dinner." peter returned in the afternoon satisfied that his brother's surmises were correct, and that in the supposed american weale they had really discovered the english swindler walsh. after dinner they asked lord beresford to speak to them for a few minutes alone. the general was greatly surprised and interested at their communication. "of how much did this fellow rob your father's bank?" he asked. "the total defalcation, including money borrowed on title-deeds deposited in the bank, which had to be made good, was, i heard, from , _l._ to , _l._," tom said. "very well," said lord beresford, "we will make the scoundrel pay up with interest. order out thirty men of the th." while the men were mustering, the general returned to the dining-room and begged the officers who were dining with him to excuse him for half an hour, as he had some unexpected business to perform. then he walked across with the scudamores to the banker's house, which was only in the next street. twenty of the men were then ordered to form a cordon round the house and to watch the various entrances. the other ten, together with the officer in command, the general told to follow him into the house. the arrangements completed, he rang at the bell, and the porter at once opened the gate. he started and would have tried to shut it again, on seeing the armed party. but lord beresford said, "i am the general commanding the british troops here. make no noise, but show me directly to your master." the man hesitated, but seeing that the force was too great to be resisted, led the way through the courtyard into the house itself. some servants in the hall started up with amazement, and would have run off, but lord beresford cried, "stay quiet for your lives. no one will be hurt; but if any one moves from the hall, he will be shot." then, followed by tom and peter only, he opened the door which the porter pointed out to him as that of the room where the banker was sitting. he was alone, and started to his feet upon beholding three british officers enter unannounced. "what means this?" he demanded angrily. "i am a citizen of the united states, and for any outrage upon me satisfaction will be demanded by my government." "i am lord beresford," the general said quietly, "and quite know what i am doing. i do not quite agree with you that the government of the united states will make any demand for satisfaction for any outrage upon your person, nor, if they do so, will it benefit you greatly; for i am about, in five minutes' time, to order you to be shot, mr. walsh." as the name was uttered the banker, who had listened with increasing pallor to the stern words of the general, started violently, and turned ghastly white. for a minute or so he was too surprised and confounded to speak. then he said, in a husky tone, "it is false; i am an american citizen. i know nothing whatever about james walsh." "james walsh!" the general said; "i said nothing about james. it is you who have told us his christian name, which is, i have no doubt, the correct one." he looked to tom, who nodded assent. "i know nothing about any walsh," the banker said doggedly. "who says i do?" "we do, james walsh," tom said, stepping forward. "tom and peter scudamore, the sons of the man you robbed and ruined." the banker stared at them wildly, and then, with a hoarse cry, dropped into his chair. "james walsh," the general said sternly, "your life is doubly forfeit. as a thief and a swindler, the courts of law will punish you with death;" for in those days death was the penalty of a crime of this kind. "in the second place, as a traitor. as a man who has given aid and assistance to the enemies of your country, your life is forfeit, and i, as the general in command here, doom you to death. in five minutes you will be shot in your courtyard as a thief and a traitor." "spare me!" the wretched man said, slipping off his chair on to his knees. "spare my life, and take all that i have. i am rich, and can restore much of that which i took. i will pay , _l._" "fifty thousand pounds!" the general said; "you stole , _l._, which, with interest, comes up to , _l._, besides which you must pay for acting as a traitor. the military chest is empty, and we want money. i will value your wretched life at , _l._ if you make that sum a present to our military chest, and pay major scudamore the , _l._ of which you swindled his father, i will spare you." "one hundred and twenty-five thousand pounds!" the banker said fiercely. "never, i will die first." "very well," lord beresford said quietly. "major scudamore, please call in the officer and four men." tom did as requested, and lord beresford then addressed the officer. "you will take this man, who is an englishman, who has been acting as a traitor, and giving assistance to the french army, you will take a firing party, place him against the wall of the yard, give him five minutes to make his peace with god, and when the five minutes are up, unless he tells you before that that he wishes to see me, shoot him." pale and desperate, the banker was led out. "he will give way, i hope," tom said, as the door closed behind him. "he will give way before the time is up," lord beresford said. "he is a coward; i saw it in his face." four minutes passed on, the door opened again, and the officer returned with his prisoner. "he says he agrees to your terms, sir" "very well" lord beresford answered; "remain outside with your men; they may be wanted yet." the prisoner, without a word, led the way into an adjoining room, which communicated with the public office. this was his private parlor, and in a corner stood a safe. he unlocked it, and, taking out some books and papers, sat down to the table. his mood had evidently changed. "i was a fool to hold out," he said, "for i had my name for wealth against me, and might have known you would not give way. after all, i do not know that i am altogether sorry, for i have always had an idea that some day or other the thing would come out, and now i can go back and be comfortable for the rest of my life. how will you have the money, gentlemen? i have , _l._ in cash, and can give you a draft on the bank of england for the rest. you look surprised, but i have always been prepared to cut and run from this country at the shortest notice, and every penny i have beyond the cash absolutely required is in england or america." "i will take , _l._ in cash for the use of the army," lord beresford said. "i will send an officer of the commissariat to-morrow for it. the , _l._ you may pay these gentlemen in drafts on england. until i hear that these drafts are honored, i shall keep you under surveillance, and you will not be suffered to leave your house." "it will be all right," walsh said. "there--is my bank of england pass-book; you will see that i have , _l._ standing to the credit of j. weale there. i have as much in america. i should not tell you this did i not know that you are a gentleman, and therefore will not raise terms now that you see i can pay higher. there, mr. scudamore, is the draft, and, believe me or not, i am glad to repay it, and to feel, for the first time for many years, a free man. please to give me a receipt for the , _l._ due by me to the bank, and for , _l._, five years' interest on the same." tom did as he was desired without speaking. there was a tone of effrontery mingled with the half-earnestness of this successful swindler that disgusted him. "there," the general said, as the receipts were handed over; "come along, lads, the business is over, and i do not think that we have any more to say to mr. weale." so saying, without further word, the three went out. upon rejoining the officer without, lord beresford directed that a sergeant and ten men were to be quartered in the house, and that a sentry was to be placed at each entrance night and day, and that the banker was not to be permitted to stir out under any pretence whatever until further orders. "there, lads, i congratulate you heartily," he said as they issued from the gate, in answer to the warm thanks in which the boys expressed their gratitude to him; "it is a stroke of luck indeed that you came with me to bordeaux. it was rough-and-ready justice, and i don't suppose a court of law in england would approve of it; but we are under martial law, so even were that fellow disposed to question the matter, which you may be very sure he will not, we are safe enough. they say 'ill-gotten gains fly fast' but the scamp has prospered on the money he stole. he owned to having another hundred thousand safe in the states, and no doubt he has at least as much more in securities of one sort or other here. i daresay he was in earnest when he said that he did not mind paying the money to get rid of the chance of detection and punishment, which must have been ever in his mind. the best thing you can do, scudamore, is to write to james pearson--he's my solicitor in london--and give him authority to present this draft, and invest the sum in your joint names in good securities. inclose the draft. i shall be sending off an orderly with despatches and letters at daybreak, and if you give me your letter to-night, i will inclose it in a note of my own to pearson." five days later an order arrived for lord beresford to leave the seventh division under lord dalhousie, in bordeaux, and to march with the fourth division to join the commander-in-chief, who was gradually drawing near to toulouse, beneath whose walls soult was reorganizing his army. the position was a very strong one, and had been rendered almost impregnable by fortifications thrown upon the heights. wellington had, too, the disadvantage of having to separate his army, as the town lay upon both sides of the garonne. on the th of april the allied army attacked. hill attacked the defences of the town on the left bank, while freyre's spaniards, picton, with the third and light divisions, and beresford with the fourth and the sixth divisions, assaulted a french position. the entrenchments in front of picton were too strong to be more than menaced. freyre's spaniards were repulsed with great loss, and the brunt of the battle fell upon beresford's division, which nobly sustained the character of the british soldier for stubborn valor in this the last battle of the war. the french fought stubbornly and well, but fort by fort the british drove them from their strong positions, and at five in the afternoon soult withdrew the last of his troops in good order across the canal which separated the position they had defended from the town itself. the french lost five generals and killed and wounded; the allies four generals and killed and wounded, of which were spaniards, for they upon this occasion fought bravely, though unsuccessfully. on the th all was quiet, wellington preparing for an attack upon the city on the following day. soult, however, finding that the british cavalry had been sent off so as to menace his line of retreat, evacuated the city in the night, drew off his army with great order and ability, and by a march of twenty-two miles placed it in safety. upon the morning of the th wellington entered toulouse, and the same afternoon two officers, one british, the other french, arrived together from paris, with the news of the abdication of napoleon, and the termination of the war. these officers had been detained for two days at blois by the officials there, and this delay had cost the blood of men, among whom was tom scudamore, who had his left arm carried away by a cannon ball. sam, in the act of carrying his master from the field, was also severely wounded in the head with a musket ball. before the battle was fought they had received news from england that the draft had been paid at the bank of england, and that their future was in consequence secure. the war being over, officers unattached to regiments had little difficulty in getting leave of absence, as the troops were to be embarked for england as soon as possible. peter's application, therefore, to accompany his brother was acceded to without hesitation, and ten days after the battle of toulouse he was on board ship with tom and sam, both of whom were doing well. three days afterwards they landed in england. rhoda met them, with miss scudamore, at portsmith, having received a letter telling them of tom's wound, and of their being upon the point of sailing. there was a great reduction of the army at the end of the war, and the scudamores were both placed upon half pay. this was a matter of delight to rhoda, and of satisfaction to themselves. they had had enough of adventure to last for a life-time; and with the prospect of a long peace the army no longer offered them any strong attraction. when they returned to miss scudamore's their old friend dr. jarvis came to visit them, and a happier party could not have been found in england. the will of mr. scudamore, made before he was aware of his ruin, was now acted upon. he had left , _l._ to rhoda, and the rest of his fortune in equal parts between his boys. both tom and peter were fond of a country life, and they bought two adjoining estates near oxford, rhoda agreeing to stop with them and miss scudamore alternately. for a brief time there was a break in their happiness, napoleon escaped from elba, and europe was in a flame again. all the officers on half pay were ordered to present themselves for duty, and the scudamores crossed with the army to belgium, and fought at waterloo. neither were hurt, nor was sam, who had of course accompanied them. waterloo gave them another step in rank, and the scudamores returned as colonels to england. it was their last war. a few years afterwards they married sisters, and rhoda having the year previous married a gentleman whose estate was in the same county, they remained as united as ever. sambo held for many a year the important position of butler to tom, then he found that one of the housemaids did not regard his color as any insuperable obstacle, and they were accordingly married. it was difficult to say after this exactly the position which sam held. he lived at a cottage on the edge of the estate, where it joined that of peter, and his time was spent in generally looking after things at both houses, and as years went on his great delight was, above all things, to relate to numerous young scudamores the adventures of their father and uncle when he first knew them as the young buglers. the end. _bell's indian and colonial library_ wellington's men _uniform with this volume_ by w.h. fitchett, b.a., ll.d. in paper covers or cloth deeds that won the empire. historic battle scenes. with portraits and plans. fights for the flag. with portraits and plans. how england saved europe. the story of the great war, - . four volumes. with portraits, facsimiles, and plans. wellington's men some soldier autobiographies _kincaid's "adventures in the rifle brigade"; "rifleman harris"; anton's "military life"; mercer's "waterloo"_ edited by w.h. fitchett, b.a., ll.d. author of "deeds that won the empire," "fights for the flag," "how england saved europe," etc. [illustration] london george bell & sons and bombay _this edition is issued for circulation in india and the colonies only._ contents page the soldier in literature i. from torres vedras to waterloo-- i. a young soldier ii. retreats and pursuits iii. some famous battles iv. the imminent deadly breach v. in the pyrenees vi. quatre bras vii. the rifles at waterloo ii. one of craufurd's veterans-- i. the king's shilling ii. in the peninsula iii. when the fight is over iv. a memorable retreat v. stern scenes vi. some famous soldiers vii. the "tommy atkins" of a century ago iii. a royal highlander-- i. about soldiers' wives ii. fighting in the pyrenees iii. the hillside at toulouse iv. the nd at quatre bras v. the highlanders at waterloo iv. with the guns at waterloo-- i. waiting for the guns ii. on march to the field iii. quatre bras iv. the retreat to waterloo v. waterloo vi. after the fight the soldier in literature wellington's men the soldier in literature this volume is an attempt to rescue from undeserved oblivion a cluster of soldierly autobiographies; and to give to the general reader some pictures of famous battles, not as described by the historian or analysed by the philosopher, but as seen by the eyes of men who fought in them. history treats the men who do the actual fighting in war very ill. it commonly forgets all about them. if it occasionally sheds a few drops of careless ink upon them, it is without either comprehension or sympathy. from the orthodox historian's point of view, the private soldier is a mere unconsidered pawn in the passionless chess of some cold-brained strategist. as a matter of fact a battle is an event which pulsates with the fiercest human passions--passions bred of terror and of daring; of the anguish of wounds and of the rapture of victory; of the fear and awe of human souls over whom there suddenly sweeps the mystery of death. but under conventional literary treatment all this evaporates. to the historian a battle is as completely drained of human emotion as a chemical formula. it is evaporated into a haze of cold and cloudy generalities. but this is certainly to miss what is, for the human imagination, the most characteristic feature of a great fight. a battle offers the spectacle of, say, a hundred thousand men lifted up suddenly and simultaneously into a mood of intensest passion--heroic or diabolical--eager to kill and willing to be killed; a mood in which death and wounds count for nothing and victory for everything. this is the feature of war which stirs the common imagination of the race; which makes gentle women weep, and wise philosophers stare, and the average hot-blooded human male turn half-frenzied with excitement. what does each separate human atom feel, when caught in that whirling tornado of passion and of peril? who shall make visible to us the actual faces in the fighting-line; or make audible the words--stern order, broken prayer, blasphemous jest--spoken amid the tumult? who shall give us, in a word, an adequate picture of the soldier's life in actual war-time, with its hardships, its excitements, its escapes, its exultation and despair? if the soldier attempts to tell the tale himself he commonly fails. in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred he belongs to the inarticulate classes. he lacks the gift of description. he can do a great deed, but cannot describe it when it is done. if knowledge were linked in them to an adequate gift of literary expression, soldiers would be the great literary artists of the race. for who else lives through so wide and so wild a range of experience and emotion. when, as in the case of napier, a soldier emerges with a distinct touch of literary genius, the result is an immortal book. but usually the soldier has to be content with making history; he leaves to others the tamer business of writing it, and generally himself suffers the injustice of being forgotten in the process. literature is congested with books which describe the soldier from the outside; which tell the tale of his hardships and heroisms, his follies and vices, as they are seen by the remote and uncomprehending spectator. what the world needs is the tale of the bayonet and of "brown bess," written by the hand which has actually used those weapons. now, the narratives which these pages offer afresh to the world are of exactly this character. they are pages of battle-literature written by the hands of soldiers. they are not attempts at history, but exercises in autobiography. so they are actual human documents, with the salt of truth, of sincerity, and of reality in every syllable. the faded leaves of these memoirs are still stained with the red wine of battle. in their words--to the imaginative and sympathetic hearer, at all events--there are still audible the shouts of charging men, the roll of musketry volleys, the wild cheer of the stormers at ciudad rodrigo or badajos, the earth-shaking thunder of waterloo. passages from four of such autobiographies are woven into the pages of this book: captain kincaid's "adventures in the rifle brigade in the peninsula, &c."; sergeant anton's "recollections of service in the nd"; the tale of "rifleman harris" in the old th; and mercer's experiences in command of a battery at waterloo. all these books are old; three, at least, are out of print, and form the rare prizes to be picked up by the fortunate collector in second-hand bookshops. anton's book was published in , kincaid's in , and is endorsed "very scarce." captain curling edited "rifleman harris" in . mercer's "journal of the waterloo campaign" was written in , and published as late as . but it consists of two volumes, in which the story of the great battle is only an episode, and it has never reached any wide circle of readers. yet mercer's account of waterloo is the best personal narrative of the great fight in english literature. all these books are thus of rare interest and value. they belong to the era of "brown bess," of the peninsula, and of waterloo. each writer represents a distinct type of soldiership. kincaid was a captain in one of the most famous regiments in british history--the rifles in craufurd's light division. harris was a private in another battalion of the same regiment. mercer commanded battery g--fondly described by its captain as "the finest troop in the service"--at waterloo. anton was a scottish soldier in that not least famous of scottish regiments--the nd, or royal highlanders. they all took part in that chain of memorable victories, which stretches from roliça to waterloo, and they were all--though in widely different ways--fighting men of the highest quality. kincaid led a forlorn hope at ciudad rodrigo. harris was one of the unconquerable, much-enduring rearguard in moore's retreat to corunna. anton shared in the wild fighting of the nd at toulouse. mercer fought his battery at waterloo until, out of fine horses in his troop, lay dead or dying; while of the men not enough survived to man four guns; and these, as the great battle came to its end, fell, smoke-blackened and exhausted, in slumber beside their blood-splashed guns. each writer, too, had, in an amusing degree, an intense pride in the particular body to which he belonged. the army with him counted for little, the regiment was everything. kincaid says, with entire frankness, if anybody who had not the good fortune to belong to the "rifles" expects to be named in his book, he was "most confoundedly mistaken." "neither," he adds, "will i mention any regiment but my own, if i can possibly avoid it. for there is none other that i like so much, and none else so much deserves it. for we were the light regiment of the light division, and fired the first and last shot in almost every battle, siege, and skirmish, in which the army was engaged during the war." kincaid admits that the rd and nd--the other regiments that formed the immortal light division--deserved to be remembered, too; but the most flattering compliment he can pay them is to say, "wherever we were, they were." "whenever it came to a pinch," he adds, "we had only to look behind to see a line"--consisting of these two regiments--"in which we might place a degree of confidence almost equal to our hopes in heaven. there never was such a corps of riflemen with such supporters!" harris, again, cherishes the comforting persuasion that his particular battalion could outmarch, outshoot, outlaugh, outdare--perhaps even outdrink--any other in the british army. "we were," he says, "always at the front in an advance, and at the rear in a retreat." he praises the army as a whole, but it is only for the sake of erecting a pedestal on which some new monument to the glory of the "rifles" can be placed. he recalls the memory of the british army as it approached salamanca. "the men," he says, "seemed invincible. nothing, i thought, could have beaten them." yet the cream of it all was the "rifles"! harris's working creed, in brief, consists of three articles: ( ) that the finest army in the world was that which wellington led; ( ) that the finest regiment in that army was the th; and ( ) that the best battalion in the regiment was that his major commanded! "we had some of as desperate fellows in the rifles as had ever toiled under the burning sun of an enemy's country in any age. there never were such a set of devil-may-care fellows so completely up to their business as the th. they were in the mess before the others began, and were the last to leave off. it was their business to be so.... there was, perhaps, as intelligent and talented a set of men amongst us as ever carried a weapon in any country. they seemed at times to need but a glance at what was going on to know all about its 'why and wherefore.'" sergeant anton, again, has all a good scotchman's austere pride in the superiority of a scotch regiment over any other that ever carried muskets. he has nothing but an imperfectly disguised pity for those unfortunate people who have the bad taste to be born south of the tweed. any scotch regiment, he visibly holds, is necessarily better than any possible regiment not brought up on porridge. and if amongst the scottish regiments there was any quite equal to the royal highlanders, sergeant anton, at least, would like to know the name of that surprising body. in the same fashion captain mercer, the one educated man in this cluster of soldier-scribes, plainly cherishes a hearty belief that battery g has the finest horses, the best equipment, the smartest men, and the most perfect discipline, not merely in the british army, but in any army known to history! pride in the regiment to which the soldier happens to belong is a fine element of military strength. under modern short-service conditions it grows faint; but amongst wellington's veterans it had almost the fervours of a religion. it may be added that these writers are curiously distinct, and look at war through very diverse eyes. kincaid represents a type of officer in which the british army of all days is rich; and whose qualities explain some of the failures, and most of the triumphs of that army. he was gallant in every drop of his blood; cool, hardy, athletic, a fit leader of the fighting line. he had been reared in luxury, accustomed to feed daintily every day, to lie softly every night; he was full of the pride of his caste; yet in the actual business of fighting, kincaid, like all officers of the type to which he belonged, could outmarch the privates in the ranks. he fared as hardly as they, shared their scanty rations, lay like them on the wet soil, endured in every way as much, and grumbled less. he was not only first in the charge, but last in the retreat, and took it all--hunger, wet, cold, perils--with smiling face, as part of the day's work. harris, who views his officers through a private's eyes, is never weary of dwelling on their hardihood, as well as their pluck. "the gentlemen," he says, "bear it best." "it is usually found," he adds, "that those whose birth and station might reasonably have made them fastidious under hardship and toil, bear their miseries without a murmur; while those whose previous life might have better prepared them for the toil of war, are the first to cry out and complain of their hard fate." kincaid belongs to this fine type of officer; but he had all the limitations of his type. he knew nothing of the scientific side of his profession. he fought by the light of nature, and looked on a battle as a game of football. he was a true product of the english public schools; gay, plucky, hardy, reckless. he lived under the empire of great feelings--of patriotism, honour, &c.--but tortures would not make him use great words to describe them. a shy and proud self-disparagement is the note of kincaid's type. they are almost more afraid of being detected in doing a fine thing than others are of being proved guilty of doing a base thing. kincaid himself describes how ciudad rodrigo was carried, but omits to mention the circumstance that he volunteered for the forlorn hope, and led it. the tone of his book is that of the officers' mess, bright, off-hand, jesting at peril, making light of hardships. he tells the tale of heroic deeds--his own or others'--with the severest economy of admiring adjectives. the only adjectives, indeed, kincaid admits are those of a comminatory sort. harris is a fair sample of the unconquerable british private of the peninsular age, with all the virtues, and all the limitations of his class. he is stocky in body, stubborn in temper, untaught and primitive in nature. he seems to have had no education. his horizon is singularly limited. he sees little beyond the files to right and left of him. the major who commands the battalion is the biggest figure in his world. his endurance is wonderful. laden like a donkey, with ill-fitting boots and half-filled stomach, he can splash along the muddy spanish roads, under the falling rain, or sweat beneath the spanish mid-summer heats, from gray dawn to gathering dusk. he will toil on, indeed, with dogged courage until his brain reels, his eyes grow blind, and the over-wrought muscles can no longer stir the leaden feet. harris is loyal to his comrades; cherishes an undoubting confidence in his officers; believes that, man for man, any british regiment can beat twice its numbers of any other nation; while his own particular regiment, the th, will cheerfully take in hand four times that ratio of foes. harris has no hate for a frenchman; he respects and likes him indeed, but he always expects to thrash him, and having shot his french foe he is quite prepared to explore his pockets in search of booty. for the british private in the peninsula was by no means an angel in a red coat. his vices, like his virtues, were of a primitive sort. he drank, he swore, and alas, he plundered. if the valour which raged at the great breach of badajos, or swept up the slope of rugged stones at san sebastian, was of almost incredible fire, so the brutality which plundered and ravished and slew after the city was carried, was of almost incredible fierceness. harris had no education or almost none; yet he learned to write, and write well. his style, it is true, is that of the uneducated man. he is most sensitive to things that touch himself. he is conscious of the weight of his knapsack, of the blisters on his feet, of the hunger in his stomach, and he drags all these emotions into his tale. yet harris had, somehow, by gift of nature, an unusual literary faculty. he sees, and he makes you see. it is true the area of his vision is narrow. it is almost filled up, as we have said, by his right- and left-hand files. it never goes beyond the battalion. but on that narrow canvas he paints with the minuteness and fidelity of a dutch artist. sergeant-major anton is really an economical and domestically inclined scotchman, whom chance has thrust into the ranks of the royal highlanders; and who, finding himself a soldier, devotes himself to the business with that hard-headed and unsentimental thoroughness which makes the lowland scot about the most formidable fighting man the world knows. for anton is a lowlander; heavy-footed, heavy-bodied, dour, with nothing of a highlander's excitability or clan-sentiment. a story is current of how, in storming a kopje in south africa, a highland soldier dislodged a boer, and, with threatening bayonet, brought him to a stand against a wall of rock. as he lingered for the final and fatal lunge, another eager scot called out "oot o' the way, jock, and gie me room tae get a poke at him." "na, na, tam," shouted his frugal and practically-minded comrade, "awa' wi' ye and find a boer tae yersel'." there is a touch of this severely practical spirit in anton, and in this, no doubt, he reflects his regiment. given a french battery to be stormed, here are men who, with bent heads, wooden faces, and steady bayonets, will push on into the very flame of the guns, and each man will do his separate part with a conscientious thoroughness that no foe can withstand. the story of the fight on the hillside at toulouse illustrates this stern quality in scottish soldiership. but the domestic side of anton's nature is always visible. he was one of the few married men in his regiment, and he is never wearied of describing what snug nests he built for his mate and himself in the intervals betwixt marching and fighting, or when the troops had gone into winter quarters. the value of anton's book, indeed, lies largely in the light it sheds on the fortunes and sufferings of the hardy women, sharp of tongue and strong of body, who marched in the rear of wellington's troops; and who, to their honour be it recorded, were usually faithful wives to the rough soldiers whose fortunes they shared. anton, it is amusing to note, is the only one of the group who makes deliberate--and, it may be added, singularly unhappy--attempts at fine writing. he indulges in frequent apostrophes to the reader, to posterity, to his native country, and to the universe at large. in his many-jointed sentences linger echoes of ancient sermons; far-off flavours of the shorter catechism are discoverable in them. anton, however, can be simple and direct when he has an actual tale of fighting to tell. he forgets his simplicity only when he moralises over the battle-field the next day. mercer is much the ablest and most accomplished writer of the four. he belonged to the scientific branch of the army, the artillery, and he had studied his art with the thoroughness of a scholar. that mercer was a cool and gallant soldier of the finest type cannot be doubted. he has, indeed, a fine military record, and rose to the rank of general, and held command of the th brigade of royal artillery. but mercer was a many-sided man in a quite curious degree. he was a scholar; a lover of books; a country gentleman, with a country gentleman's delight in horse-flesh and crops. he was, moreover, an artist, with a ruskinesque, not to say a turneresque, sense of colour and form. a fine landscape was for him a feast, only rivalled by the joy of a good book. he lingers on the very edge of quatre bras, while the thunder of cannon shakes the air, and while his own guns are floundering up a steep hill path, to note and describe the far-stretching landscape, the glow of the evening sky, the salvator-like trees, the sparkle of glassy pools, &c. mercer is so good an artillery officer that he sees every buckle in the harness of his horses, and every button on the uniforms of his men; and yet he is sensitive to every tint and change in the landscape through which his guns are galloping. on the morning after waterloo, his face still black with its smoke, and his ears stunned with its roar, he picks his way across the turf, thick with the bodies of the slain, into the garden of hougoumont. the bodies of the dead lie there, too; but mercer is almost intoxicated with the cool verdure of the trees, with the chant of a stray nightingale, and even with "the exuberant vegetation of turnips and cabbages," as well as with the scent of flowers! it is this combination of keen artistic sensibility with the finest type of courage--courage which, if gentle in form, was yet of the ice-brook's temper--which makes mercer interesting. here was a man who might have fished with izaak walton, or discussed hymns with cowper, or philosophy with coleridge; yet this pensive, gentle, artistic, bookish man fought g battery at waterloo till two-thirds of his troop were killed, and has written the best account of the great battle, from the human and personal side, to be found in english literature. here, then, are four human documents, of genuine historic value, as well as of keen personal interest. they have their defects. there is no perspective in their pages. to rifleman harris, for example, the state of his boots is of as much importance, and is described with as much detail, as the issue of the battle. these memoirs will not give the reader the battle as a whole; still less the campaign; least of all will they give the politics behind the campaign. but a magic is in them, the magic of reality and of personal experience. they seem to put the reader in the actual battle-line, to fill his nostrils with the scent of gunpowder, to make his eyes tingle with the pungency of ancient battle-smoke. it may be added that these books give pictures of such battle landscapes as will never be witnessed again. they belong to the period when war had much more of the picturesque and human element than it has to-day. "brown bess" was short of range, and the fighting-lines came so near to each other that each man could see his foeman's face, and hear his shout or oath. war appealed to every sense. it filled the eyes. it registered itself in drifting continents of smoke. it deafened the ear with blast of cannon and ring of steel. it adorned itself in all the colours of the rainbow. the uniforms of napoleon's troops, as they were drawn up on the slopes of la belle alliance, were a sort of debauch of colour. houssaye gives a catalogue of the regiments--infantry of the line in blue coats, white breeches, and gaiters; heavy cavalry with glittering cuirasses and pennoned lances; chasseurs in green and purple and yellow; hussars with dolmans and shakos of all tints--sky-blue, scarlet, green, and red; dragoons with white shoulder-belts and turban-helmets of tiger-skin, surmounted by a gleaming cone of brass; lancers in green, with silken cords on their helmets; carabineers, giants of six feet, clad in white, with breastplates of gold and lofty helmets with red plumes; grenadiers in blue, faced with scarlet, yellow epaulettes, and high bearskin caps; the red lancers--red-breeched, red-capped, with floating white plumes half a yard long; the young guard; the old guard, with bearskin helmets, blue trousers and coats; the artillery of the guard, with bearskin helmets, &c. such a host, looked at from the picturesque point of view, was a sort of human rainbow, with a many-coloured gleam of metal--gold and silver, steel and brass--added. and colour counts at least in attracting recruits. harris joined the th because his eyes were dazzled with the "smartness" of its uniform. lord roberts has told the world how he joined the bengal horse artillery purely because he found their white buckskin breeches, and the leopard skin and red plumes on the men's helmets, irresistible! napoleon, it will be remembered, turned the spectacular aspect of his army to martial use. on the morning of waterloo he brought his troops over the slope of the hill in eleven stately columns; he spread them out like a mighty glittering fan in the sight of the coolly watching british. to foes of more sensitive imagination the spectacle of that vast and iris-tinted host might well have chilled their courage. but the british--whether to their credit or their discredit may be disputed--keep their imagination and their courage in separate compartments. they are not liable to be discouraged, still less put to rout, by the most magnificent display of what may be called the millinery of war. but that aspect of war has faded, never to revive. khaki kills the picturesque. battle has grown grey, remote, invisible. it consists of trenches miles long, in which crouch unseen riflemen, shooting at moving specks of grey, distant thousands of yards; or in guns perched on hills five miles apart bellowing to each other across the intervening valleys. it is not merely that in a battle of to-day a soldier cannot see the features of the man he kills; he probably does not see him at all. the highlanders at the modder marched, panted, thirsted, killed, and were killed, for eight hours, and never saw a boer! the soldier to-day sees neither the pin-pricks of flame nor the whiff of grey smoke which tell that somebody is shooting at him. for these are days of smokeless powder and long-range rifles. the man shot at only learns that circumstance as he catches the air-scurry of the passing bullet, and the atmosphere about him grows full of what one half-terrified war correspondent calls "little whimpering air-devils." the interest of these books is that they bring back to us living pictures, as seen through living human eyes, of the great battles of a century ago--battles which have grown obsolete in fashion, but which changed the currents of the world's history, and of whose gain we are the heirs to-day. it is curious, in a sense even amusing, to note how diversely their famous commander impressed these four soldiers, each occupied in recording for the benefit of posterity what he saw. anton apparently never sees wellington. the human horizon for the scottish sergeant is filled with the colonel of his regiment. harris gravely records how he saw the great duke take his hat off on the field of vimiero; for the rest, he held the ordinary view of the rank and file of the peninsula that the duke's long nose on a battle-field was worth , men. kincaid says he was so anxious to see the duke when he joined the army that, as he puts it, "i never should have forgiven the frenchman that killed me before i effected it." he was soon gratified, but seems quite unable to give any description of the great soldier. he contemplated him with the sort of frightened awe with which the youngest boy at eton would look at "the head" arrayed in his official robes; a vision to be contemplated from a safe distance, without the least desire for a nearer and personal acquaintance. mercer came closer to the great duke, and regards him with a cooler and therefore a severer judgment. mercer had boundless confidence in wellington as a battle-leader, but not the least affection for him as a man, and it is plain he had no special reasons for affection. wellington had many fine moral qualities, but anxious consideration for other people, or even calm justice in his dealings with them, is not to be included in their catalogue. the famous general order he issued after the retreat from burgos is an example of the undiscriminating harshness with which wellington could treat an entire army. and that element of harshness--of swift, impatient, relentless discipline that could not stay to discriminate, to weigh evidence, or even to hear it--was one great defect of wellington as a general. about his soldiers he had as little human feeling as a good chess-player has about his pawns. mercer never came into intercourse with the duke but with disaster to himself, a disaster edged with injustice. when his troop was in france, mercer says he ran an equal risk of falling under the duke's displeasure for systematically plundering the farmers, or for not plundering them! if a commander of a battery allowed his horses to look in worse condition than those of another battery he was relentlessly punished. "the quick eye of the duke would see the difference. he asked no questions, attended to no justification, but condemned the unfortunate captain as unworthy of the command he held, and perhaps sent him from the army." but the official amount of forage supplied was quite insufficient for the purpose of keeping the horses in high condition. other troops supplemented the supply by "borrowing" from the farmers, and there was no resource but to imitate them, or to risk professional ruin by presenting at parade horses inferior in look to those of other troops nourished on mere felony. wellington forgave neither the unlicensed "borrowing" of the officers nor the want of condition in their horses. yet one fault or the other was inevitable. the duke, it seems, "had no love for the artillery," and all his harshness was expended on that branch of the service. "the duke of wellington's ideas of discipline," says mercer, "are rigid; his modes of administering them are summary, and he is frequently led into acts of the grossest injustice." thus the owner of a building where some of mercer's men were quartered--a thorough rogue--complained to the duke that the lead piping of his house had been plundered and sold by the guilty british gunners. wellington made no inquiry, took no evidence. a staff officer rode to mercer's quarters one day with a copy of this complaint, on the margin of which was written in the duke's own hand-writing: "colonel scovell will find out whose troop this is, and they shall pay double." this was the first intimation the unfortunate mercer had received of the charge against him. the frenchman pretended to estimate his loss at francs, and mercer was advised, in high quarters, to pay this sum in order to escape the duke's wrath. mercer appealed to sir george wood, who told him his only chance lay in evading payment as long as he could; then the duke might be caught in a more amiable mood. the actual thief--one of the french villagers--was discovered and convicted; but this circumstance, mercer records, "has not in the least altered my position with the duke of wellington; for none dare tell him the story; and even sir edward barnes, who kindly attempted it, met with a most ungracious rebuff!" the french scoundrel, meanwhile, was dunning mercer to get his francs. the situation remained thus for weeks, till the audacious frenchman ventured on a second interview with the duke. the duke had dismounted, as it happened, in a very ill humour, at the door of his hotel, and the frenchman pursued him up the grand staircase with his complaint. the duke turned roughly upon him, "what the devil do you want, sir?" the frenchman presented his bill with a flourish, whereupon the duke exclaimed to his aide-de-camp, "pooh! kick the rascal downstairs!" the frenchman and his bill thus vanished from the scene; but mercer's comment is "that i eventually escaped paying a heavy sum for depredations committed by others is due, not to the duke's sense of justice, but only to the irritability of his temper." on another occasion sir augustus fraser, meeting him, said, "mercer, you are released from arrest." mercer stared: but on inquiry, discovered that he had been officially under arrest for a fortnight without knowing it. at a review, just before passing the saluting point, a horse in the rear division of his battery got its leg over the trace. the limber gunners leaped smartly off, put things straight, and jumped to their places again; but the division, with their -pounders, had to trot to regain place, and were just pulling up when they reached the saluting point. the precise and rhythmical order of the troop was a little disturbed, and wellington, in a burst of wrath, put sir augustus fraser himself, who was in command of all the artillery, the major in command of the brigade, and mercer, the captain of the guilty troop, under arrest, where--happily all unconscious--they remained for a fortnight. later mercer wished to apply for leave of absence, but sir george wood declined to present the request, as he said, "'it would not be prudent just now to remind the duke of me in any way.' rather hard and unjust this," is mercer's comment. mercer, however, tells one story, which shows that the duke of wellington was capable of sly satire at the expense of the french. an english officer walking on the boulevard was rudely pushed into the gutter by a french gentleman, whom the englishman promptly knocked down. the frenchman, it turned out, was a marshal. he complained to the duke, but could not identify the officer who had knocked him down. the duke thereupon issued a general order, desiring that "british officers would, in future, abstain from beating marshals of france." i from torres vedras to waterloo i.--from torres vedras to waterloo kincaid, the author of "adventures in the rifle brigade," was born at dalheath, near falkirk, in . he held a lieutenant's commission in the north york militia, but in when only twenty-two years old, joined, as a volunteer, the second battalion of the famous th--the "rifles" in the immortal light division. his first military service was of an unhappy sort. he took part in the walcheren expedition, and, spite of a cheerful temper and a good constitution, fell a victim to the swamp-bred agues and fevers which destroyed that ill-led and ill-fated expedition. he emerged from his first campaign with shattered health and no glory. in his battalion was ordered to the peninsula, and with it kincaid marched and fought from the lines of torres vedras to waterloo. in the hard fighting of those stern days the rifles played a brilliant part. kincaid kept guard in the great hill-defences of torres vedras, joined in the pursuit of massena, when that general fell suddenly back, shared in the fury of the breaches at ciudad rodrigo, and in the yet wilder assault on the great breach at badajos, and took part in all the great battles of those years from fuentes to vittoria. he survived the stubborn and bloody combats in the pyrenees, fought at toulouse, quatre bras, and on the famous ridge at waterloo. his battalion stood almost in the centre of wellington's battle-line on that fierce day, and the most desperate fighting of the day eddied round it. kincaid was thus a gallant soldier, in a gallant regiment, and played a part in great events. but his promotion was slow; he only received his captain's commission in . he was more fortunate, indeed, after he left the army than while he served in it. he was given a place in the yeomen of the guard in , was knighted in , and died in , aged seventy-five. kincaid's "adventures in the rifle brigade" is a book of great merits and of great faults. it is brisk, stirring, and picturesque, and paints with great vividness the life of a subaltern in a fighting regiment and during fighting times. but the book lacks order. dates are dropped into it, or are left out of it, with the most airy caprice. it has no intelligible relationship to history. it never gives the reader a glimpse of the history-making events which serve as a background to the marching and the fighting of the rifles. kincaid, in a word, races through his campaigns as a youth might race across the hills in a harrier-chase; or, rather, as a boy with a lively sense of humour, might saunter through a fair--without a plan, except to get all the fun he can, and stopping, now to laugh at a clown, now to stare at a mimic tragedy, now to exchange a jest with some other boy. his choice of incident is determined absolutely by the "fun" they include--the flavour of humour, or the gleam of the picturesque, which he can discover in them. he makes no pretension, that is, to connected and adequate narrative. but his record of adventures is always amusing, often vivid, and sometimes has a certain thrilling quality which, after the lapse of so many years, yet keeps its power. kincaid's tale is best served by re-grouping its incidents under distinct heads. in his earlier chapters, for example, he gives curiously interesting sketches of what may be called the non-fighting side of a soldier's life--the marches, the bivouacs; the gossip of the camp fires; the hardships--of muddy roads, of rain-filled skies, or of dust and heat and thirst, of non-existent rations, and of sleepless nights--which the soldier has to endure. so the reader gets a glimpse the orthodox historians quite fail to give of the hardy, resourceful, much-enduring british soldier of the peninsula. kincaid may be left to tell all this in his own words, though with generous condensation. chapter i a young soldier kincaid dismisses, as not worth remembering or recording, all the tame days of his life before he became a soldier on active service, and plunges abruptly into his tale:-- "i joined the nd battalion rifle brigade (then the th), at hythe barracks, in the spring of , and, in a month after, we proceeded to form a part of the expedition to holland, under the earl of chatham. "with the usual quixotic feelings of a youngster, i remember how desirous i was, on the march to deal, to impress the minds of the natives with a suitable notion of the magnitude of my importance, by carrying a donkey-load of pistols in my belt, and screwing my naturally placid countenance up to a pitch of ferocity beyond what it was calculated to bear. "we embarked in the downs, on board the _hussar_ frigate, and afterwards removed to the _namur_, a seventy-four, in which we were conveyed to our destination. we landed on the island of south beeveland, where we remained about three weeks, playing at soldiers, smoking mynheer's long clay pipes, and drinking his vrow's butter-milk, for which i paid liberally with my precious blood to their infernal mosquitoes; not to mention that i had all the extra valour shaken out of me by a horrible ague, which commenced a campaign on my carcass, and compelled me to retire upon scotland, for the aid of my native air, by virtue of which it was ultimately routed. "i shall not carry my first chapter beyond my first campaign, as i am anxious that my reader should not expend more than his first breath upon an event which cost too many their last. "i rejoined the battalion, at hythe, in the spring of , and, finding that the company to which i belonged had embarked to join the first battalion in the peninsula, and that they were waiting at spithead for a fair wind, i immediately applied, and obtained permission, to join them. we anchored in the tagus in september; no thanks to the ship, for she was a leaky one, and wishing foul winds to the skipper, for he was a bad one. "to look at lisbon from the tagus, there are few cities in the universe that can promise so much, and none, i hope, that can keep it so badly. i only got on shore one day for a few hours, and as i never again had an opportunity of correcting the impression, i have no objection to its being considered an uncharitable one; but i wandered for a time amid the abominations of its streets and squares, in the vain hope that i had got involved among a congregation of stables and out-houses; but i was at length compelled to admit it as the miserable apology for the fair city that i had seen from the harbour. "it pleased the great disposer of naval events to remove us to another and a better ship, and to send us off for figuera next day with a foul wind. sailing at the rate of one mile in two hours, we reached figuera's bay at the end of eight days, and were welcomed by about a hundred hideous-looking portuguese women, whose joy was so excessive that they waded up to their arm-pits through a heavy surf, and insisted on carrying us on shore on their backs! i never clearly ascertained whether they had been actuated by the purity of love or gold." kincaid joined wellington's forces at what might well have seemed a very gloomy juncture. the british army was in full retreat. the star of massena shone in the ascendant. talavera and busaco had been fought, and fought apparently in vain. spain was abandoned, portugal invaded. wellington seemed to be retreating to his ships. the secret of the great lines of torres vedras, which were to finally arrest massena's advance, and save not only portugal, but the peninsula--perhaps europe--had been so well kept that even wellington's own forces were in ignorance of their existence. yet kincaid shows an easy and careless unconsciousness of the disquieting aspect the campaign wore. it was enough for him that he marched and fought with his regiment, and shared all its fortunes. he scarcely looks beyond the files of his own company, and has no doubt whatever that the french will be satisfactorily thrashed in the end! "we proceeded next morning to join the army; and as our route lay through the city of coimbra we came to the magnanimous resolution of providing ourselves with all manner of comforts and equipments for the campaign on our arrival there; but when we entered it at the end of the second day, our disappointment was quite eclipsed by astonishment at finding ourselves the only living things in the city, which ought to have been furnished with twenty thousand souls. "lord wellington was then in the course of his retreat from the frontiers of spain to the lines of torres vedras, and had compelled the inhabitants on the line of march to abandon their homes, and to destroy or carry away everything that could be of service to the enemy. it was a measure that ultimately saved their country, though ruinous and distressing to those concerned, and on no class of individuals did it bear harder, for the moment, than our own little detachment, a company of rosy-cheeked, chubbed youths, who, after three months' feeding on ship's dumplings, were thus thrust, at a moment of extreme activity, in the face of an advancing foe, supported by a pound of raw beef, drawn every day fresh from the bullock, and a mouldy biscuit. "the difficulties we encountered were nothing out of the usual course of old campaigners; but, untrained and unprovided as i was, i still looked back upon the twelve or fourteen days following the battle of busaco as the most trying i have ever experienced, for we were on our legs from daylight until dark, in daily contact with the enemy; and, to satisfy the stomach of an ostrich, i had, as already stated, only a pound of beef, a pound of biscuit, and one glass of rum. a brother-officer was kind enough to strap my boat-cloak and portmanteau on the mule carrying his heavy baggage, which, on account of the proximity of the foe, was never permitted to be within a day's march of us, so that, in addition to my simple uniform, my only covering every night was the canopy of heaven, from whence the dews descended so refreshingly that i generally awoke, at the end of an hour, chilled, and wet to the skin; and i could only purchase an equal length of additional repose by jumping up and running about until i acquired a sleeping quantity of warmth. nothing in life can be more ridiculous than seeing a lean, lank fellow start from a profound sleep at midnight, and begin lashing away at the highland fling as if st. andrew himself had been playing the bagpipes; but it was a measure that i very often had recourse to, as the cleverest method of producing heat. in short, though the prudent general may preach the propriety of light baggage in the enemy's presence, i will ever maintain that there is marvellous small personal comfort in travelling so fast and so lightly as i did. "the portuguese farmers will tell you that the beauty of their climate consists in their crops receiving from the nightly dews the refreshing influence of a summer's shower, and that they ripen in the daily sun. but they are a sordid set of rascals! whereas i speak with the enlightened views of a man of war, and say, that it is poor consolation to me, after having been deprived of my needful repose, and kept all night in a fever, dancing wet and cold, to be told that i shall be warm enough in the morning? it is like frying a person after he has been boiled; and i insisted upon it, that if their sun had been milder and their dews lighter i should have found it much more pleasant. "having now brought myself regularly into the field, under the renowned wellington, should this narrative, by any accident, fall into the hands of others who served there, and who may be unreasonable enough to expect their names to be mentioned in it, let me tell them that they are most confoundedly mistaken! every man may write a book for himself, if he likes; but this is mine; and, as i borrow no man's story, neither will i give any man a particle of credit for his deed, as i have got so little for my own that i have none to spare. neither will i mention any regiment but my own, if i can possibly avoid it, for there is none other that i like so much, and none else so much deserves it; for we were the light regiment of the light division, and fired the first and last shot in almost every battle, siege, and skirmish in which the army was engaged during the war. "in stating the foregoing resolution, however, with regard to regiments, i beg to be understood as identifying our old and gallant associates, the rd and nd, as a part of ourselves, for they bore their share in everything, and i love them as i hope to do my better half (when i come to be divided); wherever we were, they were; and although the nature of our arm generally gave us more employment in the way of skirmishing, yet, whenever it came to a pinch, independent of a suitable mixture of them among us, we had only to look behind to see a line, in which we might place a degree of confidence, almost equal to our hopes in heaven; nor were we ever disappointed. there never was a corps of riflemen in the hands of such supporters!" on october , wellington entered the lines of torres vedras, and massena found his advance barred by frowning lines of trenched and gun-crowned hills, the screen behind which his great antagonist had vanished. during the last few days of the retreat and pursuit the pace of events quickened; the british rearguard was sharply pressed, and kincaid, for once grows consecutive and orderly in his narrative:-- "_october , ._--we stood to our arms at daylight this morning, on a hill in front of coimbra; and, as the enemy soon after came on in force, we retired before them through the city. the civil authorities, in making their own hurried escape, had totally forgotten that they had left a jail full of rogues unprovided for, and who, as we were passing near them, made the most hideous screaming for relief. our quarter-master-general very humanely took some men, who broke open the doors, and the whole of them were soon seen howling along the bridge into the wide world, in the most delightful delirium, with the french dragoons at their heels. "we retired the same night through condacia, where the commissariat were destroying quantities of stores that they were unable to carry off. they handed out shoes and shirts to any one that would take them, and the streets were literally running ankle deep with rum, in which the soldiers were dipping their cups and helping themselves as they marched along. the commissariat, some years afterwards, called for a return of the men who had received shirts and shoes on this occasion, with a view of making us pay for them, but we very briefly replied that the one-half were dead, and the other half would be d----d before they would pay anything. "we retired this day to leria, and, at the entrance of the city, saw an english and a portuguese soldier dangling by the bough of a tree--the first summary example i had ever seen of martial law. "we halted one night near the convent of batalha, one of the finest buildings in portugal. it has, i believe, been clearly established, that a living man in ever so bad health is better than two dead ones; but it appears that the latter will vary in value according to circumstances, for we found here, in very high preservation, the body of king john of portugal, who founded the edifice in commemoration of some victory, god knows how long ago; and though he would have been reckoned a highly valuable antique, within a glass case, in an apothecary's hall in england, yet he was held so cheap in his own house, that the very finger which most probably pointed the way to the victory alluded to, is now in the baggage of the rifle brigade. reader, point not thy finger at me, for i am not the man. "retired on the morning of a very wet, stormy day to allenquer, a small town on the top of a mountain, surrounded by still higher ones; and, as the enemy had not shown themselves the evening before, we took possession of the houses, with a tolerable prospect of being permitted the unusual treat of eating a dinner under cover. but by the time that the pound of beef was parboiled, and while an officer of dragoons was in the act of reporting that he had just patrolled six leagues to the front, without seeing any signs of an enemy, we saw the indefatigable rascals, on the mountains opposite our windows, just beginning to wind round us, with a mixture of cavalry and infantry; the wind blowing so strong that the long tail of each particular horse stuck as stiffly out in the face of the one behind, as if the whole had been strung upon a cable and dragged by the leaders. we turned out a few companies, and kept them in check while the division was getting under arms, spilt the soup as usual, and, transferring the smoking solids to the haversack, for future mastication, we continued our retreat. "our long retreat ended at midnight, on our arrival at the handsome little town of arruda, which was destined to be the piquet post of our division, in front of the fortified lines. the quartering of our division, whether by night or by day, was an affair of about five minutes. the quarter-master-general preceded the troops, accompanied by the brigade-majors and the quarter-masters of regiments; and after marking off certain houses for his general and staff, he split the remainder of the town between the majors of brigades; they, in their turn, provided for their generals and staff, and then made a wholesale division of streets among the quarter-masters of regiments, who, after providing for their commanding officers and staff, retailed the remaining houses, in equal proportions, among the companies; so that, by the time that the regiment arrived, there was nothing to be done beyond the quarter-master's simply telling each captain, 'here's a certain number of houses for you.' "like all other places on the line of march, we found arruda totally deserted; and its inhabitants had fled in such a hurry, that the keys of their house doors were the only things they carried away, so that when we got admission through our usual key--transmitting a rifle-ball through the keyhole: it opens every lock--we were not a little gratified to find that the houses were not only regularly furnished, but most of them had some food in the larder, and a plentiful supply of good wines in the cellar; and, in short, that they only required a few lodgers capable of appreciating the good things which the gods had provided; and the deuce is in it if we were not the very folks who could! "those who wish a description of the lines of torres vedras, must part. i know nothing, excepting that i was told that one end of them rested on the tagus, and the other somewhere on the sea; and i saw, with my own eyes, a variety of redoubts and fieldworks on the various hills which stand between. this, however, i do know, that we have since kicked the french out of more formidable-looking and stronger places; and, with all due deference be it spoken, i think that the prince of essling ought to have tried his luck against them, as he could only have been beaten by fighting, as he afterwards was without it! and if he thinks that he would have lost as many men by trying, as he did by not trying, he must allow me to differ in opinion with him. "in very warm or very wet weather it was customary to put us under cover in the town during the day, but we were always moved back to our bivouac on the heights during the night; and it was rather amusing to observe the different notions of individual comfort, in the selection of furniture, which officers transferred from their town house to their no house on the heights. a sofa, or a mattress, one would have thought most likely to be put in requisition; but it was not unusual to see a full-length looking-glass preferred to either. "we certainly lived in clover while we remained here; everything we saw was our own, seeing no one there who had a more legitimate claim; and every field was a vineyard. ultimately it was considered too much trouble to pluck the grapes, as there were a number of poor native thieves in the habit of coming from the rear every day to steal some, so that a soldier had nothing to do but to watch one until he was marching off with his basket full, when he would very deliberately place his back against that of the portuguese, and relieve him of his load, without wasting any words about the bargain. the poor wretch would follow the soldier to the camp, in the hope of having his basket returned, as it generally was, when emptied." massena held on to his position in front of the great lines he dared not attack till november , then he fell back to santarem, whence he could still keep wellington blockaded. he held this position till march , nearly five months in all--months of cold, rain, and hunger--a miracle of stubborn and sullen endurance. kincaid, acting on his usual principle that all time not occupied in actively doing something is to be counted as non-existent, passes over the tale of these months in a dozen lines. his narrative only becomes full again when wellington sallies out of his hilly stronghold and presses in pursuit of massena. we then have graphic pictures of the hardships of a soldier's life:-- "massena, conceiving any attack upon our lines to be hopeless, as his troops were rapidly mouldering away with sickness and want, at length began to withdraw them nearer to the source of his supplies. he abandoned his position, opposite to us, on the night of november , leaving some stuffed-straw gentlemen occupying their usual posts. some of them were cavalry, some infantry, and they seemed such respectable representatives of their spectral predecessors, that, in the haze of the following morning, we thought that they had been joined by some well-fed ones from the rear; and it was late in the day before we discovered the mistake, and advanced in pursuit. "it was late ere we halted for the night, on the side of the road, near to allenquer, and i got under cover in a small house, which looked as if it had been honoured as the headquarters of the tailor-general of the french army, for the floor was strewed with variegated threads, various complexioned buttons, with particles and remnants of cabbage; and, if it could not boast of the flesh and fowl of noah's ark, there was an abundance of the creeping things which it were to be wished that that commander had not left behind. "on our arrival at valle, on november , we found the enemy behind the rio maior, occupying the heights of santarem, and exchanged some shots with their advanced posts. in the course of the night we experienced one of those tremendous thunderstorms which used to precede the wellington victories, and which induced us to expect a general action on the following day. i had disposed myself to sleep in a beautiful green hollow way, and, before i had time even to dream of the effects of their heavy rains, i found myself floating most majestically towards the river, in a fair way of becoming food for the fishes. i ever after gave those inviting-looking spots a wide berth, as i found that they were regular watercourses. "next morning our division crossed the river, and commenced a false attack on the enemy's left, with a view of making them show their force; and it was to have been turned into a real attack, if their position was found to be occupied by a rearguard only; but, after keeping up a smart skirmishing fire the great part of the day, lord wellington was satisfied that their whole army was present; we were consequently withdrawn. "this affair terminated the campaign of . our division took possession of the village of valle and its adjacents, and the rest of the army was placed in cantonments, under whatever cover the neighbouring country afforded." here are some of kincaid's pictures of a british army in winter quarters, with one fierce campaign behind it, and another, almost sterner still in character, before it:-- "our battalion was stationed in some empty farm-houses, near the end of the bridge of santarem, which was nearly half a mile long; and our sentries and those of the enemy were within pistol-shot of each other on the bridge. "i do not mean to insinuate that a country is never so much at peace as when at open war; but i do say that a soldier can nowhere sleep so soundly, nor is he anywhere so secure from surprise, as when within musket-shot of his enemy. "we lay four months in this situation, divided only by a rivulet, without once exchanging shots. every evening, at the hour 'when bucks to dinner go, and cits to sup,' it was our practice to dress for sleep: we saddled our horses, buckled on our armour, and lay down, with the bare floor for a bed, and a stone for a pillow, ready for anything, and reckless of everything but the honour of our corps and country; for i will say (to save the expense of a trumpeter) that a more devoted set of fellows were never associated. we stood to our arms every morning at an hour before daybreak, and remained there until a grey horse could be seen a mile off (which is the military criterion by which daylight is acknowledged, and the hour of surprise past), when we proceeded to unharness and to indulge in such luxuries as our toilet and our table afforded. "our piquet-post, at the bridge, became a regular lounge for the winter to all manner of folks. i used to be much amused at seeing our naval officers come up from lisbon riding on mules, with huge ships' spy-glasses, like six-pounders, strapped across the backs of their saddles. their first question invariably was, 'who is that fellow there' (pointing to the enemy's sentry close to us), and, on being told that he was a frenchman, 'then why the devil don't you shoot him!' "repeated acts of civility passed between the french and us during this tacit suspension of hostilities. the greyhounds of an officer followed a hare, on one occasion, into their lines, and they very politely returned them. i was one night on piquet at the end of the bridge when a ball came from the french sentry and struck the burning billet of wood round which we were sitting, and they sent in a flag of truce next morning to apologise for the accident, and to say that it had been done by a stupid fellow of a sentry, who imagined that people were advancing upon him. we admitted the apology, though we knew well enough that it had been done by a malicious rather than a stupid fellow from the situation we occupied. "general junot, one day reconnoitring, was severely wounded by a sentry, and lord wellington, knowing that they were at that time destitute of everything in the shape of comfort, sent to request his acceptance of anything that lisbon afforded that could be of any service to him; but the french general was too much of a politician to admit the want of anything." chapter ii retreats and pursuits the campaign of - is not the least memorable of the immortal campaigns in the peninsula. it saw fuentes, albuera, and salamanca fought; it includes the great sieges of ciudad rodrigo and of badajos; it witnessed the failure at burgos. we give kincaid's account of these great events in other chapters; in this we are simply grouping his pictures of soldiers on the march--in retreat or pursuit--with the hardships and combats which attend such movements. this campaign is specially rich in such pictures. it begins with the fierce marches in which wellington pursued massena beyond the portuguese frontier, and closes with the disastrous and memorable retreat from burgos:-- "the campaign of commenced on march , by the retreat of the enemy from santarem. "lord wellington seemed to be perfectly acquainted with their intentions, for he sent to apprise our piquets the evening before that they were going off, and to desire that they should feel for them occasionally during the night, and give the earliest information of their having started. it was not, however, until daylight that we were quite certain of their having gone, and our division was instantly put in motion after them, passing through the town of santarem, around which their camp fires were still burning. "santarem is finely situated, and probably had been a handsome town. i had never seen it in prosperity, and it now looked like a city of the plague, represented by empty dogs and empty houses; and, but for the tolling of a convent bell by some unseen hand, its appearance was altogether inhuman. we halted for the night near pyrnes. this little town, and the few wretched inhabitants who had been induced to remain in it, under the faithless promises of the french generals, showed fearful signs of a late visit from a barbarous and merciless foe. young women were lying in their houses brutally violated--the streets were strewn with broken furniture, intermixed with the putrid carcasses of murdered peasants, mules, and donkeys, and every description of filth, that filled the air with pestilential nausea. the few starved male inhabitants who were stalking amid the wreck of their friends and property, looked like so many skeletons who had been permitted to leave their graves for the purpose of taking vengeance on their oppressors, and the mangled body of every frenchman who was unfortunate or imprudent enough to stray from his column showed how religiously they performed their mission. "_march ._--we overtook their rearguard this evening, snugly put up for the night in a little village, the name of which i do not recollect, but a couple of six-pounders, supported by a few of our rifles, induced them to extend their walk. "_march ._--as it is possible that some of my readers might never have had the misfortune to experience the comforts of a bivouac, and as the one which i am now in contains but a small quantity of sleep, i shall devote a waking hour for their edification. "when a regiment arrives at its ground for the night it is formed in columns of companies at full, half, or quarter distance, according to the space which circumstances will permit it to occupy. the officer commanding each company then receives his orders; and, after communicating whatever may be necessary to the men, he desires them to 'pile arms, and make themselves comfortable for the night.' now, i pray thee, most sanguine reader, suffer not thy fervid imagination to transport thee into elysian fields at the pleasing exhortation conveyed in the concluding part of the captain's address, but rest thee contentedly in the one where it is made, which in all probability is a ploughed one, and that, too, in a state of preparation to take a model of thy very beautiful person, under the melting influence of a shower of rain. the soldiers of each company have a hereditary claim to the ground next to their arms, as have their officers to a wider range on the same line, limited to the end of a bugle sound, if not by a neighbouring corps, or one that is not neighbourly, for the nearer a man is to his enemy the nearer he likes to be to his friends. suffice it, that each individual knows his place as well as if he had been born on the estate, and takes immediate possession accordingly. in a ploughed or a stubble field there is scarcely a choice of quarters; but whenever there is a sprinkling of trees it is always an object to secure a good one, as it affords shelter from the sun by day and the dews by night, besides being a sort of home or signpost for a group of officers, as denoting the best place of entertainment; for they hang their spare clothing and accoutrements among the branches, barricade themselves on each side with their saddles, canteens, and portmanteaus, and, with a blazing fire in their front, they indulge, according to their various humours, in a complete state of gipsyfication. "there are several degrees of comfort to be reckoned in a bivouac, two of which will suffice. "the first, and worst, is to arrive at the end of a cold, wet day, too dark to see your ground, and too near the enemy to be permitted to unpack the knapsacks or to take off accoutrements; where, unencumbered with baggage or eatables of any kind, you have the consolation of knowing that things are now at their worst, and that any change must be for the better. you keep yourself alive for a while in collecting material to feed your fire with. you take a smell at your empty calabash, which recalls to your remembrance the delicious flavour of its last drop of wine. you curse your servant for not having contrived to send you something or other from the baggage (though you know that it was impossible). you then d---- the enemy for being so near you, though, probably, as in the present instance, it was you that came so near them. and, finally, you take a whiff at the end of a cigar, if you have one, and keep grumbling through the smoke, like distant thunder through a cloud, until you tumble into a most warlike sleep. "the next, and most common one, is when you are not required to look quite so sharp, and when the light baggage and provisions come in at the heel of the regiment. if it is early in the day, the first thing to be done is to make some tea, the most sovereign restorative for jaded spirits. we then proceed to our various duties. the officers of each company form a mess of themselves. one remains in camp to attend to the duties of the regiment; a second attends to the mess; he goes to the regimental butcher and bespeaks a portion of the only purchasable commodities--hearts, livers, and kidneys; and also to see whether he cannot do the commissary out of a few extra biscuits, or a canteen of brandy; and the remainder are gentlemen at large for the day. but while they go hunting among the neighbouring regiments for news, and the neighbouring houses for curiosity, they have always an eye to their mess, and omit no opportunity of adding to the general stock. "dinner-hour, for fear of accident, is always the hour when dinner can be got ready; and the th section of the articles of war is always most rigidly attended to by every good officer parading himself round the camp-kettle at the time fixed, with his haversack in his hand. a haversack on service is a sort of dumb waiter. the mess have a good many things in common, but the contents of the haversack are exclusively the property of its owner. "after doing justice to the dinner, if we feel in a humour for additional society, we transfer ourselves to some neighbouring mess, taking our cups and whatever we mean to drink along with us, for in those times there is nothing to be expected from our friends beyond the pleasure of their conversation; and, finally, we retire to rest. to avoid inconvenience by the tossing off of the bed-clothes, each officer has a blanket sewed up at the side, like a sack, into which he scrambles, and, with a green sod or a smooth stone for a pillow, composes himself to sleep, and, under such a glorious reflecting canopy as the heavens, it would be a subject of mortification to an astronomer to see the celerity with which he tumbles into it. habit gives endurance, and fatigue is the best nightcap; no matter that the veteran's countenance is alternately stormed with torrents of rain, heavy dews, and hoar-frosts; no matter that his ears are assailed by a million mouths of chattering locusts, and by some villainous donkey, who every half-hour pitches a bray note, which is instantly taken up by every mule and donkey in the army, and sent echoing from regiment to regiment, over hill and valley, until it dies away in the distance; no matter that the scorpion is lurking beneath his pillow, the snake winding is slimy way by his side, and the lizard galloping over his face, wiping his eyes with its long, cold tail. "all are unheeded, until the warning voice of the brazen instrument sounds to arms. strange it is that the ear which is impervious to what would disturb the rest of the world besides, should alone be alive to one, and that, too, a sound which is likely to soothe the sleep of the citizens, or at most to set them dreaming of their loves. but so it is. the first note of the melodious bugle places the soldier on his legs, like lightning; when, muttering a few curses at the unseasonableness of the hour, he plants himself on his alarm post, without knowing or caring about the cause. "such is a bivouac; and our sleep-breaker having just sounded, the reader will find what occurred by reading on. "_march ._--we stood to our arms before daylight. finding that the enemy had quitted the position in our front, we proceeded to follow them; and had not gone far before we heard the usual morning's salutation of a couple of shots between their rear and our advanced guard. on driving in their outposts, we found their whole army drawn out on the plain, near redinha, and instantly quarrelled with them on a large scale." here is a picture of one of the almost constant skirmishes which marked wellington's advance and massena's slow and stubborn retreat:-- "as everybody has read 'waverley' and the 'scottish chiefs,' and knows that one battle is just like another, inasmuch as they always conclude by one or both sides running away, and as it is nothing to me what this or t'other regiment did, nor do i care three buttons what this or t'other person thinks he did, i shall limit all my descriptions to such events as immediately concerned the important personage most interested in this history. "be it known, then, that i was one of a crowd of skirmishers who were enabling the french ones to carry the news of their own defeat through a thick wood at an infantry canter when i found myself all at once within a few yards of one of their regiments in line, which opened such a fire that had i not, rifleman-like, taken instant advantage of the cover of a good fir-tree, my name would have unquestionably been transmitted to posterity by that night's gazette. and however opposed it may be to the usual system of drill, i will maintain, from that day's experience, that the cleverest method of teaching a recruit to stand at attention is to place him behind a tree and fire balls at him; as had our late worthy disciplinarian, sir david dundas himself, been looking on, i think that even he must have admitted that he never saw any one stand so fiercely upright as i did behind mine, while the balls were rapping into it as fast as if a fellow had been hammering a nail on the opposite side, not to mention the numbers that were whistling past within the eighth of an inch of every part of my body, both before and behind, particularly in the vicinity of my nose, for which the upper part of the tree could barely afford protection. "this was a last and a desperate stand made by their rearguard, for their own safety, immediately above the town, as their sole chance of escape depended upon their being able to hold the post until the only bridge across the river was clear of the other fugitives. but they could not hold it long enough; for, while we were undergoing a temporary sort of purgatory in their front, our comrades went working round their flanks, which quickly sent them flying, with us intermixed, at full cry down the streets. "when we reached the bridge, the scene became exceedingly interesting, for it was choked up by the fugitives, who were, as usual, impeding each other's progress, and we did not find that the application of our swords to those nearest to us tended at all towards lessening their disorder, for it induced about a hundred of them to rush into an adjoining house for shelter, but that was getting regularly out of the frying-pan into the fire, for the house happened to be really in flames, and too hot to hold them, so that the same hundred were quickly seen unkennelling again, half-cooked, into the very jaws of their consumers. "john bull, however, is not a bloodthirsty person, so that those who could not better themselves, had only to submit to a simple transfer of personal property to ensure his protection. we, consequently, made many prisoners at the bridge, and followed their army about a league beyond it, keeping up a flying fight until dark. "_march ._--arrived on the hill above condacia in time to see that handsome little town in flames. every species of barbarity continued to mark the enemy's retreating steps. they burnt every town or village through which they passed, and if we entered a church which, by accident, had been spared, it was to see the murdered bodies of the peasantry on the altar. * * * * * "our post that night was one of terrific grandeur. the hills behind were in a blaze of light with the british camp-fires, as were those in our front with the french ones. both hills were abrupt and lofty, not above eight hundred yards asunder, and we were in the burning village in the valley beyond. the roofs of houses every instant falling in, and the sparks and flames ascending to the clouds. the streets were strewed with the dying and the dead,--some had been murdered and some killed in action, which, together with the half-famished wretches whom we had saved from burning, contributed in making it a scene which was well calculated to shake a stout heart, as was proved in the instance of one of our sentries, a well-known 'devil-may-care' sort of fellow. i know not what appearances the burning rafters might have reflected on the neighbouring trees at the time, but he had not been long on his post before he came running into the piquet, and swore, by all the saints in the calendar, that he saw six dead frenchmen advancing upon him with hatchets over their shoulders! "we found by the buttons on the coats of some of the fallen foe, that we had this day been opposed to the french th regiment (the same number as we were then), and i cut off several of them, which i preserved as trophies." here is another picture of a brilliant skirmish at the passage of the ceira. in this combat wellington showed himself keener in vision and swifter in stroke than ney, and inflicted on that general both disgrace and loss. ney was, as a result, relieved of his command of the french rearguard, and sent to france under something like a cloud. here he joined napoleon, and took part in the perils and horrors of the russian campaign--once more, there, commanding a french rearguard in retreat:-- "_march ._--we overtook the enemy a little before dark this afternoon. they were drawn up behind the ceira, at fez d'aronce, with their rearguard, under marshal ney, imprudently posted on our side of the river, a circumstance which lord wellington took immediate advantage of; and, by a furious attack, dislodged them in such confusion that they blew up the bridge before half of their own people had time to get over. those who were thereby left behind, not choosing to put themselves to the pain of being shot, took to the river, which received them so hospitably that few of them ever quitted it. "about the middle of the action, i observed some inexperienced light troops rushing up a deep roadway to certain destruction, and ran to warn them out of it, but i only arrived in time to partake the reward of their indiscretion, for i was instantly struck with a musket-ball above the left ear, which deposited me at full length in the mud. "i know not how long i lay insensible, but, on recovering, my first feeling was for my head, to ascertain if any part of it was still standing, for it appeared to me as if nothing remained above the mouth; but, after repeated applications of all my fingers and thumbs to the doubtful parts, i at length proved to myself satisfactorily, that it had rather increased than diminished by the concussion; and jumping on my legs, and hearing, by the whistling of the balls from both sides, that the rascals who had got me into the scrape had been driven back and left me there, i snatched my cap, which had saved my life, and which had been spun off my head to the distance of ten or twelve yards, and joined them a short distance in the rear, when one of them, a soldier of the th, came and told me that an officer of ours had been killed a short time before, pointing to the spot where i myself had fallen, and that he had tried to take his jacket off, but that the advance of the enemy had prevented him. i told him that i was the one that had been killed, and that i was deucedly obliged to him for his kind intentions, while i felt still more so to the enemy for their timely advance, otherwise, i have no doubt, but my friend would have taken a fancy to my trousers also, for i found that he had absolutely unbuttoned my jacket. "there is nothing so gratifying to frail mortality as a good dinner when most wanted and least expected. it was perfectly dark before the action finished, but, on going to take advantage of the fires which the enemy had evacuated, we found their soup kettles in full operation, and every man's mess of biscuit lying beside them, in stockings, as was the french mode of carrying them; and it is needless to say how unceremoniously we proceeded to do the honours of the feast. it ever after became a saying among the soldiers, whenever they were on short allowance, 'well d-- my eyes, we must either fall in with the french or the commissary to-day, i don't care which.' "_march ._--we, this day, captured the aide-de-camp of general loison, together with his wife, who was dressed in a splendid hussar uniform. he was a portuguese, and a traitor, and looked very like a man who would be hanged. she was a spaniard, and very handsome, and looked very like a woman who would get married again. "_march ._--we had now been three days without anything in the shape of bread, and meat without it after a time becomes almost loathsome. hearing that we were not likely to march quite so early as usual this morning, i started before daylight to a village about two miles off, in the face of the sierra d'estrella, in the hopes of being able to purchase something, as it lay out of the hostile line of movements. on my arrival there, i found some nuns who had fled from a neighbouring convent, waiting outside the building of the village oven for some indian-corn leaven, which they had carried there to be baked, and, when i explained my pressing wants, two of them, very kindly, transferred me their shares, for which i gave each a kiss and a dollar between. they took the former as an unusual favour; but looked at the latter, as much as to say, 'our poverty, and not our will, consents.' i ran off with my half-baked dough, and joined my comrades, just as they were getting under arms. "_march ._--at daylight, this morning, we moved to our right, along the ridge of mountains, to guarda; on our arrival there, we saw the imposing spectacle of the whole of the french army winding through the valley below, just out of gunshot. on taking possession of one of the villages which they had just evacuated, we found the body of a well-dressed female, whom they had murdered by a horrible refinement in cruelty. she had been placed upon her back, alive, in the middle of the street, with the fragment of a rock upon her breast, which it required four of our men to remove. "_april ._--we overtook the enemy this afternoon in position behind coa, at sabugal, with their advanced posts on our side of the river. i was sent on piquet for the night, and had my sentries within half musket-shot of theirs; it was wet, dark, and stormy when i went, about midnight, to visit them, and i was not a little annoyed to find one missing. recollecting who he was, a steady old soldier, and the last man in the world to desert his post, i called his name aloud, when his answering voice, followed by the discharge of a musket, reached me nearly at the same time, from the direction of one of the french sentries; and, after some inquiry, i found that, in walking his lonely round, in a brown study, no doubt, he had each turn taken ten or twelve paces to his front, and only half that number to the rear, until he had gradually worked himself up to within a few yards of his adversary; and it would be difficult to say which of the two was most astonished--the one at hearing a voice, or the other a shot so near, but all my rhetoric, aided by the testimony of the sergeant and the other sentries, could not convince the fellow that he was not on the identical spot on which i had posted him." on april , , was fought the battle of sabugal, which is told elsewhere. we take up kincaid's sketches of a soldier's bivouac and marching experiences after fuentes, during the pause while ciudad rodrigo was being blockaded:-- "our battalion occupied atalya, a little village at the foot of the sierra de gata, and in front of the river vadilla. on taking possession of my quarter, the people showed me an outhouse, which, they said, i might use as a stable, and i took my horse into it, but, seeing the floor strewed with what appeared to be a small brown seed, heaps of which lay in each corner, as if shovelled together in readiness to take to market, i took up a handful, out of curiosity, and truly, they were a curiosity, for i found that they were all regular fleas, and that they were proceeding to eat both me and my horse, without the smallest ceremony. i rushed out of the place, and knocked them down by fistfuls, and never yet could comprehend the cause of their congregating together in such a place." marmont, who now commanded the french army, charged with the defence of ciudad rodrigo, advanced, towards the end of september, for its relief, and wellington at once fell back. kincaid's cheerful spirits can extract fun out of even a night march and a retreat! "about the middle of the night we received an order to stand to our arms with as little noise as possible, and to commence retiring, the rest of the army having been already withdrawn, unknown to us; an instance of the rapidity and uncertainty of our movements which proved fatal to the liberty of several amateurs and followers of the army, who, seeing an army of sixty thousand men lying asleep around their camp-fires, at ten o'clock at night, naturally concluded that they might safely indulge in a bed in the village behind until daylight, without the risk of being caught napping; but, long ere that time they found themselves on the high-road to ciudad rodrigo, in the rude grasp of an enemy. amongst others, was the chaplain of our division, whose outward man conveyed no very exalted notion of the respectability of his profession, and who was treated with greater indignity than usually fell to the lot of prisoners, for, after keeping him a couple of days, and finding that, however gifted he might have been in spiritual lore, he was as ignorant as dominie sampson on military matters; and, conceiving good provisions to be thrown away upon him, they stripped him nearly naked and dismissed him, like the barber in 'gil blas,' with a kick in the breech, and sent him into us in a woeful state. "in every interval between our active services we indulged in all manner of childish trick and amusement with an avidity and delight of which it is impossible to convey an adequate idea. we lived united, as men always are who are daily staring death in the face on the same side, and who, caring little about it, look upon each new day added to their lives as one more to rejoice in. "we invited the villagers every evening to a dance at our quarters alternately. a spanish peasant girl has an address about her which i have never met with in the same class of any other country; and she at once enters into society with the ease and confidence of one who had been accustomed to it all her life. we used to flourish away at the bolero, fandango, and waltz, and wound up early in the evening with a supper of roasted chestnuts. "our village belles, as already stated, made themselves perfectly at home in our society, and we, too, should have enjoyed theirs for a season; but when month after month and year after year continued to roll along, without producing any change, we found that the cherry cheek and sparkling eye of rustic beauty furnished but a very poor apology for the illuminated portion of nature's fairest works, and ardently longed for an opportunity of once more feasting our eyes on a lady." after the glory of salamanca came, by way of anti-climax, the inglorious failure at burgos. kincaid's battalion took part in the toils and suffering of the retreat from burgos. there is no note of grumbling in his tale. yet seldom has an army suffered more than during those bitter november days, when wellington's soldiers, with the discouraging memory of the failure at burgos chilling their imaginations, toiled in retreat along muddy roads, across swollen rivers, through blinding and incessant rain, almost without food; while fiercely on their rear hung the pursuing french cavalry. wellington made a brief halt on november at salamanca, and we take up kincaid's story at this point:-- "_november ._--halted this night at alba de tormes, and next day marched into quarters in salamanca, where we rejoined lord wellington with the army from burgos. "on the th the british army concentrated on the field of their former glory, in consequence of a part of the french army having effected the passage of the river above alba de tormes. on the th the whole of the enemy's force having passed the river a cannonade commenced early in the day; and it was the general belief that, ere night, a second battle of salamanca would be recorded. but as all the french armies in spain were now united in our front, and outnumbered us so far, lord wellington, seeing no decided advantage to be gained by risking a battle, at length ordered a retreat, which we commenced about three in the afternoon. our division halted for the night at the entrance of a forest about four miles from salamanca. "the heavy rains which usually precede the spanish winter had set in the day before; and as the roads in that part of the country cease to be roads for the remainder of the season, we were now walking nearly knee-deep in a stiff mud, into which no man could thrust his foot with the certainty of having a shoe at the end of it when he pulled it out again; and that we might not be miserable by halves, we had this evening to regale our chops with the last morsel of biscuit that they were destined to grind during the retreat. "we cut some boughs of trees to keep us out of the mud, and lay down to sleep on them, wet to the skin; but the cannonade of the afternoon had been succeeded after dark by a continued firing of musketry, which led us to believe that our piquets were attacked, and, in momentary expectation of an order to stand to our arms, we kept ourselves awake the whole night, and were not a little provoked when we found next morning that it had been occasioned by numerous stragglers from the different regiments shooting at the pigs belonging to the peasantry, which were grazing in the wood. "_november ._--retiring from daylight until dark through the same description of roads. the french dragoons kept close behind, but did not attempt to molest us. it still continued to rain hard, and we again passed the night in a wood. i was very industriously employed during the early part of it feeling, in the dark, for acorns as a substitute for bread. "_november ._--we were much surprised in the course of the forenoon to hear a sharp firing commence behind us on the very road by which we were retiring; and it was not until we reached the spot that we learnt that the troops, who were retreating by a road parallel to ours, had left it too soon, and enabled some french dragoons, under cover of the forest, to advance unperceived to the flank of our line of march, who, seeing an interval between two divisions of infantry, which was filled with light baggage and some passing officers, dashed at it and made some prisoners in the scramble of the moment, amongst whom was lieutenant-general sir edward paget. "our division formed on the heights above samunoz to cover the passage of the rivulet, which was so swollen with the heavy rains, as only to be passable at particular fords. while we waited there for the passage of the rest of the army, the enemy, under cover of the forest, was, at the same time, assembling in force close around us; and the moment that we began to descend the hill, towards the rivulet, we were assailed by a heavy fire of cannon and musketry, while their powerful cavalry were in readiness to take advantage of any confusion which might have occurred. we effected the passage, however, in excellent order, and formed on the opposite bank of the stream, where we continued under a cannonade and engaged in a sharp skirmish until dark. "when the firing ceased, we received the usual order 'to make ourselves comfortable for the night,' and i never remember an instance in which we had so much difficulty in obeying it; for the ground we occupied was a perfect flat, which was flooded more than ankle-deep with water, excepting here and there, where the higher ground around the roots of trees presented circles of a few feet of visible earth, upon which we grouped ourselves. some few fires were kindled, at which we roasted some bits of raw beef on the points of our swords, and ate them by way of a dinner. there was plenty of water to apologise for the want of better fluids, but bread sent no apology at all. "it made my very heart rejoice to see my brigadier's servant commence boiling some chocolate and frying a beef-steak. i watched its progress with a keenness which intense hunger alone could inspire, and was on the very point of having my desires consummated, when the general, getting uneasy at not having received any communication relative to the movements of the morning, and, without considering how feelingly my stomach yearned for a better acquaintance with the contents of his frying-pan, desired me to ride to general alten for orders. i found the general at a neighbouring tree; but he cut off all hopes of my timely return, by desiring me to remain with him until he received the report of an officer whom he had sent to ascertain the progress of the other divisions. "while i was toasting myself at his fire, so sharply set that i could have eaten one of my boots, i observed his german orderly dragoon at an adjoining fire stirring up the contents of a camp-kettle, that once more revived my departing hopes, and i presently had the satisfaction of seeing him dipping in some basins, presenting one to the general, one to the aide-de-camp, and a third to myself. the mess which it contained i found, after swallowing the whole at a draught, was neither more nor less than the produce of a piece of beef boiled in plain water; and though it would have been enough to have physicked a dromedary at any other time, yet, as i could then have made a good hole in the dromedary himself, it sufficiently satisfied my cravings to make me equal to anything for the remainder of the day. "on november we arrived at the convent of caridad, near ciudad rodrigo, and once more experienced the comforts of our baggage and provisions. my boots had not been off since the th, and i found it necessary to cut them to pieces to get my swollen feet out of them. "up to this period lord wellington had been adored by the army, in consideration of his brilliant achievements, and for his noble and manly bearing in all things; but, in consequence of some disgraceful irregularities which took place during the retreat, he immediately after issued an order conveying a sweeping censure on the whole army. his general conduct was too upright for even the finger of malice itself to point at; but as his censure on this occasion was not strictly confined to the guilty, it afforded a handle to disappointed persons, and excited a feeling against him on the part of individuals which has probably never since been obliterated. "it began by telling us that we had suffered no privations; and, though this was hard to be digested on an empty stomach, yet, taking it in its more liberal meaning, that our privations were not of an extent to justify any irregularities, which i readily admit; still, as many regiments were not guilty of any irregularities, it is not to be wondered if such should have felt at first a little sulky to find, in the general reproof, that no loop-hole whatever had been left for them to creep through; for, i believe i am justified in saying that neither our own, nor the two gallant corps associated with us, had a single man absent that we could not satisfactorily account for. but it touched us still more tenderly in not excepting us from his general charge of inexpertness in camp arrangements; for it was our belief, and in which we were in some measure borne out by circumstances, that had he placed us at the same moment in the same field with an equal number of the best troops in france, that he would not only have seen our fires as quickly lit, but every frenchman roasting on them to the bargain, if they waited long enough to be dressed, for there perhaps never was, nor ever again will be, such a war-brigade as that which was composed of the rd, nd, and the rifles." found the rifles once more taking part in marches which taxed the endurance of the soldiers to the uttermost; but this time the temper of the troops was gay and exultant in the highest degree. they were taking part in the great movement which thrust the french back to vittoria. the elation of coming and assured victory was in the soldiers' blood. the rifles, after days of toilsome marches through wild and mountainous country, at last reached the fruitful valley of the ebro. here is a pleasant campaign scene:-- "we started at daylight on june , through a dreary region of solid rock, bearing an abundant crop of loose stones, without a particle of soil or vegetation visible to the naked eye in any direction. after leaving nearly twenty miles of this horrible wilderness behind us, our weary minds clogged with an imaginary view of nearly as much more of it in our front, we found ourselves all at once looking down upon the valley of the ebro, near the village of arenas, one of the richest, loveliest, and most romantic spots that i ever beheld. the influence of such a scene on the mind can scarcely be believed. five minutes before we were all as lively as stones. in a moment we were all fruits and flowers; and many a pair of legs, that one would have thought had not a kick left in them, were, in five minutes after, seen dancing across the bridge to the tune of 'the downfall of paris,' which struck up from the bands of the different regiments. "i lay down that night in a cottage garden, with my head on a melon, and my eye on a cherry-tree, and resigned myself to a repose which did not require a long courtship. "we resumed our march at daybreak on the th. the road, in the first instance, wound through orchards and luxurious gardens, and then closed in to the edge of the river, through a difficult and formidable pass, where the rocks on each side, arising to a prodigious height, hung over each other in fearful grandeur, and in many places nearly met together over our heads. "after following the course of the river for nearly two miles, the rocks on each side gradually expanded into another valley, lovely as the one we had left, and where we found the fifth division of our army lying encamped. they were still asleep; and the rising sun, and a beautiful morning, gave additional sublimity to the scene; for there was nothing but the tops of the white tents peeping above the fruit trees; and an occasional sentinel pacing his post, that gave any indication of what a nest of hornets the blast of a bugle could bring out of that apparently peaceful solitude. "we were welcomed into every town or village through which we passed by the peasant girls, who were in the habit of meeting us with garlands of flowers, and dancing before us in a peculiar style of their own; and it not unfrequently happened, that while they were so employed with one regiment, the preceding one was diligently engaged in pulling down some of their houses for firewood, a measure which we were sometimes obliged to have recourse to, where no other fuel could be had, and for which they were ultimately paid by the british government; but it was a measure that was more likely to have set the poor souls dancing mad than for joy, had they foreseen the consequences of our visit." at this stage the march brought the british into actual contact with the enemy, and there ensued much brisk skirmishing, in which the rifles found huge enjoyment:-- "on the morning of the th, we were ordered to march to san milan, a small town, about two leagues off; and where, on our arrival on the hill above it, we found a division of french infantry, as strong as ourselves, in the act of crossing our path. the surprise, i believe, was mutual, though i doubt whether the pleasure was equally so; for we were red-hot for an opportunity of retaliating for the salamanca retreat; and, as the old saying goes, 'there is no opportunity like the present.' their leading brigade had nearly passed before we came up, but not a moment was lost after we did. our battalion dispersing among the brushwood, went down the hill upon them; and, with a destructive fire, broke through their line of march, supported by the rest of the brigade. those that had passed made no attempt at a stand, but continued their flight, keeping up as good a fire as their circumstances would permit; while we kept hanging on their flank and rear, through a good rifle country, which enabled us to make considerable havoc among them. their general's aide-de-camp, amongst others, was mortally wounded; and a lady, on a white horse, who probably was his wife, remained beside him, until we came very near. she appeared to be in great distress; but, though we called to her to remain, and not to be alarmed, yet she galloped off as soon as a decided step became necessary. the object of her solicitude did not survive many minutes after we reached him." chapter iii some famous battles kincaid shared in all the bloody fights of the peninsula, from sabugal to toulouse. his descriptions of these fights are hasty and planless; they give no hint of the strategy behind them or of the results which followed them. but they are always vivid, racy, and rich in personal incident, and we give in this chapter some transcripts from them. sabugal was the last combat fought on portuguese soil in massena's sullen retreat from the lines of torres vedras. massena was never so dangerous as in retreat, and ney, with all his fiery valour, commanded his rearguard. the french, too, were in a mood of almost reckless savagery, and they greatly exceeded in numbers the force pursuing them. it may be imagined, then, what an incessant splutter of fierce and angry skirmishes raged betwixt wellington's advance-guard and the french rear. yet the veterans on both sides maintained a singularly cool and business-like attitude towards each other, an attitude not unflavoured with gleams of unprofessional friendliness. thus as the french were falling back after the disastrous fight at redinha, night fell while the skirmishers of the rifles were still eagerly pressing on the tired french rearguard. the officer commanding the french suddenly held up his sword in the grey dusk with a white handkerchief tied to it. an officer of the rifles went forward to parley, when the frenchman explained that he thought both sides needed a rest after a hard day's work. to this the officers of the rifles cheerfully agreed, and politely invited the frenchman and his subalterns to share their rations. this proposal was accepted; the french and english officers sat merrily round a common fire, and shared a common meal; then parted, and before daybreak became pursuers and pursued again! sabugal was described by wellington himself as "one of the most glorious actions british troops ever engaged in"; but it was little better than a gallant blunder. the day was one of drifting fog and blinding rain. wellington's plan was with three divisions--a force , strong--to envelop and crush massena's left wing, commanded by regnier, but erskine, who commanded the light division, failed to understand his orders, wandered off with his cavalry in the fog, and left beckwith with four companies of the rifles and the rd lying sheltered near the ford across the coa. when wellington's general attack was developed, beckwith was to cross the river and attack. a staff officer stumbled upon him early in the day, before the other troops had moved, and demanded, with a note of anger in his voice, why he did not attack? beckwith instantly led his men across the stream, and with one bayonet battalion and four companies of rifles, proceeded to attack , french infantry supported by cavalry and guns! and in a combat so strange, against chances so apparently hopeless, the handful of british won! here is kincaid's story:-- "_april , ._--early this morning our division moved still farther to its right, and our brigade led the way across a ford, which took us up to the middle; while the balls from the enemy's advanced posts were hissing in the water around us, we drove in their light troops and commenced a furious assault upon their main body. thus far all was right; but a thick, drizzling rain now came on, in consequence of which the third division, which was to have made a simultaneous attack to our left, missed their way, and a brigade of dragoons, under sir william erskine, who were to have covered our right, went the lord knows where, but certainly not into the fight, although they started at the same time that we did, and had the 'music' of our rifles to guide them; and even the second brigade of our division could not afford us any support for nearly an hour, so that we were thus unconsciously left with about fifteen hundred men, in the very impertinent attempt to carry a formidable position on which stood as many thousands. "the weather, which had deprived us of the aid of our friends, favoured us so far as to prevent the enemy from seeing the amount of our paltry force; and the conduct of our gallant fellows, led on by sir sidney beckwith, was so truly heroic, that, incredible as it may seem, we had the best of the fight throughout. our first attack was met by such overwhelming numbers, that we were forced back and followed by three heavy columns, before which we retired slowly, and keeping up a destructive fire, to the nearest rising ground, where we re-formed and instantly charged their advancing masses, sending them flying at the point of the bayonet, and entering their position along with them, where we were assailed by fresh forces. three times did the very same thing occur. in our third attempt we got possession of one of their howitzers, for which a desperate struggle was making, when we were at the same moment charged by infantry in front and cavalry on the right, and again compelled to fall back; but, fortunately at this moment we were reinforced by the arrival of the second brigade, and with their aid we once more stormed their position and secured the well-earned howitzer, while the third division came at the same time upon their flank, and they were driven from the field in the greatest disorder. "lord wellington's despatch on this occasion did ample justice to sir sidney beckwith and his brave brigade. never were troops more judiciously or more gallantly led. never was a leader more devotedly followed. "in the course of the action a man of the name of knight fell dead at my feet, and though i heard a musket ball strike him, i could neither find blood nor wound. there was a little spaniel belonging to one of our officers running about the whole time, barking at the balls, and i saw him once smelling at a live shell, which exploded in his face without hurting him." it may be added that, when the fight was over, round that fiercely disputed howitzer dead bodies were found piled! an amusing instance of the cool and business-like temper with which the veterans of the rifles fought occurred in this combat. a rifleman named flinn had covered a frenchman, and was in the act of drawing the trigger, when a hare leaped out of the fern in front of him. flinn found this game more tempting; he took quick aim at it, and shot it. his officer rebuked him when the fight was over for that wasted shot. "sure, your honour," was his reply, "we can kill a frenchman any day, but it isn't always i can bag a hare for your supper." on may , , began the confused manoeuvring and fierce combats, stretching through two days, known as the battle of fuentes d'onore. in the middle of the fight wellington had to change his front, swing his right wing back across the open plain--then in possession of the triumphant french cavalry--to a ridge at right angles to his former front. the light division formed part of the force executing this movement. it was formed in three squares, flanking each other. masses of french cavalry eddied furiously round them as they marched. but the stern and disciplined ranks of the light division never wavered. they moved, says napier, "in the most majestic manner"; and, he adds, that "all the cavalry that ever charged under tamerlane or genghis khan would have failed to break their lines." kincaid's account is graphic, and betrays no consciousness of the exceptional nature of the deed performed by his division:-- "_may , ._--the day began to dawn, this fine may morning, with a rattling fire of musketry on the extreme right of our position, which the enemy had attacked, and to which point our division was rapidly moved. "our battalion was thrown into a wood, a little to the left and front of the division engaged, and was instantly warmly opposed to the french skirmishers; in the course of which i was struck with a musket ball on the left breast, which made me stagger a yard or two backward, and, as i felt no pain, i concluded that i was dangerously wounded; but it turned out to be owing to my not being hurt. while our operations here were confined to a tame skirmish, and our view to the oaks with which we were mingled, we found, by the evidence of our ears, that the division which we had come to support was involved in a more serious onset, for there was a successive rattle of artillery, the wild hurrah of charging squadrons, and the repulsing volley of musketry; until lord wellington, finding his right too much extended, directed that division to fall back behind the small river touronne, and ours to join the main body of the army. the execution of our movement presented a magnificent military spectacle, as the plain between us and the right of the army, was by this time in possession of the french cavalry, and, while we were retiring through it with the order and precision of a common field-day, they kept dancing around us, and every instant threatening a charge, without daring to execute it. "we took up our new position at a right angle with the then right of the british line, on which our left rested, and with our right on the touronne. the enemy followed our movement with a heavy column of infantry; but, when they came near enough to exchange shots, they did not seem to like our looks, as we occupied a low ridge of broken rocks, against which even a rat could scarcely have hoped to advance alive; and they again fell back, and opened a tremendous fire of artillery, which was returned by a battery of our guns. "the battle continued to rage with fury in and about the village, while we were lying by our arms under a burning hot sun, some stray cannon-shot passing over and about us, whose progress we watched for want of other employment. one of them bounded along in the direction of an 'amateur,' whom we had for some time been observing, securely placed, as he imagined, behind a piece of rock, which stood about five feet above the ground, and over which nothing but his head was shown, sheltered from the sun by an umbrella. the shot in question touched the ground three or four times between us and him; he saw it coming--lowered his umbrella, and withdrew his head. its expiring bound carried it into the very spot where he had that instant disappeared. i hope he was not hurt; but the thing looked so ridiculous that it excited a shout of laughter, and we saw no more of him. "a little before dusk, in the evening, our battalion was ordered forward to relieve the troops engaged in the village, part of which still remained in possession of the enemy, and i saw, by the mixed nature of the dead, in every part of the streets, that it had been successively in possession of both sides. the firing ceased with the daylight, and i was sent, with a section of men, in charge of one of the streets for the night. there was a wounded sergeant of highlanders lying on my post. a ball had passed through the back part of his head, from which the brain was oozing, and his only sign of life was a convulsive hiccough every two or three seconds. i sent for a medical friend to look at him, who told me that he could not survive; i then got a mattress from the nearest house, placed the poor fellow on it, and made use of one corner as a pillow for myself, on which, after the fatigues of the day, and though called occasionally to visit my sentries, i slept most soundly. the highlander died in the course of the night. "when we stood to our arms at daybreak next morning, we found the enemy busy throwing up a six-gun battery immediately in front of our company's post, and we immediately set to work, with our whole hearts and souls, and placed a wall, about twelve feet thick, between us, which, no doubt, still remains there in the same garden, as a monument of what can be effected in a few minutes by a hundred modern men, when their personal safety is concerned, not but that the proprietor, in the midst of his admiration, would rather see a good bed of garlic on the spot manured with the bodies of the architects. "when the sun began to shine on the pacific disposition of the enemy, we proceeded to consign the dead to their last earthly mansions, giving every englishman a grave to himself, and putting as many frenchmen into one as it could conveniently accommodate. whilst in the superintendence of this melancholy duty, and ruminating on the words of the poet:-- 'there's not a form of all that lie thus ghastly, wild and bare, tost, bleeding, in the stormy sky, black in the burning air, but to his knee some infant clung, but on his heart some fond heart hung!' "i was grieved to think that the souls of deceased warriors should be so selfish as to take to flight in their regimentals, for i never saw the body of one with a rag on after battle. "the day after one of those negative sort of victories is always one of intense interest. the movements on each side are most jealously watched, and each side is diligently occupied in strengthening such points as the fight of the preceding day had proved to be the most vulnerable. they had made a few prisoners, chiefly guardsmen and highlanders, whom they marched past the front of our position, in the most ostentatious way, on the forenoon of the th; and, the day following, a number of their regiments were paraded in the most imposing manner for review. they looked uncommonly well, and we were proud to think that we had beaten such fine-looking fellows so lately!" in the tangled and hurried marches which preceded the battle of salamanca, the rifles took, of course, an active part. they were probably the quickest-footed and most hardy regiment under wellington's command. but in the great battle itself kincaid's battalion played a small part, being held in reserve. kincaid's account is both amusing and interesting:-- "hitherto we had been fighting the description of battle in which john bull glories so much--gaining a brilliant and useless victory against great odds. but we were now about to contend for fame on equal terms; and, having tried both, i will say, without partiality, that i would rather fight one man than two any day; for i have never been quite satisfied that the additional quantum of glory altogether compensated for the proportionate loss of substance; a victory of that kind being a doubtful and most unsatisfactory one to the performers, with each occupying the same ground after that they did before; and the whole merit resting with the side which did not happen to begin it. "marmont came down upon us the first night with a thundering cannonade, and placed his army _en masse_ on the plain before us, almost within gunshot. i was told that, while lord wellington was riding along the line, under a fire of artillery, and accompanied by a numerous staff, a brace of greyhounds in pursuit of a hare passed close to him. he was at the moment in earnest conversation with general castanos; but the instant he observed them he gave the view hallo and went after them at full speed, to the utter astonishment of his foreign accompaniments. nor did he stop until he saw the hare killed; when he returned and resumed the commander-in-chief as if nothing had occurred. "i was sent on piquet on the evening of the th, to watch a portion of the plain before us; and, soon after sunrise on the following morning, a cannonade commenced behind a hill to my right; and though the combatants were not visible, it was evident that they were not dealing in blank-cartridge, as mine happened to be the pitching-post of all the enemy's round shot. while i was attentively watching its progress, there arose all at once, behind the rising ground to my left, a yell of the most terrific import; and, convinced that it would give instantaneous birth to as hideous a body, it made me look with an eye of lightning at the ground around me; and, seeing a broad deep ditch within a hundred yards, i lost not a moment in placing it between my piquet and the extraordinary sound. i had scarcely effected the movement when lord wellington, with his staff, and a cloud of french and english dragoons and horse artillery intermixed, came over the hill at full cry, and all hammering at each other's heads, in one confused mass over the very ground i had that instant quitted. it appeared that his lordship had gone there to reconnoitre, covered by two guns and two squadrons of cavalry, who by some accident were surprised and charged by a superior body of the enemy, and sent tumbling in upon us in the manner described. "a piquet of the rd had formed on our right, and we were obliged to remain passive spectators of such an extraordinary scene going on within a few yards of us, as we could not fire without an equal chance of shooting some of our own side. lord wellington and his staff, with the two guns, took shelter for a moment behind us, while the cavalry went sweeping along our front, where, i suppose, they picked up some reinforcement, for they returned almost instantly in the same confused mass; but the french were now the fliers; and, i must do them the justice to say, that they got off in a manner highly creditable to themselves. i saw one, in particular, defending himself against two of ours; and he would have made his escape from both, but an officer of our dragoons came down the hill, and took him in the flank at full speed, sending man and horse rolling headlong on the plain. "i was highly interested all this time in observing the distinguished characters which this unlooked-for turn-up had assembled around us. marshal beresford and the greater part of the staff remained with their swords drawn, and the duke himself did not look more than half-pleased, while he silently despatched some of them with orders. general alten and his huge german orderly dragoon, with their swords drawn, cursed the whole time to a very large amount; but, as it was in german, i had not the full benefit of it. he had an opposition swearer in captain jenkinson of the artillery, who commanded the two guns, and whose oaths were chiefly aimed at himself for his folly, as far as i could understand, in putting so much confidence in his covering party, that he had not thought it necessary to unfix the catch which horse-artillerymen, i believe, had to prevent their swords quitting the scabbards when they are not wanted, and which on this occasion prevented their jumping forth when they were so unexpectedly called for. "the straggling enemy had scarcely cleared away from our front when lord combermere came from the right with a reinforcement of cavalry; and our piquet was at the same moment ordered to join the battalion. "the movements which followed presented the most beautiful military spectacle imaginable. the enemy were endeavouring to turn our left; and, in making a counteracting movement, the two armies were marching in parallel lines close to each other on a perfect plain, each ready to take advantage of any opening of the other, and exchanging round shot as they moved along. our division brought up the rear of the infantry, marching with the order and precision of a field-day, in open column of companies, and in perfect readiness to receive the enemy in any shape, who, on their part, had a huge cavalry force close at hand and equally ready to pounce upon us. "_july ._--a sharp fire of musketry commenced at daylight in the morning; but as it did not immediately concern us and was nothing unusual we took no notice of it, but busied ourselves in getting our arms and our bodies disengaged from the rust and the wet engendered by the storm of the past night. about ten o'clock our division was ordered to stand to their arms. the enemy were to be seen in motion on the opposite ridges, and a straggling fire of musketry, with an occasional gun, acted as a sort of prelude to the approaching conflict. we heard, about this time, that marmont had just sent to his _ci-devant_ landlord in salamanca to desire that he would have the usual dinner ready for himself and staff at six o'clock; and so satisfied was 'mine host' of the infallibility of the french marshal, that he absolutely set about making the necessary preparations. "there assuredly never was an army so anxious as ours was to be brought into action on this occasion. they were a magnificent body of well-tried soldiers, highly equipped, and in the highest health and spirits, with the most devoted confidence in their leader, and an invincible confidence in themselves. the retreat of the four preceding days had annoyed us beyond measure, for we believed that we were nearly equal to the enemy in point of numbers, and the idea of our retiring before an equal number of any troops in the world was not to be endured with common patience. "we were kept the whole of the forenoon in the most torturing state of suspense through contradictory reports. one passing officer telling us that he had just heard the order given to attack, and the next asserting with equal confidence that he had just heard the order to retreat; and it was not until about two o'clock in the afternoon that affairs began to wear a more decided aspect; and when our own eyes and ears at length conveyed the wished-for tidings that a battle was inevitable, for we saw the enemy beginning to close upon our right, and the cannonade had become general along the whole line. lord wellington about the same time ordered the movement which decided the fate of the day--that of bringing the third division from beyond the river on our left rapidly to our extreme right, turning the enemy in their attempt to turn us, and commencing the offensive with the whole of his right wing. "the effect was instantaneous and decisive, for although some obstinate and desperate fighting took place in the centre, with various success, yet the victory was never for a moment in doubt, and the enemy were soon in full retreat, leaving seven thousand prisoners, two eagles, and eleven pieces of artillery in our hands. had we been favoured with two hours' more daylight, their loss would have been incalculable, for they committed a blunder at starting which they never got time to retrieve, and their retreat was therefore commenced in such disorder, and with a river in their rear, that nothing but darkness could have saved them. "the third division, under sir edward pakenham, the artillery, and some regiments of dragoons, particularly distinguished themselves. but our division, very much to our annoyance, came in for a very slender portion of this day's glory. we were exposed to a cannonade the whole of the afternoon, but, as we were not permitted to advance until very late, we had only an opportunity of throwing a few straggling shot at the fugitives before we lost sight of them in the dark, and then bivouacked for the night near the village of huerta (i think it was called). "we started after them at daylight next morning, and crossing at a ford of the tormes we found their rearguard, consisting of three regiments of infantry, with some cavalry and artillery, posted on a formidable height above the village of serna. general bock, with his brigade of heavy german dragoons, immediately went at them, and putting their cavalry to flight, he broke through their infantry, and took or destroyed the whole of them. this was one of the most gallant charges recorded in history. i saw many of these fine fellows lying dead along with their horses, on which they were still astride, with the sword firmly grasped in the hand, as they had fought the instant before, and several of them still wearing a look of fierce defiance, which death itself had been unable to quench." in the mountain march which turned the french right, and drove joseph's whole army, burdened with the plunder of a kingdom, back into the fatal valley of vittoria, the rifles had a full share. in the actual fighting of june , , their part was brilliant. they fired the first shot in the fight; they were first across the river; they were first up the central hill of arinez, where the fury of the great battle culminated; and they captured the first gun taken. barnard's daring advance with his riflemen really enabled the third and seventh divisions to carry the bridge of mendoza. barnard opened so cruel a flank fire on the french guns and infantry guarding the bridge that they fell back in confusion, and the british crossed practically without confusion. it is needless to add that the hardy and active rifles led in the pursuit of the defeated french far into the night after the battle, and early on the succeeding day:-- "_june , ._--our division got under arms this morning before daylight, passed the base of the mountain by its left, through the camp of the fourth division, who were still asleep in their tents, to the banks of the river zadora, at the village of tres puentes. the opposite side of the river was occupied by the enemy's advanced posts, and we saw their army on the hills beyond, while the spires of vittoria were visible in the distance. we felt as if there was likely to be a battle; but as that was an event we were never sure of until we found ourselves actually in it, we lay for some time just out of musket-shot, uncertain what was likely to turn up, and waiting for orders. at length a sharp fire of musketry was heard to our right, and on looking in that direction we saw the head of sir rowland hill's corps, together with some spanish troops, attempting to force the mountain which marked the enemy's left. the three battalions of our regiment were, at the same moment, ordered forward to feel the enemy, who lined the opposite banks of the river, with whom we were quickly engaged in a warm skirmish. the affair with sir rowland hill became gradually warmer, but ours had apparently no other object than to amuse those who were opposite to us for the moment, so that for about two hours longer it seemed as if there would be nothing but an affair of outposts. "about twelve o'clock, however, we were moved rapidly to our left, followed by the rest of the division, till we came to an abrupt turn of the river, where we found a bridge, unoccupied by the enemy, which we immediately crossed and took possession of what appeared to me to be an old field-work on the other side. we had not been many seconds there before we observed the bayonets of the third and seventh divisions glittering above the standing corn, and advancing upon another bridge which stood about a quarter of a mile farther to our left, and where, on their arrival, they were warmly opposed by the enemy's light troops, who lined the bank of the river (which we ourselves were now on), in great force, for the defence of the bridge. as soon as this was observed by our division, colonel barnard advanced with our battalion, and took them in flank with such a furious fire as quickly dislodged them, and thereby opened a passage for these two divisions free of expense, which must otherwise have cost them dearly. what with the rapidity of our movement, the colour of our dress, and our close contact with the enemy before they would abandon their post, we had the misfortune to be identified with them for some time by a battery of our own guns, who, not observing the movement, continued to serve it out indiscriminately, and all the while admiring their practice upon us; nor was it until the red coats of the third division joined us that they discovered their mistake. "on the mountain to our extreme right the action continued to be general and obstinate, though we observed that the enemy were giving ground slowly to sir rowland hill. the passage of the river by our division had turned the enemy's outpost at the bridge on our right, where we had been engaged in the morning, and they were now retreating, followed by the fourth division. the plain between them and sir rowland hill was occupied by the british cavalry, who were now seen filing out of a wood, squadron after squadron, galloping into form as they gradually cleared it. the hills behind were covered with spectators, and the third and the light divisions, covered by our battalion, advanced rapidly upon a formidable hill in front of the enemy's centre, which they had neglected to occupy in sufficient force. "in the course of our progress our men kept picking off the french vedettes, who were imprudent enough to hover too near us; and many a horse, bounding along the plain, dragging his late rider by the stirrup-irons, contributed in making it a scene of extraordinary and exhilarating interest. "old picton rode at the head of the third division, dressed in a blue coat and a round hat, and swore as roundly all the way as if he had been wearing two cocked ones. our battalion soon cleared the hill in question of the enemy's light troops; but we were pulled up on the opposite side of it by one of their lines, which occupied a wall at the entrance of a village immediately under us. "during the few minutes that we stopped there, while a brigade of the third division was deploying into line, two of our companies lost two officers and thirty men, chiefly from the fire of artillery bearing on the spot from the french position. one of their shells burst immediately under my nose, part of it struck my boot and stirrup-iron, and the rest of it kicked up such a dust about me that my charger refused to obey orders; and while i was spurring and he capering i heard a voice behind me, which i knew to be lord wellington's, calling out, in a tone of reproof, 'look to keeping your men together, sir;' and though, god knows, i had not the remotest idea that he was within a mile of me at the time, yet so sensible was i that circumstances warranted his supposing that i was a young officer cutting a caper, by way of bravado, before him, that worlds would not have tempted me to look round at the moment. the french fled from the wall as soon as they received a volley from part of the third division, and we instantly dashed down the hill and charged them through the village, capturing three of their guns; the first, i believe, that were taken that day. they received a reinforcement, and drove us back before our supports could come to our assistance; but, in the scramble of the moment, our men were knowing enough to cut the traces and carry off the horses, so that when we retook the village immediately after the guns still remained in our possession. "the battle now became general along the whole line, and the cannonade was tremendous. at one period we held on one side of a wall, near the village, while the french were on the other, so that any person who chose to put his head over from either side was sure of getting a sword or a bayonet up his nostrils. this situation was, of course, too good to be of long endurance. the victory, i believe, was never for a moment doubtful. the enemy were so completely out-generalled, and the superiority of our troops was such, that to carry their positions required little more than the time necessary to march to them. after forcing their centre the fourth division and our own got on the flank and rather in rear of the enemy's left wing, who were retreating before sir rowland hill, and who, to effect their escape, were now obliged to fly in one confused mass. had a single regiment of our dragoons been at hand, or even a squadron, to have forced them into shape for a few minutes, we must have taken from ten to twenty thousand prisoners. after marching alongside of them for nearly two miles, and as a disorderly body will always move faster than an orderly one, we had the mortification to see them gradually heading us, until they finally made their escape. "our elevated situation at this time afforded a good view of the field of battle to our left, and i could not help being struck with an unusual appearance of unsteadiness and want of confidence among the french troops. i saw a dense mass of many thousands occupying a good defensible post, who gave way in the greatest confusion before a single line of the third division, almost without feeling them. if there was nothing in any other part of the position to justify the movement, and i do not think there was, they ought to have been flogged, every man, from the general downwards. "the ground was particularly favourable to the retreating foe, as every half mile afforded a fresh and formidable position, so that from the commencement of the action to the city of vittoria, a distance of six or eight miles, we were involved in one continued hard skirmish. on passing vittoria, however, the scene became quite new and infinitely more amusing, as the french had made no provision for a retreat; and sir thomas graham having seized upon the great road to france, the only one left open was that leading by pampeluna; and it was not open long, for their fugitive army and their myriads of followers, with baggage, guns, carriages, &c., being all precipitated upon it at the same moment, it got choked up about a mile beyond the town, in the most glorious state of confusion; and the drivers, finding that one pair of legs was worth two pair of wheels, abandoned it all to the victors. "it is much to be lamented, on those occasions, that the people who contribute most to the victory should profit the least by it; not that i am an advocate for plunder--on the contrary, i would much rather that all our fighting was for pure love; but as everything of value falls into the hands of the followers and scoundrels who skulk from the ranks for the double purpose of plundering and saving their dastardly carcasses, what i regret is that the man who deserts his post should thereby have an opportunity of enriching himself with impunity, while the true man gets nothing; but the evil, i believe, is irremediable. sir james kempt, who commanded our brigade, in passing one of the captured waggons in the evening, saw a soldier loading himself with money, and was about to have him conveyed to the camp as a prisoner, when the fellow begged hard to be released, and to be allowed to retain what he had got, telling the general that all the boxes in the waggon were filled with gold. sir james, with his usual liberality, immediately adopted the idea of securing it as a reward to his brigade for their gallantry; and, getting a fatigue party, he caused the boxes to be removed to his tent, and ordered an officer and some men from each regiment to parade there next morning to receive their proportions of it; but when they opened the boxes they found them filled with 'hammers, nails, and horse-shoes!' "as not only the body, but the mind, had been in constant occupation since three o'clock in the morning, circumstances no sooner permitted--about ten at night--than i threw myself on the ground, and fell into a profound sleep, from which i did not awake until broad daylight, when i found a french soldier squatted near me, intensely watching for the opening of my 'shutters.' he had contrived to conceal himself there during the night; and when he saw that i was awake, he immediately jumped on his legs, and very obsequiously presented me with a map of france, telling me that as there was now a probability of our visiting his native country, he could make himself very useful, and would be glad if i would accept of his services. i thought it unfair, however, to deprive him of the present opportunity of seeing a little more of the world himself; and therefore sent him to join the rest of the prisoners, which would insure him a trip to england, free of expense." on the rough and shaggy field of the pyrenees, with its deep and tangled valleys and wind-scourged summits, where soult was maintaining a gallant and obstinate fight against wellington, the british endured and achieved much. kincaid's account of the carrying of the great rhune, of the passage of the bidassoa and of the nivelle, and of all the fighting which led up to toulouse, is worth giving:-- "_november , ._--petite la rhune was allotted to our division as their first point of attack; and, accordingly, on the th being the day fixed, we moved to our ground at midnight on the th. the abrupt ridges in the neighbourhood enabled us to lodge ourselves, unperceived, within half musket-shot of their piquets; and we had left every description of animal behind us in camp, in order that neither the barking of dogs nor the neighing of steeds should give indication of our intentions. our signal of attack was to be a gun from sir john hope, who had now succeeded sir thomas graham in the command of the left wing of the army. "we stood to our arms at dawn of day, which was soon followed by the signal gun; and each commanding officer, according to previous instructions, led gallantly off to his point of attack. the french must have been, no doubt, astonished to see such an armed force spring out of the ground almost under their noses, but they were nevertheless prepared behind their entrenchments, and caused us some loss in passing the short space between us; but the whole place was carried within the time required to walk over it, and in less than half-an-hour from the commencement of the attack it was in our possession, with all their tents left standing. "petite la rhune was more of an outpost than a part of their position, the latter being a chain of stupendous mountains in its rear; so that, while our battalion followed their skirmishers into the valley between, the remainder of our division were forming for the attack on the main position and waiting for the co-operation of the other divisions, the thunder of whose artillery, echoing along the valleys, proclaimed that they were engaged far and wide on both sides of us. about mid-day our division advanced to the grand attack on the most formidable-looking part of the whole of the enemy's position, and, much to our surprise, we carried it with more ease and less loss than the outpost in the morning, a circumstance which we could only account for by supposing that it had been defended by the same troops, and that they did not choose to sustain two hard beatings on the same day. the attack succeeded at every point, and in the evening we had the satisfaction of seeing the left wing of the army marching into st. jean de luz." barnard, the gallant leader of the rifles, was shot through the breast when pressing in pursuit of the broken french, who had been driven from the little rhune. he fell from his horse, and it was evident that the lung was pierced, for blood and air issued from the wound, while blood ran from the fallen man's mouth. "do you think i am dying?" asked barnard coolly of an officer bending over him. "did you ever see a man so wounded recover?" he was told there were cases of recovery from such a wound. "then," said barnard, "if any man can recover, i know that i shall." and he did, his resolve not to die materially helping him to survive. for so much does a cool and strong will count! kincaid's account of toulouse is singularly brief. the rifles were placed so as to connect picton's left with the spaniards under freire, who were to attack the shoulder of mont rave. thus kincaid was able to watch, and afterwards describe, the memorable rout of the spaniards, which forms the most picturesque feature of the battle. the rifles themselves were engaged in a sharp musketry fire with the convent, and as they advanced a great open sewer had to be crossed and held. the rifles, according to the regimental record, suffered more from the odours of the sewer than from the bullets of the french:-- "we crossed the river, and advanced sufficiently near to the enemy's position to be just out of reach of their fire, where we waited until dispositions were made for the attack. "on our side of the river the spanish army, which had never hitherto taken an active part in any of our general actions, now claimed the post of honour, and advanced to storm the strongest part of the heights. our division was ordered to support them in the low grounds, and at the same time to threaten a point of the canal; and picton, who was on our right, was ordered to make a false attack on the canal. these were all that were visible to us. the remaining divisions of the army were in continuation to the left. "the spaniards, anxious to monopolise all the glory, i rather think, moved on to the attack a little too soon, and before the british divisions on their left were in readiness to co-operate. however, be that as it may, they were soon in a blaze of fire, and began walking through it at first with a great show of gallantry and determination; but their courage was not altogether screwed up to the sticking-point, and the nearer they came to the critical pass the less prepared they seemed to meet it, until they all finally faced to the right-about, and came back upon us as fast as their heels could carry them, pursued by the enemy. "we instantly advanced to their relief, and concluded that they would have rallied behind us, but they had no idea of doing anything of the kind, for when with cuesta and some of the other spanish generals they had been accustomed, under such circumstances, to run a hundred miles at a time; so that, passing through the intervals of our division, they went clear off to the rear, and we never saw them more. the moment the french found us interpose between them and the spaniards they retired within their works. "the only remark that lord wellington was said to have made on their conduct, after waiting to see whether they would stand after they got out of the reach of the enemy's shot, was, 'well, d---- me, if ever i saw ten thousand men run a race before!' however, notwithstanding their disaster, many of their officers certainly evinced great bravery, and on their account it is to be regretted that the attack was made so soon, for they would otherwise have carried their point with little loss, either of life or credit, as the british divisions on the left soon after stormed and carried all the other works, and obliged those who had been opposed to the spaniards to evacuate theirs without firing another shot. "when the enemy were driven from the heights, they retired within the town, and the canal then became their line of defence, which they maintained the whole of the next day; but in the course of the following night they left the town altogether, and we took possession of it on the morning of the th. "the inhabitants of toulouse hoisted the white flag, and declared for the bourbons the moment that the french army had left it; and, in the course of the same day, colonel cooke arrived from paris with the extraordinary news of napoleon's abdication. soult has been accused of having been in possession of that fact prior to the battle of toulouse; but, to disprove such an assertion, it can only be necessary to think, for a moment, whether he would not have made it public the day after the battle, while he yet held possession of the town, as it would not only have enabled him to keep it, but, to those who knew no better, it might have given him a shadow of claim to the victory, if he chose to avail himself of it--and i have known a victory claimed by a french marshal on more slender grounds. in place of knowing it then, he did not even believe it now; and we were absolutely obliged to follow him a day's march beyond toulouse before he agreed to an armistice." chapter iv the imminent deadly breach of the three great and memorable sieges of the peninsula--ciudad rodrigo, badajos, and san sebastian--kincaid took part in the first two, and has left a curiously interesting account of his experiences in them. wellington's capture of ciudad rodrigo was a very swift and dazzling stroke of war. the place was a great frontier fortress; it held vast magazines of warlike material. while in french hands it barred wellington's advance into spain. if captured, it would furnish a secure base for such an advance. marmont and soult, each in command of an army stronger than that under wellington, kept watch over the great fortress. to pluck it from their very hands would have been judged beforehand an impossible thing. yet wellington did it! he achieved the feat by a combination of secrecy, audacity, and speed rarely excelled in war. he hid his preparations beneath a veil of profoundest silence and mystery. then, when his foes had been thrown completely off their guard, he leaped on the doomed fortress; and almost before the thunder of his guns had reached the ears of soult and of marmont the fortress was lost! wellington had everything against him. his supplies were scanty, his siege train miserable. the weather was bitter, and rains incessant, the ground rocky. yet the siege never faltered nor paused. wellington broke ground on january ; he stormed the city on january . never was a great warlike operation conceived more subtly, or executed with greater fire and swiftness. kincaid has a special right to tell the tale of this siege. he shared in the hardships of the trenches, and led the storming party at one of the breaches. "_january , ._--the campaign of commenced with the siege of ciudad rodrigo, which was invested by our division on the th of january. "there was a smartish frost, with some snow on the ground, and, when we arrived opposite the fortress, about mid-day, the garrison did not appear to think that we were in earnest, for a number of their officers came out, under the shelter of a stone wall, within half musket-shot, and amused themselves in saluting and bowing to us in ridicule; but, ere the day was done, some of them had occasion to wear the laugh on the opposite side of the countenance. "we lay by our arms until dark, when a party, consisting of a hundred volunteers from each regiment, under colonel colborne of the nd, stormed and carried the fort of st. francisco, after a short, sharp action, in which the whole of its garrison were taken or destroyed. the officer who commanded it was a chattering little fellow, and acknowledged himself to have been one of our saluting friends of the morning. he kept incessantly repeating a few words of english which he had picked up during the assault, and the only ones, i fancy, that were spoken, viz., 'dem eyes, b--t eyes!' and, in demanding the meaning of them, he required that we should also explain why we stormed a place without first besieging it; for, he said, that another officer would have relieved him of his charge at daylight, had we not relieved him of it sooner. "the enemy had calculated that this outwork would have kept us at bay for a fortnight or three weeks; whereas its capture the first night enabled us to break ground at once, within breaching distance of the walls of the town. they kept up a very heavy fire the whole night on the working parties; but, as they aimed at random, we did not suffer much, and made such good use of our time that, when daylight enabled them to see what we were doing, we had dug ourselves under tolerable cover. "in addition to ours, the first, third, and fourth divisions were employed in the siege. each took the duties for twenty-four hours alternately, and returned to their cantonments during the interval. we were relieved by the first division, under sir thomas graham, on the morning of the th, and marched to our quarters. "_january ._--at ten o'clock this morning we resumed the duties of the siege. it still continued to be dry, frosty weather; and, as we were obliged to ford the agueda, up to the middle, every man carried a pair of iced breeches into the trenches with him. "my turn of duty did not arrive until eight in the morning, when i was ordered to take thirty men with shovels to dig holes for ourselves, as near as possible to the walls, for the delectable amusement of firing at the embrasures for the remainder of the night. the enemy threw frequent fire-balls among us, to see where we were; but, as we always lay snug until their blaze was extinguished, they were not much the wiser, except by finding, from having some one popped off from their guns every instant, that they had got some neighbours whom they would have been glad to get rid of. we were relieved as usual at ten next morning, and returned to our cantonments. "_january ._--entered on our third day's duty, and found the breaching batteries in full operation, and our approaches close to the walls on every side. when we arrived on the ground i was sent to take command of the highland company which we had at that time in the regiment, and which was with the left wing, under colonel cameron. i found them on piquet, between the right of the trenches and the river, half of them posted at a mud cottage and the other half in a ruined convent close under the walls. it was a very tolerable post when at it; but it is no joke travelling by daylight up to within a stone's throw of a wall on which there is a parcel of fellows who have no other amusement but to fire at everybody they see. "we could not show our noses at any point without being fired at; but, as we were merely posted there to protect the right flank of the trenches from any sortie, we did not fire at them, and kept as quiet as could be, considering the deadly blast that was blowing around us. there are few situations in life where something cannot be learnt, and i myself stand indebted to my twenty-four hours' residence there for a more correct knowledge of martial sounds than in the study of my whole life-time besides. they must be an unmusical pair of ears that cannot inform the wearer whether a cannon or a musket played last, but the various notes, emanating from their respective mouths, admit of nice distinctions. my party was too small and too well sheltered to repay the enemy for the expense of shells and round shot; but the quantity of grape and musketry aimed at our particular heads made a good concert of first and second whistles, while the more sonorous voice of the round shot, travelling to our friends on the left, acted as a thorough bass; and there was not a shell, that passed over us to the trenches, that did not send back a fragment among us as soon as it burst, as if to gratify a curiosity that i was far from expressing. "everything is by comparison in this world, and it is curious to observe how men's feelings change with circumstances. in cool blood a man would rather go a little out of his way than expose himself to unnecessary danger; but we found, this morning, that by crossing the river where we then were and running the gantlet for a mile exposed to the fire of two pieces of artillery, that we should be saved the distance of two or three miles in returning to our quarters. after coming out of such a furnace as we had been frying in, the other fire was not considered a fire at all, and passed without a moment's hesitation. "_january , ._--we moved to the scene of operations about two o'clock this afternoon; and, as it was a day before our regular turn, we concluded that we were called there to lend a hand in finishing the job we had begun so well. nor were we disappointed, for we found that two practicable breaches had been effected, and that the place was to be stormed in the evening by the third and light divisions, the former by the right breach, and the latter by the left, while some portuguese troops were to attempt an escalade on the opposite sides of the town. "about eight o'clock in the evening our division was accordingly formed for the assault, behind a convent, near the left breach. "at a given signal the different columns advanced to the assault; the night was tolerably clear, and the enemy evidently expected us, for as soon as we turned the corner of the convent wall, the space between us and the breach became one blaze of light with their fire-balls, which, while they lighted us on to glory, lightened not a few of their lives and limbs; for the whole glacis was in consequence swept by a well-directed fire of grape and musketry, and they are the devil's own brooms; but our gallant fellows walked through it to the point of attack, with the most determined steadiness, excepting the portuguese sack-bearers, most of whom lay down behind their bags, to wait the result, while the few that were thrown into the ditch looked so like dead bodies, that, when i leapt into it, i tried to avoid them. "the advantage of being on a storming party is considered as giving the prior claim to be 'put out of pain,' for they receive the first fire, which is generally the best, not to mention that they are also expected to receive the earliest salutations from the beams of timber, hand-grenades, and other missiles which the garrison are generally prepared to transfer from the top of the wall, to the tops of the heads of their foremost visitors. but i cannot say that i myself experienced any such preference, for every ball has a considerable distance to travel, and i have generally found them equally ready to pick up their man at the end as at the beginning of their flight. "we had some difficulty at first in finding the breach, as we had entered the ditch opposite to a ravelin, which we mistook for a bastion. i tried first one side of it and then the other, and seeing one corner of it a good deal battered, with a ladder placed against it, i concluded that it must be the breach, and calling to the soldiers near me to follow, i mounted with the most ferocious intent, carrying a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other; but, when i got up, i found nobody to fight with, except two of our own men, who were already laid dead across the top of the ladder. i saw in a moment that i had got into the wrong box, and was about to descend again, when i heard a shout from the opposite side that the breach was there; and, moving in that direction, i dropped myself from the ravelin, and landed in the ditch, opposite to the foot of the breach, where i found the head of the storming party just beginning to fight their way into it. the combat was of short duration, and, in less than half-an-hour from the commencement of the attack, the place was in our possession. "after carrying the breach, we met with no further opposition, and moved round the ramparts to see that they were perfectly clear of the enemy, previous to entering the town. i was fortunate enough to take the left-hand circuit, by accident, and thereby escape the fate which befel a great portion of those who went to the right, and who were blown up, along with some of the third division, by the accidental explosion of a magazine. "i was highly amused, in moving round the ramparts, to find some of the portuguese troops just commencing their escalade, on the opposite side near the bridge, in ignorance of the place having already fallen. gallantly headed by their officers, they had got some ladders placed against the wall, while about two thousand voices from the rear were cheering with all their might for mutual encouragement; and, like most other troops under similar circumstances, it appeared to me that their feet and their tongues went at a more equal pace after we gave them the hint. on going a little farther we came opposite to the ravelin which had been my chief annoyance during my last day's piquet. it was still crowded by the enemy, who had now thrown down their arms and endeavoured to excite our pity by virtue of their being 'pauvres italianos'; but our men had somehow imbibed a horrible antipathy to the italians, and every appeal they made in that name was invariably answered with: 'you're italians, are you? then d--n you, here's a shot for you'; and the action instantly followed the word. "we continued our course round the ramparts until we met the head of the column which had gone by the right, and then descended into the town. at the entrance of the first street, a french officer came out of a door and claimed my protection, giving me his sword. he told me that there was another officer in the same house who was afraid to venture out, and entreated that i would go in for him. i, accordingly, followed him up to the landing-place of a dark stair, and, while he was calling to his friend, by name to come down 'as there was an english officer present who would protect him,' a violent screaming broke through a door at my elbow. i pushed it open, and found the landlady struggling with an english soldier, whom i immediately transferred to the bottom of the stair head foremost. the french officer had followed me in at the door, and was so astonished at all he saw, that he held up his hands, turned up the whites of his eyes, and resolved himself into a state of most eloquent silence. "as the other officer could not be found, i descended into the street again with my prisoner; and, finding the current of soldiers setting towards the centre of the town, i followed the stream, which conducted me into the great square, on one side of which the late garrison were drawn up as prisoners, and the rest of it was filled with british and portuguese intermixed without any order or regularity. i had been there but a very short time, when they all commenced firing, without any ostensible cause; some fired in at the doors and windows, some at the roofs of houses, and others at the clouds; and at last some heads began to be blown from their shoulders in the general hurricane, when the voice of sir thomas picton, with the power of twenty trumpets, began to proclaim damnation to everybody, while colonel barnard, colonel cameron, and some other active officers, were carrying it into effect with a strong hand; for seizing the broken barrels of muskets which were lying about in great abundance, they belaboured every fellow most unmercifully about the head who attempted either to load or fire, and finally succeeded in reducing them to order. in the midst of the scuffle, however, three of the houses in the square were set on fire; and the confusion was such that nothing could be done to save them; but, by the extraordinary exertions of colonel barnard during the whole of the night, the flames were prevented from communicating to the adjoining buildings. "we succeeded in getting a great portion of our battalion together by one o'clock in the morning, and withdrew with them to the ramparts, where we lay by our arms until daylight. "there is nothing in this life half so enviable as the feelings of a soldier after a victory. previous to a battle there is a certain sort of something that pervades the mind which is not easily defined; it is neither akin to joy or fear, and, probably, anxiety may be nearer to it than any other word in the dictionary; but, when the battle is over, and crowned with victory, he finds himself elevated for a while into the regions of absolute bliss! it had ever been the summit of my ambition to attain a post at the head of a storming party--my wish had now been accomplished and gloriously ended; and i do think that, after all was over, and our men laid asleep on the ramparts, that i strutted about as important a personage, in my own opinion, as ever trod the face of the earth; and, had the ghost of the renowned jack-the-giant-killer itself passed that way at the time, i venture to say that i would have given it a kick in the breech without the smallest ceremony. but, as the sun began to rise, i began to fall from the heroics; and, when he showed his face, i took a look at my own and found that i was too unclean a spirit to worship, for i was covered with mud and dirt, with the greater part of my dress torn to rags. "the fifth division, which had not been employed in the siege, marched in and took charge of the town on the morning of the th, and we prepared to return to our cantonments. lord wellington happened to be riding in at the gate at the time that we were marching out, and had the curiosity to ask the officer of the leading company what regiment it was; for there was scarcely a vestige of uniform among the men, some of whom were dressed in frenchmen's coats, some in white breeches and huge jack-boots, some with cocked hats and queues; most of their swords were fixed on the rifles, and stuck full of hams, tongues, and loaves of bread, and not a few were carrying bird-cages! there never was a better masked corps! "among other things carried from ciudad rodrigo, one of our men had the misfortune to carry his death in his hands, under the mistaken shape of amusement. he thought that it was a cannon-ball, and took it for the purpose of playing at the game of nine-holes, but it happened to be a live shell. in rolling it along it went over a bed of burning ashes, and ignited without his observing it. just as he had got it between his legs, and was in the act of discharging it a second time, it exploded, and nearly blew him to pieces." the story of the siege of badajos is darker and more tragical than that of the capture of ciudad rodrigo. the defences of badajos were much more formidable than those of the sister fortress, the garrison was more numerous, the defence more stubborn and skilful. phillipon, the commander of the assailed city, has, indeed, won enduring fame by the skill and valour of his defence. yet the siege only lasted twenty days. it was begun on march ; on april the city was stormed. it was carried by a night assault; but the breaches were imperfect, and the art of phillipon had made the great breach practically impregnable. but the fierce and unquailing valour with which the british stormers flung themselves on the breaches, and died on their rough and blood-splashed slopes, makes one of the most thrilling stories in the history of war. all the attacks on the breeches failed; but picton carried the castle by escalcade, and leith forced his way over the bastion of st. vincent, where no breach existed, and where the scarp was thirty feet high; and so the town was carried. it was one of the rifles of whom napier tells the story, that in his resolution to win, he thrust himself beneath the chained sword-blades at the summit of the great breach, and there suffered the enemy to dash his head to pieces with the ends of their muskets. of major o'hare, who led the stormers of the rifles, a grim story is told. as his men were moving off in the darkness he shook hands with a brother officer, and said: 'a lieutenant-colonel or cold meat in a few hours.' he fell, shot dead on the breach itself ten minutes afterwards. as kincaid led one of the storming parties at ciudad rodrigo, a lighter part was assigned to him at badajos. he commanded a strong party whose business it was to line the glacis and keep down the fire from the ramparts. he tells the tale briefly:-- "on the th of march , the third, fourth, and light divisions encamped around badajos, embracing the whole of the inland side of the town on the left bank of the guadiana, and commenced breaking ground before it immediately after dark the same night. "the elements on this occasion adopted the cause of the besieged, for we had scarcely taken up our ground when a heavy rain commenced, and continued, almost without intermission, for a fortnight; in consequence thereof the pontoon bridge, connecting us with our supplies from elvas, was carried away by the rapid increase of the river, and the duties of the trenches were otherwise rendered extremely harassing. we had a smaller force employed than at rodrigo, and the scale of operations was so much greater that it required every man to be actually in the trenches six hours every day, and the same length of time every night, which, with the time required to march to and from them, through fields more than ankle-deep in a stiff mud, left us never more than eight hours out of the twenty-four in camp, and we never were dry the whole time. "one day's trench work is as like another as the days themselves, and like nothing better than serving an apprenticeship to the double calling of gravedigger and gamekeeper, for we found ample employment both for the spade and the rifle. "the portuguese artillery, under british officers, was uncommonly good. i used to be much amused in looking at a twelve-gun breaching-battery of theirs. they knew the position of all the enemy's guns which could bear upon them, and had one man posted to watch them, to give notice of what was coming, whether a shot or a shell, who accordingly kept calling out, 'bomba, balla, balla, bomba,' and they ducked their heads until the missile passed; but sometimes he would see a general discharge from all arms, when he threw himself down, screaming out, 'jesus, todos, todos!' meaning 'everything.' "an officer of ours was sent one morning before daylight with ten men to dig holes for themselves opposite to one of the enemy's guns which had been doing a great deal of mischief the day before, and he had soon the satisfaction of knowing the effect of his practice by seeing them stopping up the embrasure with sand-bags. after waiting a little he saw them beginning to remove the bags, when he made his men open upon it again, and they were instantly replaced without the guns being fired. presently he saw the huge cocked hat of a french officer make its appearance on the rampart near the embrasure, but knowing by experience that the head was somewhere in the neighbourhood, he watched until the flash of a musket through the long grass showed the position of the owner, and calling one of his best shots, he desired him to take deliberate aim at the spot, and lent his shoulder as a rest to give it more elevation. bang went the shot, and it was the finishing flash for the frenchman, for they saw no more of him, although his cocked hat maintained its post until dark. "in proportion as the grand crisis approached, the anxiety of the soldiers increased, not on account of any doubt or dread as to the result, but for fear that the place should be surrendered without standing an assault; for, singular as it may appear, although there was a certainty of about one man out of every three being knocked down, there were, perhaps, not three men in the three divisions who would not rather have braved all the chances than receive it tamely from the hands of the enemy. so great was the rage for passports into eternity in our battalion on that occasion that even the officers' servants insisted on taking their places in the ranks, and i was obliged to leave my baggage in charge of a man who had been wounded some days before. "on the th of april three practicable breaches had been effected, and arrangements were made for assaulting the town that night: the third division by escalade at the castle, a brigade of the fifth division by escalade at the opposite side of the town, while the fourth and light divisions were to storm the breaches. the whole were ordered to be formed for the attack at eight o'clock. "_april , ._--our division formed for the attack of the left breach in the same order as at ciudad rodrigo. the command of it had now devolved upon our commandant, colonel barnard. i was then the acting adjutant of four companies, under colonel cameron, who were to line the crest of the glacis, and to fire at the ramparts and the top of the left breach. "the enemy seemed aware of our intentions. the fire of artillery and musketry, which for three weeks before had been incessant, both from the town and trenches, had now entirely ceased as if by mutual consent, and a death-like silence of nearly an hour preceded the awful scene of carnage. "the signal to advance was made about nine o'clock, and our four companies led the way. colonel cameron and myself had reconnoitred the ground so accurately by daylight that we succeeded in bringing the head of our column to the very spot agreed on, opposite to the left breach, and then formed line to the left without a word being spoken, each man lying down as he got into line, with the muzzle of his rifle over the edge of the ditch, between the palisades, all ready to open. it was tolerably clear above, and we distinctly saw their heads lining the ramparts, but there was a sort of haze on the ground which, with the colour of our dress, prevented them from seeing us, although only a few yards asunder. one of their sentries, however, challenged us twice, "qui vive," and, receiving no reply, he fired off his musket, which was followed by their drums beating to arms; but we still remained perfectly quiet, and all was silence again for the space of five or ten minutes, when the head of the forlorn hope at length came up, and we took advantage of the first fire while the enemy's heads were yet visible. "the scene that ensued furnished as respectable a representation of hell itself as fire and sword and human sacrifices could make it, for in one instant every engine of destruction was in full operation. it is in vain to attempt a description of it. we were entirely excluded from the right breach by an inundation which the heavy rains had enabled the enemy to form, and the two others were rendered totally impracticable by their interior defences. "the five succeeding hours were therefore passed in the most gallant and hopeless attempts on the part of individual officers, forming up fifty or a hundred men at a time at the foot of the breach, and endeavouring to carry it by desperate bravery; and, fatal as it proved to each gallant band in succession, yet, fast as one dissolved, another was formed. we were informed about twelve at night that the third division had established themselves in the castle; but as its situation and construction did not permit them to extend their operations beyond it at the moment, it did not in the least affect our opponents at the breach, whose defence continued as obstinate as ever. "i was near colonel barnard after midnight, when he received repeated messages from lord wellington to withdraw from the breach and to form the division for a renewal of the attack at daylight; but as fresh attempts continued to be made, and the troops were still pressing forward into the ditch, it went against his gallant soul to order a retreat while yet a chance remained; but after heading repeated attempts himself, he saw that it was hopeless, and the order was reluctantly given about two o'clock in the morning. we fell back about three hundred yards, and re-formed all that remained to us. "our regiment alone had to lament the loss of twenty-two officers killed and wounded, ten of whom were killed, or afterwards died of their wounds. we had scarcely got our men together when we were informed of the success of the fifth division in their escalade, and that the enemy were, in consequence, abandoning the breaches, and we were immediately ordered forward to take possession of them. on our arrival we found them entirely evacuated, and had not occasion to fire another shot; but we found the utmost difficulty and even danger in getting in in the dark, even without opposition. as soon as we succeeded in establishing our battalion inside, we sent piquets into the different streets and lanes leading from the breach, and kept the remainder in hand until day should throw some light on our situation. "when i was in the act of posting one of the piquets a man of ours brought me a prisoner, telling me that he was the governor; but the other immediately said that he had only called himself so the better to ensure his protection, and then added that he was the colonel of one of the french regiments, and that all his surviving officers were assembled at his quarters, in a street close by, and would surrender themselves to any officer who would go with him for that purpose. i accordingly took two or three men with me, and, accompanying him there, found fifteen or sixteen of them assembled, and all seeming very much surprised at the unexpected termination of the siege. they could not comprehend under what circumstances the town had been lost, and repeatedly asked me how i had got in; but i did not choose to explain further than simply telling them that i had entered at the breach, coupling the information with a look which was calculated to convey somewhat more than i knew myself; for, in truth, when i began to recollect that a few minutes before had seen me retiring from the breach under a fanciful overload of degradation, i thought that i had now as good a right as any man to be astonished at finding myself lording it over the officers of a french battalion; nor was i much wiser than they were as to the manner of its accomplishment. "they were all very much dejected, excepting their major, who was a big, jolly-looking dutchman, with medals enough on his left breast to have furnished the window of a tolerable toy-shop. his accomplishments were after the manner of captain dugald dalgetty; and while he cracked his joke he was not inattentive to the cracking of the corks from the many wine bottles which his colonel placed on the table successively, along with some cold meat, for general refreshment, prior to marching into captivity, and which i, though a free man, was not too proud to join them in. "when i had allowed their chief a reasonable time to secure what valuables he wished about his person, he told me that he had two horses in the stable, which, as he would no longer be permitted to keep, he recommended me to take; and as a horse is the only thing on such occasions that an officer can permit himself to consider a legal prize, i caused one of them to be saddled, and his handsome black mare thereby became my charger during the remainder of the war. "in proceeding with my prisoners towards the breach i took, by mistake, a different road to that i came; and as numbers of frenchmen were lurking about for a safe opportunity of surrendering themselves, about a hundred additional ones added themselves to my column as we moved along, jabbering their native dialect so loudly as nearly to occasion a dire catastrophe, as it prevented me from hearing some one challenge in my front; but, fortunately, it was repeated and i instantly answered; for colonel barnard and sir colin campbell had a piquet of our men drawn across the street on the point of sending a volley into us, thinking that we were a rallied body of the enemy. "the whole of the garrison were marched off as prisoners to elvas, about ten o'clock in the morning, and our men were then permitted to fall out to enjoy themselves for the remainder of the day, as a reward for having kept together so long as they were wanted. the whole of the three divisions were by this time loose in the town, and the usual frightful scene of plunder commenced, which the officers thought it necessary to avoid for the moment by retiring to the camp. "we went into the town on the morning of the th to endeavour to collect our men, but only succeeded in part, as the same extraordinary scene of plunder and rioting still continued. wherever there was anything to eat or drink, the only saleable commodities, the soldiers had turned the shopkeepers out of doors and placed themselves regularly behind the counter, selling off the contents of the shop. by-and-by another and a stronger party would kick those out in their turn, and there was no end to the succession of self-elected shopkeepers, until lord wellington found that to restore order severe measures must be resorted to. on the third day he caused a portuguese brigade to be marched in and kept standing to their arms in the great square, where the provost-marshal erected a gallows and proceeded to suspend a few of the delinquents, which very quickly cleared the town of the remainder, and enabled us to give a more satisfactory account of our battalion than we had hitherto been able to do. "the third day after the fall of the town, i rode, with colonel cameron, to take a bathe in the guadiana, and, in passing the verge of the camp of the fifth division, we saw two soldiers standing at the door of a small shed, or outhouse, shouting, waving their caps, and making signs that they wanted to speak to us. we rode up to see what they wanted, and found that the poor fellows had each lost a leg. they told us that a surgeon had dressed their wounds on the night of the assault, but that they had ever since been without food or assistance of any kind, although they, each day, had opportunities of soliciting the aid of many of their comrades, from whom they could obtain nothing but promises. in short, surrounded by thousands of their countrymen within call, and not more than three hundred yards from their own regiment, they were unable to interest any one in their behalf, and they were literally starving. it is unnecessary to say that we instantly galloped back to camp and had them removed to the hospital. "on the morning of the th, when some of our officers were performing the last duties to their fallen comrades, one of them had collected the bodies of four young officers who had been slain. he was in the act of digging a grave for them, when an officer of the guards arrived on the spot, from a distant division of the army, and demanded tidings of his brother, who was at that moment lying a naked lifeless corpse under his very eyes. the officer had the presence of mind to see that the corpse was not recognised, and, wishing to spare the others feelings, told him that his brother was dangerously wounded, but he would hear more of him by going out to the camp; and thither the other immediately bent his steps, with a seeming presentiment of the sad intelligence that awaited him." one curious incident in the siege of badajos may be related. the day after the assault two spanish ladies, the younger a beautiful girl of fourteen, appealed for help to two officers of the rifles, who were passing through one of the streets of the town. their dress was torn, their ears, from which rings had been roughly snatched, were bleeding, and to escape outrage or death they cast themselves on the protection of the first british officers they met. one of the officers was captain harry smith of the rifles. two years later he married the girl he had saved in a scene so wild. captain harry smith, in after years, served at the cape as sir harry, and this spanish girl, as lady smith, gave her name to the historic town which sir george white defended with such stubborn valour. the two great sieges of badajos and of ladysmith are separated from each other by nearly a century; but there exists this interesting human link betwixt them. chapter v in the pyrenees the great battles and sieges, of course, arrest the attention of the historian, and their tale has been told over and over again. but what may be called the unrecorded marches and skirmishes of the campaign have genuine interest; and kincaid, as we have seen, describes these with great vividness. another set of such pictures is supplied by the campaign in the pyrenees, where the soldiers marched and fought in wild and sunless ravines, on the wild-blown crests of mighty hills, or in deep and roadless valleys. here are some of kincaid's pyrenean reminiscences. the month is july . wellington is pushing the broken french back through the hill passes towards the french frontiers:-- "we advanced along the banks of the bidassoa, through a succession of beautiful little fertile valleys, thickly studded with clean, respectable-looking farm-houses and little villages, and bounded by stupendous, picturesque, and well-wooded mountains, until we came to the hill next to the village of bera, which we found occupied by a small force of the enemy, who, after receiving a few shots from our people, retired through the village into their position behind it. our line of demarcation was then clearly seen. the mountain which the french army occupied was the last ridge of the pyrenees; and their sentries stood on the face of it, within pistol-shot of the village of bera, which now became the advanced post of our division. the left wing of the army, under sir thomas graham, now commenced the siege of st. sebastian; and as lord wellington had, at the same time, to cover both that and the blockade of pampeluna, our army occupied an extended position of many miles. "marshal soult having succeeded to the command of the french army, and finding, towards the end of july, that st. sebastian was about to be stormed, and that the garrison of pampeluna were beginning to get on short allowance, he determined on making a bold push for the relief of both places; and, assembling the whole of his army, he forced the pass of maya, and advanced rapidly upon pampeluna. lord wellington was never to be caught napping. his army occupied too extended a position to offer effectual resistance at any of their advanced posts; but, by the time that marshal soult had worked his way to the last ridge of the pyrenees, and within sight of 'the haven of his wishes,' he found his lordship waiting for him, with four divisions of the army, who treated him to one of the most signal and sanguinary defeats that he ever experienced. "our division during the important movements on our right was employed in keeping up the communication between the troops under the immediate command of lord wellington and those under sir thomas graham, at st. sebastian. we retired, the first day, to the mountains behind le secca; and, just as we were about to lie down for the night, we were again ordered under arms, and continued our retreat in utter darkness, through a mountain path, where, in many places, a false step might have rolled a fellow as far as the other world. the consequence was, that, although we were kept on our legs during the whole of the night, we found, when daylight broke, that the tail of the column had not got a quarter of a mile from their starting-post. on a good broad road it is all very well, but on a narrow, bad road a night march is like a nightmare, harassing a man to no purpose. "on the th, we occupied a ridge of mountain near enough to hear the battle, though not in a situation to see it; and remained the whole of the day in the greatest torture for want of news. about midnight we heard the joyful tidings of the enemy's defeat, with the loss of four thousand prisoners. our division proceeded in pursuit at daylight on the following morning. we moved rapidly by the same road on which we had retired; and, after a forced march, found ourselves, when near sunset, on the flank of their retiring column on the bidassoa, near the bridge of janca, and immediately proceeded to business. "the sight of a frenchman always acted like a cordial on the spirits of a rifleman; and the fatigues of the day were forgotten, as our three battalions extended among the brushwood, and went down to 'knock the dust out of their hairy knapsacks,'[ ] as our men were in the habit of expressing themselves; but, in place of knocking the dust out of them, i believe that most of their knapsacks were knocked in the dust; for the greater part of those who were not floored along with their knapsacks, shook them off, by way of enabling the owner to make a smarter scramble across that portion of the road on which our leaden shower was pouring; and, foes as they were, it was impossible not to feel a degree of pity for their situation; pressed by an enemy in the rear, an inaccessible mountain on their right, and a river on their left, lined by an invisible foe, from whom there was no escape but the desperate one of running the gantlet. "we advanced next morning, and occupied our former post at bera. the enemy still continued to hold the mountain of echelar, which, as it rose out of the right end of our ridge, was, properly speaking, a part of our property, and we concluded that a sense of justice would have induced them to leave it of their own accord in the course of the day; but, when towards the afternoon, they showed no symptoms of quitting, our division, leaving their kettles on the fire, proceeded to eject them. as we approached the mountain, the peak of it caught a passing cloud, that gradually descended in a thick fog and excluded them from our view. our three battalions, however, having been let loose, under colonel barnard, we soon made ourselves 'children of the mist'; and, guided to our opponents by the whistling of their balls, made them descend from their 'high estate'; and, handing them across the valley into their own position, we then retired to ours, where we found our tables ready spread, and a comfortable dinner waiting for us. "this was one of the most gentleman-like day's fighting that i ever experienced, although we had to lament the vacant seats of one or two of our messmates. "_august ._--i narrowly escaped being taken prisoner this morning, very foolishly. a division of spaniards occupied the ground to our left, beyond the bidassoa; and having mounted my horse to take a look at their post, i passed through a small village, and then got on a rugged path winding along the edge of the river, where i expected to find their outposts. the river at that place was not above knee-deep, and about ten or twelve yards across; and though i saw a number of soldiers gathering chestnuts from a row of trees which lined the opposite bank, i concluded that they were spaniards, and kept moving onwards; but, observing at last, that i was an object of greater curiosity than i ought to be to people who had been in the daily habit of seeing the uniform, it induced me to take a more particular look at my neighbours, when, to my consternation, i saw the french eagle ornamenting the front of every cap. i instantly wheeled my horse to the right about; and seeing that i had a full quarter of a mile to traverse at a walk, before i could get clear of them, i began to whistle, with as much unconcern as i could muster, while my eye was searching like lightning for the means of escape in the event of their trying to cut me off. i had soon the satisfaction of observing that none of them had firelocks, which reduced my capture to the chances of a race! for, though the hill on my right was inaccessible to a horseman, it was not so to a dismounted scotchman; and i therefore determined, in case of necessity, to abandon my horse, and show them what i could do on my own bottom at a pinch. fortunately they did not attempt it; and i could scarcely credit my good luck when i found myself once more in my own tent." no fighting in the whole peninsular campaign was more stubborn than that which took place in the pyrenees towards the close of . soult showed great skill and audacity as a general. he was fighting to keep the invader's foot from profaning the "sacred" soil of france, and his genius shines at its brightest in the combats fought in the wild country betwixt san sebastian and bayonne. but wellington's troops were veterans, flushed with victory and full of pride in themselves and confidence in their leader; and they were irresistible. one or two of kincaid's sketches of fighting in the pyrenees may be given:-- "the ensuing month passed by without producing the slightest novelty, and we began to get heartily tired of our situation. our souls, in fact, were strung for war, and peace afforded no enjoyment, unless the place did, and there was none to be found in a valley of the pyrenees, which the ravages of contending armies had reduced to a desert. the labours of the french on the opposite mountain had, in the first instance, been confined to fortification; but, as the season advanced, they seemed to think that the branch of a tree, or a sheet of canvas, was too slender a barrier between them and a frosty night, and their fortified camp was gradually becoming a fortified town of regular brick and mortar. though we were living under the influence of the same sky, we did not think it necessary to give ourselves the same trouble, but reasoned on their proceedings like philosophers, and calculated, from the aspect of the times, that there was a probability of a speedy transfer of property, and that it might still be reserved for us to give their town a name; nor were we disappointed. late on the night of the th of october, colonel barnard arrived from headquarters with the intelligence that the next was to be the day of trial. accordingly, on the morning of the th, the fourth division came up to support us, and we immediately marched down to the foot of the enemy's position, shook off our knapsacks before their faces, and went at them. "the action commenced by five companies of our third battalion advancing, under colonel ross, to dislodge the enemy from a hill which they occupied in front of their entrenchments; and there never was a movement more beautifully executed, for they walked quietly and steadily up, and swept them regularly off without firing a single shot until the enemy had turned their backs, when they then served them out with a most destructive discharge. the movement excited the admiration of all who witnessed it, and added another laurel to the already crowded wreath which adorned the name of that distinguished officer. "at the first look of the enemy's position it appeared as if our brigade had got the most difficult task to perform; but as the capture of this hill showed us a way round the flank of their entrenchments, we carried one after the other until we finally gained the summit, with very little loss. our second brigade, however, were obliged to take 'the bull by the horns' on their side, and suffered more severely; but they rushed at everything with a determination that defied resistance, carrying redoubt after redoubt at the point of the bayonet, until they finally joined us on the summit of the mountain, with three hundred prisoners in their possession. "we now found ourselves firmly established within the french territory, with a prospect before us that was truly refreshing, considering that we had not seen the sea for three years, and that our views for months had been confined to fogs and the peaks of mountains. on our left the bay of biscay lay extended as far as the horizon, while several of our ships of war were seen sporting upon her bosom. beneath us lay the pretty little town of st. jean de luz, which looked as if it had just been framed out of the liliputian scenery of a toy-shop. the town of bayonne, too, was visible in the distance, and the view to the right embraced a beautiful, well-wooded country, thickly studded with towns and villages, as far as the eye could reach. "on the morning of the th we turned out as usual an hour before daylight. the sound of musketry to our right in our own hemisphere announced that the french and spaniards had resumed their unfinished argument of last night relative to the occupation of la rhune; while at the same time 'from our throne of clouds' we had an opportunity of contemplating, with some astonishment, the proceedings of the nether world. a french ship of war, considering st. jean de luz no longer a free port, had endeavoured, under cover of the night, to steal alongshore to bayonne, and when daylight broke they had an opportunity of seeing that they were not only within sight of their port, but within sight of a british gun-brig, and if they entertained any doubts as to which of the two was nearest, their minds were quickly relieved on that point by finding that they were not within reach of their port, and strictly within reach of the guns of the brig, while two british frigates were bearing down with a press of canvas. the frenchman returned a few broadsides. he was double the size of the one opposed to him, but, conceiving his case to be hopeless, he at length set fire to the ship and took to his boats. we watched the progress of the flames, until she finally blew up and disappeared in a column of smoke. the boats of our gun-brig were afterwards seen employed in picking up the odds and ends. "the french, after leaving la rhune, established their advanced post on petite la rhune, a mountain that stood as high as most of its neighbours; but, as its name betokens, it was but a child to its gigantic namesake, of which it seemed as if it had at a former period formed a part; but having been shaken off like a useless galoche, it now stood gaping, open-mouthed, at the place it had left (and which had now become our advanced post), while the enemy proceeded to furnish its jaws with a set of teeth, or, in other words, to face it with breastworks, &c., a measure which they invariably had recourse to in every new position. "encamped on the face of la rhune, we remained a whole month idle spectators of their preparations, and dearly longing for the day that should afford us an opportunity of penetrating into the more hospitable-looking low country beyond them; for the weather had become excessively cold, and our camp stood exposed to the utmost fury of the almost nightly tempest. oft have i in the middle of the night awoke from a sound sleep and found my tent on the point of disappearing in the air like a balloon, and, leaving my warm blankets, been obliged to snatch the mallet and rush out in the midst of a hailstorm to peg it down. i think that i now see myself looking like one of those gay creatures of the elements who dwelt, as shakespeare has it, among the rainbows! "by way of contributing to the warmth of my tent, i dug a hole inside, which i arranged as a fireplace, carrying the smoke underneath the walls, and building a turf-chimney outside. i was not long in proving the experiment, and, finding that it went exceedingly well, i was not a little vain of the invention. however, it came on to rain very hard while i was dining at a neighbouring tent, and on my return to my own i found the fire not only extinguished, but a fountain playing from the same place up to the roof, watering my bed and baggage, and all sides of it, most refreshingly. "it is very singular that, notwithstanding our exposure to all the severities of the worst of weather, we had not a single sick man in the battalion while we remained there." to this period belongs the stern fighting near bayonne betwixt december and , . "we turned out at daylight on the th, but as there was a thick drizzling rain which prevented us from seeing anything, we soon turned in again. my servant soon after came to tell me that sir lowry cole and some of his staff had just ascended to the top of the château, a piece of information which did not quite please me, for i fancied that the general had just discovered our quarter to be better than his own, and had come for the purpose of taking possession of it. however, in less than five minutes we received an order for our battalion to move up instantly to the support of the piquets; and on my descending to the door to mount my horse, i found sir lowry standing there, who asked if we had received any orders, and on my telling him that we had been ordered up to support the piquets, he immediately desired a staff-officer to order up one of his brigades to the rear of the château. this was one of the numerous instances in which we had occasion to admire the prudence and forethought of the great wellington! he had foreseen the attack that would take place, and had his different divisions disposed to meet it. "the enemy came up to the opposite ridge in formidable numbers, and began blazing at our windows and loopholes and showing some disposition to attempt it by storm; but they thought better of it, and withdrew their columns a short distance to the rear, leaving the nearest hedge lined with their skirmishers. an officer of ours, mr. hopewood, and one of our sergeants, had been killed in the field opposite, within twenty yards of where the enemy's skirmishers now were. we were very anxious to get possession of their bodies, but had not force enough to effect it. several french soldiers came through the hedge at different times with the intention, as we thought, of plundering, but our men shot every one who attempted to go near them, until towards evening, when a french officer approached, waving a white handkerchief and pointing to some of his men who were following him with shovels. seeing that his intention was to bury them we instantly ceased firing, nor did we renew it again that night. "the rd, from their post at the church, kept up an incessant shower of musketry the whole of the day, at what was conceived at the time to be a very long range; but from the quantity of balls which were afterwards found sticking in every tree where the enemy stood, it was evident that their berth must have been rather uncomfortable. one of our officers, in the course of the day, had been passing through a deep roadway between two banks with hedgerows, when, to his astonishment, a dragoon and his horse tumbled heels over head into the road, as if they had been fired out of a cloud. neither of them were the least hurt; but it must have been no joke that tempted him to take such a flight. general alten and sir james kempt took up their quarters with us in the château; our sentries and those of the enemy stood within pistol-shot of each other in the ravine below. "on the th there was heavy firing and hard fighting all day to our left, but we remained perfectly quiet. towards the afternoon sir james kempt formed our brigade for the purpose of expelling the enemy from the hill next to the château, to which he thought them rather too near; but, just as we reached our different points for commencing the attack, we were recalled, and nothing further occurred. "i went about one o'clock in the morning to visit our different piquets, and seeing an unusual number of fires in the enemy's lines, i concluded that they had lit them to mask some movement; and, taking a patrol with me, i stole cautiously forward and found that they had left the ground altogether. i immediately returned and reported the circumstance to general alten, who sent off a despatch to apprise lord wellington. "as soon as day began to dawn on the morning of the th, a tremendous fire of artillery and musketry was heard to our right. soult had withdrawn everything from our front in the course of the night, and had now attacked sir rowland hill with his whole force. lord wellington, in expectation of this attack, had last night reinforced sir rowland hill with the sixth division; which enabled him to occupy his contracted position so strongly that soult, unable to bring more than his own front to bear upon him, sustained a signal and sanguinary defeat. "lord wellington galloped into the yard of our château soon after the attack had commenced, and demanded, with his usual quickness, what was to be seen? sir james kempt, who was spying at the action from an upper window, told him; and, after desiring sir james to order sir lowry cole to follow him with the fourth division, he galloped off to the scene of action. in the afternoon, when all was over, he called in again on his return to headquarters, and told us, 'that it was the most glorious affair that he had ever seen; and that the enemy had absolutely left upwards of five thousand men killed and wounded on the ground.'" footnotes: [footnote : the french knapsack is made of unshorn goatskin.] chapter vi quatre bras napoleon escaped from elba on january , ; on march he reached fontainebleau, and louis xviii. fled from paris. instantly the flames of war were rekindled throughout europe. england hurried her best troops into the netherlands, where a great army under wellington was assembling. amongst the first of the regiments to embark were naturally the famous rifles. kincaid had persuaded himself that his fighting days were ended, and he was peacefully shooting woodcocks in scotland when summoned to join his regiment at speed. his battalion had sailed, and he caught the first boat leaving leith for rotterdam. it took ten days to reach the coast of holland, and then went helplessly ashore. kincaid got safely to land, and pushed on to brussels, when he found his battalion forming part of the fifth division under picton. a fortnight's pause followed, while the prussian and english armies watched and listened for the first sign or sound which would show where napoleon's blow was about to fall. it was the fate of the rifles to take a gallant part in the stern fight at quatre bras, and kincaid tells the story very graphically:-- "as our division was composed of crack regiments under crack commanders, and headed by fire-eating generals, we had little to do the first fortnight after my arrival beyond indulging in all the amusements of our delightful quarter; but, as the middle of june approached, we began to get a little more on the _qui vive_, for we were aware that napoleon was about to make a dash at some particular point; and, as he was not the sort of general to give his opponent an idea of the when and the where, the greater part of our army was necessarily disposed along the frontier, to meet him at his own place. they were, of course, too much extended to offer effectual resistance in their advanced position; but as our division and the duke of brunswick's corps were held in reserve at brussels, in readiness to be thrust at whatever point might be attacked, they were a sufficient additional force to check the enemy for the time required to concentrate the army. "we were, the whole of june th, on the most anxious lookout for news from the front; but no report had been received prior to the hour of dinner. i went, about seven in the evening, to take a stroll in the park, and meeting one of the duke's staff he asked me, _en passant_, whether my pack-saddles were all ready? i told him that they were nearly so, and added, 'i suppose they won't be wanted, at all events, before to-morrow?' to which he replied, in the act of leaving me, 'if you have any preparation to make, i would recommend you not to delay so long.' i took the hint, and, returning to quarters, remained in momentary expectation of an order to move. the bugles sounded to arms about two hours after. "to the credit of our battalion, be it recorded that, although the greater part were in bed when the assembly sounded, and billeted over the most distant parts of that extensive city, every man was on his alarm-post before eleven o'clock in a complete state of marching order; whereas it was nearly two o'clock in the morning before we were joined by the others. "as a grand ball was to take place the same night at the duchess of richmond's, the order for the assembling of the troops was accompanied by permission for any officer who chose, to remain for the ball, provided that he joined his regiment early in the morning. several of ours took advantage of it. "waiting for the arrival of the other regiments, we endeavoured to snatch an hour's repose on the pavement; but we were every instant disturbed, by ladies as well as gentlemen, some stumbling over us in the dark--some shaking us out of our sleep to be told the news--and not a few conceiving their immediate safety depending upon our standing in place of lying. all those who applied for the benefit of my advice, i recommended to go home to bed, to keep themselves perfectly cool, and to rest assured that, if their departure from the city became necessary (which i very much doubted), they would have at least one whole day to prepare for it, as we were leaving some beef and potatoes behind us, for which, i was sure, we would fight rather than abandon! "the whole of the division having at length assembled, we were put in motion about three o'clock on the morning of the th, and advanced to the village of waterloo, where, forming in a field adjoining the road, our men were allowed to prepare their breakfasts. i succeeded in getting mine in a small inn on the left-hand side of the village. lord wellington joined us about nine o'clock; and from his very particular orders to see that the roads were kept clear of baggage, and everything likely to impede the movements of the troops, i have since been convinced that his lordship had thought it probable that the position of waterloo might, even that day, have become the scene of action; for it was a good broad road, on which there were neither the quantity of baggage nor of troops moving at the time to excite the slightest apprehension of confusion. leaving us halted, he galloped on to the front, followed by his staff; and we were soon after joined by the duke of brunswick, with his corps of the army. "his highness dismounted near the place where i was standing, and seated himself on the roadside, along with his adjutant-general. he soon after despatched his companion on some duty; and i was much amused to see the vacated place immediately filled by an old beggar-man, who, seeing nothing in the black hussar uniform beside him denoting the high rank of the wearer, began to grunt and scratch himself most luxuriously! the duke showed a degree of courage which few would under such circumstances; for he maintained his post until the return of his officer, when he very jocularly said, 'well, o----n, you see that your place was not long unoccupied!' how little idea had i, at the time, that the life of the illustrious speaker was limited to three short hours! "about twelve o'clock an order arrived for the troops to advance, leaving their baggage behind; and though it sounded warlike, yet we did not expect to come in contact with the enemy, at all events, on that day. but, as we moved forward, the symptoms of their immediate presence kept gradually increasing; for we presently met a cartload of wounded belgians; and, after passing through genappe, the distant sound of a solitary gun struck on the listening ear. but all doubt on the subject was quickly removed; for, on ascending the rising ground where stands the village of quatre bras, we saw a considerable plain in our front, flanked on each side by a wood, and on another acclivity beyond, we could perceive the enemy descending towards us in most imposing numbers. "quatre bras, at that time, consisted of only three or four houses; and, as its name betokens, i believe, stood at the junction of four roads, on one of which we were moving; a second inclined to the right; a third, in the same degree, to the left; and the fourth, i conclude, must have gone backwards; but, as i had not an eye in that direction, i did not see it. the village was occupied by some belgians, under the prince of orange, who had an advanced post in a large farmhouse at the foot of the road, which inclined to the right; and a part of his division also occupied the wood on the same side. "lord wellington, i believe, after leaving us at waterloo, galloped on to the prussian position at ligny, where he had an interview with blucher, in which they concerted measures for their mutual co-operation. when we arrived at quatre bras, however, we found him in a field near the belgian outpost; and the enemy's guns were just beginning to play upon the spot where he stood, surrounded by a numerous staff. "we halted for a moment on the brow of the hill; and as sir andrew barnard galloped forward to the headquarter group, i followed, to be in readiness to convey any orders to the battalion. the moment we approached, lord fitzroy somerset, separating himself from the duke, said, 'barnard, you are wanted instantly; take your battalion and endeavour to get possession of that village,' pointing to one on the face of the rising ground, down which the enemy were moving; 'but if you cannot do that, secure that wood on the left, and keep the road open for communication with the prussians.' we instantly moved in the given direction; but, ere we had got half-way to the village, we had the mortification to see the enemy throw such a force into it as rendered any attempt to retake it, with our numbers, utterly hopeless; and as another strong body of them were hastening towards the wood, which was the second object pointed out to us, we immediately brought them to action, and secured it. in moving to that point, one of our men went raving mad, from excessive heat. the poor fellow cut a few extraordinary capers, and died in the course of a few minutes. "while our battalion reserve occupied the front of the wood, our skirmishers lined the side of the road, which was the prussian line of communication. the road itself, however, was crossed by such a shower of balls, that none but a desperate traveller would have undertaken a journey on it. we were presently reinforced by a small battalion of foreign light troops, with whose assistance we were in hopes to have driven the enemy a little farther from it; but they were a raw body of men, who had never before been under fire, and, as they could not be prevailed upon to join our skirmishers, we could make no use of them whatever. sir andrew barnard repeatedly pointed out to them which was the french, and which was our side; and, after explaining that they were not to fire a shot until they joined our skirmishers, the word 'march!' was given; but march to them was always the signal to fire, for they stood fast, and began blazing away, chiefly at our skirmishers too, the officers commanding whom were every time sending back to say that we were shooting them: until we were at last obliged to be satisfied with whatever advantages their appearance could give, as even that was of some consequence where troops were so scarce. "bonaparte's attack on the prussians had already commenced, and the fire of artillery and musketry in that direction was tremendous; but the intervening higher ground prevented us from seeing any part of it. "the plain to our right which we had just quitted had likewise become the scene of a sanguinary and unequal contest. our division after we left it deployed into line, and, in advancing, met and routed the french infantry; but in following up their advantage they encountered a furious charge of cavalry, and were obliged to throw themselves into squares to receive it. with the exception of one regiment, however, which had two companies cut to pieces, they were not only successful in resisting the attack, but made awful havoc in the enemy's ranks, who, nevertheless, continued their forward career, and went sweeping past them like a whirlwind up to the village of quatre bras, to the confusion and consternation of the numerous useless appendages of our army who wore there assembled waiting the result of the battle. "the forward movement of the enemy's cavalry gave their infantry time to rally; and strongly reinforced with fresh troops, they again advanced to the attack. this was a crisis in which, according to bonaparte's theory, the victory was theirs by all the rules of war, for they held superior numbers both before and behind us; but the gallant old picton, who had been trained in a different school, did not choose to confine himself to rules in those matters. despising the force in his rear, he advanced, charged, and routed those in his front, which created such a panic among the others that they galloped back through the intervals in his division with no other object in view but their own safety. after this desperate conflict the firing on both sides lulled almost to a calm for nearly an hour, while each was busy in renewing their order of battle. "the battle, on the side of the prussians, still continued to rage in an unceasing roar of artillery. about four in the afternoon a troop of their dragoons came, as a patrol, to inquire how it fared with us, and told us in passing that they still maintained their position. their day, however, was still to be decided, and, indeed, for that matter, so was our own; for, although the firing for the moment had nearly ceased, i had not yet clearly made up my mind which side had been the offensive, which the defensive, or which the winning. i had merely the satisfaction of knowing that we had not lost it; for we had met fairly in the middle of a field (or, rather unfairly, considering that they had two to one), and, after the scramble was over, our division still held the ground they fought on. all doubts on the subject, however, began to be removed about five o'clock. the enemy's artillery once more opened, and on running to the brow of the hill to ascertain the cause, we perceived our old light-division general, count alten, at the head of a fresh british division, moving gallantly down the road towards us. it was, indeed, a joyful sight; for, as already mentioned, our division had suffered so severely that we could not help looking forward to a renewal of the action, with such a disparity of force, with considerable anxiety. but this reinforcement gave us new life, and, as soon as they came near enough to afford support, we commenced the offensive, and driving in the skirmishers opposed to us, succeeded in gaining a considerable portion of the position originally occupied by the enemy, when darkness obliged us to desist. in justice to the foreign battalion which had been all day attached to us, i must say that, in this last movement, they joined us cordially and behaved exceedingly well. they had a very gallant young fellow at their head; and their conduct in the earlier part of the day can therefore only be ascribed to its being their first appearance on such a stage. "leaving general alten in possession of the ground which we had assisted in winning, we returned in search of our division, and reached them about eleven at night, lying asleep in their glory on the field where they had fought, which contained many a bloody trace of the day's work. the firing, on the side of the prussians, had altogether ceased before dark, but recommenced with redoubled fury about an hour after; and it was then, as we afterwards learnt, that they lost the battle. "we lay down by our arms near the farmhouse already mentioned, in front of quatre bras; and the deuce is in it if we were not in good trim for sleeping, seeing that we had been either marching or fighting for twenty-six successive hours." in the retreat from quatre bras to waterloo, made necessary by the defeat of blucher at ligny, the rifles formed part of the rearguard. says kincaid:-- "_june ._--as last night's fighting only ceased with the daylight, the scene this morning presented a savage, unsettled appearance; the fields were strewed with the bodies of men, horses, torn clothing, and shattered cuirasses; and, though no movements appeared to be going on on either side, yet, as occasional shots continued to be exchanged at different points, it kept every one wide awake. we had the satisfaction of knowing that the whole of our army had assembled on the hill behind in the course of the night. "about nine o'clock we received the news of blucher's defeat, and of his retreat to wavre. lord wellington, therefore, immediately began to withdraw his army to the position of waterloo. sir andrew barnard was ordered to remain as long as possible with our battalion, to mask the retreat of the others; and was told, if we were attacked, that the whole of the british cavalry were in readiness to advance to our relief. i had an idea, however, that a single rifle battalion in the midst of ten thousand dragoons, would come but indifferently off in the event of a general crash, and was by no means sorry when, between eleven and twelve o'clock, every regiment had got clear off, and we followed before the enemy had put anything in motion against us. "after leaving the village of quatre bras, and passing through our cavalry who were formed on each side of the road, we drew up at the entrance of genappe. the rain at that moment began to descend in torrents, and our men were allowed to shelter themselves in the nearest houses; but we were obliged to turn out again in the midst of it in less than five minutes, as we found the french cavalry and ours already exchanging shots, and the latter were falling back to the more favourable ground behind genappe; we therefore retired with them _en masse_ through the village, and formed again on the rising ground beyond. "while we remained there we had an opportunity of seeing the different affairs of cavalry; and it did one's heart good to see how cordially the life guards went at their work. they had no idea of anything but straight-forward fighting, and sent their opponents flying in all directions. the only young thing they showed was in every one who got a roll in the mud (and, owing to the slipperiness of the ground, there were many) going off to the rear, according to their hyde park custom, as being no longer fit to appear on parade! i thought at first that they had been all wounded, but, on finding how the case stood, i could not help telling them that theirs was now the situation to verify the old proverb, 'the uglier the better soldier!' "the roads as well as the fields had now become so heavy that our progress to the rear was very slow; and it was six in the evening before we drew into the position of waterloo. our battalion took post in the second line that night, with its right resting on the namur road, behind la haye sainte, near a small mud cottage, which sir andrew barnard occupied as a quarter. the enemy arrived in front in considerable force about an hour after us, and a cannonade took place in different parts of the line, which ended at dark, and we lay down by our arms. it rained excessively hard the greater part of the night, nevertheless, having succeeded in getting a bundle of hay for my horse, and one of straw for myself, i secured the horse to his bundle, by tying him to one of the men's swords stuck in the ground, and, placing mine under his nose, i laid myself down upon it, and never opened my eyes again until daylight." chapter vii the rifles at waterloo nothing in kincaid's "adventures" is finer than his account of waterloo. he tells, it is true, only that which took place about himself, and, as the grey and strangling battle-smoke lay for hours on the ridge where kincaid stood, he could see only a very tiny patch of the great landscape of the battle. waterloo, for him, might be described as a ring of imprisoning smoke, over which bellowed and echoed constantly the roar of a hundred guns, and out of which, at irregular intervals, broke lines of french infantry--sometimes as a spray of skirmishers, sometimes as massed battalions. sometimes, by way of change, a column of horsemen--helmeted dragoons, cuirassiers in glittering breastplates, red lancers of the guard--broke through the fog, rode at the stubborn line of the rifles, and reeled off into the fog again, pursued by darting musketry volleys. to endure and to repel incessant attacks, hour after hour, was the business of the dwindling companies of the rifles. the third battalion, to which kincaid belonged, formed part of adams's brigade. it stood a hundred yards to the rear of la haye sainte, a little to the left of wellington's centre. the famous sandpit was in the immediate front of the battalion, and was held by three companies of rifles. on this point in the british line the utmost strength of the french attack--horse, foot, and artillery--was expended, and no men that day saw fiercer fighting than did kincaid and his fellow-riflemen. kincaid, therefore, has this right to tell the story of waterloo: he fought through the whole of that fateful day in the very heart of the great struggle:-- "when i awoke this morning at daylight, i found myself drenched with rain. i had slept so long and so soundly that i had, at first, but a very confused notion of my situation; but having a bright idea that my horse had been my companion when i went to sleep, i was rather startled at finding that i was now alone, nor could i rub my eyes clear enough to procure a sight of him, which was vexatious enough; for, independent of his value as a horse, his services were indispensable, and an adjutant might as well think of going into action without his arms as without such a supporter. but whatever my feelings might have been towards him, it was evident that he had none for me, from having drawn his sword and marched off. the chances of finding him again, amid ten thousand others, were about equal to the odds against the needle in a bundle of hay; but for once the single chance was gained, as, after a diligent search of an hour, he was discovered between two artillery horses, about half a mile from where he broke loose. "the weather cleared up as the morning advanced; and, though everything remained quiet at the moment, we were confident that the day would not pass off without an engagement, and, therefore, proceeded to put our arms in order, as, also, to get ourselves dried and made as comfortable as circumstances would permit. "we made a fire against the wall of sir andrew barnard's cottage, and boiled a huge camp-kettle full of tea, mixed up with a suitable quantity of milk and sugar, for breakfast; and, as it stood on the edge of the high-road, where all the big-wigs of the army had occasion to pass, in the early part of the morning, i believe almost every one of them, from the duke downwards, claimed a cupful. about ten o'clock an unusual bustle was observable among the staff-officers, and we soon after received an order to stand to our arms. the troops who had been stationed in our front during the night were then moved off to the right, and our division took up its fighting position. "our battalion stood on what was considered the left centre of the position. we had our right resting on the brussels road, about a hundred yards in the rear of the farmhouse of la haye sainte, and our left extending behind a broken hedge, which ran along the ridge to the left. immediately in our front, and divided from la haye sainte only by the great road, stood a small knoll, with a sand-hole in its farthest side, which we occupied, as an advanced post, with three companies. the remainder of the division was formed in two lines; the first, consisting chiefly of light troops, behind the hedge, in continuation from the left of our battalion reserve, and the second, about a hundred yards in its rear. the guns were placed in the intervals between the brigades, two pieces were in the roadway on our right, and a rocket brigade in the centre. "the road had been cut through the rising ground, and was about twenty or thirty feet deep where our right rested, and which, in a manner, separated us from all the troops beyond. the division, i believe, under general alten occupied the ground next to us, on the right. "shortly after we had taken up our ground, some columns, from the enemy's left, were seen in motion towards hougoumont, and were soon warmly engaged with the right of our army. a cannon ball, too, came from the lord knows where, for it was not fired at us and took the head off our right-hand man. that part of their position, in our own immediate front, next claimed our undivided attention. it had hitherto been looking suspiciously innocent, with scarcely a human being upon it; but innumerable black specks were now seen taking post at regular distances in its front, and recognising them as so many pieces of artillery, i knew, from experience, although nothing else was yet visible, that they were unerring symptoms of our not being destined to be idle spectators. "from the moment we took possession of the knoll we had busied ourselves in collecting branches of trees and other things, for the purpose of making an abatis to block up the road between that and the farmhouse, and soon completed one, which we thought looked sufficiently formidable to keep out the whole of the french cavalry; but it was put to the proof sooner than we expected, by a troop of our own light dragoons, who, having occasion to gallop through, astonished us not a little by clearing away every stick of it. we had just time to replace the scattered branches, when the whole of the enemy's artillery opened, and their countless columns began to advance under cover of it." the attack on hougoumont, it will be remembered, was intended by napoleon to be a mere feint, serving to draw off wellington's attention from the real attack, the onfall of d'erlon's huge columns on the left centre of the british position, which napoleon hoped to pierce and destroy. napoleon's tactics broke down first at hougoumont, for the feigned attack grew persistent and obstinate, and drew into its madness more than twelve thousand good infantry, and after all failed. d'erlon's great infantry attack was defeated by the stubbornness of picton's slender lines, and by the sudden and overwhelming onfall of the life guards, inniskillings, and greys. kincaid tells how he watched the french columns taking position for their attack:-- "the scene at that moment was grand and imposing, and we had a few minutes to spare for observation. the column destined as 'our' particular 'friends,' first attracted our notice, and seemed to consist of about ten thousand infantry. a smaller body of infantry and one of cavalry moved on their right; and, on their left, another huge column of infantry, and a formidable body of cuirassiers, while beyond them it seemed one moving mass. "we saw bonaparte himself take post on the side of the road immediately in our front, surrounded by a numerous staff; and each regiment, as they passed him, rent the air with shouts of 'vive l'empereur,' nor did they cease after they had passed, but, backed by the thunder of their artillery, and carrying with them the rub-a-dub of drums and the tantarara of trumpets, in addition to their increasing shouts, it looked at first as if they had some hopes of scaring us off the ground, for it was a singular contrast to the stern silence reigning on our side, where nothing as yet but the voices of our great guns told that we had mouths to open when we chose to use them. our rifles were, however, in a very few seconds required to play their parts, and opened such a fire on the advancing skirmishers as quickly brought them to a standstill; but their columns advanced steadily through them, although our incessant tiralade was telling in their centre with fearful exactness, and our post was quickly turned in both flanks, which compelled us to fall back and join our comrades behind the hedge, though not before some of our officers and theirs had been engaged in personal combat. "when the heads of their columns showed over the knoll which we had just quitted, they received such a fire from our first line that they wavered and hung behind it a little; but, cheered and encouraged by the gallantry of their officers, who were dancing and flourishing their swords in front, they at last boldly advanced to the opposite side of our hedge and began to deploy. our first line, in the meantime, was getting so thinned that picton found it necessary to bring up his second, but fell in the act of doing it. the command of the division at that critical moment devolved upon sir james kempt, who was galloping along the line, animating the men to steadiness. he called to me by name, where i happened to be standing on the right of our battalion, and desired 'that i would never quit that spot.' i told him that 'he might depend upon it;' and in another instant i found myself in a fair way of keeping my promise more religiously than i intended; for, glancing my eye to the right, i saw the next field covered with the cuirassiers, some of whom were making directly for the gap in the hedge where i was standing. "i had not hitherto drawn my sword, as it was generally to be had at a moment's warning; but from its having been exposed to the last night's rain, it had now got rusted in the scabbard and refused to come forth! i was in a precious scrape. mounted on my strong flanders mare, and with my good old sword in my hand, i would have braved all the chances without a moment's hesitation; but i confess that i felt considerable doubts as to the propriety of standing there to be sacrificed without the means of making a scramble for it. my mind, however, was happily relieved from such an embarrassing consideration before my decision was required; for the next moment the cuirassiers were charged by our household brigade, and the infantry in our front, giving way at the same time under our terrific shower of musketry, the flying cuirassiers tumbled in among the routed infantry, followed by the life guards, who were cutting away in all directions. hundreds of the infantry threw themselves down and pretended to be dead, while the cavalry galloped over them, and then got up and ran away. i never saw such a scene in all my life. "lord wellington had given orders that the troops were on no account to leave the position to follow up any temporary advantage; so that we now resumed our post, as we stood at the commencement of the battle, and with three companies again advanced on the knoll. i was told it was very ridiculous at that moment to see the number of vacant spots that were left nearly along the whole of the line, where a great part of the dark-dressed foreign troops had stood, intermixed with the british, when the action began. "our division got considerably reduced in numbers during the last attack; but lord wellington's fostering hand sent sir john lambert to our support with the sixth division, and we now stood prepared for another and a more desperate struggle. our battalion had already lost three officers killed and six or seven wounded; among the latter were sir andrew barnard and colonel cameron. "some one asking me what had become of my horse's ear was the first intimation i had of his being wounded; and i now found that, independent of one ear having been shaved close to his head (i suppose by a cannon-shot), a musket-ball had grazed across his forehead and another gone through one of his legs, but he did not seem much the worse for either of them. "between two and three o'clock we were tolerably quiet, except from a thundering cannonade; and the enemy had by that time got the range of our position so accurately that every shot brought a ticket for somebody's head. an occasional gun beyond the plain, far to our left, marked the approach of the prussians; but their progress was too slow to afford a hope of their arriving in time to take any share in the battle. on our right the roar of cannon and musketry had been incessant from the time of its commencement; but the higher ground near us prevented our seeing anything of what was going on." the anguish of the fight, as far as the rifles were concerned, came when la haye sainte was carried by the french. this gave them cover at half-musket range, whence they could waste the british front with their fire. their elation at having carried the farmhouse, it may be added, gave them new fire and audacity. they believed they had broken the british centre, that the day was won, that the stubborn british line was about to crumble and flee! and french soldiers are never so dangerous as when the rapture of real or imagined victory is kindling their blood. the pressure on the sadly-thinned lines of the rifles was cruel, but it was borne with cool and stubborn valour:-- "between three and four o'clock the storm gathered again in our front. our three companies on the knoll were soon involved in a furious fire. the germans occupying la haye sainte expended all their ammunition and fled from the post. the french took possession of it; and as it flanked our knoll we were obliged to abandon it also and fall back again behind the hedge. "the loss of la haye sainte was of the most serious consequence as it afforded the enemy an establishment within our position. they immediately brought up two guns on our side of it, and began serving out some grape to us; but they were so very near that we destroyed their artillerymen before they could give us a second round. "the silencing of these guns was succeeded by a very extraordinary scene on the same spot. a strong regiment of hanoverians advanced in line to charge the enemy out of la haye sainte; but they were themselves charged by a brigade of cuirassiers, and, excepting one officer, on a little black horse, who went off to the rear like a shot out of a shovel, i do believe that every man of them was put to death in about five seconds. a brigade of british light dragoons advanced to their relief, and a few on each side began exchanging thrusts; but it seemed likely to be a drawn battle between them, without much harm being done, when our men brought it to a crisis sooner than either side anticipated, for they previously had their rifles eagerly pointed at the cuirassiers, with a view of saving the perishing hanoverians; but the fear of killing their friends withheld them, until the others were utterly overwhelmed, when they instantly opened a terrific fire on the whole concern, sending both sides to flight; so that, on the small space of ground, within a hundred yards of us, where five thousand men had been fighting the instant before, there was not now a living soul to be seen. "it made me mad to see the cuirassiers in their retreat stooping and stabbing at our wounded men as they lay on the ground. how i wished that i had been blessed with omnipotent power for a moment, that i might have blighted them! "the same field continued to be a wild one the whole of the afternoon. it was a sort of duelling-post between the two armies, every half-hour showing a meeting of some kind upon it; but they never exceeded a short scramble, for men's lives were held very cheap there. "for the two or three succeeding hours there was no variety with us, but one continued blaze of musketry. the smoke hung so thick about, that, although not more than eighty yards asunder, we could only distinguish each other by the flashes of the pieces. "i shall never forget the scene which the field of battle presented about seven in the evening. i felt weary and worn out, less from fatigue than anxiety. our division, which had stood upwards of five thousand men at the commencement of the battle, had gradually dwindled down into a solitary line of skirmishers. the th regiment were lying literally dead, in square, a few yards behind us. my horse had received another shot through the leg, and one through the flap of the saddle, which lodged in his body, sending him a step beyond the pension-list. the smoke still hung so thick about us that we could see nothing. i walked a little way to each flank, to endeavour to get a glimpse of what was going on; but nothing met my eye except the mangled remains of men and horses, and i was obliged to return to my post as wise as i went. "i had never yet heard of a battle in which everybody was killed; but this seemed likely to be an exception, as all were going by turns. we got excessively impatient under the tame similitude of the latter part of the process, and burned with desire to have a last thrust at our respective _vis-a-vis_; for, however desperate our affairs were, we had still the satisfaction of seeing that theirs were worse. sir john lambert continued to stand as our support at the head of three good old regiments, one dead (the th) and two living ones, and we took the liberty of soliciting him to aid our views; but the duke's orders on that head were so very particular that the gallant general had no choice. "presently a cheer, which we knew to be british, commenced far to the right, and made every one prick up his ears--it was lord wellington's long-wished-for orders to advance; it gradually approached, growing louder as it drew near--we took it up by instinct, charged through the hedge down upon the old knoll, sending our adversaries flying at the point of the bayonet. lord wellington galloped up to us at the instant, and our men began to cheer him; but he called out, 'no cheering, my lads, but forward, and complete your victory!' "this movement had carried us clear of the smoke; and, to people who had been for so many hours enveloped in darkness, in the midst of destruction, and naturally anxious about the result of the day, the scene which now met the eye conveyed a feeling of more exquisite gratification than can be conceived. it was a fine summer's evening, just before sunset. the french were flying in one confused mass. british lines were seen in close pursuit, and in admirable order, as far as the eye could reach to the right, while the plain to the left was filled with prussians. the enemy made one last attempt at a stand on the rising ground to our right of la belle alliance; but a charge from general adams's brigade again threw them into a state of confusion, which was now inextricable, and their ruin was complete. artillery, baggage, and everything belonging to them fell into our hands. after pursuing them until dark, we halted about two miles beyond the field of battle, leaving the prussians to follow up the victory. "this was the last, the greatest, and the most uncomfortable heap of glory that i ever had a hand in, and may the deuce take me if i think that everybody waited there to see the end of it, otherwise it never could have been so troublesome to those who did. we were, take us all in all, a very bad army. our foreign auxiliaries, who constituted more than half of our numerical strength, with some exceptions, were little better than a raw militia--a body without a soul, or like an inflated pillow, that gives to the touch and resumes its shape again when the pressure ceases--not to mention the many who went clear out of the field, and were only seen while plundering our baggage in their retreat. "our heavy cavalry made some brilliant charges in the early part of the day; but they never knew when to stop, their ardour in following their advantages carrying them headlong on, until many of them 'burnt their fingers,' and got dispersed or destroyed. of that gallant corps, the royal artillery, it is enough to say that they maintained their former reputation--the first in the world--and it was a serious loss to us in the latter part of the day to be deprived of this more powerful co-operation, from the causes already mentioned. "if lord wellington had been at the head of his old peninsula army, i am confident that he would have swept his opponents off the face of the earth immediately after their first attack; but, with such a heterogeneous mixture under his command, he was obliged to submit to a longer day. "the field of battle next morning presented a frightful scene of carnage; it seemed as if the world had tumbled to pieces and three-fourths of everything destroyed in the wreck. the ground running parallel to the front of where we had stood was so thickly strewed with fallen men and horses, that it was difficult to step clear of their bodies; many of the former still alive, and imploring assistance, which it was not in our power to bestow. the usual salutation on meeting an acquaintance of another regiment after an action was to ask who had been hit? but on this occasion it was, 'who's alive?' meeting one next morning, a very little fellow, i asked what had happened to them yesterday? 'i'll be hanged,' says he, 'if i know anything at all about the matter, for i was all day trodden in the mud and galloped over by every scoundrel who had a horse; and, in short, that i only owe my existence to my insignificance.' "two of our men, on the morning of the th, lost their lives by a very melancholy accident. they were cutting up a captured ammunition waggon for firewood, when one of their swords, striking against a nail, sent a spark among the powder. when i looked in the direction of the explosion, i saw the two poor fellows about twenty or thirty feet up in the air. on falling to the ground, though lying on their backs and bellies, some extraordinary effort of nature, caused by the agony of the moment, made them spring from that position five or six times, to the height of eight or ten feet, just as a fish does when thrown on the ground after being newly caught. it was so unlike a scene in real life that it was impossible to witness it without forgetting, for a moment, the horror of their situation. "i ran to the spot along with others, and found that every stitch of clothes had been burnt off, and they were black as ink all over. they were still alive, and told us their names, otherwise we could not have recognised them; and, singular enough, they were able to walk off the ground with a little support, but died shortly after. "about twelve o'clock on the day after the battle we commenced our march for paris. i shall, therefore, leave my readers at waterloo, in the hope that, among the many stories of romance to which that and the other celebrated fields gave birth, the foregoing unsophisticated one of an eye-witness may not have been found altogether uninteresting." ii one of craufurd's veterans ii.--one of craufurd's veterans "rifleman" harris, an innocent-looking sheep-boy, his face brown with the winds and rains of the dorsetshire downs, drifted, so to speak, into a soldier's life pretty much as a floating leaf, blown from some rustic valley and fallen into a rustic stream, might drift into a great historic river, furrowed by a thousand keels, and be swept away to unknown seas. his autobiography is curious alike in what it omits and in what it tells. it is so barren of one class of personal details that we are left in ignorance of when the writer was born. he leaves himself in his own volume without a christian name. we are not told why he enlisted, nor where. unlike most people undertaking an autobiography, rifleman harris appears to have had no interest whatever in himself, and he was incapable of imagining that anybody else would be interested. but he was keenly concerned in all the personal incidents of a soldier's life, and he describes them with a simplicity and a directness, an economy of adjectives, and a felicity of substantives, which makes his "recollections" one of the freshest and most interesting soldier autobiographies ever written. he had some good luck as a soldier. he belonged to a famous regiment; he served under some famous commanders; he heard the first shots fired by british muskets in the peninsula. but he had also much ill-luck. he tramped, perspired, and probably swore, under south american suns in that most ignominious of all expeditions, under the most contemptible leader that ever wore a cocked hat--whitelocke's fiasco at buenos ayres. he next served in portugal, and took part in the fighting at roliça and vimiero. under sir john moore he shared in the heroism and the horrors of the dreadful retreat to corunna, or rather to vigo. that harris survived snow and rain and hunger, the inexpressible toils of the long marches, the biting cold of the black unsheltered nights, as well as the sabres of the pursuing french horsemen and the bullets of the french skirmishers, is little less than marvellous. but he did, and landed at spithead, ragged, bare-footed, unshaven, with rusty musket, hollow cheeks, and eyes that had almost gone sightless with mere fatigue--about as stiff and hardy and unconquerable a bit of soldierly flesh and blood as the world of that day could produce. a british private who had known the shame of whitelocke's south american expedition and the distress of moore's immortal retreat might well think he had exhausted all the evil possibilities of a soldier's life. but the unfortunate harris had one more evil experience. he found a place in the unhappy walcheren expedition, and crept out of it with wrecked constitution and ague-poisoned blood. he served after this in a veteran battalion; tried hard for service in the peninsula, but, to his unspeakable disgust, was disqualified by a doctor with an unsympathetic temper and an inelastic conscience, and while still only thirty-two was discharged on a pension of sixpence a day. "for the first time," he says, "since i had been a shepherd-lad on the blandford downs i found myself in plain clothes and with liberty to go and come where i liked." but harris never received a sixpence of his hard-earned pension, bought with blood and sweat. before the first payment became due napoleon had escaped from elba; the veterans were called back to the ranks. harris, wasted with fever and shaken with ague--legacies from walcheren swamps--was unable to join, and forfeited his pension. he had to spend the rest of his days making shoes and writing his "recollections of a rifleman." in view of this record, perhaps, the most striking thing in harris' "recollections" is their unconquerable good humour. the writer never grumbles. no faintest accent of discontent ever steals into his voice. his cheerfulness is invincible. he is proud of his officers; in the best of temper with his comrades; takes mud, rain, toil, empty stomach, and too heavy knapsack, a couch on the wet grass and under weeping skies, the pain of wounds, and the peril of death, all as part of the day's work, about which nobody has any right to grumble. a soldier's life, he plainly holds, is the pleasantest in the world. no one is better qualified than rifleman harris to tell to a modern and ease-loving generation how the men of the peninsula marched, suffered, fought, and conquered. chapter i the king's shilling harris's "recollections" begin with the simplicity and directness of one of de foe's tales:-- "my father was a shepherd, and i was a sheep-boy from my earliest youth. indeed, as soon almost as i could run i began helping my father to look after the sheep on the downs of blandford, in dorsetshire, where i was born. whilst i continued to tend the flocks and herds under my charge, and occasionally in the long winter nights to learn the art of making shoes, i grew a hardy little chap, and was one fine day, in the year , drawn as a soldier for the army of reserve. thus, without troubling myself much about the change which was to take place in the hitherto quiet routine of my days, i was drafted into the th regiment of foot, bade good-bye to my shepherd companions, and was obliged to leave my father without an assistant to collect his flocks, just as he was beginning more than ever to require one; nay, indeed, i may say to want tending and looking after himself, for old age and infirmity were coming on him, his hair was growing as white as the sleet of our downs, and his countenance becoming as furrowed as the ploughed fields around. however, as i had no choice in the matter, it was quite as well that i did not grieve over my fate. "my father tried hard to buy me off, and would have persuaded the sergeant of the th that i was of no use as a soldier from having maimed my right hand (by breaking the forefinger when a child). the sergeant, however, said i was just the sort of little chap he wanted, and off he went, carrying me (amongst a batch of recruits he had collected) away with him." harris's earliest experiences as a soldier naturally made the deepest impressions upon him. he found himself in a new world, with new comrades, and under strange new laws--laws with sanctions, swift, inevitable, and terrible--behind them. here is one of his earlier stories:-- "whilst lying at winchester (where we remained three months), young as i was in the profession, i was picked out amongst others to perform a piece of duty that for many years afterwards remained deeply impressed upon my mind, and gave me the first impression of the stern duties of a soldier's life. a private of the th regiment had deserted from that corps, and afterwards enlisted into several other regiments, indeed i was told at the time (though i cannot answer for so great a number) that sixteen different times he had received the bounty and then stolen off. being, however, caught at last, he was brought to trial at portsmouth, and sentenced by general court-martial to be shot. "the th received a route to portsmouth to be present on the occasion, and as the execution would be a good hint to us young 'uns, there were four lads picked out of our corps to assist in this piece of duty, myself being one of the number chosen. "besides these men, four soldiers from three other regiments were ordered on the firing-party, making sixteen in all. the place of execution was portsdown hill, near hilsea barracks, and the different regiments assembled must have composed a force of about fifteen thousand men, having been assembled from the isle of wight, from chichester, gosport, and other places. the sight was very imposing, and appeared to make a deep impression on all there. as for myself, i felt that i would have given a good round sum (had i possessed it) to have been in any situation rather than the one in which i now found myself; and when i looked into the faces of my companions, i saw, by the pallor and anxiety depicted in each countenance, the reflection of my own feelings. when all was ready, we were moved to the front, and the culprit was brought out. he made a short speech to the parade, acknowledging the justice of his sentence, and that drinking and evil company had brought the punishment upon him. "he behaved himself firmly and well, and did not seem at all to flinch. after being blindfolded, he was desired to kneel down behind a coffin which was placed on the ground, and the drum-major of the hilsea depôt, giving us an expressive glance, we immediately commenced loading. "this was done in the deepest silence, and the next moment we were primed and ready. there was then a dreadful pause for a few moments, and the drum-major, again looking towards us, gave the signal before agreed upon (a flourish of his cane) and we levelled and fired. we had been previously strictly enjoined to be steady and take good aim, and the poor fellow, pierced by several balls, fell heavily upon his back; and as he lay, with his arms pinioned to his sides, i observed that his hands waved for a few moments, like the fins of a fish, when in the agonies of death. the drum-major also observed the movement, and, making another signal, four of our party immediately stepped up to the prostrate body, and placing the muzzles of their pieces to the head, fired, and put him out of his misery. the different regiments then fell back by companies, and the word being given to march past in slow time, when each company came in line with the body the word was given to 'mark time,' and then 'eyes left,' in order that we might all observe the terrible example. we then moved onwards, and marched from the ground to our different quarters. "the th stopped that night about three miles from portsdown hill, and in the morning we returned to winchester. the officer in command that day, i remember, was general whitelocke, who was afterwards brought to court-martial himself. this was the first time of our seeing that officer. the next meeting was at buenos ayres, and during the confusion of that day one of us received an order from the fiery craufurd to shoot the traitor dead if he could see him in the battle, many others of the rifles receiving the same order from that fine and chivalrous officer. "the unfortunate issue of the buenos ayres affair is matter of history, and i have nothing to say about it, but i well remember the impression it made upon us all at the time, and that sir john moore was present at whitelocke's court-martial; general craufurd, and i think general auchmuty, captain eleder of the rifles, captain dickson, and one of our privates being witnesses. "so enraged was craufurd against him, that i heard say he strove hard to have him shot. whitelocke's father i also heard was at his son's trial, and cried like an infant during the proceedings. whitelocke's sword was broken over his head, i was told, and for months afterwards, when our men took their glass, they used to give as a toast, 'success to "grey hairs," but bad luck to "white-locks."' indeed, that toast was drunk in all the public-houses around for many a day." the th was shortly afterwards sent to ireland; and harris, who had shown himself smart and intelligent, was put into the light company of his regiment. while in dublin he saw some companies of the famous th rifles marching. they bore the signature of sir john moore's soldierly hand on them; and harris records that "i fell so in love with their smart, dashing, and devil-may-care appearance that nothing would serve me till i was a rifleman myself," and meeting a recruiting party of the regiment, he volunteered into the second battalion. he gives a strangely interesting account of the recruits which formed the raw material out of which wellington evolved the magnificent soldiers of the peninsula--men with whom, to use wellington's own words, he "could go anywhere, and do anything." rougher, wilder material--half savage and half child-like--than these recruits can hardly be imagined. certainly no such strange human material finds its way into british barracks to-day:-- "this recruiting-party were all irishmen, and had been sent over from england to collect (amongst others) men from the irish militia, and were just about to return to england. i think they were as reckless and devil-may-care a set of men as ever i beheld, either before or since. "being joined by a sergeant of the nd highlanders, and a highland piper of the same regiment (also a pair of real rollicking blades), i thought we should all have gone mad together. we started on our journey, one beautiful morning, in tip-top spirits, from the royal oak, at cashel; the whole lot of us (early as it was) being three sheets in the wind. when we paraded before the door of the royal oak, the landlord and landlady of the inn, who were quite as lively, came reeling forth, with two decanters of whisky, which they thrust into the fists of the sergeants, making them a present of decanters and all, to carry along with them, and refresh themselves on the march. the piper then struck up, the sergeants flourished their decanters, and the whole rout commenced a terrific yell. we then all began to dance, and danced through the town, every now and then stopping for another pull at the whisky decanters. thus we kept it up till we had danced, drank, shouted, and piped thirteen irish miles, from cashel to clonmel. such a day, i think, i never spent, as i enjoyed with these fellows; and on arriving at clonmel, we were as 'glorious' as any soldiers in all christendom need wish to be. "in about ten days after this, our sergeants had collected together a good batch of recruits, and we started for england. some few days before we embarked (as if we had not been bothered enough already with the unruly paddies), we were nearly pestered to death with a detachment of old irishwomen, who came from different parts (on hearing of their sons having enlisted), in order to endeavour to get them away from us. following us down to the water's edge, they hung to their offspring and, dragging them away, sent forth such dismal howls and moans that it was quite distracting to hear them. the lieutenant commanding the party, ordered me (being the only englishman present) to endeavour to keep them back. it was, however, as much as i could do to preserve myself being torn to pieces by them, and i was glad to escape out of their hands. "at length we got our lads safe on board, and set sail for england. no sooner were we out at sea, however, than our troubles began afresh with these hot-headed paddies; for, having now nothing else to do, they got up a dreadful quarrel amongst themselves, and a religious row immediately took place, the catholics reviling the protestants to such a degree that a general fight ensued. the poor protestants (being few in number) soon got the worst of it, and as fast as we made matters up among them, they broke out afresh and began the riot again. "from bath we marched to andover, and when we came upon salisbury plain, our irish friends got up a fresh row. at first they appeared uncommonly pleased with the scene, and, dispersing over the soft carpet of the downs, commenced a series of irish jigs till at length as one of the catholics was setting to his partner (a protestant), he gave a whoop and a leap into the air, and at the same time (as if he couldn't bear the partnership of a heretic any longer), dealt him a tremendous blow with his shillelagh, and stretched him upon the sod. this was quite enough, and the bludgeons immediately began playing away at a tremendous rate. "the poor protestants were again quickly disposed of, and then arose a cry of 'huzza for the wicklow boys,' 'huzza for the connaught boys,' 'huzza for munster,' and 'huzza for ulster!' they then recommenced the fight as if they were determined to make an end of their soldiering altogether upon salisbury plains. we had, i remember, four officers with us, and they did their best to pacify their pugnacious recruits. one thrust himself amongst them, but was instantly knocked down for his pains, so that he was glad enough to escape. after they had completely tired themselves, they began to slacken in their endeavours, and apparently to feel the effect of the blows they dealt each other, and at length suffering themselves to be pacified, the officers got them into andover. "scarcely had we been a couple of hours there, and obtained some refreshment, ere these incorrigible blackguards again commenced quarrelling, and collecting together in the streets, created so serious a disturbance that the officers, getting together a body of constables, seized some of the most violent and succeeded in thrusting them into the town jail; upon this their companions again collected, and endeavoured to break open the prison gates. "baffled in this attempt, they rushed through the streets knocking down everybody they met. the drums now commenced beating up for a volunteer corps of the town, which, quickly mustering, drew up in the street before the jail, and immediately were ordered to load with ball. this somewhat pacified the rioters, and our officers persuading them to listen to a promise of pardon for the past, peace was at length restored amongst them." harris's first experience of active service was in that obscure and more than half-forgotten expedition to copenhagen in . harris found that coming under fire was, on the whole, an exhilarating experience. certainly the manner in which he bore himself when first he heard the whistle of hostile bullets showed he had the makings of a good soldier. "the expedition consisted of about , men, and at the moment of our getting on shore, the whole force set up one simultaneous and tremendous cheer, a sound i cannot describe, it seemed so inspiring. this, indeed, was the first time of my hearing the style in which our men give tongue when they get near the enemy, though afterwards my ears became pretty well accustomed to such sounds. "as soon as we got on shore the rifles were pushed forward as the advance, in chain order, through some thick woods of fir, and when we had cleared these woods and approached copenhagen, sentries were posted on the roads and openings leading towards the town, in order to intercept all comers and prevent all supplies. such posts we occupied for about three days and nights, whilst the town was being fired on by our shipping. i rather think this was the first time of congreve rockets being brought into play, and as they rushed through the air in the dark, they appeared like so many fiery serpents, creating, i should think, terrible dismay amongst the besieged. "as the main army came up, we advanced and got as near under the walls of the place as we could without being endangered by the fire from our own shipping. we now received orders ourselves to commence firing, and the rattling of the guns i shall not easily forget. "i felt so much exhilarated that i could hardly keep back, and was checked by the commander of the company (captain leech), who called to me by name to keep my place. about this time, my front-rank man, a tall fellow named jack johnson, showed a disposition as though the firing had on him an effect the reverse of what it had on many others of the company, for he seemed inclined to hang back, and once or twice turned round in my face. i was a rear-rank man, and porting my piece, in the excitement of the moment i swore that if he did not keep his ground, i would shoot him dead on the spot, so that he found it would be quite as dangerous for him to return as to go on. "i feel sorry to record the want of courage of this man, but i do so with the less pain as it gives me the opportunity of saying that during many years' arduous service, it is the only instance i remember of a british soldier endeavouring to hold back when his comrades were going forward. indeed, johnson was never again held in estimation amongst the rifle corps; for the story got wind that i had threatened to shoot him for cowardice in the field, and lieutenant cox mentioned to the colonel that he had overheard my doing so; and such was the contempt the man was held in by the rifles, that he was soon afterwards removed from amongst us to a veteran battalion." chapter ii in the peninsula harris's peninsular experiences began in . the rifles formed part of a modest force of less than , men about to sail for a raid on the spanish colonies in south america. but napoleon had just effected the highly ingenious but quite felonious transfer of the spanish crown to the head of his brother joseph. as a result all spain rose in revolt against french arms; and what yesterday had been for england an enemy to be plundered, became to-day an ally to be helped. the expedition which was intended to destroy spanish colonies was, therefore, despatched to assist in the deliverance of spain itself. an even larger share than usual of the national gift for blundering at the beginning of a campaign was shown at the start of the great operations in the peninsula. the force despatched was utterly inadequate. it was , men against , . but even this little force was broken into fragments and despatched on totally unrelated adventures. spencer was sent with , men to cadiz; another body of , was despatched to the tagus. by a happy chance--perhaps it would be fair to say by a happy flash of insight--wellesley was given command of this latter expedition; but sir harry burrard was promptly despatched to supersede wellesley, and sir hew dalrymple to supersede sir harry burrard! under this delightful arrangement the astonished british army had three distinct commanders within the space of twenty-four hours. harris describes the long and loitering pause at cork, where the ships lay for six weeks, without disembarking the unfortunate soldiers. at last, on july , , the expedition sailed. the landing-place chosen was the mouth of the mondego. the rifles, harris records with delight, "were the first out of the ships. we were, indeed, always in the front in an advance and in the rear in a retreat." the heats of a spanish summer lay on the plains and the hills; the roads were mere ribbons of sand, the watercourses were parched; and harris's first experience of marching under service conditions, and on sandy spanish roads, was very trying. he says:-- "the weight i myself toiled under was tremendous, and i often wonder at the strength i possessed at this period, which enabled me to endure it; for, indeed, i am convinced that many of our infantry sank and died under the weight of their knapsacks alone. for my own part, being a handicraft, i marched under a weight sufficient to impede the free motions of a donkey! for besides my well-filled kit, there was the greatcoat rolled on its top, my blanket and camp kettle, my haversack, stuffed full of leather for repairing the men's shoes, together with a hammer and other tools (the lap-stone i took the liberty of flinging to the devil), ship-biscuit and beef for three days. i also carried my canteen filled with water, my hatchet and rifle, and eighty rounds of ball cartridge in my pouch; this last, except the beef and biscuit, being the best thing i owned, and which i always gave the enemy the benefit of when opportunity offered. "altogether the quantity of things i had on my shoulders was enough and more than enough for my wants, sufficient, indeed, to sink a little fellow of five feet seven inches into the earth. nay, so awkwardly was the load our men bore in those days placed upon their backs, that the free motion of the body was impeded, the head held down from the pile at the back of the neck, and the soldier half beaten before he came to the scratch." a pleasanter description is given of the march on the following day. he says:-- "the next day we again advanced, and being in a state of the utmost anxiety to come up with the french, neither the heat of the burning sun, long miles, nor heavy knapsacks were able to diminish our ardour. indeed, i often look back with wonder at the light-hearted style, the jollity, and reckless indifference with which men who were destined in so short a time to fall, hurried onwards to the field of strife; seemingly without a thought of anything but the sheer love of meeting the foe and the excitement of the battle." harris's "recollections" have absolutely no chronology, or chronology only of the most distracted and planless character. a clear thread of narrative is to be obtained only by the process of re-arranging all his incidents. the opening skirmish--the first splutter of british muskets in the long peninsular campaigns--took place on august , and naturally the th, which formed the british outposts, were the actors in the combat. they erred by over-vehemence. they fell on so eagerly, and pursued so fast and so far, that they presently found themselves charging the entire french army, and were drawn off with some loss. harris's description is brief:-- "it was on the th of august when we first came up with the french, and their skirmishers immediately commenced operations by raining a shower of balls upon us as we advanced, which we returned without delay. "the first man that was hit was lieutenant bunbury; he fell pierced through the head with a musket-ball, and died almost immediately. i thought i never heard such a tremendous noise as the firing made on this occasion, and the men on both sides of me, i could occasionally observe, were falling fast. being over-matched, we retired to a rising ground, or hillock, in our rear, and formed there all round its summit, standing three deep, the front rank kneeling. in this position we remained all night, expecting the whole host upon us every moment. at daybreak, however, we received instructions to fall back as quickly as possible upon the main body. having done so, we now lay down for a few hours' rest, and then again advanced to feel for the enemy." wellington described the affair as "unpleasant" from the general's point of view; but apparently the rifles found it very enjoyable. on august roliça was fought. the british again erred by over-eagerness, the th in particular suffering heavy losses owing to the fact that the regiment went straight at the enemy's front instead of turning its flank. the battle, however, was on the british side a bit of characteristic, dogged, and straight-forward fighting. the french flank was turned, their front driven in, and they were compelled to fall back from one position to another till they finally abandoned the fight. here is harris's account, collated from the different parts of his volume:-- "on the th, being still in front, we again came up with the french, and i remember observing the pleasing effect afforded by the sun's rays glancing upon their arms as they formed in order of battle to receive us. moving on in extended order under whatever cover the nature of the ground afforded, together with some companies of the th, we began a sharp fire upon them, and thus commenced the battle of roliça. "i do not pretend to give a description of this or any other battle i have been present at. all i can do is to tell the things which happened immediately around me, and that, i think, is as much as a private soldier can be expected to do. "soon afterwards the firing commenced, and we had advanced pretty close upon the enemy. taking advantage of whatever cover i could find i threw myself down behind a small bank, where i lay so secure, that although the frenchmen's bullets fell pretty thickly around, i was enabled to knock several over without being dislodged, in fact, i fired away every round i had in my pouch whilst lying on this spot. at length after a sharp contest we forced them to give ground, and following them up, drove them from their position in the heights, and hung upon their skirts till they made another stand, and then the game began again. "the th regiment received so terrible a fire that i saw the right wing almost annihilated, and the colonel (i think his name was lennox[ ]) lay sprawling amongst the rest. we had ourselves caught it pretty handsomely, for there was no cover for us, and we were rather too near. the living skirmishers were lying beside heaps of their own dead, but still we had held our own till the battalion regiments came up. 'fire and retire'[ ] is a very good sound, but the rifles were not over fond of such notes. we never performed that manoeuvre except when it was made pretty plain to us that it was quite necessary; the th, however, had got their faring here at this time, and the shock of that fire seemed to stagger the whole line and make them recoil. at the moment a little confusion appeared in the ranks, i thought. lord hill was near at hand and saw it, and i observed him come galloping up. he put himself at the head of the regiment and restored them to order in a moment. pouring a regular and sharp fire upon the enemy he galled them in return; and, remaining with the th till he brought them to the charge, quickly sent the foe to the right-about. it seemed to me that few men could have conducted the business with more coolness and quietude of manner under such a storm of balls as he was exposed to. indeed i have never forgotten him from that day. "at the time i was remarking these matters (loading and firing as i lay), another circumstance divided my attention for a while, and made me forget even the gallant conduct of general hill. a man near me uttered a scream of agony, and looking from the th, who were on my right, to the left, whence the screech had come, i saw one of our sergeants, named fraser, sitting in a doubled-up position, and swaying backwards and forwards as though he had got a terrible pain in his bowels. he continued to make so much complaint that i arose and went to him, for he was rather a crony of mine. "'oh, harris,' said he, as i took him in my arms, 'i shall die! i shall die! the agony is so great that i cannot bear it.' "it was, indeed, dreadful to look upon him; the froth came from his mouth, and the perspiration poured from his face. thank heaven! he was soon out of pain, and, laying him down, i returned to my place. poor fellow! he suffered more for the short time that he was dying than any man i think i ever saw in the same circumstances. i had the curiosity to return and look at him after the battle. a musket-ball, i found, had taken him sideways and gone through both groins. "within about half-an-hour after this i left sergeant fraser, and, indeed, for the time had as completely forgotten him as if he had died a hundred years back. the sight of so much bloodshed around will not suffer the mind to dwell long on any particular casualty, even though it happen to one's dearest friend. there was no time either to think, for all was action with us rifles just at this moment, and the barrel of my piece was so hot from continual firing that i could hardly bear to touch it, and was obliged to grasp the stock beneath the iron, as i continued to blaze away. "james ponton was another crony of mine (a gallant fellow!); he had pushed himself in front of me, and was checked by one of our officers for his rashness. 'keep back, you ponton!' the lieutenant said to him more than once. but ponton was not to be restrained by anything but a bullet when in action. this time he got one which, striking him in the thigh, i suppose cut an artery, for he died quickly. the frenchmen's balls were flying very wickedly at that moment; and i crept up to ponton, and took shelter by lying behind, and making a rest for my rifle of his dead body. it strikes me that i revenged his death by the assistance of his carcass. at any rate i tried my best to hit his enemies hard. "there were two small buildings in our front, and the french, having managed to get into them, annoyed us much from that quarter. a small rise in the ground close before these houses also favoured them; and our men were being handled very severely in consequence. they became angry, and wouldn't stand it any longer. one of the skirmishers jumping up, rushed forward, crying, 'over boys!--over! over!' when instantly the whole line responded to the cry, 'over! over! over!' they ran along the grass like wildfire, and dashed at the rise, fixing their sword-bayonets as they ran. the french light bobs could not stand the sight, but turned about and fled, and, getting possession of their ground, we were soon inside the buildings. "after the battle was over i stepped across to the other house i have mentioned, in order to see what was going on there, for the one i remained in was now pretty well filled with the wounded (both french and english) who had managed to get there for a little shelter. two or three surgeons also had arrived at this house, and were busily engaged in giving their assistance to the wounded, now also here lying as thickly as in the building which i had left; but what struck me most forcibly was, that from the circumstance of some wine-butts having been left in the apartment, and their having in the engagement been perforated by bullets, and otherwise broken, the red wine had escaped most plentifully, and ran down upon the earthen floor where the wounded were lying, so that many of them were soaked in the wine with which their blood was mingled. "the rifles fought well this day, and we lost many men. they seemed in high spirits, and delighted at having driven the enemy before them. joseph cochan was by my side loading and firing very industriously about this period of the day. thirsting with heat and action he lifted his canteen to his mouth, 'here's to you, old boy,' he said, as he took a pull at its contents. as he did so a bullet went through the canteen, and, perforating his brain, killed him in a moment. another man fell close to him almost immediately, struck by a ball in the thigh. indeed, we caught it severely just here, and the old iron was also playing its part amongst our poor fellows very merrily. when the roll was called after the battle, the females who missed their husbands came along the front of the line to inquire of the survivors whether they knew anything about them. amongst other names i heard that of cochan called in a female voice, without being replied to. "the name struck me, and i observed the poor woman who had called it, as she stood sobbing before us, and apparently afraid to make further inquiries about her husband. no man had answered to his name, or had any account to give of his fate. i myself had observed him fall, as related before, whilst drinking from his canteen; but as i looked at the poor sobbing creature before me, i felt unable to tell her of his death. at length captain leech observed her, and called out to the company-- "'does any man here know what has happened to cochan? if so, let him speak out at once.' "upon this order i immediately related what i had seen, and told the manner of his death. after a while mrs. cochan appeared anxious to seek the spot where her husband fell, and, in the hope of still finding him alive, asked me to accompany her over the field. she trusted, notwithstanding what i had told her, to find him yet alive. "'do you think you could find it?' said captain leech, upon being referred to. "i told him i was sure i could, as i had remarked many objects whilst looking for cover during the skirmishing. "'go then,' said the captain, 'and show the poor woman the spot, as she seems so desirous of finding the body.' "i accordingly took my way over the ground we had fought upon, she following and sobbing after me, and, quickly reaching the spot where her husband's body lay, pointed it out to her. "she now soon discovered all her hopes were in vain; she embraced a stiffened corpse, and after rising and contemplating his disfigured face for some minutes, with hands clasped and tears streaming down her cheeks, she took a prayer-book from her pocket, and, kneeling down, repeated the service for the dead over the body. when she had finished she appeared a good deal comforted, and i took the opportunity of beckoning to a pioneer i saw near with some other men, and together we dug a hole and quickly buried the body. mrs. cochan then returned with me to the company to which her husband had been attached, and laid herself down upon the heath near us. she lay amongst some other females who were in the same distressing circumstances with herself, with the sky for her canopy and a turf for her pillow, for we had no tents with us. poor woman! i pitied her much; but there was no remedy. if she had been a duchess she must have fared the same. she was a handsome woman, i remember, and the circumstance of my having seen her husband fall, and accompanied her to find his body, begot a sort of intimacy between us. what little attention i could pay her during the hardships of the march i did, and i also offered on the first opportunity to marry her. 'she had, however, received too great a shock on the occasion of her husband's death ever to think of another soldier,' she said; she therefore thanked me for my good feeling towards her, but declined my offer, and left us soon afterwards for england. "after i had left the house i have alluded to in the account of the battle of roliça, i walked a few paces onwards, when i saw some of the rifles lying about and resting. i laid myself down amongst them, for i felt fatigued. a great many of the french skirmishers were lying dead just about this spot. i recollect that they had long white frock-coats on, with the eagle in front of their caps. this was one of the places from which they had greatly annoyed us; and, to judge from the appearance of the dead and wounded strewed around, we had returned the compliment pretty handsomely. i lay upon my back, and, resting upon my knapsack, examined the enemy in the distance. whilst i lay watching them, i observed a dead man directly opposite to me whose singular appearance had not at first caught my eye. he was lying on his side amongst some burnt-up bushes, and whether the heat of the firing here had set these bushes on fire, or from whatever cause they had been ignited, i cannot take upon me to say; but certain it is (for several of my companions saw it as well as myself, and cracked many a joke upon the poor fellow's appearance), that this man, whom we guessed to have been french, was as completely roasted as if he had been spitted before a good kitchen-fire. he was burnt quite brown, every stitch of clothes was singed off, and he was drawn all up like a dried frog. i called the attention of one or two men near me, and we examined him, turning him about with our rifles with no little curiosity. i remember now, with some surprise, that the miserable fate of this poor fellow called forth from us very little sympathy, but seemed only to be a subject of mirth." vimiero followed hard on roliça, being fought only four days afterwards. in this battle the french attacked, and their onfall was marked by high daring and tactical skill. but the british out-fought as their general out-manoeuvred the french, and junot was only saved from complete destruction by the circumstance that sir harry burrard, at the very moment of victory, displaced wellesley in command, and ordered the pursuit to cease. the rifles were in the skirmishing line, and were naturally driven back when the french advanced in mass. the steadfast british line, however, took very badly the retreat of the skirmishers, as harris, in amusing fashion, records. harris's account is interesting as a picture of what may be called the domestic details of the fighting, the preparations for it, the rough jesting of the fighting line, the fashion in which individual soldiers fought and died. there is, indeed, an almost homeric touch in harris's picture of individual combats. here is his story of how the rifles fought at vimiero:-- "it was on the st of august that we commenced fighting the battle of vimiero. "the french came down upon us in a column, and the riflemen immediately commenced a sharp fire upon them from whatever cover they could get a shelter behind, whilst our cannon played upon them from our rear. i saw regular lanes torn through their ranks as they advanced, which were immediately closed up again as they marched steadily on. whenever we saw a round shot thus go through the mass we raised a shout of delight. "one of our corporals, named murphy, was the first man in the rifles who was hit that morning, and i remember more particularly remarking the circumstance from his apparently having a presentiment of his fate before the battle began. he was usually an active fellow, and up to this time had shown himself a good and brave soldier, but on this morning he seemed unequal to his duty. general fane and major travers were standing together on an early part of this day. the general had a spy-glass in his hand, and for some time looked anxiously at the enemy. suddenly he gave the word to fall in, and immediately all was bustle amongst us. the honourable captain pakenham spoke very sharply to murphy, who appeared quite dejected and out of spirits, i observed. he had a presentiment of death, which is by no means an uncommon circumstance, and i have observed it once or twice since this battle. "others beside myself noticed murphy on this morning, and as we had reason to know he was not ordinarily deficient in courage, the circumstance was talked of after the battle was over. he was the first man shot that day. "just before the battle commenced in earnest, and whilst the officers were busily engaged with their companies, shouting the word of command, and arranging matters of moment, captain leech ordered a section of our men to move off, at double quick, and take possession of a windmill, which was on our left. i was amongst this section, and set off full cry towards the mill, when captain leech espied and roared out to me by name to return--'hello there! you harris!' he called, 'fall out of that section directly. we want you here, my man.' i, therefore, wheeled out of the rank, and returned to him. 'you fall in amongst the men here, harris,' he said, 'i shall not send you to that post. the cannon will play upon the mill in a few moments like hail; and what shall we do,' he continued laughing, 'without our head shoemaker to repair our shoes?' "it is long since these transactions took place. but i remember the words of the captain as if they had been uttered but yesterday; for that which was spoken in former years in the field has made a singular impression on my mind. as i looked about me, whilst standing enranked, and just before the commencement of the battle, i thought it the most imposing sight the world could produce. our lines glittering with bright arms; the stern features of the men, as they stood with their eyes fixed unalterably upon the enemy; the proud colours of england floating over the heads of the different battalions; and the dark cannon on the rising ground, and all in readiness to commence the awful work of death, with a noise that would deafen the whole multitude. altogether, the sight had a singular and terrible effect upon the feelings of a youth, who, a few short months before, had been a solitary shepherd upon the downs of dorsetshire, and had never contemplated any other sort of life than the peaceful occupation of watching the innocent sheep as they fed upon the grassy turf. "the first cannon shot i saw fired, i remember, was a miss. the artilleryman made a sad bungle, and the ball went wide of the mark. we were all looking anxiously to see the effect of this shot; and another of the gunners (a red-haired man) rushed at the fellow who had fired, and in the excitement of the moment, knocked him head over heels with his fists. 'd-- you for a fool,' he said; 'what sort of a shot do you call that? let me take the gun.' he accordingly fired the next shot himself, as soon as the gun was loaded, and so truly did he point it at the french column on the hillside, that we saw the fatal effect of the destructive missile by the lane it made and the confusion it caused. "our riflemen (who at the moment were amongst the guns) upon seeing this, set up a tremendous shout of delight, and the battle commencing immediately, we were all soon hard at work. "i myself was very soon so hotly engaged, loading and firing away, enveloped in the smoke i created, and the cloud which hung about me from the continued fire of my comrades, that i could see nothing for a few minutes but the red flash of my own piece amongst the white vapour clinging to my very clothes. this has often seemed to me the greatest drawback upon our present system of fighting; for whilst in such state, on a calm day, until some friendly breeze of wind clears the space around, a soldier knows no more of his position and what is about to happen in his front, or what has happened (even amongst his own companions) than the very dead lying around. "such is my remembrance of the commencement of the battle of vimiero. the battle began on a fine bright day, and the sun played on the arms of the enemy's battalions, as they came on, as if they had been tipped with gold. the battle soon became general; the smoke thickened around, and often i was obliged to stop firing and dash it aside from my face, and try in vain to get sight of what was going on, whilst groans and shouts and a noise of cannon and musketry appeared almost to shake the very ground. it seemed hell upon earth, i thought. "a man named john low stood before me at this moment, and he turned round during a pause in our exertions, and addressed me: 'harris, you humbug,' he said, 'you have plenty of money about you, i know, for you are always staying about and picking up what you can find on the field. but i think this will be your last field-day, old boy. a good many of us will catch it, i suspect, to-day,' 'you are right, low,' i said, 'i have got nine guineas in my pack, and if i get shot to-day, and you yourself escape, it's quite at your service. in the meantime, however, if you see any symptoms of my wishing to flinch in this business, i hope you will shoot me with your own hand.' "low as well as myself survived this battle, and after it was over, whilst we sat down with our comrades and rested, amongst other matters talked over, low told them of our conversation during the heat of the day, and the money i had collected, and the rifles from that time had a great respect for me. it is, indeed, singular how a man loses or gains caste with his comrades from his behaviour, and how closely he is observed in the field. the officers, too, are commented upon and closely observed. the men are very proud of those who are brave in the field, and kind and considerate to the soldiers under them. an act of kindness done by an officer has often during the battle been the cause of his life being saved. nay, whatever folks may say upon the matter, i know from experience that in our army the men like best to be officered by gentlemen, men whose education has rendered them more kind in manners than your coarse officer, sprung from obscure origin, and whose style is brutal and overbearing. "during the battle i remarked the gallant style in which the th, major napier's regiment, came to the charge. they dashed upon the enemy like a torrent breaking bounds, and the french, unable even to bear the sight of them, turned and fled. methinks at this moment i can hear the cheer of the british soldiers in the charge, and the clatter of the frenchmen's accoutrements, as they turned in an instant, and went off as hard as they could run for it. i remember, too, our feelings towards the enemy on that occasion was the north side of friendly, for they had been firing upon us rifles very sharply, greatly outnumbering our skirmishers, and appearing inclined to drive us off the face of the earth. their lights, and grenadiers, i, for the first time, particularly remarked on that day. the grenadiers (the th, i think), our men seemed to know well. they were all fine-looking young men, wearing red shoulder-knots and tremendous-looking moustaches. as they came swarming upon us, they rained a perfect shower of balls, which we returned quite as sharply. whenever one of them was knocked over our men called out, 'there goes another of boney's invincibles.' "in the main body immediately in our rear, were the second battalion nd, the th, the second battalion rd, and a german corps, whose number i do not remember, besides several other regiments. the whole line seemed annoyed and angered at seeing the rifles outnumbered by the invincibles, and as we fell back, 'firing and retiring,' galling them handsomely as we did so, the men cried out (as it were with one voice) to charge. 'd--n them!' they roared, 'charge! charge!' general fane, however, restrained their impetuosity. he desired them to stand fast and keep their ground. "'don't be too eager, men,' he said, as coolly as if we were on drill-parade in old england; 'i don't want you to advance just yet. well done, th!' he called out, as he galloped up and down the line; 'well done, rd, nd, and well done all. i'll not forget, if i live, to report your conduct to-day. they shall hear of it in england, my lads!' "a man named brotherwood, of the th, at this moment rushed up to the general, and presented him with a green feather, which he had torn out of the cap of a french light-infantry soldier he had killed. 'god bless you, general!' he said; 'wear this for the sake of the th.' i saw the general take the feather and stick it in his cocked hat. the next minute he gave the word to charge, and down came the whole line, through a tremendous fire of cannon and musketry--and dreadful was the slaughter as they rushed onwards. as they came up with us, we sprang to our feet, gave one hearty cheer, and charged along with them, treading over our own dead and wounded, who lay in the front. the th were next us as we went, and i recollect, as i said, the firmness of that regiment in the charge. they appeared like a wall of iron. the enemy turned and fled, the cavalry dashing upon them as they went off. "it was just at the close of the battle of vimiero; the dreadful turmoil and noise of the engagement had hardly subsided, and i began to look into the faces of the men close around me, to see who had escaped the dangers of the hour. four or five days back i had done the same thing at roliça. one feels, indeed, a sort of curiosity to know, after such a scene, who is remaining alive amongst the companions endeared by good conduct, or disliked for bad character, during the hardships of the campaign. i saw that the ranks of the riflemen looked very thin; it seemed to me one-half had gone down. we had four companies of the th, and were commanded that day by major travers. he was a tight hand, but a soldier likes that better than a slovenly officer; and indeed, he was deservedly beloved by all who knew him. "i had observed him more than once during this day, spurring here and there, keeping the men well up, and apparently in the highest spirits. he could not have enjoyed himself more, i am sure, if he had been at a horse-race, or following a good pack of hounds. the battle was just over; a flag of truce had come over from the french; general kellerman, i think, brought it. we threw ourselves down where we were standing when the fire ceased. a frenchman lay close beside me; he was dying, and called to me for water, which i understood him to require more from his manner than his words (he pointed to his mouth). i need not say that i got up and gave it him. whilst i did so, down galloped the major in front, just in the same good spirits he had been all day; plunging along, avoiding, with some little difficulty, the dead and dying which were strewed about. he was never a very good-looking man, being hard-featured and thin--a hatchet-faced man, as we used to say. but he was a regular good 'un--a real english soldier, and that's better than if he had been the handsomest ladies' man in the army. "the major just now disclosed what none of us, i believe, knew before, namely, that his head was bald as a coot's, and that he covered the nakedness of his nob, up to the present time, by a flowing caxon, which, during the heat of the action, had somehow been dislodged, and was lost; yet was the major riding hither and thither, digging the spurs into his horse's flanks, and just as busy as before the firing had ceased. 'a guinea,' he kept crying as he rode, 'to any man who will find my wig!' the men, i remember, notwithstanding the sight of the wounded and dead around them, burst into shouts of laughter at him as he went; and, 'a guinea to any man who will find my wig,' was the saying amongst us long after that affair." footnotes: [footnote : it was colonel lake.] [footnote : "fire and retire"--one of the bugle sounds to the skirmishers when hard pressed.] chapter iii when the fight is over harris sees with characteristic clearness of vision, and describes, with almost appalling _vraisemblance_, the grim scenes of the battle-field after the fiery tide of battle has ebbed from it. he says:-- "after the day's work was over, whilst strolling about the field, just upon the spot where this charge had taken place, i remarked a soldier of the rd and a french grenadier both dead, and lying close together. they had apparently killed each other at the same moment, for both weapons remained in the bodies of the slain. brotherwood was lying next me during a part of this day; he was a leicestershire man, and was killed afterwards by a cannon ball at vittoria. i remember his death more particularly from the circumstance of that very ball killing three of the company at the same moment, viz., lieutenant hopwood, patrick mahone, and himself. brotherwood was amongst the skirmishers with me on this day. he was always a lively fellow, but rather irritable in disposition. just as the french went to the right-about, i remember he d--d them furiously, and all his bullets being gone, he grabbed a razor from his haversack, rammed it down, and fired it after them. "during this day i myself narrowly escaped being killed by our own dragoons, for somehow or other in the confusion i fell whilst they were charging, and the whole squadron thundering past just missed me as i lay amongst the dead and wounded. tired and over-weighted with my knapsack and all my shoemaking implements, i lay where i had fallen for a short time and watched the cavalry as they gained the enemy. i observed a fine gallant-looking officer leading them on in that charge. he was a brave fellow, and bore himself like a hero; with his sword waving in the air he cheered the men on, as he went dashing upon the enemy and hewing and slashing at them in tremendous style. i watched for him as the dragoons came off after that charge, but saw him no more; he had fallen. fine fellow! his conduct indeed made an impression upon me that i shall never forget, and i was told afterwards that he was a brother of sir john eustace. "a french soldier was lying beside me at this time; he was badly wounded, and hearing him moan as he lay, after i had done looking at the cavalry i turned my attention to him, and getting up lifted his head and poured some water into his mouth. he was dying fast; but he thanked me in a foreign language, which, although i did not exactly understand, i could easily make out by the look he gave me. mullins, of the rifles, who stepped up whilst i supported his head, d--d me for a fool for my pains. 'better knock out his brains, harris,' said he, 'he has done us mischief enough, i'll be bound for it, to-day.'" harris, it will be noticed, has no reserves. he relates incidents which can hardly be regarded as creditable to the character of the british private, and does it with an amusing unconsciousness as to the impression his stories will produce on readers of a more sensitive age. the british soldier of that day had a rough chivalry of his own. he faced his foe gallantly on the battle-field. he would maintain a friendly barter of spirits and rations with him when night had fallen on contiguous bivouacs. but when his enemy was dead, and no more fighting remained to be done, and no exchange of clandestine brandy was possible, then the british private would empty his foeman's pockets or take a pair of serviceable boots from his feet with the easiest nonchalance. the transaction, he considered, did not injure the dead, and it contributed to the comfort of the living. so harris's tale of the plundering and the night scenes of a battle-field resemble those to be found in smollett's "count fathom"--with this superiority on the side of harris, that his tales are transcripts of actual facts:-- "after the battle i strolled about the field, in order to see if there was anything to be found worth picking up amongst the dead. the first thing i saw was a three-pronged silver fork, which, as it lay by itself, had most likely been dropped by some person who had been on the lookout before me. a little farther on i saw a french soldier sitting against a small rise in the ground or bank. he was wounded in the throat and appeared very faint, the bosom of his coat being saturated with the blood which had flowed down. by his side lay his cap, and close to that was a bundle containing a quantity of gold and silver crosses, which i concluded he had plundered from some convent or church. he looked the picture of a sacrilegious thief, dying hopelessly, and overtaken by divine wrath. i kicked over his cap, which was also full of plunder, but i declined taking anything from him. i felt fearful of incurring the wrath of heaven for the like offence, so i left him, and passed on. "a little farther off lay an officer of the th regiment. i knew him by sight, and recognised him as he lay. he was quite dead, and lying on his back. he had been plundered, and his clothes were torn open. three bullet-holes were close together in the pit of his stomach. beside him lay an empty pocket-book, and his epaulette had been pulled from his shoulder. "i had moved on but a few paces, when i recollected that perhaps the officer's shoes might serve me, my own being considerably the worse for wear, so i returned again, went back, pulled one of his shoes off, and knelt down on one knee to try it on. it was not much better than my own; however, i determined on the exchange, and proceeded to take off its fellow. as i did so i was startled by the sharp report of a firelock, and at the same moment a bullet whistled close by my head. instantly starting up i turned and looked in the direction whence the shot had come. there was no person near me in this part of the field. the dead and the dying lay thickly all around, but nothing else could i see. i looked to the priming of my rifle, and again turned to the dead officer of the th. it was evident that some plundering scoundrel had taken a shot at me, and the fact of his doing so proclaimed him one of the enemy. to distinguish him amongst the bodies strewn about was impossible; perhaps he might himself be one of the wounded. hardly had i effected the exchange, put on the dead officer's shoes, and resumed my rifle, when another shot took place, and a second ball whistled past me. this time i was ready, and turning quickly i saw my man; he was just about to squat down behind a small mound about twenty paces from me. i took a haphazard shot at him, and instantly knocked him over. i immediately ran up to him; he had fallen on his face, and i heaved him over on his back, bestrode his body, and drew my sword-bayonet. there was, however, no occasion for the precaution, as he was even then in the agonies of death. "it was a relief to me to find i had not been mistaken. he was a french light infantry man, and i therefore took it quite in the way of business--he had attempted my life, and lost his own. it was the fortune of war; so stooping down with my sword i cut the green string that sustained his calabash, and took a hearty pull to quench my thirst. "after i had shot the french light infantry man, and quenched my thirst from his calabash, finding he was quite dead, i proceeded to search him. whilst i turned him about in the endeavour at finding the booty i felt pretty certain he had gathered from the slain, an officer of the th approached and accosted me. "'what, looking for money, my lad,' said he, 'eh?' "'i am, sir,' i answered; 'but i cannot discover where this fellow has hid his hoard.' "'you knocked him over, my man,' he said, 'in good style, and deserve something for the shot. here,' he continued, stooping down, and feeling in the lining of the frenchman's coat, 'this is the place where these rascals generally carry their coin. rip up the lining of his coat, and then search in his stock. i know them better than you seem to do.' "thanking the officer for his courtesy, i proceeded to cut open the lining of his jacket with my sword-bayonet, and was quickly rewarded for my labour by finding a yellow silk purse, wrapped up in an old black silk handkerchief. the purse contained several doubloons, three or four napoleons, and a few dollars. whilst i was counting the money, the value of which, except the dollars, i did not then know, i heard the bugle of the rifles sound out the assembly, so i touched my cap to the officer and returned towards them. "the men were standing at ease, with the officers in front. as i approached them, major travers, who was in command of the four companies, called me to him. "'what have you got there, sir?' he said. 'show me.' "i handed him the purse, expecting a reprimand for my pains. he, however, only laughed as he examined it, and turning showed it to his brother officers. "'you did that well, harris,' he said, 'and i am sorry the purse is not better filled. fall in.' in saying this, he handed me back the purse, and i joined my company. soon afterwards, the roll being called, we were all ordered to lie down and gain a little rest after our day's work. "we lay as we had stood enranked upon the field, and in a few minutes, i dare say, one-half of that green line, over-wearied with their exertions, were asleep upon the ground they had so short a time before been fighting on. after we had lain for some little time i saw several men strolling about the fields, so i again quietly rose, with one or two others of the rifles, and once more looked about me to see what i could pick up amongst the slain. "i had rambled some distance when i saw a french officer running towards me with all his might, pursued by at least half-a-dozen horsemen. the frenchman was a tall, handsome-looking man, dressed in a blue uniform; he ran as swiftly as a wild indian, turning and doubling like a hare. i held up my hand, and called to his pursuers not to hurt him. one of the horsemen, however, cut him down with a desperate blow when close beside me, and the next, wheeling round as he leaned from his saddle, passed his sword through the body. "i am sorry to say there was an english dragoon amongst these scoundrels; the rest, by their dress, i judged to be portuguese cavalry. whether the frenchman thus slaughtered was a prisoner trying to escape, or what was the cause of this cold-blooded piece of cruelty, i know not, as the horsemen immediately galloped off without a word of explanation; and, feeling quite disgusted with the scene i had witnessed, i returned to my comrades, and again throwing myself down, was soon as fast asleep as any there." the plundering exploits of the british private were not always confined to his foes, living or dead. his own officers sometimes suffered. says harris:-- "i remember there was an officer, named, i think, cardo, with the rifles. he was a great beau; but although rather effeminate and ladylike in manners, so much so as to be remarked by the whole regiment at that time, yet he was found to be a most gallant officer when we were engaged with the enemy in the field. he was killed whilst fighting bravely in the pyrenees; and amongst other jewellery he wore, he had a ring on his finger worth guineas. "as he lay dead on the field, one of our riflemen, named orr, observed the sparkling gem, and immediately resolved to make prize of it. the ring, however, was so firmly fixed that orr could not draw it from the finger, and, whipping out his knife, cut the finger off by the joint. after the battle orr offered the ring for sale amongst the officers, and on inquiry the manner in which he had obtained it transpired. orr was in consequence tried by court-martial, and sentenced to receive five hundred lashes, which sentence was carried into execution." chapter iv a memorable retreat harris found a new commander-in-chief in sir john moore, and it was his fortune to share in the sufferings and glory of the immortal retreat to corunna. moore has never yet come to his true inheritance of fame as a commander. the great figure of wellington hides him almost from human memory. yet no british general, perhaps, ever conceived and executed a more audacious stroke of soldiership than did moore when he made his famous stroke at napoleon's communication, and spoiled the whole plans of that master-spirit in war for the conquest of southern spain, and brought him and his far-scattered columns hurrying up to the north-west angle of the peninsula. napoleon had assumed in person the command of the french armies in spain, and had , veterans under his eagles. he had shattered the spanish armies, was in possession of the spanish capital, and was on the point of marching to overwhelm the rich provinces as yet unravaged by war to the south. moore, with , men under his command, resolved to strike boldly at napoleon's communications, and so arrest the southward march of all the french columns. when, in this manner, he had paralysed the strategy of the french, moore calculated he could outmarch all the converging columns rushing to destroy him, and escape. but he was accepting a terrific risk. moore's generalship, though it was followed by the tragedy of the retreat to corunna, and his own death in the battle at that place, was perfectly successful. he wrecked napoleon's strategy, and yet escaped his counter-stroke. he secured a breathing-space for the spanish nation. he arrested and brought to a close napoleon's personal career in that country. he made possible wellington's great peninsular campaigns. it is one of the examples of the irony of history that to moore, one of the greatest soldiers england has produced, success brought no adequate fame, and it cost him his own life. the second battalion of the rifles, to which harris belonged, joined moore's forces at sahagun, and the great retreat began almost immediately afterwards. on december moore turned his columns westward for their march to his sea-base at corunna. it was a march of some miles, through rugged mountainous country, with the french hanging on his rear or pushing past his flank, while the bitter tempests of the winter in northern spain blackened the skies above the toiling troops, and scourged them almost incessantly with snow and sleet and rain. at astorga, moore divided his army, and part, under craufurd, took the road to vigo. the rifles formed part of craufurd's force, and harris's account thus sheds light on what is the least known branch of the famous retreat. the retreat lasted in all eighteen days, and some men fell from the ranks, slain by mere hardship and exposure, during that comparatively brief period; yet the retreating british did not lose a flag or a gun in the retreat, and when they turned to bay at corunna they proved that neither their discipline nor their fighting power had been in the least impaired by their sufferings. harris's account is really a bit of very fine descriptive writing, though its charm lies in its simplicity and its unconscious realism. it must be remembered that when the second battalion of the rifles joined moore's forces at sahagun they were worn out with long marches, and the fame of roliça and vimiero lay upon them. moore's forces had up to that time seen no fighting, and still carried in face and uniform something of the freshness of barrack life:-- "at sahagun we fell in with the army under command of sir john moore. i forget how many thousand men there were; but they were lying in and around the town when we arrived. the rifles marched to an old convent, some two miles from sahagun, where we were quartered, together with a part of the th hussars, some of the welsh fusiliers, and straggling bodies of men belonging to various other regiments, all seeming on the _qui vive_, and expecting the french to fall in with them every hour. as our small and wayworn party came to a halt before the walls of the convent, the men from these different regiments came swarming out to greet us, loudly cheering us as they rushed up and seized our hands. the difference in appearance between ourselves and these new-comers was indeed (just then) very great. they looked fresh from good quarters and good rations. their clothes and accoutrements were comparatively new and clean, and their cheeks ruddy with the glow of health and strength; whilst our men, on the contrary, were gaunt-looking, wayworn, and ragged; our faces burnt almost to the hue of an asiatic's by the sun, our accoutrements rent and torn, and many without even shoes to their feet. however, we had some work in us yet, and perhaps were in better condition for it than our more fresh-looking comrades." harris describes how, just before the retreat began, he was summoned at midnight to undertake, on somewhat alarming conditions, a very practical bit of preparation for the march:-- "in the middle of the night i remember, as well as if the sounds were at this moment in my ear, that my name was called out many times without my being completely awakened by the summons. from weariness and the weight of my knapsack and the quantity of implements i carried, i was at first quite unable to gain my legs; but when i did so i found that quarter-master surtees was the person who was thus disturbing my rest. "'come, be quick there, harris!' he said, as i picked my way by the light of the candle he held in his hand; 'look amongst the men, and rouse up all the shoemakers you have in the four companies. i have a job for them which must be done instantly.' "with some little trouble, and not a few curses from them as i stirred them up with the butt of my rifle, i succeeded in waking several of our snoring handicrafts; and the quarter-master bidding us instantly follow him, led the way to the very top of the convent stairs. passing then into a ruinous-looking apartment, along which we walked upon the rafters, there being no flooring, he stopped when he arrived at its farther extremity. here he proceeded to call our attention to a quantity of barrels of gunpowder lying beside a large heap of raw bullocks' hides. 'now, harris,' said he, 'keep your eyes open, and mind what you are about here. general craufurd orders you instantly to set to work and sew up every one of these barrels in the hides lying before you. you are to sew the skins with the hair outwards, and be quick about it, for the general swears that if the job is not finished in half-an-hour he will hang you.' "the latter part of this order was anything but pleasant, and whether the general ever really gave it i never had an opportunity of ascertaining. well knowing the stuff craufurd was made of, i received the candle from the hands of surtees, and bidding the men get needles and waxed thread from their knapsacks, as the quarter-master withdrew, i instantly prepared to set about the job. "i often think of that night's work as i sit strapping away in my little shop in richmond street, soho. it was a curious scene to look at, and the task neither very easy nor safe. the riflemen were wearied, unwilling, and out of temper; and it was as much as i could do to get them to assist me. moreover, they were so reckless that they seemed rather to wish to blow the convent into the air than to get on with their work. one moment the candle was dropped and nearly extinguished; the next they lost their implements between the rafters of the floor, flaring the light about amongst the barrels, and wishing, as i remonstrated with them, that the powder might ignite and blow me, themselves, and the general to ----. such were the riflemen of the peninsular war--daring, gallant, reckless fellows. i had a hard task to get the work safely finished; but at length between coaxing and bullying these dare-devils i managed to do so, and together we returned down the convent stairs; and, finding surtees awaiting us in the passage below, he reported to general craufurd that his order had been obeyed. after which we were permitted again to lie down and sleep till the bugle awoke us next morning." the exact moment when the advance for the purpose of falling on soult was exchanged for retreat at speed before napoleon's fiercely converging columns to the sea-coast is dramatically marked in harris's "recollections." from the first, it will be noted, the retreat was pushed with the utmost sternness and energy, and at the cost of great suffering to the men. moore had daringly advanced till his scanty columns were almost caught by the overwhelming forces of the french closing upon him; and to escape destruction the british had to tax their own strength and energy to the utmost:-- "general craufurd was in command of the brigade, and riding in front, when i observed a dragoon come spurring furiously along the road to meet us. he delivered a letter to the general, who turned round in his saddle the moment he had read a few lines, and thundered out the word 'to halt!' a few minutes more and we were all turned to the right-about, and retracing our steps of the night before--the contents of that epistle serving to furnish our men with many a surmise during the retrograde movement. when we again neared sahagun, i remember seeing the wives and children of the men come rushing into the ranks, and embracing the husbands and fathers they expected never to see again. "the entire rifle corps entered the same convent we had before been quartered in; but this time we remained enranked in its apartments and passages, no man being allowed to quit his arms or lie down. we stood leaning upon the muzzles of our rifles, and dozed as we stood. after remaining thus for about an hour, we were then ordered out of the convent, and the word was again given to march. there was a sort of thaw on this day, and the rain fell fast. as we passed the walls of the convent, i observed our general (craufurd) as he sat upon his horse, looking at us on the march, and remarked the peculiar sternness of his features; he did not like to see us going rearwards at all, and many of us judged there must be something wrong, by his severe look and scowling eye. "'keep your ranks there, men!' he said, spurring his horse towards some riflemen who were avoiding a small rivulet. 'keep your ranks and move on--no straggling from the main body.' "we pushed on all that day without halting; and i recollect the first thing that struck us as somewhat odd was our passing one of the commissariat waggons, overturned and stuck fast in the mud, and which was abandoned without an effort to save any of its contents. a sergeant of the nd highlanders, just about this time, fell dead with fatigue, and no one stopped as we passed to offer him any assistance. night came down upon us, without our having tasted food or halted--i speak for myself and those around me--and all night long we continued this dreadful march. men began to look into each other's faces, and ask the question, 'are we ever to be halted again?' and many of the weaker sort were now seen to stagger, make a few desperate efforts, and then fall, perhaps to rise no more. most of us had devoured all we carried in our haversacks, and endeavoured to catch up anything we could snatch from hut or cottage in our route. many, even at this period, would have straggled from the ranks and perished had not craufurd held them together with a firm rein. one such bold and stern commander in the east, during a memorable disaster, and that devoted army had reached its refuge unbroken! thus we staggered on night and day for about four days, before we discovered the reason of this continued forced march. the discovery was made to our company by a good-tempered, jolly fellow, named patrick mclauchlan. he inquired of an officer marching directly in his front, the destination intended. "'by j--s! musther hills,' i heard him say, 'where the d--l is this you're taking us to?' "'to england, mclauchlan,' returned the officer, with a melancholy smile upon his face as he gave the answer--'if we can get there.'" the rifles formed part of the rearguard, and to the hardships and sufferings common to the whole retreating force was added, in their case, the strain of constant engagement with the enemy. as a matter of fact, this served as a tonic to the men. it preserved their discipline. it gave them what they felt to be a delightful distraction from the monotony of splashing wet, hungry and faint, along muddy roads. they forgot the blinding rain, the eddying snowflakes, the pinch of hunger, as they turned a score of times in the day at bay and drove back with the roll of their volleys the pursuing french cavalry. here are some pictures of how a british rearguard bears itself in adverse circumstances:-- "the information mclauchlan obtained from lieutenant hill quickly spread amongst us, and we now began to see more clearly the horrors of our situation, and the men to murmur at not being permitted to turn and stand at bay, cursing the french, and swearing they would rather die ten thousand deaths, with their rifles in their hands in opposition, than endure the present toil. we were in the rear at this time, and following that part of the army which made for vigo, whilst the other portion of the british, being on the main road to corunna, were at this moment closely pursued and harassed by the enemy, as i should judge from the continued thunder of their cannon and rattle of their musketry. craufurd seemed to sniff the sound of battle from afar with peculiar feelings. he halted us for a few minutes occasionally, when the distant clamour became more distinct, and his face turned towards the sound, and seemed to light up and become less stern. it was then, indeed, that every poor fellow clutched his weapon more firmly and wished for a sight of the enemy. "before long they had their wish: the enemy's cavalry were on our skirts that night; and as we rushed out of a small village, the name of which i cannot now recollect, we turned to bay. behind broken-down carts and tumbrils, huge trunks of trees, and everything we could scrape together, the rifles lay and blazed away at the advancing cavalry. "we passed the night thus engaged, holding our own as well as we could. towards morning we moved down towards a small bridge, still followed by the enemy, whom, however, we had sharply galled, and obliged to be more wary in their efforts. the rain was pouring down in torrents on this morning, i recollect, and we remained many hours with our arms ported, standing in this manner, and staring the french cavalry in the face, the water actually running out of the muzzles of our rifles. i do not recollect seeing a single regiment of infantry amongst the french force on this day; it seemed to me a tremendous body of cavalry--some said nine or ten thousand strong--commanded, as i heard, by general lefebvre. "whilst we stood thus, face to face, i remember the horsemen of the enemy sat watching us very intently, as if waiting for a favourable moment to dash upon us like beasts of prey; and every now and then their trumpets would ring out a lively strain of music as if to encourage them. as the night drew on, our cavalry moved a little to the front, together with several field-pieces, and succeeded in crossing the bridge; after which we also advanced and threw ourselves into some hilly ground on either side the road; whilst the rd and nd lay behind some carts, trunks of trees, and other materials with which they had formed a barrier. "general craufurd was standing behind this barricade, when he ordered the rifles to push still farther in front, and conceal themselves amongst the hills on either side. a man named higgins was my front-rank man at this moment. 'harris,' he said, 'let you and i gain the very top of the mountain, and look out what those french thieves are at on the other side.' "my feet were sore and bleeding, and the sinews of my legs ached as if they would burst, but i resolved to accompany him. in our wearied state the task was not easy, but, by the aid of higgins, a tall and powerful fellow, i managed to reach the top of the mountain, where we placed ourselves in a sort of gully or ditch, and looked over to the enemy's side, concealing ourselves by lying flat in the ditch as we did so. thus, in favourable situations, like cats watching for their prey, were the rest of the rifles lying perdu upon the hills that night. the mountain we found was neither so steep nor so precipitous on the enemy's side. the ascent, on the contrary, was so easy that one or two of the videttes of the french cavalry were prowling about very near where we lay. as we had received orders not to make more noise than we could help, not even to speak to each other, except in whispers, although one of these horsemen approached close to where i lay, i forbore to fire upon him. "at length he stopped so near me that i saw it was almost impossible he could avoid discovering that the rifles were in such close proximity to his person. he gazed cautiously along the ridge, took off his helmet, and wiped his face, as he appeared to meditate upon the propriety of crossing the ditch in which we lay, when suddenly our eyes met, and in an instant he plucked a pistol from his holster, fired it in my face, and, wheeling his horse, plunged down the hillside. for the moment i thought i was hit, as the ball grazed my neck, and stuck fast in my knapsack, where i found it, when, many days afterwards, i unpacked my kit on shipboard. about a quarter of an hour after this, as we still lay in the gully, i heard some person clambering up behind us, and, upon turning quickly round, i found it was general craufurd. the general was wrapped in his greatcoat, and, like ourselves, had been for many hours drenched to the skin, for the rain was coming down furiously. he carried in his hand a canteen full of rum and a small cup, with which he was occasionally endeavouring to refresh some of the men. he offered me a drink as he passed, and then proceeded onwards along the ridge. after he had emptied his canteen, he came past us again, and himself gave us instructions as to our future proceedings. "'when all is ready, riflemen,' said he, 'you will immediately get the word, and pass over the bridge. be careful, and mind what you are about.' "accordingly, a short time after he had left us, we were ordered to descend the mountain side in single file, and having gained the road, were quickly upon the bridge. meanwhile the staff corps had been hard at work mining the very centre of the structure, which was filled with gunpowder, a narrow plank being all the aid we had by which to pass over. for my own part, i was now so utterly helpless that i felt as if all was nearly up with me, and that, if i could steady myself so as to reach the farther end of the plank, it would be all i should be able to accomplish. however, we managed all of us to reach the other side in safety, when, almost immediately afterwards, the bridge blew up with a tremendous report, and a house at its extremity burst into flames. what with the concussion of the explosion and the tremulous state of my limbs, i was thrown to the ground, and lay flat upon my face for some time, almost in a state of insensibility. after a while i somewhat recovered; but it was not without extreme difficulty, and many times falling again, that i succeeded in regaining the column. "soon after i had done so, we reached benevento, and immediately took refuge in a convent. already three parts of it were filled with other troops, among which were mingled the th hussars, the german legion, and the th dragoons; the horses of these regiments standing as close as they could stand, with the men dismounted between each horse, the animals' heads to the walls of the building, and all in readiness to turn out on the instant. liquor was handed to us by the dragoons, but having had nothing for some time to eat, many of our men became sick instead of receiving any benefit from it. "before we had been in the convent as long a time as i have been describing our arrival, every man of us was down on the floor, and well nigh asleep; and before we had slept half-an-hour, we were again aroused from our slumbers by the clatter of the horses, the clash of the men's sabres, and their shouts for us to clear the way. "'the enemy! the enemy!' i heard shouted out. "'clear the way, rifles! up, boys, and clear the way!' "in short, the dragoons hardly gave us time to rise before they were leading their horses amongst us, and getting out of the convent as fast as they could scamper, whilst we ourselves were not long in following their example. as we did so, we discovered that the french cavalry, having found the bridge blown up, had dashed into the stream and succeeded in crossing. our cavalry, however, quickly formed, and charged them in gallant style. "the shock of that encounter was tremendous to look upon, and we stood for some time enranked watching the combatants. the horsemen had it all to themselves; our dragoons fought like tigers, and, although greatly over-matched, drove the enemy back like a torrent, and forced them again into the river. a private of the th hussars--his name, i think, was franklin--dashed into the stream after their general (lefebvre), assailed him, sword in hand, in the water, captured, and brought him a prisoner on shore again. if i remember rightly, franklin, or whatever else was his name, was made a sergeant on the spot. the french general was delivered into our custody on that occasion, and we cheered the men heartily as we received him. "after the enemy had received this check from our cavalry, and which considerably damped their ardour, making them a trifle more shy of us for a while, we pushed onwards on our painful march. i remember marching close beside the french general during some part of this day, and observing his chapfallen and dejected look as he rode along in the midst of the green jackets." in spite of all his own sufferings, harris was still able to note, with an unconsciously artistic eye, the scenes--wild, tragic, and picturesque--which the retreat afforded:-- "being constantly in rear of the main body, the scenes of distress and misery i witnessed were dreadful to contemplate, particularly amongst the women and children, who were lagging and falling behind, their husbands and fathers being in the main body in our front. we came to the edge of a deep ravine, the descent so steep and precipitous, that it was impossible to keep our feet in getting down, and we were sometimes obliged to sit and slide along on our backs; whilst before us rose a ridge of mountains quite as steep and difficult of ascent. there was, however, no pause in our exertion, but, slinging our rifles round our necks, down the hill we went; whilst mules with the baggage on their backs, wearied and urged beyond their strength, were seen rolling from top to bottom, many of them breaking their necks with the fall, and the baggage crushed, smashed, and abandoned. "i remember as i descended this hill remarking the extraordinary sight afforded by the thousands of our redcoats, who were creeping like snails, and toiling up the ascent before us, their muskets slung round their necks, and clambering with both hands as they hauled themselves up. as soon as we ourselves had gained the ascent we were halted for a few minutes, in order to give us breath for another effort, and then onwards we moved again. "it is impossible for me to keep any account of time in this description, as i never exactly knew how many days and nights we marched; but i well know we kept on for many successive days and nights without rest, or much in the way of food. the long day found us still pushing on, and the night caused us no halt. "we pushed on still cursing the enemy for not again showing themselves, that we might revenge some of our present miseries upon their heads. "'why don't they come on like men,' they cried, 'whilst we've strength left in us to fight them?' "we were now upon the mountains; the night was bitter cold, and the snow falling fast. as day broke, i remember hearing lieutenant hill say to another officer (who, by the way, afterwards sank down and died), 'this is new year's day; and i think if we live to see another we shall not easily forget it.' "the mountains were now becoming more wild-looking and steep as we proceeded, whilst those few huts we occasionally passed seemed so utterly forlorn and wretched-looking, it appeared quite a wonder how human beings could live in so desolate a home. after the snow commenced the hills became so slippery (being in many parts covered with ice), that several of our men frequently slipped and fell, and being unable to rise, gave themselves up to despair and died. there was now no endeavour to assist one another after a fall; it was every one for himself, and god for us all! "the enemy, i should think, were at this time frequently close upon our trail; and i thought at times i heard their trumpets come down the wind as we marched. towards the dusk of the evening of this day i remember passing a man and woman lying clasped in each other's arms, and dying in the snow. i knew them both, but it was impossible to help them. they belonged to the rifles and were man and wife. the man's name was joseph sitdown. during this retreat, as he had not been in good health previously, himself and wife had been allowed to get on in the best way they could in the front. they had, however, now given in, and the last we ever saw of poor sitdown and his wife was on that night lying perishing in each other's arms in the snow. "many trivial things which happened during the retreat to corunna, and which on any other occasion might have entirely passed from my memory, have been, as it were, branded into my remembrance, and i recollect the most trifling incidents which occurred from day to day during that march. i remember, amongst other matters, that we were joined, if i may so term it, by a young recruit, when such an addition was anything but wished for during the disasters of the hour. one of the men's wives (who was struggling forward in the ranks with us, presenting a ghastly picture of illness, misery, and fatigue), being very large in the family-way, towards evening stepped from amongst the crowd and laid herself down amidst the snow, a little out of the main road. her husband remained with her; and i heard one or two hasty observations amongst our men that they had taken possession of their last resting-place. the enemy were, indeed, not far behind at this time, the night was coming down, and their chance seemed in truth but a bad one. "to remain behind the column of march in such weather was to perish, and we accordingly soon forgot all about them. to my surprise, however, i some little time afterwards (being myself then in the rear of our party) again saw the woman. she was hurrying with her husband after us, and in her arms she carried the babe she had just given birth to. her husband and herself between them managed to carry that infant to the end of the retreat, where we embarked. god tempers the wind, it is said, to the shorn lamb, and many years afterwards i saw that boy a strong and healthy lad. the woman's name was m'guire, a sturdy and hardy irishwoman; and lucky was it for herself and babe that she was so, as that night of cold and sleet was in itself sufficient to try the constitution of most females. i lost sight of her, i recollect, on this night when the darkness came upon us, but with the dawn, to my surprise she was still amongst us." chapter v stern scenes the sufferings of the retreat steadily increased. the weather grew more bitter, the country more difficult, the supply of food scantier. under the strain of incessant marching, the strength of the men gave way. all were ragged and hungry; many were bare-footed; many were sick, racked with coughs, shaken with ague, or burning with fever. their discipline seemed to go to pieces. nothing survived but a spirit of dogged, sullen courage that seized, with a thrill of something like fierce delight, every opportunity of turning on their relentless pursuers:-- "the shoes and boots of our party were now mostly either destroyed or useless to us, from foul roads and long miles, and many of the men were entirely bare-footed, with knapsacks and accoutrements altogether in a dilapidated state. the officers were also, for the most part, in as miserable a plight. they were pallid, wayworn, their feet bleeding, and their faces overgrown with beards of many days' growth. what a contrast did our corps display, even at this period of the retreat, to my remembrance of them on the morning their dashing appearance captivated my fancy in ireland! many of the poor fellows, now near sinking with fatigue, reeled as if in a state of drunkenness, and altogether i thought we looked the ghosts of our former selves; still we held on resolutely. our officers behaved nobly, and craufurd was not to be daunted by long miles, fatigue, or foul weather. many a man in that retreat caught courage from his stern eye and gallant bearing. indeed, i do not think the world ever saw a more perfect soldier than general craufurd. "as the day began to dawn, we passed through another village--a long, straggling place. the houses were all closed at this early hour, and the inhabitants mostly buried in sleep, and, i dare say, unconscious of the armed thousands who were pouring through their silent streets. when about a couple of miles from this village, craufurd again halted us for about a quarter of an hour. it appeared to me that, with returning daylight, he wished to have a good look at us this morning, for he mingled amongst the men as we stood leaning upon our rifles, gazing earnestly in our faces as he passed, in order to judge of our plight by our countenances. he himself appeared anxious, but full of fire and spirit, occasionally giving directions to the different officers, and then speaking words of encouragement to the men. it is my pride now to remember that general craufurd seldom omitted a word in passing to myself. on this occasion, he stopped in the midst and addressed a few words to me, and, glancing down at my feet, observed-- "'what! no shoes, harris, i see, eh?' "'none, sir,' i replied; 'they have been gone many days back.' he smiled, and passing on spoke to another man, and so on through the whole body. "craufurd was, i remember, terribly severe during this retreat, if he caught anything like pilfering amongst the men. as we stood, however, during this short halt, a very tempting turnip field was close on the side of us, and several of the men were so ravenous, that although he was in our very ranks, they stepped into the field and helped themselves to the turnips, devouring them like famishing wolves. he either did not or would not observe the delinquency this time, and soon afterwards gave the word and we moved on once more. "about this period i remember another sight, which i shall not to my dying day forget; and it causes me a sore heart even now as i remember it. soon after our halt beside the turnip field the screams of a child near me caught my ear, and drew my attention to one of our women, who was endeavouring to drag along a little boy of about seven or eight years of age. the poor child was apparently completely exhausted, and his legs falling under him. the mother had occasionally, up to this time, been assisted by some of the men, taking it in turn to help the little fellow on; but now all further appeal was in vain. no man had more strength than was necessary for the support of his own carcass, and the mother could no longer raise the child in her arms, as her reeling pace too plainly showed. still, however, she continued to drag the child along with her. it was a pitiable sight, and wonderful to behold the efforts the poor woman made to keep the boy amongst us. at last the little fellow had not even strength to cry, but, with mouth wide open, stumbled onwards, until both sank down to rise no more. the poor woman herself had, for some time, looked a moving corpse, and when the shades of evening came down, they were far behind amongst the dead or dying in the road." hunger and desperation sometimes tempted even the veterans of the rifles to leave the ranks in the hope of discovering, in some fold of the lonely asturian hills, a shepherd's hut, or a little farmhouse, where food might be got at and an hour's shelter enjoyed. harris describes one such adventure undertaken by himself:-- "towards evening we came to a part of the country of a yet wilder and more desolate appearance even than that we had already traversed; a dreary wilderness it appeared at this inclement season, and our men, spite of the vigilance of the general, seemed many of them resolved to stray into the open country rather than traverse the road before them. the coming night favoured their designs, and many were before morning lost to us through their own wilfulness. amongst others i found myself completely bewildered and lost upon the heath, and should doubtless have perished had i not fallen in with another of our corps in the same situation. as soon as we recognised each other i found my companion in adversity was a strapping resolute fellow named james brooks, a north of ireland man. he was afterwards killed at toulouse. he was delighted at having met with me, and we resolved not to desert each other during the night. brooks, as i have said, was a strong, active, and resolute fellow, as indeed i had on more occasions than one witnessed in portugal. at the present time his strength was useful to both of us. "'catch hold of my jacket, harris,' said he; 'the ground here is soft, and we must help each other to-night or we shall be lost in the bogs.' "before long that which brooks feared happened, and he found himself stuck so fast in the morass that although i used my best efforts to draw him out i only shared in the same disaster, so that, leaving him, i turned and endeavoured to save my own life if possible, calling to him to follow before he sank over head and ears. this was an unlucky chance in our wearied state, as the more we floundered in the dark, not knowing which way to gain a firmer foundation, the faster we fixed ourselves. poor brooks was so disheartened that he actually blubbered like a child. at length, during a pause in our exertions, i thought i heard something like the bark of a dog come down the wind. i bade brooks listen, and we both distinctly heard it--the sound gave us new hope just as we were about to abandon ourselves to our fate. i advised brooks to lay himself as flat as he could and drag himself out of the slough, as i had found some hard tufts of grass in the direction i tried; and so, by degrees, we gained a firmer footing, and eventually succeeded in extricating ourselves, though in such an exhausted state that for some time we lay helplessly upon the ground unable to proceed. "at length, with great caution, we ventured to move forwards in the direction of the sounds we had just heard. we found, however, that our situation was still very perilous, for in the darkness we hardly dared to move a step in any direction without probing the ground with our rifles, lest we should again sink and be eventually smothered in the morasses we had strayed amongst. on a sudden, however, as we carefully felt our way, we heard voices shouting in the distance, and calling out 'men lost! men lost!' which we immediately concluded were the cries of some of our own people who were situated like ourselves. "after a while i thought i saw, far away, something like a dancing light, which seemed to flicker about, vanish, and reappear, similar to a jack-o'-lantern. i pointed it out to brooks, and we agreed to alter our course and move towards it. as we did so the light seemed to approach us and grow larger. presently another and another appeared, like small twinkling stars, till they looked something like the lamps upon one of our london bridges as seen from afar. the sight revived our spirits, more especially as we could now distinctly hear the shouts of people who appeared in search of the stragglers, and as they approached us we perceived that such was indeed the case. the lights, we now discovered, were furnished by bundles of straw and dried twigs tied on the ends of long poles and dipped in tar. they were borne in the hands of several spanish peasants, from a village near at hand, whom craufurd had thus sent to our rescue. "to return to my own adventures on this night. when brooks and myself reached the village i have mentioned we found it filled with soldiers, standing and lying huddled together like cattle in a fair. a most extraordinary sight it appeared as the torches of the peasants flashed upon the wayworn and gaunt figures of our army. the rain was coming down, too, on this night, i remember; and soon after i reached our corps i fell helplessly to the ground in a miserable plight. brooks was himself greatly exhausted, but he behaved nobly, and remained beside me, trying to persuade some of our men to assist him in lifting me up, and gaining shelter in one of the houses at hand. 'may i be ----!' i heard him say, 'if i leave harris to be butchered in the streets by the cowardly spaniards the moment our division leaves the town.' "at length brooks succeeded in getting a man to help him, and together they supported me into the passage of a house, where i lay upon the floor for some time. after a while, by the help of some wine they procured, i rallied and sat up, till eventually i got once more upon my legs, and, arm in arm, we proceeded again into the streets and joined our corps. poor brooks certainly saved my life that night. he was one of the many good fellows whom i have seen out, and i often think of him with feelings of gratitude as i sit at my work in richmond street, soho." there were certainly not many men, even in craufurd's rearguard, stronger in body or hardier in temper than harris, yet at last even his iron strength and dauntless energy failed him. he began to lag behind, making occasional and desperate rallies to keep up with his battalion. he says:-- "i remember sir dudley hill passing me on a mule this day. he wore a spanish straw hat and had his cloak on. he looked back when he had passed, and addressed me: 'harris,' said he, 'i see you cannot keep up.' he appeared sorry for me, for he knew me well. 'you must do your best,' he said, 'my man, and keep with us, or you will fall into the hands of the enemy.' as the day wore on i grew weaker and weaker, and at last, in spite of all my efforts, i saw the main body leave me hopelessly in the lurch. brooks himself was getting weaker too; he saw it was of little use to urge me on, and at length, assenting to my repeated request to be left behind, he hurried on as well as he was able without a word of farewell. i now soon sank down in the road and lay beside another man who had also fallen and was apparently dead, and whom i recognised as one of our sergeants. "whilst we lay exhausted in the road the rearguard, which was now endeavouring to drive on the stragglers, approached, and a sergeant of the rifles came up and stopped to look at us. he addressed himself to me, and ordered me to rise; but i told him it was useless for him to trouble himself about me as i was unable to move a step farther. whilst he was urging me to endeavour to rise up, the officer in command of the rearguard also stepped up. the name of this officer was lieutenant cox; he was a brave and good man, and observing that the sergeant was rough in his language and manner towards me, he silenced him and bade the guard proceed and leave me. 'let him die quietly, hicks,' he said to the sergeant. 'i know him well; he's not the man to lie here if he could get on. i am sorry, harris,' he said, 'to see you reduced to this, for i fear there is no help to be had now.' he then moved on after his men, and left me to my fate. "after lying still for a while, i felt somewhat restored and sat up to look about me. the sight was by no means cheering. on the road behind me i saw men, women, mules, and horses lying at intervals, both dead and dying; whilst far away in front i could just discern the enfeebled army crawling out of sight, the women[ ] huddled together in its rear, trying their best to get forward amongst those of the sick soldiery, who were now unable to keep up with the main body. after a while i found that my companion, the sergeant, who lay beside me, had also recovered a little, and i tried to cheer him up. i told him that opposite to where we were lying there was a lane, down which we might possibly find some place of shelter if we could muster strength to explore it. the sergeant consented to make the effort, but after two or three attempts to rise, gave it up. i myself was more fortunate; with the aid of my rifle i got upon my legs, and seeing death in my companion's face, i resolved to try and save myself, since it was quite evident to me that i could render him no assistance. "after hobbling some distance down the lane, to my great joy i espied a small hut or cabin with a little garden in its front; i therefore opened the small door of the hovel, and was about to enter when i considered that most likely i should be immediately knocked on the head by the inmates if i did so. the rain, i remember, was coming down in torrents at this time, and, reflecting that to remain outside was but to die, i resolved at all events to try my luck within. i had not much strength left, but i resolved to sell myself as dearly as i could. i therefore brought up my rifle and stepped across the threshold. as soon as i had done so i observed an old woman seated beside a small fire upon the hearth. she turned her head as i entered, and immediately upon seeing a strange soldier, she arose and filled the hovel with her screams. as i drew back within the doorway an elderly man, followed by two, who were apparently his sons, rushed from a room in the interior. they immediately approached me; but i brought up my rifle again and cocked it, bidding them keep their distance. "after i had thus brought them to a parley i got together what little spanish i was master of, and begged for shelter for the night and a morsel of food, at the same time lifting my feet and displaying them a mass of bleeding sores. it was not, however, till they had held a tolerably long conversation among themselves that they consented to afford me shelter, and then only upon the condition that i left by daylight on the following morning. i accepted the conditions with joy. had they refused me i should indeed not have been here to tell the tale. knowing the treachery of the spanish character, i however refused to relinquish possession of my rifle, and my right hand was ready in an instant to unsheath my bayonet, as they sat and stared at me whilst i devoured the food they offered. "all they gave me was some coarse black bread, and a pitcher of sour wine. it was, however, acceptable to a half-famished man; and i felt greatly revived by it. whilst i supped, the old hag, who sat close beside the hearth, stirred up the embers, that they might have a better view of their guest, and the party meanwhile overwhelmed me with questions, which i could neither comprehend nor had strength to answer. i soon made signs to them that i was unable to maintain the conversation, and begged of them, as well as i could, to show me some place where i might lay my wearied limbs till dawn. "notwithstanding the weariness which pervaded my whole body, i was unable for some time to sleep except by fitful snatches, such was the fear i entertained of having my throat cut by the savage-looking wretches still seated before the fire. besides which, the place they had permitted me to crawl into was more like an oven than anything else, and being merely a sort of berth scooped out of the wall, was so filled with fleas and other vermin, that i was stung and tormented most miserably all night long. "bad as they had been, however, i felt somewhat restored by my lodging and supper, and with the dawn i crawled out of my lair, left the hut; retraced my steps along the lane, and once more emerged upon the high-road, where i found my companion, the sergeant, dead, and lying where i had left him the night before. "i now made the best of my way along the road in the direction in which i had last seen our army retreating the night before. a solitary individual, i seemed left behind amongst those who had perished. it was still raining, i remember, on this morning, and the very dead looked comfortless in their last sleep as i passed them occasionally lying on the line of march. it had pleased heaven to give me an iron constitution, or i must have failed, i think, on this day, for the solitary journey and the miserable spectacles i beheld rather damped my spirits. "after progressing some miles, i came up with a cluster of poor devils who were still alive, but apparently, both men and women, unable to proceed. they were sitting huddled together in the road, their heads drooping forward, and apparently patiently awaiting their end. "soon after passing these unfortunates, i overtook a party who were being urged forward under charge of an officer of the nd highlanders. he was pushing them along pretty much as a drover would keep together a tired flock of sheep. they presented a curious example of a retreating force. many of them had thrown away their weapons, and were linked together arm-in-arm, in order to support each other, like a party of drunkards. they were, i saw, composed of various regiments; many were bareheaded and without shoes, and some with their heads tied up in old rags and fragments of handkerchiefs. i marched in company with this party for some time, but as i felt after my night's lodging and refreshment in better condition, i ventured to push forward, in the hope of rejoining the main body, and which i once more came up with in the street of a village. "on falling in with the rifles, i again found brooks, who was surprised at seeing me still alive, and we both entered a house, and begged for something to drink. i remember that i had a shirt upon my back at this time, which i had purchased of a drummer of the th regiment before the commencement of the retreat. it was the only good one i had. i stripped, with the assistance of brooks, and took it off, and exchanged it with a spanish woman for a loaf of bread, which brooks, myself, and two other men, shared amongst us. "i remember to have again remarked craufurd at this period of the retreat. he was in no whit altered in his desire to keep the force together, i thought; but, still active and vigilant as ever, he seemed to keep his eye upon those who were now most likely to hold out. i myself marched during many hours close beside him this day. he looked stern and pale, but the very picture of a warrior. i shall never forget craufurd if i live to a hundred years, i think. he was in everything a soldier. "slowly and dejectedly crawled our army along. their spirit of endurance was now considerably worn out, and, judging from my own sensations, i felt confident that, if the sea was much farther from us, we must be content to come to a halt at last without gaining it. i felt something like the approach of death as i proceeded--a sort of horror, mixed up with my sense of illness; a reeling i have never experienced before or since. still i held on; but with all my efforts, the main body again left me behind. had the enemy's cavalry come up at this time i think they would have had little else to do but ride us down without striking a blow." at last the great retreat, with its horrors and sufferings, drew to a close. the sea was reached, and not even xenophon's ten thousand, as they caught from some hill summit the purple gleam of the far-off sea, knew a keener delight than did craufurd's bare-footed, famine-wasted veterans. says harris:-- "it is astonishing how man clings to life. i am certain that had i lain down at this period, i should have found my last billet on the spot i sank upon. suddenly i heard a shout in front, which was prolonged in a sort of hubbub. even the stragglers whom i saw dotting the road in front of me seemed to have caught at something like hope; and as the poor fellows now reached the top of a hill we were ascending, i heard an occasional exclamation of joy--the first note of the sort i had heard for many days. when i reached the top of the hill the thing spoke for itself. there, far away in our front, the english shipping lay in sight. "its view had indeed acted like a restorative to our force, and the men, at the prospect of a termination to the march, had plucked up spirit for a last effort. fellows who, like myself, seemed to have hardly strength in their legs to creep up the ascent, seemed now to have picked up a fresh pair to get down with. such is hope to us poor mortals! "as we proceeded down the hill we now met with the first symptoms of the good feeling from the inhabitants it was our fortune to experience during our retreat. a number of old women stood on either side of the road, and occasionally handed us fragments of bread as we passed them. it was on this day, and whilst i looked anxiously upon the english shipping in the distance, that i first began to find my eyesight failing, and it appeared to me that i was fast growing blind. the thought was alarming, and i made desperate efforts to get on. bell, however, won the race this time. he was a very athletic and strong-built fellow, and left me far behind, so that i believe at that time i was the very last of the retreating force that reached the beach, though, doubtless, many stragglers came dropping up after the ships had sailed, and were left behind. "as it was, when i did manage to gain the seashore, it was only by the aid of my rifle that i could stand, and my eyes were now so dim and heavy that with difficulty i made out a boat, which seemed the last that had put off. "fearful of being left half blind in the lurch, i took off my cap, and placed it on the muzzle of my rifle as a signal, for i was totally unable to call out. luckily, lieutenant cox, who was aboard the boat, saw me and ordered the men to return, and making one more effort i walked into the water, and a sailor, stretching his body over the gunwale, seized me as if i had been an infant and hauled me on board. his words were characteristic of the english sailor, i thought. "'hullo, there, you lazy lubber!' he said, as he grasped hold of me, 'who the ---- do you think is to stay hum-bugging all day for such a fellow as you?'" here is harris's description of how, after a stormy passage, the transports reached the english coast, and the wrecks of moore's gallant battalions were allowed to land:-- "after remaining off spithead for about five or six days, one fine morning we received orders to disembark, and our poor bare feet once more touched english ground. the inhabitants flocked down to the beach to see us as we did so, and they must have been a good deal surprised at the spectacle we presented. our beards were long and ragged; almost all were without shoes and stockings; many had their clothes and accoutrements in fragments, with their heads swathed in old rags, and our weapons were covered with rust; whilst not a few had now from toil and fatigue become quite blind. "let not the reader, however, think that even now we were to be despised as soldiers. long marches, inclement weather, and want of food had done their work upon us; but we were perhaps better than we appeared, as the sequel showed. under the gallant craufurd we had made some tremendous marches, and even galled our enemies severely, making good our retreat by the way of vigo. but our comrades in adversity, and who had retired by the other road to corunna, under general moore, turned to bay there, and showed the enemy that the english soldier is not to be beaten even under the most adverse circumstances. "the field of death and slaughter, the march, the bivouac, and the retreat, are no bad places in which to judge of men. i have had some opportunities of judging them in all these situations, and i should say that the british are amongst the most splendid soldiers in the world. give them fair-play, and they are unconquerable. for my own part, i can only say that i enjoyed life more whilst on active service than i have ever done since; and as i sit at my work in my shop in richmond street, soho, i look back upon that portion of my time spent in the fields of the peninsula as the only part worthy of remembrance. it is at such times that scenes long past come back upon my mind as if they had taken place but yesterday. i remember even the very appearance of some of the regiments engaged; and comrades, long mouldered to dust, i see again performing the acts of heroes." harris gives a bit of dreadful arithmetic, which shows the losses sustained in the retreat:-- "after the disastrous retreat to corunna, the rifles were reduced to a sickly skeleton, if i may so term it. out of perhaps nine hundred of as active and fine fellows as ever held a weapon in the field of an enemy's country, we paraded some three hundred weak and crestfallen invalids. "i myself stood the third man in my own company, which was reduced from near a hundred men to but three. indeed, i think we had scarce a company on parade stronger than ten or twelve men at the first parade. after a few parades, however, our companies gradually were augmented by those of the sick who recovered, but many of those who did not sink in hospital were never more of much service as soldiers." footnotes: [footnote : some of these poor wretches cut a ludicrous figure, having the men's greatcoats buttoned over their heads, whilst their clothing, being extremely ragged and scanty, their naked legs were very conspicuous. they looked a tribe of travelling beggars.] chapter vi some famous soldiers harris's "recollections" abound in what may be called thumb-nail sketches of his comrades and his officers. he had a quick eye for character as well as for incident; and his descriptions are always interesting and often very amusing. harris was naturally more interested, perhaps, in his comrades than in his officers and his generals. he was closer to them and understood them better. yet he gives some sharply-drawn pictures of famous british battle-leaders as they were seen by the eyes of the men whom they led. here, for example, is a picture of general--afterwards lord--hill, just before the battle of roliça. "farmer" hill was his sobriquet amongst the men, and he owed that title as much to his homely and kindly spirit as to his red, broad, and farmer-like face. says harris:-- "we were pelting along through the streets of a village, the name of which i do not think i ever knew, so i cannot name it. i was in the front and had just cleared the village when i recollect observing general hill (afterwards lord hill) and another officer ride up to a house, and give their horses to some of the soldiery to hold. our bugles at that moment sounded the halt, and i stood leaning upon my rifle near the door of the mansion which general hill had entered; there was a little garden before the house, and i stood by the gate. whilst i remained there the officer who had entered with general hill came to the door and called to me. 'rifleman,' said he, 'come here.' i entered the gate and approached him. 'go,' he continued, handing me a dollar, 'and try if you can get some wine! for we are devilish thirsty here.' taking the dollar i made my way back to the village. at a wine-house, where the men were crowding around the door, and clamouring for drink (for the day was intensely hot), i succeeded, after some little difficulty, in getting a small pipkin full of wine, but the crowd was so great that i found as much trouble in paying for it as in getting it; so i returned back as fast as i was able, fearing that the general would be impatient, and move off before i reached him. "i remember lord hill was loosening his sword-belt as i handed him the wine. 'drink first, rifleman,' said he, and i took a good pull at the pipkin and held it to him again. he looked at it as i did so, and told me i might drink it all up, for it appeared greasy; so i swallowed the remainder, and handed him back the dollar which i had received from the officer. 'keep the money,' he said, 'my man. go back to the village once more and try if you cannot get me another draught.' saying this, he handed me a second dollar, and told me to be quick. i made my way back to the village, got another pipkin full, and returned as fast as i could. the general was pleased with my promptness, and drank with great satisfaction, handing the remainder to the officer who attended him; and i dare say, if he ever recollected the circumstance afterwards, that was as sweet a draught, after the toil of the morning march, as he has drunk at many a nobleman's board in old england since." of beresford, again--who, if he was not a great general, was at least a terrible fighter--harris gives an amusing sketch:-- "i remember a great many of the leaders and heroes of the wars of my own time. alas! they have been cleared off of late pretty handsomely! a few years more and the world will be without another living remembrancer of either them or their deeds. the ranks are getting thin, too, amongst those who, like myself, were the tools with which the great men of former days won their renown. i don't know a single living man now who was a comrade during the time i served. very nearly fifteen years back, i remember, however, meeting with robert liston, and that meeting brings marshal beresford to my mind. "robert liston was a corporal in the second battalion of the rifles, when we lay for a few days in the passages of a convent in portugal. we were then making for the frontiers of spain, when we were swept into that disastrous retreat to corunna. there was a punishment parade in the square of this convent. a soldier of the nd or th was the culprit, and the kilts were formed to witness the performance. some of the rifles were looking from the windows of the convent at the punishment of the highlander, when a brickbat was hurled from one of the casements and fell at the very toe of the lieutenant-colonel, who was standing in the midst, and in command of the regiment. the lieutenant-colonel (whose name i never knew) was, of course, indignant at such an act; he gazed up at the window from which the brick had been thrown, and caused an inquiry instantly to be made. it was between the lights when this happened, and it was impossible to discover who had done it; however, two or three men of the rifles were confined on suspicion. a man named baker flatly accused corporal liston of the act; upon which liston was marched a prisoner to salamanca (a distance, i should think, of some hundred miles); and often did he complain of his hard fate in being a prisoner so long. when we got to salamanca we halted there for eight days; and liston, being tried by general court-martial, was sentenced to receive eight hundred lashes. the whole brigade turned out on the occasion, and i remember that the drummers of the th regiment were the inflicters of the lash. liston received the whole sentence without a murmur. he had, indeed, been a good soldier, and we were all truly sorry for him; in fact, he always declared solemnly that he had no more to do with the brickbat than marshal beresford who commanded the brigade. whoever committed the act, in my opinion, well deserved what liston got. "marshal beresford was in command of the brigade at this time; and i well remember what a fine-looking soldier he was. he was equal to his business, too, i should say; and he, amongst others of our generals, often made me think that the french army had nothing to show in the shape of officers who could at all compare with ours. there was a noble bearing in our leaders, which they on the french side (as far as i was capable of observing) had not; and i am convinced that the english soldier is even better pleased to be commanded by some men of rank in his own country than by one who has risen from his own station. "they are a strange set, the english! and so determined and unconquerable, that they will have their way if they can. indeed, it requires one who has authority in his face, as well as at his back, to make them respect and obey him. "i never saw liston after that punishment whilst in spain; and i suppose he remained behind, and got on in the best manner he was able in the rear; but, about ten years afterwards, as i was passing down sloane street, chelsea, i observed a watchman calling the hour. it struck me that i knew his face, and, turning back, i stopped him, asking if he was not robert liston, formerly a corporal in the th rifles? after answering in the affirmative, the first words he spoke were, 'oh, harris! do you remember what happened to me at salamanca?' "'i do well,' i said. "'i was never guilty,' he continued. 'there is no occasion for me to deny it now; but i tell you that i was never guilty of the crime for which i suffered. baker was a villain, and i believe that he was himself the culprit.' "i recollect marshal beresford making a speech on the subject of the buttons of our greatcoats; and, however such a subject may appear trifling for a general officer to speak on, i can tell you it was a discourse which our men (some of them) much needed; for they had been in the habit of tearing off the buttons from their coats, and after hammering them flat, passing them as english coin, in exchange for the good wines of spain. so that, at last, the spaniards, finding they got nothing by the exchange but trumpery bits of battered lead, and the children in that country not being in the habit of playing at dumps as ours are, they made complaints to the marshal. halting the brigade, therefore, one day, he gave them a speech upon this fraud, and ended by promising a handsome flogging to the first man he found thereafter whose greatcoat would not keep buttoned in windy weather." of another yet more famous soldier, napier, we get an interesting glimpse in harris's pages:-- "i remember meeting with general napier before the battle of vimiero. he was then, i think, a major; and the meeting made so great an impression on me that i have never forgotten him. i was posted in a wood the night before the battle, in front of our army, where two roads crossed each other. the night was gloomy, and i was the very out-sentry of the british army. as i stood on my post, peering into the thick wood around me, i was aware of footsteps approaching, and challenged in a low voice. receiving no answer, i brought my rifle to the port, and bade the strangers come forward. they were major napier (then of the th foot, i think), and an officer of the rifles. the major advanced close up to me, and looked hard in my face. "'be alert here, sentry,' said he, 'for i expect the enemy upon us to-night, and i know not how soon.' "i was a young soldier then, and the lonely situation i was in, together with the impressive manner in which major napier delivered his caution, made a great impression on me, and from that hour i have never forgotten him. indeed, i kept careful watch all night, listening to the slightest breeze amongst the foliage, in expectation of the sudden approach of the french." of wellington himself--then sir arthur wellesley--we have a brief sketch at vimiero:-- "i remember seeing the duke of wellington during the battle of vimiero; and in these days, when so much anxiety is displayed to catch even a glance of that great man's figure as he gallops along the streets of london, it seems gratifying to me to recollect seeing him in his proper element, 'the raging and bloody field,' and i have frequently taxed my mind to remember each action and look i caught of him at that time. "i remember seeing the great duke take his hat off in the field of vimiero, and methinks it is something to have seen that wonderful man even do so commonplace a thing as lift his hat to another officer in the battle-field. we were generally enveloped in smoke and fire, and sometimes unable to distinguish or make remarks upon what was going on around, whilst we blazed away at our opponents; but occasionally we found time to make our comments upon the game we were playing. two or three fellows near me were observing what was going on just in the rear, and i heard one man remark, 'here comes sir arthur and his staff'; upon which i also looked back, and caught sight of him just meeting two other officers of high rank. they all uncovered as they met, and i saw the duke, as i said (then sir arthur wellesley), take off his hat and bow to the other two. the names of the new-comers, however they were learnt, whether from some of the men who had before seen them, or picked up on the instant from an officer, seemed to be well known, as well as the business they were engaged in talking of; for it ran along the line from one to the other that sir hew dalrymple and sir harry burrard were about to take the command, instead of sir arthur wellesley, a circumstance which, of course, could only be a random guess amongst these fellows at the moment." the real hero of harris's pages, however, is craufurd, the stern and even rashly heroic leader of the light division, who ended his career on the great breach at badajos. harris came into close contact with craufurd, studied him with a curious vividness of insight, and felt for him an admiring loyalty almost too great for words. his account of craufurd gives us what is very rare in literature--a description of a great commander by one of the privates who trudged in the battalions he commanded. harris, in the retreat to vigo, saw craufurd under conditions which might well tax to the uttermost the resources and temper of a general. "i do not think i ever admired any man who wore the british uniform more than i did general craufurd. i could fill a book with descriptions of him, for i frequently had my eye upon him in the hurry of action. it was gratifying to me, too, to think he did not altogether think ill of me, since he has often addressed me kindly when, from adverse circumstances, you might have thought that he had scarcely spirits to cheer up the men under him. the rifles liked him, but they also feared him, for he could be terrible when insubordination showed itself in the ranks. 'you think, because you are riflemen, you may do whatever you think proper,' said he one day to the miserable and savage-looking crew around him in the retreat to corunna; 'but i'll teach you the difference before i have done with you.' i remember one evening during the retreat he detected two men straying away from the main body; it was in the early stage of that disastrous flight, and craufurd knew well that he must do his utmost to keep the division together. he halted the brigade with a voice of thunder, ordered a drum-head court-martial on the instant, and they were sentenced to a hundred apiece. whilst this hasty trial was taking place, craufurd dismounting from his horse stood in the midst, looking stern and angry as a worried bulldog. he did not like retreating at all, that man. "the three men nearest him as he stood, were jagger, dan howans, and myself. all were worn, dejected, and savage, though nothing to what we were after a few days more of the retreat. the whole brigade were in a grumbling and discontented mood, and craufurd, doubtless, felt ill-pleased with the aspect of affairs altogether. "'d--n his eyes!' muttered howans, 'he had much better try to get us something to eat and drink than harass us in this way.' "no sooner had howans disburdened his conscience of this growl than craufurd, who had overheard it, turning sharply round, seized the rifle out of jagger's hand, and felled him to the earth with the butt-end. "'it was not i who spoke,' said jagger, getting up and shaking his head. 'you shouldn't knock me about.' "'i heard you, sir,' said craufurd, 'and i will bring you also to a court-martial.' "'i am the man who spoke,' said howans. 'ben jagger never said a word.' "'very well,' returned craufurd, 'then i'll try you, sir.' "and, accordingly, when the other affair was disposed of, howans's case came on. by the time the three men were tried it was too dark to inflict the punishment. howans, however, had got the complement of three hundred promised to him; so crauford gave the word to the brigade to move on. he marched all that night on foot, and when the morning dawned i remember that, like the rest of us, his hair, beard, and eyebrows were covered with the frost, as if he had grown white with age. we were, indeed, all of us in the same condition. scarcely had i time to notice the appearance of morning before the general once more called a halt--we were then on the hills. ordering a square to be formed, he spoke to the brigade, as well as i can remember, in these words, after having ordered the three before-named men of the th to be brought into the square:-- "'although,' said he, 'i should obtain the goodwill neither of the officers nor the men of the brigade here by so doing, i am resolved to punish these three men according to the sentence awarded, even though the french are at our heels. begin with daniel howans.' "this was indeed no time to be lax in discipline, and the general knew it. the men, as i said, were some of them becoming careless and ruffianly in their demeanour, whilst others again i saw with the tears falling down their cheeks from the agony of their bleeding feet, and many were ill with dysentery from the effects of the bad food they had got hold of and devoured on the road. our knapsacks, too, were a bitter enemy on this prolonged march. many a man died, i am convinced, who would have borne up well to the end of the retreat, but for the infernal load we carried on our backs. my own knapsack was my bitterest enemy; i felt it press me to the earth almost at times, and more than once felt as if i should die under its deadly embrace. the knapsacks, in my opinion, should have been abandoned at the very commencement of the retrograde movement, as it would have been better to have lost them altogether, if, by such loss, we could have saved the poor fellows who, as it was, died strapped to them on the road. "there was some difficulty in finding a place to tie howans up, as the light brigade carried no halberts. however, they led him to a slender ash tree which grew near at hand. "'don't trouble yourself about tying me up,' said howans, folding his arms, 'i'll take my punishment like a man!' "he did so without a murmur, receiving the whole three hundred. his wife, who was present with us, i remember, was a strong, hardy irishwoman. when it was over, she stepped up and covered howans with his grey greatcoat. the general then gave the word to move on. i rather think he knew the enemy was too near to punish the other two delinquents just then; so we proceeded out of the corn-field in which we had been halted, and toiled away upon the hills once more, howans's wife carrying the jacket, knapsack, and pouch, which the lacerated state of the man's back would not permit him to bear. "it could not have been, i should think, more than an hour after the punishment had been inflicted upon howans, when the general again gave the word for the brigade to halt, and once more formed them into a square. we had begun to suppose that he intended to allow the other two delinquents to escape, under the present difficulties and hardships of the retreat. he was not, however, one of the forgetful sort, when the discipline of the army under him made severity necessary. "'bring out the other two men of the th,' said he, 'who were tried last night.' "the men were brought forth accordingly, and their lieutenant-colonel, hamilton wade, at the same time stepped forth. he walked up to the general, and lowering his sword, requested that he would forgive these men, as they were both of them good soldiers, and had fought in all the battles of portugal. "'i order you, sir,' said the general, 'to do your duty. these men shall be punished.' "the lieutenant-colonel, therefore, recovering his sword, turned about, and fell back to the front of the rifles. one of the men, upon this (i think it was armstrong), immediately began to unstrap his knapsack, and prepare for the lash. craufurd had turned about meanwhile, and walked up to one side of the square. apparently he suddenly relented a little, and, again turning sharply around, returned towards the two prisoners. 'stop,' said he. 'in consequence of the intercession of your lieutenant-colonel, i will allow you thus much: you shall draw lots and the winner shall escape; but one of the two i am determined to make an example of.' "the square was formed in a stubble-field, and the sergeant-major of the rifles, immediately stooping down, plucked up two straws, and the men coming forward, drew. i cannot be quite certain, but i think it was armstrong who drew the longest straw, and won the safety of his hide; and his fellow-gamester was in quick time tied to a tree, and the punishment commenced. a hundred was the sentence; but when the bugler had counted seventy-five, the general granted him a further indulgence, and ordered him to be taken down and to join his company. the general calling for his horse, now mounted for the first time for many hours; for he had not ridden all night, not indeed since the drum-head court-martial had taken place. before he put the brigade in motion again, he gave us another short specimen of his eloquence, pretty much, i remember, after this style:-- "'i give you all notice,' said he, 'that i will halt the brigade again the very first moment i perceive any man disobeying my orders, and try him by court-martial on the spot.' he then gave us the word, and we resumed our march. "many who read this, especially in these peaceful times, may suppose this was a cruel and unnecessary severity under the dreadful and harassing circumstances of that retreat; but i, who was there, and was, besides, a common soldier of the very regiment to which these men belonged, say it was quite necessary. no man but one formed of stuff like general craufurd could have saved the brigade from perishing altogether; and if he flogged two, he saved hundreds from death by his management. "it was perhaps a couple of days after this had taken place that we came to a river. it was tolerably wide, but not very deep, which was just as well for us; for, had it been deep as the dark regions, we must have somehow or other got through. the avenger was behind us, and craufurd was along with us, and the two together kept us moving, whatever was in the road. accordingly, into the stream went the light brigade, and craufurd, as busy as a shepherd with his flock, riding in and out of the water, to keep his wearied band from being drowned as they crossed over. presently he spied an officer who, to save himself from being wet through, i suppose, and wearing a damp pair of breeches for the remainder of the day, had mounted on the back of one of his men. the sight of such a piece of effeminacy was enough to raise the choler of the general, and in a very short time he was plunging and splashing through the water after them both. "'put him down, sir! put him down! i desire you to put that officer down instantly!' and the soldier, in an instant, i dare say nothing loath, dropping his burden like a hot potato into the stream, continued his progress through. 'return back, sir,' said crauford to the officer, 'and go through the water like the others. i will not allow my officers to ride upon the men's backs through the rivers; all must take their share alike here.' "wearied as we were, this affair caused all who saw it to shout almost with laughter, and was never forgotten by those who survived the retreat. "general craufurd was indeed one of the few men who was apparently created for command during such dreadful scenes as we were familiar with in this retreat. he seemed an iron man; nothing daunted him--nothing turned him from his purpose. war was his very element, and toil and danger seemed to call forth only an increasing determination to surmount them. i was sometimes amused with his appearance, and that of the men around us; for, the rifles being always at his heels, he seemed to think them his familiars. if he stopped his horse, and halted to deliver one of his stern reprimands, you would see half-a-dozen lean, unshaven, shoeless, and savage riflemen, standing for the moment leaning upon their weapons, and scowling up in his face as he scolded; and when he dashed the spurs into his reeking horse, they would throw up their rifles upon their shoulders and hobble after him again. he was sometimes to be seen in the front, then in the rear, and then you would fall in with him again in the midst, dismounted, and marching on foot, that the men might see he took an equal share in the toils which they were enduring. he had a mortal dislike, i remember, to a commissary. many a time have i heard him storming at the neglect of those gentry; when the men were starving for rations, and nothing but excuses forthcoming. "twice i remember he was in command of the light brigade. the second time he joined them he made, i heard, something like these remarks, after they had been some little time in spain:-- "'when i commanded you before,' he said, 'i know full well that you disliked me, for you thought me severe. this time i am glad to find there is a change in yourselves.'" chapter vii the "tommy atkins" of a century ago. harris's descriptions of his comrades are always kindly, but they are keen. there is a touch of barrack freedom about them, and they have a dutch realism which sometimes makes them unquotable. they give an excellent idea of the british soldier of a bygone generation, the men who constituted the rank and file of the most famous army that ever marched beneath the british flag--the men of the peninsula. perhaps nowhere else in literature can be found descriptions so homely and real of the soldier as seen--on the march, in the firing line, and by the camp-fire--by his own comrade. harris's attention is naturally most arrested by the human oddities amongst his comrades, or by such of them as had in their appearance, or in their fate, a gleam of the picturesque. here are some of the portraits in his picture gallery:-- "a youth joined the rifles soon after i myself put on the green jacket, whose name was medley. he was but a small chap, being under the standard one inch[ ]; but our officers thought he promised fair to become a tall fellow, and he was, accordingly, not rejected. medley did not deceive them, for, on the day he first joined the rifles, he was five feet one inch in height, and on the day he was killed, at barossa, he was exactly six feet one. he was celebrated for being the greatest grumbler, the greatest eater, and the most quarrelsome fellow in the whole corps. i remember he cut a most desperate figure in the retreat to corunna; for there he had enough to bear both of fatigue and hunger; and a very little of either of these disagreeables would make him extremely bad company at any time. it was dangerous, too, to bid him hold his tongue sometimes; for he had picked up so amongst us since he was only five feet one, and grown so bony as well as tall, that he would challenge and thrash any man in the corps. corunna, however, though it could not stop his growling, took the desire of boxing quite out of him, and he sprawled, scrambled, and swore, till he somehow got through that business. if general craufurd could have heard but the twentieth part of what i heard him utter about him on that retreat, i think he would have cut medley in half. he was, as i said, a capital feeder, and his own allowance was not half enough to satisfy his cravings, so that he often got some of his comrades to help him out with a portion of theirs. he was killed at barossa, as i said, and he carried his ill-humour with him to the very last hour of his life; for, being knocked over by a musket-ball in the thigh, he was spoken to as he lay by some of his comrades, who, asking if they should assist him, and carry him to the rear, he told them to 'go and be d--d!' and bidding them mind their own business, abused them till they passed on and left him. i was told this last anecdote of him by the very men who had spoken to him and got his blessing as he lay. * * * * * "we had another tall fellow in the four companies of rifles who were in that retreat. his name was thomas higgins; he was six feet one and a half, and quite as lank and bony as medley. he also was an ill-tempered fellow, but nothing to compare with him either in eating or grumbling. the tall men, i have often observed, bore fatigue much worse than the short ones; and higgins amongst others of the big 'uns was dreadfully put to it to keep on. we lost him entirely when about half through this business, i remember; for, during a short halt of about ten minutes, he was reprimanded by one of our officers for the slovenly state of his clothing and accoutrements; his dress almost dropping from his lower limbs, and his knapsack hanging by a strap or two down about his waist. higgins did not take it at all kind being quarrelled with at such a time, and, uttering sundry impertinences, desired to know if they were ever to be allowed to halt any more, adding that he did not see very well how he was to be very smart after what he had already gone through. the officer spoke to one of the sergeants upon this, and bid him remember, if they got to their journey's end, to give higgins an extra guard for his behaviour. 'oh! then, d--n me,' says higgins, 'if ever i take it!' and turning about, as we all moved on at the word to march, he marched off in the contrary direction, and we never either saw or heard of him from that hour; and it was supposed afterwards, amongst us, that he had either perished alone in the night, or joined the french, who were at our heels. these were the two tallest men in the four companies of rifles; and both were in the company i belonged to. higgins was the right-hand, and medley the left-hand man. * * * * * "thomas mayberry was a man well known at that time in the rifles. he was a sergeant in my day, and was much thought of by our officers as a very active and useful non-commissioned officer, being considered, up to the time of his committing the slight mistake i shall have to tell of, one of the most honest men in the army. with the men he was not altogether so well liked, as he was considered rather too blusterous and tyrannical. whilst in the town of hythe, he got the fingering of about two hundred pounds for the purpose of paying for necessaries purchased for the men of his company, and which two hundred pounds he had, in a very short space of time, managed to make away with, and lose in the society of a party of gamblers, who at that time infested the town of hythe. he was brought to court-martial, together with two other men, whom he had seduced to become partners in his gambling transactions; and, on the inquiry, it was further discovered that he had been in the habit of cheating the men of his company out of a farthing a week each for the last ten months. that was, perhaps, the worst thing against him. he was sentenced to receive seven hundred lashes. "when mayberry was tied up, he was offered, as was then customary, the option of banishment; but he refused it, notwithstanding considerable entreaty was made to him by his two comrades to accept it, as, by so doing, they thought they all would escape the lash. however, mayberry decided to take the seven hundred, and bore the sentence without a murmur. not so the two others; morrisson screamed and struggled so much, that he capsized the triangle, and all came sprawling together, so that he was obliged to be held by a man at each side. devine came last. he was rather an effeminate-looking man, and the colonel rode round and told him he lamented being obliged to break so fair a skin, but he must do his duty. however, as he had borne a good character, and was not so much to blame as the other two, he let him down after five-and-twenty. "mayberry after this was much scouted by his fellow-soldiers, and also ill-thought-of by the officers; and, on a detachment being sent to portugal, he volunteered for the expedition. captain hart, however, would fain have declined taking him, as he had so bad an opinion of him after this affair; but mayberry showed himself so desirous of going, that at last he consented, and took him. at the siege of badajos, mayberry wiped off, in a measure, all his former ill-conduct. he was seen by captain hart to behave so bravely in the breach, that he commended him on the spot. "'well done, mayberry!' said he; 'you have this day done enough to obliterate your disgrace; and, if we live, i will endeavour to restore you to your former rank. go now to the rear; you have done enough for one day.' mayberry, however, refused to retire, although covered with wounds; for he was known to have killed seven with his own hand, with his rifle sword-bayonet. "'no going to the rear for me,' he said. 'i'll restore myself to my comrades' opinion, or make a finish of myself altogether.' "he accordingly continued in the front of all, till at last he was seen to be cut down, in the clear light of the fire-balls, by a tremendous sword-cut, which cleft his skull almost in twain. morrisson, i heard, also died at that siege. devine returned safe home, and died of fatigue at fermoy. * * * * * "the intelligence of these men was indeed very great, and i could relate instances of their recklessness and management which would amuse the reader much. i remember a fellow, named jackman, getting close up to the walls at flushing, and working a hole in the earth with his sword, into which he laid himself, and remained there alone, in spite of all the efforts of the enemy and their various missiles to dislodge him. he was known, thus earthed, to have killed, with the utmost coolness and deliberation, eleven of the french artillerymen as they worked at their guns. as fast as they relieved each fallen comrade did jackman pick them off; after which he took to his heels, and got safe back to his comrades. * * * * * "there were three brothers in the rifles named hart--john, mike, and peter--and three more perfectly reckless fellows, perhaps, never existed. nothing ever escaped their notice; and they would create the greatest fun and laughter, even when advancing under the hottest fire of the enemy, and their comrades being shot down beside them. i remember lieutenant molly, who was himself 'as fine a soldier as ever stepped, and as full of life in the midst of death' as these harts, being obliged to check them at vimiero. 'd--n you!' he said to them, 'keep back, and get under cover. do you think you are fighting here with your fists that you are running into the teeth of the french?' "i never saw those three men, to appearance, in the least degree worse for hard work during the time we remained in portugal. they could run like deer, and were, indeed, formed by nature and disposition for the hardships, difficulties, and privations of the sort of life we then led. they were, however, all three pretty well done up during the retreat to corunna; though, even in that dreadful business, their lightheartedness and attempts at fun served to keep up the spirits of many a man who would else have been broken-hearted before the english shipping appeared in sight. they even carried their pleasantry on that occasion so far as to make a jest of their own appearance, and the miserable plight of the whole turn-out, as we disembarked upon the beach at portsmouth. one of them even went so far as to observe, 'that we looked more like the rakings of h-- than the fragments of an army!' "nothing, indeed, but that grave of battalions, that unwholesome fen, flushing, could have broken the spirits of three such soldiers as john, mike, and peter hart. a few weeks, however, of that country sufficed to quiet them for evermore. one, i remember, died; and the other two, although they lived to return, were never worth a rush afterwards, but, like myself, remained living examples of what climate can bring even a constitution and body framed as if of iron to. "nothing i suppose could exceed the dreadful appearance we cut on the occasion of the disembarkation from corunna; and the inhabitants of portsmouth, who had assembled in some numbers to see us land, were horror-stricken with the sight of their countrymen and relatives returning to england in such a ghastly state; whilst the three harts, with feet swathed in bloody rags, clothing that hardly covered their nakedness, accoutrements in shreds, beards covering their faces, eyes dimmed with toil (for some were even blind), arms nearly useless to those who had them left, the rifles being encrusted with rust, and the swords glued to the scabbard--these three brothers, i say (for i heard them myself), as they hobbled up the beach, were making all sorts of remarks, and cracking their jokes upon the misery of our situation and the appearance they themselves cut. * * * * * "whilst we lay near cork we were joined by one richard pullen, amongst others; he had exchanged from the english militia into the irish, and volunteered to us rifles from the north mayo. he brought with him little else to boast of but his wife and his two children, charles and susan. charles was a mischievous boy of about twelve, and susan was a pretty little lass of about fourteen years of age. i remember they all went with us to copenhagen, and got through that expedition pretty well. that affair suited a man of pullen's description, for he didn't like too much service; and we soon found he was rather a shy cock. i remember remarking that pullen (even on the first day of the retreat to corunna) looked very chapfallen and seedy; and he was beginning even then to complain that he could not stand much more. the wife and children, too, were dropping behind. they all thought, poor souls! that when night came on they were, of course, to be billeted; but the open world was now their only refuge, and no allowance to stop or lie down, even on the bare heath, at that time. i saw pullen again on the third or fourth day; neither the wife nor children were then with him, nor could he tell where they were; he could only answer for himself, and expected to drop dead, he said, every step. that's all i saw of pullen and his wife and children on the retreat, or even thought of them; for i had enough to do to keep my own strength up. when we landed at portsmouth, both myself and others (to our no small surprise) saw pullen once more; and much we wondered at the sight of him, when so many better and stronger soldiers had died before half of that retreat was accomplished. we found that he had left behind him, and knew nothing of the fate of either his wife or his children, charles and susan. as the men continued to disembark, however, there was pullen inquiring anxiously of every one for some tidings of them. none, however, could he get. at last he saw his wife coming up the beach, and hobbled off to meet her, each at the same moment inquiring for the children, charles and susan. he trusted they were with the wife; and she hoped they were with the husband; and both sat down upon the beach and cried in concert. "all our men thought it useless of them to continue their inquiries; but they never failed to ask after their offspring of every fresh face they fell in with who had been in that retreat. in about a fortnight's time, not satisfied, they advertised charles and susan in the public newspapers; and we all laughed at the very idea of their ever finding them again, and told them they might have spared the money. to our no small surprise, however, the artillery at plymouth answered their advertisement, stating that a little girl had been heard screaming upon the mountains in spain by them in the night, and that they had taken care of her as well as they could, and had her then with them. the description answering, the girl was forwarded to hythe; and pullen and his wife once more embraced their daughter susan. * * * * * "there was, i recollect, a man of the name of bell, of the rifles, who had been during this day holding a sort of creeping race with me--we had passed and repassed each other as our strength served. bell was rather a discontented fellow at the best of times; but during this retreat he had given full scope to his ill-temper, cursing the hour he was born, and wishing his mother had strangled him when he came into the world, in order to have saved him from his present toil. he had not now spoken for some time, and the sight of the english shipping had apparently a very beneficial effect upon him. he burst into tears as he stood and looked at it. "'harris,' he said, 'if it pleases god to let me reach those ships, i swear never to utter a bad or discontented word again.' * * * * * "the history of sergeant-major adams is somewhat singular. i was his great friend at this time, and he confided some part of it to me. he had been a croppy (a rebel) and had fought at vinegar hill. when the rebels were defeated he escaped, and lived some time in the wilds of connemara. he afterwards thought it best to enlist in the donegal militia, and then volunteered to the rifles. here he soon rose (whilst in spain) to the rank of sergeant. during the retreat to corunna, sergeant-major crosby failed, and craufurd promoted adams in his place. at st. sebastian he was noticed by general graham for his bravery with the forlorn hope; a commission was given him, and he afterwards joined a regiment in gibraltar, where he was made adjutant. he then went to america, where he served with credit till he died. i believe i was the only man in the regiment who knew of his having been a rebel, and i kept the secret faithfully till his death. * * * * * "the story of demon, whom i myself enlisted from the leicester militia, is not a little curious. demon was a smart and very active man, and serving as corporal in the light company of the leicestershire, when i persuaded him to join our corps, where he was immediately made a sergeant in the third battalion then just forming, and from which he eventually rose to be a commissioned officer in one of our line regiments. the cause which led to demon's merits being first noticed was not a little curious, being neither more nor less than a race. "it happened that at shoreham cliff, soon after he joined, a race was got up among some kentish men who were noted for their swiftness, and one of them, who had beaten his companions, challenged any soldier in the rifles to run against him for two hundred pounds. the sum was large, and the runner was of so much celebrity that, although we had some active young fellows amongst us, no one seemed inclined to take the chance, either officers or men, till at length demon stepped forth and said he would run against this kentish boaster or any man on the face of the earth, and fight him afterwards into the bargain, if any one could be found to make up the money. upon this an officer subscribed the money, and the race was arranged. "the affair made quite a sensation, and the inhabitants of the different villages from miles around flocked to see the sport; besides which the men from different regiments in the neighbourhood, infantry, cavalry, and artillery, also were much interested, and managed to be present, which caused the scene to be a very gay one. in short the race commenced, and the odds were much against the soldier at starting, as he was a much less man than the other, and did not at all look like the winner. he, however, kept well up with his antagonist, and the affair seemed likely to end in a dead heat, which would undoubtedly have been the case, but demon, when close upon the winning-post, gave one tremendous spring forward, and won it by his body's length. "this race, in short, led on to notice and promotion. general mackenzie was in command of the garrison at hythe. he was present, and was highly delighted at the rifleman beating the bumpkin, and saw that the winner was the very cut of a soldier, and, in short, that demon was a very smart fellow, so that eventually the news of the race reached the first battalion then fighting in spain. sir andrew barnard at the time was then in command of the rifles in spain; upon being told of the circumstance, remarked that, as demon was such a smart runner in england, there was very good ground for a rifleman to use his legs in spain. he was accordingly ordered out with the next draft to that country, where he so much distinguished himself that he obtained his commission, as already mentioned." one gleam of the more tender sentiments which shines in harris's "recollections"--almost the solitary love affair he records--was of a very amusing kind. he was the shoemaker of the company, and when in lisbon he was detailed, with three other men, to discover a shoemaker's shop, where all the worn-out shoes of the battalion might be mended. says harris:-- "we carried with us three small sacks filled with old boots and shoes, and entering lisbon went into the first shoemaker's shop we saw. here i endeavoured in vain to make myself understood for some time. there was a master shoemaker at work and three men. they did not seem to like our intrusion, and looked very sulky, asking us various questions which i could not understand, the only words i could at all comprehend being, 'bonos irelandos, brutu englisa.' i thought, considering we had come so far to fight their battles for them, that this was the north side of civil; so i signed to the men, and, by way of explanation of our wishes, and in order to cut the matter short, they emptied the three sackful of boots and shoes upon the floor. we now explained what we would be at; the boots and shoes of the rifles spoke for themselves, and, seating ourselves, we commenced work forthwith. in this way we continued employed whilst the army lay near lisbon, every morning coming in to work and returning to the camp every night to sleep. "after we had been there several days, our landlord's family had the curiosity to come occasionally and take a peep at us. my companions were noisy, good-tempered, jolly fellows, and usually sang all the time they hammered and strapped. the mistress of the house, seeing i was the head-man, occasionally came and sat down beside me as i worked, bringing her daughter, a very handsome dark-eyed spanish girl, and as a matter of course i fell in love. "we soon became better acquainted, and the mother one evening, after having sat and chatted to me, serving me with wine and other good things, on my rising to leave the shop, made a signal for me to follow her. she had managed to pick up a little english, and i knew a few words of the spanish language, so that we could pretty well comprehend each other's meaning; and after leading me into their sitting-room, she brought her handsome daughter, and, without more circumstance, offered her to me for a wife. the offer was a tempting one, but the conditions of the marriage made it impossible for me to comply, since i was to change my religion and desert my colours. the old dame proposed to conceal me effectually when the army marched, after which i was to live like a gentleman, with the handsome maria for a wife. "it was hard to refuse so tempting an offer, with the pretty maria endeavouring to back her mother's proposal. i, however, made them understand that nothing would tempt me to desert, and, promising to try and get my discharge when i returned to england, protested i would then return and marry maria. "soon after this the army marched for spain; the rifles paraded in the very street where the shop i had so long worked at was situated, and i saw maria at the window. as our bugles struck up she waved her handkerchief; i returned the salute, and in half-an-hour had forgotten all about her. so much for a soldier's love!" footnotes: [footnote : the standard at that time, when men were quickly used up, was five feet two with us.] iii a royal highlander iii.--a royal highlander james anton, who rose to be quarter-master-sergeant of the nd, or royal highlanders, and wrote a "retrospect of military life," published in , was a typical scottish soldier of the ranks. his memoir gives, quite unconsciously, an amusing picture of the writer. he was but an infant when his father died. his mother, a scottish peasant woman, hardy and frugal like all her class, reared her child with an even greater economy of oatmeal and a more plentiful allowance of the shorter catechism than is common in the poorest scottish homes. anton is fond of describing his experiences in large literary terms. of his mother he says, "sparta never had her equal in respect to what may be called self-denial. she ceased not by precept, as well as example, to impress on me the same contempt for ease and luxury she herself entertained." probably anton's mother had the vaguest notion of what such words as "ease and luxury" meant. she worked like a slave, fared like a trappist monk, and trained her child to thin diet, long lessons, and hard work from his tenderest years. like most scottish mothers, she was a god-fearing woman, rich in the homely wisdom of peasant life. a love of education burns in scottish blood of all ranks, and young anton was drilled in grammar and the multiplication table, plentifully flavoured with the shorter catechism, the proverbs of solomon, the psalms of david, and scripture history generally. he emerged from the process lean and stunted physically--he was rejected at first for the militia as being under the standard, and only succeeded in striking the gauge on a second test by standing on half tip-toe. but he had some of the qualities which go to make a good soldier. he was cool, shrewd, tough, rich, after the fashion of scottish youth, in hard-headed common-sense, with a stomach that could extract nutriment from the sternest diet, and a frugality which could accumulate savings from the very scantiest pay. he records with true scottish complacency that when he entered the militia he had saved the magnificent sum of £ ; and before he left that corps for the line this had grown to £ . that was a very remarkable record for a private soldier; and, characteristically enough, he adds that during this whole process he sent a £ note at regular intervals to his mother--a form of domestic piety in which a scottish lad, peasant or soldier, does not often fail. it may be asked what impulse sent a youth of this type--under-sized, lean, frugal, canny--to a soldier's life? but a fighting impulse is native to scottish blood, whether lowland or highland; and anton, in addition, had wit enough to see that a soldier's career for the sober, frugal, order-obeying, pence-accumulating scottish peasant had many advantages. certainly, anton himself did not do badly as a private of the nd. anton joined the militia in . while serving in aberdeen the militiamen were allowed to sell their labour, when drill was over, to the contractors then occupied in building a bridge over the denburn; and anton, of course, worked hard and long, and so the pence in his pouch grew fast. he records, quaintly, his joy in the very frugality of the rations served out to him and his fellow-militiamen. they received half a pound of beef or mutton per man daily; and this was a quarter of a pound less than the orthodox allowance. but, anton argues, "if we did not get it, we did not pay for it. indeed, small allowances of provisions are always best. why force upon us," he asks indignantly, "more than is barely necessary for subsistence, when--when, in brief, more meal in the platter means fewer pence in the pocket?" it was not for nothing that anton had been brought up with something more than spartan rigour! anton entered the army just in time to see one ridiculous custom disappear. the long, elaborate, flour-besprinkled and grease-besmeared queue of marlborough's days still dangled down the unfortunate soldier's back. anton records the deliverance of the army from this barbaric ornament with a touch of unusual feeling:-- "during the time that the regiment was quartered in musselburgh, a general order was issued for the army to discontinue the tying of the hair, and to have it cropped. never was an order received with more heartfelt satisfaction than this, or obeyed with more alacrity, notwithstanding the foolish predictions of some old superannuated gentlemen that it would cause a mutiny in the army. the tying was a daily penance, and a severe one, to which every man had to submit; and there is little doubt but this practice had been introduced by some foreign fops, and enforced by antiquated prigs as necessary to the cleanly appearance of the soldier. it had been very injurious in its effects on the general comforts of those who were obliged to submit to it, and the soldier looks back to the task with the painful remembrance of the punishment he suffered every morning, daubing the side of his head with dirty grease, soap, and flour, until every hair stood like the burr of a thistle, and the back was padded and pulled so that every hair had to keep its due place; if one less subordinate than the rest chanced to start up in spite of grease, soap-lather, and flour, the poor man had to sit down and submit his head to another dressing, and afterwards parade for inspection among the defaulters of the regiment. "a certain latitude and longitude was assigned for the breadth and length of the queue, to which a gauge was frequently applied, in the same manner as some modern sticklers for uniformity at this day use a measure to ascertain the dimensions of the soldiers' folded greatcoats at guard mounting; but with this difference, the coat receives no bad impression from the stickler's gauge, whereas the greased and powdered hair retained the mark, and the poor fellow who had the misfortune to have the powder brushed aside by his awkward inspector, stood a chance of being turned off parade to have his hair dressed afresh, just as if the unlucky mark rendered him unfit for any military movement, or divested him of all the requisites of a soldier. indeed, it was no uncommon circumstance for us, when on the guard-bench and asleep, to have the rats and mice scrambling about our heads, eating the filthy stuff with which our hair was bedaubed." in anton joined the nd, and his professional life as a soldier began. chapter i about soldiers' wives anton's officers were quick to discover his steadiness, his frugality, his methodical loyalty to every duty of a soldier. he was first put on recruiting service, and then had his reward in the form which most delighted him. he was allowed to marry. only to a certain proportion of soldiers in each regiment was granted this privilege; and anton, who was an odd combination of soft domestic instincts and hard soldierly pluck, welcomed with a joy which he takes no pains to conceal the permission to impose on the object of his affections the hardships and the perils which must befall the wife of a soldier who accompanies her husband on active service. anton plainly showed all his usual scottish sense in his choice of a helpmate. she was a hardy peasant girl, plain-featured and strong-bodied, as frugal, as uncomplaining, and as canny as anton himself; and one chief merit of anton's memoirs is the picture it offers of a woman's experiences, caught in the rush and whirl of the great history-making campaigns of the peninsula. anton was still happier when, on his regiment being ordered on active service, he was allowed to take his wife with him. this was a very rare privilege indeed. only four women were permitted to follow each company of the regiment; and anton tells how, when the regiment had reached ostend, at the beginning of the waterloo campaign, even this privilege was suddenly narrowed, and instructions were received that only two women could be allowed to go with each company. half the women of the regiment were thus left stranded, penniless and friendless, in a foreign port, and saw their red-coated husbands march off into space with many a backward look at their weeping wives. but the hardy women of the barracks are not easily defeated. "we had been only two days in ghent," says anton, "when the women left at ostend found their way to the regiment." they had marched on their own account in the regiment's track, and presented themselves bedraggled and footsore at its quarters in ghent. the authorities were inexorable, and the weeping women were again conveyed back to the same place from which they escaped, and there closely watched. but woman's wit and wiles proved too much for the sentinels. in a week or two the forsaken but enterprising wives eluded the vigilance of the sentries, and joined their husbands once more; and as no official reports were made to their prejudice, they were allowed to follow the fortunes of their husbands during the campaign. anton, somewhat ungratefully--considering the devotion and sufferings of his own wife--says that, in his judgment, women ought not to be allowed to accompany the soldiers through a campaign. he writes:-- "on all occasions of troops being despatched to the scene of expected hostilities women should not be permitted to accompany them. if any exception is made in one single instance it only gives room for pressing and almost irresistible applications from others, and throws the performance of a very painful duty, namely, refusing permission, on the officers commanding companies. every private soldier conceives that he has as good a right to this indulgence for his wife as the first non-commissioned officer in the regiment, and certainly he is right; she will prove much more useful than one who, instead of being serviceable, considers herself entitled to be served, assumes the consequence of a lady without any of the good qualifications or accomplishments of one, and helps to embitter the domestic enjoyments of others by exciting petty jealousies that otherwise would never exist." anton gives very sensibly, and from the private soldier's point of view, his opinion of how the soldier's wife should be treated:-- "it is generally the case in selecting women to follow the army to a foreign station, that choice is made of those without children, as they are considered more capable of performing the services that may be required of them than those encumbered with a family. this, though just as regards our wants, is not so with respect to many a well-deserving woman, who is thus cast on the public or left to her own exertions, which too often fail her in the endeavour to support herself and children, while the childless woman is selected to profit from that circumstance. "a woman who is permitted to accompany her husband receives a half ration free; a child above seven years, one-third; and one under seven years, a quarter of a ration; and although this is but a very trifling allowance, would it not do much better to give it to those of good character who are not permitted to accompany their husbands? i must also remark that, on foreign stations where this allowance is made to the women and children, it will be found that the least necessitous are the first to apply and the first to be placed on this benevolent list. i have seen privates' wives, with three or more children, without rations; while the wives and children of sergeant-majors and quartermaster-sergeants were getting them." anton gives--quite incidentally, and without betraying any consciousness that he is adding a very exceptional chapter to military records--an account of his own experiences as a married soldier, which is very amusing and sometimes very touching. here is his story of an early spanish bivouac, and one cannot but pity the feelings of a modest scottish girl in such an environment:-- "after having seen the provisions distributed i set about looking out for some accommodation for my wife, for we had not as yet been accustomed to lie on the open field, as in bivouac, nor even seen the like, and the tent was far from comfortable for a poor, wearied, young woman; i shall not mention delicacy, for that would be out of place--we must submit to circumstances. the names of seventeen men were on the roll of the tent besides myself, so it may be easily guessed how crowded it must have been had the whole been off duty, but this was seldom the case. however, as no other shelter was to be had we took a berth under it. "eleven soldiers lay in it that night along with us, all stretched with their feet to the centre and their heads to the curtain of the tent, every man's knapsack below his head, and his clothes and accoutrements on his body; the one-half of the blankets under, and the other spread over the whole, so that we all lay in one bed. often did my poor wife look up to the thin canvas that screened her face from the night-dew and wish for the approaching morn. it was announced at last, before daybreak, by an exclamation of 'rouse!' which passed from tent to tent along the lines, when every man started up, folded his blanket, and strapped it on the back of his knapsack, ready for a march, and soon afterwards the sound of bugle and drum echoed from hill to hill; meanwhile, the army stood to arms, each regiment at its alarm post, until about sunrise." the regiment was in camp here for a short time, and anton resolved on securing better accommodation for his wife. he says:-- "i now set about erecting a hut for myself and wife, resolving, if possible, not to mix blankets with so many bedfellows again. this i was the more anxious to do, because at that time the whole of the men were affected with an eruption on their skin similar to the itch, and their clothing was in a very filthy state, owing to its being seldom shifted, and always kept on during the night. "with the assistance of a few willing hands i finished the hut in the course of the day, so that it served for a temporary shelter, and prevented myself and wife from depriving the men of their very limited accommodation in the tent. when i stretched myself down at night in my new habitation, my head rested against the one end, while my feet touched the other, at which was the entrance; my wife's apron being hung up as a substitute for a door, a couple of pins on each side served for lock and hinges, and feeble as that barrier was, none of the men entered when that was suspended, and we might have left it to its own keeping from morning till night without an article being abstracted. thieving, indeed, was unknown in the regiment; but, in fact, there was little of worth to steal amongst us." later--in october, when the bitter winds were beginning to awake on the cold summits of the pyrenees--the division encamped on the heights above urdach. anton then tried his fortunes once more with a hut. but disaster followed. he writes:-- "here i erected a hut, larger than my former one and more substantial. having occupied that which i had left nearly four weeks, i considered that, if i were to occupy this the half of that time, i should be satisfied in bestowing more labour on it, and making my accommodation more complete; but rain continued to fall for two days in succession, and placed us in a very unpleasant situation. i had cut a trench round the outside of my hut so as to carry off the torrents which rushed against it from the declivities above, and my poor wife was no less busily employed in securing the few articles within. "when the weather cleared i set about re-thatching my new habitation, but the first night after i had finished my work a violent gale struck every tent in the camp, and swept my little hut completely off. i had thrown my blanket over it and fixed it down with cords and pegs, on purpose to secure the thatch; having thus secured the roof, or i may rather say my hut, for it was all roof and ends, we stretched ourselves down, and the roaring of the wind in a few minutes lulled us to sleep, for we felt confident of having made all secure. "our repose, however, was short; we were awakened by the feeble branches which composed the rafters falling on our heads, and, on looking up, no roof sheltered us from the blast. the stars shone brightly between the flying clouds, and the busy hum of a thousand voices rose on the wind as the men strove to re-pitch the fallen tents. we started to secure the few loose articles around us; we looked for our blanket, but it was gone with the thatch and several minor articles that were no more to be seen. the men lay close under the fallen, fluttering tents, whilst i and my trembling companion found shelter in the lee of a rock, until morning roused every soldier to arms. "my wife in the meantime nastily collected a few of the scattered branches of the hut, and huddled them together, so as to cover an umbrella, which served as a ceiling to the thatchless roof, until i should return from duty and construct a more substantial dwelling. our loss, trifling as it may seem, was the more severely felt as there was no opportunity of replacing it by any fair means of purchase. our day's provisions were among the articles missing, and this was far from being a comfortable lookout for the day, as i had to mount the advance picket that morning: however, we had a little money, and, scarce as bread was, it was to be had for a good price. "the advance picket was more than two miles from the camp, and as i had not taken any provisions with me for the day, my wife bought a small loaf and a little wine; this last she mulled and mixed with some of the bread, and was bringing it to me, but in her too great anxiety to reach me soon, by short roads, she slipped on one of the steep banks and rolled down a considerable declivity. fortunately, she was not hurt, but heartily vexed at her own mishap, returned to the camp, made a fresh purchase, and again hastened to me. the tear was in her eye as she related the misfortunes of the day, but she returned to camp gratified at having provided me with an unexpected and comfortable refreshment. "i speak not of these casualties as sufferings on my part, for there were many worse off than i; but i point them out as some of the privations to which the poor women following the army had to submit, and which many of them were ill able to endure, and received but little sympathy from their husbands while patiently bearing them." perseverance is a scottish virtue, and anton, with the industry of a robinson crusoe in kilts, set to work to invent a third hut. it represented a gallant but melancholy attempt to secure the comforts of domestic life amid the severities of war:-- "i set about constructing a hut that should be proof against wind and rain. one of my officers (lieutenant d. farquharson) very kindly made an offer of any pecuniary assistance i might require, and gave me a blanket to replace that which was lost. the latter i accepted gratefully, it was more than money could purchase; the former i declined, as i was far from being in want. "i now became a complete robinson crusoe in my daily labour, when regimental duties permitted; and much i owe in gratitude to the memory of those who then superintended those duties for the indulgent manner in which i was treated, and not being troubled with vexatious interruptions to draw me off from my domestic avocations. they are now no more; they have fallen on the battle-field of a foreign land. a few men willingly afforded me every assistance; their only recompense being a small drop of spirits, which my wife had carefully reserved from my daily allowance. the wood was at no great distance, and the face of the hills was covered with broad ferns, which served for thatch. "i now laboured hard for three days, and every spare hour, when off duty, was dedicated to the rendering of my hut proof against the weather. my friend fraser gave me the use of the intrenching tools, and i dug an ample space within, three feet deep, and a trench around the outside, four feet deep; this was to carry off the water from the roof, and the latter i secured more substantially than many of our highland bothies are in the north of scotland, or than the cabins in the remote districts of ireland. we were enjoying the comfort of its nightly shelter, and i was adding something daily towards its stability for upwards of two weeks; at last i constructed a fireplace under the roof, and one of the men had brought a bundle of sticks for fuel, and the fire was lighted for the first time. "i was sitting on my knapsack taking a late dinner, quite at home, with the dish on my knee, for i had no table, when the drum beat 'orders.' i set down my dish (a wooden canteen, the one end of which was taken out) unfinished, attended the call, and with no small regret heard that the camp was to be struck, and everything ready to be moved off that night (november , ). i cannot express how vexed i was to leave my little habitation, my sole property, which i held by military right; but i was bound to follow my feudal superior. i had reared it at the expense of a blister on every finger, and i exulted as much over it, in secret, as the rich man in the gospel did over his extensive possessions and his plentiful stores. on leaving the camp that night, many of the married people set fire to their huts, but i left mine with too much regret to become its incendiary; and my poor mary shed tears as she looked back upon it, as a bower of happiness which she was leaving behind." what the poor soldier's wife felt as she hung in the rear of the fighting line and watched the drifting smoke, pierced with gleams of red flame, where her husband stood to shoot and to be shot at; or with what emotion she scrutinised the figure of each wounded soldier limping, or being carried, to the rear cannot be guessed; and anton does not stop to tell. perhaps he had not imagination enough to understand any such emotions in his wife's bosom. nothing, indeed, is more wonderful than the unconquerable cheerfulness anton shows, as a husband, under all conditions; and if his wife ever grumbled, anton does not allow her complaints to become audible to us. after the passage of the nivelle the regiment encamped on the actual scene of the fighting. says anton:-- "we bivouacked on the field until morning, and fortunately for us the night was fair, though cold and frosty. this was the first night on which my wife and i had to lie down with no other covering than a blanket between us and the sky, but we had many worse nights than this afterwards, and worse fields before us; however, on looking around, we generally saw many worse off than ourselves; and, doubtless, were we always to look into others' misfortunes or sufferings, when we suffer ourselves, we would find some cause for self-congratulation amidst the most distressing hardships." it would be interesting to know whether mrs. anton shared her husband's stubborn scottish philosophy. but she is the inarticulate figure of the two. her notes on her husband's memoirs would be very interesting; but, unfortunately, they are not handed down to us. occasional glimpses are afforded us of the experience of other wives whose husbands probably had less of resource and address than anton. here is another picture of a woman's experiences in a campaign:-- "in the neighbourhood of our bivouac were a few straggling houses, in which some staff officers took up their quarters, and our guard was posted under the leafless branches of a chestnut tree in the close vicinity. the sergeant of our guard, being a married man, considered himself very fortunate in having secured a small pig-sty near his post for his wife's accommodation, and the poor woman felt happy in the possession, small as it was; for its roof was a shelter from the wintry blasts, and its contiguity to the guard left no room to fear danger, were she permitted to keep possession; however, this was not to be the case. "our adjutant's clerk, who had never occasion to approach the field in time of danger, had taken up his quarters in one of the adjoining houses, after the action ceased, but, being dispossessed by some superiors, and every other place preoccupied by soldiers who would not suffer his intrusion, he meanly invaded the miserable shelter selected for the poor woman. in vain she remonstrated with him, in vain she requested him with tears to allow her the sole possession of a place so unfit for his accommodation, and which she had laboured hard to clean out for her own; but to no purpose, she might remain if she pleased, but he should not depart. it is doubtful whether we had a woman in the regiment so regardless of her character as to have taken a night's shelter, in the absence of her husband, otherwise than with the crowd, where no advantage could be taken of her situation or weakness; but every man acted towards a modest woman with that kindness which he would towards a sister. indeed, we had women in the regiment that, if they had been in possession, would have kept him out and put him at defiance to enter, but this one was not possessed of that masculine boldness; she therefore bundled up her few articles, and, hastening across the road, the only distance by which she had been separated from her husband, threw herself in his arms and burst into tears. "three months only had elapsed since this couple joined the regiment. she was a comely, modest, interesting young woman, and always unassumingly but cleanly and decently dressed. but allowing that she had had but few or no accomplishments or amiable qualifications to recommend her to sympathy, it is but natural to think that whatever distressed her affected the husband. they had as yet seen or experienced but little of the petulant intrusions or consequential presumptuous ill-manners to which soldiers and their wives are sometimes obliged to submit without remonstrance. 'what is the matter with you, dear?' the sergeant asked, somewhat astonished at her unexpected appearance. 'oh!' she exclaimed, 'i've been turned out o' yon bit placey that i was in, an' i'm come to stop wi' you a' night.' 'who turned you out?' the sergeant hastily inquired. 'oh, say naething about it, i'll be as well here wi' you as i would ha'e been yonder by mysel'; let us mak' no disagreement about the matter wi' them that we canna shake oursel's free o'; let the proud little creature keep it to himsel' in quietness; we are strangers as yet, so dinna let angry words be heard.' 'but what creature turned you out? surely it was not a man.' 'ay, he thinks himsel' ane;' she whispered, 'it was g--t.' 'is it possible,' said the sergeant, 'that a married man can be possessed of so little feeling as to turn you out to the inclemency of the night, and neither his wife nor child accompanying him to plead for the accommodation?' 'i am happier with you,' she replied, 'than if i had lain all night in yon hole; but, dear, oh, dear, how hard it rains; the fire will be drowned out, an' we'll be starved to death before mornin'.' "'poor body!' the sergeant ejaculated, as he wrapped the blanket round her shoulders, 'i'll soon make a good fire; sit you under that branch of the tree, the reek will annoy you less, and the drops will not fall so thick nor so heavy.' 'i'm well enough,' she returned, 'and i care na' for the reek or the rain when wi' you; but dinna min' the fire till this heavy dag's o'er, ye'll get yoursel' a' wet.' the sergeant threw a faggot of wood on the fire, and in a short time nothing was heard but the rattling of rain and hailstones, the braying of mules, and the tinkling of their bells. "this was a severe night, the rain poured down in torrents until midnight, when it was succeeded by snow, which covered the face of the country before daybreak." it may be suspected that anton, who is much given to literary excursions and alarums, has infused a little of what he regarded as appropriate pathos into this scene. nevertheless, it is a picture with real human interest. here are some additional examples of what the soldiers' wives in wellington's campaign suffered. the troops had to ford the adour, whose ice-fed and ice-cold waters were swollen with winter rains. says anton:-- "in passing through, the men supported each other as well as they could, so as to prevent them falling, for the stones in the bottom were very slippery. the wife of a sergeant of one of the regiments attempted to pass on a donkey with a child in her arms, and owing to some sudden stumble or slip of the animal, the child gave a start and dropped into the stream; the distracted mother gave a shriek, leaped after the infant, and both were swept off by the rapid current in the presence of the husband, who plunged into the water in hopes to recover them, but they were gone for ever, and he himself was with difficulty rescued. after this accident, the women who were following the army remained until the bridge was so far repaired as to enable them to pass over." anton's own wife had an unfortunate experience on the adour:-- "after having crossed the river, we marched a few miles up the right bank, or contiguous thereto, on the main road, and took up our camp-ground for the night in a newly-ploughed field, rendered a complete mire by the rain and hail which fell upon us with dreadful fury as we were piling our arms on the broken ridges. yet, notwithstanding the severity of this headlong torrent, a hundred fires were blazing in a few minutes along the side of the fences that bordered the fields. fortunately for us, general pack had taken up his quarters in the farmhouse adjoining, and allowed straw, of which there was abundance, to be taken for the bottom of the tents; this was an unexpected indulgence, even although the straw was rather wet. "i was general pack's orderly this night, and had a good roof over my head, and the dry floor of a cartshed, with plenty of dry straw for a bed; but my poor wife was absent, for the first time since we left home. she was detained, along with several other women, on the right bank of the adour, until the bridge was repaired. while this was doing, one of the women belonging to the regiment begged her to take charge of a little ass-colt with a couple of bundles, until she should go back to st. severe to make some purchases; she complied, and before the other returned, the bridge was repaired. one regiment had passed, and she followed, driving the colt before her; but before she got to the farther end, the stubborn animal stood still and would not move a foot. another regiment was advancing, the passage was impeded, and what to do she knew not. "she was in the act of removing the woman's bundles from the beast's back, and struggling to get out of the way, determined to leave the animal, when a grenadier of the advancing regiment, casting his eye on a finely-polished horn with the masonic arms cut on it, and slung over her shoulder, stepped aside, saying, 'poor creature, i shall not see you left struggling there, for the sake of what is slung by your side.' at the same time, handing his musket to one of his comrades, he lifted the colt in his arms and carried it to the end of the bridge. my poor wife thanked him with the tear in her eye, the only acknowledgment she could make for his kindness." in the fighting at toulouse, one of the married men in the regiment was killed, and anton gives a somewhat laboured, but touching, account of the grief of the soldier's widow:-- * * * * * "here fell cunningham, a corporal in the grenadier company, a man much esteemed in the regiment; he was a married man, but young, and was interred before his wife entered the dear-bought field; but she had heard of his fate, and flew, in spite of every opposition, to the field; she looked around among the yet unburied soldiers to find her own, but she found him not. she flew to the place where the wreck of the regiment lay on the field. 'tell me,' she asked, 'where cunningham is laid, that i may see him and lay him in the grave with my own hand!' a tear rose in the soldier's eye as he pointed towards the place, and twenty men started up to accompany her to the spot, for they respected the man and esteemed the woman. "they lifted the corpse; the wounds were in his breast; she washed them, and pressing his cold lips to hers, wept over him, wrapped the body in a blanket, and the soldiers consigned it to the grave. mournful she stood over the spot where her husband was laid, the earth was again closed over him, and she now stood a lonely, unprotected being, far from her country or the home of her childhood. i should not, perhaps, say unprotected, for, however callous our feelings may occasionally be, amidst a thousand distressing objects that surround us, any one of which, if individually presented to our consideration at any other time or place than the battle-field, would excite our sympathy, yet amidst all these neither the widow nor the orphan is left unregarded, or in some measure unprovided for. in this instance, the officer who commanded the company to which cunningham belonged, having been severely wounded, sent for the widow; she became his sick-nurse, and under his protection was restored in decent respectability to her home. "the only protection a poor soldier can offer to a woman, suddenly bereft of her husband, far from her kinsfolk, and without a residence or home, would, under more favourable circumstances, be considered as an insult, and perhaps under these, from the pressure of grief that actually weighs her down, be extremely indelicate. "i make free to offer this remark, in justification of many a good woman, who, in a few months, perhaps weeks, after her sudden bereavement, becomes the wife of a second husband; and, although slightingly spoken of by some of little feeling, in and out of the army, yet this is, perhaps, the only alternative to save a lone, innocent woman's reputation; and the soldier who offers himself may be as little inclined to the connection through any selfish motive as the woman may be from any desire of his love, but the peculiar situation in which she is placed renders it necessary, without consulting false feelings, or regarding the idle remarks that may be made, to feel grateful for a protector, and in a soldier, the most binding is the surest." chapter ii fighting in the pyrenees anton's own adventures in the peninsula were brief, but of a stern and exciting quality. his regiment embarked on august , , and thus reached spain when the war had come to its latest stage--on the rough and hilly floor of the pyrenees. the nd landed at passages on september . the first sound of war which reached its ears was the sullen and distant boom of the guns thundering on san sebastian. anton had an eye for the picturesque, and he gives some interesting pictures of the scenery of the pyrenees. here is his description of a scene which met his eyes one daybreak shortly after landing:-- "the view from the summits of these mountains at that early hour, when the sun began to gild their tops, and to throw his cheering rays on the white canvas which speckled their sides, was grand beyond description. the valleys below were hidden under an ocean of white, wreathing mist, over which the hills, like a thousand islands, raised their rocky summits amidst the pure serenity of a cloudless atmosphere; the white tents of a british army spotted their sides, while ten thousand bayonets glittered around. the drums, fifes, bugles, and wild, warlike strains of the highland bag-pipe, drowned the notes of a hundred useless instruments that offered their softer sounds to the soldiers' ears. flocks of vultures hovered around to feed on the bodies of men who had fallen in sequestered spots by the hostile bullet, and were left to wolves and birds of prey, along with the carcasses of the exhausted animals that had failed in bearing their oppressive burdens to the expectant camp. "as the sun rose over the mountains, the misty vapours rolled away, and all the vales, woods, streams, and distant cottages appeared to view. what a lovely prospect this must have been to the once happy native of the soil!" on october the nd had its first near glimpse of mountain fighting, though the regiment took no actual part in the combat:-- "on october we advanced towards the heights of urdach, and descended a few paces on the brow of that part of the mountain which overlooks the valley of that name and the distant course of the nivelle. a thick cloud hovered beneath us, and hid the country from our view. the loud report of guns in the valley shook the hills and echoed throughout the dark woody ravines below, while the quick rounds of musketry prepared us to expect an order to descend to the scene of action. the division stood in columns of brigade, or in lines along the mountain paths, as the position could be taken up. "we remained upwards of two hours enveloped in the misty clouds, every man full of anxiety to view the contest below. at last our wishes were gratified; the curtain arose, and the interesting scene burst all at once on our view. a far-discerning eye might see the skirmishers of both armies approaching close to each other, each man with well-directed aim looking along the deadly tube that sent the intended messenger of death to the opposing adversary. vineyards, orchards, straggling bushy fences, and streamlets with steep banks intersected the country, and afforded occasional cover to both sides, as well as a rest to the marksman's musket in taking a deliberate aim. the ascent of the cloud, which had hovered beneath us and over the combatants, afforded them a view of our columns and lines ready to descend, a prospect no less discouraging to the enemy than animating to our friends." anton's first personal experience in the stirring business of war was at the passage of the nivelle. the river, it will be remembered, was approached by a night march. anton's account is interesting, though marred by a laborious attempt at fine writing:-- "the moon shone in the cloudless vault of heaven as we descended the narrow paths of the mountains; behind us were our camp-fires and blazing huts, while the ill-clothed and worse-disciplined troops of spain were hurrying up the mountain path to occupy the ground we had left. to our right appeared the enemy's watch-fires, blazing brightly on the distant brow of one of the diverging ridges that jut out from the main body of the pyrenees, their pickets little dreaming that we were worming our way through the intricate windings so near their posts, in order to rouse them to work in the morning. on our left a deep, woody ravine, with its roaring stream, skirted our path; before us the narrow ridge jutted out between two of those ravines, in a peninsula form, until its extremity overlooked the valley where we had witnessed the contest on october . the path led us down by many a circuitous and steep descent to the vale of urdach, which we reached by daybreak. "we were now approaching the nivelle, and all its woody margins were lined with light troops, our battalions forming in columns about two furlongs from the bank of the river: not a musket was yet fired. the guns were already posted on all the commanding eminences on the left of the river. the generals had given their orders regarding the attack about to be made, the movements likely to follow, and their aides-de-camp were flying from corps to corps with the preparatory directions. no voice was heard, save that of command, until the foot of the advanced skirmisher was dipped in the stream; the bullet arrests him in his advance, and, as if at the command of some necromancer, thick and obscuring clouds rise from bank to bank, from eminence to eminence, as the loud thunder of war bursts from ten thousand muskets. "the river is passed, and the soldiers of france retire or fall before their stern invaders. we pass through a wood and come to the bottom of a steep hill (the heights of ainhoe), the face of which presents long ridges of formidable breastworks, behind which the enemy keeps up a heavy fire of musketry, and fears no danger in the security of his cover. on the summit overlooking these works is a battery which commands that part of the river within its range. "the th regiment was now ordered to ascend and storm those breastworks, and never did a regiment perform a task so dangerous, so obstructed, and apparently impracticable, with better success or in better order. its line was preserved without a break, not only in climbing the hill but in springing over the breastworks, bayoneting those that waited its approach, even until it cleared the battery on the western summit, where, justly proud of its conquest, it made the hills echo to its loud huzzahs. "meantime our regiment advanced more to the right, where, on a gentle slope of the hill, stood the huts (the recent camp or quarters) of the enemy. some of those huts caught fire, and, owing to the combustible material of which they were constructed, the whole were nearly enveloped in one blaze. the position which the enemy had occupied in the morning was now in our possession, and the sixth division crowned the heights of ainhoe. "the regiment's loss this day did not exceed twenty-seven killed and wounded; among the latter were captain mungo m'pherson and lieutenant kenneth m'dougall. "this was the first engagement i was in, and i considered myself no longer a recruit. i had now smelled the enemy's powder, as the old soldiers boastingly exclaimed; i had heard his bullets whistling past my ears, seen them dropping harmless at my feet, and burrowing in the ground. i had observed, during this contest, the men whom i knew to be the greatest boasters in the company, men who never ceased enlarging on the exploits they had accomplished, the actions they had witnessed, or the hardships they had endured, when they had such a one as myself to listen to their stories; i observed some of those boasters very closely, and i could not help remarking that the men who spoke less acted better. "it is, perhaps, needless to observe that it is scarcely in the power of an individual foot-soldier to perform any enterprising feat in the field of action, unless he be on some detached duty in front, such as is frequently the case with the skirmishers. if he is with the battalion he must keep in his ranks; it is on the united movement of the whole body that general success depends; and he that rushes forward is equally blamable with him who lags behind, though certainly the former may do so with less chance of censure, and no dread of shame. a man may drop behind in the field but this is a dreadful risk to his reputation, and even attended with immediate personal danger, while within the range of shot and shells; and woe to the man that does it, whether through fatigue, sudden sickness, or fear--let him seek death, and welcome it from the hand of a foe, rather than give room for any surmise respecting his courage; for when others are boasting of what they have seen, suffered, or performed, he must remain in silent mortification. "i have seen it frequently remarked, in the periodicals of the time, that the loss in killed and wounded was greater than was actually acknowledged on our side; that we overrated the enemy's loss, and underrated our own; but this is not the case. the loss of the enemy, of course, is a guess rather than a certainty, until we become possessed of their official returns; but that of our own is never underrated. indeed, a soldier feels a greater pride in boasting of his wounds than in trying to conceal them; mere scratches are often magnified into wounds, and stated as such in the returns. "i never yet, among the many i have seen wounded, knew but one individual who kept his wound from being placed on the list; his name was stewart. we were evacuating a redoubt on the heights of toulouse, when a bullet struck him behind, pierced through his cartridge-box, cut his clothes, and hit him smartly on the breech. 'i shall give that to the rascal again,' he said, as he recovered himself and picked up the bullet. 'i shall be ashamed,' he added, 'to let it be known that i was struck behind.' had this bullet struck him on the breast or limbs, there would have been one more on our list of that day's casualties." late in november the army went into cantonments; but on the night of december , the troops were in motion again. says anton:-- "on the night of december , our division was under arms in columns of brigades until nearly daybreak, the artificers being employed in placing a bridge of pontoons over the river, below the town. as soon as this was finished, the troops began to pass along, while the drummers, left behind, beat the reveille at the usual places. this circumstance induced the enemy to conclude that we still occupied our quarters, although we were forming our columns silently in their neighbourhood, concealed amidst a dense mist. as soon as objects were discernible, a signal gun announced our time of advance. a wooden bridge still remained over the river at ustritz, but so far broken down by the enemy as to be impassable; the discharge of this gun, however, so alarmed the french conscript sentries posted at the end of the bridge, on the right bank, that they retired in great haste towards the picket to which they belonged, and our artificers lost no time in making the necessary repairs for the passage of the troops and stores. "the greater part of this day's action consisted in skirmishing, in which the light infantry companies sustained the principal brunt. towards the close of the day, the enemy retired upon a farmhouse situated on a commanding eminence, having some of the adjoining fields enclosed by low dry-stone walls and quickset hedges, behind which they appeared in considerable force, supported by some artillery. in dislodging these troops, captain george stewart and lieutenant james stewart, both of the light company, were killed on the spot, and lieutenant brander was severely wounded." a sudden burst of tempestuous weather arrested the movements of the troops, and the men returned to their camps. directly the rains ceased, however, soult was once more in movement. swiftly marching to his right, he threw the whole strength of his army on the british left, holding the jean de luz road. failing here, he faced about, pushed on at speed to his left, and leaped on the british right. in the toilsome marches and bloody combats of these operations, the nd had a full share. here is a picture by anton of the fighting near bayonne:-- "on the sixth division's attaining the heights overlooking bayonne, its movements were immediately directed to its right, so as to support more effectually the left of the second; and sir denis pack ordered the nd to advance to the main road, by which a brigade of the enemy was retiring. our colonel was as anxious to execute the order as the men were proud to have been selected to perform it, but he led us into such a brake of furze, thorns, and brambles that it would have been impossible to have taken our bare-thighed regiment through its impenetrable meshes. the general, observing our painful but ineffectual struggling, withdrew us from that spot, and pointed to another place by which we should have advanced, and which would have been practicable; but by this time the enemy had passed our mark, and were descending towards the valley of the adour, where, joined by another brigade, they made a determined stand against the nd highlanders, that were coming round on the other flank. "the ground at that place was intersected with deep drains, loose stone walls, and thorn bushes. here a contest ensued, which cannot be described with justice to both parties; perhaps the like seldom or never occurred during the war. the enemy, although on their retreat, were within a short distance of their own fortified position of bayonne, and in view of their own army and people, from whom praise or censure was to be expected; they were also in the animating discharge of an urgent duty, namely, that of opposing the invaders of their beloved country. yet, notwithstanding all these stimulants, the gallant nd bore down every opposition. the guns ceased to play upon this spot, so closely were both parties intermixed. muskets were broken, bayonets bent, and stones were thrown with deadly vengeance. victory crowned our native band, but it was dearly bought. fourteen officers, eight sergeants, and rank and file lay killed and wounded on the spot, and thrice that number of the enemy were scattered in heaps around them. "the sun sank over the blue waves of the bay of biscay, and darkness rested on the fields, before the fire of the skirmishers ceased. both armies, wearied of the struggle, rested on the ground during the night, the pickets occupying the dilapidated remains of the houses in front; to these the wounded men crawled for shelter, or were carried thither if near the spot. "the unfortunate men who had fallen in remote places were suffered to remain under the inclement sky, until morning brought them relief, or death ended their sufferings. the rain poured down heavily during the night, and those who had crawled for shelter to the dry ditches along the roads or fields breathed their last beneath the gathering floods." the bitter, incessant rain now drove the army into permanent winter quarters, and the british troops shivered in their bleak camps from december , , to february , . on the latter date camps were broken up, and the campaign of began. anton's account of the first great fight of that campaign--orthez--is naturally concerned only in the doings of his own regiment:-- "on the afternoon of the th we were ordered to halt, just as we were about to ford the gave, below a large farmhouse, where the river is fordable, but was said to have been set with spikes, so as to form an obstruction to our passage. perhaps there was no truth in this report; however, we suddenly retrograded and passed on pontoons, not far from a small village, in which we were quartered for the night. on the following day we approached the neighbourhood of orthez, where we pitched camp on the south side of the gently rising heights, the north side of which forms the left bank of the pau and overlooks the handsome town beyond. "an explosion, occasioned by the blowing up of a bridge, excited the curiosity of a few to steal up the height, notwithstanding that we had been charged against discovering ourselves to the enemy. others followed the example, and as no measures were taken, or perhaps were necessary, to prevent it, the men indulged themselves with a view of orthez, the beautiful valley, with the pau stealing softly along its south side, while the long range of mountain heights bounding it on the north rose abruptly over the road leading from bayonne and peyrehorade. many a man gazed on that mountain range who little thought that before to-morrow's sun should go down, he would be stretched upon it a lifeless corpse." orthez was, in many respects, a memorable fight. soult was superior in numbers, held an almost impregnable position, fought with great skill, and for one delusive golden moment believed he had beaten wellington! as he saw the british columns which had attacked both his right and left flanks reeling back, broken and disordered, it is said that he smote his thigh and exclaimed with excitement, "at last i have them!" the battle was won by the obstinate valour of the british soldiers, especially of the immortal light division and the swiftness of wellington's counter-stroke at soult's centre. soult's left was covered by the pau, and his centre by what seemed to be an impassable marsh. two diverging and hilly ridges, thrust out like the horns of a bull, constituted his right and left flanks. beresford's attack on the french right, though urged five times over, failed. picton's assault on the horn which formed soult's left, urged with equal fire, also failed. wellington won by sending the light division across the marsh and breaking soult's centre. the nd formed part of picton's attacking force, and the onfall of such troops under such a leader is not easily arrested; but the position held by the french was practically impregnable. in a private letter picton wrote: "we were for nearly two hours exposed to the most continued and severe cannonade i ever witnessed. one of our -pounders had every man killed by round shot." in anton's account the fire of this fierce fight is somehow chilled:-- "early on the morning of sunday, the th, we marched down the left bank of the pau, passed over on a pontoon bridge, and directed our course upon the main road up the valley towards orthez. two divisions of the army were already on the road before us. the heights on our left appeared to be in the possession of the enemy, and as our movements were plainly to attack his centre or his left, which was posted in and above the town, corresponding movements became necessary on his part, and his ranks were seen advancing along the ridge parallel with ours. as the mountain approaches that place where the road to st. severe passes over it from orthez, there is a downward bend of about a mile; it rises, however, to a considerable height on the east side of that road, and commands the town and its approaches. "on our coming near this bending, our brigade was ordered to move to its left; several enclosures were in our way, but this was no time to respect them, as the enemy was welcoming us with round shot and shell. the gardens and nurseries were trodden down in an instant, and a forest of bayonets glittered round a small farmhouse that overlooked a wooded ravine on the north side. "the light companies which had preceded the brigade were keeping up a sharp fire upon the enemy's skirmishers, and our grenadier company was ordered to take post along the bank overlooking the ravine, and commanding a narrow road below. no place seemed less practicable for cavalry to act, but the enemy were determined to make every effort to re-establish their lines on the heights from which they had been driven by the light troops, and some of their squadrons were seen approaching to drive back our advance, which by this time was reinforced by the grenadiers, but the more effectually to repel an attack, two additional companies were despatched to reinforce those already sent, and these had scarcely been formed when the charge of cavalry was announced; it was met and repulsed; men and horses were tumbled over the steep bank on the narrow road below, skirting the ravine. "the gallant young officer who led that charge, passed through the ranks like a lion pouncing on his prey, and was made prisoner by m'namara of the grenadier company. this man, if my memory serve me well, gave the horse and sword to one of our captains, who was afterwards appointed brevet-major; but poor m'namara, who was more of a soldier than a courtier, rose not to corporal. after this repulse of the cavalry, we passed through the ravine, and moved towards the road that passes over the bending of the hill. the light infantry companies of the brigade, under the command of major cowel, were skirmishing in front. the major was severely wounded, and carried to the rear. "the hill rises rather abruptly on the east side of the road, and slopes gradually towards the north side, to which our advance was directed, in order to turn the enemy's right, which had fallen back as we advanced. there is a small village consisting of one street on that brow of the hill towards the north, upon which the enemy was driven back, and from this kept up a destructive fire of musketry from garden walls, windows, and loopholes. our regiment was ordered to drive him from that annoying post, which i may say had now become the right of his position. the bearer of this order was lieutenant innes, who was then acting brigade-major to sir d. pack; he preceded the regiment, and may be said to have led it on. the word of command to advance at the charge was received with loud animating cheers. "no movement in the field is made with greater confidence of success than that of the charge; it affords little time for thinking, while it creates a fearless excitement, and tends to give a fresh impulse to the blood of the advancing soldier, rouses his courage, strengthens every nerve, and drowns every fear of danger or of death; thus emboldened, amidst the deafening shouts that anticipate victory, he rushes on and mingles with the flying foe. "in an instant the village was in our possession, and the fugitives were partly intercepted by the advance of the second division of the army, under lord hill, which had passed the pau above orthez, and was now approaching round the east end of the heights. "the enemy, thus dispossessed of his last position of any importance, commenced a hasty retreat through some enclosed fields and young plantations, through which his columns directed their course, until impeded by intersecting ditches which induced them to take the main road; there the ranks were broken, confusion ensued, and a complete rout was the consequence. "fortunately for them the sun was nearly set, and although the pursuit continued for several miles, they succeeded in keeping the lead, and having reassembled during the night, continued their retreat towards the adour. "the loss of the regiment in this battle was four officers, six sergeants, and eighty-eight rank and file. we left behind us our dead, our dying, and our wounded; the former careless who shut those eyes that looked up to heaven from their gory bed, or who should consign their naked limbs to a grave in the field of a strange land. night suspended hostilities, and the army bivouacked in columns on the fields bordering the road leading to st. severe. "night after a battle is always glorious to the undisputed victors; they draw close to one another to hear and tell of the hazards of the day, while some show the petty prizes snatched off the field, and curse some inter-meddling satrap that would not let them linger behind to get a better. the batmen and baggage-guard join the jocund circles round the camp-fires, and exhibit some full canteens of wine, the hastily snatched spoil of the day, or the plunder of some poultry-house, baker's oven, or farmer's pantry, no less acceptable to men long used to mouldy ship biscuit and scanty fare than silver or gold would have been to those who experienced no want. "midnight shuts our eyes in welcome slumber, and nought is heard to break the awful stillness that prevails, save the tinkling of the mule-bells and the tread of a silent soldier round the expiring embers of a camp-fire." the pursuit of the enemy after orthez witnessed some wild and some amusing scenes:-- "on the th we advanced on the road leading to st. severe, our cavalry in front pursuing and harassing the enemy's rear, and making a number of his stragglers prisoners. many of these were deeply gashed by sabre wounds, and, being unable to get on so fast as the escorts urged, they fell down by the roadside faint from loss of blood, or panting with thirst, frequently soliciting a little water to cool their parched tongues. it is but justice to say that the british soldier attended to their appeals and relieved them when in his power so to do, and sympathised as much for them as if they had never fired a shot at him. "we halted this day about three leagues from st. severe, where the road is crossed by a considerable stream. a considerable quantity of vine-supporters lay scattered in bundles contiguous to our regiment's camp ground, and dry wood being always a desirable article for those who had the culinary duties to perform, a general charge was made in order to secure a quantity before the other regiments came to the knowledge of it. "our colonel had just dismounted, and was about to proceed to a farmhouse adjoining to stable his horse, when the sudden rush of the men, after having piled their arms and thrown down their knapsacks, attracted his attention. he gazed upon them with astonishment, hesitated a moment, and asked one of the guard the cause of so sudden a movement. this soon discovered itself, for the men were loaded with armsful of sticks, and rejoicing over their booty and good luck, anticipating the comfortable warmth it would afford during the drizzly night. sir denis pack had taken up his quarters in the farmhouse, or was supposed to have done so, and nothing was more likely than that he would take an interest in protecting the owner's property. the colonel, whether in dread of the general, or a mistaken sense of justice, called out to the marauders, as he was pleased to call them, to carry back their burdens. some obeyed, others dropped them at their feet, and a few less obedient persisted in bringing them along; but the whole seemed rather unwilling to comply. the colonel, dissatisfied at the apathy displayed in obeying his orders, darted among the offenders and personally chastised those who seemed the most reluctant to obey. "among the most refractory of those wood foragers were two men of singular dispositions; their names were henderson and doury. the former was a contradictory, obstinate, careless, awkward fellow. his visage was long, his lips thick, his mouth always open, and, to use a scotch term, slavering. his feet were flat-soled, without any spring, and he marched like a wearied pedlar under a pack, jolting along the road. he had not seen much service, but, like many old soldiers, he had much to say--he was nicknamed 'the gomeral.' doury was a silly, good-natured simpleton, the butt of every man's jest, yet no jester himself; for, when excited, his utterance failed so far that it was little else than a breathless gibbering of inarticulate sounds. such another couple was not in the regiment, or perhaps in the brigade, and would not be accepted of for the service in time of peace. those two were bringing in their burdens notwithstanding the interdiction, and had entered the field on which the colonel was standing. the colonel, observing that henderson led the other on, strode hastily forward to enforce obedience. doury was the first to observe him, fled past his companion, dropped the sticks at his feet, and escaped. not so henderson: he fell over the bundle dropped at his feet, with his face pressed against the soft, miry field; the colonel overtook him as he recovered, seized him by the kilt, the pins of which yielded to the tug, and left his naked flesh to some merited chastisement. this excited bursts of laughter from all the men, and the poor fellow afterwards declared that he was more vexed at the laughter than hurt by the punishment." war is a rough school, and under its hard experiences all the finery of an army quickly vanishes. colours fade, feathers moult, bright metals turn rusty, uniforms grow ragged, and the once "smart" army becomes, from the tailor's point of view, a thing to weep over or to shudder at. here is a picture of a gallant army in rags and sandals:-- "at this time the clothing of the army at large, but the highland brigade in particular, was in a very tattered state. the clothing of the st regiment had been two years in wear; the men were thus under the necessity of repairing their old garments in the best manner they could: some had the elbows of their coats mended with grey cloth, others had the one-half of the sleeve of a different colour from the body; and their trousers were in equally as bad a condition as their coats. "the nd, which was the only corps in the brigade that wore the kilt, was beginning to lose it by degrees; men falling sick and left in the rear frequently got the kilt made into trousers, and on joining the regiment again no plaid could be furnished to supply the loss. thus a great want of uniformity prevailed; but this was of minor importance when compared to the want of shoes. as our march continued daily, no time was to be found to repair them until completely worn out; this left a number to march with bare feet or, as we termed it, to pad the hoof. these men being occasionally permitted to straggle out of the ranks to select the soft part of the roads or fields adjoining, others who had not the same reason to offer for this indulgence followed the example, until each regiment marched regardless of keeping in rank, and sometimes mixed with other corps in front and rear. to put a stop to this irregularity, the men without shoes were formed by themselves and marched, under the command of officers and non-commissioned officers, in rear of the brigade. "it is impossible to describe the painful state that some of those shoeless men were in, crippling along the way, their feet cut or torn by sharp stones or brambles. to remedy the want of shoes, the raw hides of the newly-slaughtered bullocks were given to cut up, on purpose to form a sort of buskins for the bare-footed soldiers. this served as a substitute for shoes, and enabled the wearers to march in the ranks of their respective companies. "our knapsacks were also by this time beginning to display, from their torn ends, their worthless contents; and as our line of march was in an opposite direction from our expected supplies, our exterior appearance was daily getting worse; but the real spirit of the soldier was improving, and i make little doubt but we would have followed our leaders to the extremity of europe without grumbling. we were getting hardier and stronger every day in person; the more we suffered, the more confidence we felt in our strength; all in health, and no sickness. the man in patched clothes and a piece of untanned hide about his feet, when he looked around him, saw others in some respects as ill appointed as himself; and he almost felt a pride in despising any new-comer with dangling plumes, plaited or crimped frills, white gloves, and handsome shoes--all good-for-nothing frippery to the hardy, toil-worn soldier, the man of flint, powder, and steel, as he thought himself. his was the gloveless hand and the shoeless foot that braved alike the cold and the heat, the toil of the field and the fatigue of the march; nothing came wrong to him; he started in the morning from his hard pillow and harder bed, required no time to blacken his shoes, but braced up his knapsack, regardless of the state of the roads or weather, and was ready to march off. "i have already mentioned that there was some skirmishing with the enemy this day, as we advanced. here we had three men killed and several wounded. one of those who were killed had been doing the duty of pioneer previous to this day; doubtless he had considered this a degrading duty, and had pressingly requested to be permitted to join the ranks. his request was granted; this was his first entry on the field since he obtained that indulgence, and here he fell. he lay on the field adjoining the road; some one had rifled his knapsack, but had thrown the blanket over him. having the general's baggage in charge i was following the brigade with the guard and the mules when i observed some soldiers examining to what regiment the killed belonged; one bore off the knapsack, but left the blanket carelessly cast on the corpse, a batman was making a prize of the blanket, and a portuguese muleteer was about to take off the kilt. "i could be at no loss to know to what regiment he belonged, as the nd was the only corps in the division that had that dress, and i desired one of the guard to recover the blanket, and to spread it over the body, for we had no time to inter it. he sprang on the spoilers in an instant, snatched the blanket from the batman, and seizing the muleteer rather roughly, tumbled him into the ditch that lined the road; then, spreading the blanket over the corpse, left it; but doubtless to be soon stripped again. thus falls the poor soldier." chapter iii the hillside at toulouse anton attempts a more ambitious account of the battle of toulouse than of any other fight in which he was engaged; and there is some reason for this. it was a cluster of scottish regiments--the nd conspicuous amongst them--which, by mere invincible and all-enduring valour, saved wellington from failure in that great fight. soult, it will be remembered, knew toulouse almost with the familiarity of a native. a strong place by nature, he had made it almost impregnable by the energy and skill with which he had multiplied its defences during the long pause before the british advanced. wellington delivered his attack at three points. hill assailed the west front of the city; picton the north; beresford the east. the first two attacks were, perhaps, not seriously meant, and certainly failed. freire, with his spaniards, whose task it was to carry the northern shoulder of mont rave, fell on gallantly, but was smitten into utter rout, extorting from wellington the grim comment, "well, ---- me, if ever i saw ten thousand men run a race before!" beresford's task was perilous in the highest degree; to any other troops than those he led, it might well have proved impossible. he had to toil for two miles along a road which was little better than a strip of marsh, past the flank of mont rave, strongly held by the french. on his left was the river ers. the road was so difficult that the guns were left behind. there was deadly peril at every step that the french might overwhelm the toiling column with a flank attack; or break through betwixt it and the main body of the british army. but beresford--who had fought albuera--was exactly the man for a task which required blind and desperate valour. his men splashed doggedly on their way; on their right the foe, tormenting their flank with his fire; the fordless river to their left; their guns left behind them. when they had reached the southern extremity of the ridge, the regiments brought up their left shoulder, and proceeded to carry the hill. it was seamed with trenches, and bristled with guns. soult, who saw that this was the one point of peril to his battle-line, had brought up two divisions to the threatened point, and the french, gallantly led, and confident in their numbers, in their advantage of position, and in their success at the other attacked points, came boldly down the hill to crush beresford's slender and extended line. nothing, however--not the slippery hill-slope, the cruel fire of the french guns, nor the onfall of the solid french battalions--could stay beresford's men. soult's columns were smashed with rolling musketry volleys. the batteries were carried with the bayonet, and the hill was won. the nd played a most gallant part in this great fight, and endured dreadful losses. anton came through it all untouched, and tells the whole story in a spirited fashion. he sees nothing, however, and describes nothing, but what takes place immediately about himself:-- "we broke up camp a little after midnight, on the morning of easter sunday, april , and marched towards toulouse. the moon shone bright in the unclouded heavens, and reflected a stream of light from the muskets of our advanced columns, for our arms had not then received the brown varnish that now 'dims their shine.' "general pack's brigade was formed in contiguous columns of regiments to the left of the road leading to toulouse. at this time the spaniards, who were in advance and ascending the heights, were attacked with such fury that they gave way in all directions. it was apprehended that the enemy would have borne down upon us in the impetuosity of the movement, and we deployed into lines. the th regiment was at this time in front of the nd, and general pack, anticipating a charge from the enemy's victorious and elated infantry, after thus scattering the spaniards, gave orders to the th to receive them with a volley, immediately form four deep, face about, and pass through the ranks of the nd. the latter received orders to form four deep, as soon as the former had given its fire; let the line pass through, then form up, give a volley, and charge. this was providing against what might have taken place, but did not, for the enemy was recalled, and the spaniards were afterwards rallied. "we now moved off to our left, along a green embankment, a small lake or large pond [really a flooded river] on our left, and a wet ditch and marshy meadow on the right. the shot and shell were flying over our heads into the lake, but the range was too elevated to hurt us, and we ran along the bank until we came to a place where we could leap the ditch and form on the swampy ground beyond it. we had scarcely formed, when a strong column of the enemy, with drums beating a march, descended the hill in our front, and thinking from the nature of the ground that we should be neither able to advance nor retreat, rushed down confident of success. for us to retire would have been scarcely practicable; the bank from which we had leaped down and over the ditch was too high in several places for us to leap back from such uncertain footing, for we were sinking to the ankles, and sometimes deeper at every step; to advance was the only alternative, and it was taken. "the light companies of the division were by this time in our front, and without any hesitation dashed forward; we followed fast, and the opposing column reascended the hill, and left us the undisputed masters of the valley. we now ascended at double quick time, and the whole of the division crowned the eastern summit of the heights. here we were exposed to a destructive fire of round shot, shell, grape, and musketry, while we had not as yet got up one gun, owing to the numerous obstructions that lay in the way. the ground we occupied sloped towards one of the main roads that run over the hill to the city, and the fields on the opposite side of the road were in possession of the enemy, and extremely broken and intersected by deep cross-roads, breastworks, and redoubts, but could, from our present position, have been commanded by artillery, had it been practicable to bring a few guns forward; but this required some time, and indefatigable labour. "the light companies of the division advanced beyond the road, and maintained a very unequal skirmish with the enemy, who lay securely posted behind their breastworks and batteries, and in their redoubts, from all of which they took the most deadly aim. the st regiment was ordered forward to support the skirmishers, and became the marked object of the enemy's batteries, from which incessant showers of grape cut down that corps by sections, while soult was, perhaps, not losing a man, being so safely sheltered from our musketry; it was, therefore, seen necessary to withdraw the skeleton of that regiment to the road, on which we had taken post after its advance. it was now warmly welcomed back, for its retreat was no defeat, and its loss was scarcely equalled by any corps in the field. not a subaltern left the field without a wound, and the honour of the colours was assigned to sergeants. "the enemy, emboldened by this momentary success, on his part, began to advance towards the road, and our regiment was ordered to advance by wings and storm one of the redoubts. "our colonel was a brave man, but there are moments when a well-timed manoeuvre is of more advantage than courage. the regiment stood on the road with its front exactly to the enemy, and if the left wing had been ordered forward, it could have sprung up the bank in line and dashed forward on the enemy at once. instead of this, the colonel faced the right wing to its right, countermarched in rear of the left, and when the leading rank cleared the left flank it was made to file up the bank, and as soon as it made its appearance the shot, shell, and musketry poured in with deadly destruction; and in this exposed position we had to make a second countermarch, on purpose to bring our front to the enemy. these movements consumed much time, and by this unnecessary exposure exasperated the men to madness. "the word 'forward--double quick!' dispelled the gloom, and forward we drove, in the face of apparent destruction. the field had been lately rough ploughed or under fallow, and when a man fell he tripped the one behind, thus the ranks were opening as we approached the point whence all this hostile vengeance proceeded; but the rush forward had received an impulse from desperation, 'the spring of the men's patience had been strained until ready to snap, and when left to the freedom of its own extension, ceased not to act until the point to which it was directed was attained.' in a minute every obstacle was surmounted; the enemy fled as we leaped over the trenches and mounds like a pack of noisy hounds in pursuit, frightening them more by our wild hurrahs than actually hurting them by ball or bayonet. "the redoubt thus obtained consisted of an old country farm cottage, the lower part of its walls stone, the upper part mud or clay. it stood in the corner of what had been a garden, having one door to a road or broad lane, and another to the garden; the whole forming a square which had been lately fortified on three sides by a deep but dry trench, from which the earth had been cast inwards, and formed a considerable bank, sloping inwards, but presenting a perpendicular face of layers of green turf outwards. the cottage served as a temporary magazine, and the mound or embankment as a cover to the enemy from the fire of our troops; and from this place our men had been dreadfully cut down. "it cannot be for an instant supposed that all this could have been effected without very much deranging our ranks, and as the enemy had still a powerful force, and other works commanding this, time would not permit of particularity, and a brisk independent fire was kept up with more noise than good effect by our small groups upon our not yet defeated enemy. our muskets were getting useless by the frequent discharges, and several of the men were having recourse to the french pieces that lay scattered about, but they had been as freely used as our own, and were equally unserviceable. our number of effective hands was also decreasing, and that of the again approaching foe seemed irresistible. "two officers (captain campbell and lieutenant young) and about sixty of inferior rank were all that now remained without a wound of the right wing of the regiment that entered the field in the morning. the flag was hanging in tatters, and stained with the blood of those who had fallen over it. the standard cut in two, had been successively placed in the hands of three officers, who fell as we advanced; it was now borne by a sergeant, while the few remaining soldiers who rallied around it, defiled with mire, sweat, smoke, and blood, stood ready to oppose with the bayonet the advancing column, the front files of which were pouring in destructive showers of musketry among our confused ranks. to have disputed the post with such overwhelming numbers, would have been the hazarding the loss of our colours, and could serve no general interest to our army, as we stood between the front of our advancing support and the enemy; we were therefore ordered to retire. the greater number passed through the cottage, now filled with wounded and dying, and leaped from the door that was over the road into the trench of the redoubt, among the killed and wounded. "we were now between two fires of musketry, the enemy to our left and rear, the th and left wing of our own regiment in our front. fortunately, the intermediate space did not exceed a hundred paces, and our safe retreat depended upon the speed with which we could perform it. we rushed along like a crowd of boys pursuing the bounding ball to its distant limit, and in an instant plunged into a trench that had been cut across the road; the balls were whistling amongst us and over us; while those in front were struggling to get out, those behind were holding them fast for assistance, and we became firmly wedged together, until a horse without a rider came plunging down on the heads and bayonets of those in his way; they on whom he fell were drowned or smothered, and the gap thus made gave way for the rest to get out. "the right wing of the regiment, thus broken down and in disorder, was rallied by captain campbell (afterwards brevet lieutenant-colonel) and the adjutant (lieutenant young) on a narrow road, the steep banks of which served as a cover from the showers of grape that swept over our heads. "in this contest, besides our colonel, who was wounded as he gave the word of command, 'forward,' the regiment lost, in killed and wounded, twenty officers, one sergeant-major, and four hundred and thirty-six of inferior rank. "meantime the portuguese brigade was ordered to take possession of the evacuated redoubt, which was accomplished with little loss, for the enemy had been backward of entering, lest we might have been drawing them into an ambush, or had an intention of blowing up the cottage, in which a considerable quantity of loose cartridges had been left near a large fire by themselves when they were driven out, and most likely intended for that purpose against us, but we had removed the whole to a place of less danger. "thus far the left flank of our army was secured; the spaniards, farther to the right, were making good their advances, our artillery was about getting posted on commanding eminences, while only one battery remained on the western summit in the enemy's possession, and before sunset it was stormed also, and all the heights overlooking toulouse remained in our possession." as soon as the fight is over anton proceeds to mount the pulpit and deliver himself of a homily on the night-scene after a battle, which may be usefully abridged:-- "night after battle is always glorious to the undisputed victors, and whatever the loss may have been, the idea of it seems to be banished from our thoughtless minds. here, however, by the first early dawning of the morning, let us more seriously cast our eye over this scene of slaughter, where the blood of the commander and the commanded mix indiscriminately together over the field. "here lies many a gallant soldier, whose name or fame will never pass to another generation; yet the annals of our country will do justice to the general merit of the whole; from my feeble pen no lasting fame can be expected; time blots it out as i write; and even were i to attempt to pass an eulogy it might be considered contemptible from so humble an individual, by those who survive and witnessed the action. "i trust i shall not be considered egotistical in saying that i had some narrow escapes this day; but what soldier entered the field and came safe out of it had not narrow escapes? a musket-ball struck my halberd in line with my cheek, another passed between my arm and my side, and lodged in my knapsack, another struck the handle of my sword, and a fourth passed through my bonnet and knocked it off my head; had the ball been two inches lower, or i that much higher, the reader would have been saved the trouble of perusing this narrative. the company in which i was doing duty lost four officers, three sergeants, and forty-seven rank and file, in killed and wounded. the officers were:--lieutenant d. m'kenzie severely wounded, lieutenants farquharson and watson mortally wounded, and ensign latta killed. "there was one officer of the regiment taken prisoner this day: he had lately joined us from the st royals, in which he had been cadet, and had not the uniform of the regiment; but his deficiency of the uniform betrayed no lack of personal courage; the charm of the bonnet and plume, though wanting, did not make him less the soldier; he fell, wounded, near to lieutenant farquharson, at the side of the redoubt, as we entered it, and when we fell back he was made prisoner. "i have already mentioned that before the regiment advanced to storm the redoubt, we were posted on the main road that passes over the heights. during the short time we were in that position we had orders not to raise our heads above the bank, nor let the enemy see where we were posted. notwithstanding this prohibition, our sergeant-major, as brave a man as ever entered a field, was despatched from the right flank to warn those on the left to comply with this order, for several were rising up occasionally and sending a bullet at the enemy, and thus, perhaps, defeating the intention of the order. he went, but though cautioned to stoop as he proceeded, he considered this unmanly, and never did he walk with a more upright dauntless carriage of the body or a firmer step: it was his last march; a bullet pierced his brain and stretched him lifeless, without a sigh. "there was a man of the name of wighton in the regiment, a grumbling, discontented, disaffected sort of a character. he was one of the men attached to the tent placed under my charge on joining the regiment. some men take all for the best; not so with wighton, he took everything for the worst; indeed, his very countenance indicated something malignant, misanthropical, and even sottish in his disposition. he was a low, thick, squat fellow, with a dark yellowish swarthy complexion, and his broad face bore a strong resemblance to that of a calmuc tartar. as he rushed along the field his front-rank man exclaimed, 'god almighty preserve us, this is dreadful!' 'you be d--d,' wighton replied, 'you have been importuning god almighty this half-dozen of years, and it would be no wonder although he were to knock you down at last for troubling him so often; as for myself, i do not believe there is one; if there were, he would never have brought us here!' the last word hung unfinished on his tongue; the messenger of death sealed his lips in everlasting silence. "the contest that raged upwards of an hour around the redoubt, of which we had gained possession, was maintained without much regard to order or strict discipline; in short, it was rather tumultuary. every man was sensible of the necessity of having order restored, but thought himself the only orderly man of all the rest, and his voice was heard over that of his commander calling out 'form up.' in the meantime, his own attention was more engaged in keeping in the crowd, to load his piece, and afterwards pushing forward, to send a bullet to the enemy as often as he possibly could load and discharge, than attending to formation. "a grenadier of the th regiment, for both regiments (the nd and th) were somewhat intermixed, rushed forward, discharged his piece with effect, and suddenly turning the musket so as to grasp the muzzle, dealt deadly blows around him; he fell, grasping one of the enemy in one hand, and the broken firelock in the other. another sprung up on the top of the bank, called on his comrades to follow, and with a loud cheer, in which many joined that did not follow, he rushed forward in the same manner as his brave companion had done, and like him shared a similar fate. "it is only in this disorganised kind of conflict that individual courage may best act and best be seen. in united, orderly movements, the whole acquires the praise; and in this each individual is comprised, and proud of contributing his part to the honour of his corps, does his duty without attempting those feats of romantic daring which ancient historians record, but which modern tactics render nugatory or almost useless. individual daring is lost in orderly movements." chapter iv the nd at quatre bras the return of napoleon from elba found the nd on duty in ireland. but when great britain was pouring her choicest troops into the netherlands, in readiness for the last great struggle, so famous a regiment as the nd could not be left behind. the regiment embarked at cork on may , , for ostend, and thence marched in leisurely fashion to brussels. anton discovers quite a new justification for the duchess of richmond's famous ball, which will live in history longer than any other ball at which men and maidens ever danced. he says:-- "on the night of june , we were roused from our peaceful slumbers by the sounding of bugles, the rolling of drums, and the loud notes of our highland bagpipes, which threw their wild, warlike strains on the midnight breeze, to awaken the plaided sons of caledonia to arms. until daybreak of the th we stood to our arms on the streets of brussels, and here we were served out with four days' provisions for each man. the grand ball was broken up, and our highland dancers, who had been invited to display their active movements before the assembled lords, ladies, and military chieftains, were sent to their respective regiments to prepare for other sport--that of glorious battle. "i have heard some passing animadversions upon our great commander, for thus passing away time upon the eve of so momentous an affair as that about to take place. i think, as a soldier, and one who was on the spot, i have as good a right to give my opinion concerning it as any of those croaking politicians who were hundreds of miles from the scene of operations; and in giving my opinion, i give it as that of every soldier who was in brussels at the time, and i believe we are not the worst judges of what is most likely to forward a ready assembling, or a speedy concentration of the troops, in order to attain the end in view. "owing to this general assembly of all our principal officers, the duke had not only all his personal staff about him, but that of the generals under his command. they, again, had around them all the commanding officers of corps, to whom they could personally communicate their orders. the unusually late hour at which the despatches from the scene of hostilities had arrived, and the information respecting the intended movements of our allies, in consequence of their having unexpectedly had to retreat from the bravely contested field, might have changed all our commander's plans. if this should have been the case, he had all those about him to whom he could communicate his designs, without passing hours at the desk, and sending orderlies off to the quarters of officers in a city, the language of whose inhabitants was foreign to us. all this trouble, happily for us and for britain, was saved by this fortunate ball." quatre bras was not the least perilous of wellington's battles. ney's onfall took the iron duke by surprise, and that quatre bras was not a british defeat was due as much to ney's blunders in attack as to wellington's fine skill in defence, and to the magnificent courage of his troops. ney could, with ease, have thrown , men into the fight. wellington, at the beginning of the battle, had in hand only dutch-belgian troops, with seventeen guns. picton's division only reached the field in the afternoon, having started on their long march from brussels at five o'clock in the morning. later, reinforcements came trickling in, till, just as night was darkening, the guards reached the scene of action. but the british came up in fragments, and at remote intervals of time. wellington had very inefficient artillery, and no horsemen; and a fight under such conditions might well have gone wrong. fortunately, ney left half his forces out of the fight, and attacked with , instead of overwhelming the british with , . the highland regiments formed pack's brigade. they came up almost exhausted with their long march, and were flung hurriedly into the strife. the nd, in particular, fared very badly. in the whirl and passion of the fight it changed commanders no less than four times in little more than as many minutes. but disaster itself could hardly shake the ranks of the veterans of the peninsula. here is anton's description of quatre bras. it gives a most spirited account of the struggle betwixt horsemen and infantry:-- "on the morning of june , before the sun rose over the dark forest of soignes, our brigade, consisting of the st, th, and nd regiments, stood in column, sir denis pack at its head, waiting impatiently for the nd, the commanding officer of which was chidden severely by sir denis for being so dilatory. we took our place in the column, and the whole marched off to the strains of martial music, and amidst the shouts of the surrounding multitude. we passed through the ancient gate of the city, and hundreds left it in health and high spirits who before night were lifeless corpses on the field to which they were hastening. "as we entered the forest of soignes, our stream of ranks following ranks, in successive sections, moved on in silent but speedy course, like some river confined between two equal banks. the forest is of immense extent, and we continued to move on under its welcome shade until we came to a small hamlet, or auberge, embosomed in the wood to the right of the road. here we turned to our left, halted, and were in the act of lighting fires on purpose to set about cooking. we were flattering ourselves that we were to rest there until next day; for whatever reports had reached the ears of our commanders, no alarm had yet rung on ours. some were stretched under the shade to rest; others sat in groups draining the cup, and we always loved a large one, and it was now almost emptied of three days' allowance of spirits, a greater quantity than was usually served out at once to us on a campaign; others were busily occupied in bringing water and preparing the camp-kettles, for we were of the opinion, as i have already said, that we were to halt there for the day. "but, 'hark! a gun!' one exclaims; every ear is set to catch the sound, and every mouth seems half opened, as if to supersede the faithless ear that doubts of hearing. again another and another feebly floats through the forest. every ear now catches the sound, and every man grasps his musket. the distant report of the guns becomes more loud, and our march is urged on with greater speed. quatre bras appears in view; the frightened peasantry come running breathless and panting along the way. we move on to the left of the road, behind a gently rising eminence, form column of companies, regardless of the growing crop, and ascend the rising ground; a beautiful plain appears in view, surrounded with belts of wood, and the main road from brussels runs through it. "we now descended to the plain by an echelon movement towards our right, halted on the road (from which we had lately diverged to the left), formed in line, fronting a bank on the right side, whilst the other regiments took up their position to right and left, as directed by our general. a luxuriant crop of grain hid from our view the contending skirmishers beyond, and presented a considerable obstacle to our advance. we were in the act of lying down by the side of the road, in our usual careless manner, as we were wont when enjoying a rest on the line of march, some throwing back their heads on their knapsacks, intending to take a sleep, when general pack came galloping up, and chid the colonel for not having the bayonets fixed. this roused our attention, and the bayonets were instantly on the pieces. "there is something animating to a soldier in the clash of the fixing bayonet; more particularly so when it is thought that the scabbard is not to receive it until it drinks the blood of its foe. "our pieces were loaded, and perhaps never did a regiment in the field seem so short taken. we were all ready and in line--'forward!' was the word of command, and forward we hastened, though we saw no enemy in front. the stalks of the rye, like the reeds that grow on the margin of some swamp, opposed our advance; the tops were up to our bonnets, and we strode and groped our way through as fast as we could. by the time we reached a field of clover on the other side we were very much straggled; however, we united in line as fast as time and our speedy advance would permit. the belgic skirmishers retired through our ranks, and in an instant we were on their victorious pursuers. "our sudden appearance seemed to paralyse their advance. the singular appearance of our dress, combined, no doubt, with our sudden début, tended to stagger their resolution: we were on them, our pieces were loaded, and our bayonets glittered, impatient to drink their blood. those who had so proudly driven the belgians before them, turned now to fly, whilst our loud cheers made the fields echo to our wild hurrahs. "we drove on so fast that we almost appeared like a mob following the rout of some defeated faction. marshal ney, who commanded the enemy, observed our wild unguarded zeal, and ordered a regiment of lancers to bear down upon us. we saw their approach at a distance, as they issued from a wood, and took them for brunswickers coming to cut up the flying infantry; and as cavalry on all occasions have the advantage of retreating foot, on a fair field, we were halted in order to let them take their way; they were approaching our right flank, from which our skirmishers were extended, and we were far from being in a formation fit to repel an attack, if intended, or to afford regular support to our friends if requiring our aid. i think we stood with too much confidence, gazing towards them as if they had been our friends, anticipating the gallant charge they would make on the flying foe, and we were making no preparative movement to receive them as enemies, further than the reloading of the muskets, until a german orderly dragoon galloped up, exclaiming, 'franchee! franchee!' and, wheeling about, galloped off. "we instantly formed a rallying square; no time for particularity; every man's piece was loaded, and our enemies approached at full charge; the feet of their horses seemed to tear up the ground. our skirmishers having been impressed with the same opinion that these were brunswick cavalry, fell beneath their lances, and few escaped death or wounds; our brave colonel fell at this time, pierced through the chin until the point of the lance reached the brain. captain (now major) menzies fell, covered with wounds, and a momentary conflict took place over him; he was a powerful man, and, hand to hand, more than a match for six ordinary men. the grenadiers, whom he commanded, pressed round to save or avenge him, but fell beneath the enemies' lances. "of all descriptions of cavalry, certainly the lancers seem the most formidable to infantry, as the lance can be projected with considerable precision, and with deadly effect, without bringing the horse to the point of the bayonet; and it was only by the rapid and well-directed fire of musketry that these formidable assailants were repulsed. "colonel dick [who afterwards fell at sobraon] assumed the command on the fall of sir robert macara, and was severely wounded. brevet-major davidson succeeded, and was mortally wounded; to him succeeded brevet-major campbell (now lieutenant-colonel on the unattached list). thus, in a few minutes, we had been placed under four different commanding officers. "an attempt was now made to form us in line; for we stood mixed in one irregular mass--grenadier, light, and battalion companies--a noisy group; such is the inevitable consequence of a rapid succession of commanders. our covering sergeants were called out on purpose that each company might form on the right of its sergeant; an excellent plan had it been adopted, but a cry arose that another charge of cavalry was approaching, and this plan was abandoned. we now formed a line on the left of the grenadiers, while the cavalry that had been announced were cutting through the ranks of the th regiment. meantime the other regiments to our right and left, suffered no less than we; the superiority of the enemy in cavalry afforded him a decided advantage on the open plain, for our british cavalry and artillery had not yet reached the field. "we were at this time about two furlongs past the farm of quatre bras, as i suppose, and a line of french infantry was about the same distance from us in front, and we had commenced firing at that line, when we were ordered to form square to oppose cavalry. general pack was at our head, and major campbell commanded the regiment. we formed square in an instant; in the centre were several wounded french soldiers witnessing our formation round them; they doubtless considered themselves devoted to certain death among us seeming barbarians, but they had no occasion to speak ill of us afterwards; for as they were already incapable of injuring us, we moved about them regardful of their wounds and suffering. "our last file had got into square, and into its proper place, so far as unequalised companies could form a square, when the cuirassiers dashed full on two of its faces; their heavy horses and steel armour seemed sufficient to bury us under them, had they been pushed forward on our bayonets. "a moment's pause ensued; it was the pause of death. general pack was on the right angle of the front face of the square, and he lifted his hat towards the french officer, as he was wont to do when returning a salute. i suppose our assailants construed our forbearance as an indication of surrendering; a false idea; not a blow had been struck nor a musket levelled, but when the general raised his hat, it served as a signal, though not a preconcerted one, but entirely accidental; for we were doubtful whether our officer commanding was protracting the order, waiting for the general's command, as he was present. be this as it may, a most destructive fire was opened; riders cased in heavy armour, fell tumbling from their horses; the horses reared, plunged, and fell on the dismounted riders; steel helmets and cuirasses rang against unsheathed sabres as they fell to the ground; shrieks and groans of men, the neighing of horses, and the discharge of musketry, rent the air, as men and horses mixed together in one heap of indiscriminate slaughter. those who were able to fly, fled towards a wood on our right, whence they had issued to the attack, and which seemed to afford an extensive cover to an immense reserve not yet brought into action. "once more clear of these formidable and daring assailants we formed line, examined our ammunition boxes, and found them getting empty. our officer commanding pointed towards the pouches of our dead and dying comrades, and from them a sufficient supply was obtained. we lay down behind the gentle rise of a trodden-down field of grain, and enjoyed a few minutes' rest to our wearied limbs; but not in safety from the flying messengers of death, the whistling music of which was far from lulling us to sleep. "afternoon was now far spent, and we were resting in line, without having equalised the companies, for this would have been extremely dangerous in so exposed a position, for the field afforded no cover, and we were in advance of the other regiments. the enemy were at no great distance, and, i may add, firing very actively upon us. we had wasted a deal of ammunition this day, and surely to very little effect, otherwise every one of our adversaries must have bled before this time. our commanding officer cautioned us against this useless expenditure, and we became a little more economical. "our position being, as i have already observed, without any cover from the fire of the enemy, we were commanded to retire to the rear of the farm, where we took up our bivouac on the field for the night. the day's contest at a close, our attention was directed to the casualties which had occurred in our ranks. we had lost, in killed, one colonel, one lieutenant, one ensign, one sergeant-major, two sergeants, and forty-eight rank and file. one brevet lieutenant-colonel, five captains, five lieutenants, two ensigns, fourteen sergeants, one drummer, and two hundred and fourteen rank and file composed our list of wounded. six privates fell into the enemy's hands; among these was a little lad (smith fyfe) about five feet high. the french general, on seeing this diminutive-looking lad, is said to have lifted him up by the collar or breech and exclaimed to the soldiers who were near him, 'behold the sample of the men of whom you seem afraid!' this lad returned a few days afterwards, dressed in the clothing of a french grenadier, and was saluted by the name of napoleon, which he retained until he was discharged. "the night passed off in silence: no fires were lit, every man lay down in rear of his arms, and silence was enjoined for the night. round us lay the dying and the dead, the latter not yet interred, and many of the former, wishing to breathe their last where they fell, slept to death with their heads on the same pillow on which those who had to toil through the future fortunes of the field reposed." chapter v the highlanders at waterloo anton's account of the retreat from quatre bras to waterloo, of the camp on the historic ridge through the falling rains and blackness of the night before the great battle, and of the tumult and passion, the perils and the triumph, of the memorable day, has many merits. but it is marred by a perfect paroxysm of apostrophes to posterity, to the spirits of the fallen, to freedom, to all sorts of more or less heroic and non-existent abstractions. in describing the struggle in which he was a microscopic and almost nameless actor, anton feels it necessary to mount on the tallest literary stilts available, and walking on stilts is not usually a very graceful performance. anton's account of the battle, in a word, recalls the famous description of a scotch haggis. it contains much good substance, but in a very confused and planless state. his story, indeed, only becomes intelligible by virtue of generous omissions. here is anton's tale of the march from quatre bras:-- "on the morning of the th the unclouded heavens began to present the approach of day, our usual signal to rise from our sky-canopied bed. we started to arms and took up a new line on the field, facing our yet silent foe. here, after arranging our ranks and equalising the companies, we piled our arms, and commenced to prepare our yesterday's dinner, which served us for an excellent breakfast. "the men not thus engaged were now busily employed in burying the dead, and those who had been attending the wounded in the adjoining houses had not neglected the interest of their respective messes. besides our own allowances of meat which we had brought from brussels, there was not a mess without a turkey, goose, duck, or fowl floating in the seething kettle; and an abundance of vegetables from the neighbouring gardens helped to add to the richness of the soup which was preparing, and which we got good time to take, and for this we were truly thankful, for we were very hungry. "a passing fog hung over the plain a short time, but soon disappeared, and left us with a cloudless sky. a general retrograde movement now took place, and we retired on the main road by which we had advanced from brussels. "it was with regret that many of us left that field, on which some of our men lay breathing their last. among this number was a young man whose wound was in his forehead, from which the brain protruded. in this state he had lain on the field during the night; his eyes were open, with a death film over them; two of his comrades were watching the last throb of his expiring breath before they would consign his body to the grave, already opened to receive it, when the call to arms made us leave him on the field to the hands of strangers. "the sun shone brightly on our arms as we left the fields of quatre bras, and passed the farms round which the remains of some thousands of brave men, british, brunswick, belgic, and french, were interred; and many yet lay scattered over the fields, and may have remained hidden amidst the grain which still continued standing, until the sickle or the scythe laid the fields bare. "the enemy did not as yet seem to notice our movement, and we continued our march until we had passed the village, half-way to waterloo. here we turned off the road to our right, formed in columns, and halted; and, short as that halt was, it afforded time for one of our regiments to hold a drum-head court-martial and carry the sentence into effect on the spot. examples of this kind are absolutely necessary, whatever philanthropists may say to the contrary. they tend to preserve regularity, order, and discipline; and although an individual may suffer a punishment which is debasing and cruel, yet it is better that this should be awarded and inflicted than to see hundreds fall victims to the rapacity that might ensue from not timely visiting the aggressor with punishment. "we had now attained the undulating height of mont st. jean, and wellington said, 'we shall retire no farther.' the thunder ceased to roll its awful peals through the heavens, the thick embodied clouds deployed, spread wide, and half dissolved in drizzly mist, but, as if doubtful of man's resolves, resumed again their threatening aspect, as if to secure our halt." at waterloo sir denis pack's brigade--the st, nd, th, and nd--formed part of picton's division, and held the line immediately to the left of the great brussels road. it was on this part of wellington's battle-front that napoleon launched his first great infantry attack--d'erlon's corps, four close-massed columns--over , bayonets in all--with the fire of seventy-four guns sweeping the path in their front as with a besom of flame. the story of how picton's slender lines met this mighty onfall, shook the french columns into retreat with actual bayonet push, and how the life guards, inniskillings, and greys swept down the slope and utterly wrecked d'erlon's swaying battalions is one of the most dramatic passages in the story of the famous day. anton's account of the night before waterloo is graphic:-- "our lines now formed behind the long-extended ridge of mont st. jean, having the village of waterloo a mile or two in our rear, and at no less a distance the dark forest of soignes, which extends to brussels. the right of our front british line extended beyond hougoumont as far as merke braine; the left is said to have extended to wavre! sir t. picton's division consisted of the th, nd, th, and the th (rifle corps), under the command of sir james kempt; and the st, nd, th, and nd regiments, under the command of sir denis pack, extended from the left of the brussels road to a copse on a rising ground which probably overlooked the whole field. the extensive farm-houses and offices of la haye sainte were to the right of the division, but in front and on the right side of the road. "before us was a line of belgic and dutch troops; a narrow road, lined with stunted quickset hedges, runs between this line of foreigners (or i may, with more justice, say natives) and us. this road commands a view of the enemy's position, and the side next to us is the artillery's post; the hedges in front form a feeble cover from the enemy's view, but no defence against his shot, shell, or musketry. "our line, being on the slope next to waterloo, was hidden from the enemy, who took up his position on the heights of la belle alliance, parallel to those of st. jean: a valley corresponding to those wavy heights on either side divides the two armies, a distance of about half a musket-shot intervening between the adverse fronts. "we piled our arms, kindled fires, and stood round the welcome blaze to warm ourselves and dry our dripping clothes. midnight approached, and all the fields towards the artillery's post were hid in darkness, save what the fitful gleams of our fires cast over them. silence prevailed, and wet although we were, we were falling asleep sitting round the fires or stretched on scattered branches brought for fuel. at this time a very heavy shower poured down upon us, and occasioned some movement or noisy murmur in the french army or line of belgians. this induced our sentries to give an alarm. in an instant each man of the brigade stood by his musket; the bayonets were already on the pieces, and these all loaded, notwithstanding the rain. we stood thus to our arms for nearly an hour, sinking to our ankles amongst the soft muddy soil of the field, when the alarm was found to be false, and we again sat or lay down to repose. "long-looked-for day at last began to break; we stood to our useless arms for a few minutes, and then began to examine their contents. the powder was moistened in the piece and completely washed out of the pan. the shots were drawn, muskets sponged out, locks oiled, and everything put to rights." anton's description of the actual on-coming of the french and of the charge of the greys is in his worst style; turgid, windy, unreal. yet it is the story of a man who actually plied 'brown bess' in the central passion of the fight, and ran in with levelled bayonet on d'erlon's grenadiers, and cheered the gallant greys as they rode past on their famous charge. had anton told his tale with the prosaic simplicity of de foe or the stern realism of swift, we might have had a battle picture memorable in literature. as it is, we must be thankful for small mercies. the present reader at least shall be spared anton's incessant apostrophes:-- "now, on our right, napoleon urged on his heavy columns, while a like movement was made against our left. the guns opened their war-breathing mouths in thundering peals, and all along the ridge of mont st. jean arose one dense cloud of smoke. "france now pushed forward on the line of our belgic allies, drove them from their post, and rolled them in one promiscuous mass of confusion through the ranks of our brigade, which instantly advanced to repel the pursuers, who came pushing on in broken disorder, in the eagerness of pursuit, till obstructed by the hedge and narrow road, while a like obstruction presented itself to us on the other side. we might have forced ourselves through as the belgians had done, but our bare thighs had no protection from the piercing thorns; and doubtless those runaways had more wisdom in shunning death, though at the hazard of laceration, than we would have shown in rushing forward upon it in disorder, with self-inflicted torture. the foe beheld our front and paused; a sudden terror seized his flushed ranks. we were in the act of breaking through the hedge, when our general gave orders to open our ranks. in an instant our cavalry passed through, leaped both hedges, and plunged on the panic-stricken foe. 'scotland for ever!' burst from the mouth of each highlander as the scots greys pass through our ranks. "what pen can describe the scene? horses' hoofs sinking in men's breasts. riders' swords streaming in blood, waving over their heads, and descending in deadly vengeance. stroke follows stroke, like the turning of a flail in the hand of a dexterous thresher; the living stream gushes red from the ghastly wound. there the piercing shrieks and dying groans; here the loud cheering of an exulting army, animating the slayers to deeds of signal vengeance upon a daring foe. it was a scene of vehement destruction, yells and shrieks, wounds and death; and the bodies of the dead served as pillows for the dying. "a thousand prisoners are driven in before our cavalry as they return over the corpse-strewn field, and the loud shouts of ten thousand soldiers welcome the victors back. but long and loud are the enthusiastic cheerings of the proud highlanders as they greet the gallant greys' approach. 'glory of scotland!' bursts spontaneously from the mouth of each highlander, while rending shouts of 'england!' or 'ireland!' welcome the st and inniskilling dragoons, and echo along the lines. this dreadful charge made by our cavalry in our immediate front gave an impulse bordering on enthusiasm to our spirits that nothing could depress. but the enemy, as if dreading more than common opposition at this spot, forbore to press upon it during the remaining part of the day. "the right and left both sustained the impetuous onset of napoleon's cavalry, and these on each occasion met with powerful opposition, and were driven back in wild confusion. but on the right and centre he seems to urge his greatest force throughout the whole day. la haye sainte is one pool of blood; against it napoleon's artillery incessantly play, and columns of infantry are urged on to drive the brave defenders out. but these meet them with fire and steel, and repel them with determined resolution. here a never-ceasing combat rages throughout the day, and forms an interesting object in the general picture of the field. hougoumont is no less a scene of slaughter; there, every effort is made to obtain possession and to break in upon our right wing. sometimes in the heat of a charge they rush past its bounds, but meet with wounds or death as they fly back; for it is only when the enemy occasionally pursues his apparently victorious course beyond his lines and past our guns that he gets a view of our columns or lines of infantry, which immediately take advantage of his disordered front, and drive him back, with immense loss, beyond our guns and down the descent; they then retire to their well-chosen ground and send out a company or two of skirmishers from each regiment to keep up a never-ceasing fire, save when driven back on their respective columns in those repeated charges. "the sun, as he hastens down, bursts through the hazy clouds and gleams in brightness over the long-contested field. it is the setting sun of napoleon's greatness. "the loss of the regiment this day was trifling, if compared with that which it sustained on the th at quatre bras: we had only six men killed; one captain, three lieutenants, and thirty-three rank and file wounded. brussels, which had been kept in a state of excitement since the night of the th, heard the glad tidings of the result of the battle, and the doors were opened wide for the reception of the bleeding soldiers, who had been conveyed thither on waggons or had dragged their maimed limbs along the way without assistance. the poor women, who had been forced back to the rear of the army when the battle commenced, were hurried amidst the mingled mass of fugitives, panic-struck batmen, mules, horses, and cattle, back to the gates of brussels; but on entering, found no friendly hand stretched out to take them off the streets. "night passes over the groaning field of waterloo, and morning gives its early light to the survivors of the battle to return to the heights of st. jean, on purpose to succour the wounded or bury the dead. here may be seen the dismounted gun, the wheels of the carriage half sunk in the mire; the hand of the gunner rests on the nave, his body half-buried in a pool of blood, and his eyes open to heaven, whither his spirit has already fled. here are spread, promiscuously, heaps of mangled bodies--some without head, or arms, or legs: others lie stretched naked, their features betraying no mark of violent suffering. "the population of brussels, prompted by a justifiable curiosity, approach the field to see the remains of the strangers who fell to save their spoil-devoted city, and to pick up some fragment as a memorial of the battle, or as a relic for other days. of these the field affords an abundant harvest; cuirasses, helmets, medals, swords, pistols, and all the various weapons of destruction in military use, besides the balls and bullets, which may be ploughed up a thousand years hence. here also are hundreds of blankets, ripped-up knapsacks, torn shirts, stockings, and all the simple contents of the fallen soldiers' kits. letters and memoranda of the slain strew the field in every direction, which are picked up by the curious and carefully preserved." iv with the guns at waterloo iv.--with the guns at waterloo mercer, the author of the "journal of the waterloo campaign," came of a soldierly stock. his father belonged to the royal engineers, served on the staff of sir henry clinton in the american war of independence, and rose to the rank of general. cavalie mercer, with whose book we are concerned, was born in , passed through the military academy at woolwich, obtained a commission in the artillery at sixteen, and had not reached the retired list when he died at the age of eighty-five. but though his career as a soldier was long and honourable, it cannot--except for the three great days of quatre bras and waterloo--be called very inspiring. mercer's first military service was in ireland at the time of the rebellion. war is always hateful, but its blackest form is civil war. mercer was next unfortunate enough to take part in the most ignoble expedition known to british arms--whitelocke's shameful and unhappy performance at buenos ayres. this was the worst school imaginable for a young soldier, but mercer had fine military gifts, and though he was shut out from the peninsular campaigns, when he made his appearance on the field of waterloo he showed himself to be an artillery officer of very fine quality--cool, skilful, and gallant. he served after the peace in north america, and commanded the artillery in nova scotia in the troubled days of the maine boundary-line dispute, when it seemed likely that england and the united states would drift into war. mercer's long military career found its climax in the three memorable days of june - , ; and the splendours and terrors, the bloodshed and the triumph of those mighty battles are vividly reflected in his pages. chapter i waiting for the guns mercer held the rank of second captain only in troop g, but sir alexander dickson, whose troop it was, being employed on other duties, mercer was in actual command. it was a fine troop, perfect in drill, and splendidly horsed. it owed this latter circumstance, perhaps, to a characteristic bit of war office administration. the artillery was being reduced to the level of a peace establishment when napoleon broke loose from elba, and there came the sudden summons to war. a second troop of horse-artillery was at that moment in colchester barracks. it was broken up, and troop g took the picked horses of both batteries--"thus," says mercer proudly, "making it the finest troop in the service." one fine troop was in this way made out of two half-dismantled batteries. the troop was made up of eighty gunners and eighty-four drivers, with the usual proportion of officers and non-commissioned officers. the horses numbered no less than . there were six guns--five of them being nine-pounders, and one a heavy five-and-a-half inch howitzer. mercer has the wholesome pride of a good officer in his own men and guns. he tells with pardonable complacency the story of how his troop shone in a grand cavalry review held on may , near gramont:-- "about two o'clock the duke of wellington and prince blucher, followed by an immense cortège, in which were to be seen many of the most distinguished officers and almost every uniform in europe, arrived on the ground. need i say that the foreigners were loud in praise of the martial air, fine persons, and complete equipment of the men and horses, and of the strength and beauty of the latter? and my vanity on that occasion was most fully gratified, for on arriving where we stood, the duke not only called old blucher's attention to 'the beautiful battery,' but, instead of proceeding straight through the ranks, as they had done everywhere else, each sub-division--nay, each individual horse--was closely scrutinised, blucher repeating continually that he had never seen anything so superb in his life, and concluding by exclaiming, 'mein gott, dere is not von orse in dies batterie wich is not goot for veldt marshal': and wellington agreed with him. it certainly was a splendid collection of horses. however, except asking sir george wood whose troop it was, his grace never even bestowed a regard on me as i followed from sub-division to sub-division." the troop, as mercer's story shows, was literally smashed up at waterloo; but mercer, with great energy and skill, quickly built it up again, and at a great review in paris, where the allied sovereigns were present, the english guns were once more the admired of all observers. he writes:-- "it seems that we have been the _rara avis_ of the day ever since our review. the rapidity of our movements, close-wheeling, perfection of our equipment, &c., &c., excited universal astonishment and admiration. the consequence of this was an application to the duke for a closer inspection, which he most magnanimously granted, and ordered ross's troop out for that purpose. they paraded in the fields near clichy. the reviewers, i understand, were _marechaux de france_; but there was also a great concourse of officers of all nations. after the manoeuvres the troop was dismounted, and a most deliberate inspection of ammunition, and even of the men's kits, appointments, shoeing, construction of carriages, &c., &c., took place. i believe they were equally astonished and pleased with what they saw, and as there were several among them taking notes, have no doubt that we shall soon see improvements introduced into the continental artillery." mercer, curiously enough, declares that the british artilleryman of his day had no affection for his horse, and in this respect compares very ill with the german artilleryman; the same thing, he says, applies to british and german cavalry:-- "affection for, and care of, his horse is the trait _par excellence_ which distinguishes the german dragoon from the english. the former would sell everything to feed his horse; the latter would sell his horse itself for spirits, or the means of obtaining them. the one never thinks of himself until his horse is provided for; the other looks upon the animal as a curse and a source of perpetual drudgery to himself, and gives himself no concern about it when once away from under his officer's eye. the german accustoms his horse to partake of his own fare. i remember a beautiful mare, belonging to a sergeant of the rd hussars, k.g.l., which would even eat onions. she was one of the very few that escaped after the disastrous retreat of corunna, and had been saved and smuggled on board ship by the sergeant himself. in the peninsula the only means of enforcing some attention to their horses amongst our english regiments was to make every man walk and carry his saddle-bags whose horse died or was ill." all branches of the british army, it may be added, did not impress the allied sovereigns in the same favourable manner as the artillery. the british infantry seemed under-sized as compared with austrians, prussians, &c. mercer's account of the memorable review, held only five weeks after waterloo, is interesting:-- "at length the approach of the sovereigns was announced, and they came preceded and followed by a most numerous and brilliant cortège, in which figured, perhaps, some of almost every arm of every army in europe. it was a splendid and most interesting sight. first came the emperor alexander and the king of prussia, in their respective green and blue uniforms, riding together--the former, as usual, all smiles; the latter taciturn and melancholy. a little in their rear followed the austrian emperor, in a white uniform, turned up with red, but quite plain--a thin, dried-up, thread-paper of a man, not of the most distinguished bearing; his lean, brown visage, however, bore an expression of kindness and _bonhomie_, which folk say his true character in no way belies. they passed along, scanning our people with evident interest and curiosity; and in passing me (as they did to every commanding officer), pulled off their hats, and saluted me with most gracious smiles. i wonder if they do the same to their own. until yesterday i had not seen any british infantry under arms since the evening the troops from america arrived at garges, and, in the meantime, have constantly seen corps of foreign infantry. "these are all uncommonly well dressed in new clothes, smartly made, setting the men off to the greatest advantage--add to which their coiffure of high broad-topped shakos, or enormous caps of bearskin. our infantry--indeed our whole army--appeared at the review in the same clothes in which they had marched, slept, and fought for months. the colour had faded to a dusky brick-dust hue; their coats, originally not very smartly made, had acquired by constant wearing that loose, easy set so characteristic of old clothes, comfortable to the wearer, but not calculated to add grace to his appearance. _pour surcroît de laideur_, their cap is perhaps the meanest, ugliest thing ever invented. from all these causes it arose that our infantry appeared to the utmost disadvantage--dirty, shabby, mean, and very small. some such impression was, i fear, made on the sovereigns, for a report has reached us this morning that they remarked to the duke what very small men the english were. 'ay,' replied our noble chief, 'they are small; but your majesties will find none who fight so well.' i wonder if this is true. however small our men and mean their appearance, yet it was evident that they were objects of intense interest from the immense time and close scrutiny of the inspection." mercer, with his troop, embarked at harwich on april , and landed at ostend on the th. thence he marched, with frequent halts, to brussels. his account of the marches and experiences of his troop is very interesting, if only as showing that even under a great commander like wellington, amazing blunders and much distracted confusion were possible. nothing more absurd can well be imagined than the fashion in which mercer's fine troop was disembarked at ostend; and nothing could be more planless and belated than the marching--or rather the loitering--of troop g towards brussels. wellington used to complain afterwards that in the waterloo campaign he had the most villainous staff with which an unhappy general was ever afflicted; and the helpless quality of wellington's staff is reflected in mercer's account of the orders he received--or did not receive--directing his march to the front. here is mercer's account of how his troops started from their english barracks on the march which was to end on the smoky ridge at waterloo:-- "on the morning of the th, the troop paraded at half-past seven o'clock with as much regularity and as quietly as if only going to a field-day; not a man either absent or intoxicated, and every part of the guns and appointments in the most perfect order. at eight, the hour named in orders, we marched off the parade. the weather was fine, the scenery, as we skirted the beautiful banks of the stour, charming, and the occasion exhilarating. near manningtree we halted a short time to feed our horses, and then, pursuing our route, arrived at harwich about three o'clock in the afternoon. here we found the transports--the _adventure_, _philarea_, and _salus_, in which last i embarked. "about p.m. on the th, a light breeze from the n.w. induced our agent to get under way, and we repaired on board our respective ships with every prospect of a good and speedy passage. in this, however, we were disappointed, for the breeze dying away as the sun went down, we anchored, by signal, at the harbour's mouth, just as it got dark. "the evening was splendid. a clear sky studded with myriads of stars overhead, and below a calm unruffled sea, reflecting on its glassy surface the lights of the distant town, the low murmuring sounds from which, and the rippling of the water under the ships' bows, were the only interruptions to the solemn stillness that prevailed after the people had retired to their berths. in our more immediate neighbourhood stretched out the long, low, sandy tract, on the seaward extremity of which the dark masses and landguard fort could just be distinguished. "with daybreak on the morning of the th came a favourable wind, though light, and again we took up our anchors and proceeded to sea. for some distance after clearing the harbour our course lay along the suffolk coast, and so near in that objects on shore were plainly discernible. to us who had long been stationed at woodbridge, only a few miles inland, this was highly interesting. we knew every village, every copse, every knoll--nay, almost every tree. there were the houses in which we had so oft been hospitably entertained; there were the sheep-walks on which we had so often manoeuvred; and there in the distance, as we passed the mouth of the deben, our glasses showed us the very barrack on the hill, with its tiled roofs illumined by the noontide sun. about bawdsey we left the coast, and steered straight over with a light but favourable wind; the low, sandy shores of suffolk soon sank beneath the horizon. "during the night a light breeze right aft and smooth water enabled us to make good progress; but towards morning ( th) the wind had very considerably increased, and although the coast was not in sight, we were sensible of its neighbourhood from the number of curious heavy-looking boats plying round us in all directions, having the foremast with its huge lug-sail stuck right up in the bow or rather inclining over it. "nothing, certainly, could be more repulsive than the appearance of the coast--sandhills as far as the eye could reach, broken only by the grey and lugubrious works and buildings of ostend, and further west by the spires of mittelkerke and nieuport peering above the sandhills. the day, too, was one little calculated to enliven the scene. a fresh breeze and cloudy sky; the sea black, rough, and chilly; the land all under one uniform cold grey tint, presenting scarcely any relief of light and shadow, consequently no feature. upon reconnoitring it, however, closer, we found that this forbidding exterior was only an outer coating to a lovely gem. through the openings between the sandhills could be seen a rich level country of the liveliest verdure, studded with villages and farms interspersed amongst avenues of trees and small patches of wood. "a black-looking mass of timber rising from the waters off the entrance of the harbour, and which we understood to be a fort, now became the principal object of our attention. the harbour of ostend is an artificial one, formed by _jetées_ of piles projecting as far as low-water mark. the right on entering is merely a row of piles running along in front of the works of the town; but on the left is a long mole or _jetée_ on the extremity of which is a small fort. behind this mole to the north-east the shore curving inwards forms a bight, presenting an extent of flat sandy beach on which the water is never more than a few feet deep even at the highest tides. a tremendous surf breaks on this whenever it blows from the westward. "followed by a crowd of other craft of all sorts and sizes, we shot rapidly along towards that part of the harbour where a dense assemblage of shipping filled up its whole breadth and forbade further progress, so that one wondered what was to become of the numerous vessels in our wake. the mystery was soon explained, for each having attained the point, turning her prow to the town, ran bump on the sands and there stuck fast. those immediately above us had just arrived, and from them a regiment of light dragoons was in the act of disembarking, by throwing their horses overboard and then hauling them ashore by a long rope attached to their head-collars. what a scene! what hallooing, shouting, vociferating, and plunging! the poor horses did not appear much gratified by their sudden transition from the warm hold to a cold bath. "our keel had scarcely touched the sand ere we were abruptly boarded by a naval officer (captain hill) with a gang of sailors, who, _sans cérémonie_, instantly commenced hoisting our horses out, and throwing them, as well as our saddlery, &c., overboard, without ever giving time for making any disposition to receive or secure the one or the other. to my remonstrance his answer was, 'i can't help it, sir; the duke's orders are positive that no delay is to take place in landing the troops as they arrive, and the ships sent back again; so you must be out of her before dark.' it was then about p.m., and i thought this a most uncomfortable arrangement. "the scramble and confusion that ensued baffle all description. bundles of harness went over the side in rapid succession as well as horses. in vain we urged the loss and damage that must accrue from such a proceeding. 'can't help it--no business of mine--duke's orders are positive,' &c., &c., was our only answer. meantime the ebb had begun to diminish the depth of water alongside, and enabled us to send parties overboard and to the beach to collect and carry our things ashore, as well as to haul and secure the horses. the same operation commenced from the other vessels as they arrived, and the bustle and noise were inconceivable. the dragoons and our men (some nearly, others quite, naked) were dashing in and out of the water, struggling with the affrighted horses, or securing their wet accoutrements as best they could. some of the former were saddling their dripping horses, and others mounting and marching off in small parties. disconsolate-looking groups of women and children were to be seen here and there sitting on their poor duds, or roaming about in search of their husbands, or mayhap of a stray child, all clamouring, lamenting, and materially increasing the babel-like confusion. "it was not without difficulty that i succeeded at last in impressing upon captain hill the necessity of leaving our guns and ammunition-waggons, &c., on board for the night--otherwise his furious zeal would have turned all out to stand on the wet sand or be washed away. meantime, although we were on shore, we were without orders what to do next. not an officer, either of the staff, the garrison, or even of our own corps, came near us. night approached, and with it bad weather evidently. our poor shivering horses and heaps of wet harness could not remain on the sands much longer, when the flood began to make again; and it was necessary to look about and see what could be done. with this intent, therefore, leaving the officers to collect their divisions, i got one of my horses saddled and rode into the town. here was the same bustle (although not the same confusion) as on the sands. the streets were thronged with british officers, and the quays with guns, waggons, horses, baggage, &c. "one would hardly expect to meet with any delay in finding the commandant of a fortress, yet such was my case; and it was not until after long and repeated inquiry that i discovered lieut.-colonel gregory, th regiment, to be that personage, and found his residence. from him, however, i could obtain nothing. he seemed hardly to have expected the compliment of reporting our arrival, and stated that he had no other orders but that the troops of every arm should march for ghent the moment they landed, without halting a single day in ostend. "strange to say neither i nor the colonel recollected there was such a person in ostend as an assistant-quarter-master-general, who should be referred to on such an occasion. yet this was the case; and that officer, instead of attending to the debarkation of the troops, or making himself acquainted with the arrivals, kept out of sight altogether. baffled at all points, i was returning to the sands when i met major drummond on the quai impérial, and related my story. his advice was to march to ghystelle (a village about six miles from ostend), and after putting up there for the night, to return and disembark my guns, &c., in the morning. while speaking, however, some one (i forget who) came up with the agreeable information that ghystelle was already fully occupied by the th dragoons. he, however, gave me directions for some large sheds about a mile off, where his own horses had passed the preceding night. "this was some consolation: so riding off immediately to reconnoitre the place and the road to it, i returned to the beach just as it got dark; and a most miserable scene of confusion i there found. our saddles, harness, baggage, &c., were still strewed about the sand, and these the flood, which was now making, threatened soon to submerge. _pour surcroît de malheur_, the rain came down in torrents, and a storm, which had been brewing up the whole afternoon, now burst over us most furiously. the lightning was quite tremendous, whilst a hurricane, howling horribly through the rigging of the ships, was only exceeded in noise by the loud explosions and rattling of the incessant claps of thunder. "our people, meantime, blinded by the lightning, had borrowed some lanterns from the ship, and were busily employed searching for the numerous articles still missing. the obscurity, however, between the vivid flashes was such that we were only enabled to keep together by repeatedly calling to each other, and it was not without difficulty and great watchfulness that we escaped being caught by the tide, which flowed rapidly in over the flat sands. at length, having collected as many of our things as was possible, and saddled our horses (some two or three of which had escaped altogether), we began our march for the sheds a little after midnight, with a farrier and another dismounted man carrying lanterns at the head of our column. "the rain continued pouring, but flashes of lightning occurred now only at intervals, and the more subdued rolling of the thunder told us that it was passing away in the distance. our route lay through the town, to gain which we found some advanced ditch to be crossed by a very frail wooden bridge. half the column, perhaps, might have cleared this, when, 'crack,' down it went, precipitating all who were on it at the moment into the mud below, and completely cutting off those in the rear. here was a dilemma. ignorant of the localities, and without a guide, how was the rear of the column to join us, or how were the people in the ditch, with their horses, to be extricated? luckily none were hurt seriously, and the depth was not great--not more, perhaps, than six or eight feet; but that was enough to baffle all our attempts at extricating the horses. some belgic soldiers of a neighbouring guard, of which we were not aware, fortunately heard us, and came to our assistance; and one of them, crossing the ditch, undertook to guide the rear of our column and those below to another gate, whilst one accompanied us to the quai impérial, where, after waiting a while, we were at length assembled, drenched with rain and starving of cold and hunger. "the quai was silent and dark; the only light gleamed dimly through the wet from a miserable lamp over the door of a café, in which people were still moving; and the only sounds that broke the stillness of the quarter were the splashing of the rain and the clattering of our steel scabbards and horses' feet as we moved dejectedly on--winding our way through unknown avenues (for in the dark i found it impossible to recognise the narrow streets through which i had so hurriedly passed in the afternoon), occasionally illuminated by a solitary lamp, the feeble light of which, however, was somewhat increased by reflection on the wet pavement. after following for some time this devious course, i began to fear i had missed the road, when again we stumbled upon a belgic guard, by whose direction and guidance we at length reached the outer barrier. here we again came to a standstill, the officer in charge refusing to let us out. some altercation ensued; i forget the particulars, but it ended in his opening the gate. "once clear of the town, we hoped soon to reach our lodging; but had scarcely advanced a hundred yards ere we found that result was more distant than we had fancied, and that patience was still requisite. the rain had rendered the fat soil so slippery that our horses could scarcely keep their legs, and the road running along the narrow summit of a dyke, with ditches on each side, rendered precaution and slow movement imperative. every moment the fall of some horse impeded the column; our lanterns went out; and after wandering a considerable time, we at length ascertained, by knocking up the people at a house by the wayside, that we had overshot our mark, and it was not until two in the morning that we succeeded in finding the sheds. these were immensely long buildings attached to some saw-mills, for what use i know not, unless to store planks, &c., for they were now empty; but they were admirably adapted to our purpose, since we could range all our horses along one side, while the men occupied the other, in one of them. a quantity of hay, and some straw, left by our predecessors, was a valuable acquisition to man and beast under such circumstances. all our enjoyments are the effect of contrast. it would be considered miserable enough to be obliged to pass the night under such equivocal shelter as these sheds afforded, and that, too, in wet clothes; yet did we now, after twelve hours of harassing work and exposure to the weather, look upon them as palaces, and having cared for our poor beasts as far as circumstances would permit, proceeded to prepare for that repose so necessary and so longed for. "our road back to the town, now we had daylight, appeared very short, and having dried considerably, was not so slippery as last night. the gates were not yet opened when we arrived; a crowd of workmen of different kinds had already assembled and were waiting for admission, as were we, for a few minutes. at last they opened, and we proceeded to the harbour in search of our ship. the quais, beach, &c., were thronged as on the day before, and we added to the bustle in disembarking our guns and carriages, &c. this was completed by eleven o'clock, and we were ready to march forward; but the commissariat detained us waiting the issue of our rations until p.m.--four mortal hours, considering our eagerness to get on and explore this new country, and the bore of being confined to one spot, since it was impossible to wander about the town, seeing that we could not calculate the moment when these gentry might find it convenient to supply us. of our horses two were still missing, as were some saddle-bags and a number of smaller articles; and this is not to be wondered at when the scandalous manner in which they were thrown overboard, the badness of the weather, the darkness of the night, together with the ebbing and flowing of the tide, are taken into consideration. "the appearance, too, of the troop was vexatious in the extreme. our noble horses, yesterday morning so sleek and spirited, now stood with drooping heads and rough staring coats, plainly indicating the mischief they had sustained in being taken from a hot hold, plunged into cold water, and then exposed for more than seven hours on an open beach to such a tempest of wind and rain as that we experienced last night. here was a practical illustration of the folly of grooming and pampering military horses, destined as they are to such exposures and privations. as for our men, they looked jaded, their clothes all soiled with mud and wet, the sabres rusty, and the bearskins of their helmets flattened down by the rain. still, however, they displayed the same spirit and alacrity as that which has always been a characteristic of the horse-artillery, more particularly of g troop." the tedium of waiting for so many hours on ostend beach was relieved by a naval incident of an exciting quality:-- "a loud cry of dismay suddenly pervaded the crowd, and all simultaneously rushed to the ramparts. i followed this movement. the morning, though somewhat overcast, had been fine, and the wind moderate; but as the day advanced, and the flood-tide set in, the south-westerly breeze had gradually increased to a gale. on reaching the rampart, i immediately observed that the flat shore to the northward, as far as the eye could reach, was covered with a sheet of white foam from the tremendous surf breaking on it; whilst the spray, rising in clouds and borne along before the blast, involved the whole neighbourhood in a thick salt mist. nothing could be more savage and wild than the appearance of the coast. "in the offing, numerous vessels under small sail were running for the harbour. one small brig had missed, and before assistance could be given, had been whirled round the _jetée_, and cast broadside on amongst the breakers. her situation was truly awful. the surf broke over her in a frightful manner, sending its spray higher than her masts, and causing her to roll from side to side until her yards dipped in the water, and induced a belief every moment that she must roll over. every now and then a huge wave, larger than its predecessor, would raise her bodily, and then, rapidly receding, suddenly let her fall again on the ground with a concussion that made the masts bend and vibrate like fishing-rods, and seemed to threaten instant annihilation. of her sails, some were torn to rags, and others, flying loose, flapped and fluttered with a noise that was audible from the rampart, despite the roaring of the surf. the people on board appeared in great agitation, and kept shouting to those on shore for assistance, which they were unable to give. "intense anxiety pervaded the assembled multitude as the shattered vessel alternately rose to view or was buried in a sea of foam. numbers ran down to the sands opposite to her; and from them she could not have been twenty yards distant, yet could they not afford the despairing crew the slightest aid. whilst thus attending in breathless expectation the horrid catastrophe, the return of our quarter-master with the rations summoned us unwillingly from the rampart to commence our march. we afterwards learnt that a boat from the harbour had succeeded in saving the crew (she had no troops on board); but the unfortunate pilot who thus gallantly risked his own life for them was killed by the boat rising suddenly under the vessel's counter as he stood in the bow, which dashed his brains out." chapter ii on march to the field mercer's description of his march across the low countries is full of keen observation, and rich in pictures of peasant life. at ghent the troop halted for seven days. here the much-wandering louis xviii. held his court, and mercer gives an entertaining account of the scenes he witnessed:-- "during the seven days we remained in ghent our time was so occupied by duties that there was little leisure to look about us. amongst other duties, it fell to our lot to furnish a guard of honour to louis xviii., then residing in ghent, his own troops having been sent to alost to make room for the british, which were continually passing through. our subalterns were very well pleased with this arrangement, for the duty was nothing. they found an excellent table, and passed their time very agreeably with the young men of the _gardes du corps_, some of whom were always in attendance. many of these were mere boys, and the ante-room of his most christian majesty frequently exhibited bolstering matches and other amusements, savouring strongly of the boarding-school. however, they were good-natured, and always most attentive to the comforts of the officer on guard. the royal stud was in the barrack stables, and consisted principally of grey horses, eighteen or twenty of which had been purchased in england at a sale of 'cast horses' from the scots greys. "we frequently met french officers of all ranks, and formed acquaintance with many gentlemanly, well-informed men. at the lion d'or and hôtel de flandre we found there was a _table d'hôte_ every night at eight o'clock, and, by way of passing the evening, usually resorted to one or the other for supper. here we were sure of meeting many frenchmen, and as the same people were generally constant attendants, we became intimate, and discussed the merits of our national troops respectively over our wine or _ponche_. it was the first time most of them had had an opportunity of inspecting british troops closely, though many had often met them in the field; and they were very curious in their inquiries into the organisation, government, and equipment of our army. although allowing all due credit to the bravery displayed by our troops in the peninsula, and the talents of our general (the duke), yet were they unanimous in their belief that neither would avail in the approaching conflict, and that we must succumb before their idol and his grand army, for though these gentlemen had deserted napoleon to follow the fortunes of louis xviii., it was evident they still revered the former. "their admiration of our troops, particularly of the cavalry, was very great, but they expressed astonishment at seeing so few decorations. it was in vain we asserted that medals were rarely given in the british army, and then only to commanding officers, &c. they shook their heads, appeared incredulous, and asked, 'where are the troops that fought in spain?' there might have been something more than mere curiosity in all this; there might have been an anxiety to ascertain whether their countrymen were about to cope with veterans or young soldiers. it might have been thrown out as a lure to provoke information relative to the present employment of those veteran bands. moreover, i shrewdly suspected many of the gentlemen were actually spies. "amongst others who had followed louis xviii. was marmont. i think it was the day after our arrival, passing over the open space near the place d'armes by the river, i saw a french general officer exercising a horse in the _manège_, and learnt with astonishment that this was marmont; for the man in question had two good arms, whereas for years past i had, in common with most people in england, looked upon it as a fact that he had left one at salamanca. french deserters, both officers and privates, were daily coming in; it was said they deserted by hundreds." on april the troop received orders to resume its march, its next quarters being at thermonde, or, as it ought to have been spelt, dendermonde. from dendermonde, on may , the troop was ordered to march to strytem. mercer had neither map, nor directions, nor guides, and his account of the incidents of the march, and the fashion in which (as though he were exploring some absolutely unknown land) he had to "discover" strytem is amusing:-- "_may ._--i still slept, when at five o'clock in the morning our sergeant-major aroused me to read a note brought by an orderly hussar. it was most laconic--_la voici_: 'captain mercer's troop of horse artillery will march to strytem without delay. signed,' &c., &c. "where is strytem? and for what this sudden move? these were questions to which i could get no answer. the hussar knew nothing, and the people about me less. one thing was positive, and that was that we must be under weigh instanter, and pick out strytem as best we might. the sergeant-major, therefore, was despatched to give the alert; and having given the hussar a receipt in full for his important despatch, i proceeded to clothe my person for the journey, having hitherto been _en chemise_. as the trumpeter was lodged in a house close by with my own grooms, the 'boot and saddle' quickly reverberated through the village, and set its whole population in movement. "to my questions respecting strytem, monsieur could give no satisfactory answers. 'it lay in a very fine country somewhere in the neighbourhood of brussels, and we had better take the road to that city in the first instance, and trust for further information to the peasantry as we went along.' these people are singularly ignorant in this respect, having no knowledge, generally speaking, of any place more than two or three miles from home. monsieur, however, invited me to follow him to his study--a small room all in a litter--over the gateway, and there, after some hunting amongst books, old clothes, &c., &c., he rummaged out the mutilated fragment of an old but very excellent map, which he insisted on my putting into my sabre-tache, which i did, and still keep for his sake. "'prepare to mount!' 'mount!' the trumpets sound a march, and waving a last adieu to the group at the gate of my late home, i turn my back on it for ever perhaps. the men were in high spirits, and horses fat as pigs and sleek as moles--thanks to rest, good stabling, and abundance of _tref_. most of the peasants on whom many of our men had been billeted accompanied them to the parade, and it was interesting to witness the kindness with which they shook hands at parting, and the complacency with which, patting the horses on the neck, they scanned them all over, as if proud of their good condition. "passing through lebbeke, we found the three brigades of -pounders also getting on march, and the whole village astir. the officers told us their orders were to march direct to brussels, and they were fully persuaded the french army had advanced. "at assche we found a battery of belgian horse artillery in quarters. then men lounging about in undress, or without their jackets, without any appearance of a move, induced us to believe our own was, after all, only another change of quarters--and we were right. the people here knew strytem, which they said was only a few miles distant, to the southward of the road we were on. accordingly i despatched an officer to precede us, and make the necessary arrangements for our reception; at the same time, quitting the _chaussée_, we plunged into a villainous cross-road, all up and down, and every bottom occupied by a stream crossed by bridges of loose planks, which to us were rather annoying, from their apparent insecurity, as well as from the boggy state of the ground for some yards at either end of them. "the road became worse than ever--deep, tenacious mud, sadly broken up. after marching a short distance we passed a wheelwright's shop; then came to a broader space, where stood a small mean-looking church, a miserable cabaret, a forge, two very large farm establishments, with a few wretched-looking cottages--this our guide gave us to understand was strytem." at strytem, where the troop halted for some time, mercer had an opportunity of seeing something of the cavalry corps which the duc de berri was forming in the bourbon interest. the duc de berri, according to mercer, was a very ill-mannered brute. says mercer:-- "one day i had a good opportunity of seeing this curious corps and its savage leader. the former presented a most grotesque appearance--cuirassiers, hussars, grenadiers _à cheval_, and chasseurs, dragoons and lancers, officers and privates, with a few of the new _gardes du corps_, were indiscriminately mingled in the ranks. one file were colonels, the next privates, and so on, and all wearing their proper uniforms and mounted on their proper horses, so that these were of all sizes and colours. there might have been about two hundred men, divided into two or three squadrons, the commanders of which were generals. the prince, as i have said, was drill-master. a more intemperate, brutal, and (in his situation) impolitic one, can scarcely be conceived. the slightest fault (frequently occasioned by his own blunders) was visited by showers of low-life abuse--using on all occasions the most odious language. "one unfortunate squadron officer (a general!) offended him, and was immediately charged with such violence that i expected a catastrophe. reining up his horse, however, close to the unhappy man, his vociferation and villainous abuse were those of a perfect madman; shaking his sabre at him, and even at one time thrusting the pommel of it into his face, and, as far as i could see, pushing it against his nose! such a scene! yet all the others sat mute as mice, and witnessed all this humiliation of their comrade, and the degradation of him for whom they had forsaken napoleon. just at this moment one of our troop-dogs ran barking at the heels of the prince's horse. boiling with rage before, he now boiled over in earnest, and, stooping, made a furious cut at the dog, which, eluding the weapon, continued his annoyance. the duke, quitting the unfortunate _chef d'escadron_, now turned seriously at the dog, but he, accustomed to horses, kept circling about, yapping and snapping, and always out of reach; and it was not until he had tired himself with the fruitless pursuit that, foaming with rage, he returned to his doomed squadrons, who had sat quietly looking on at this exhibition." as the early days of june passed, and napoleon was preparing for his daring leap on the allied forces, the general strain grew more tense. french spies were busy all through the english and prussian posts. mercer describes a visit paid by a particularly daring spy to his own post:-- "it was on the evening of the th june, and about sunset or a little later, that an officer of hussars rode into the village of yseringen, leathes being at the time at dinner with me at our château. he was dressed as our hussars usually were when riding about the country--blue frock, scarlet waistcoat laced with gold, pantaloons, and forage-cap of the th hussars. he was mounted on a smart pony, with plain saddle and bridle; was without a sword or sash, and carried a small whip--in short, his costume and _monture_ were correct in every particular. moreover, he aped to the very life that 'devil-may-care' nonchalant air so frequently characterising our young men of fashion. seeing some of our gunners standing at the door of a house, he desired them to go for their officer, as he wished to see him. they called the sergeant, who told him that the officer was not in the village. "in an authoritative tone he then demanded how many men and horses were quartered there, whose troop they belonged to, where the remainder of the troop was quartered, and of what it consisted? when all these questions were answered, he told the sergeant that he had been sent by lord uxbridge to order accommodation to be provided for two hundred horses, and that ours must consequently be put up as close as possible. the sergeant replied that there was not room in the village for a single additional horse. 'oh, we'll soon see that,' said he, pointing to one of the men who stood by, 'do you go and tell the maire to come instantly to me.' the maire came and confirmed the sergeant's statement, upon which our friend, flying into a passion, commenced in excellent french to abuse the poor functionary like a pickpocket, threatening to send a whole regiment into the village; and then, after a little further conversation with the sergeant, he mounted his pony and rode off just as leathes returned to the village. "upon reporting the circumstances to the officer, the sergeant stated that he thought this man had appeared anxious to avoid him, having ridden off rather in a hurry when he appeared, which together with a slight foreign accent, then for the first time excited a suspicion of his being a spy, which had not occurred to the sergeant before, as he knew there were several foreign officers in our hussars, and that the th was actually then commanded by one--colonel quentin. the suspicion was afterwards confirmed, for upon inquiry, i found that no officer had been sent by lord uxbridge on any such mission. our friend deserved to escape, for he was a bold and clever fellow." chapter iii quatre bras napoleon's plan for what was to prove the last campaign in his own wonderful career was daring and subtle. he had to face two armies, each almost equal in strength to his own; and though the forces of blucher and of wellington were scattered over a very wide front, yet their outposts touched each other where the great road from charleroi ran northwards to brussels. napoleon, with equal audacity and genius, resolved to smite at the point of junction betwixt the two armies, and overthrow each in turn. the risks of this strategy were immense, for if his enemies succeeded in concentrating and fighting in concert, he would be overwhelmed and destroyed--as actually happened at waterloo. napoleon, however, calculated to win by the swiftness and suddenness of his stroke, destroying blucher before wellington could concentrate for his help, and then, in turn, overwhelming wellington. by what a narrow interval that great plan failed of success is not always realised. both blucher and wellington were off their guard. on june , at the very moment when napoleon's columns were crossing the belgian frontier, wellington was writing a leisurely despatch to the czar explaining his intention to take the offensive at the end of the month. blucher, only a few days before, as houssaye records, had written to his wife, "we shall soon enter france. we might remain here another year, for bonaparte will never attack us." yet with miraculous energy and skill, napoleon, in ten days, had gathered a host of , men, over distances ranging from to miles, and held them, almost unsuspected, within cannon-shot of the allied outposts. on june , while the stars in the eastern summer sky were growing faint in the coming dawn, the french columns were crossing at three separate points the belgian frontier, and the great campaign had begun. its history is compressed into three furious days. on the th napoleon defeated blucher at ligny, while wellington, with obstinate courage and fine skill, aided by many blunders on his enemy's part, and much good luck on his own, succeeded in holding quatre bras against ney. on the th wellington fell back before the combined armies of napoleon and ney to waterloo. on the th the great battle, which sealed the fate of napoleon and gave a long peace to europe, was fought. napoleon's strategy had fatally broken down. he aimed to separate the english and the prussian armies while keeping his own concentrated. the exact opposite happened. blucher's bold westward march from wavre to waterloo united the allied forces, while napoleon's force was fatally divided--grouchy, with , troops, being left "in the air" far to the east. napoleon, in a word, suffered the exact strategic disaster he sought to inflict on his opponents. we take up the thread of the adventures of mercer and battery g as active operations begin. it offers a curious picture of the distraction and confusion of a great campaign:-- "_june ._--i was sound asleep when my servant, bustling into the room, awoke me _en sursaut_. he brought a note, which an orderly hussar had left and ridden off immediately. the note had nothing official in its appearance, and might have been an invitation to dinner; but the unceremonious manner in which the hussar had gone off without his receipt looked curious. my despatch was totally deficient in date, so that time and place were left to conjecture; its contents pithy--they were as follows, viz.:-- "'captain mercer's troop will proceed with the utmost diligence to enghien, where he will meet major m'donald, who will point out the ground on which it is to bivouac to-night. 'signed, ----, d.a.q.m.-gen.' that we were to move forward, then, was certain. it was rather sudden, to be sure, and all the whys and wherefores were left to conjecture; but the suddenness of it, and the importance of arriving quickly at the appointed place, rather alarmed me, for upon reflection i remembered that i had been guilty of two or three imprudences. "first, all my officers were absent; secondly, all my country waggons were absent; thirdly, a whole division (one-third of my troop) was absent at yseringen. 'send the sergeant-major here,' was the first order, as i drew on my stockings. 'send for mr. coates' (my commissariat officer), the second, as i got one leg into my overalls. 'william, make haste and get breakfast,' the third, as i buttoned them up. the sergeant-major soon came, and received his orders to turn out instanter, with the three days' provisions and forage in the haversacks and on the horses; also to send an express for the first division. he withdrew, and immediately the fine martial clang of 'boot and saddle' resounded through the village and courts of the château, making the woods ring again, and even the frogs stop to listen. "the commissary soon made his appearance. 'what! are we off, sir?' 'yes, without delay; and you must collect your waggons as quickly as possible.' 'i fear, captain mercer, that will take some time, for st. cyr's are gone to ninove.' my folly here stared me full in the face. mr. coates said he would do his utmost to collect them; and as he was a most active, intelligent, and indefatigable fellow, i communicated to him my orders and determination not to wait, desiring him to follow us as soon as he possibly could. my first enumerated care was speedily removed, for i learned that the officers had just arrived and were preparing for the march, having known of it at brussels ere we did. the two divisions in strytem were ready to turn out in a few minutes after the 'boot and saddle' had resounded, but, as i feared, the first kept us waiting until near seven o'clock before it made its appearance. at length the first division arrived, and the animating and soul-stirring notes of the 'turn-out' again awoke the echoes of the hills and woods. up jumped my old dog bal, and away to parade and increase the bustle by jumping at the horses' noses and barking, as parade formed. away went the officers to inspect their divisions, and milward is leading my impatient charger, cossac, up and down the court. "we had cleared the village and marched some miles well enough, being within the range of my daily rides; but, this limit passed, i was immediately sensible of another error--that of having started without a guide; for the roads became so numerous, intricate, and bad, often resembling only woodmen's tracks, that i was sorely puzzled, spite of the map i carried in my sabre-tache, to pick out my way. but a graver error still i had now to reproach myself with, and one that might have been attended with fatal consequences. eager to get on, and delayed by the badness of the roads, i left all my ammunition waggons behind, under charge of old hall, my quartermaster-sergeant, to follow us, and then pushed on with the guns alone, thus foolishly enough dividing my troop into three columns--viz., the guns, ammunition waggons, and the column of provision waggons under the commissary. for this piece of folly i paid dearly in the anxiety i suffered throughout this eventful day, which at times was excessive. "rid of all encumbrances, we trotted merrily on whenever the road permitted, and, arriving at castre (an old roman legionary station), found there the rd light dragoons just turning out, having also received orders to march upon enghien. a captain dance, with whom i rode a short distance, told me he had been at the ball at brussels last night, and that, when he left the room, the report was that blucher had been attacked in the morning, but that he had repulsed the enemy with great slaughter, was following up the blow, and that our advance was to support him. the road for the last few miles had been upon a more elevated country, not so wooded--a sort of plateau, consequently hard and dry; but immediately on passing castre, we came to a piece which appeared almost impassable for about a hundred yards--a perfect black bog, across which a corduroy road had been made, but not kept in repair, consequently the logs, having decayed, left immense gaps. "the rd floundered through this with difficulty, and left us behind. how we got through with our -pounders, the horses slipping up to the shoulders between the logs every minute, i know not; but through we did get, and without accident, but it took time to do so. about noon, after threading our way through more mud and many watery lanes, doubtful if we were in the right direction, we came out upon a more open and dry country, close to a park, which upon inquiry proved to be that of enghien. to the same point various columns of cavalry were converging, and under the park wall we found sir ormsby vandeleur's brigade of light dragoons dismounted, and feeding their horses. here we also dismounted to await the arrival of major m'donald; and as i looked upon the day's march as finished, deferred feeding until our bivouac should be established--another folly, for an officer in campaign should never lose an opportunity of feeding, watering, or resting his horses, &c. having waited a good half-hour, and no major m'donald appearing, i began to look about for some one who could give me information, but no staff-officer was to be seen, and no one else knew anything about the matter. corps after corps arrived and passed on, generally without even halting, yet all professing ignorance of their destination. pleasant situation this! "sir ormsby's dragoons were by this time bridling up their horses and rolling up their nosebags, evidently with the intention of moving off. seeing this, i sought out the general, whom i found seated against a bank that, instead of a hedge, bordered the road. whether naturally a savage, or that he feared committing himself, i know not, but sir ormsby cut my queries short with an asperity totally uncalled for. 'i know nothing about you, sir! i know nothing at all about you!' 'but you will perhaps have the goodness to tell me where you are going yourself?' 'i know nothing at all about it, sir! i told you already i know nothing at all about you!' and starting abruptly from his seat, my friend mounted his horse, and (i suppose by instinct) took the road towards steenkerke, followed by his brigade, leaving me and mine alone in the road, more disagreeably situated than ever. i now began to reflect very seriously on the 'to stay' or 'not to stay.' in the former case, i bade fair to have the ground all to myself, for although everybody i spoke to denied having any orders, yet all kept moving in one and the same direction. in the latter case, my orders in writing certainly were to stay; but circumstances might have occurred since to change this, and the new order might not have reached me. moreover, it was better to get into a scrape for fighting than keeping out of the way, so i made up my mind to move forward too. "accordingly i had already mounted my people when sir h. vivian's brigade of hussars, followed by major bull's troop of our horse artillery, passed. bull, i found, was, like myself, without orders, but he thought it best to stick close to the cavalry, and advised me to do the same, which i did, following him and them on the road to steenkerke. the country about this place appeared more bare and forbidding than any i had yet seen in the pays bas. just as we moved off, the column of household troops made its appearance, advancing from ninove, and taking the same direction. "it was now that the recollection of my absent waggons began to torment me, and i actually feared never to see them again. however, there was no help for it now, and i continued onward. a few miles farther we crossed the senne by an old stone bridge, and about four in the afternoon arrived at braine le comte, almost ravenous with hunger, and roasted alive by the burning sun, under which we had been marching all day. "we found several regiments drawn up in close columns, dismounted and feeding. it was somewhere between enghien and braine le comte that we met an aide-de-camp (i believe one of the duke's) posting away as fast as his poor tired beast could get along, and dressed in his embroidered suit, white pantaloons, &c., &c., having evidently mounted as he left the ballroom. this, i remember, struck us at the time as rather odd, but we had no idea of the real state of our affairs. "we had formed up, and were feeding also, but the nosebags were scarcely put on the poor horse's heads than the cavalry corps, mounting again, moved off, one after the other, and we were constrained to follow ere the animals had half finished. here, as before, i could obtain no intelligence respecting our march, the direction and meaning of which all i spoke to professed a profound ignorance. whilst halting, hitchins, slipping into the town, brought us out a couple of bottles of wine, the which we passed round from one to the other without any scruple about sucking it all out of one muzzle. "a little hamlet (long tour, i think) lay at the foot of the hills, the straggling street of which we found so crowded with baggage-waggons of some hanoverian or other foreign corps that for a long while we were unable to pass. the cavalry, therefore, left us behind, for they broke into the adjoining fields until they had cleared the impediment. although annoyed at being thus hindered, i could not but admire the lightness, and even elegance, of the little waggons, with their neat white tilts, and as neat and pretty _jungfrauen_ who were snugly seated under them. we found the ascent of the hills more difficult than we expected, the road, which went up in a zigzag (indeed, it could not have been otherwise), little better than a woodman's track, much cut up, and exceedingly steep--so much so, that we found it necessary to double-horse all our carriages by taking only half up at once." now, at last, the sullen guns from quatre bras began to make themselves audible. mercer's gunners were chiefly recruits; they had never yet heard the deep, vibrating sounds that tell of the shock of mighty hosts. that far-off call of angry guns stirred their blood and quickened their march; but the troop reached quatre bras only when the battle ended. mercer's narrative, however, gives a striking picture of how a great battle affects everything within sound of its guns:-- "at length the whole of our carriages were on the summit, but we were now quite alone, all the cavalry having gone on; and thus we continued our march on an elevated plateau, still covered with forest, thicker and more gloomy than ever. at length we had crossed the forest, and found ourselves on the verge of a declivity which stretched away less abruptly than the one we had ascended, consequently presenting a more extensive slope, down which our road continued. a most extensive view lay before us; and now, for the first time, as emerging from the woods, we became sensible of a dull, sullen sound that filled the air, somewhat resembling that of a distant water-mill, or still more distant thunder. on clearing the wood it became more distinct, and its character was no longer questionable--heavy firing of cannon and musketry, which could now be distinguished from each other plainly. we could also hear the musketry in volleys and independent firing. the extensive view below us was bounded towards the horizon by a dark line of wood, above which, in the direction of the cannonade, volumes of grey smoke arose, leaving no doubt of what was going on. the object of our march was now evident, and we commenced descending the long slope with an animation we had not felt before. "it was here that major m'donald overtook us, and without adverting to the bivouac at enghien, of which probably he had never heard, gave me orders to attach myself to the household brigade, under lord edward somerset, but no instructions where or when. i took care not to tell him they were in the rear, lest he might order us to halt for them, which would have been a sore punishment to people excited as we now were by the increasing roar of the battle evidently going on, and hoped that by marching faster they might soon overtake us. just at this moment a cabriolet, driving at a smart pace, passed us. in it was seated an officer of the guards, coat open and snuff-box in hand. i could not but admire the perfect nonchalance with which my man was thus hurrying forward to join in a bloody combat--much, perhaps, in the same manner, though certainly not in the same costume, as he might drive to epsom or ascot heath. the descent terminated in a picturesque hollow, with a broad pool, dark and calm, and beyond it an old mill, perfectly in keeping with the scene. the opportunity of watering our poor brutes was too good to be missed, and i accordingly ordered a halt for that purpose. whilst so employed, an aide-de-camp, descending from a singular knoll above us, on which i had noticed a group of officers looking out with their glasses in the direction of the battle, came to summon me to sir hussey vivian, who was one of them. "on ascending the knoll sir hussey called to me in a hurried manner to make haste. 'who do you belong to?' said he. i told him, as also that the brigade was yet in the rear. 'well,' he replied, 'never mind; there is something serious going on, to judge from that heavy firing, and artillery must be wanted; therefore bring up your guns as fast as you can, and join my hussars; can you keep up?' 'i hope so, sir.' 'well, come along without delay; we must move smartly.' in a few minutes our people, guns and all, were on the hill. the hussars, mounted, set off at a brisk trot, and we followed. alas! thought i, where are my ammunition waggons? the hussars, to lighten their horses, untied the nets containing their hay, and the mouths of their corn-bags, which, falling from them as they trotted on, the road was soon covered with hay and oats. we did not follow their example, and although dragging with us -pounders preserved our forage and also our place in the column. "by-and-by a large town appeared in front of us, and the increasing intensity of the cannonade and volumes of smoke about the trees led us to suppose the battle near at hand, and on the hill just beyond the town. this town was nivelle. "beyond the town the ground rose, also in shadowy obscurity, crowned with sombre woods, over which ascended the greyish-blue smoke of the battle, now apparently so near that we fancied we could hear the shouts of the combatants--a fancy strengthened by crowds of people on the heights, whom we mistook for troops--inhabitants of nivelle, as we soon discovered, seeking to get a sight of the fearful tragedy then enacting. before entering the town we halted for a moment, lighted our slow matches, put shot into our leathern cartouches, loaded the guns with powder, and stuck priming wires into the vents to prevent the cartridges slipping forward, and, thus prepared for immediate action, again moved on. "on entering the town what a scene presented itself! all was confusion, agitation, and movement. the danger was impending; explosion after explosion, startling from their vicinity, and clattering peals of musketry, like those lengthened thunder-claps which announce to us so awfully the immediate neighbourhood of the electric cloud. the whole population of nivelle was in the streets, doors and windows all wide open, whilst the inmates of the houses, male and female, stood huddled together in little groups like frightened sheep, or were hurrying along with the distracted air of people uncertain where they are going or what they are doing. in a sort of square which we traversed a few soldiers, with the air of citizens, probably a municipal guard, were drawn up in line, looking anxiously about them at the numerous bleeding figures which we now began to meet. "some were staggering along unaided, the blood falling from them in large drops as they went. one man we met was wounded in the head; pale and ghastly, with affrighted looks and uncertain step, he evidently knew little of where he was or what passed about him, though still he staggered forward, the blood streaming down his face on to the greatcoat which he wore rolled over his left shoulder. an anxious crowd was collecting round him as we passed on. then came others supported between two comrades, their faces deadly pale and knees yielding at every step. at every step, in short, we met numbers, more or less wounded, hurrying along in search of that assistance which many would never live to receive, and others receive too late. priests were running to and fro, hastening to assist at the last moments of a dying man; all were in haste--all wore that abstracted air so inseparable from those engaged in an absorbing pursuit. many would run up, and, patting our horses' necks, would call down benedictions on us, and bid us hasten to the fight ere it were yet too late, or uttering trembling and not loud shouts of 'vivent les anglais!' "a few there were who stood apart, with gloomy, discontented looks, eyeing their fellow-citizens with evident contempt and us with scowls, not unmixed with derision, as they marked our dusty and jaded appearance. through all this crowd we held our way, and soon began to ascend the hill beyond the town, where we entered a fine _chaussée_ bordered by elms, expecting every moment to enter on the field of action, the roar of which appeared quite close to us. it was, however, yet distant. "the road was covered with soldiers, many of them wounded, but also many apparently untouched. the numbers thus leaving the field appeared extraordinary. many of the wounded had six, eight, ten, and even more attendants. when questioned about the battle, and why they left it, the answer was invariable: 'monsieur, tout est perdu! les anglais sont abîmes, en déroute, abîmes, tous, tous, tous!' and then, nothing abashed, these fellows would resume their hurried route. my countrymen will rejoice to learn that amongst this dastardly crew not one briton appeared. whether they were of nassau or belgians i know not; they were one or the other--i think the latter. "one redcoat we did meet--not a fugitive though, for he was severely wounded. this man was a private of the nd (gordon highlanders), a short, rough, hardy-looking fellow, with the national high cheek-bones, and a complexion that spoke of many a bivouac. he came limping along, evidently with difficulty and suffering. i stopped him to ask news of the battle, telling him what i had heard from the others, 'na, na, sir, it's aw a damned lee; they war fechtin' yat an' i laft 'em; but it's a bludy business, and thar's na saying fat may be the end on't. oor ragiment was nigh clean swapt aff, and oor colonel kilt just as i cam' awa'. upon inquiring about his own wound, we found that a musket ball had lodged in his knee, or near it; accordingly hitchins, dismounting, seated him on the parapet of a little bridge we happened to be on, extracted the ball in a few minutes, and, binding up the wound, sent him hobbling along towards nivelle, not having extracted a single exclamation from the poor man, who gratefully thanked him as he resumed his way. "a little farther on, and as it began to grow dusk, we traversed the village of hautain le val, where a very different scene presented itself. here, in a large cabaret by the roadside, we saw through the open windows the rooms filled with soldiers, cavalry and infantry; some standing about in earnest conversation, others seated around tables, smoking, carousing, and thumping the board with clenched fists, as they related with loud voices--what?--most likely their own gallant exploits. about the door their poor horses, tied to a rail, showed by their drooping heads, shifting legs, and the sweat drying and fuming on their soiled coats, that their exertions at least had been of no trivial nature. "the firing began to grow slacker, and even intermitting, as we entered on the field of quatre bras--our horses stumbling from time to time over corpses of the slain, which they were too tired to step over. the shot and shell which flew over our line of march from time to time (some of the latter bursting beyond us) were sufficient to enable us to say we had been in the battle of quatre bras, for such was the name of the place where we now arrived, just too late to be useful. in all directions the busy hum of human voices was heard; the wood along the skirts of which we marched re-echoed clearly and loudly the tones of the bugle, which ever and anon were overpowered by the sullen roar of cannon, or the sharper rattle of musketry; dark crowds of men moved in the increasing obscurity of evening, and the whole scene seemed alive with them. what a moment of excitement and anxiety as we proceeded amongst all this tumult, and amidst the dead and dying, ignorant as yet how the affair had terminated! arrived at a mass of buildings, where four roads met (_les quatre bras_), major m'donald again came up with orders for us to bivouac on an adjoining field, where, accordingly, we established ourselves amongst the remains of a wheat crop. "_june ._--a popping fire of musketry, apparently close at hand, aroused me again to consciousness of my situation. at first i could not imagine where i was. i looked straight up, and the stars were twinkling over me in a clear sky. i put out a hand from beneath my cloak, and felt clods of damp earth and stalks of straw. the rattle of musketry increased, and then the consciousness of my situation came gradually over me. although somewhat chilly, i was still drowsy, and regardless of what might be going on, had turned on my side and began to doze again, when one of my neighbours started up with the exclamation, 'i wonder what all that firing means!' this in an instant dispelled all desire to sleep; and up i got too, mechanically repeating his words, and rubbing my eyes as i began to peer about. "one of the first, and certainly the most gratifying, sights that met my inquiring gaze, was quarter-master hall, who had arrived during the night with all his charge safe and sound. he had neither seen nor heard, however, of mr. coates and his train of country waggons, for whom i began now to entertain serious apprehensions. from whatever the musketry might proceed, we could see nothing--not even the flashes; but the increasing light allowed me to distinguish numberless dark forms on the ground all around me, people slumbering still, regardless of the firing that had aroused me. at a little distance numerous white discs, which were continually in motion, changing place and disappearing, to be succeeded by others, puzzled me exceedingly, and i could not even form a conjecture as to what they might be. watching them attentively, i was still more surprised when some of these white objects ascended from the ground and suddenly disappeared; but the mystery was soon explained by the increasing light, which gave to my view a corps of nassau troops lying on the ground, having white tops to their shakos. "daylight now gradually unfolded to us our situation. we were on a plateau which had been covered with corn, now almost everywhere trodden down. four roads, as already mentioned, met a little to the right of our front, and just at that point stood a farmhouse, which, with its outbuildings, yard, &c., was enclosed by a very high wall. this was the farm of quatre bras. beyond it, looking obliquely to the right, the wood (in which the battle still lingered when we arrived last night) stretched away some distance along the roads to nivelle and charleroi, which last we understood lay in front." chapter iv the retreat to waterloo. mercer's battery formed part of the british rearguard in the retreat from quatre bras to waterloo, and his gunners had some very breathless and exciting experiences on the road, with the thunder rolling over their heads and the french cavalry charging furiously on their rear. mercer tells the story with great vividness and spirit:-- "on the charleroi road and in the plain was a small village (frasnes), with its church, just beyond which the road ascended the heights, on the open part of which, between the road and the wood towards the left, was the bivouac of the french army opposed to us. its advanced posts were in the valley near frasnes, and ours opposite to them--our main body occupying the ground between quatre bras and the wood on the left. a smart skirmish was going on amongst the hedges, &c., already mentioned, and this was the firing we had heard all the morning. our infantry were lying about, cleaning their arms, cooking, or amusing themselves, totally regardless of the skirmish. this, however, from our position, was a very interesting sight to me, for the slope of the ground enabled me to see distinctly all the manoeuvres of both parties, as on a plan. after much firing from the edge of the wood, opposite which our riflemen occupied all the hedges, i saw the french chasseurs suddenly make a rush forward in all directions, whilst the fire of our people became thicker and faster than ever. many of the former scampered across the open fields until they reached the nearest hedges, whilst others ran crouching under cover of those perpendicular to their front, and the whole succeeded in establishing themselves--thus forcing back and gaining ground on our men. "the fire then again became sharper than ever--sometimes the french were driven back; and this alternation i watched with great interest until summoned to major m'donald, who brought us orders for the day. from him i first learned the result of the action of yesterday--the retreat of the prussians, and that we were to do so too. his directions to me were that i should follow some corps of infantry, or something of the sort; for what followed caused me to forget it all: 'major ramsay's troop,' he said, 'will remain in the rear with the cavalry to cover the retreat; but i will not conceal from you that it falls to your turn to do this, if you choose it.' the major looked rather conscience-stricken as he made this avowal, so, to relieve him, i begged he would give the devil his due and me mine. accordingly all the others marched off, and as nothing was likely to take place immediately, we amused ourselves by looking on at what was doing. "just at this moment an amazing outcry arose amongst the infantry at the farm, who were running towards us in a confused mass, shouting and bellowing, jostling and pushing each other. i made sure the enemy's cavalry had made a dash amongst them, especially as the fire of the skirmishers became thicker and apparently nearer, when the thing was explained by a large pig, squealing as if already stuck, bursting from the throng by which he was beset in all directions. some struck at him with axes, others with the butts of their muskets, others stabbed at him with bayonets. the chase would have been amusing had it not been so brutal; and i have seldom experienced greater horror than i did on this occasion, when the poor brute, staggering from the repeated blows he received, was at last brought to the ground by at least half-a-dozen bayonets plunged into him at once. "all this time our retreat was going on very quietly. the corps at quatre bras had retired early in the morning, and been replaced by others from the left, and this continued constantly--every corps halting for a time on the ground near quatre bras until another from the left arrived, these moving off on the great road to brussels, ceding the ground to the new-comers. "at first every one, exulting in the success of yesterday--they having repulsed the enemy with a handful of men, as it were, unsupported by cavalry and with very little artillery--anticipated, now our army was united nothing less than an immediate attack on the french position. we were sadly knocked down, then, when the certainty of our retreat became known. it was in vain we were told the retreat was only a manoeuvre of concentration; the most gloomy anticipations pervaded every breast. about this time sir alexander dickson paid me a visit, having just arrived from new orleans, where he commanded the artillery, to be our deputy-quartermaster-general. he only stayed a few minutes. "as the infantry corps on the plateau became fewer, the fire of the skirmishers amongst the hedges gradually relaxed, and at length ceased--the rifles, &c., being drawn, and following the line of retreat. at last, about noon, i found myself left with my troop, quite alone, on the brow of the position, just by the farm of quatre bras--the only troops in sight being a small picket of hussars, near the village of frasnes, in the plain below; a few more in our rear, but at some little distance, amongst the houses; and a brigade of hussars far away to the left (about two miles), close to the wood in that quarter. thus solitary, as it were, i had ample leisure to contemplate the scene of desolation around me, so strangely at variance with the otherwise smiling landscape. everywhere mementoes of yesterday's bloody struggle met the eye--the corn trampled down, and the ground, particularly in the plain, plentifully besprinkled with bodies of the slain. just in front of the farm of quatre bras there was a fearful scene of slaughter--highlanders and cuirassiers lying thickly strewn about; the latter appeared to have charged up the charleroi road, on which, and immediately bordering it, they lay most numerously. "in communicating to me the orders of our retreat, major m'donald had reiterated that to join lord edward somerset's brigade without delay, but still he could not tell me where this brigade was to be found. meantime sir ormsby vandeleur's brigade of light dragoons having formed up in front of the houses, and supposing from this that all the cavalry must be nigh, as one step towards finding lord edward i crossed the road to the right of these dragoons, and rode towards the part where, as before stated, the light was intercepted by trees and bushes. on passing through these i had an uninterrupted view of the country for miles, but not a soldier or living being was to be seen in that direction. as i pushed on through the thickets my horse, suddenly coming to a stand, began to snort, and showed unequivocal symptoms of fear. i drove him on, however, but started myself when i saw, lying under the bush, the body of a man stripped naked. this victim of war was a youth of fair form, skin delicately white, and face but little darker; an embryo moustache decorated the upper lip, and his countenance, even in death, was beautiful. that he was french i conjectured, but neither on himself nor his horse was there a particle of clothing that could indicate to what nation he belonged. if french, how came he here to die alone so far in the rear of our lines? "i know not why, but the _rencontre_ with this solitary corpse had a wonderful effect on my spirits--far different from what i felt when gazing on the heaps that encumbered the field beyond. seldom have i experienced such despondency--such heart-sinking--as when standing over this handsome form thus despoiled, neglected, and about to become a prey to wolves and carrion crows--the darling of some fond mother, the adored of some fair maid. his horse, stripped like himself, lay by--they had met their fate at once. returning to my troop, i found sir augustus frazer, who had come to order my ammunition waggons to the rear that the retreat might be as little encumbered as possible, and to tell me that what ammunition was used during the day would be supplied by my sending for it to langeveldt, on the road to brussels, where that to wavre branches from it. "thus divested of our ammunition, it was evident that our retreat must be a rapid one, since with only fifty rounds a gun (the number in the limbers), it could not be expected that we could occupy any position longer than a few minutes. in the end, this measure nearly led to very disagreeable results, as will be seen anon." lord uxbridge--afterwards the marquis of anglesey--was a very fine cavalry leader, a sort of english murat, with all the dash, activity, and resource of that famous soldier. but he had too much fire in his temper for cool generalship. the tumult and shock of battle had the effect of champagne upon him. it kindled in his brain a sort of intoxication. so he took risks a cooler-headed soldier would have avoided. uxbridge's fiery and audacious daring is vividly reflected in mercer's account of how he covered the retreat to waterloo:-- "it was now about one o'clock. my battery stood in position on the brow of the declivity, with its right near the wall of the farm, all alone, the only troops in sight being, as before mentioned, the picket and a few scattered hussars in the direction of frasnes, sir o. vandeleur's light dragoons two or three hundred yards in our rear, and sir h. vivian's hussars far away to the left. still the french army made no demonstration of an advance. this inactivity was unaccountable. lord uxbridge and an aide-de-camp came to the front of my battery, and dismounting, seated himself on the ground; so did i and the aide-de-camp. his lordship with his glass was watching the french position; and we were all three wondering at their want of observation and inactivity, which had not only permitted our infantry to retire unmolested, but also still retained them in their bivouac. 'it will not be long now before they are on us,' said the aide-de-camp, 'for they always dine before they move; and those smokes seem to indicate that they are cooking now.' "he was right; for not long afterwards another aide-de-camp, scouring along the valley, came to report that a heavy column of cavalry was advancing through the opening between the woods to the left from the direction of gembloux. at the same moment we saw them distinctly; and lord uxbridge having reconnoitred them a moment through his glass, started up, exclaiming, in a joyful tone, 'by the lord, they are prussians!' jumped on his horse, and, followed by the two aides, dashed off like a whirlwind to meet them. for a moment i stood looking after them as they swept down the slope, and could not help wondering how the prussians came there. i was, however, not left long in my perplexity, for, turning my eyes towards the french position, i saw their whole army descending from it in three or four dark masses, whilst their advanced cavalry picket was already skirmishing with and driving back our hussars. the truth instantly flashed on my mind, and i became exceedingly uneasy for the safety of lord uxbridge and his companions, now far advanced on their way down the valley, and likely to be irretrievably cut off. "my situation now appeared somewhat awkward; left without orders and entirely alone on the brow of our position--the hussar pickets galloping in and hurrying past as fast as they could--the whole french army advancing, and already at no great distance. in this dilemma, i determined to retire across the little dip that separated me from sir o. vandeleur, and take up a position in front of his squadrons, whence, after giving a round to the french advance as soon as they stood on our present ground, i thought i could retire in sufficient time through his intervals to leave the ground clear for him to charge. this movement was immediately executed; but the guns were scarcely unlimbered ere sir ormsby came furiously up, exclaiming, 'what are you doing here, sir? you encumber my front, and we shall not be able to charge. take your guns away, sir; instantly, i say--take them away!' it was in vain that i endeavoured to explain my intentions, and that our fire would allow his charge to be made with more effect. 'no, no; take them out of my way, sir!' was all the answer i could get; and accordingly, i was preparing to obey, when up came lord uxbridge, and the scene changed in a twinkling. 'captain mercer, are you loaded?' 'yes, my lord.' 'then give them a round as they rise the hill, and retire as quickly as possible.' 'light dragoons, threes right; at a trot, march!' and then some orders to sir ormsby, of whom i saw no more that day. 'they are just coming up the hill,' said lord uxbridge. 'let them get well up before you fire. do you think you can retire quick enough afterwards?' 'i am sure of it, my lord.' 'very well, then, keep a good lookout, and point your guns well.' "i had often longed to see napoleon, that mighty man of war--that astonishing genius who had filled the world with his renown. now i saw him, and there was a degree of sublimity in the interview rarely equalled. the sky had become overcast since the morning, and at this moment presented a most extraordinary appearance. large isolated masses of thunder-cloud, of the deepest, almost inky black, their lower edges hard and strongly defined, lagging down, as if momentarily about to burst, hung suspended over us, involving our position and everything on it in deep and gloomy obscurity; whilst the distant hill lately occupied by the french army still lay bathed in brilliant sunshine. lord uxbridge was yet speaking when a single horseman,[ ] immediately followed by several others, mounted the plateau i had left at a gallop, their dark figures thrown forward in strong relief from the illuminated distance, making them appear much nearer to us than they really were. "for an instant they pulled up and regarded us, when several squadrons coming rapidly on the plateau, lord uxbridge cried out, 'fire!--fire!' and, giving them a general discharge, we quickly limbered up to retire, as they dashed forward supported by some horse artillery guns, which opened upon us ere we could complete the manoeuvre, but without much effect, for the only one touched was the servant of major whinyates, who was wounded in the leg by the splinter of a howitzer shell. "it was now for the first time that i discovered the major and his rocket-troop, who, annoyed at my having the rear, had disobeyed the order to retreat, and remained somewhere in the neighbourhood until this moment, hoping to share whatever might be going on. the first gun that was fired seemed to burst the clouds overhead, for its report was instantly followed by an awful clap of thunder, and lightning that almost blinded us, whilst the rain came down as if a waterspout had broken over us. the sublimity of the scene was inconceivable. flash succeeded flash, and the peals of thunder were long and tremendous; whilst, as if in mockery of the elements, the french guns still sent forth their feebler glare and now scarcely audible reports--their cavalry dashing on at a headlong pace, adding their shouts to the uproar. we galloped for our lives through the storm, striving to gain the enclosures about the houses of the hamlets, lord uxbridge urging us on, crying, 'make haste!--make haste! for god's sake, gallop, or you will be taken!' we did make haste, and succeeded in getting amongst the houses and gardens, but with the french advance close on our heels. here, however, observing the _chaussée_ full of hussars, they pulled up. had they continued their charge we were gone, for these hussars were scattered about the road in the utmost confusion, some in little squads, others singly, and, moreover, so crowded together that we had no room whatever to act with any effect--either they or us. "meantime the enemy's detachments began to envelop the gardens, which lord uxbridge observing, called to me, 'here, follow me with two of your guns,' and immediately himself led the way into one of the narrow lanes between the gardens. what he intended doing, god knows, but i obeyed. the lane was very little broader than our carriages--there was not room for a horse to have passed them! the distance from the _chaussée_ to the end of the lane, where it debouched on the open fields, could scarcely have been above one or two hundred yards at most. his lordship and i were in front, the guns and mounted detachments following. what he meant to do i was at a loss to conceive; we could hardly come to action in the lane; to enter on the open was certain destruction. thus we had arrived at about fifty yards from its termination when a body of chasseurs or hussars appeared there as if waiting for us. these we might have seen from the first, for nothing but a few elder bushes intercepted the view from the _chaussée_. "the whole transaction appears to me so wild and confused that at times i can hardly believe it to have been more than a confused dream--yet true it was--the general-in-chief of the cavalry exposing himself amongst the skirmishers of his rearguard, and literally doing the duty of a cornet! 'by god! we are all prisoners' (or some such words), exclaimed lord uxbridge, dashing his horse at one of the garden-banks, which he cleared, and away he went, leaving us to get out of the scrape as best we could. there was no time for hesitation--one manoeuvre alone could extricate us if allowed time, and it i ordered. 'reverse by unlimbering' was the order. to do this the gun was to be unlimbered, then turned round, and one wheel run up the bank, which just left space for the limber to pass it. the gun is then limbered up again and ready to move to the rear. the execution, however, was not easy, for the very reversing of the limber itself in so narrow a lane, with a team of eight horses, was sufficiently difficult, and required first-rate driving. "nothing could exceed the coolness and activity of our men; the thing was done quickly and well, and we returned to the _chaussée_ without let or hindrance. how we were permitted to do so, i am at a loss to imagine; for although i gave the order to reverse, i certainly never expected to have seen it executed. meantime my own situation was anything but a pleasant one, as i sat with my back to the gentlemen at the end of the lane, whose interference i momentarily expected, casting an eye from time to time over my shoulder to ascertain whether they still kept their position. there they sat motionless, and although thankful for their inactivity, i could not but wonder at their stupidity. it seemed, however, all of a piece that day--all blunder and confusion; and this last i found pretty considerable on regaining the _chaussée_. his lordship we found collecting the scattered hussars together into a squadron for our rescue, for which purpose it was he had so unceremoniously left us. heavy as the rain was and thick the weather, yet the french could not but have seen the confusion we were in, as they had closed up to the entrance of the enclosure; and yet they did not at once take advantage of it. "things could not remain long in this state. a heavy column of cavalry approached us by the _chaussée_, whilst another skirting the enclosures, appeared pushing forward to cut us off. retreat now became imperative. the order was given, and away we went, helter-skelter--guns, gun-detachments, and hussars all mixed _pêle-mêle_, going like mad, and covering each other with mud, to be washed off by the rain, which, before sufficiently heavy, now came down again as it had done at first, in splashes instead of drops, soaking us anew to the skin, and, what was worse, extinguishing every slow match in the brigade. the obscurity caused by the splashing of the rain was such, that at one period i could not distinguish objects more than a few yards distant. of course we lost sight of our pursuers altogether, and the shouts and halloos, and even laughter, they had at first sent forth were either silenced or drowned in the uproar of the elements and the noise of our too rapid retreat; for in addition to everything else the crashing and rattling of the thunder were most awful, and the glare of the lightning blinding. in this state we gained the bridge of genappe at the moment when the thunder-cloud, having passed over, left us in comparative fine weather, although still raining heavily. "for the last mile or so we had neither seen nor heard anything of our lively french friends, and now silently wound our way up the deserted street, nothing disturbing its death-like stillness save the iron sound of horses' feet, the rumbling of the carriages, and the splashing of water as it fell from the eaves--all this was stillness compared with the hurly-burly and din from which we had just emerged. "on gaining the high ground beyond the town, we suddenly came in sight of the main body of our cavalry drawn up across the _chaussée_ in two lines, and extending away far to the right and left of it. it would have been an imposing spectacle at any time, but just now appeared to me magnificent, and i hailed it with complacency, for here i thought our fox-chase must end. 'those superb life guards and blues will soon teach our pursuers a little modesty.' such fellows!--surely nothing can withstand them. scarcely had these thoughts passed through my mind ere an order from his lordship recalled us to the rear. the enemy's horse artillery, having taken up a position in the meadows near the bridge, were annoying our dragoons as they debouched from the town. the ground was heavy from the rain, and very steep, so that it was only by great exertion that we succeeded at last in getting our guns into the adjoining field. "the moment we appeared the french battery bestowed on us its undivided attention, which we quickly acknowledged by an uncommonly well-directed fire of spherical case. whilst so employed, major m'donald came up and put me through a regular catechism as to length of fuse, whether out of bag a or b, &c., &c. although much vexed at such a schooling just now, yet the major appeared so seriously in earnest that i could not but be amused; however, to convince him that we knew what we were about, i directed his attention to our excellent practice, so superior to that of our antagonist, who was sending all his shot far over our heads. the french seemed pretty well convinced of this too, for after standing a few rounds they quitted the field, and left us again without occupation. the major vanishing at the same time, i sent my guns, &c., to the rear, and set off to join lord uxbridge, who was still fighting in the street. our ammunition was expended the waggons having been taken away by sir augustus frazer at quatre bras. "on regaining my troop i found major m'donald and the rockets with it. they were in position on a gentle elevation, on which likewise were formed the lines of cavalry stretching across the _chaussée_. immediately on our left, encased in the hollow road, the blues were formed in close column of half-squadrons, and it was not long ere lord uxbridge, with those he had retained at genappe, came sweeping over the hill and joined us. they were closely followed by the french light cavalry, who, descending into the hollow, commenced a sharp skirmish with our advance-posts. soon squadron after squadron appeared on the hill we had passed, and took up their positions, forming a long line parallel to ours, whilst a battery of horse artillery, forming across the _chaussée_, just on the brow of the declivity, opened its fire on us, though without much effect. to this we responded, though very slowly, having no more ammunition than what remained in our limbers. "in order to amuse the enemy and our own cavalry, as well as to prevent the former noticing the slackness of our fire, i proposed to major m'donald making use of the rockets, which had hitherto done nothing. there was a little hesitation about this, and one of the officers (strangways) whispered me, 'no, no--it's too far!' this i immediately told the major, proposing as a remedy that they should go closer. still there was demur; but at last my proposition was agreed to, and down they marched into the thick of the skirmishers in the bottom. of course, having proposed the measure myself, i could do no less than accompany them. "whilst they prepared their machinery, i had time to notice what was going on to the right and left of us. two double lines of skirmishers extended all along the bottom--the foremost of each line were within a few yards of each other--constantly in motion, riding backwards and forwards, firing their carbines or pistols, and then reloading, still on the move. this fire seemed to me more dangerous for those on the hills above than for us below; for all, both french and english, generally stuck out their carbines or pistols as they continued to move backwards and forwards, and discharged them without taking any particular aim, and mostly in the air. i did not see a man fall on either side. the thing appeared quite ridiculous, and but for hearing the bullets whizzing overhead, one might have fancied it no more than a sham-fight. "meanwhile the rocketeers had placed a little iron triangle in the road with a rocket lying on it. the order to fire is given, portfire applied; the fidgety missile begins to sputter out sparks and wriggle its tail for a second or so, and then darts forth straight up the _chaussée_. a gun stands right in its way, between the wheels of which the shell in the head of the rocket bursts; the gunners fall right and left; and those of the other guns, taking to their heels, the battery is deserted in an instant. strange; but so it was. i saw them run, and for some minutes afterwards i saw the guns standing mute and unmanned, whilst our rocketeers kept shooting off rockets, none of which ever followed the course of the first; most of them, on arriving about the middle of the ascent, took a vertical direction, whilst some actually turned back upon ourselves; and one of these, following me like a squib until its shell exploded, actually put me in more danger than all the fire of the enemy throughout the day. meanwhile the french artillerymen, seeing how the land lay, returned to their guns and opened a fire of case-shot on us, but without effect, for we retreated to our ridge without the loss of a man, or even any wounded, though the range could not have been above yards. "as we had overtaken the rear of our infantry, it became necessary to make a stand here to enable them to gain ground. major m'donald therefore sent me in pursuit of my ammunition waggons, since all in our limbers was expended. having before sent for these, we calculated that they could not now be very far off. in going to the rear, i passed along the top of the bank, under which, as i have said, the blues were encased in the hollow road. shot and shells were flying pretty thickly about just then, and sometimes striking the top of the bank would send down a shower of mud and clods upon them. "the ammunition waggons i found coming up, and was returning with them when i met my whole troop again retiring by the road, whilst the cavalry did so by alternate regiments across the fields. the ground offering no feature for another stand, we continued thus along the road. the infantry had made so little progress that we again overtook the rear of their column, composed of brunswickers--some of those same boys i used to see practising at schapdale in my rides to brussels. these poor lads were pushing on at a great rate. as soon as their rear divisions heard the sound of our horses' feet, without once looking behind them, they began to crowd and press on those in front, until at last, hearing us close up to them, and finding it impossible to push forward in the road, many of them broke off into the fields; and such was their panic that, in order to run lighter, away went arms and knapsacks in all directions, and a general race ensued, the whole corps being in the most horrid confusion. it was to no purpose that i exerted my little stock of german to make them understand we were their english friends. a frightened glance and away, was all the effect of my interference, which drove many of them off." the retreat came to an end here. the rearguard, without knowing it, had reached the low ridge running east and west across the brussels road, where wellington had resolved to make his final stand, and where the greatest battle in modern history was on the morrow to be fought:-- "we did not long remain idle, for the guns were scarcely loaded ere the rear of our cavalry came crowding upon the infantry corps we had passed, and which were then only crossing the valley, the french advance skirmishing with these, whilst their squadrons occupied the heights. we waited a little until some of their larger masses were assembled, and then opened our fire with a range across the valley of about yards. the echo of our first gun had not ceased when, to my astonishment, a heavy cannonade, commencing in a most startling manner from behind our hedge, rolled along the rising ground, on part of which we were posted. the truth now flashed on me; we had rejoined the army, and it is impossible to describe the pleasing sense of security i felt at having now the support of something more staunch than cavalry. "the french now brought up battery after battery, and a tremendous cannonading was kept up by both sides for some time. the effect was grand and exciting. our position was a happy one, for all their shot which grazed short came and struck in the perpendicular bank of our gravel-pit, and only one struck amongst us, breaking the traversing handspike at one of the guns, but injuring neither man nor horse. our fire was principally directed against their masses as we could see them, which was not always the case from the smoke that, for want of wind, hung over them; then against their smaller parties that had advanced into the valley to skirmish with the rearguard of our cavalry. "here, for the second and last time, i saw napoleon, though infinitely more distant than in the morning. some of my non-commissioned officers pointed their guns at the numerous cortège accompanying him as they stood near the road by belle alliance; and one, pointed by old quarter-master hall, fell in the midst of them. at the moment we saw some little confusion amongst the group, but it did not hinder them from continuing the reconnaissance. "whilst we were thus engaged, a man of no very prepossessing appearance came rambling amongst our guns, and entered into conversation with me on the occurrences of the day. he was dressed in a shabby old drab greatcoat and a rusty round hat. i took him at the time for some amateur from brussels (of whom we had heard there were several hovering about), and thinking many of his questions rather impertinent, was somewhat short in answering him, and he soon left us. how great was my astonishment on learning soon after that this was sir thomas picton! the enemy, finding us obstinate in maintaining our position, soon slackened, and then ceased firing altogether; and we were immediately ordered to do the same, and establish ourselves in bivouac for the night. "thoroughly wet--cloaks, blankets, and all--comfort was out of the question, so we prepared to make the best of it. our first care was, of course, the horses, and these we had ample means of providing for, since, in addition to what corn we had left, one of our men had picked up and brought forward on an ammunition waggon a large sackful, which he found in the road near genappe. thus they, at least, had plenty to eat, and having been so well drenched all day, were not much in need of water. for ourselves we had nothing!--absolutely nothing!--and looked forward to rest alone to restore our exhausted strength. rather a bore going supperless to bed after such a day, yet was there no help for it. "our gunners, &c., soon stowed themselves away beneath the carriages, using the painted covers as additional shelter against the rain, which now set in again as heavy as ever. we set up a small tent, into which (after vain attempts at procuring food or lodgings in the farm or its out buildings, all of which were crammed to suffocation with officers and soldiers of all arms and nations) we crept, and rolling ourselves in our wet blankets, huddled close together, in hope, wet as we were, and wet as the ground was, of keeping each other warm. i know not how my bedfellows got on, as we all lay for a long while perfectly still and silent--the old peninsular hands disdaining to complain before their johnny newcome comrades, and these fearing to do so lest they should provoke such remarks, as 'lord have mercy on your poor tender carcass! what would such as you have done in the pyrenees?' or 'oho, my boy! this is but child's play to what we saw in spain.' so all who did not sleep (i believe the majority) pretended to do so, and bore their suffering with admirable heroism. "for my part, i once or twice, from sheer fatigue, got into something like a doze; yet it would not do. there was no possibility of sleeping, for, besides being already so wet, the tent proved no shelter, the water pouring through the canvas in streams; so up i got, and to my infinite joy, found that some of the men had managed to make a couple of fires, round which they were sitting smoking their short pipes in something like comfort. the hint was a good one, and at that moment my second captain joining me, we borrowed from them a few sticks, and choosing the best spot under the hedge, proceeded to make a fire for ourselves. in a short time we succeeded in raising a cheerful blaze, which materially bettered our situation. my companion had an umbrella (which, by the way, had afforded some merriment to our people on the march); this we planted against the sloping bank of the hedge, and seating ourselves under it, he on one side of the stick, i on the other, we lighted cigars and became--comfortable. dear weed! what comfort, what consolation dost thou not impart to the wretched!--with thee a hovel becomes a palace. what a stock of patience is there not enveloped in one of thy brown leaves! "and thus we sat enjoying ourselves, puffing forth into the damp night air streams of fragrant smoke, being able now deliberately to converse on what had been and probably would be. all this time a most infernal clatter of musketry was going on, which, but for the many quiet dark figures seated round the innumerable fires all along the position, might have been construed into a night attack. but as these gentlemen were between us and the enemy we felt assured of timely warning, and ere long learned that all this proceeded as before from the infantry discharging and cleaning their pieces. "whilst so employed, a rustling in the hedge behind attracted our attention, and in a few minutes a poor fellow belonging to some hanoverian regiment, wet through like everybody else, and shivering with cold, made his appearance, and modestly begged permission to remain a short time and warm himself by our fire. he had somehow or other wandered from his colours, and had passed the greater part of the night searching for them, but in vain. at first he appeared quite exhausted, but the warmth reinvigorating him, he pulled out his pipe and began to smoke. having finished his modicum and carefully disposed of the ashes, he rose from his wet seat to renew his search, hoping to find his corps before daylight, he said, lest it should be engaged. many thanks he offered for our hospitality; but what was our surprise when, after fumbling in his haversack for some time, he pulled out a poor half-starved chicken, presented it to us, and marched off. this was a godsend, in good truth, to people famished as we were; so calling for a camp-kettle, our prize was on the fire in a twinkling. "our comrades in the tent did not sleep so soundly but that they heard what was going on, and the kettle was hardly on the fire ere my gentlemen were assembled round it, a wet and shivering group, but all eager to partake of our good fortune--and so eager that after various betrayals of impatience, the miserable chicken was at last snatched from the kettle ere it was half-boiled, pulled to pieces and speedily devoured. i got a leg for my share, but it was not one mouthful, and this was the only food i tasted since the night before." footnotes: [footnote : that this was napoleon we have the authority of general gourgaud, who states that, irritated at the delay of marshal ney, he put himself at the head of the chasseurs (i think), and dashed forward in the hope of yet being able to catch our rearguard.] chapter v waterloo mercer's account of waterloo has much less of literary art and skill in it than other parts of his book. he plunges the reader, without warning and without explanation, into the roar of the great fight. his description of the ground and of the position of the army is thrust, as a sort of parenthesis, into the middle of the story of the actual struggle. mercer's troop was stationed till long past noon in reserve on the british right. the battle to mercer was nothing but an incessant and deep-voiced roar of guns, a vision of drifting smoke, in which would appear at times dim figures of charging horsemen, or outlines of infantry squares, edged with steel and flame, and out of which flowed tiny processions of wounded, trickling backwards over the ridge in front. about three o'clock, however, the troop was suddenly brought up to the battle-line, at a point where it was in imminent peril of giving way. from that moment mercer was in the smoky, tormented, thunder-shaken vortex of the great fight, and his description of it is graphic and impressive in the highest degree. this is how the morning of waterloo dawned for mercer and his gunners:-- "_june ._--memorable day! some time before daybreak the bombardier who had been despatched to langeveldt returned with a supply of ammunition. "with the providence of an old soldier, he had picked up and brought on a considerable quantity of beef, biscuit, and oatmeal, of which there was abundance scattered about everywhere. casks of rum, &c., there were, and having broached one of these--he and his drivers--every one filled his canteen--a most considerate act, and one for which the whole troop was sincerely thankful. nor must i omit to remark that, amidst such temptations, his men had behaved with the most perfect regularity, and returned to us quite sober! the rum was divided on the spot; and surely if ardent spirits are ever beneficial, it must be to men situated as ours were; it therefore came most providentially. the oatmeal was converted speedily into stirabout, and afforded our people a hearty meal, after which all hands set to work to prepare the beef, make soup, &c. unfortunately, we preferred waiting for this, and passed the stirabout, by which piece of folly we were doomed to a very protracted fast, as will be seen. "whilst our soup was cooking, it being now broad daylight, i mounted my horse to reconnoitre our situation. during the night another troop (i think major ramsay's) had established itself in our orchard, and just outside the hedge i found major bean's, which had also arrived during the night, direct from england. ascending from the farm towards the ground we had left yesterday evening, the face of the slope, as far as i could see, to the right and left, was covered with troops _en bivouac_--here, i think, principally cavalry. of these some were cleaning their arms, some cooking, some sitting round fires smoking, and a few, generally officers, walking about or standing in groups conversing. many of the latter eagerly inquired where i was going, and appeared very anxious for intelligence, all expecting nothing less than to recommence our retreat. i continued on to the position we had occupied last, and thence clearly saw the french army on the opposite hill, where everything appeared perfectly quiet--people moving about individually, and no formation whatever. their advanced-posts and vedettes in the valley, just beyond la haye sainte, were also quiet. "having satisfied my curiosity i returned the way i came, communicating my observations to the many eager inquirers i met with. various were the speculations in consequence. some thought the french were afraid to attack us, others that they would do so soon, others that the duke would not wait for it, others that he would, as he certainly would not allow them to go to brussels; and so they went on speculating, whilst i returned to my people. here, finding the mess not yet ready, and nothing to be done, i strolled into the garden of the farm, where several life guardsmen were very busy digging potatoes--a fortunate discovery, which i determined to profit by. therefore, calling up some of my men, to work we went without loss of time." it is amusing to notice that mercer was so busy digging potatoes that he quite failed to observe that the battle had actually commenced! his senses were buried in the potato-hillocks! so the regiments fell into line, the batteries moved off to their assigned places, the french guns began to speak, and waterloo had begun; and though mercer stood on the very edge of the field, he took no notice of the rise of the curtain on the great tragedy. he says:-- "whilst thus employed i noticed a very heavy firing going on in front, but this did not make us quit our work. shortly after, to my great astonishment, i observed that all the bivouacs on the hillside were deserted, and that even ramsay's troop had left the orchard without my being aware of it, and my own was left quite alone, not a soul being visible from where i stood in any direction, the ground they had quitted presenting one unbroken muddy solitude. the firing became heavier and heavier. alarmed at being thus left alone, when it was evident something serious was going on, i hastened back and ordered the horses to be put to immediately. "away went our mess untasted. one of the servants was desired to hang the kettle with its contents under an ammunition waggon. the stupid fellow hung the kettle as desired, but first emptied it. without orders, and all alone, the battle (for now there was no mistaking it) going on at the other side of the hill, i remained for a few minutes undecided what to do. it appeared to me we had been forgotten. all, except only ourselves, were evidently engaged, and labouring under this delusion, i thought we had better get into the affair at once. as soon, therefore, as the troop was ready i led them up the hill on the high-road, hoping to meet some one who could give me directions what to do." the tragedy of the battle soon made itself visible, in very dramatic shape, to mercer:-- "we had not proceeded a hundred yards, when an artillery officer came furiously galloping down towards us. it was major m'lloyd, in a dreadful state of agitation--such, indeed, that he could hardly answer my questions. i learned, however, that the battle was very serious and bloody. their first attack had been on that part of our position where his battery stood; but now the principal efforts were making against our right. all this was told in so hurried and anxious a manner, that one could hardly understand him. 'but where are you going?' he added. i told him my plan. 'have you no orders?' 'none whatever; i have not seen a soul.' 'then, for god's sake, come and assist me, or i shall be ruined. my brigade is cut to pieces, ammunition expended, and, unless reinforced, we shall be destroyed.' he was dreadfully agitated, and when i took his hand and promised to be with him directly, seemed transported with joy; so, bidding me make haste, he darted up the hill again, and went to receive that death-stroke which, ere long, was to terminate his earthly career. i trust before that termination he heard the reason why i never fulfilled that promise; for weeks elapsed ere he died, no doubt--otherwise he must have set me down for a base poltroon. my destiny led me elsewhere. my tutelary spirit was at hand: the eternal major m'donald made his appearance, and, giving me a sharp reprimand for having quitted my bivouac, desired me instantly to return to the foot of the hill, and there wait for orders. "sulkily and slowly we descended, and forming in line on the ground opposite the farm of mont st. jean, with our left to the road, i dismounted the men that they might be a little less liable to be hit by shot and shells which, coming over the hill, were continually plunging into the muddy soil all around us. this was a peculiarly dismal situation--without honour or glory, to be knocked on the head in such a solitude, for not a living being was in sight. "it was while thus standing idle that a fine, tall, upright old gentleman, in plain clothes, followed by two young ones, came across our front at a gallop from the brussels road, and continued on towards where we supposed the right of our army to be. i certainly stared at seeing three unarmed civilians pressing forward into so hot a fight. these were the duke of richmond and his two sons. how long we had been in this position, i know not, when at length we were relieved from it by our adjutant (lieutenant bell), who brought orders for our removal to the right of the second line. moving, therefore, to our right, along the hollow, we soon began a very gentle ascent, and at the same time became aware of several corps of infantry, which had not been very far from us, but remained invisible, as they were all lying down. although in this move we may be said to have been always under a heavy fire, from the number of missiles flying over us, yet were we still so fortunate as to arrive in our new position without losing man or horse." now mercer at last got a glimpse of the whole landscape of the great fight. but even when looking at waterloo, and to an accompaniment of flying lead, mercer has an eye for the picturesque, not to say the pastoral:-- "in point of seeing, our situation was much improved; but for danger and inactivity, it was much worse, since we were now fired directly at, and positively ordered not to return the compliment--the object in bringing us here being to watch a most formidable-looking line of lancers drawn up opposite to us, and threatening the right flank of our army. "to the right we looked over a fine open country, covered with crops and interspersed with thickets or small woods. there all was peaceful and smiling, not a living soul being in sight. to our left, the main ridge terminated rather abruptly just over hougoumont, the back of it towards us being broken ground, with a few old trees on it just where the nivelle road descended between high banks into the ravine. thus we were formed _en potence_ with the first line, from which we (my battery) were separated by some hundred yards. in our rear the th regiment of infantry (in square, i think) lay on the ground. in our front were some light dragoons of the german legion, who from time to time detached small parties across the ravine. these pushed cautiously up the slope towards the line of lancers to reconnoitre. "the corn, down to the edge of the ravine nearer the nivelle road and beyond it, was full of french riflemen; and these were warmly attacked by others from our side of the ravine, whom we saw crossing and gradually working their way up through the high corn, the french as gradually retiring. on the right of the lancers, two or three batteries kept up a continued fire at our position; but their shot, which could have been only -pounders, fell short--many not even reaching across the ravine. some, however, did reach their destination; and we were particularly plagued by their howitzer shells with long fuses, which were continually falling about us, and lay spitting and spluttering several seconds before they exploded, to the no small annoyance of man and horse. still, however, nobody was hurt; but a round-shot, striking the ammunition boxes on the body of one of our waggons, penetrated through both and lodged in the back of the rear one, with nearly half its surface to be seen from without--a singular circumstance! in addition to this front fire, we were exposed to another on our left flank--the shot that passed over the main ridge terminating their career with us. "having little to occupy us here, we had ample leisure to observe what was passing there. we could see some corps at the end near us in squares--dark masses, having guns between them, relieved from a background of grey smoke, which seemed to fill the valley beyond, and rose high in the air above the hill. every now and then torrents of french cavalry of all arms came sweeping over the ridge, as if carrying all before them. but, after their passage, the squares were still to be seen in the same places; and these gentry, who we feared would next fall on us, would evaporate, nobody could well say how. the firing still increased in intensity, so that we were at a loss to conjecture what all this could mean. "about this time, being impatient of standing idle, and annoyed by the batteries on the nivelle road, i ventured to commit a folly, for which i should have paid dearly, had our duke chanced to be in our part of the field. i ventured to disobey orders, and open a slow deliberate fire at the battery, thinking with my -pounders soon to silence his -pounders. my astonishment was great, however, when our very first gun was responded to by at least half-a-dozen gentlemen of very superior calibre, whose presence i had not even suspected, and whose superiority we immediately recognised by their rushing noise and long reach, for they flew far beyond us. i instantly saw my folly, and ceased firing, and they did the same--the -pounders alone continuing the cannonade as before. but this was not all. the first man of my troop touched was by one of these confounded long shots. i shall never forget the scream the poor lad gave when struck. it was one of the last they fired, and shattered his left arm to pieces as he stood between the waggons. that scream went to my very soul, for i accused myself as having caused his misfortune. i was, however, obliged to conceal my emotion from the men, who had turned to look at him; so, bidding them 'stand to their front,' i continued my walk up and down, whilst hitchins ran to his assistance. "amidst such stirring scenes, emotions of this kind are but of short duration; what occurred immediately afterwards completely banished gunner hunt from my recollection. as a counterbalance to this tragical event, our firing produced one so comic as to excite all our risibility. two or three officers had lounged up to our guns to see the effect. one of them was a medico, and he (a shower having just come on) carried an umbrella overhead. no sooner did the heavy answers begin to arrive amongst us, than these gentlemen, fancying they should be safer with their own corps, although only a few yards in the rear, scampered off in double-quick, doctor and all, he still carrying his umbrella aloft. scarcely, however, had he made two paces, when a shot, as he thought, passing rather too close, down he dropped on his hands and knees--or, i should rather say, hand and knees, for the one was employed in holding the silken cover most pertinaciously over him--and away he scrambled like a great baboon, his head turned fearfully over his shoulder, as if watching the coming shot, whilst our fellows made the field resound with their shouts and laughter." at this point mercer indulges in some reflections which illustrate, in a striking fashion, the confusion of a great battle, and the difficulty with which even those who are actors in it can describe what took place. it is not merely that a battle-field, by its area, and the fashion in which the all-obscuring smoke drifts over it, evades clear vision and description. the actors in the fight are themselves in such a mood of excitement, and are so passionately preoccupied by their own part in the combat and the scenes immediately about them, that no brain remains sufficiently cool and detached to take in the battle-field as a whole:-- "i think i have already mentioned that it was not until some days afterwards that i was able to resume my regular journal, consequently that everything relative to these three days is written from memory. in trying to recollect scenes of this nature, some little confusion is inevitable; and here i confess myself somewhat puzzled to account for certain facts of which i am positive. for instance, i remember perfectly captain bolton's brigade of -pounders being stationed to the left of us, somewhat in advance, and facing as we did, consequently not far from the nivelle road. bolton came and conversed with me some time, and was called hastily away by his battery commencing a heavy fire. query--who, and what was he firing at? that he was himself under a heavy fire there is equally no doubt, for whilst we were not losing a man, we saw many, both of his men and horses, fall, and but a few minutes after leaving me, he was killed himself--this is a puzzle. i have no recollection of any troops attempting to cross the ravine, and yet his fire was in that direction, and i think must have been toward the nivelle road. "a distressing circumstance connected with this (shall i confess it?) made even more impression on my spirits than the misfortune of gunner hunt. bolton's people had not been long engaged when we saw the men of the gun next to us unharness one of the horses and chase it away, wounded, i supposed; yet the beast stood and moved with firmness, going from one carriage to the other, whence i noticed he was always eagerly driven away. at last two or three gunners drove him before them to a considerable distance, and then returned to their guns. i took little notice of this at the time and was surprised by an exclamation of horror from some of my people in the rear. a sickening sensation came over me, mixed with a deep feeling of pity, when within a few paces of me stood the poor horse in question, side by side with the leaders of one of our ammunition waggons, against which he pressed his panting sides, as though eager to identify himself as of their society--the driver, with horror depicted on every feature, endeavouring by words and gestures (for the kind-hearted lad could not strike) to drive from him so hideous a spectacle. "a cannon-shot had completely carried away the lower part of the animal's head, immediately below the eyes. still he lived, and seemed fully conscious of all around, whilst his full, clear eye seemed to implore us not to chase him from his companions. i ordered the farrier (price) to put him out of misery, which, in a few minutes he reported having accomplished, by running his sabre into the animal's heart. even he evinced feeling on this occasion. "meantime the roar of cannon and musketry in the main position never slackened; it was intense, as was the smoke arising from it. amidst this, from time to time, was to be seen still more dense columns of smoke rising straight into the air like a great pillar, then spreading out a mushroom head. these arose from the explosions of ammunition waggons, which were continually taking place, although the noise which filled the whole atmosphere was too overpowering to allow them to be heard." by this time the great french cavalry charges were in full course. some , of the finest cavalry in the world were being flung on the stubborn british squares, which, as the french horsemen swept round them, seemed swallowed up in a tossing sea of helmets and gleaming swords and heads of galloping horses. the spray, so to speak, of that fierce human sea, was flung on the spot where mercer and his gunners stood:-- "amongst the multitudes of french cavalry continually pouring over the front ridge, one corps came sweeping down the slope entire, and was directing its course straight for us, when suddenly a regiment of light dragoons (i believe of the german legion) came up from the ravine at a brisk trot on their flank. the french had barely time to wheel up to the left and push their horses into a gallop when the two bodies came into collision. they were at a very short distance from us, so that we saw the charge perfectly. there was no check, no hesitation on either side; both parties seemed to dash on in a most reckless manner, and we fully expected to have seen a horrid crash--no such thing! each, as if by mutual consent, opened their files on coming near, and passed rapidly through each other, cutting and pointing, much in the same manner one might pass the fingers of the right hand through those of the left. we saw but few fall. the two corps re-formed afterwards, and in a twinkling both disappeared, i know not how or where. "it might have been about two o'clock when colonel gould, r.a., came to me--perhaps a little later. be that as it may, we were conversing on the subject of our situation, which appeared to him rather desperate. he remarked that in the event of a retreat there was but one road, which no doubt would be instantly choked up, and asked my opinion. my answer was, 'it does indeed look very bad; but i trust in the duke, who, i am sure, will get us out of it somehow or other.' meantime gloomy reflections arose in my mind, for though i did not choose to betray myself (as we spoke before the men), yet i could not help thinking that our affairs were rather desperate, and that some unfortunate catastrophe was at hand. in this case i made up my mind to spike my guns and retreat over the fields, draught-horses and all, in the best manner i could, steering well from the high-road and general line of retreat. "we were still talking on this subject when suddenly a dark mass of cavalry appeared for an instant on the main ridge, and then came sweeping down the slope in swarms, reminding me of an enormous surf bursting over the prostrate hull of a stranded vessel, and then running, hissing and foaming up the beach. the hollow space became in a twinkling covered with horsemen, crossing, turning, and riding about in all directions, apparently without any object. sometimes they came pretty near us, then would retire a little. there were lancers amongst them, hussars, and dragoons--it was a complete _mêlée_. on the main ridge no squares were to be seen; the only objects were a few guns standing in a confused manner, with muzzles in the air, and not one artilleryman. after caracoling about for a few minutes, the crowd began to separate and draw together in small bodies, which continually increased; and now we really apprehended being overwhelmed, as the first line had apparently been. for a moment an awful silence pervaded that part of the position to which we anxiously turned our eyes. 'i fear all is over,' said colonel gould, who still remained with me. the thing seemed but too likely, and this time i could not withhold my assent to his remark, for it did indeed appear so. "meantime the th, springing from the earth, had formed their square, whilst we, throwing back the guns of our right and left divisions, stood waiting in momentary expectation of being enveloped and attacked. still they lingered in the hollow, when suddenly loud and repeated shouts (not english hurrahs) drew our attention to the other side. there we saw two dense columns of infantry pushing forward at a quick pace towards us, crossing the fields, as if they had come from merke braine. every one both of the th and ourselves pronounced them french, yet still we delayed opening fire on them. shouting, yelling, singing, on they came right for us; and being now not above or yards distant, it seemed folly allowing them to come nearer unmolested. the commanding officer of the th to end our doubts rode forwards and endeavoured to ascertain who they were, but soon returned assuring us they were french. the order was already given to fire, when luckily colonel gould recognised them as belgians. meantime, whilst my attention was occupied by these people, the cavalry had all vanished, nobody could say how or where. "we breathed again. such was the agitated state in which we were kept in our second position. a third act was about to commence of a much more stirring and active nature." now came, and in a dramatic fashion, the summons which brought troop g into the very front of the fight; and from this point mercer's story is clear, sustained, and vivid:-- "it might have been, as nearly as i can recollect, about p.m. when sir augustus frazer galloped up, crying out, 'left limber up, and as fast as you can.' the words were scarcely uttered when my gallant troop stood as desired in column of sub-divisions, left in front, pointing towards the main ridge. 'at a gallop, march!' and away we flew, as steadily and compactly as if at a review. "i rode with frazer, whose face was as black as a chimney-sweep's from the smoke, and the jacket-sleeve of his right arm torn open by a musket-ball or case-shot, which had merely grazed his flesh. as we went along he told me that the enemy had assembled an enormous mass of heavy cavalry in front of the point to which he was leading us (about one-third of the distance between hougoumont and the charleroi road), and that in all probability we should immediately be charged on gaining our position. 'the duke's orders, however, are positive,' he added, 'that in the event of their persevering and charging home, you do not expose your men, but retire with them into the adjacent squares of infantry.' as he spoke we were ascending the reverse slope of the main position. we breathed a new atmosphere--the air was suffocatingly hot, resembling that issuing from an oven. we were enveloped in thick smoke, and, _malgré_ the incessant roar of cannon and musketry, could distinctly hear around us a mysterious humming noise, like that which one hears of a summer's evening proceeding from myriads of black beetles; cannon-shot, too, ploughed the ground in all directions, and so thick was the hail of balls and bullets that it seemed dangerous to extend the arm lest it should be torn off. "in spite of the serious situation in which we were, i could not help being somewhat amused at the astonishment expressed by our kind-hearted surgeon (hitchins), who heard for the first time this sort of music. he was close to me as we ascended the slope, and hearing this infernal carillon about his ears, began staring round in the wildest and most comic manner imaginable, twisting himself from side to side, exclaiming, 'my god, mercer, what is that? what is all this noise? how curious!--how very curious!' and then when a cannon-shot rushed hissing past, 'there!--there! what is it all!' it was with great difficulty that i persuaded him to retire; for a time he insisted on remaining near me, and it was only by pointing out how important it was to us, in case of being wounded, that he should keep himself safe to be able to assist us, that i prevailed on him to withdraw. amidst this storm we gained the summit of the ridge, strange to say, without a casualty; and sir augustus, pointing out our position between two squares of brunswick infantry, left us with injunctions to remember the duke's order, and to economise our ammunition. "the brunswickers were falling fast--the shot every moment making great gaps in their squares, which the officers and sergeants were actively employed in filling up by pushing their men together, and sometimes thumping them ere they could make them move. these were the very boys whom i had but yesterday seen throwing away their arms, and fleeing, panic-stricken, from the very sound of our horses' feet. to-day they fled not bodily, to be sure, but spiritually, for their senses seemed to have left them. there they stood, with recovered arms, like so many logs, or rather like the very wooden figures which i had seen them practising at in their cantonments. every moment i feared they would again throw down their arms and flee; but their officers and sergeants behaved nobly, not only keeping them together, but managing to keep their squares close in spite of the carnage made amongst them. to have sought refuge amongst men in such a state were madness--the very moment our men ran from their guns, i was convinced, would be the signal for their disbanding. we had better, then, fall at our posts than in such a situation. "our coming up seemed to re-animate them, and all their eyes were directed to us--indeed, it was providential, for, had we not arrived as we did, i scarcely think there is a doubt of what would have been their fate. that the duke was ignorant of their danger i have from captain baynes, our brigade-major, who told me that after sir augustus frazer had been sent for us, his grace exhibited considerable anxiety for our coming up; and that when he saw us crossing the fields at a gallop, and in so compact a body, he actually cried out, 'ah! that's the way i like to see horse artillery move.'" then follows perhaps the most spirited description of a duel betwixt guns and horsemen--from the gunner's point of view--to be found in english literature:-- "our first gun had scarcely gained the interval between their squares, when i saw through the smoke the leading squadrons of the advancing column coming on at a brisk trot, and already not more than one hundred yards distant, if so much, for i don't think we could have seen so far. i immediately ordered the line to be formed for action--case-shot! and the leading gun was unlimbered and commenced firing almost as soon as the word was given; for activity and intelligence our men were unrivalled. "the very first round, i saw, brought down several men and horses. they continued, however, to advance. i glanced at the brunswickers, and that glance told me it would not do; they had opened a fire from their front faces, but both squares appeared too unsteady, and i resolved to say nothing about the duke's order, and take our chance--a resolve that was strengthened by the effect of the remaining guns as they rapidly succeeded in coming to action, making terrible slaughter, and in an instant covering the ground with men and horses. still they persevered in approaching us (the first round had brought them to a walk), though slowly, and it did seem they would ride over us. we were a little below the level of the ground on which they moved, having in front of us a bank of about a foot and a half or two feet high, along the top of which ran a narrow road--and this gave more effect to our case-shot, all of which almost must have taken effect, for the carnage was frightful. the following extract, from a related account of a conscript, translated from the french and published by murray, is so true and exact as to need no comment: 'through the smoke i saw the english gunners abandon their pieces, all but six guns stationed under the road, and almost immediately our cuirassiers were upon the squares, whose fire was drawn in zigzags. now, i thought, those gunners would be cut to pieces; but no, the devils kept firing with grape, which mowed them down like grass.' "i suppose this state of things occupied but a few seconds, when i observed symptoms of hesitation, and in a twinkling, at the instant i thought it was all over with us, they turned to either flank and filed away rapidly to the rear. retreat of the mass, however, was not so easy. many facing about and trying to force their way through the body of the column, that part next to us became a complete mob, into which we kept a steady fire of case-shot from our six pieces. the effect is hardly conceivable, and to paint this scene of slaughter and confusion impossible. every discharge was followed by the fall of numbers, whilst the survivors struggled with each other, and i actually saw them using the pommels of their swords to fight their way out of the _mêlée_. some, rendered desperate at finding themselves thus pent up at the muzzles of our guns, as it were, and others carried away by their horses, maddened with wounds, dashed through our intervals--few thinking of using their swords, but pushing furiously onward, intent only on saving themselves. at last the rear of the column, wheeling about, opened a passage, and the whole swept away at a much more rapid pace than they had advanced, nor stopped until the swell of the ground covered them from our fire. we then ceased firing; but as they were still not far off, for we saw the tops of their caps, having reloaded, we stood ready to receive them should they renew the attack. "one of, if not the first man who fell on our side was wounded by his own gun. gunner butterworth was one of the greatest pickles in the troop, but at the same time a most daring, active soldier; he was no. (the man who sponged, &c.) at his gun. he had just finished ramming down the shot, and was stepping back outside the wheel when his foot stuck in the miry soil, pulling him forward at the moment the gun was fired. as a man naturally does when falling, he threw out both his arms before him, and they were blown off at the elbows. he raised himself a little on his two stumps, and looked up most piteously in my face. to assist him was impossible--the safety of all, everything, depended upon not slackening our fire, and i was obliged to turn from him. the state of anxious activity in which we were kept all day, and the numbers who fell almost immediately afterwards, caused me to lose sight of poor butterworth; and i afterwards learned that he had succeeded in rising, and was gone to the rear; but on inquiring for him next day, some of my people who had been sent to waterloo told me that they saw his body lying by the roadside near the farm of mont st. jean--bled to death. the retreat of the cavalry was succeeded by a shower of shot and shells, which must have annihilated us had not the little bank covered and threw most of them over us. still some reached us and knocked down men and horses. "at the first charge the french column was composed of grenadiers _à cheval_[ ] and cuirassiers, the former in front. i forget whether they had or had not changed this disposition, but think, from the number of cuirasses we found afterwards, that the cuirassiers led the second attack. be this as it may, their column reassembled. they prepared for a second attempt, sending up a cloud of skirmishers, who galled us terribly by a fire of carbines and pistols at scarcely forty yards from our front." betwixt the cavalry rushes came little intervals of waiting, while the broken squadrons re-formed in the valley below, and the breathless gunners on the ridge renewed their ammunition. these pauses gave the french skirmishers--who had crept close up to the guns--their chance, and which were more trying to the british gunners than even the wild onfall of the horsemen:-- "we were obliged to stand with port-fires lighted, so that it was not without a little difficulty that i succeeded in restraining the people from firing, for they grew impatient under such fatal results. seeing some exertion beyond words necessary for this purpose, i leaped my horse up the little bank, and began a promenade (by no means agreeable) up and down our front, without even drawing my sword, though these fellows were within speaking distance of me. this quieted my men; but the tall blue gentlemen, seeing me thus dare them, immediately made a target of me, and commenced a very deliberate practice, to show us what very bad shots they were, and verify the old artillery proverb, 'the nearer the target, the safer you are.' one fellow certainly made me flinch, but it was a miss; so i shook my finger at him and called him _coquin_, &c. the rogue grinned as he reloaded, and again took aim. i certainly felt rather foolish at that moment, but was ashamed after such bravado to let him see it, and therefore continued my promenade. as if to prolong my torment, he was a terrible time about it. to me it seemed an age. whenever i turned, the muzzle of his infernal carbine still followed me. at length bang it went, and whiz came the ball close to the back of my neck, and at the same instant down dropped the leading driver of one of my guns (miller), into whose forehead the cursed missile had penetrated. "the column now once more mounted the plateau, and these popping gentry wheeled off right and left to clear the ground for their charge. the spectacle was imposing, and if ever the word sublime was appropriately applied, it might surely be to it. on they came in compact squadrons, one behind the other, so numerous that those of the rear were still below the brow when the head of the column was but at some sixty or seventy yards from our guns. their pace was a slow but steady trot. none of your furious galloping charges was this, but a deliberate advance at a deliberate pace, as of men resolved to carry their point. they moved in profound silence, and the only sound that could be heard from them amidst the incessant roar of battle was the low, thunder-like reverberation of the ground beneath the simultaneous tread of so many horses. "on our part was equal deliberation. every man stood steadily at his post, the guns ready, loaded with a round-shot first and a case over it; the tubes were in the vents; the port-fires glared and spluttered behind the wheels; and my word alone was wanting to hurl destruction on that goodly show of gallant men and noble horses. i delayed this, for experience had given me confidence. the brunswickers partook of this feeling, and with their squares--much reduced in point of size--well closed, stood firmly with arms at the recover, and eyes fixed on us, ready to commence their fire with our first discharge. it was indeed a grand and imposing spectacle. the column was led on this time by an officer in a rich uniform, his breast covered with decorations, whose earnest gesticulations were strangely contrasted with the solemn demeanour of those to whom they were addressed. i thus allowed them to advance unmolested until the head of the column might have been about fifty or sixty yards from us, and then gave the word 'fire!' the effect was terrible, nearly the whole leading rank fell at once; and the round-shot, penetrating the column, carried confusion throughout its extent. the ground, already encumbered with victims of the first struggle, became now almost impassable. still, however, these devoted warriors struggled on, intent only on reaching us. the thing was impossible. "our guns were served with astonishing activity, whilst the running fire of the two squares was maintained with spirit. those who pushed forward over the heap of carcasses of men and horses gained but a few paces in advance, there to fall in their turn and add to the difficulties of those succeeding them. the discharge of every gun was followed by a fall of men and horses like that of grass before the mower's scythe. when the horse alone was killed, we could see the cuirassiers divesting themselves of the encumbrance and making their escape on foot. still, for a moment the confused mass (for all order was at an end) stood before us, vainly trying to urge their horses over the obstacles presented by their fallen comrades, in obedience to the now loud and rapid vociferations of him who had led them on and remained unhurt. "as before, many cleared everything and rode through us; many came plunging forward only to fall, man and horse, close to the muzzles of our guns; but the majority again turned at the very moment when, from having less ground to go over, it was safer to advance than retire, and sought a passage to the rear. of course the same confusion, struggle amongst themselves, and slaughter prevailed as before, until gradually they disappeared over the brow of the hill. we ceased firing, glad to take breath. their retreat exposed us, as before, to a shower of shot and shells: these last, falling amongst us, with very long fuses, kept burning and hissing a long time before they burst, and were a considerable annoyance to man and horse. the bank in front, however, again stood our friend, and sent many over us innocuous." here is a picture of what may be called the human atmosphere of the battle in its later stages, the high-strung nerves, the weariness, the exhaustion of passion, the carelessness of close-pressing death, the fast-following alternation of deadly peril and of miraculous escape:-- "lieutenant breton, who had already lost two horses, and had mounted a troop-horse, was conversing with me during this our leisure moment. as his horse stood at right angles to mine, the poor jaded animal dozingly rested his muzzle on my thigh; whilst i, the better to hear amidst the infernal din, leant forward, resting my arm between his ears. in this attitude a cannon-shot smashed the horse's head to atoms. the headless trunk sank to the ground--breton looking pale as death, expecting, as he afterwards told me, that i was cut in two. what was passing to the right and left of us i know no more about than the man in the moon--not even what corps were beyond the brunswickers. the smoke confined our vision to a very small compass, so that my battle was restricted to the two squares and my own battery; and, as long as we maintained our ground, i thought it a matter of course that others did so too. "it was just after this accident that our worthy commanding officer of artillery, sir george adam wood, made his appearance through the smoke a little way from our left flank. as i said, we were doing nothing, for the cavalry were under the brow re-forming for a third attack, and we were being pelted by their artillery. 'd--n it, mercer,' said the old man, blinking as a man does when facing a gale of wind, 'you have hot work of it here,' 'yes, sir, pretty hot;' and i was proceeding with an account of the two charges we had already discomfited, and the prospect of a third, when, glancing that way, i perceived their leading squadron already on the plateau. 'there they are again,' i exclaimed; and, darting from sir george _sans cérémonie_, was just in time to meet them with the same destruction as before. this time, indeed, it was child's play. they could not even approach us in any decent order, and we fired most deliberately; it was folly having attempted the thing. "i was sitting on my horse near the right of my battery as they turned and began to retire once more. intoxicated with success, i was singing out, 'beautiful!--beautiful!' and my right arm was nourishing about, when some one from behind, seizing it, said quietly, 'take care, or you'll strike the duke;' and in effect our noble chief, with a serious air, and apparently much fatigued, passed close by me to the front, without seeming to take the slightest notice of the remnant of the french cavalry still lingering on the ground. this obliged us to cease firing; and at the same moment i--perceiving a line of infantry ascending from the rear, slowly, with ported arms, and uttering a sort of feeble, suppressed hurrah, ankle-deep in a thick, tenacious mud, and threading their way amongst or stepping over the numerous corpses covering the ground, out of breath from their exertions, and hardly preserving a line, broken everywhere into large gaps the breadth of several files--could not but meditate on the probable results of the last charge had i, in obedience to the duke's order, retired my men into the squares and allowed the daring and formidable squadrons a passage to our rear, where they must have gone thundering down on this disjointed line. the summit gained, the line was amended, files closed in, and the whole, including our brunswickers, advanced down the slope towards the plain. "although the infantry lost several men as they passed us, yet on the whole the cannonade began to slacken on both sides (why, i know not), and, the smoke clearing away a little, i had now, for the first time, a good view of the field. on the ridge opposite to us dark masses of troops were stationary, or moving down into the intervening plain. our own advancing infantry were hid from view by the ground. we therefore recommenced firing at the enemy's masses, and the cannonade, spreading, soon became general again along the line." mercer, so far, had been fighting sabres with -pounders, and all the advantage had been on his side. he had inflicted enormous damage on the enemy, and suffered little himself. but now the enemy's guns began to speak, and mercer's battery was smitten by a cruel and continuous flank fire, which practically destroyed it:-- "whilst thus occupied with our front, we suddenly became sensible of a most destructive flanking fire from a battery which had come, the lord knows how, and established itself on a knoll somewhat higher than the ground we stood on, and only about or yards a little in advance of our left flank. the rapidity and precision of this fire were quite appalling. every shot almost took effect, and i certainly expected we should all be annihilated. our horses and limbers being a little retired down the slope, had hitherto been somewhat under cover from the direct fire in front; but this plunged right amongst them, knocking them down by pairs, and creating horrible confusion. the drivers could hardly extricate themselves from one dead horse ere another fell, or perhaps themselves. the saddle-bags, in many instances, were torn from the horses' backs, and their contents scattered over the field. one shell i saw explode under the two finest wheel-horses in the troop--down they dropped. in some instances the horses of a gun or ammunition waggon remained, and all their drivers were killed.[ ] "the whole livelong day had cost us nothing like this. our gunners, too--the few left fit for duty of them--were so exhausted that they were unable to run the guns up after firing, consequently at every round they retreated nearer to the limbers; and as we had pointed our two left guns towards the people who were annoying us so terribly, they soon came altogether in a confused heap, the trails crossing each other, and the whole dangerously near the limbers and ammunition waggons, some of which were totally unhorsed, and others in sad confusion from the loss of their drivers and horses, many of them lying dead in their harness attached to their carriages. i sighed for my poor troop--it was already but a wreck. "i had dismounted, and was assisting at one of the guns to encourage my poor exhausted men, when through the smoke a black speck caught my eye, and i instantly knew what it was. the conviction that one never sees a shot coming towards you unless directly in its line flashed across my mind, together with the certainty that my doom was sealed. i had barely time to exclaim 'here it is, then!'--much in that gasping sort of way one does when going into very cold water, takes away the breath--'whush' it went past my face, striking the point of my pelisse collar, which was lying open, and smash into a horse close behind me. i breathed freely again. "under such a fire, one may be said to have had a thousand narrow escapes; and, in good truth, i frequently experienced that displacement of air against my face, caused by the passing of shot close to me; but the two above recorded, and a third, which i shall mention, were remarkable ones, and made me feel in full force the goodness of him who protected me among so many dangers. whilst in position on the right of the second line, i had reproved some of my men for lying down when shells fell near them until they burst. now my turn came. a shell, with a long fuse, came slop into the mud at my feet, and there lay fizzing and flaring to my infinite discomfiture. after what i had said on the subject, i felt that i must act up to my own words, and, accordingly, there i stood, endeavouring to look quite composed until the cursed thing burst--and, strange to say, without injuring me, though so near. the effect on my men was good." but was it really a french battery which was wrecking mercer's guns? or, in the mad inevitable distraction of a great battle were the allied gunners destroying each other? mercer's story leaves this point in a state of very disquieting doubt:-- "we had scarcely fired many rounds at the enfilading battery, when a tall man in the black brunswick uniform came galloping up to me from the rear, exclaiming, 'ah! mine gott!--mine gott! vat is it you doos, sare? dat is your friends de proosiens; an you kills dem! ah! mine gott!--mine gott; vil you no stop, sare?--vil you no stop? ah! mine gott!--mine gott! vat for is dis? de inglish kills dere friends de proosiens! vere is de dook von vellington? vere is de dook von vellington? ah! mine gott!--mine gott!' &c., &c., and so he went on raving like one demented. i observed that if these were our friends the prussians, they were treating us very uncivilly; and that it was not without sufficient provocation we had turned our guns on them, pointing out to him at the same time the bloody proofs of my assertion. "apparently not noticing what i said, he continued his lamentations, and, 'vil you no stop, sare, i say?' wherefore, thinking he might be right, to pacify him i ordered the whole to cease firing, desiring him to remark the consequences. psieu, psieu, psieu, came our 'friends'' shots, one after another; and our friend himself had a narrow escape from one of them. 'now, sir,' i said, 'you will be convinced; and we will continue our firing, whilst you can ride round the way you came, and tell them they kill their friends the english; the moment their fire ceases, so shall mine,' still he lingered, exclaiming, 'oh, dis is terreeble to see de proosien and de inglish kill von anoder!' "at last, darting off, i saw no more of him. the fire continued on both sides, mine becoming slacker and slacker, for we were reduced to the last extremity, and must have been annihilated but for the opportune arrival of a battery of belgic artillery a little on our left, which, taking the others in flank nearly at point blank, soon silenced and drove them off. we were so reduced that all our strength was barely sufficient to load and fire three guns out of our six. "these belgians were all beastly drunk, and, when they first came up, not at all particular as to which way they fired; and it was only by keeping an eye on them that they were prevented treating us, and even one another. the wretches had probably already done mischief elsewhere--who knows?" footnotes: [footnote : these grenadiers _à cheval_ were very fine troops, clothed in blue uniforms without facings, cuffs, or collars. broad--very broad--buff belts, and huge muff caps, made them appear gigantic fellows.] [footnote : "the field was so much covered with blood, that it appeared as if it had been flooded with it," &c.--simpson's "paris after waterloo," &c., p. .] chapter vi after the fight mercer could hardly tell when and how waterloo began, and he can almost as little tell when and how it ended! so wild is the confusion, so overwhelming the excitement of a great battle for the actors in it:-- "my recollections of the later part of this day are rather confused; i was fatigued and almost deaf. i recollect clearly, however, that we had ceased firing, the plain below being covered with masses of troops, which we could not distinguish from each other. captain walcot of the horse artillery, had come to us, and we were all looking out anxiously at the movements below and on the opposite ridge, when he suddenly shouted out, 'victory!--victory! they fly!--they fly!' and sure enough we saw some of the masses dissolving, as it were, and those composing them streaming away in confused crowds over the field, whilst the already desultory fire of their artillery ceased altogether. "i shall never forget this joyful moment!--this moment of exultation! on looking round, i found we were left almost alone. cavalry and infantry had all moved forward, and only a few guns here and there were to be seen on the position. a little to our right were the remains of major m'donald's troop under lieutenant sandilands, which had suffered much, but nothing like us. we were congratulating ourselves on the happy results of the day when an aide-de-camp rode up, crying, 'forward, sir! forward! it is of the utmost importance that this movement should be supported by artillery!' at the same time waving his hat much in the manner of a huntsman laying on his dogs. i smiled at his energy, and, pointing to the remains of my poor troop, quietly asked, 'how, sir?' a glance was sufficient to show him the impossibility, and away he went. "our situation was indeed terrible. of fine horses with which we had entered the battle, upwards of lay dead, dying, or severely wounded. of the men, scarcely two-thirds of those necessary for four guns remained, and these so completely exhausted as to be totally incapable of further exertion. lieutenant breton had three horses killed under him; lieutenant hincks was wounded in the breast by a spent ball; lieutenant leathes on the hip by a splinter; and although untouched myself, my horse had no less than eight wounds, one of which, a graze on the fetlock joint, lamed him for ever. our guns and carriages were, as before mentioned, altogether in a confused heap, intermingled with dead and wounded horses, which it had not been possible to disengage from them. "my poor men, such at least as were untouched, fairly worn out, their clothes, faces, &c., blackened by the smoke and spattered over with mud and blood, had seated themselves on the trails of the carriages, or had thrown themselves on the wet and polluted soil, too fatigued to think of anything but gaining a little rest. such was our situation when called upon to advance. it was impossible, and we remained where we were. for myself, i was also excessively tired, hoarse to making speech painful, and deaf from the infernal uproar of the last eleven hours. moreover, i was devoured by a burning thirst, not a drop of liquid having passed my lips since the evening of the th; but although, with the exception of the chicken's leg last night, i may be said to have eaten nothing for two whole days, yet did i not feel the least desire for food." when the battle was over, mercer's artistic sensibilities--his eye for landscape, his sense of sky-effects and of natural beauty--awoke. he was perhaps the only man in wellington's army who could study cloud-effects in the night-sky, which looked down on the slain of waterloo, or contemplate, with botanical discrimination and approval, the plants in the garden at hougoumont the next morning:-- "the evening had become fine, and but for an occasional groan or lament from some poor sufferer, and the repeated piteous neighing of wounded horses, tranquility might be said to reign over the field. as it got dusk, a large body of prussian artillery arrived, and formed their bivouac near us. there was not light to see more of them than that their brass guns were kept bright, and that their carriages were encumbered with baggage, and, besides, appeared but clumsy machines when compared with ours. all wore their greatcoats, which apparently they had marched in. as they looked at us rather scowlingly, and did not seem inclined to hold any communication with us, i soon returned to my own people, whom i found preparing to go supperless to bed--the two remaining officers, the non-commissioned officers, and men having all got together in a heap, with some painted covers spread under, and others drawn over them--at a distance from our guns, &c., the neighbourhood of which they said, was too horrible to think of sleeping there. "for my part, after standing all day amongst all these horrors, i felt no squeamishness about sleeping amongst them; so pulling down the painted cover of a limber over the footboard in the manner of a tent roof, i crept under it and endeavoured to sleep. the cramped situation in which i lay, and the feverish excitement of my mind, forbade, however, my obtaining that sound and refreshing sleep so much needed; i only dozed. from one of these dozes i awoke about midnight, chilled and cramped to death from the awkward doubled-up position imposed upon me by my short and narrow bed. so up i got to look around and contemplate a battle-field by the pale moonlight. "the night was serene and pretty clear; a few light clouds occasionally passing across the moon's disc, and throwing objects into transient obscurity, added considerably to the solemnity of the scene. oh, it was a thrilling sensation thus to stand in the silent hour of the night and contemplate that field--all day long the theatre of noise and strife, now so calm and still--the actors prostrate on the bloody soil, their pale wan faces upturned to the moon's cold beams, which caps and breastplates, and a thousand other things, reflected back in brilliant pencils of light from as many different points! here and there some poor wretch, sitting up amidst the countless dead, busied himself in endeavours to stanch the flowing stream with which his life was fast ebbing away. many whom i saw so employed that night were, when morning dawned, lying stiff and tranquil as those who had departed earlier. from time to time a figure would half raise itself from the ground, and then, with a despairing groan, fall back again. others, slowly and painfully rising, stronger, or having less deadly hurt, would stagger away with uncertain steps across the field in search of succour. "many of these i followed with my gaze until lost in the obscurity of distance; but many, alas! after staggering a few paces, would sink again on the ground with their entrails hanging out--and yet i gazed! horses, too, there were to claim our pity--mild, patient, enduring. some lay on the ground with their entrails hanging out, and yet they lived. these would occasionally attempt to rise, but like their human bedfellows, quickly falling back again, would lift their poor heads, and, turning a wistful gaze at their side, lie quietly down again, to repeat the same until strength no longer remained, and then, their eyes gently closing, one short convulsive struggle closed their sufferings. one poor animal excited painful interest--he had lost, i believe, both his hind-legs; and there he sat the long night through on his tail, looking about, as if in expectation of coming aid, sending forth, from time to time, long and protracted melancholy neighing. although i knew that killing him at once would be mercy, i could not muster courage even to give the order. blood enough i had seen shed during the last six-and-thirty hours, and sickened at the thought of shedding more. there, then, he still sat when we left the ground, neighing after us, as if reproaching our desertion of him in the hour of need." after the storm of a great battle has rolled away it leaves behind a wreckage--human and animal--of a very amazing sort; and of the wreckage of waterloo mercer gives a grimly vivid description. the effect is that of one of vereschagin's pictures translated into literary terms:-- "_june ._--the cool air of the morning lasted not long; the rising sun soon burst in all his glory over our bloody bivouac, and all nature arose into renewed life, except the victims of ambition which lay unconscious of his presence. i had not been up many minutes when one of my sergeants came to ask if they might bury driver crammond. 'and why particularly driver crammond?' 'because he looks frightful, sir; many of us have not had a wink of sleep for him.' curious! i walked to the spot where he lay, and certainly a more hideous sight cannot be imagined. a cannon-shot had carried away the whole head except barely the visage, which still remained attached to the torn and bloody neck. the men said they had been prevented sleeping by seeing his eyes fixed on them all night; and thus this one dreadful object had superseded all the other horrors by which they were surrounded. he was of course immediately buried, and as immediately forgotten. "our first care after this was to muster the remaining force, to disentangle our carriages from each other, and from the dead and dying animals with which they were encumbered. many sound or only slightly wounded horses, belonging to different corps of both armies, were wandering about the field. of these we caught several in the course of the morning, and thus collected, with what remained of our own fit for work, sufficient to horse four guns, three ammunition waggons, and the forge. of men we had nearly enough for these at reduced numbers, so we set to work equipping ourselves without delay. although supplies of ammunition had been sent to us during the action, yet little remained. the expenditure had been enormous. a return had been called for yesterday evening just as we were lying down to rest, but, fatigued as we all were it was impossible to give this correctly. as near as i could ascertain, we must have fired nearly rounds per gun. our harness, &c., was so cut to pieces, that but for the vast magazines around us from which we could pick and choose we should never have got off the field. "soon after daybreak an officer came from headquarters to desire me to send all my superfluous carriages to lillois, where a park was forming, and to inform me that a supply of ammunition would be found in the village of waterloo. accordingly the carriages were sent without delay; but this requiring all the horses, they were obliged to make a second trip for the ammunition. whilst this was doing i had leisure to examine the ground in our immediate vicinity. books and papers, &c., covered it in all directions. the books at first surprised me, but upon examination the thing was explained. each french soldier, it appeared, carried a little accompt-book of his pay, clothing, &c., &c. the scene was now far from solitary; for numerous groups of peasants were moving about busily employed stripping the dead, and perhaps finishing those not quite so. some of these men i met fairly staggered under the enormous load of clothes, &c., they had collected. some had firearms, swords, &c., and many had large bunches of crosses and decorations; all seemed in high glee, and professed unbounded hatred of the french. "i had fancied we were almost alone on the field, seeing only the remains of major bull's troop of horse artillery not far from us (the prussians had gone forward about or a little before daybreak); but in wandering towards the charleroi road i stumbled on a whole regiment of british infantry fast asleep, in columns of divisions, wrapped in their blankets, with their knapsacks for pillows. not a man was awake. there they lay in regular ranks, with the officers and sergeants in their places, just as they would stand when awake. not far from these, in a little hollow beneath a white thorn, lay two irish light-infantry men sending forth such howlings and wailings and oaths and execrations as were shocking to hear. one of them had his leg shot off, the other a thigh smashed by a cannon-shot. they were certainly pitiable objects, but their vehement exclamations, &c., were so strongly contrasted with the quiet, resolute bearing of hundreds both french and english around them, that it blunted one's feelings considerably. "i tried in vain to pacify them; so walked away amidst a volley of abuse as a hard-hearted wretch who could thus leave two poor fellows to die like dogs. what could i do? all, however, though in more modest terms, craved assistance; and every poor wretch begged most earnestly for water. some of my men had discovered a good well of uncontaminated water at hougoumont and filled their canteens, so i made several of them accompany me and administer to the most craving in our immediate vicinity. nothing could exceed their gratitude, or the fervent blessings they implored on us for this momentary relief. the french were in general particularly grateful; and those who were strong enough entered into conversation with us on the events of yesterday, and the probable fate awaiting themselves. all the non-commissioned officers and privates agreed in asserting that they had been deceived by their officers and betrayed; and, to my surprise, almost all of them reviled bonaparte as the cause of their misery. "many begged me to kill them at once, since they would a thousand times rather die by the hand of a soldier than be left at the mercy of those villainous belgic peasants. whilst we stood by them several would appear consoled and become tranquil; but the moment we attempted to leave, they invariably renewed the cry, 'ah, monsieur, tuez moi donc! tuez moi, pour l'amour de dieu!' &c., &c. it was in vain i assured them carts would be sent to pick them all up. nothing could reconcile them to the idea of being left. they looked on us as brother soldiers, and knew we were too honourable to harm them: 'but the moment you go, those vile peasants will first insult and then cruelly murder us.' this, alas! i knew, was but too true. "one frenchman i found in a far different humour--an officer of lancers, and desperately wounded; a strong, square-built man, with reddish hair and speckled complexion. when i approached him he appeared suffering horribly--rolling on his back, uttering loud groans. my first impulse was to raise and place him in a sitting posture; but, the moment he was touched, opening his eyes and seeing me, he became perfectly furious. supposing he mistook my intention, i addressed him in a soothing tone, begging he would allow me to render him what little assistance was in my power. this only seemed to irritate him the more; and on my presenting him the canteen with water, he dashed it from him with such a passionate gesture and emphatic 'non!' that i saw there was no use in teasing, and therefore reluctantly left him. "returning towards our position, i was forcibly struck by the immense heap of bodies of men and horses which distinguished it even at a distance; indeed, sir augustus frazer told me the other day, at nivelles, that in riding over the field, 'he could plainly distinguish the position of g troop from the opposite height by the dark mass which, even from that distance, formed a remarkable feature in the field.' these were his very words. one interesting sufferer i had nearly forgotten. he was a fine young man of the grenadiers _à cheval_, who had lain groaning near us all night--indeed, scarcely five paces from my bed; therefore was the first person i visited as soon as daylight came. he was a most interesting person--tall, handsome, and a perfect gentleman in manners and speech; yet his costume was that of a private soldier. we conversed with him some time, and were exceedingly pleased with his mild and amiable address. amongst other things he told us that marshal ney had led the charges against us. "i now began to feel somewhat the effects of my long fast in a most unpleasant sense of weakness and an inordinate craving for food, which there was no means of satisfying. my joy, then, may be imagined when, returning to our bivouac, i found our people returned from lillois, and, better still, that they had brought with them a quarter of veal, which they had found in a muddy ditch, of course in appearance then filthy enough. what was this to a parcel of men who had scarcely eaten a morsel for three days? in a trice it was cut up, the mud having been scraped off with a sabre, a fire kindled and fed with lance-shafts and musket-stocks; and old quarter-master hall, undertaking the cooking, proceeded to fry the dirty lumps in the lid of a camp-kettle. how we enjoyed the savoury smell! and, having made ourselves seats of cuirasses[ ] piled upon each other, we soon had that most agreeable of animal gratifications--the filling our empty stomachs. never was a meal more perfectly military, nor more perfectly enjoyed." by this time the artillery officer in mercer was exhausted, the botanist and artist began to emerge, and he strolls off to visit, as a sort of country gentleman at leisure, the garden at hougoumont! he says:-- "having despatched our meal and then the ammunition waggons to waterloo, and leaving the people employed equipping as best they could, i set off to visit the château likewise; for the struggle that had taken place there yesterday rendered it an object of interest. the same scene of carnage as elsewhere characterised that part of the field over which i now bent my steps. the immediate neighbourhood of hougoumont was more thickly strewn with corpses than most other parts of the field--the very ditches were full of them. the trees all about were most woefully cut and splintered both by cannon shot and musketry. the courts of the château presented a spectacle more terrible even than any i had yet seen. a large barn had been set on fire, and the conflagration had spread to the offices and even to the main building. here numbers, both of french and english, had perished in the flames, and their blackened swollen remains lay scattered about in all directions. amongst this heap of ruins and misery many poor devils yet remained alive, and were sitting up endeavouring to bandage their wounds. such a scene of horror, and one so sickening, was surely never witnessed. "two or three german dragoons were wandering among the ruins, and many peasants. one of the former was speaking to me when two of the latter, after rifling the pockets, &c., of a dead frenchman, seized the body by the shoulders, and raising it from the ground, dashed it down again with all their force, uttering the grossest abuse, and kicking it about the head and face--revolting spectacle!--doing this, no doubt, to court favour with us. it had a contrary effect, which they soon learned. i had scarcely uttered an exclamation of disgust, when the dragoon's sabre was flashing over the miscreants' heads, and in a moment descended on their backs and shoulders with such vigour that they roared again, and were but too happy to make their escape. i turned from such scenes and entered the garden. how shall i describe the delicious sensation i experienced! "the garden was an ordinary one, but pretty--long straight walks of turf overshadowed by fruit-trees, and between these beds of vegetables, the whole enclosed by a tolerably high brick wall. is it necessary to define my sensations? is it possible that i am not understood at once? listen, then. for the last three days i have been in a constant state of excitement--in a perfect fever. my eyes have beheld nought but war in all its horrors--my ears have been assailed by a continued roar of cannon and cracking of musketry, the shouts of multitudes and the lamentations of war's victims. suddenly and unexpectedly i find myself in solitude, pacing a green avenue, my eyes refreshed by the cool verdure of trees and shrubs; my ears soothed by the melody of feathered songsters--yea, of sweet philomel herself--and the pleasing hum of insects sporting in the genial sunshine. is there nothing in this to excite emotion? nature in repose is always lovely: here, and under such circumstances, she was delicious. long i rambled in this garden, up one walk, down another, and thought i could dwell here contented for ever. "nothing recalled the presence of war except the loop-holed wall and two or three dead guardsmen[ ]; but the first caused no interruption, and these last lay so concealed amongst the exuberant vegetation of turnips and cabbages, &c., that, after coming from the field of death without, their pale and silent forms but little deteriorated my enjoyment. the leaves were green, roses and other flowers bloomed forth in all their sweetness, and the very turf when crushed by my feet smelt fresh and pleasant. there was but little of disorder visible to tell of what had been enacted here. i imagine it must have been assailed by infantry alone; and the havoc amongst the trees without made by our artillery posted on the hill above to cover the approach to it--principally, perhaps, by bull's howitzer battery. "i had satisfied my curiosity at hougoumont, and was retracing my steps up the hill when my attention was called to a group of wounded frenchmen by the calm, dignified, and soldier-like oration addressed by one of them to the rest. i cannot, like livy, compose a fine harangue for my hero, and, of course, i could not retain the precise words, but the import of them was to exhort them to bear their sufferings with fortitude; not to repine, like women or children, at what every soldier should have made up his mind to suffer as the fortune of war, but above all, to remember that they were surrounded by englishmen, before whom they ought to be doubly careful not to disgrace themselves by displaying such an unsoldier-like want of fortitude. "the speaker was sitting on the ground, with his lance stuck upright beside him--an old veteran, with a thick, bushy, grizzly beard, countenance like a lion--a lancer of the old guard, and no doubt had fought in many a field. one hand was flourished in the air as he spoke, the other, severed at the wrist, lay on the earth beside him; one ball (case-shot, probably) had entered his body, another had broken his leg. his suffering, after a night of exposure so mangled, must have been great; yet he betrayed it not. his bearing was that of a roman, or perhaps of an indian warrior, and i could fancy him concluding appropriately his speech in the words of the mexican king, 'and i too; am i on a bed of roses?' "in passing bull's bivouac it was my fate to witness another very interesting scene. a wounded hussar had somehow or other found his way there from another part of the field, and exhausted by the exertion, had just fainted. some of those collected round him cried out for water, and a young driver, who, being outside the throng, had not yet seen the sufferer, seized a canteen and ran away to fill it. whilst he was absent the hussar so far recovered as to be able to sit up. the driver returned at this moment, and pushing aside his comrades, knelt down to enable the hussar to drink, holding the canteen to his lips, and in so doing recognised a brother whom he not seen for years. his emotion was extreme, as may be supposed." from the narrative of the march to paris which followed waterloo, we take only one incident. mercer is at nivelles, watching the crowds and the excitement in the streets:-- "suddenly a loud shout announces something extraordinary even on this day of excitement. every one hurries to the spot, pushing each other, jumping, shouting. 'what can it mean?' i inquired. 'monsieur l'officier, c'est un convoi des prisonniers que vient d'arriver,' replied my man, doffing at the same time his _bonnet de nuit_ and making a most respectful salaam. i stopped to see the convoy pass. the prisoners, dressed in grey _capotes_ and _bonnets de fourrage_, marched steadily on. some _vieux moustaches_ look very grave, and cast about furious glances at the noisy crowd which follows them with the perseverance of a swarm of mosquitoes, _sacré_-ing and venting all kind of illiberal abuse on them and the b-- of an emperor. many, however, younger men, laugh, joke, and return their abuse with interest, whilst the soldiers of the escort (english) march doggedly along, pushing aside the more forward of the throng, and apparently as if only marching round a relief. "at noon arrived in the neighbourhood of mons, where we overtook the greys, inniskillings, ross's troop of horse artillery, and several other corps, both of cavalry and infantry. we had, in short, now rejoined the army. the greys and the inniskillings were mere wrecks--the former, i think, did not muster men, and the latter, with no greater strength, presented a sad spectacle of disorganisation and bad discipline; they had lost more than half their appointments. some had helmets, some had none; many had the skull-cap, but with the crest cut or broken off; some were on their own large horses, others on little ones they had picked up; belts there were on some; many were without, not only belts, but also canteens and haversacks. the enemy surely had not effected in a single day so complete a disorganisation, and i shrewdly suspect these rollicking paddies of having mainly spoilt themselves. the other corps all looked remarkably well, although they, too, had partaken in the fight. "we crossed after the greys, and came with them on the main road to maubeuge at the moment a highland regiment (perhaps the nd), which had come through mons, was passing. the moment the highlanders saw the greys an electrifying cheer burst spontaneously from the column, which was answered as heartily; and on reaching the road the two columns became blended for a few minutes--the highlanders running to shake hands with their brave associates in the late battle. this little burst of feeling was delightful--everybody felt it; and although two or three general officers were present, none interfered to prevent or to censure this breach of discipline." footnotes: [footnote : "here were more cuirasses than men, for the wounded (who could move), divesting themselves of its encumbrance, had made their escape, leaving their armour on the ground where they had fallen."] [footnote : in some accounts of the battle and visits to the field, &c., it has been stated that this garden was a scene of slaughter. totally untrue! as i have stated in the text, i did not see above two or three altogether. there certainly might have been more concealed amongst the vegetation, but they could not have been many.] index adams, general, , ---- sergeant-major, adour, river, , ---- valley of the, , _adventure_, transport, agueda, river, ainhoe, the heights of, , alba de tormes, albuera, battle of, ; beresford at, alexander, emperor, allenquer, town, , alost, alton, general count, , , ; at salamanca, ; at quatre bras, , ; at waterloo, andover, , anglesey, marquis of, _see_ under uxbridge, lord arenas, arinez, armstrong, ----, arruda, ascot heath, assche, astorga, atalya, auchmuty, general, austrian emperor, badajos, , , , , ; the great breach at, , , ; the siege of, _sqq._ baker, ----, , barnard, sir andrew, at quatre bras, , , ; at waterloo, , , ; in spain, ---- colonel, ; at vittoria, , ; at ciudad rodrigo, ; at badajos, , , ; in the pyrenees, , barnes, sir edward, barossa, battle of, bath, bathala, convent of, bawdsey, bay of biscay, , baynes, captain, bayonne, , , ; the fighting before, , , bean, major, beckwith, sir sidney at sabugal, , , belgian skirmishers, ; allies, , , , ; horse artillery, bell, ----, ---- lieutenant, benevento, bengal horse artillery, bera, village of, , , beresford, marshal, at salamanca, ; sketch of, - ; at orthez, ; at toulouse, _sqq._ berri, duc de, bidassoa, river, ; passage of the, , , blandford downs, , blucher, prince, interviewed by wellington at ligny, ; his defeat at ligny, , ; retreats to wavre, ; at waterloo, ; at quatre bras, _sqq._ bock, general, boer and highlander in south africa, bolton, captain, , "boney's invincibles," braine le comte, brander, lieutenant, breton, lieutenant, , brooks, james, _sqq._ brotherwood, ----, , brunswick, duke of, , brunswick allies at quatre bras, ; at waterloo, , _sqq._ brussels, , , _sqq._, , , , , , , ; duchess of richmond's ball at, , buenos ayres, the fiasco at, , , bull, major, , bunbury, lieutenant, burgos, the retreat from, , , , burrard, sir harry, supersedes sir arthur wellesley, , , ; at vimiero, busaco, battle of, butterworth, gunner, cadiz, cameron, colonel, at ciudad rodrigo, , , ; at badajos, ; at waterloo, campbell, sir colin, ---- captain, at toulouse, , ; at quatre bras (brevet-major), , cardo, ----, caridad, convent of, cashel, , castanos, general, castre, ceira, passage of the, charleroi road, , , , , chatham, earl of, chelsea, chichester, , ciudad rodrigo, , , , , , ; leader of the forlorn hope at, , ; marmont marches to the relief of, ; the storming of, _sqq._ clichy, clinton, sir henry, clonmel, coa, ; river, coates, ----, , , cochan, mrs., , coimbra, , colborne, colonel, colchester barracks, cole, sir lowry, , combermere, lord, condacia, , cooke, colonel, copenhagen, expedition to, , cork, , , corunna, moore's retreat to, , , _sqq._, , , , ; sufferings of the retreat, _sqq._ cowel, major, cox, lieutenant, , , crammond, driver, craufurd, general, _sqq._; in buenos ayres, ; in the retreat to corunna, _sqq._, ; described by a private who served under him, _sqq._ crosby, sergeant-major, cuesta, general, cunningham, corporal, , czar, wellington's despatch to the, dalheath, near falkirk, dalrymple, sir hew, , dance, captain, davidson, brevet-major, deben, river, demon, ----, _sqq._ denburn, river, dendermonde, d'erlon, general, at waterloo, , , devine, ----, , dick, colonel, dickson, captain, ---- sir alexander, doury, -----, , downs, the, drummond, major, dundas, sir david, dutch troops at waterloo, ebro, valley of the, echelar, mountain, elba, , , eleder, captain, elvas, , enghien, , , , epsom, ers, river, erskine, sir william, , essling, prince of, fane, general, , farquharson, lieut. d., , fermoy, fez d'aronce, figuera, bay of, flinn, rifleman, flushing, , fontainebleau, franklin, ----, , fraser, sergeant, , fraser, ----, frasnes, village of, , frazer, sir augustus, , , , ; at waterloo, , , , freire, general, , fuentes d'onore, battle of, , , , fyfe, smith, garges, gave, river, gembloux, genappe, , , , , german legion, ; at waterloo, , ghent, , , ghystelle, gibraltar, gosport, gould, colonel, , gourgaud, general (quoted), graham, sir thomas, at vittoria, , ; at ciudad rodrigo, ; at san sebastian, , gramont, great rhune, gregory, lieut.-colonel, grouchy, general, guarda, guardiana, river, , guards at quatre bras, _sqq._ hall, quarter-master, , , hart, captain, , hart, the brothers john, mike, and peter, , , harwich, , hautain le val, henderson, ----, , higgins, thomas, , , hill, sir dudley, ---- sir rowland, - , ---- general (afterwards lord hill), at roliça, ; "farmer" hill described, , ; at orthez, ; at toulouse, ---- lieutenant, , , ---- captain, , hilsea barracks, , hincks, lieutenant, hitchins, surgeon, , , , holland, expedition to, hope, sir john, hopewood, ----, hopwood, lieutenant, hougoumont, , _sqq._, , , ; the garden of, , , , ; the attack on, houssaye (quoted), , howans, dan, _sqq._ huerta, hunt, gunner, , _hussar_, frigate, hythe, , , , , ---- barracks, innes, lieutenant, inniskilling dragoons at waterloo, , _sqq._, isle of wight, jackman, ----, jagger, ben, janca, jenkinson, captain, junot, general, , kellerman, general, kempt, sir james, , , ; at waterloo, , knight, ----, la belle alliance, , , , la haye sainte, , , , _sqq._, la rhune, , ladysmith, lake, colonel, lambert, sir john, , landguard fort, langeveldt, , latta, ensign, le secca, leathes, lieutenant, , lebbeke, leech, captain, , , , lefebvre, general, , leith, , leria, life guards at quatre bras, ; at waterloo, , , , , , light division, the (craufurd's), , , , ; the light regiment of the, ; at sabugal, ; at fuentes d'onore, ; at orthez, ligny, ; the battle of, , lillois, , lisbon, , , , , liston, corporal robert, , little rhune, livy, loison, general, louis xviii., flees from paris, ; holds court at ghent, , low, john, macara, sir robert, m'donald, major, at quatre bras, _sqq._; in the retreat to waterloo, _sqq._; at waterloo, _sqq._, m'dougall, lieut. kenneth, m'guire, mrs., m'kenzie, lieutenant, mackenzie, general, mclauchlan, patrick, , m'lloyd, major, m'namara, ----, m'pherson, captain mungo, mahone, patrick, maine, boundary line dispute, manningtree, marmont, general, , , ; at salamanca, , massena, marshal, , , , ; before torres vedras, ; pursued by wellington, ; retreats from torres vedras, maubeuge, maya, pass of, mayberry, sergeant thomas, , , medley, ----, , , mendoza, bridge of, menzies, major, merke braine, , militia, north york, miller, driver, milward, ----, mittelkerke, molly, lieutenant, mondego, mons, mont rave, , , mont st. jean, the heights of, , , , , moore, sir john, , , ; at corunna, _sqq._ morrisson, ----, , mullins, ----, musselburgh, namur, napier, sir william, (quoted), ---- major, , , napoleon, allusions, , , , , , , ; his abdication, ; escapes from elba, , , ; at quatre bras, , , , _sqq._; at waterloo, , , _sqq._; transfers the spanish crown to his brother joseph, ; overtakes the rearguard in the retreat to waterloo, , , nassau troops, new orleans, ney, marshal, defeated by wellington at the passage of the ceira, ; in the retreat from torres vedras, ; at quatre bras, , , _sqq._; leads the cavalry charges at waterloo, nieuport, ninove, , nivelle, river, , ; passage of the, , , ; town, , , , , , ; road, _sqq._ nova scotia, o'hara, major, old guard, the, , orange, prince of, orr, ----, orthez, battle of, _sqq._ ostend, , , , , ; harbour, pack, general sir denis, , , , ; at toulouse, ; his brigade at quatre bras, _sqq._; at waterloo, _sqq._ paget, lieut.-gen. sir edward, pakenham, sir edward, ---- captain, pampeluna, , paris, , , ; grand review after waterloo, passages, pau, river, , , , peninsula, , ; british soldier of the, , ; the rifles in the, , ; campaign of - , ; fights of the, ; sieges of the, ; experiences in the, petite la rhune, , peyrehorade, _philarea_, transport, phillipon, general, picton, sir thomas, , , ; at toulouse, , ; at ciudad rodrigo, ; at badajos, ; at quatre bras, , ; at waterloo, , , , ; at orthez, _sqq._ plymouth, ponton, james, portsdown hill, ; execution at, portsmouth, portugal, , , ---- king john of, price, farrier, prussia, king of, prussian troops, , ; at quatre bras, ; at waterloo, , , pullen, richard, _sqq._ pyrenees, , ; marches and fights in the, _sqq._, , pyrnes, quatre bras, , , ; the battle of, _sqq._, _sqq._, _sqq._; the village of, ; the prussians at, ; the retreat to waterloo from, _sqq._ quentin, colonel, ramsay, major, , , rave, mont, , , redinha, the fight at, , regnier, general, richmond, duchess of, the ball given at brussels by the, , ---- duke of, "rifles," the th, opposed to the th (french regiment), ; at vittoria, , ; at ciudad rodrigo, ; at badajos, , ; at quatre bras, , ; at waterloo, _sqq._; in buenos ayres, ; at copenhagen, ; at vimiero, roberts, field-marshal lord (quoted), roliça, allusions to the battle of, , , , , , , ross, colonel, ross's troop of horse artillery, , rotterdam, royal artillery, at waterloo, ---- g battery, , , , ; at waterloo, ; at quatre bras, royal highlanders ( nd), , , , ; at the modder, ; in the pyrenees, _sqq._, , ; at toulouse, _sqq. _; at quatre bras, _sqq._ sabugal, battle of, , , ; wellington's description of the battle, sahagun, , , st. cyr, marshal, st. francisco, fort, st. jean, the heights of mont, , , , , st. jean de luz, , ; road, st. severe, , ; road, , salamanca, , , , , , ; wellington halts at, , ; battle of, _sqq._ salisbury plain, , _salus_, transport, . samunoz, san milan, san sebastian, , , , ; siege of, _sqq._ sandilands, lieutenant, santarem, , , ; heights of, schapdale, scots greys at waterloo, , _sqq._, scovell, colonel, senne, river, serna, shoreham cliff, sierra de gata, ---- d'estrella, sitdown, joseph, smith, sir harry, and lady, smollett's "count fathom," sobraon, battle of, soho, , , soignes, forest of, , , somerset, lord edward, , ---- lord fitzroy, soult, marshal, , , , , , , ; advances to the relief of san sebastian, ; at orthez, _sqq._; at toulouse, _sqq._ south africa, south beeveland, island of, spencer, general, spithead, , , steenkerke, stewart, ----, ---- captain george, ---- lieutenant james, stour, river, strangways, ----, strytem, , , , surtees, quarter-master, , tagus, river, , , talavera, battle of, toulouse, , , , ; battle of, _sqq._, _sqq._; heights of, touronne, river, tormes, torres vedras, ; the great hill defences of, ; the lines of, ; wellington enters the lines of, ; massena's retreat from, travers, major, , , tres puentes, village of, tweed, river, urdach, , ; heights of, ustritz, uxbridge, lord, , ; in the retreat to waterloo, _sqq._ vadilla, river, valle, vandeleur, sir ormsby, , , , vigo, , , , , vimiero, , , ; wellington at, ; battle of, _sqq._, vinegar hill, vittoria, , ; the "rifles" at, , ; battle of, _sqq._ vivian, sir hussey, , , wade, lieut.-col. hamilton, walcheren expedition, , , walcot, captain, war office administration, waterloo, allusions, , , , , , , , ; g battery at, ; village of, , _sqq._, ; retreat from quatre bras to, , , , ; battle of, _sqq._, _sqq._; highlanders at, _sqq._; charge of the scots greys at, _sqq._; with the guns at, _sqq._; the ridge at, ; after the battle, watson, lieutenant, wavre, , , , wellesley, sir arthur (_see_ wellington) wellington, duke of, allusions, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ; at vimiero, , ; severity of, , ; irritability of, ; satire of, ; retreat to the lines of torres vedras, , ; pursues massena, , ; reconnaissance by, ; courtesy of, ; defeats ney at the passage of the ceira, ; indiscriminate censure by, ; at sabugal, ; at fuentes d'onore, , ; at salamanca, , , ; at vittoria, ; at toulouse, , _sqq._; at ciudad rodrigo, , ; at badajos, , ; in the pyrenees, ; forethought of, ; in the netherlands, ; at quatre bras, , _sqq._, _sqq._; withdraws to waterloo, ; at waterloo, , , _sqq._, _sqq._; at orthez, _sqq._; at brussels, ; complains of his staff, ; resolves to stand at waterloo, whinyates, major, white, sir george, whitelocke, general, in buenos ayres, , ; court-martialled, wighton, ----, winchester, wood, sir george adam, , , , woodbridge, woolwich military academy, yeomen of the guard, young, lieutenant, , young guard, the, yseringen, , zadora, river, the end printed by ballantyne, hanson & co. edinburgh and london october, . bell's indian & colonial library. _issued for circulation in india and the colonies only._ may be had in cloth, gilt, or in paper wrappers. _additional volumes are issued at regular intervals._ aide (hamilton). elizabeth's pretenders ( ). alexander (mrs.). a choice of evils ( ). a ward in chancery ( ). a fight with fate ( ). mrs. crichton's creditor ( ). barbara ( ). the cost of her pride ( ). the stepmother ( ). allen (grant). a splendid sin ( ). an african millionaire. illustrated ( ). the incidental bishop ( ). anstey (f.). under the rose. illus. 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Écarte and euchre. by 'berkeley.' piquet and rubicon piquet. by 'berkeley.' skat. by louis diehl. round games. by baxter-wray. card tricks and puzzles. by 'berkeley' and t.b. rowland. parlour and playground games. by mrs. laurence gomme. london: george bell & sons, york street, covent garden twenty-five years in the rifle brigade. by the late william surtees, quartermaster. william blackwood, edinburgh; and t. cadell, strand, london. mdcccxxxiii. edinburgh: printed by ballantyne and company, paul's work, canongate. to major-gen. sir andrew f. barnard, k.c.b. and k.c.h. and the officers of the rifle brigade, these remains of my deceased brother are most respectfully dedicated, by their obliged and most obedient servant, john surtees. prefatory notice. the author of the following narrative entered the army in early life. he commenced his military career in , as a private soldier in the northumberland militia; and in the following year he volunteered into the pompadours. in this regiment he first faced the enemy, during the expedition to holland under the duke of york. on getting his discharge from the pompadours, in , he again entered the service as a private in the rifle brigade, to which he was attached for a period of twenty-five years. from his steady conduct, and ardent love for his profession, he was soon advanced from the ranks, and, after various intermediate steps, was appointed quartermaster; a situation which he held as long as he continued in the corps, enjoying the respect and esteem of his brother officers of all ranks, as is amply testified by the letters which form the appendix to this volume. though, as quartermaster, the author was not called by duty to join in battle, yet he lost no opportunity of entering the scene of action, or of placing himself in a favourable situation for observing what was passing. it is unnecessary to enumerate the arduous services of the rifle brigade from to . during the whole of that period the author was actively engaged with his corps. the narrative is faithfully--indeed literally--printed from the author's ms. as he left it at his death. the critical reader may therefore detect various inaccuracies which, had life been spared to the author, would probably have been corrected; but he will find much to approve, and, hackneyed as narratives of the peninsular war have become, he will also find much that is new. there is no embellishment in the style of the author's composition, but there is a quiet defoe-like sincerity and simplicity characteristic of his pages, and a strain of unaffected piety, that is very pleasing; and the scenes and descriptions which he gives, though sometimes singularly chosen, and reported quite with a manner of his own, are on the whole portrayed with strong graphic effect. one word, however, before closing,--our author is never vulgar. a severe pulmonary affection compelled him to quit his corps in . he retired to corbridge, his native village, where he arrived on the th of october in that year, and continued there, respected and beloved, and constantly engaged in acts of benevolence, till the period of his death, th may, . _november , ._ contents. chapter i. page. birth and parentage--enters the militia--volunteers into the line--joins the army destined for holland--the troops embark at deal--land at the helder--laxity of discipline--march for schagen--detachment under sir ralph abercromby sent to surprise hoorne--hoorne surrenders, chapter ii. the russian allies carry bergen--allow themselves to be surprised, and the whole army forced to retire to their former position--skirmishing in the vicinity of old patten--the russians endeavour to force their way back to bergen--the russian and british forces joined--the enemy forced to abandon egmont-op-zee--alkmaar surrenders--the troops advance to egmont binnen--skirmishing--general engagement--the enemy repulsed--the forces retire to zaand wyck--armistice concluded--return to england, chapter iii. arrive in england--the pompadours embark for ireland--arrive at kinsale--privations in ireland in --peace concluded--our author resolves to return home, but ultimately volunteers into the rifle corps or th--embarks for england, and joins his regiment at sussex--is promoted, chapter iv. made pay-sergeant--moral reflections--wreck of a dutch east indiaman--reduced officers--war with france in --encampment at thorncliffe under the command of general sir john moore--encampment broke up, november --embark for germany, october --vicissitudes at sea--land at cuxhaven--march to bremen--outposts established--retrograde movements, in consequence of the defeat of the allied forces at austerlitz--the allied forces evacuate germany--re-embarkation of the troops--the rifle corps, or th, land at yarmouth, chapter iv.* our author made quartermaster-sergeant of the d battalion, which he joins at feversham, kent--expedition to denmark--embark at deal--land at vedbeck, zealand--partial engagements--siege of copenhagen--a division under sir arthur wellesley advance to kioge--copenhagen capitulates--amnesty between the danish forces in the island of zealand, and the british--the british evacuate denmark--embark at copenhagen--arrive in the downs--land at deal, chapter v. our author marries--the battalion to which he belongs ordered to join the expedition fitting out for corunna--movements of the army in spain--return to england, chapter vi. volunteering--farther promotion--embarks for portugal, with two companies of the second battalion--debark at cadiz--advance to the isla--the french occupy all the adjacent towns, except cadiz and isla--cannonading--spanish army--detachment of the allied army sent round by gibraltar and chiclana, to take the enemy in the rear of his works, and compel him either to fight or abandon them--come up with a portion of the enemy in the vicinity of veger--bravery of the british--the enemy repulsed with great loss, but, from the apathy and misconduct of general la pena, and the spaniards under his command, the french are allowed to retain their works in the vicinity of cadiz, chapter vii. the d battalion of the pompadours ordered to proceed to portugal--our author visits england--returns to portugal, and joins his regiment at rodrigo--the army move towards badajos--siege of badajos--badajos surrenders--insubordination among the troops--quelled by the prompt measures of lord wellington, chapter viii. the army leave badajos on the th of april, and move into quarters near the river agueda, where they remain, till the th of june--advance towards salamanca, which, with the exception of three forts, the enemy had evacuated--the forts invested--the main bodies of both armies bivouack within a mile and a half of each other, in the vicinity of monte rubio and morisco--the forts of salamanca surrender--the main body of the enemy retire to tordesillas--movements of the army, chapter ix. preparations for the field--amusements in winter quarters--grand review--advance of the army in pursuit of the enemy--come up with their rearguard in the vicinity of hornilla de camino--skirmishing--encounter with the st brigade of the enemy, who are beaten, and forced to retreat--our army advance in pursuit--an affair between the rearguard of the enemy and our th brigade--vittoria--general engagement--the enemy defeated--remarks, chapter x. advance in pursuit of the enemy--our forces retreat, in order to counteract soult's movements for the succour of pamplona--total defeat of soult in the several actions near pamplona--our forces again advance--come up with the retreating enemy at the bridge of yanzi--the enemy take up a position, behind vera--a considerable body of the enemy attached at the pass of echallar, and forced to retreat, chapter xi. the author, from a mistake, loses his servants for a few days--a feast of death--a feast of life--fighting near st sebastian--singular instance of spanish bravery--st sebastian is captured, but no details given, the author not having been present--attack of the pass of vera, chapter xii. the british army advance farther into france--pass the nive--soult's plans baffled--two or three battalions of the nassau and frankfort regiments come over from the french--french politesse--threatened attack by the french--battle of the nive--account of the basques, chapter xiii. the author's battalion quartered in aurantz on d january --the cantonments at aurantz broke up on the th february, and the campaign of commenced--farther advance into france--skirmishing with the enemy--military manoeuvres--battle of orthes--defeat and pursuit of the enemy--succession of attacks on them--they are driven from their position in and near tarbes--skirmishing at tournefoile--the enemy retire towards toulouse, chapter xiv. the british army cross the garonne--advance on toulouse--prepare for the attack--the attack--spaniards driven back--battle very hot--french completely defeated--soult evacuates toulouse, and tardily adheres to the bourbons, chapter xv. author's happy state during and --character of the veritable french--british distributed over the country--civility of the inhabitants of grissolles--amusements in quarters--the british prepare to quit france, chapter xvi. author's battalion embark for england--land at plymouth--expect to be again ordered on foreign service--order received--embark, with other troops, for america--land at pine island, chapter xvii. proceed to attack the enemy, and capture one of their picquets--advance in search of a bivouack--alarmed by shots in front--fired on by an american schooner--captain hallen severely attacked--manoeuvres on both sides--ruse of the enemy--fighting continues--enemy repulsed at all points--courage of the british--battery brought into play--activity of the enemy, chapter xviii. british army told off into brigades--advance, and are hotly received--heroism of a young artillery officer--we take up a fresh position--the enemy work incessantly in raising an extensive breastwork--two batteries erected, from which our heavy ship artillery are brought to bear against it, but without effect--the enemy also place their ship guns on batteries--colonel lambert arrives with the th and d regiments--preparations for a grand attack on the enemy's lines, which entirely fails, and the british are repulsed with great loss, chapter xix. bravery and success of colonel thornton--negotiation for leave to transport the wounded across the river--insult offered to the british--they retreat--our army embark, and determine to make an attack upon mobile--proceed in the direction of mobile bay--a brigade detached to reduce fort boyer--the fort surrenders, the garrison becoming prisoners of war--intelligence of a treaty of peace being concluded at ghent--cessation of hostilities, chapter xx. ratification of the treaty of peace--exchange of prisoners--our troops embark for england--when off the coast of ireland, receive intelligence of bonaparte's escape from elba--the author and his battalion reach the downs, and proceed to thorncliffe--embark for france--arrive at paris, and occupy the champs elysées--review of the russian guards--russian discipline--british troops reviewed--accident to prince blucher--amusements in paris--the allied forces, except the army of occupation, leave paris--the author's battalion embark for england--reach dover, and return to thorncliffe--he obtains leave of absence, and visits his family--his battalion ordered to ireland--sets out to join it, accompanied by his wife, who dies three days after they reach dublin--his battalion reduced--joins the first battalion at gosport, which is ordered to scotland--arrive at leith, and march to glasgow--the author returns home in ill health--his father dies--joins his battalion again--winters at home--his battalion ordered to ireland--joins it at belfast--they occupy different stations during the whiteboy insurrection--six companies of his battalion ordered to nova scotia, but the author remains with the other four companies--he is shortly ordered to proceed to nova scotia--his health declines--returns home in consequence, takes advantage of lord palmerston's bill, and retires on full pay, appendix.--testimonials.--no. . from lieutenant-colonel duffy--no. . from major travers--no. . from officers of the d battalion--no. . from lieut.-colonel ross, c.b.--no. . from lieut.-col. smith, c.b.--no. . from officers of the st battalion rifle brigade--no. . from colonel norcott, c.b.--no. . from lieut.-col. fullarton, c.b.--no. . from lieut.-col. balvaird--no. . from major-general sir a. f. barnard, k.c.b.--no. . from major logan--no. . from lieut.-col. beckwith, c.b.--no. . from lieut.-general the hon. sir wm. stewart, g.c.b.--no. . from major eeles--no. . from major-general sir t. s. beckwith, k.c.b., twenty-five years in the rifle brigade. chapter i. birth and parentage--enters the militia--volunteers into the line--joins the army destined for holland--the troops embark at deal--land at the helder--laxity of discipline--march for schagen--detachment under sir ralph abercromby sent to surprise hoorne--hoorne surrenders. i was born on the th of august, , in the village of corbridge, in the county of northumberland; of parents who may be said to have been among the middle classes, my father being a tradesman. they gave me such an education as was customary with people of their station in life; viz. reading, writing, and arithmetic. my mother having sprung from a pious race, was the first to implant in my mind any sense of religion; indeed, it is to the spiritual seed sown in my heart by her during my youth, that i am indebted, under god, for having been brought, many years afterwards, to consider my ways, and to turn to him. nevertheless, being naturally of a sensual and wicked disposition, i, as might be expected, spent a dissolute youth, which often caused great pain and uneasiness to my good and pious mother. but i did not continue long under the paternal roof; for, having from my infancy a great predilection for a military life, i embraced almost the first opportunity that offered, after i became sufficiently grown, to enter into the militia of my native county. i enlisted on the th of november, , being then little more than seventeen years of age. i entered this service with the determination that, should i not like a soldier's life, i would then, after remaining a few years in it, return home; but, if i did like it, to volunteer into the line, and make that my occupation for life. it will readily be believed that this undutiful step affected deeply my excellent parents; for though my father was not _then_ a religious man, he had a heart susceptible of the tenderest feelings; and i really believe that no parents ever felt more deeply the combined emotions of tender regret at my leaving them so young, and for such a purpose, and at the disgrace which my wayward conduct had, as they imagined, brought upon myself. but though evil in itself, god overruled it for good to me, and, i trust, to them also. i would here remark that the life of a soldier was by no means considered in my native village, at that time, as at all creditable; and when i sometimes in my boyhood used to exhibit symptoms of a military inclination, i was often taunted with the then opprobrious expression, "ay, thou likes the smell of poother," intimating thereby that i was likely to disgrace myself by going for a soldier. i left my family in much grief in the beginning of , and marched with several other recruits to join my regiment at chelmsford in essex, where we arrived in about a month, and where i began my military career. i always liked a soldier's life, consequently i did not suffer from many of those parts of it which are so unpleasant to those of a contrary disposition; and, as i took pleasure in it, i of course made more progress in acquiring a knowledge of my duty than some others who set out with me. i was early placed in the first squad, an honour which i considered no trifling one in those days,--but none of us finished our drill; for, in july of the same year, an order was issued, permitting such men as chose to extend their services, to volunteer into the line, in order to recruit the army then destined for holland. we had previously marched from chelmsford to colchester, a distance of twenty-one miles, which march was to me, i think, the severest i ever underwent; for being young, and totally unaccustomed to any thing like it, the weight of the musket, bayonet, accoutrements, and knapsack, appeared, towards the latter end of the march, to be almost intolerable; but i kept up, although excessively tired. this will show how necessary it is at all times to accustom troops, destined for service, to move in such order as they will be expected to do when they take the field--for, if unaccustomed to the carriage of the knapsack, and to frequent marches with it for exercise, they will be utterly unable to perform any movement against, or in the face of an enemy, with that celerity necessary to ensure success. i volunteered, with several of my comrades, into the th regiment, or pompadours, so called from their facings being madame pompadour's favourite colour, and we set off (carried in waggons to accelerate our movements) for canterbury, which we reached in two days and one night, having travelled without making a halt; and there we joined the skeleton of our regiment, just then returned from the west indies, where twice, during the war, it had been nearly exterminated by disease. in a few days after our arrival, a selection was made throughout the volunteers for fit subjects for the light company, when, fortunately, both myself and william sutherland (who had been in the same company with me in the militia, and who, from our names and size being so nearly similar, had always stood next me in the ranks) were chosen for this, in my mind, honourable service. i felt not a little proud at my advancement, as i considered it, (and as i believe the generality of soldiers consider it,) to be made a light-bob. the regiment had not at this time either arms, appointments, or clothing; but, being in a few days sent off to barham downs, where the army for holland was assembled and encamped, we soon after were supplied with the necessary equipment, and commenced without delay to drill and get the men in readiness for embarkation. at this time the flank companies of all those regiments destined for holland were separated from their battalions, and formed into what are termed flank battalions. that in which my company was placed consisted of eleven light companies, the command of which was given to lieut.-col. sharpe, of the th regiment, an experienced and gallant veteran, who had commanded a similar battalion in the eastern district, under the earl of chatham. the grenadier battalion was composed of an equal number of grenadier companies, and belonged to the same regiments to which ours belonged. before our arrival on barham downs, the first division of the expedition, under sir ralph abercromby, had sailed; and we soon after were called out to fire a _feu de joie_ for their capture of the dutch fleet, and their having effected a landing and gained a victory near the helder. nothing could be more brilliant than our display upon this occasion appeared to me--we were nearly , strong, i imagine, and, being formed in one extensive line, the firing of the _feu de joie_ produced a fine effect. to my non-military readers, perhaps, it will be necessary to explain what is termed a _feu de joie_. the usual mode is, when formed in line, for the fire to commence by signal with the right file of the whole, and each of those on their left take it up rapidly in succession, so that, to a looker-on, it has the appearance of a wild-fire running along the line; but on this occasion we heightened the effect, by beginning with the right of the front rank only, and when it had passed along by the front, the left-hand man of the rear rank took it up, and so it passed along by the rear to the right again. it appeared to me, at that time, certainly the finest sight i had ever witnessed. every heart present was elated with joy, and beat high to be led on to share in those glorious achievements which we were then celebrating; but, alas! we were then ignorant that we were as unfit at that time to suffer the toils and privations of a campaign, as if we had never seen a soldier; we were all young, and inexperienced in the highest degree, and our discipline, as might be naturally expected, was far from good; for, being an army hastily collected from every regiment of militia in the kingdom, the officers of course neither had that knowledge of the characters of their men, which is so essential, nor had the latter that confidence in their officers, which only a service together for some length of time can engender, and which is absolutely necessary to secure an unreserved and active obedience to their commands. but the period of our embarkation fast approached; previously to which, we were reviewed by his royal highness the duke of york, (who was destined to command us,) accompanied by several others of the royal family, and by general sir charles grey, my countryman. i believe they all expressed themselves highly satisfied with our appearance and movements, and hoped that we would shortly add fresh laurels to those already gained by our forerunners. as it was expected to be a service of only a short duration, it was determined that the men should embark in what is called "light marching" or "service order," that is, with only about half the usual complement of necessaries, consequently every soldier had to leave a considerable portion of his things behind him; and, in order to deposit them safely, empty casks were procured for each company, into which every man was ordered to stow his extra things, after being properly packed and labelled with his name, &c. this rather grieved me, for i had brought with me from home as good a kit (as the soldiers term it) as any in the army. my dear mother had prepared me shirts fine enough for any officer, and abundance of them, but of those thus left i never saw one afterwards. during our stay in this camp, i never enjoyed better health or greater lightness of spirits, forgetful or heedless of the deep and lasting anguish which my late rash step must naturally inflict upon the hearts of my tender and affectionate parents; but i was no doubt stimulated to this thoughtless forgetfulness of them, by witnessing the animating scenes around me, where all was bustle and high anticipation of more glorious doings. we marched from this camp to deal, where we embarked in transports already prepared to receive us. as soon as we arrived we were instantly put on board, but never shall i forget the effect which the sight of the sea, and such a number of ships of various sizes and descriptions, had upon me; for before this i had never been near the sea, although i had marched from the north to the south of england. but, to add to all the strange things which then met my view, we were instantly on marching down put into a large boat that lay high upon the beach; which, when filled with troops, they run down into the sea with astonishing rapidity, turning my stomach, as we entered the water, completely topsy-turvy. the effect of all this can better be conceived than described; we were immediately rowed off to, and put on board our transport, which happened to be a brig called the zephyr of shields. here also every thing was quite new to me; but all was met and performed with the highest spirits, so far as sea-sickness permitted. we remained on board two or three days before the fleet was ready for sea; but at length we sailed with a favourable breeze, and in two or three days more we made the coast of holland, and soon afterwards came to anchor within the texel. every thing being ready for landing, and the helder being in our possession, we disembarked there on the th of september, , having been just one week on board. we were formed on landing near the town, and waited till some others had disembarked, before we moved off. among those regiments which landed, i remember the th was one. this regiment, after coming on shore, was drawn up close to us; they had not been long landed before the men began with their knives to cut off each other's hair, which then was worn in the shape of a club; this was done without any orders from their officers, and appeared to me, i confess, such a breach of discipline, as i could not have anticipated; for though on the whole it was an improvement, as later usage has shown, yet i apprehend for a body of soldiers, without any permission from higher authority, to take upon them to break through the long-established custom of the service, was such an utter renunciation of all obedience to authority, as directly to threaten with destruction the best interests of the army to which they belonged; however, at such a time it would perhaps have been attended with still worse consequences to have made an example of the offenders, although, had stricter discipline been enforced from the outset, i feel assured the army in general would have benefited by it. towards evening, we moved forward through the town of helder, and proceeded on our route towards schagen, and halted for the night on the road, and where such as could find houses, of which there were a few straggling ones in the neighbourhood, got into them. i awoke in the night, and still fancied myself on board ship; for the wind and rain were beating violently against the little hovel into which a few of us had crept, and i imagined it was the dashing of the sea against the bow of the vessel. indeed so strong was this imagination, that when i got up, i literally could not stand steady, not having been long enough on board, to acquire what is termed my "sea legs;" that is, i had not learned the art of standing steady when the vessel heeled; and, strange as it may appear to a person who has never been at sea, i believe most landsmen have the same feeling for some short time after being put on shore. we had each man been supplied with a blanket while in camp on barham downs, but had no proper or uniform mode of carrying them; we had no great-coats, but made use of the blanket sometimes as a substitute in the morning, when we turned out to proceed on our march. we certainly made a strange appearance. some had their blankets thrown around them, others had them twisted up like a horse collar, and tied over their shoulders in the manner of a plaid; while some had them stuffed into, and others tied on to the top of their knapsack; in short, we appeared like any thing but _regular_ troops. we moved forward as soon as we were formed, and early in the day reached schagen-bruck, where his royal highness stood to inspect us as we marched past. near this place we fell in with some of the russian regiments, they having landed nearly at the same time, and of which nation there were, i believe, about , troops expected to join our army. but if we appeared irregular and grotesque, i know not well how to describe them; their riflemen were shod with boots very much resembling those of our fishermen, coming up considerably higher than the knee; thus rendering them, i should imagine, incapable of celerity of movement, one of the chief requisites in a rifle corps; they also wore large cocked hats and long green coats. their grenadiers were dressed more apropos, having high sugar-loaf shaped caps, mounted with a great deal of brass, and projecting forward at the top, with long coats, and gaiters reaching above the knee. their regular infantry were nearly similar to the grenadiers, only they wore cocked hats instead of caps. the regiment which we saw on this occasion had with it, i should think, full half as many followers as soldiers, some of whom carried immensely large copper kettles; others the provisions, and others the officers' baggage; in short, these were the scullions, the cooks, and, as it were, the beasts of burden of the regiment; but this was a bad system, for it increased by one half the number of mouths to fill, and must have been attended with the worst consequences when provisions were scarce. the officers, i remember, carried what was formerly used in our service, a long sort of pole, with a head like a halberd, and called, i believe, a "spontoon." this, on passing a general at a review, the officer twists and twirls around his head, precisely as a drum-major in our service does his cane. when we had passed his royal highness at the bridge, we moved forward to the town of schagen, and took up our quarters in the church. i thought this extremely odd, as i had been accustomed to view so sacred an edifice with more reverence than to suppose they would quarter soldiers in it; but we were stowed in it as thick as we could well be, and made the best of our quarters; some taking the chancel, others the vestry, and some the body of the church; nay, some even took up their lodging in the reading-desk and pulpit. we could contrive to make out the lord's prayer in dutch, but could not well proceed further, although there is much similarity between that language and the english of my native county. here, for the first time, we learnt that our brigade was what was called the _reserve_, and commanded by colonel m'donald of the th regiment; but on this occasion and in egypt, the reserve was not what is generally understood by that term, for in both places it was composed of some of the best troops in the expedition, and was generally first called into action. on this occasion, the reserve consisted of the d welsh fusileers, the th regiment, the grenadier battalion before mentioned, and our light battalion. we remained here till the th, when towards evening we were ordered under arms, having been previously supplied with provisions; and, after every preliminary was adjusted, we set forward on our march towards the city of hoorne, situated on the zuyder zee. of our destination, the men, of course, were totally ignorant, but no doubt the officers knew. it turned out that about troops had been appointed for this service, the execution of which was intrusted to that gallant old veteran, and hitherto successful general, sir ralph abercromby. the intention was to make a rapid and extensive flank movement during the night, and surprise and capture the said city, while his royal highness was to attack the enemy in front. we moved off as it became dark, but such was the state of the roads that it became the most trying and distressing march that i believe ever troops undertook; the roads were literally knee deep in mud in most places, while every now and then they were rendered nearly impassable, both by the enemy having broken down the bridges over the innumerable canals and dikes which intersect this country, and these canals in many places having overflowed their banks. none but those who have experienced this or something similar, can form an idea of the fatigue attending a night march in such a country, where the column is large. we marched, i think, in sections of about eight file, that is, with eight men abreast in the front rank, and the like number in the rear rank covering them. conceive, then, your arriving at an obstacle which the darkness of the night multiplies a hundred-fold. not more than one man will attempt to pass this obstacle at the same time, and he has to grope his way; consequently all the other fifteen men must stand still, or nearly so, till he is over, before they each move on in turn. multiply this by the sections behind, and you will have a halt for the rear of probably an hour or more; standing all this while nearly up to the knees in mire; or, what is worse, as each regiment has accomplished the task of getting over, this of course causes the others in the rear to be drawing up towards it by degrees, so that probably you are compelled to stand (or, if you choose, you may lie down in the mud) for a quarter of an hour, or more perhaps; and then move on again for the space of a few hundred yards, and then another halt; so that could you lie down to enjoy a little rest, the constant cry of "forward" resounding in your ears, just as you begin to close your eyes, renders it the most tiresome and trying situation that i know of. it is true, the head of the column does not suffer in an equal proportion with those in the rear, or a night march in an enemy's country would be a dangerous operation. during this march, i remember, when the road was extremely deep, some one on the right of my section called out that there was an excellent path a little beyond him; when one poor fellow moved in that direction, but had not made many steps, till souse he went into a deep canal. whether the man who called out had been actually deceived by the smooth surface of the water, which appeared in the dark like a nice level road; or whether he did it through mischief, i know not, but the poor simpleton who followed his advice paid dearly for his curiosity, being with some difficulty extricated from his uncomfortable situation. i may observe that these canals or dikes skirt both sides of every road in this part of holland, and are even made use of as fences for the fields, there not being any hedges or walls that i remember to have seen. about break of day we reached the city, which at once surrendered; but just before daylight, i became so excessively weary that i could not continue in the ranks any longer; indeed men had been dropping out for some hours before, so that, i suppose, when the head of the column reached hoorne, one half the number had fallen out; for it was beyond the powers of human nature to sustain such excessive fatigue. i, with two or three others, got behind a house that stood by the roadside, and laid ourselves down on a paved footpath which led from the back-door. never in my life did i experience a greater luxury than this appeared to be, where something hard, and that would keep me out of the deep and filthy mire, could be found to rest upon. i laid me down and slept as soundly as ever i did in my life for about an hour, which quite refreshed me. we then got up and set off with all despatch to overtake the column, which we came up with and joined just as they halted after reaching the city. none of the troops entered the place, i believe; but my battalion being towards the rear of the column, was at a considerable distance from it. all now lay down to rest, and such as had houses near them occupied them; but those who had not, chose the driest parts of the canal bank or road, and all were soon buried in profound sleep, excepting those who were placed on guard. chapter ii. the russian allies carry bergen--allow themselves to be surprised, and the whole army forced to retire to their former position--skirmishing in the vicinity of old patten--the russians endeavour to force their way back to bergen--the russian and british forces joined--the enemy forced to abandon egmont-op-zee--alkmaar surrenders--the troops advance to egmont binnen--skirmishing--general engagement--the enemy repulsed--the forces retire to zaand wyck--armistice concluded--return to england. from daylight we had heard a heavy and constant cannonade towards our right and rear. his royal highness, with the remainder of the army, as was before intimated, had moved forward and attacked the main body of the enemy; but as i did not witness this action, i forbear to relate what i heard concerning it, further than this, that the russians who attacked the enemy posted in the neighbourhood of bergen, having by some mismanagement allowed themselves to be surprised after having carried that village, the whole army had been obliged to retire to their former position. in consequence of this failure, i believe, we were ordered towards evening to fall in, and (what appeared annoying in the extreme) to retrace our weary footsteps by the same dirty road by which we had advanced. nearly the same fatigue and misery were endured as in our advance; but the column did not keep so much together as before, the men falling out by hundreds, so that the stoppages were not quite so great. we did not return to schagen after our retreat, but were cantoned in some villages in front of that town; and a few days afterwards we were moved to the right of schagen, through schagen-bruck, to a farm hamlet called zaand wyck. here we remained till the st of october; but i should not omit to mention, that we had, during the intervening period, several marches, all of which were made by night, and in which similar sufferings and fatigue were endured as in the march to hoorne. this, it may probably be remembered, was one of the wettest autumns almost upon record; and in these marches we generally had the full benefit of the torrents which fell in this naturally wet country. i have actually seen the water running out at the bottom of the men's trowsers like that from the gutter which carries the rain from the roof of a house. when we had not a night march, we invariably had to be at our alarm post an hour before daybreak,--and that being about four miles distant from our quarter at this time, we never had what may be called a full night's rest. military men will know that the custom of being at the alarm post before daybreak is almost universal; for, that being the usual time of attack, it behoves those who are apprehensive of a visit from the enemy to be on the look-out, and to be prepared to receive them when they come--here they remain, till, as the vulgar phrase goes, "you can see a white horse a mile off," that is, till it is clear daylight, and they have ascertained that no enemy is in the neighbourhood; after which, if all be quiet, they retire to their quarters. our accommodations at zaand wyck may be said to have been good, for our officers had a farm-house to live in, and we had a good dry barn and other outhouses to lie down in; and in which i enjoyed some comfortable nights' lodgings. but on the st of october, in the afternoon, we were ordered to fall in, it having been previously intimated to us that we might probably have a brush with the enemy. we were, of course, all life and glee on receiving the information, and the usual quantity of provisions having been issued, and every other preparation made in the night, we moved off by the same road by which we had usually advanced to our alarm post. this we passed, and then entered a most unpleasant country to march through; it being nearer the enemy, of course all bridges and other communications had been destroyed. as we moved on, a little after daylight we were overtaken by the th light dragoons, on which we were ordered to open to the right and left to let them pass us. they seemed in high spirits, and some of them cried out, as they passed us, "go on, my lads, lather them well, and we'll come up and shave them." sir walter scott mentions this saying as made use of by some of the cavalry at waterloo, as if it were at that time new; but i can assure him it is as old as , if not much older, for i certainly heard it used on this occasion, and i know not but it may have been said long before. the cavalry inclined, after passing us, to their left, while we kept down towards the sea; and soon after, on ascending a small eminence, we got a view of the village of old patten, where we discovered about , or , of our army drawn up near the sea-beach. we passed them, and moved forward in the direction of a high range of sand-hills, which commenced about a mile beyond the village, and which overlooked all the plain below. here the enemy was posted, and i was told that they began as soon as we were within reach to cannonade us; but from the heads of the men in front, i could not perceive any appearance of such cannonade, nor do i believe that any of their shot reached us. a little farther on, however, we met a russian yager, or rifleman, coming back and holding out his hand, which had been wounded, and from which the blood was flowing pretty copiously. this was the first blood that i had ever seen as drawn in hostile conflict, and it certainly produced a somewhat strange effect upon me; it showed plainly that we were in the immediate vicinity of that enemy we had so often talked about, and whom we hoped to conquer; that now the time had arrived which would infallibly prove what every man, boaster or not, was made of; and that it might happen that it was my lot to fall. having reflected (rather confusedly i own) on the passing scene before me, and offered up an occasional prayer to him who alone can cover the head in the day of battle, we now approached the bottom of this sandy eminence, when my company was ordered to unfix bayonets, (for we had previously primed and loaded,) and dash on at double quick time till we came in contact with the enemy. no time was left for reflection now, the immediate duty we had to perform occupied all our attention fully; we soon got into a smart fire from the enemy's riflemen, which we found was the only description of troops, except a few artillery, that we had to contend with, their main bodies of heavy infantry being on the right and left of this sandy range, which in some places was about a mile in breadth, in others more or less. after the fight had fairly commenced, we kept but little order, owing partly to the want of discipline and experience in our people, and partly to the nature of the ground, which was rugged and uneven in the extreme, being one continued range of sand-hills, with hollows more or less deep between them; and partly it may be attributed to the ardour of our young men, who pressed on perhaps too rapidly. we continued to advance, and never once made a retrograde movement, the enemy regularly retiring from height to height on our approach; but they had greatly the advantage over us in point of shooting, their balls doing much more execution than ours; indeed it cannot be wondered at, for they were all riflemen, trained to fire with precision, and armed with a weapon which seldom fails its object if truly pointed; while we were (what shall i say) totally ignorant of that most essential part of a soldier's duty. they consequently suffered little from our fire; but we could not believe this, and tried to persuade ourselves they had either buried their dead in the sand before we came up to them, or carried them off as they retreated; but experience has since taught me to know that we then must have done them little harm. about the middle of the day, as i and a young man of the name of thomas bambrough (a countryman of my own, and who had volunteered with me,) were moving on in company, in passing through one of the valleys to an opposite height, we were assailed by a little volley from a group of the enemy which we discovered on a hill in front of us; one of which shots took effect in poor bambrough's thigh just about the ham; he instantly fell, and roared out most piteously; i laid down my musket and endeavoured to hoist him on my back, in order to take him out of the fire, which they now poured in without intermission; but in this i failed, for he was so completely disabled by the wound, as to be rendered totally helpless, and it was so extremely painful that he could not bear the least movement. i felt constrained to leave him, although i did so with reluctance, telling him that i would push on to the height we had first in view, to which i then perceived some more of our men had advanced, and would drive the enemy from their position; of course all this was not literally told him, but something to that effect was said; and i found that the moment i left him they ceased to fire on him; and, as i promised, we did drive off the enemy. shortly after, some of our own people came up to where poor bambrough lay, and carried him off to the rear; he was sent to an hospital, where he soon after died, they not being able, i understand, to extract the ball. soon after this, there were some tremendous volleys of musketry heard on our left, apparently down in the plain below us. i, with one or two others, now inclined a little towards the left, in order to have a peep at the troops there, so hotly opposed to each other, in doing which, we still kept our line in front of the enemy's skirmishers. we found it was the russian army endeavouring to force their way towards the village of bergen, the scene of their former disaster; but they were most distressingly retarded by the innumerable canals or ditches, by which the country was so intersected, and which were generally impassable by fording. on some occasions i could perceive, when they had found an entrance into an enclosure, and had fought their way to the farther side of it, they were obliged to retrace their steps, and get out by the same way by which they had entered, the enemy all this while pouring into them a close and destructive fire. this appeared to me to be most trying to their patience, and very disheartening; but they bore it with great steadiness. meantime, our own heavy troops were advancing on the right by the sea-beach, where was a plain of sand, of perhaps from to yards in breadth; the sand-hills between the two wings, as i said before, being swept by us, assisted by a small corps of russian riflemen. we moved on till we got a little in advance of the russian army, (which, from the obstacles they had to contend with, did not make very rapid progress,) and immediately over the village of bergen, which stood on the plain, close under the sand-hills. here, the enemy being in possession of considerable field-works, plied us pretty plenteously with shells from their howitzers, (their guns they could not elevate sufficiently to reach us,) but from which we suffered very little; for our people being much extended, and the sand being deep, the bursting of the shells was attended with very little mischief. indeed, for a long time, i did not know what they were; for, having several times heard a loud explosion pretty near, i actually looked round to see the gun, which i imagined had fired, but could perceive nothing but a cloud of smoke rising from the spot, and the small bushes and herbs about it on fire. i thought it strange, and it was not till it was several times repeated, that we discovered what it really was, for my comrades were equally ignorant with myself. at length, towards the close of the afternoon, a loud and heavy fire of musketry broke out on our right, which continued for a considerable time, and then ceased. this was our heavy infantry, who had advanced by the sea-shore, and who had now approached the village of egmont-op-zee, where the enemy made a most determined stand, but at last were driven back with great slaughter, and our people took possession of the town. from this place the battle derives its name. a little after dark, the enemy abandoned bergen also, so that we ceased any longer to be annoyed by their shells, which they continued to throw while they held possession of the place. but a short while before they retired, one was thrown, which pitched just close over my company, (for we had then been collected, and were formed in close order immediately above the town,) and where colonel sharpe and another officer were walking; it lay for a second or two hissing and burning, and might be expected every moment to explode. their road lay close past it; the veteran however took no notice of it, but continued his walk and conversation the same as if nothing had occurred, and without going an inch out of his way. it burst with a tremendous report, but fortunately without doing either of them the least injury. i confess i thought it rather _too brave_; for it appeared to me that he might have walked a little farther from it, or stopped for a moment or two without any imputation on his courage; but people do not all see things exactly alike. our loss in this action was but trifling, considering the extent of the operations. we had in my company only about fourteen or fifteen men killed and wounded; among the latter were my two countrymen, bambrough, as before noticed, and sutherland. one man of our company, i was told, in charging a fieldpiece, was struck down by the wind of the ball, and which, although it did not touch him, brought blood from his mouth, nose, and ears; he never after thoroughly recovered the effects of it. i do not remember ever to have felt more fatigued than i did after this day's work. we had marched before commencing the action, i should think, twelve miles or more. we had been kept upon the run the greater part of the day, and had fought over nearly as much more ground, through loose sand, sometimes nearly up to the middle of the leg, and over ground so extremely uneven, that a few miles of leisurely walking on such, would be more than i should be able to accomplish now; and we had been nearly all the day deprived of every sort of liquid, for our canteens were soon emptied of what little they contained in the morning, and having myself fired nearly rounds of ammunition, the powder of which, in biting off the ends of the cartridges, had nearly choked me. what would i not have given for a good drink? i felt completely exhausted, and laid me down with the others with great good-will on the top of one of the sand-hills. but the night proved extremely wet, so that every one of us was very soon as completely soaked as if he had been dragged through a river; and, to crown my misfortunes, i was without a blanket. here i must confess my folly, that others similarly situated may profit by my experience. soon after the commencement of the action a rumour was spread along the line of skirmishers, that the duke, seeing the very arduous duty we had to perform, had said, "never mind, my lads, if your knapsacks are any encumbrance to you, and impede your running, throw them off, and i will take care you shall be furnished with others." no sooner did this silly report reach my ears, than i, with many others, equally simple, believed it, without taking time to consider that if even it were true, a knapsack and a blanket, (for they were together,) to be useful should be at hand when wanted. but, simpleton like, away went knapsack and blanket, and i felt greatly relieved in getting rid of such a burden, and now pushed on after the enemy with increased vigour, trying at the same time to persuade myself the report was true; although i own i occasionally had my doubts on the subject. but night came on, as i have said, and such a one as i have seldom seen for wet, and then i plainly perceived that i had played the young soldier. an officer of ours of the name of lacy, who had formerly been the captain of the northumberland light company, and who volunteered with us, offered any man half a guinea for the use of a blanket for that night only, but without being able to obtain one: this will give some idea of the kind of night it was. i had nothing for it, but just to put the cock of my musket between my knees, to keep it as dry as possible, and lay myself down as i was. i endeavoured to get as close as i could to one who had a blanket, and lay down with my head at his feet, which he had covered up very comfortably with his blanket. the rain pelted so heavily and so incessantly on my face, that i ventured after a while to pull a little corner of this man's blanket just to cover my cheek from the pitiless storm, and in this situation snatched a comfortable nap; but he awakening in the night, and finding that i had made free with the corner of his blanket, rudely pulled it from off my face, and rolled it round his feet again. i was fain to lie still and let it pelt away, and even in this exposed situation i got some sleep, so completely were the powers of nature exhausted by fatigue. at length morning arose and showed us to ourselves, and such a group of sweeps we had seldom seen. our clothing was literally all filth and dirt; our arms the colour of our coats with rust; and our faces as black as if we had come out of a coal-pit. in biting off the ends of the cartridges, there are generally a few grains of powder left sticking on the lips and about the mouth; these, accumulated as they must have been by the great quantity of ammunition each of us had fired, and with the profuse perspiration we were in during the heat of the day, added to the wet which fell upon us during the night, had caused the powder to run all over our faces; so that in the morning we cut the most ludicrous figure imaginable. however we immediately set about getting our arms again in trim, for though the enemy had left us masters of the field of action, they were not far distant from us. we soon got our firelocks again in fighting order; that is, they would go off, though the brightness, on which a clean soldier piques himself, was gone past recovery at this time. i now felt rather sore from firing my piece so often; the recoil against my shoulder and breast had blackened them, and rendered them rather painful, and the middle finger of my right hand was completely blackened and swoln from the same cause. at this time it was reported that a sad accident had occurred in our battalion; a soldier of one of our companies, in cleaning his musket, had by some awkwardness allowed it to go off, and an officer being immediately in front of where he was standing, the ball had taken effect upon him, and killed him on the spot. after getting ourselves brushed up a little, the whole battalion was brought together, and moved to the right into the town of egmont-op-zee, where the guards and some other regiments had been since the evening before, after beating the enemy out of it, as i before mentioned. we remained here for that day, during which alkmaar surrendered, and then advanced to the village of egmont binnen, or egmont-op-hoof, i am not certain which it is called, a few miles in front, and close by the sea. i omitted to mention, that our fight of the d took place over the ground from which lord duncan's victory derived its name, _i. e._ camperdown. this headland, i fancy, we must have passed during that day's operations--but to return. we remained in egmont binnen till the morning of the th, when my battalion was ordered to fall in and march towards the outposts, a few miles in front, in order, as we understood, to relieve our grenadier battalion, which had been out since the day before. we advanced by the sea-shore, but had not gone far before we saw and heard unequivocal signs that we should have something more than outpost duty to perform; the fact is, the enemy was rapidly advancing, their force in front having been greatly augmented by reinforcements; but when about two miles from the village, we met a soldier of the th light dragoons bringing in a french officer, whom he had taken prisoner. he belonged to the chasseurs-à-cheval, a sort of mounted light troops, who can act either as infantry or cavalry, as occasion may require. when we met them, and while they stood talking for a moment, i could not help thinking it would have made a fine subject for a painting; for the officer was most superbly dressed in dark green, with a richly embroidered pouch-belt over his shoulder, and with a deep cut across his cheek, from which the blood was streaming over an extremely handsome face; indeed he was altogether a most interesting figure, and, contrasted with the rough features and haughty bearing of the proud trooper who had taken him, produced a fine effect. the fellow gave his horse a slap over the flank with the flat of his sword, and set off with his prisoner, crying out, that there were plenty more of them to take, and that he would soon return and bring in another. as we advanced, we could plainly perceive the enemy in front, skirmishing with our grenadiers, and we also saw that they possessed a pretty strong body of cavalry--a species of troops we had not encountered on the d. we could distinctly perceive the cavalry wading into the sea as far as their horses could go, in order, as we imagined, to see past the point of a projecting sand-hill, which obstructed their view of the beach beyond it; but when they perceived that the force which was advancing against them was not great, they attacked our grenadiers with increased vivacity, and we soon after came in contact with them, for they were advancing with as great rapidity as if no force was in front to oppose them. we soon perceived that they were nearly four times our numbers, and were obliged to adopt such a _ruse de guerre_ as is frequently practised by the weaker party, but which had no effect, i am sorry to say, on this occasion,--that is, while one part of our force was skirmishing, the remainder got behind sand-hills a little in rear, and letting the men's heads just show over their tops, as if standing in columns of battalions, tried to induce the enemy to believe that each separate body which appeared was of that force; but no, johnny (as the soldiers sometimes call the french) was not so easily gulled, for they had previously ascertained pretty accurately the strength of our force in front of them, by the operation of the cavalry before mentioned. they therefore pressed on us with the most desperate fury, and in overwhelming numbers. we maintained the action as well as our limited means permitted, and for a while kept tolerable order; but as the fight became hotter, and the disparity of force more apparent, i regret to say, our young troops fell into considerable disorder and confusion. this giving the enemy greater confidence, of course he availed himself of it, and attacked us with redoubled impetuosity; and, i lament to say, our dismayed and disheartened young soldiers fell from one degree of confusion to another, till at length all order seemed entirely lost amongst us; and what was at first a rather regular retreat, became at last a disorderly flight; for wherever an attempt was made to check the ardour of the enemy, the immense inequality of force they possessed soon completely overthrew the few that stood; and many were the brave fellows, both officers and men, who fell in this unequal contest, without their having the slightest chance of successfully opposing our impetuous foe. the flight now became more like a race than any thing else, and i imagine they drove us not less than three or four miles without giving us time to breathe; but when we had reached within about a mile of the village we had left in the morning, we perceived some regiments advancing to our succour; among them was the d, which advanced in line, and showed so good and steady a front as quite delighted us. we could also perceive to our left, that the russians had become engaged with the force in front of them, and were holding it at bay; indeed by this time the action had extended considerably into the country, and some others of the british troops, i understand, were soon engaged. on the coming up of the reinforcement, the d in particular, our straggling and broken troops, which had been so wofully beaten, now united, and again advanced upon the enemy; and when the d had given them a volley or two, the french gave way and retreated with as great precipitation as they had advanced. in short the tables were turned upon them, and the pursuit of them now was equally rapid with our retreat before them a short while previously; and before the action ceased, we had driven them considerably beyond where we encountered them in the morning. night scarcely put an end to the action, for the firing continued long after dark, each party being directed by the fire from the arms of their opponents; the unwillingness to desist on our part, i attribute to a desire of revenge for the disgrace they had inflicted on us in the morning. towards the evening it came on exceedingly wet. nothing could surpass the steadiness and fine appearance of the d, on entering into action; but they were all old soldiers, while our two battalions were composed altogether, i may say, of volunteers from the militia, who had as little idea of service in the field, as if newly taken from the plough. i would just remark here, that from what i have witnessed upon different occasions, i should never be inclined to put very much confidence in raw troops of whatever nation, or of what stuff soever they may be composed, for it is certain, that without being at all deficient in point of courage, they have not that confidence in their own powers which soldiers who are inured to service possess; and if hastily or hotly set upon, while without the aid and example of others more experienced than themselves, it is many chances to one i think that they will give way. so it was on this occasion. nothing could exceed the materials of which these two battalions were composed, had they had the advantage of a little more experience; and no troops could fight better than they did, after gaining the support and countenance of the old regiments which were sent to reinforce them. but i confess with shame, we showed a great want of nerve in the early part of the day, although to any troops the occasion must have been one of severe trial. when the retreat had degenerated into a flight, and every one seemed intent only on making the best of his way to the rear, i, with some others who were among the hills, imagined we could get on faster if we took to the sea-beach, which, although it also was composed of deep sand, yet was level, and could not be so very fatiguing as climbing the innumerable hills over which we had to retreat. away we accordingly set for the beach; but we had forgotten to calculate that if the beach would facilitate our retreat, it also would the enemy's advance. this we soon discovered, for we had scarcely descended from the hills when we found ourselves almost surrounded by the enemy; and it was not without the utmost exertion in our power that we were enabled to effect our escape, the balls flying thicker about us during our short stay here than they had done all the day before. my haversack was a great encumbrance to me on this occasion, for, having lost my knapsack as before related, i was obliged to stuff every thing i possessed into this inconvenient bag; which, hanging so low as to knock against my thighs, greatly impeded my progress to the rear, and had nigh got me lodged in a french prison. a girl, who had followed a grenadier belonging to my regiment when he volunteered out of the militia, accompanied her protector during the whole of this day's operations, and shared equally with him every danger and fatigue to which he was exposed, and no argument could prevail upon her to leave him till the whole business was over, and till the battalion to which her sweetheart belonged was sent to the rear at night. i am not certain whether it was his royal highness's intention to have fought this day, or whether the action was brought on fortuitously; but certainly, although we began the fight under very unfavourable circumstances, and things looked rather awkward at one part of the day, no army ever got a more complete drubbing than the french did before the business terminated. i have since learnt that the action became general along the whole line towards the close of the day. thus ended the last affair between the british and french troops during that unfortunate expedition. the next day we fell back upon egmont binnen, leaving sufficiently strong outposts to occupy the ground we had taken, and this day i was fortunate enough to pick up the shell of an artilleryman's knapsack who had been killed in one of the late fights; but for necessaries i was totally destitute, and began soon after to feel the effects of my folly in throwing away my own. a little before midnight of the evening of the th, we were again ordered under arms with all dispatch and without noise, and had no doubt it was for the purpose of advancing as before, so as to reach the enemy's line by daylight next morning. how great then was our surprise and disappointment, when we turned our faces towards the rear, and filed out of the village by the road leading towards our old quarters! we moved on in silence till we reached egmont-op-zee, where the flashes from a large coal fire erected by way of lighthouse, shed a melancholy gleam over our columns as we passed beneath the hill on which it was erected. here also by the sea lay innumerable dead bodies, both of men and horses, together with broken tumbrils and other sad emblems of the devastation which a few days previously had been made on this very ground; for here it was that the heat and principal part of the action of the d took place, when the heavy columns of the opposing armies came in contact with each other. it would not be easy to describe our feelings as we moved sadly and silently along, knowing, as we now did, that we were for ever abandoning all the advantages that we had hitherto gained, after so much toil, privations, and loss as we had suffered; but it was useless to repine. our leaders must know better than we could possibly do, what state the army was in, and what likelihood remained of effecting the object for which we came into the country; our duty therefore was to obey, without questioning the propriety of our present movement, however unpleasant it might be to our feelings. we passed by old patten, near to which the action of the d commenced, and finally returned to our old quarters at zaand wyck, which we reached some time next day, and where i found my comrade sutherland, who had been here for some days; his wound, which was through the shoulder, not having disabled him from making his way thus far. he had some mutton already cooked, of which i partook with great relish, for i needed refreshment much; and after taking a swig out of his canteen, i laid me down and slept most soundly, rejoiced and thankful that i had so comfortable a home to return to. we remained in this quarter only a day or two, and then our brigade was removed towards the left of the line, which, as well as i remember, rested upon kolhorn. my battalion occupied the village of basingohorn, to which we had retired on a former occasion; i mean on our retreat from hoorne. this was one of the villages farthest in advance, consequently it became an outpost. a night or two passed quietly, but on the second or third night, a firing commenced from the advanced sentries all along the line. whether the enemy had merely been making a reconnoissance, or whether they had intended to advance in force, and our discovering them altered their plan, i know not, but think the former the more probable; but be as it may, it had the effect of turning out our whole line of outposts, which, as might be expected, prepared to give them the best reception we were able. i remember on this occasion putting in two balls when we were ordered to load, as i was determined not to spare them, for i (with all my comrades i believe) felt sore at having been obliged to yield up all the advantages we had gained, to an enemy which we certainly did not consider as having fairly won them from us in action, but who were more indebted to the severity of the weather, producing such disastrous consequences on our young army, than to their prowess in the field. they retired, however, without giving us an opportunity of welcoming them in the manner we intended. a few days after this, on the th october, it came to my turn to be one of the advanced sentries. about break of day, while musing of many things, of home with all its comforts, and contrasting it with my then rather uncomfortable situation, i was suddenly aroused from my reverie by the beating of drums and sounding of trumpets and music, &c., all along the french line. i could not conjecture the cause of all this, for although it is customary to sound and beat the réveille at this hour, yet never having heard the french do so before, i concluded something more than ordinary had occurred to cause them to do so on this occasion, and i need hardly inform my reader that i kept a good look-out, in order that they should not catch us napping. in a short while, however, the mystery was cleared up; for an officer of ours came round all the advanced sentries to tell us, that, as an armistice had been concluded, we were not any longer to prevent the country-people from passing and repassing, as we had formerly had orders to do. i imagine the festive noises which i heard arose from this circumstance having taken place, for i believe the french were tired enough of the business, although they had now become in some measure the assailants; or else the cessation of hostilities allowed them to resume their wonted custom of beating the réveille in the morning. seeing we had failed in our attempt to wrest the country from the french, and that no hope now remained of our ever being in a condition to effect it, the prospect of returning home once more became a pleasing consideration, and i fully gave way to it. my comrades also now began to turn their thoughts homeward, and cheerfulness once more beamed on countenances which for some days past had been rather gloomy. but by this time the dysentery had made sad ravages among our young and inexperienced soldiery, for on a day soon after this, we could in my company muster on parade only eighteen men out of one hundred, of which it was composed at the outset. this inefficiency was caused principally by disease, although we had certainly lost a fair proportion in the field. it was therefore well that our removal to a more favourable soil was about speedily to take place; and wisely had his royal highness acted in agreeing to evacuate a country, the climate of which had been so extremely prejudicial to his army. about this time also, i began to have my personal trials and sufferings; for now i began to feel the full effect of my folly on the d inst., in throwing away my knapsack, for i had not a change of any description, and the consequence may be easily conjectured. filth and vermin now began to add poignancy to my other sufferings, but i bore up against them all as well as i was able; and i have reason to thank god, that the strength of a good constitution enabled me to continue my duty without yielding for one day to the accumulated effects of these disagreeables. soon after this also, the good people of england, commiserating our uncomfortable situation, sent out presents of flannel shirts and shoes, which arrived most opportunely. i was not fortunate enough to obtain one of the former necessary articles, but my sergeant kindly put me down for a pair of shoes, of which i stood in great need, and now beg to return my best thanks to the kind friends who sent them, although at the time we expected we should have to pay for them. in a short while after this, the grenadiers and light battalions were broken up, and each company returned and joined its own proper regiment. we joined ours (the th) at a weeshaus (or poorhouse), situated on the great canal which connects this part of holland with alkmaer, and not far from schagen-bruck. here we were occupied for a few days in putting things in the best order we could, previous to our embarkation. about the d november we marched for the helder, from whence we went on board. on our way down, one of my comrades, who was not over scrupulous in expressing his sentiments, was railing bitterly against the mismanagement (as he imagined) of the expedition, and saying, "he hoped the next time we came to that country, should we ever come again, that we would leave it under more favourable circumstances." general manners (to whose brigade we now belonged) was riding close behind, unknown to this complainer, and overheard every word he said. when the soldier had finished, the general most good-naturedly rode up to him, and began to argue the matter with him. "why," says he, "although we are leaving the country, it is not from the enemy having compelled us to do so from his superior bravery or success in the field, for we have fought only five actions since landing, and in four of these we have been the conquerors; it is owing solely to the great sickness and consequent inefficiency of the army that we have been compelled to this measure." i could not but admire the affability and kindness of the general, and was fully satisfied myself, and so were all who heard him, of, i believe, the justness of the remarks he made. we reached the helder the same day, where we remained doing duty till the th november, on which we embarked on board his majesty's ship romney, of fifty guns, commanded by captain lawford, (afterwards by sir home popham.) she was only a small vessel of her class, and yet our whole regiment was put on board her; we indeed were not very strong, but she was crowded beyond measure, for many, nay, most of the troops had not literally lying room, each company having barely the space between two guns, which, i should think, is not more than twelve feet at the utmost, and even here the sailors, whether with or without orders i know not, slung their hammocks over us. i particularly remember this being the case, for i had the second night, by way of securing room to stretch myself, lain down between decks early in the evening, and had had some little repose, when a sailor, whose hammock was slung right over me, and while standing and making it, put his foot right on my cheek, and stood there till he had finished. i know not whether he knew that it was a human head he was treading on, but i judged it best to be as quiet as possible; preferring the pain of bearing his weight on my head, rather than, by moving or crying out, to incur the risk of his foot slipping, and peeling the skin off my face. the voyage was fortunately short, for in seven days we landed at yarmouth, glad and rejoiced that this unpleasant and ill-fated expedition was terminated. i know not whether my reader is old enough to remember the autumn of which i have been speaking, but to me it appeared one of the wettest and most uncomfortable that i ever remember; and it was here, while exposed to its effects, that were laid, most probably, the seeds of that severe pulmonic affection from which i have since suffered so much. chapter iii. arrive in england--the pompadours embark for ireland--arrive at kinsale--privations in ireland in --peace concluded--our author resolves to return home, but ultimately volunteers into the rifle corps or th--embarks for england, and joins his regiment at sussex--is promoted. we landed at yarmouth on the th november, and the next day marched to norwich, where we remained a few days, and where we found the people remarkably kind and attentive to our comforts; and, indeed, we now cut a most sorry figure, being literally nothing but rags and dirt; it was certainly a sad tax on the good landlords on whom we were billeted, to be compelled to find us lodgings, for we never left the beds unoccupied by some of the uncomfortable companions of our travels when we arose in the morning. i here began to find myself very unwell, for though i had borne up against sickness in the field, i could not now receive my food without feeling the most afflicting nausea, my stomach being completely out of order; and it was no wonder, for we had been compelled for several weeks past to drink the brackish water of the ditches of holland, no springs (that ever i saw) being there to be found, and the little water in their wells, when we arrived in the country, being speedily exhausted. we had also been deprived of salt nearly all the time of our sojourn in that country, one of the greatest privations that i know of. through the nursing of my kind landlady, however, i gradually regained my appetite, and with it my health, for which i have reason to be truly thankful to him who has ever dealt so mercifully with me. in a few days we left norwich on our route to chelmsford, and on our way passed through bury st edmunds, where my late regiment, the northumberland militia, was quartered; they vied with each other in showing us kind attentions, but our miserable appearance put the soldiers of this regiment sadly out of love with the regular service. we did not remain at chelmsford long, but marched again for horsham in sussex, on which occasion i for the first time had a view of the metropolis, as we passed through it, by way of whitechapel and london bridge, &c. at horsham we were quartered during the remainder of this winter. about the th or th of february , we marched for portsmouth, where we embarked for ireland on the th. on this occasion the regiment was put on board two first-rate frigates; the endymion was that on which the left wing went on board, but i do not recollect the name of the other. an agreement was entered into between the two captains, i understood, to sail for fifty guineas, they both being considered fast vessels; our destination was cork; they were to start together, and the first there of course to be the winner. we sailed with a favourable breeze, and got on most delightfully, having, soon after sailing, parted from our antagonist, and passing, if i recollect right, inside the isles of scilly, we in a few days drew near our destined port. but on the th, as we were pushing on with all our might, having every stitch of sail set, a squall came on so suddenly, that, before she could be stripped of her superfluous clothing, she was actually running bows under water, the sea entering the bow-ports, and making its way along between decks, like to wash every thing away before it. at this time the log was hove, and we were going at the (i believe) unparalleled rate of fifteen knots an hour. but unfortunately for our captain, the vessel was completely driven out of her course, and towards evening we entered the harbour of kinsale, thus losing the fifty guineas, although we were no doubt the better sailer. this was the first gale i had experienced, and i did not relish it; but when we entered the harbour, where the water was quite smooth, the sensation i felt was most delightful, after having been buffeted most violently by the sea without. the next day we landed, and were billeted in kinsale, and here i had the first view of irishmen and irish manners. i need not attempt to describe them; for could i, so many have done it before me, that the subject is almost exhausted. in a day or two after landing, we marched to cork, where the right wing had been landed, and with which we of course formed a junction. we remained in ireland from this time till the peace of was concluded, and were quartered successively in the towns of cork, kilkenny, clonmel, fermoy, and kinsale; but as there was nothing which could interest a reader that occurred to me during this period, i shall pass it over in silence, save mentioning the following:--in the year , it is well known the utmost distress was experienced by the poor of both countries, a scarcity, the effects of the wet harvest of , having grievously afflicted all the british dominions. but in ireland, the sufferings of the poor were great, beyond the conception of an englishman who has not witnessed them, and many hundreds of them, i believe, actually perished of want. but my tale relates more immediately to my own sufferings and those of my comrades; for we had then but what was termed a "black shilling a day," that is twelve pence irish, an english or white shilling, or hog, going in that country for thirteen pence; we had not then any beer money either, but had solely this black shilling to subsist on. meat at this time was no less than d. per lb., of which each man received half a pound; bread was d. per lb., of which we also got half a pound. this half pound of bread, and half pound of meat, and that not of the best, was all we had to live on, and do our duty, which was not always of the easiest description. the remainder of our shilling was taken to furnish necessaries, washing, pipeclay, &c., for i do not remember that we ever laid in any sort of vegetables for the pot. potatoes were out of the question, for they were no less than three shillings a stone of fourteen pounds. although we did not absolutely suffer want, the reader will perceive that we were but sparely dieted; the consequence was, innumerable robberies of potato fields, and gardens, &c., in the neighbourhood of our quarters; and many were the men that got punished for this crime, but it could not be put a stop to, for hunger is not easily borne. indeed, on one occasion, i myself was seduced, by the persuasion of my comrades and by the cravings of hunger, into the commission of this crime. i remember well i was on what was termed the commissariat guard, a short distance from the town of fermoy, when my companions, thinking it a favourable opportunity for procuring something to eat, prevailed upon me to accompany them to a garden near the bridge, into which we entered, and each of us returned loaded with a fine cabbage, and which afforded us an excellent meal after our relief from guard. it is impossible to justify such an act, but the reader will be convinced, i trust, that sheer hunger alone urged me to the perpetration of this crime. others, i have no doubt, were equally ill off, who did not resort to such disgraceful means of satisfying their hunger, but bore it with patient resignation. i believe that such was the case, and take shame to myself for yielding either to the calls of nature or the solicitations of my companions, some others of whom were not so scrupulous. during this distressing season i sold a watch which had formerly been my father's, and with which i felt extremely loath to part. i also received a little money from home, all, or nearly all, of which was expended in procuring food. the hedges and fields, &c. in the vicinity, were ransacked in all directions, for the purpose of procuring bramble-berries, nettles, &c. &c.; in short, for any thing that was eatable. such was our situation during several months, while under the command of lieut.-col. skinner, who, although an excellent officer, had little idea of disposing of a soldier's pay to the best advantage; but latterly we were commanded by major keating, who, making the comfort of the soldiers under his command his continual study and delight, soon adopted a system which secured to us plenty in comparison of our former state. he left off the meat and bread save occasionally, and procured for us plenty of oatmeal and milk, by which means our wasted bodies began shortly after to resume quite another appearance. we were quartered at lap's island, in cork, when the news arrived of peace having been concluded; and as the bulk of the regiment had volunteered from the militia for five years, or during the war, measures were taken for discharging all those who did not re-enlist either into their own or other regiments. my mind was fully made up to return home; for although, as i said before, i never repented of having entered the regular service, yet i knew that the anxiety of my dear parents for my return was so great, that i had settled it fully in my own mind to leave the army. another reason operated with me partly in forming this resolution--i had persuaded myself that i ought to have been promoted--for i judged myself fully capable of conducting the duties of a non-commissioned officer, and i flattered myself my conduct had been generally unexceptionable; but i was disappointed, for the great numbers in my company, who were judged both more deserving and better qualified, and withal better-looking soldiers, put it out of the question for me to look forward to promotion. i was in this state when an officer and a party of the rifle corps arrived at cork, to receive such of the men of the different regiments then about to be discharged, as chose to volunteer, for this novel, and, as some thought, dangerous service. i cannot account for the impulse with which i was urged on, from the moment i had seen one of the men, to enter this corps. something strange seemed to push me on, contrary to the full determination to return home, which had possessed me an hour before. i will not attempt to account for it, but such was the fact. i immediately, with some others of my regiment, gave in my name as a volunteer for the rifle corps, and was in consequence in a day or two sworn into that corps, in which i have ever considered it an honour to serve, and which i have reason to thank a kind and overruling providence i ever entered. no news of course could be so afflictive to my dear parents, as to hear of the last rash and irretrievable step which i had taken. it had wellnigh broken their hearts, for they fully calculated on my returning home, as i had written to that effect. judge then of their surprise and sorrow, when they learnt that i had entered, what was deemed by some, a condemned corps, and that for life--and that the west indies would no doubt soon be my grave. on my leaving the th, the officers of my company expressed their regret that i should quit the regiment, and told me, that although the mode hitherto pursued of keeping all the best-looking men in the light company had kept many from obtaining promotion, who otherwise would have been made non-commissioned officers, yet that mode was no longer to be adhered to, and that i might shortly expect to be promoted into another company, if i would consent to remain. i thanked them, and told them i had made up my mind, on which they each gave me a certificate as to character, &c., recommending me to the officers of my new corps, and which were of service to me afterwards. the sergeant who had been sent to receive us, at once became my stanch friend, and employed me, as the party was now become pretty strong, to act as a non-commissioned officer. every thing went on quite smoothly, and i felt happy in my new corps, and in my new employment. we marched soon after to waterford, and thence to passage, and there embarked for the isle of wight, and without encountering any remarkable event arrived at cowes on the th june, ; here we remained a day or two, and then marched for the regiment in sussex. we found them at east bourne, although blatchington was their quarter, but they had been sent out of it on account of the assizes or election, i do not remember which. we immediately commenced our light drill, in which i took great delight; but most of all i liked the shooting at the target. as recruits, we were first drilled at what is termed the horse, _i. e._ a machine to assist young riflemen in taking aim. at this i pleased my commanding-officer so much the first time i tried, that he ordered me to the front, and told me to load, and fire at the target. i did, and made a pretty good shot, hitting pretty near the bull's eye; on which he made me load again and fire, and hitting that also, he made me go on till i had fired ten rounds, all of which hit the target, and two of which had struck the bull's eye. the distance indeed was only fifty yards, but for a recruit, that is, a person unaccustomed to rifle-shooting, he called it a wonderful exhibition, and in consequence he gave me sixpence out of his pocket, and ordered me home. i thought the reward quite inadequate, so natural is it for us to overrate our own deservings. this officer (major wade) was one of the best shots himself that i have almost ever seen. i have known him, and a soldier of the name of smeaton, hold the target for each other at the distance of yards, while the other fired at it, so steady and so accurate was both their shooting. i continued to maintain my character as a good shot, which in a rifle corps is a great recommendation, and proceeded in acquiring a knowledge of my other duties with such steadiness as obtained the approbation of my officers. we soon after marched to chatham--and while there, several non-commissioned officers being employed on the recruiting service, i was employed in doing the duty of one, having been appointed what is termed a "chosen man." i must record the manner of my appointment. an acting-sergeant was doing the duty of pay-sergeant of our company, but he took it into his head to go all wrong, spending the money intrusted to him for the payment of the men. he of course was deprived of the situation; and on this occasion it was, that the officer commanding the company came to me one day, and said to me, "surtees, i shall be _forced_ to make you a chosen man." i thanked him, but could not help reflecting on the strange mode of expressing himself which he had adopted. the fact is, i believe, without thinking about the opinion i must form of the compliment he was paying me, he had been indeed forced to it, for he had no one to pay the company besides; and as i was not yet dismissed from the drill, it was an unprecedented measure. but he need not have told the _whole_ truth on this occasion, for i should have been no worse a non-commissioned officer, had he been more complimentary; but he was a _plain_ man, and not much given to compliment. on our march hither, some of the men broke into the plate chest of the officers' mess, while the baggage stopped in maidstone; one man was discovered, and tried for it, and sentenced to receive lashes, all of which he took at one standing, and that without evincing much suffering; this was the most i ever saw inflicted at one time. we marched again from chatham in september, and on the d of october arrived at thorncliffe. while here, my parents interested mr beaumont, m.p. for my native county, to solicit my discharge from the honourable colonel stewart, my then commanding-officer, they paying the regulated sum to the government. the colonel sent for me, and talked with me on the subject, and argued most forcibly in favour of my remaining in the regiment, saying he had intended to promote me the first vacancy; and that he had no doubt whatever of seeing me one day an officer. i own my views were not so sanguine; but his reasoning prevailed, and i consented to remain. soon after, an opportunity offering, i was appointed corporal on the th of the same month. here again i had disappointed my beloved and tender parents, for it was not without considerable trouble and difficulty they obtained the interference of mr beaumont, and now i had again thrown cold water on all their endeavours to obtain my discharge. i fear i have much to answer for, as respects my conduct towards them. may god forgive me! chapter iv. made pay-sergeant--moral reflections--wreck of a dutch east indiaman--reduced officers--war with france in --encampment at thorncliffe under the command of general sir john moore--encampment broke up, november, --embark for germany, october, --vicissitudes at sea--land at cuxhaven--march to bremen--outposts established--retrograde movements, in consequence of the defeat of the allied forces at austerlitz--the allied forces evacuate germany--re-embarkation of the troops--the rifle corps, or th, land at yarmouth. having given satisfaction as a corporal, i was shortly after appointed acting-sergeant; and in that capacity also, having pleased my officers, i was, on a vacancy occurring on the th of february following, appointed sergeant, and given the payment of a company. my head was almost turned by such rapid promotion, and i began in earnest to contemplate the possibility of my colonel's predictions being one day verified. kind providence watched over me, however, and kept me from being too much elated, and of committing myself as i otherwise might have done. indeed i many times did commit things which, if strictly searched into, would have brought censure upon me, and lowered the high opinion that both myself and others entertained of me; but nothing that openly violated the law by which i was then governed (although many of god's laws i daily transgressed) was done by me. i was at this time, although careful to secure the good opinion of my officers, little solicitous to please him who had alone lavished all this bounty upon me. indeed i believe i was as ungodly at this time as i ever remember to have been, and yet he caused me to prosper. oh! how i ought to feel shame and confusion of face at the recollection of such abused goodness and mercy! may he pardon me for christ's sake! a short while before my appointment as sergeant, a most melancholy occurrence took place in the neighbourhood of our cantonment. a large dutch east indiaman, outward bound to batavia, and full of troops, in passing down channel, mistook, i understand, the light at dungeness for one on the french coast, and in consequence stood in towards dymchurch wall instead of keeping out to sea. as might be expected, she was not long in striking on the wall, running with her bow quite close under the road, and in an instant, almost, went to pieces; and although numbers of people were early at the spot, and some, i believe, at the very moment she struck, they could render the unfortunate sufferers no effectual aid, although only a few yards distant from them. out of about persons on board, only seven men were saved. many poor fellows, i understand, attempted to swim on shore, some on planks, and others without any aid; but such was the tremendous swell, and the general destruction of the ship so rapid, that only those seven before mentioned succeeded; and they not without being all more or less injured by pieces of the wreck. an admiral, i understood, was on board, and perished; several beautiful females were afterwards cast ashore among the dead, the wives or daughters, no doubt, of some on board; they were for the most part nearly naked, so that it is conjectured they had been in bed. as might be expected, the allurement to plunder so valuable a wreck was not resisted by the natives of this part of the coast, but colonel stewart humanely placed strong bodies of the regiment at different points where the wreck had drifted, to secure as much of the property as he could for the dutch government, and also to collect and bring in the numerous dead bodies which floated along the shore; all of which he had decently interred in the churchyard at thorncliffe, and had the poor wounded survivors taken into hospital, where every care was taken of them. indeed nothing could exceed the unremitting attention which he paid both to the dead and living on this most melancholy occasion, and for which he received, as he well merited, the thanks of the dutch government. about this period we had several individuals serving in the corps as soldiers, who had been officers in the army during the late war, but who, from different causes, had been reduced to the necessity of enlisting as private soldiers. the first that i remember was a person of the name of conway welch, who, i understood, had been an officer, and i think the adjutant of the surrey rangers. he got on to the rank of corporal, but, being excessively wild, i believe he never attained a higher rank. i do not remember what became of him. the second was called hughes; he was, i believe, when he enlisted, actually in the receipt of half-pay as a lieutenant of the line. he was a person of good conduct, and was soon promoted to the rank of corporal, and the colonel took him for his own private clerk, or secretary, as he was denominated; but he did not remain long in this situation, for he was shortly after called upon full pay of his rank in the army. i believe his case was a singular one. the third unfortunate individual was of the name of tait. he had been a captain in the caithness legion, but reduced when the regiment was broken up at the peace. he conducted himself extremely well for some time after he came into the regiment, and got on so far as to become pay-sergeant of a company. but in this situation, having considerable sums at his command, he became involved through his dissipation, and being unable to extricate himself from his difficulties, he adopted the fatal resolution of committing suicide, and accordingly, when quartered at woodbridge, he one day retired to his room, loaded his rifle, and blew out his brains. the story of the fourth individual is a scarcely less melancholy one. his name was m'laughlan. i had known him while serving in my late regiment, as he had been an officer in the light company of the th regiment, and stood next in the light battalion to the company to which i belonged. he, shortly before our embarkation for holland, got involved, through a gambling transaction i heard, and was in consequence obliged to dispose of his commission, which, it would appear from this, he had originally purchased. but interest was made in his behalf, and he was permitted to accompany his regiment to holland in the capacity of a volunteer, and he accordingly assumed the firelock and bayonet in place of his former weapon, the sword. he was fortunate enough to obtain another commission before the return of the troops to england, but how he became deprived of that i have been unable to learn. but about the latter end of , he enlisted as a private in my corps. his conduct here was far from good, and he consequently never rose higher, for he was continually in scrapes from his dissipated habits; and becoming tired of the restraint laid upon him by the strict discipline which our excellent commanding-officer enforced, he one day made an attempt to desert and join the french at boulogne, and was picked up by one of our cruisers in endeavouring to cross the channel in an open boat. he was brought back handcuffed, and lodged in the guard-house one day when i happened to be sergeant commanding the guard. as i looked on him, i could not help reflecting on the strange vicissitudes which attend some men in their passage through life. here was a person whom i had known only a few years before while encamped on barham downs, a gay and handsome young officer, moving in the circle of men of gallantry and honour; and now behold him a wretched culprit, stretched on the wooden guard-bed, manacled like a felon. in contrasting his miserable situation with my own so much happier lot, what ample cause had i for gratitude to that kind and indulgent providence, which had preserved me from those excesses, which entailed so much misery on others. he was shortly after tried by a general court-martial, and transported as a felon for life. i understand a sister of his was at thorncliffe at the time of his trial, &c., the wife of a brevet lieutenant-colonel in the th regiment. what must she have felt! it will be recollected that, in , war again broke out between this country and france, as my preceding story had intimated. the army was consequently augmented again, and my corps, till now called the "rifle corps," was made the th. this year a camp was formed on thorncliffe, under the command of that able general and excellent man sir john moore. this was termed by some the "vanguard of england," for here it was that the then threatened invasion of this country by bonaparte must most likely have taken place, it being immediately opposite to the grand camp then forming at boulogne. daily rencontres took place between our cruisers and his far-famed flotilla; and on one occasion, the belief that he was sending forth his invincible host was so great, that our camp was struck, the troops turned out, and received each man his sixty rounds of ammunition; the waggons and carts were all put in immediate requisition, and the inhabitants were flying in all directions. but to our disappointment, i will not say whether disagreeable or otherwise, it all ended in smoke; it happened to have been some of his flotilla making a movement along the coast, which had been set on by our cruisers and pretty roughly handled. we remained in this camp till the th of november, i think, having occasionally before this period had our tents blown from over our heads by the autumnal gales. the next year a more formidable camp was formed on the same ground, the force having been augmented by a second line, composed of regiments of militia. this year also, like the last, passed over without witnessing the long-threatened invasion of old england, although bonaparte, in the pride of his heart and the vanity of his mind, had begun to erect a monument near boulogne, to commemorate that glorious achievement. my regiment, on the breaking up of the camp, marched into hythe barracks, where we remained till the month of april, . in the spring of this year another volunteering from the militia into regiments of the line was ordered, on which occasion i was selected by my commanding-officer, lieut.-colonel beckwith, to accompany lieutenant evans, of the regiment, down to my native county, to receive such men of the militia regiments there as chose to enter the th. on this occasion we were very successful, having obtained between seventy and eighty men from the different regiments in the north. it was on this occasion that i had the first opportunity, since i became a soldier, of visiting my native village, and my greatly-distressed parents and family. i need not describe the meeting that took place between us, on my first seeing them--it will be better conceived than told;--suffice it to say, joy and sorrow were strangely mingled together--joy to see me once more safe and sound--but sorrow that the line of life i had adopted should so soon, so very soon, call upon me to part from them again. in fact, i could only remain with them three days, at the end of which, i had orders to join my party at morpeth. with this respectable batch of volunteers we marched, and joined the regiment at canterbury, whither it had been removed during our absence, and, on our arrival, received the thanks of our commanding-officer for our exertions. here, and at this time, a second battalion to the th was formed, the sergeant-majorship of which i was in hopes of obtaining; but in this i was disappointed, for a sergeant, who was both much older than me, and had much stronger claims than i could pretend to, was selected for the situation; and although he did not turn out so well afterwards as was expected, yet these circumstances ought to have satisfied me at the time that no injustice was done me by bestowing it upon him. but such was my folly, and the over-high opinion i entertained of my own merits, that i could not quietly acquiesce in this most just arrangement; and foolishly imagining myself ill-used, the chagrin of which drove me to the adoption of one of the worst expedients possible, i immediately took to drinking and to the neglect of my proper duties, thinking, like an ass as i was, that i should thus revenge myself for my supposed ill-usage, forgetting that it was only on myself that this revenge could ultimately fall. however, the same good providence which has mercifully and so continually watched over me, stepped in to my aid in this my most dangerous situation; for one day my captain, who had always been my friend, sent for me, and urged upon me the folly and the baseness of my present conduct, and the unhappy consequences to myself that were likely to result from persisting in a course so absurd and blame-worthy. this, with my own reasoning on the subject, brought me at length to a better disposition of mind, and induced me once more to resume my duties with cheerfulness and alacrity. i have mentioned this circumstance, because i believe i was nearer at this time to falling into my original nothingness, than i ever have been, either before or since; and i have no doubt that many an excellent non-commissioned officer and soldier have been involved in the like error, who have not been so fortunate as i was in escaping its consequences. from canterbury we marched to brabourn lees barracks, in the same county, where we remained till some time in october, when we were called upon to embark for lower germany. during our stay at brabourn lees, a circumstance occurred which called forth an exhibition of as great magnanimity, on the part of colonel beckwith, as i almost ever remember to have witnessed: we had received about irish volunteers, who were wild and ungovernable in the extreme; a party of these, in strolling about one day, had fallen in with mrs beckwith, with her maid and child, taking a walk along the ashford road. not knowing, i imagine, who the lady and her maid were, they set on and assaulted them in the most violent and outrageous manner, proceeding to such lengths as perhaps delicacy forbids to mention. it was, i believe, discovered who they were. accordingly, the next day, the colonel formed the battalion into a square, and proceeded to relate the circumstance to the regiment; "but," says he, "although i know who the ruffians are, i will not proceed any farther in the business, because it was _my own wife_ that they attacked; but, had it been the wife of the meanest soldier in the regiment, i solemnly declare i would have given you every lash which a court-martial might have sentenced you." such a trait of generous forbearance is not often met with; but by this, and similar instances of liberal feeling, he completely gained the heart of every soldier in the battalion, a thing not always attainable by very excellent commanding-officers. about the latter end of october, , we marched to ramsgate, and there embarked, as before noticed, for germany. it was my lot, on this occasion, to be put on board a small and ill-shaped collier brig, called the jane of shields, but the master i have forgot. she was a most miserable sailer, making on a wind almost as much lee as head-way, and in every respect ill adapted for the transport service. we had not been many days at sea before we lost the fleet, and in our endeavours to find it again were at one time on the coast of jutland. all this time we had been beating against a contrary wind; but while here, the wind became favourable, and we appeared to have nothing to do but to bear away for the mouth of the elbe, which river it was our destination to enter; but unfortunately, by some mismanagement, we fell quite away to leeward of it, and got entangled between the mainland and the island of wangeroog, not far from the mouth of jade river, instead of the elbe. while in this uncomfortable situation, it came on to blow a tremendous gale, which rendered our position not only most unpleasant, but extremely perilous, for we were embayed, and the wind blowing on a lee shore, and the vessel became almost unmanageable, her bad sailing becoming distressingly more apparent the more she was put on her mettle. in the midst of the confusion attendant on such circumstances, the master (with what intention i know not, whether to drown dull care, or to fortify him against his exposure to the watery element) went down below, and swallowed the best part of a bottle of brandy. in doing which, his corner cupboard, with all its contents, came rattling down about his ears. he would fain have had me to pledge him, but i begged to be excused. the consequence was, he became quite drunk at the time when all his abilities as a seaman were likely to be called into operation; but he probably saw things clearest after having his eye wet. my commanding-officer now became quite alarmed for the safety of the troops, seeing the master had incapacitated himself, as he conceived, for the management of the vessel; and, after a consultation among our officers, an attempt was made to deprive him of the command, and intrust it to the mate, who had in this case, in order to save as many of the troops as possible, determined on running the vessel high and dry, as he termed it, on the sandy beach, near the jade river. at this proposal, however, the master stormed and blasphemed like a madman, swearing there was neither soldier nor sailor on board the ship but himself. he went so far, and became so outrageous, that our commanding-officer talked of hanging him up at the yard-arm; but it being a ticklish thing to take the command of a ship from the person legally authorized to exercise it, the major did not enforce the wishes of the officers. the poor mate sat down on the companion and cried like a child, partly owing to the abuse the captain gave him, and partly, i imagine, from the hopelessness of our situation. the captain, in his refusal to yield up the command, told the major he had been several times wrecked, and had been, i know not how many times, exposed for a considerable length of time in the water; and that he was not afraid to encounter it again. this, however, was but poor consolation to landsmen, who had not been accustomed to such duckings. a desperate case requires a desperate remedy--so our captain thought--for he instantly clapped on the vessel the square mainsail, which every moment threatened to carry away the mast, and in which case, nothing could have prevented our destruction; however, providence so ordered it, that she bore it through the gale, and he, after putting her on the outward tack, continued to stand from the land till he imagined he had completely weathered wangeroog; but at midnight, when he ordered to put about the ship, had it not been for the cabin-boy providentially seeing close to leeward of us the light of wangeroog, we should instantly have been upon the rocks. this will show either what a bad sailer the vessel was, or how far the master had miscalculated the distance; for he imagined himself by this time to be quite clear of all the land, and considerably out to sea. he continued, after this providential escape, to stand on the same tack, and just cleared the island; and in the morning, the wind having somewhat abated, and shifted a little in our favour, we were enabled, soon after, to lay our course. we arrived in the elbe, and landed at cuxhaven on the th of november, , the day on which our fleet there was celebrating the victory of trafalgar--clouded indeed it was by the death of the hero who fell while achieving it--yet glorious to the nation to which that fleet belonged. we, immediately after landing, marched for dorum, a village twelve or fourteen miles distant, and from thence by osterholtz and bremer lehe to the city of bremen. on our arrival there, (my battalion forming the advanced guard,) we found the gates were shut against us; a prussian garrison was in the town, the commandant of which seemingly did not know how to act, whether to admit us as allies, or not, the policy of his government at that time being so extremely ambiguous. colonel beckwith, who commanded the advance, was not however easily to be deterred from executing his orders, and he hesitated not to tell them, that if they did not choose to admit us peaceably, force should be resorted to to gain an entrance. this had the desired effect, for the gate was soon after thrown open, and we were received by the authorities of the town, and by the inhabitants in general, with the warmest expressions of friendship and cordial attachment; the prussian officers, all the while looking on, apparently not over-well pleased with the conduct of their hosts; they were soon afterwards, however, withdrawn from the territory, and we then remained sole occupiers of this part of the country. our army assembled in this city in considerable force, when it becoming necessary to establish outposts in advance, my battalion was sent out first to the town of delmenhorst, and subsequently a part of it to the city of oldenburg, and the remainder to the town of wildishausen; to this latter place two companies were detached, under the command of major travers, and to which he appointed me to act as sergeant-major. we did not remain long in this situation, but were again recalled from wildishausen to delmenhorst, and afterwards sent to join the other companies at oldenburg. here we staid some time, during which we experienced the most unbounded hospitality and kindness from the whole of the inhabitants, but more particularly from the duke. he actually did not know how sufficiently to express his friendly disposition towards our officers in general,--his kindness also extended to the soldiers,--for when we afterwards received an order to retrograde again to delmenhorst, he sent forward to the half-way house refreshments of every description, for both officers and men; and the night before we left this hospitable city, he gave a splendid ball in honour of the officers of our corps, to which, of course, every inhabitant of a suitable rank was invited. nay, i heard, and have no reason to doubt the correctness of the report, that he wrote to the burgomaster of bremen, to which city we again retired, to endeavour, if possible, to have us quartered in his immediate neighbourhood, in the best part of the town, for that not only the officers, but the soldiers of the corps, were perfect gentlemen; indeed, the conduct of the battalion at this time, under its kind and excellent commanding-officer, was such as to entitle it to the highest praise. our retreat on this occasion, i understood, was rendered necessary, in consequence of the defeat of the allied forces at austerlitz, and of the fatal termination by that sanguinary action of the campaign in that part of germany. although i am no prophet, i predicted at this period what the result would be to the king of prussia, whose hesitating and equivocal conduct kept him aloof from taking an active part, when his co-operation might have been of the utmost advantage to the general cause. it required no second sight to perceive, that when bonaparte could clear his hands of his present antagonists, he would not hesitate for a moment to turn his arms against a monarch on whom he could not cordially rely, and whose dominions offered such a strong temptation to an ambitious and aspiring mind like his. we continued to occupy bremen till towards the beginning of february , when the whole army gradually drew down towards our place of embarkation, for the purpose of evacuating the country, our stay now having been rendered useless by the unsuccessful and unfortunate turn which the allied affairs had taken. my battalion covered the retreat of the army; but as great numbers of the german legion, which formed part of the british force in this country, were deserting and returning to their homes, we were sent away into the interior to endeavour to intercept such of them as might pass by the villages we occupied, and restore them to the army. we took some, but not many; and soon after we also retired, and went on board at cuxhaven, and again returned to england, landing at yarmouth on the th of the same month. during the whole of my military career, i never witnessed so cordial an attachment to the british name and character, as was manifested during this service, by the good people among whom we had been residing. nothing was too good for us--and nothing was left undone by them to render us comfortable and happy. it is true they have their vices like other people; but barring one or two peculiar to continental nations, i believe them to be, generally speaking, as moral as any people among whom it has been my lot to sojourn. but, oh! with what shame and sorrow do i look back on the part i acted at this period--how profligate and abandoned was my conduct at the very time that a kind and gracious providence was showering its choicest blessings upon me! but, alas, i paid no regard to the remonstrances of conscience, which i endeavoured and succeeded in drowning in debauchery and intemperance. chapter iv.* our author made quartermaster-sergeant of the d battalion, which he joins at feversham, kent--expedition to denmark--embark at deal--land at vedbeck, zealand--partial engagements--siege of copenhagen--a division under sir arthur wellesley advance to kioge--copenhagen capitulates--amnesty between the danish forces in the island of zealand, and the british--the british evacuate denmark--embark at copenhagen--arrive in the downs--land at deal. we landed, as i before stated, at yarmouth, and proceeded by way of lowestoft to woodbridge, in suffolk, in the barracks of which my battalion was quartered. here also was the d regiment, that which i had seen act so nobly in holland: and as it was determined by its commanding-officer to give the regiment some idea of light movements, i was selected for the purpose of instructing their non-commissioned officers. but i did not long continue to instruct them, for in the may following, an offer was made me by colonel beckwith of the situation of sergeant-major in the cornwall miners, a regiment of militia, with the prospect, he told me, of shortly becoming adjutant. this, however, after due consideration, i declined accepting--preferring to remain in a regiment and service which i liked so well, and in which i hoped one day to rise to something higher than my present situation. i believe my conduct on this occasion was approved, for not long after, it was intimated to me, that the offer i had refused, had been made to the quartermaster-sergeant of our second battalion, and that he had, after some hesitation, accepted it, thus leaving his situation open for me. accordingly, i departed for the purpose of joining that battalion, and entering on my new duties. i joined it at feversham, in kent. my means increasing, the sinfulness of my course of life was increased in proportion. it is true, i generally performed my various military duties to the satisfaction of my superiors; but could not at all times please my present commanding-officer, against whose wish and inclination i had been appointed to my present situation; he naturally wishing to have a person of his own selection. soon after this, an expedition being ordered for south america, of which three companies of my present battalion were to form a part, i waited on him, and requested him to permit me to accompany them in the capacity of acting quartermaster. he said no; but if i chose to resign my present situation, and go as a sergeant, he would permit me. this i of course declined, as it would have been paying a bad compliment indeed to my benefactor, colonel beckwith, thus to give up for nothing what he had been at pains to procure for me. this, and some other little things which occurred about the same time, proved to me that i was no favourite with my new lieutenant-colonel, and that it behoved me to be very guarded in my conduct. we were, after this, removed to brabourn lees again, and remained there, without any occurrence arising, till we were summoned to take part in the expedition fitting out for denmark. we accordingly repaired to deal, where we embarked on the th of july, , and shortly after sailed for our destination. we arrived in the sound about the th of august, where the whole fleet was assembled; one of the largest i had yet seen. on the th, every thing having been previously got ready, we landed at the village of vedbeck, in the island of zealand, about ten or twelve miles below copenhagen. it was a most beautiful and glorious sight to witness the debarkation of the first division, or advanced guard, to which my battalion belonged. the most perfect arrangements had been made by sir home popham, who superintended the landing of the troops; and nothing could exceed the beauty and regularity in which the different divisions of boats approached the shore, covered by some small brigs and bombs, which had orders to clear the beach by grape shot, of any enemy that might appear. some light artillery also landed with us, prepared for immediate action, for it was not known but the danes might attempt to oppose our landing, they having rejected every overture on the part of our commanders for the delivery of their fleet. after landing, mine and the first battalion of my regiment were sent forward in the direction of copenhagen; and on this occasion, i for the first time saw the illustrious general, who has since made the world resound with his exploits. he commanded us, who formed the advance, and directed our two battalions during the operations of the day. but we met with no force of the enemy, save a small patrol of cavalry, which passed in front of us, and then retired towards the city; this showed that they were observing our movements. we halted for the night at a village called, i think, lingbye, on the great road from copenhagen towards elsineur. we rested on our arms all night, and early in the morning moved forward on the copenhagen road, and about mid-day took up cantonments within a long gun-shot of the city, and began to invest the place. all was quiet till about three o'clock in the afternoon, when a general cry of turn out, set the whole of our people in motion. a considerable body of the enemy were advancing from the town, and by this time had attacked the advanced picquets on our left, towards the sea-shore; but instant succour being sent, they maintained their ground. the force opposed to the enemy was but small, consisting of two companies of the th regiment, four of the d, and four of my battalion, with two light fieldpieces; in all not more than men, while the danes were near . nevertheless, the moment the armies came in contact, they instantly gave way, leaving a considerable number of killed and wounded behind them, and retreated into the town. on this occasion, i attached myself to my commanding-officer, who, with the surgeon, and some others of the staff, advanced with one of the guns on the great road, having some of our companies on each flank. he gave me his glass to take care of, with which i soon after busied myself in watching the motions of the enemy. i discovered at a short distance to our left and front, a considerable body of troops, dressed in long red coats, which i knew could not be british, for that description of dress had long been laid aside by us; i accordingly began, pointing them out as an excellent mark for the artillery, which was then with us; but i had scarcely spoken, when an officer present, cried out, after looking, did i wish the artillery to fire on our own people? the colonel also made some severe and reproachful remarks, telling me, if i would fight, to go and take a rifle. i said nothing; but he had scarcely finished his harangue, when a round shot came directly from this body of supposed british troops, which nigh carried away one of the legs of the first officer who spoke. the enemy were soon repulsed, and the troops retired again to their former cantonments. after their troops retreated, a body of their gun-boats advanced against some of our small craft which happened to be rather close in shore, but their attack occasioned little injury, the distance being considerable. the next morning the enemy opened a heavy and rather destructive fire of artillery upon our outposts, by which we lost an officer of artillery and several men; their fire was chiefly directed against what was called the windmill battery, which was our farthest advance at this time. on the th, my battalion was moved farther to the right, and nearer the town; there was constant firing between the advanced posts of the two armies, and this continued for several days, during which the investment of the city was proceeding with, and batteries, &c. marked out for the purpose of bombarding it. all kinds of ordnance stores were at the same time disembarked, and sent off to the army with the utmost dispatch. in short, nothing could exceed the vigour with which the siege was now prosecuted, after the final rejection of pacific overtures by the danish general. on the th, we were ordered under arms at two o'clock in the morning, and immediately advanced, driving in the enemy's outposts, with the view of carrying our works nearer the town. in this movement we experienced considerable opposition and suffered some loss, from their guns on the town walls, and from musketry from the windows. we this day established two strong and well advanced batteries, and at night set fire to a windmill in their possession, which obstructed our view of some of their works. during the whole of the th, there was a constant fire both of artillery and fire-arms, by which one of the light battalions of the german legion suffered rather severely. my battalion relieved them at the outposts a little before dark, and was fortunate enough not to lose a man, where they had lost considerable numbers. on the th, a corps or division of the army was assembled, and placed under the immediate orders of sir arthur wellesley. it consisted of the following regiments, viz. d, d, d, th, and th battalion king's german legion, with six squadrons of german cavalry, and some artillery, and was destined to advance against a body of the enemy composed principally of militia, which had been for some time past collecting in the neighbourhood of kioge. at three o'clock p.m., we started from the neighbourhood of copenhagen, the troops making their way through the country to the left of the great road to roskild. i had charge of the baggage, which was carried on light german waggons, the bodies of which are formed chiefly of wicker-work, and are so light and easy of draught that the natives travel in them in the same manner nearly of our coaches--they going sometimes at a considerable rate. i found it impracticable to continue in the same direction the troops had gone, for they presently left all traces of a road, and struck right across the country--and as i knew i should be expected to have the baggage with them that night if possible, i determined to run all hazards, and proceed along the great high-road in hopes of afterwards being enabled to find them out--accordingly i moved forward, and presently passed the outposts of the german cavalry stationed in the direction of roskild; the men, i doubt not, wondering at my temerity in pushing on with a few baggage waggons, where they were all on the alert with swords drawn, and with carbines and pistols loaded. i own it was a hazardous undertaking, for a very small party of the enemy would easily have captured both me and my baggage; but i knew my commanding-officer to be such a person as to pay little attention to excuses of any kind when he wished a thing to be done, and withal he loved his comforts, and would not have been easily pacified had he been deprived of them. fortunately, after advancing for some miles beyond the outposts of our army before mentioned, i fell in with a road branching off towards the left, apparently in the very direction the troops had taken. till i reached this point, i had advanced with considerable caution, and slowly; determined, if any enemy should appear in front, to endeavour to effect a retreat. but now, having left the great road, and taken that which i judged would bring me to the neighbourhood of those i was seeking, i accordingly ordered all my guards to mount, and set off at a brisk trot, keeping a good look-out to my right flank, for fear of surprise, and fortunately fell in with the division at the very moment it was entering the road by which i had come. i received great credit for my generalship, and was complimented by the officers of my corps, they being the only people in the division, i believe, who had the comfort of their baggage that night. the name of the village where we halted is caughstrup. the next day we continued to advance in the direction of kioge, and in the afternoon we reached a village which i forget the name of, and where evident traces appeared of the enemy having shortly left it; indeed, we found two or three stragglers in the village, who were of course made prisoners. we halted outside the village for the night. a short while before we reached this village, i saw a body of troops dressed in red, marching on our right flank, at right angles to the road by which we were advancing, and which i instantly concluded must be a part of the enemy's force, as we had no troops in that direction. but remembering the rebuke i received on the th for interfering with concerns that did not belong to me, i shut my mouth in silence, and did not, i believe, mention the matter. it is evident it was a part of the enemy's force, for the general's information led him to take that very same direction the next day; and that being towards roskild, we set out and reached that city in the afternoon, but found the enemy had again given us the slip, and doubled back to nearly the same place from whence we had started. the next morning about three o'clock we left roskild, and took the road for kioge, near which it was now ascertained the enemy had come to a resolution to make a stand. i forgot to mention that previous to this our force had been divided and formed into two brigades; the d, d, our st battalion, and some cavalry and artillery, remaining under the command of sir arthur; while the d, the th german legion, and our five companies, with the remainder of the cavalry, were put under the command of baron linsengen, one of the generals of the german legion. sir arthur's people had not been with us for a day or two back, but where i do not exactly know. but this morning it was arranged that his brigade was to march directly upon kioge and attack it in front, while we fetched a circuit behind, and came upon a part of their force stationed in a forest or wood behind the town--and thus cut off their retreat. but the poor creatures were unable to stand above a round or two, and almost immediately broke and fled in all directions. as we approached the wood we were destined to attack, the appearance was certainly rather formidable; for from the immense cloud of dust they raised in performing their movements, we calculated on meeting with a considerable body of troops; and indeed, just as we approached the wood, our cavalry laid hold of an officer of their horse, dressed partly in uniform and partly as a civilian. from him we obtained information that they had in the field , men; of which were armed with pikes, cavalry, and the remainder consisted of artillery and infantry. he must, i think, have overrated their numbers, or surely they might have made some sort of a stand against men, the strength of our division. on sir arthur attacking them in the town of kioge, they stood, as before said, only for a round or two, and fled, many of them coming in contact afterwards with our brigade; but from the extent of (and intricate roads through) the wood, very few of them were made prisoners; till towards evening, when a company of my battalion, with some of the german cavalry, overtook a considerable body in the village of herfolge, apparently the rearguard of the enemy. in this village they made a stand, getting into the churchyard, which afforded an excellent position, it being considerably higher than any other part of the village. here also they soon began to waver, and after a few shots from our people, they all laid down their arms and became prisoners of war. their numbers were men, with officers, and major-general oxholm, the second in command of this part of the danish army. a considerable quantity of artillery, small arms, baggage, and provisions, &c., with two stands of colours, fell into the hands of the captors on this occasion. these poor creatures were instantly sent off as prisoners, and put on board our ships at copenhagen; many of them apparently quite glad that they had done with fighting. great numbers of them had nothing better by way of shoeing than wooden clogs--a very inconvenient kind i should imagine for a rapid retreat. the loss of the british during this day's operations was, as might be expected, quite trifling. i had this day followed the ill-natured advice of my commanding-officer on a former occasion, and had taken a rifle, but had little opportunity of using it, not having fired more than eight or ten shots. my battalion halted in the village of herfolge for the night, and the next morning moved forward towards the town of kingsted, that being the direction in which the broken fragments of the danish army had retired. our two battalions had been employed all the day of the th, after the first onset, in scouring the woods from kioge to herfolge. we continued this service on the th also, and took numbers of poor creatures who had been engaged in yesterday's operations, but who had not yet been able totally to divest themselves of their military habiliments, although apparently anxious to do so. we reached kingsted on the st, and finding that the only regular part of the late army had retired into one of the islands in the great belt, and that the militia portion had totally disbanded itself, we halted here till the fall of copenhagen, which took place on the th of september. but to prevent surprise from any lurking parties of the enemy, which might still have kept together, and to deprive them of the means of injuring us, strong detachments were sent out to scour the country, and to bring in all the military arms they could discover. a party of this description, consisting of cavalry, and of my battalion mounted on light waggons, traversed the country for a considerable distance, and returned after having discovered and taken possession of ten pieces of ordnance of small calibre, and forty rifles belonging to the kallundburg rifle company, with several muskets. they also gained correct information respecting the regular troops that had been lately opposed to us, and found they had retired into the islands of falstar and meon. on the capitulation of copenhagen, terms of amity and peace were entered into between the danish forces in the island of zealand and the british; but these did not extend to the islands before mentioned, nor to the other parts of his danish majesty's dominions; consequently, we still remained at war with such of his forces as were not included in the capitulation; and he might at any time have collected an army, had he been able, and attacked us without any infringement of those terms. it behoved our generals, therefore, to watch against any attempt of this nature; and accordingly strong outposts were established all along the belt, composed principally of the men of our two battalions. the st battalion occupied kallundburg, slagelse, korsoer, and skielskiore; whilst the following towns and ports were occupied by my battalion, viz. mestyed, lundbye, wordingburg and prestoe; thus forming a complete chain of posts around the west and south coasts of the island. we remained so posted till the th of october, by which time the greater part of the naval stores taken in the dockyard having been taken on board, and the period fast approaching for our evacuation of the country, we began to retire towards copenhagen, which we reached on the th, and immediately embarked on board the princess caroline, a danish seventy-four which had been surrendered with the others of that fleet, and which are mentioned below.[ ] we remained in the roads till the th, when the fleet dropped down towards the sound; and on the st the whole passed the castle of elsineur, with a favourable and pleasant breeze, the british ensign waving proudly from the lofty masts of their late gallant fleet; it must have been an extremely galling sight for them (the danes) to witness, and i dare say they did not pray for many benedictions on our heads; i pitied them from the bottom of my heart. on taking leave of this country, i could not help remarking on the great similarity between its inhabitants and the germans about bremen--kind-hearted, hospitable, and inoffensive in the highest degree; and although suffering at that time so severely from the policy of our country, they were high in our praises as individuals and as a nation. i have great cause to speak well of those innocent and worthy people, for i have seldom experienced more kindness and attention than was shown me by them whenever circumstances rendered such kindness and attention suitable, particularly at nestyde, where i met a young man who had formerly been in the west indies, where he had learnt to speak a little english, (for of danish i could not understand a word.) he introduced me to one worthy man, who had been an officer, and fought in the famous action of kioge above narrated. poor fellow, he felt heartily ashamed of the sorry attempt they had made to act the part of an army, and i daresay would gladly have blotted from his memory for ever the recollection of the ridiculous part they had acted. i was not aware of this circumstance at first, and when it was brought upon the tapis in the course of conversation, (my young friend being interpreter,) i unluckily said, that "any man armed with a bludgeon only, could easily beat three such soldiers." i felt quite ashamed of myself afterwards, when i discovered that he, poor man, had made one in that memorable action; but he took it all in good part, apparently conscious of the justness of my remark. indeed, i was partly led on to use such expressions by the young fellow condemning so bitterly their conduct, and which i afterwards would have given something to have unsaid. he, however, bore no resentment, and kindly took me home and introduced me to his wife, and requested me to salute her with a kiss. i hesitated, thinking that i could not have understood him right, and feeling awkward in such a situation; but my young friend assured me it was the custom there to do so, on which i of course complied. they are, in my opinion, an extremely moral race of people, no vices that i know of being practised by them, save occasionally a little drunkenness by some few individuals. i heartily wish them well. we sailed, as i said before, on the st of october, and had fine weather till we arrived in yarmouth roads. we passed one sunday on our voyage home, at a certain hour of which our pious naval commander (lord gambier) made signal for the whole fleet to lay to, and have divine service, that is, in such ships as there were chaplains on board of. this caused the irreligious and profligate part of our people on board the princess caroline to blaspheme and storm at a terrible rate, for being so long detained when the wind was so fair. it happened, when we arrived in the roads at yarmouth, or near there, i think it was on the galloper sand, that a tremendous gale began to blow, which baffled all exertions to withstand it. we cast out the anchors, but without effect, for we ran away with them both, and in the endeavour to vere out cable, or rather by the rapidity with which it was dragged out of the ship by the force of the wind, our bits caught fire, which with considerable difficulty were got extinguished after great exertions. during the gale, i understand a sailor was blown off the foreyard; and nearly at the same moment a woman, one of our corporals' wives, fell down the hatches into the hold, and broke her back, of which, indeed, she afterwards recovered, but never after regained her upright posture. those scoffing gentlemen before mentioned, attributed the whole of our misfortunes to the delay occasioned by the divine service before adverted to, and were not sparing of invective against the individual who caused its performance, forgetful, it would seem, that _he_, whom that commander invoked on that day, holds the winds in his hand, and can at pleasure let them loose upon an ungodly fleet, whether for correction or judgment, at what time, and in what manner, best pleases him. i doubt not the excellent commander alluded to has been a blessing to many. may he long continue to ornament the exalted station he fills! we weighed again after the storm abated, and proceeded round to the downs, and the next day, the th of november, landed at deal, and from thence marched to our old quarters at hythe barracks. footnote: [ ] list of ships and vessels captured at copenhagen, th september, . guns. christian the seventh, neptune, waldemer, princess sophia fredrica, justice, heir apparent frederick, crown prince frederick, frien, oden, three crowns, shield, crown princess maria, denmark, norway, princess caroline, conqueror, norge, dalmakin, pirle, wory wife, liberty, iris, rotar, denry, mayed, triton, fredrington, kline belt, st thomas, tylto, elbe, eydeman, gluckstadt, sarp, glowman, nid elvin, dolphin, marcur, cousier, flying fish, total, together with eleven gun boats, with two guns each in the bow, and fourteen do with one gun in the bow and one astern. chapter v. our author marries--the battalion to which he belongs ordered to join the expedition fitting out for corunna--movements of the army in spain--return to england. some little time after our return from the baltic, i obtained a short leave of absence, for the purpose of visiting my parents, and the other members of my family; and, during my stay in my native village, contracted a marriage with a young woman whom i had known from my boyhood, she having been one of my earliest schoolfellows. i cannot say that i enjoyed in the marriage state that happiness which i expected from it, partly owing to the frequent and long separations which my calling rendered unavoidable, and partly from other causes which have no connexion with my narrative. i believe, during the eight years which my wife lived after our union, i spent more than six of these in absence from her. at the expiration of my leave, we set off to join the regiment, which still remained at hythe, where we remained till the beginning of september following, when my battalion having again been ordered for foreign service in the expedition fitting out for corunna, it became indispensable that my poor wife should return to northumberland, and remain under the protection of her parents, till my return, should it please god to spare me. this, no doubt, was a severe trial to us both, but particularly to her, who had such a journey to undertake, alone and unprotected, and she at the time far advanced in pregnancy; but, however distressing, it must be undertaken, and i unfortunately could not be spared from the regiment, for our orders were to proceed immediately to ramsgate, for embarkation. we parted, after i had accompanied her as far as i was able, and seeing her safely stowed in the coach. it may be supposed that a new-married pair, under such circumstances, would part with heavy and afflicted hearts. my battalion embarked at ramsgate on the th of september. on this occasion, i was very fortunate in getting on board an excellent transport, called the nautilus, of shields, commanded by captain watson (my wife's maiden name), and the steward, a native of the hermitage, a place within four miles of my home. of course, we were mutually glad to meet each other, and often talked over old northumbrian stories, which recalled delightful recollections of our younger years. the fleet in which we sailed rendezvoused at falmouth, whence we took our departure, and arrived at corunna on the th of october. on our passage, when we made cape ortegal, a pilot-boat came off, in which were the first spaniards i remember to have seen; certainly, they did not prepossess me greatly in favour of their countrymen, but they are now so well known in england, that a description of those i here saw, would be only to repeat what has been so often and so much better told by others. we landed at corunna, as before said, on the th, and a day or two after, proceeded up the country, halting for the first night at betanzos. our force consisted of cavalry, infantry, and artillery, in all, about , men, and was commanded by general sir david baird, and intended to co-operate, or form a junction, with that under sir john moore, then in portugal, and who was then advancing into spain. my battalion, and some companies of the first battalion of my regiment, formed the advanced guard, a situation which i consider the most enviable of any in the army--for here all is untried, and, as it were, unbroken ground; every thing is fresh, and although attended sometimes with a little more danger of being cut off while separated from the main body, yet possessing so many countervailing advantages, that i hesitate not to say it is the most desirable post of any in an army. at betanzos, we began to experience the great defectiveness of our commissariat department, at this period of our history; for the gentleman sent forward to provide our two battalions with food, was so utterly unacquainted with his business, that he was actually afraid to make an attempt to issue provisions. although bread had been baked by order of the spanish authorities, he not understanding, as he said, the spanish weights and measures, durst not issue any thing without his own, which were behind; but it was evident the troops could not remain without provisions. we were here, as in most of the towns we afterwards passed through, lodged in convents, the officers generally either being quartered on the inhabitants of the town, or lodged by the monks in their cells. on these occasions the men occupied only the corridors, into which straw was generally put by the authorities of the place, the men lying as close as pigs in a sty, which indeed was necessary to keep each other warm; but these lodgings were not to be complained of, as clean straw, and shelter overhead in that country, are no contemptible quarters. we moved forward by fair and easy stages, by way of lugo, villa franca, cacabelos, and astorga; this latter place we reached on the th november, but during the march, we had experienced considerable difficulty in obtaining supplies both of provisions and the means of transport. this is a considerable town, containing probably about inhabitants. both it and lugo are surrounded by old moorish walls, which may formerly have been considered strong, but which, according to the present mode of warfare, would offer but a feeble resistance to a besieging army. it contains a number of convents, both in the town and suburbs, and, of course, a proportionate number of idle monks, &c. here, as in many towns in spain, they have a curious mode of keeping out of their houses unwelcome visiters; for the doors being all made remarkably strong, and kept constantly shut, you cannot enter till the inmates have first reconnoitred you through an aperture above the door, made for the purpose; and it is not till they are satisfied who you are, and with your business, that they will open the door, which they generally do by a cord communicating with the latch from their peep-hole above. here we were pretty plentifully supplied with provisions, and rested for some days, my battalion having been pushed forward to a village called zalada, about a league in front of the town. after having been refreshed by a few days' rest, my battalion was again pushed forward, and occupied the town of labeneza, about four leagues in front of astorga, while the main body of the army assembled in and around that town; but we had not remained more than a few days in labeneza, before a report arrived of the enemy being in our front, and advancing in force; and we were consequently recalled to zalada, in order to form a junction with our main body. not long after this, about the latter end of november, orders were received from sir john moore, for our division to retreat and fall back upon corunna. this measure, i understand, was rendered necessary, in consequence of the spanish armies having been completely beaten and dispersed, so that nothing remained to oppose an overwhelming french force, which it was ascertained had entered spain, but the few british troops comprising the armies under sir john moore, and ours. we accordingly set to the right-about, and fell back as far as cacabelos, the main body occupying villa franca and its neighbourhood. this movement was not by any means liked by any of us; for, independent of its being so uncongenial to the spirit of britons to turn their backs upon an enemy, we felt disappointed at what we saw and heard of the celebrated spanish patriots. we had been given to understand that the whole nation was up in arms against the french, and that we should have been received, on entering their country, as liberators, and treated as brethren, but in both these points we were miserably disappointed; for, instead of a hearty welcome on our arrival, we could with great difficulty obtain leave to land, and still more to obtain the necessary supplies of carriages and provisions to enable us to come forward; and with regard to the patriotism of the people, whatever might have been their good-will to act in defence of their beloved country and ferdinand, they appeared as little likely as any people i had ever seen, to effect any thing against such an enemy as the french. in fact, those of them who formed their armies, at least of those straggling parties we so often met, could be called nothing better than mere rabble--no organization, no subordination, but every one evidently pursued that plan which seemed right in his own eyes. while we remained at cacabelos, (a place famous for good wine,) many were the schemes adopted by some of our bibbers, to obtain a sufficient quantum of this excellent beverage. i understand they occasionally borrowed each other's clothes; that is, a d man would borrow a rifleman's green jacket, and _vice versa_, and go and steal, or in some other illegal mode obtain, a camp-kettle full or two; and when the owner came to point out the person who had robbed him, of course he could not be found. we had not remained above a day or two in our new quarters, before an express arrived from sir john moore, with orders for us to advance again immediately; and which, notwithstanding we had little or no prospect of assistance and co-operation from the patriots, was cheerfully complied with. we retraced our former steps, passing through astorga and labeneza, and reached benevente on the th december. our cavalry, consisting of the th, th, and th hussars, under lord paget, had by this time come up from corunna, and had been pushed forward to join sir john moore's force; they fell in with a party of the french cavalry at the town of rueda, not far from tordesillas, and of which they either killed, or took prisoners, nearly the whole; in fact, through the whole of this service, nothing could exceed the gallantry and intrepid conduct of our cavalry under his lordship. at this town, as well as at astorga and villa franca, depots of provisions began to be formed soon after our arrival. on the th december, we again advanced from benevente, in order to form a junction with sir john moore's army, and passing through valderas, majorga, and sahagun, we reached the convent of trianon, about a league in front of the latter place. on the th, here the two forces were united, and a fresh distribution into brigades took place. ours, under brigadier-general crawford, was termed the light brigade, and consisted of the st battalion d, d battalion d, and the d battalion of my regiment. the whole army was assembled in this neighbourhood, and consisted of about , men, the whole _now_ under the command of sir john moore. previous to our arrival at sahagun, lord paget, with a part of the th and th hussars, discovered that a considerable body of the enemy's cavalry occupied that town. he therefore detached the th by a circuitous road, while he with the th approached it by the more direct one. they were, however, discovered by the french before reaching the town, which gave the enemy time to turn out and form to receive the attack. his lordship, when a favourable opportunity offered, charged the french, who were greatly superior in numbers, and completely overthrew them, taking two colonels, eleven other officers, and about men. on the evening of the d, the whole army was put in motion, with an intention, it was said, of attacking marshal soult, who, with a corps of about or , men, was posted behind the river carrion, his head-quarters being at saldanha. the spanish general romana, was to take a part in this movement; his small and sadly inefficient force had approached the left of our army, or rather we had drawn towards his position, and he was, i believe, perfectly willing to lend all the assistance in his power, in the contemplated attack; but our general, i fancy, did not calculate upon any material help, from a force so greatly out of order as his was said to be. soon after dark, the troops fell in; and as it was understood an attack was going to be made on the enemy, every pulse beat high, in expectation of soon congratulating each other on a victory. all was life and animation; and the necessary preparations, by the light of our blazing fires, for such an event as a battle, after the many long and harassing marches we had had, gave an interesting appearance to the scene. when all was ready, the troops moved forward. it was a cold and bitter night, and there were some small brooks on the road. an officer of my battalion, who was not very well, when he came to one of those, instead of marching straight through, as it appears had been ordered, went a little way round by the bridge, although not off the road. a certain general officer, who happened to be there at the time, observed it, and getting into a great rage at the officer leaving his section, made him turn back, and march through and through repeatedly, by way of punishment. such a mode of treating an officer, certainly appeared rather harsh; but this general piqued himself on his being able to make his brigade better marchers than any other troops in the army; and in this he certainly succeeded, although it was not without frequent exhibitions, such as the above. our people had not gone far, however, till they were countermanded, and returned back to our convent. i rather think the main body of the army had not moved out of their cantonments; but ours being the advanced brigade, it was necessary we should move before the others. it appears sir john moore, just before he intended to set out, had received information, not only of soult having been greatly reinforced, but that several strong corps of the french army were marching directly upon us, by which, should he delay only a few days, we should be completely surrounded, and cut off from a retreat. this was most distressing information, for never was an army more eager to come in contact with the enemy than ours was at this moment, and never was there a fairer prospect of success, had things remained as they were; but now, instead of honour and glory being acquired, by showing the french what british troops could do in the field, it was evident nothing remained but to commence a retrograde movement, the worst and most unpleasant, in a british soldier's view, of any other. winter had now completely set in; the face of the country being covered with deep snow, the weather was unusually severe. our prospect, therefore, was by no means a pleasant one. to commence a retreat in front of a greatly superior force, and with the probability that other french armies might be before us, and intercept our retreat upon the sea, which was distant from us nearly miles, with the country in our rear being already exhausted of every thing that could contribute to our support, and with such excessively bad weather to perform the retreat in, rendered it, i may say, as unpleasant a situation as troops could well be placed in. added to which, our commissariat was by no means so efficient in those days as they have latterly become; and our troops in general being young, and unaccustomed to privation, it was but too obvious, that should the retreat continue long, many would be the disasters attending it. on christmas day, our brigade, as the rear of the infantry, commenced its uncomfortable retreat, and continued marching till late at night, when we reached a convent near majorga. the next day, although we started early, we only reached the village of st miguel about midnight. here i had considerable difficulty with the baggage. i had had charge of it all day, my guard being composed of officers' servants, &c., who, the moment they got into the village, set off to their masters, and left me alone with the mules, the troops having, by the time i got in, all lain down to sleep. several of the muleteers had been pressed into the service against their wills, and of course would have made their escape whenever an opportunity offered. i was therefore compelled to drive them all into the churchyard, and watch them myself, till luckily, after waiting in this situation a considerable time, without daring to go to sleep after the fatigues of such a day, some men happened to wander in that direction in search of meat, by whom i sent to our quartermaster to request he would send a guard, which he did soon after, and i had the happiness to be allowed to throw myself down and take some rest. this day lord paget had another brush with the french cavalry, who, being apprized of our retreat, had advanced to majorga. he attacked them with that gallantry which shone so conspicuously in the cavalry during the whole of this service, and completely overthrew them, killing and wounding many, and taking a number prisoners; in this affair the th hussars were engaged, and behaved nobly. the next day we reached castro gonzales, and castro pipa. at the latter village, my battalion halted for the night and the next day. these two villages command the passage over the river eslar, they being about equidistant from the bridge, and something more than a mile apart on high ground over the river, which runs about a league in front of benevente. here we were obliged to remain during the time mentioned, in order that the heavy divisions of the army might get sufficiently forward before we moved. i had still the charge of the baggage, and not knowing where my battalion was to be quartered for the night, i had crossed the eslar to the benevente side, till i learnt long after dark that castro pipa was its quarters. i consequently turned back and recrossed the river, and just as i reached the end of the bridge, i heard a shot immediately in my front. the d regiment guarded the bridge. it turned out to be a patrol of the enemy's cavalry who had come close to the top of the slope leading down to the bridge, and where a double sentry of the d was posted. by some accident these two men were not loaded; the french dragoons were consequently permitted to come close up to them without their being able to give any alarm. one of them, however, run his bayonet into one of the frenchmen's horses, and retreated, but the other was not only cut down with the sabre, but had a pistol fired at him, which was the report i had just heard. i saw the wounded man, who was severely hurt, but whether he survived or not i know not. when i reached castro pipa, my commanding-officer would scarcely credit the report i gave him, conceiving it impossible the french could be such near neighbours. i was a good deal chagrined at his suspecting my veracity, but he had never been what i may call a friendly commanding-officer to me, as the story of the rifle at copenhagen will prove; indeed, as i had been put into the situation i held contrary to his wish, it was hardly to be expected that he would show himself very friendly. during the night, however, our quarters were beat up, not indeed by the enemy, but by our brigadier, who was not sparing of his censure for our want of alertness in turning out. indeed, we neither had so good a look-out as we ought to have kept, nor did we get under arms with that promptitude which was desirable, and from the cause before assigned; that is, that our commandant did not believe the enemy was so near. i own i was not sorry that the general paid us such a visit, as it not only put us more upon our guard, a thing so indispensably necessary in the presence of an enemy, but it gave me some satisfaction for the dishonour put upon me by disbelieving my information. the enemy did not disturb us during the remainder of the night, and next morning the brigade was assembled on the height above, and in front of the bridge; considerable bodies of the enemy's cavalry appearing in the plain before us. some skirmishing between our people and the enemy took place, but nothing of any importance occurred. our brigade was left in this position to cover the working party who were preparing to blow up the bridge, at which they worked all day; during the night our people were withdrawn from the farther side, and the explosion soon after took place, but the destruction of the bridge was by no means so effectual as was wished and expected. when we turned out in the morning to move towards the bridge, i (still having charge of my battalion's baggage) discovered that a vast quantity of excellent biscuit was stored up in an empty house in the village, which, no doubt, had been baked for the purpose of supplying the magazine at benevente; and as our people had been but very indifferently supplied with bread since we commenced the retreat, i determined to load a bullock-cart with it, and try to get it to a place of safety, where i hoped to be able to issue it to them. i accordingly took a cart and two bullocks, there being plenty in the village, and apparently without owners, for the inhabitants had mostly either abandoned the place on the appearance of the french, or had hid themselves. i loaded the cart, but still i wanted a person to drive it; and although i used both promises and threats, i could not prevail upon any person to go with me. i therefore mounted the cart myself, and using my sword by way of a goad, i entered the river at a place which looked like a ford, and had the good fortune to reach the other side in safety. i mention this to show that so much importance need not have been attached to the destruction of the bridge, as both here, and near castro gonzales, the river was perfectly fordable, for near the latter place the french cavalry forded it on the following morning. i now made my way to benevente, where i remained during the day of the th; and at night, as before hinted, the troops which had been guarding the bridge arrived, leaving cavalry piquets on the plain between the town and the river. the next morning our people left benevente, and as i was a little behind them with the baggage, on my reaching a height in rear of the town, i observed in the plain in front a considerable body of the enemy's cavalry, who had, as before stated, crossed the river near castro gonzales, and were advancing towards the town, opposed, though feebly at first, by the few of our cavalry left there on piquet; but the cavalry regiments which were in town quickly turning out to their support, they were at length completely able to oppose, and finally overthrow them. during the time i remained here, i saw our brave dragoons make three most gallant and successful charges against superior numbers of the enemy, completely breaking and dispersing the different bodies against which the charges were made. the enemy appeared to be drawn up in different lines, the front one of which was that always charged; and i observed, that as our people advanced upon them, they were always received with a fire either from the carbines or pistols of the enemy, but this never appeared in the least to check the ardour of the charge, for in a minute or two after i observed the french troops retired in confusion, and formed behind the other lines. at length they were completely driven back to the ford by which they had crossed; and in a charge now made upon them, general le febvre, with about seventy men, fell into our people's hands. these troops were a part of bonaparte's imperial guard, and the flower of his army, being fine-looking men, dressed in dark-green long coats, with high bear-skin caps, and mustaches, which gave them a formidable appearance. it was said that bonaparte was looking on at this affair, and witnessed the defeat of his hitherto invincible old guard; it is certain that he slept the night before at villalpando, a place only four leagues distant from the field. i now set off and overtook the baggage and the bullock cart, not having had an opportunity of issuing the biscuit; but before i had proceeded above a few miles, the bullocks knocked up, and notwithstanding every exertion i found it impossible to get them any farther. thus was i reluctantly compelled to abandon a cart-load of excellent biscuit, after having had so much trouble with it, at the time when i knew it was greatly needed by my hungry fellow soldiers, and to whom it would have been a most welcome offering. on this day's march, a most lamentable number of stragglers were overtaken by us, we being in rear of all the infantry; they had either fallen out from excessive fatigue, or from having (as in too many instances) drunk too much; indeed, the destruction of the magazine of provisions at the place we had left, enabled too many of them to obtain by one means or other considerable quantities of spirits, and which, of course, rendered them incapable of marching. this was a long and wearisome day's journey of nearly thirty miles; we did not reach labeneza till late at night, where a considerable quantity of ammunition was obliged to be destroyed, the animals failing which drew it. the next day we reached our old quarters at zalada, a league in front of astorga, where we halted for the night, the remainder of the brigade going into the town. it was to this village, it may be remembered, that we were sent on our first advance, and subsequently after our first retreat from labeneza; but besides these movements from the village and back again, during the time we remained in it, we almost every morning had orders to pack up and move a short distance out of the place. this was done no doubt to accustom us to a ready turning out, as till this period our baggage had been transported on bullock-carts; but now we had mules, and it was necessary to accustom those whose duty it was, to load the mules with dispatch. but on every occasion of this kind, the inhabitants always imagined we were actually going to leave them, and the moment we were clean gone, as they thought, they set to work and rung the church bell with all their might. this was either to testify their regret at losing our company, or to evince their gratitude to heaven for having got rid of such a band of heretics, by which their most pure and holy dwellings had been defiled; it was laughable to see the long faces they put on when we, so contrary to their hopes and expectations, always returned to our wretched and uncomfortable quarters. during the whole of the time we remained in this village, i, as a staff-sergeant, could find no better lodgings than a dirty open shed; the reader will therefore judge how ill the privates must have been off. our fellows began about this time to pick up little bits of spanish, and would often exercise their ability to converse in the native tongue, by telling the inhabitants that we were certainly going to "_marcha manana_", that is, to march to-morrow, so that it became quite a by-word, which annoyed our hosts not a little. if i mistake not, the padre of this village was a great knave, and did not scruple to help himself to such things as he had a mind for, belonging to our officers, whenever a fit opportunity presented itself. the next day, the st, we moved into astorga, where we halted for an hour or two, till the destruction of the magazine there was completed, although nothing but rum remained; and here i witnessed such a brutal and swinish eagerness for drink as was quite disgusting. the rum casks were ordered to be staved, and to let the contents run out on the street, that they might not fall into the hands of the enemy: thus the rum which had cost so much trouble in bringing up all the way from corunna was about to be lost for ever; a thing most heart-rending to the numerous soldiers looking on, who loved it so dearly. however, they were determined not to lose all, for when the heads of the casks were knocked in, and their contents permitted to run in streams down the gutters, some of those brutes deliberately took off their greasy caps, and laving up the rum and the mud together, drank, or rather ate, the swinish mixture. what noble soldiers would our country produce, were not that detestable vice of drunkenness so common among us; but to it how many have i seen deliberately sacrifice their own and country's honour, nay their very life itself, rather than forego the beastly gratification! all this morning we had been told to keep a sharp look-out on the leon side of astorga, for the enemy was every moment expected to make his appearance from that quarter; however, we were not disturbed during the short time we remained. we here fell in with a considerable body of romana's army, apparently all confusion, and destitute of every thing. we understood that they were not to be marched in the same line we were taking, but that it had been concerted between the two generals that our route should be kept free; however, here, and for several days afterwards, we suffered greatly from their contiguity. we continued our march from astorga the same day, and reached at night the village of foncevadon, about twenty miles distant. here we pigged in as well as we were able, there being only five or six houses; but as we had a few tents with us, we managed not amiss. till now our brigade had formed the rear of the infantry, there being some cavalry in rear of us; but it was now determined that ours and the light german brigade under brigadier-general charles alten, should strike off from the great road, and take the route for orense and vigo. this was done, i understand, with a view to secure a passage across the minho at the former place, should sir john, with the main army, be compelled to retreat in that direction, and probably with the view also of drawing off a part of the enemy's overwhelming force from the pursuit of that body, and to induce them to follow us into the mountains. notwithstanding this, they continued to pursue sir john on the great road, whilst they left us free altogether. i beg to notice here, that both mr gifford and mr moore (sir john's brother), have fallen into a trifling error respecting the period of our separation from the main body, they both making us be detached before our arrival at astorga, whereas it was not till we had passed a day's march beyond it that we were sent off. the thing is of no consequence, only it is as well to be correct. the next day, the st of january , we marched by a most difficult road through the mountains, to ponferrada, situated about a league to the left of the great road to corunna, on which the main army was retreating. when we got in, our commissary immediately made a requisition to the alcalde of the town, to provide bread for the two brigades, as we began to be in most fearful want. he promised to set the bakers to work immediately, and in a few hours, he said, the bread would be ready. we called on him repeatedly, without obtaining any, he still alleging it was not yet quite ready, and putting us off from time to time, till midnight, when the patience of our commissary being fairly worn out, he yielded to the anger so naturally inspired by such shuffling conduct, and used some strong language to the alcalde. whereupon, we discovered at once that he had been only amusing us with promises he did not intend to fulfil; and told the commissary that he did not fear any of his threats, for that, as romana's army had now also entered the town, he had no doubt they would protect him, and revenge any insult offered to him. the commissary had indeed talked about hanging him for his double-dealing, and leaving the troops utterly starving; but if he could have got any bread ready, it is most natural to suppose he would prefer letting his own countrymen have it; this, however, as might be expected, had a most pernicious effect upon our suffering soldiers, for when provisions could not be procured in the regular and ordinary mode, it is evident they would take them wherever they were to be found--for hunger is not easily borne, accompanied by incessant fatigue. in the morning, when we turned out to continue our march towards orense, we heard a heavy firing towards our right and front, and this proved to be an attack made by the enemy's light troops upon our first battalion, who, with some cavalry, had been left in cacabelos as a rearguard. our first battalion gained great credit for their conduct on this occasion. the force of the enemy greatly exceeded ours, yet our people drove them back with great loss, killing general colbert, who commanded the advance. this was done by a noted pickle of the name of tom plunkett, who, fearless of all danger to himself, got sufficiently nigh to make sure of his mark, and shot him, which, with the fire of the others, caused great havoc in the enemy's ranks, and set them flying to the rear much faster than they advanced. our situation was thus, in a manner, in rear of the enemy's advance guard, yet they did not turn in our direction. cacabelos was distant from us only about a league. our road this day lay over high and almost inaccessible mountains, deeply covered with snow. on the top of one of these, as our general was passing the column, a cry was passed from the rear to open out to allow him to pass, the road being very narrow. one of our men, as the general came near, happened to say, loud enough for him to hear, that "he had more need to give us some bread," or words to that effect, which so exasperated the general, that he instantly halted the whole brigade, ordered the man to be tried by a drum-head court-martial, and flogged him on the spot. it was a severe, but perhaps necessary discipline, in order to check in the bud the seeds of murmuring and insubordination, although i own it appeared harsh. our march was a long and toilsome one indeed, and did not terminate till about ten at night, when we reached st domingo-flores, where nothing could be procured but a very small quantity of black bread, the village being quite small. tired with the journey, we felt rather inclined to sleep than eat; and, wet and dirty as we were, we laid ourselves down till dawn, when we commenced another such day's march, and reached at night the village of la rua. during these two days, want and fatigue had compelled many to fall out, some of whom, no doubt, perished in the snow on the bleak mountains, over which our road, or rather path, had lain; others fell into the hands of the enemy, and some few rejoined us after having obtained some little refreshment from the natives. it would but be a repetition of the privations and fatigues we underwent, to notice all that befell us on our way thence to orense, which place we reached on the th of january, having previously pushed on, by double forced marches, a few hundred men, to take possession of the bridge over the minho at this place. here we remained a day, and obtained provisions, then much needed by us all, for the men had been literally starving for several days past. we had time and opportunity here also to strip and change our linen, that is, those who had a change; the others washed the shirt they took off, sitting without one till it was dry. indeed, by this time we were in a most miserable plight; our shoes, of course, were nearly all worn out, and many travelling barefoot; and our clothes, as might be expected, were ragged and filthy in the extreme; indeed they could not be otherwise, for i suppose none of us had put any thing off since we commenced the retreat. this day's rest, however, refreshed us greatly, and enabled us to perform the remainder of our toilsome journey with more comfort; indeed, since we had secured the passage of the minho, and thus prevented the enemy from getting in before us, our minds were more at ease, for strong apprehensions were entertained that the french would have detached a corps from their main body to seize this pass, and thus cut off our retreat to vigo. a part of romana's army entered orense before we left it, worse, if possible, in point of appearance than ourselves; but they, in their best days, are more like an armed mob than regularly organized soldiers. it is a pity that romana did not adopt the plan pointed out to him by sir john moore, either to retire into the asturias with his army unbroken, or hang upon the flanks of the enemy as he passed through the mountains; and which he could have done with ease and safety, for these fellows could live where regular troops would starve, and there was no doubt but the peasantry would have assisted their countrymen with all their means. this would have in some measure retarded the too rapid progress of the french, and probably been the means of saving to our country one of its bravest and most skilful generals. some of our men who had been compelled to stop behind from fatigue and starvation, rejoined us here, having generally been assisted by the peasantry, who gave them food, and helped them forward. on the th, in the morning, we left orense, crossing the minho to the north side of that river, and continued our march to the town of ribadavia, situated at the junction of the rivers avia and minho, both of which, from the melting of the snow, and the immense quantities of rain that had fallen, were greatly swollen. so much so, that when i approached the town with the baggage, (the troops having gone on before,) and which i did not reach till near midnight, i found the road completely overflowed with water; and being without a guide, i could not of course in the night be certain where the road lay, the whole bank of the river being completely under water. we were in consequence obliged to climb the mountains to our left, and proceed in the best manner we were able with the loaded mules; but so precipitous were they in one place, that a load of ammunition slid off the mule's back, and the casks rolled rapidly down the hill towards the river. i durst not venture to leave them, although my chance of finding them in such a situation appeared small indeed; however, we halted the remainder of the mules, while a few of us set off down the steep in the direction we had seen them go, and after a long and anxious groping in every hollow of the rocky mountain, succeeded in recovering them; but the powder in them, and indeed nearly all the ammunition we had, was rendered completely useless, from the constant heavy rain that had fallen. i am almost astonished that no accident happened to either man or beast in this perilous journey, for our feet literally "stumbled upon the dark mountains," without either guide or path, and where the ground was most uneven and dangerous. we however at length reached our destination, wet and weary enough, and, just as we entered the town, were informed that the corridor of one of the convents where two of our companies were sleeping, had just fallen to the ground with a tremendous crash, and that several men had had their limbs broken by the fall; i do not remember that any were killed. it being so late, i could not procure any kind of quarter, so i was fain to sit down by the side of a fire kindled in the yard of this convent for the remainder of the night. we next morning resumed our journey, and in three days more from this place we reached vigo. on this last day's march we had a pretty high eminence to ascend at some distance from the town, from which the view of the town, the shipping, and the sea, broke all at once upon us. it was a most delightful prospect, and it was highly amusing to observe the joy which seemed to animate the woe-worn countenances of our ragged and dirty soldiers. fellows without a shoe or a stocking, and who before were shuffling along with sore and lacerated feet like so many lame ducks, now made an attempt to dance for joy; laughter and mirth, and the joke, now succeeded to the gloomy silence with which they had in general prosecuted their wearisome journey for several days past, as the friendly element before them promised shortly to put a period to long and toilsome wanderings. indeed, although i am a bad sailor, and suffer always severely when at sea, i do not remember ever to have witnessed a sight which inspired me with greater pleasure than the shipping and the sea did on this occasion. the fleet of transports for the army under sir john moore, was just clearing the bay as we came in sight, but we observed that a sufficient number remained at vigo to transport us to our native land, a place we sorely longed for, as we had often contrasted the happiness and security and comfort of our friends at home, with the poverty and misery we had lately witnessed in the country we were leaving; and this no doubt increased our anxiety for the change. we marched into vigo, and were soon after put on board the vessels destined to receive us. it was my fortune to be sent on board the alfred, , with two of our companies; a great number of men were still behind, for even the few last days' marches had deprived us of many who till then had braved the toils and privations of the journey, but who now had fairly sunk under exhaustion. the commodore, therefore, remained as long in the bay as it was safe, sending the stragglers as they arrived on board the different ships; but within a few days after our arrival, the enemy entered the town, which of course precluded all hope of more escaping. we consequently weighed and stood out towards the outer bay, where we again came to anchor. a russian ship-of-war was in a small harbour in this bay, which it was intended to board and cut out. as we were then, i believe, on rather bad terms with that nation, never did i witness such alacrity and delight as our tars on board the alfred manifested when buckling on their cutlasses for the occasion, and i feel certain that if confidence in themselves would tend to insure the victory, no men had a better chance of succeeding; but from some cause or other with which i am unacquainted, the enterprise was abandoned. on the st january we weighed and stood out to sea; but a gale coming on we were obliged to come to anchor again under the shelter of the isle of bagona. we did not get to sea till the th, but on the th we spoke a frigate going out to lisbon with general dyatt on board, who informed us of the fatal business at corunna. indeed the people on board this ship had, from vague reports, greatly magnified our loss on that occasion, telling us that the whole army had been nearly cut to pieces, and that very few indeed had been able to effect their escape. we each, of course, mourned for his particular friends, not doubting but they had fallen among the rest. i think it was the same night on which we saw this ship, a fatal accident had very nigh taken place. our captain was the commodore, and the captain of the hindostan store-ship had charge of the rear of the fleet; his place was consequently always behind all the other vessels. some time after dark, however, our look-out people gave notice of a large vessel on our starboard quarter. we shortened sail and let her come up pretty close to us, and made the private signal, but no answer was returned. at length, when near enough, we hailed her, but still no answer. an order was now given to stand to quarters and prepare for action, not doubting she was an enemy which had got among the fleet. the guns were accordingly run out, the matches lit, and every thing prepared for action. she appeared a large ship, but of what force they could not guess. again she was hailed, and again she disregarded it. our first lieutenant was now fully convinced she was an enemy, and pleaded hard with the captain to give the word fire, but the captain said he would hail her once more, and if she did not answer he would fire. providentially they heard us this time, and answered it was the hindostan. what they had been about i know not, for we were quite near each other; and had she received our broadside, as was the intention had she not then answered, it is most probable she would have gone down; at all events the consequences must have been awful, for she had the whole of the d regiment on board, besides her own crew. our captain certainly censured him in no very mild terms for leaving his station in the rear, and getting to the very head of the fleet. she was a very lofty ship, and carried forty-four guns i believe, and had not less than men on board, many of whom must have suffered had we fired upon her. a few days after this we encountered a most tremendous gale, and came in sight of the english coast, somewhere near the lizard or the start; but our master not knowing exactly where he was, we stood off again towards the french coast. the next day the gale was if possible more severe, and the ship rolled so much that they were afraid her guns would break loose from their lashings, in consequence of which large spikes were driven in behind the wheels of each gun-carriage to prevent such an accident. in this situation, i know not whether i did not almost wish myself on the snowy mountains of galicia again, rather than where i was, so miserable a sailor am i, and so much do i suffer from sea-sickness. the fleet was by this time completely scattered, every one making the best shift he could for himself; some got into plymouth, some reached portsmouth, and some, i believe, foundered in the gale, among which, if i mistake not, was a brig, on board of which my two companies had been first embarked, but were subsequently removed to the alfred, and some of the german legion, i think, put on board her. at length we made the isle of wight, and subsequently spithead, which we reached on the st, and the next day landed once more on the happy shore of our native britain. thankful indeed i ought to have been for the ever watchful care of an indulgent and kind providence, who had brought me safely through the toils and sufferings under which so many more robust and hardy than myself had sunk; but, alas! i had then no sense of the gratitude due for such unmerited favours, and instead of rendering thanks to him who had thus preserved me, i entered, with all the eagerness of a person devoid of reason and religion, into every vice and sensuality that presented itself. i here learnt with sorrow the great loss which my friends in the first battalion had sustained, but glad nevertheless that it was not to the extent we apprehended, and that none of my particular friends had fallen. we left portsmouth, and returned to our old quarters at hythe, in kent, passing again on the road my native county militia at battle, in sussex, as i did at bury, on my return from holland; and truly our appearance on this occasion was, if possible, more deplorable than on the former. however, our tattered and worn-out habiliments had the effect of inspiring some of my countrymen in that regiment with a desire of sharing in the glory, as they termed it, of suffering so much in the defence of our beloved country; and they accordingly made up their minds to volunteer into our corps the first opportunity that offered, and which they put in execution that same year, as will be told hereafter. we took up our abode in the comfortable barracks at hythe, and immediately set about putting every thing in order, and truly much was wanting to fit us again for duty as soldiers. chapter vi. volunteering--farther promotion--embarks for portugal, with two companies of the second battalion--debark at cadiz--advance to the isla--the french occupy all the adjacent towns, except cadiz and the isla--cannonading--spanish army--detachment of the allied army sent around by gibraltar and chiclana, to take the enemy in the rear of his works, and compel him either to fight or abandon them--come up with a portion of the enemy in the vicinity of veger--bravery of the british--the enemy repulsed with great loss, but, from the apathy and misconduct of general la pena, and the spaniards under his command, the french are allowed to retain their works in the vicinity of cadiz. in april of this year, an order was issued to allow the militia regiments to volunteer, for the purpose of filling up the regiments of the line; and i was sent by colonel beckwith (our two battalions being then both at hythe) to receive those who chose to volunteer from the northumberland militia before-mentioned, which had now been removed to ipswich. lieutenant beckwith had the charge of our party, but proceeded _incog._ to ipswich, the general orders not permitting officers of the line to be seen in the quarters of the militia. on our arrival at ipswich, i had the pleasure of obtaining the names of thirty fine young fellows, among whom the patriots formerly mentioned of course were included. several other militia regiments in this district also gave volunteers to us, so that in three days, from the commencement of the volunteering, we obtained upwards of men; and had we not, by an order from the horse-guards, been precluded from taking any more, i doubt not we should have obtained several hundreds besides, for our regiment alone had near eighty names down for us, who were not allowed to enter from the above cause. indeed the commander-in-chief, sir david dundas, (afterwards our colonel,) appeared quite astonished, and not well pleased, that we had run away with so many men when others wanted them so much. he was obliged, however, to grant us a d battalion, as we had so many more men than were required to fill up the st and d; and our respected colonel, major-general coote manningham, dying about this time of the fatigue he had undergone in spain, sir david took us to himself, and became our colonel-in-chief, giving the command of the d battalion to my respected (and now lamented) friend and benefactor, major-general the honourable william stewart. the lieutenant-colonelcy was given to major norman m'leod, our senior major, and only two or three other steps were given to the officers of the regiment, although it was alone owing to their exertions in obtaining men, and to the high character the regiment had acquired, that such numbers had volunteered into it. it becomes not me to censure or criticise the measures of government, but i cannot help thinking that more favour was certainly due to the corps as a body. for myself, i ought and must speak with gratitude, not of them, but of that kind providence which has favoured me so far, so very far, beyond my deserts, for, on the th of june following, i was appointed quartermaster of the d battalion. our st battalion was again sent out to join the army in portugal, while mine was sent to brabournlees to equip and drill our new levies. every exertion was made to this effect, and the battalion was soon completed and rendered fit for service. here my wife joined me again, the child to which she gave birth in my absence having died when six weeks old. this was the only child she ever had, and it was perhaps a providential dispensation, for she was extremely delicate, and by no means a healthy person, and it is not unlikely her offspring might have inherited her disease, that is, an affection of the chest. we had only lived a few months together, till another call for service separated us again. in june , we received orders to send out to cadiz two companies of my battalion, together with the commanding-officer and staff, three others having been already sent thither in the spring. the melancholy business of parting with my wife was again to be gone through; but on this occasion i was favoured by being permitted to accompany her to london, where, parting from her with a heavy heart, i took my place for chichester, at which place my detachment would be quartered next day, on their way to portsmouth. i omitted to mention, that lieutenant-colonel barnard of the st or royals, had exchanged with lieutenant-colonel m'leod some time previous, and he consequently was now going out as my commanding-officer. we embarked at portsmouth on the th july, on board the mercury frigate, armed _en flute_, and commanded by captain tancock. we had a favourable passage, and landed at cadiz on the th of that month. this city, it may be remembered, was besieged at this time by a french army under marshal victor; consequently, when we arrived, we were amused by seeing immense shells flying from one party to the other, but without doing any serious injury to either, the distance being too great to produce any effect of moment. as we came in sight of cadiz, the view was most enchanting, for the city appeared as if composed of lofty and elegant snow-white buildings, apparently rising from the bosom of the ocean, for the land on which it is built cannot be seen at a distance; added to which, the numerous and beautiful towns about the bay, and a little beyond it, rendered it a most delightful scene. on the right was cadiz, with its lofty lighthouse, and its strong sea-walls rising out of the water; on the left was rota, an apparently neat little town. farther up the bay, on the same side, was port st mary's, and beyond that porto real, both considerable towns. in the centre rises the isla de leon, now called st ferdinand; beyond that chiclana, composed of the elegant country residences of the more wealthy cadiz merchants; and, in the distance, towering on the mountains behind, the dazzling white town of medina sidonia shining in the sun; indeed altogether imagination can scarcely picture to itself a more interesting _coup-d'oeil_, the scene being closed by the lofty snow-clad mountains of ronda. we landed at cadiz, and remained for the night in the barracks situated in the barrier, on the land-side of the town, and which is remarkably strong, the fortifications being composed of solid masonry, and the barracks all bomb-proof. i suffered dreadfully from the myriads of fleas which preyed upon me during the night, and was glad when morning appeared. we marched next day to the isla, (be it observed the town is called by that name as well as the island on which it and cadiz are situated,) distant from cadiz about seven miles; the island is of a most singular form, being about ten miles broad at the end next the continent, from which it is separated by the river santi petri; immediately below the town of isla it begins to narrow very rapidly, forming from thence to cadiz nothing more than a narrow sand-bank, in some places not more than a hundred yards across, and on which a causeway has been built to connect the two places. we took up our abode in the isla, where the spanish government, such as it was, at this time resided; and here i witnessed the first opening of the spanish cortes in , which was attended with all the pomp and show of a truly roman catholic people. _te deums_ and other pompous and brilliant ceremonies marked the event; indeed, here we had an opportunity of seeing a great number of the grandees of the spanish nation, for, as i said before, the government had retired to this place from madrid, and most of the courtiers and others attached to the government had assembled here, together with the deputies from the different provinces; altogether the scenes we witnessed here were sometimes very imposing. the french occupied all the towns before named save cadiz and isla, their advanced piquets being thrown forward to near the river santi petri, except near the bridge of luaza, which is the only communication across from the island to the mainland; here our pickets were advanced a considerable distance beyond the bridge upon a causeway on which is the road leading to seville, through a broad salt marsh on the banks of the river; it is here about two miles wide, and utterly impassable, except to those who know the footpaths across it, being intersected at every few paces by deep salt-pits or pans. the enemy, as mentioned before, had their sentries at some parts pretty far into the centre of this marsh, and there were some fellows in the spanish service called by the name of "creepers," they obtaining their livelihood by killing sea-fowl and other animals in this marsh; and so dexterous were they at this _creeping_, that they could steal upon the birds unperceived, which enabled them to get them with ease. sometimes a fellow of this calling would set off on a _creeping_ excursion, and instead of bagging a wild-duck, or some other such bird, would plunge his stiletto into the heart of an unsuspecting french sentry, and leave him weltering in his gore. this was a noble exploit in their estimation, and marks strongly the character of the spaniard, who, inured to blood by the frequency of their bull-fights and other similar exhibitions, hesitates not a moment at assassination if urged on by what he deems his own or country's wrongs; this inhuman act, of course, was perpetrated in the dark. i may mention, in connexion with this, that on the christmas of , it was reported that sixteen people had been assassinated in isla alone, on the evening or night before; it is probable the number may have been exaggerated, but the thing was such an almost everyday occurrence that it appeared not to excite the least horror at its atrocity. i had occasion to go down the town during the christmas day, and i saw still lying at the corner of one of the most frequented streets, one of the unhappy beings who had thus fallen. no one seemed inclined to own him; and his body, foul with blood and dust, was thus permitted to remain in the public streets without any enquiry being made with respect to the perpetrator of so foul a deed. in truth they are, as it were, trained up to this recklessness of human life from their infancy, for in the town of isla there was a sort of naval academy, where a number of boys, from perhaps eight to twelve years of age, were educated; these urchins were permitted to wear swords, and it is really astonishing how desirous they appeared to make use of them, for they could scarcely ever pass along the streets without trying the sharpness of their points upon the backs of pigs or dogs, or any other unfortunate animal that came in their way. the french also occupied a long low tongue of land which stretches out into the bay of cadiz, taking its rise from between port st mary's and porto real, and extending to within about two and a half miles of cadiz, and about one from puntalis, a fort erected on the island opposite the extremity of this low tongue; this is called the trocadero, since become famous as the field on which the duke d'angouleme, and prince carignan of naples, gained so many honours. on the point of this tongue the enemy's principal batteries were erected, and from thence they contrived occasionally, but not often, and never with any great effect, to throw shells into the town of cadiz. the mortar now in st james' park, called the "prince regent's bomb," was cast at seville on purpose to enable them to reach the town, no ordnance of common dimensions being capable of throwing a shell so far; but it did not answer the end proposed, or at least the effect expected from it, for it was imagined by them, that if they could once succeed in throwing shells into the city, the inhabitants would become so alarmed that they would compel the military to surrender. this, however, was far from being realized, although they did throw a few in; but the distance being so great, they were necessarily thrown much at random, some of them falling short of the town, others flying completely over into the bay near the lighthouse on the other side, and some few, as i said, falling in the city, but from which very few casualties occurred.[ ] i am told they were obliged to have the mortar slung in chains at the time of firing it, the concussion being so great as to destroy the bed in which it was fixed. as may be supposed, there was constant war between our fort puntalis, before mentioned, and the enemy's batteries on this point; in fact our people had orders to throw a thirteen-inch shell every quarter of an hour, besides the occasional firing from the guns and other mortars when any thing appeared on the opposite side; and you may be certain the french were not behind us in the expenditure of ammunition; they were remarkably fond of firing what are termed salvos, that is, volleys of artillery. on one occasion i happened to be looking out from a high tower near isla, called the tore alto, and while all was deep and profound silence, and i happened to be looking towards the point of trocadero, in a moment the smoke rose from at least pieces of artillery, fired by signal, and the noise they made was tremendous. our poor little fort of puntalis appeared almost enveloped in the dust raised by the striking of the shot, and the smoke from them which fell about it, and seemed as if almost deprived of power by so sudden and unexpected a salute; but she began at length to return the compliment, although feebly in comparison of the tremendous volley she had received. this and such like were of frequent occurrence, scarcely a day passing without something interesting taking place. to enable us to cope in some measure with the french, a large double fortified sea-mortar was brought from gibraltar, which threw thirteen-inch shells. it was brought up to the back of the town of isla, near some powder magazines, and an attempt made there to throw some shells over to the trocadero. the first trial, an empty shell was put in, with not less than thirty-two pounds of powder in the chamber. on firing it, the shell flew all to atoms, from the violent shock occasioned by so great a quantity of powder; and the shell being too weak for that description of mortar, another was tried filled with sand, to give it more weight and solidity; this answered the purpose, for it fell on the land on the opposite coast, but still, from the great range, much uncertainty must naturally attend the practice, and it was eventually given up. the next day, however, we were saluted from the opposite side with both shot and shell, the french thus showing us that they were better able to play at long bowls than we were; neither, however, did their practice continue, for there was nothing at the point where their shot and shells fell to be injured by them, the magazines before noticed being now empty. on another occasion an attack was made by our people on the trocadero itself, where it was reported the french had got a considerable number of boats, &c., laid up on shore, about half-way between the point and porto real; our folks took gun-boats and boats with rockets, the intention being to set fire to the enemy's craft. they accordingly advanced in good style, keeping as far, however, as possible out of the range of the french batteries at the point, which, as they were directed towards cadiz and puntalis, could not easily bring their artillery to bear upon our boats. they reached the place where it was said the french craft was lying, and fired a considerable number of rockets, but without being able to effect any thing farther than burning one boat, i believe. as they were returning, however, they met the french commander, who had been down to the point in a light boat, and he, like a brave fellow, determined to run completely the gauntlet rather than return, keeping as close in shore, however, as possible. the whole of our gun-boats fired at him as he passed, and knocked the water up about him in all directions without ever once touching him, although, to look at him, one would have imagined it impossible he could escape; but here the old soldier's adage was verified, for there was still more room to miss than to hit him, and he accordingly escaped scot-free. while here, i had a most ample opportunity of closely viewing the spanish army, great numbers being stationed in and about the isla, and great numbers constantly coming into and going out of the place, after receiving such equipment as the government was able to provide for them. nothing could exceed the hardy and robust appearance of the men in general; and had they been clothed, appointed, and disciplined like either their enemies or their allies, there could not have been a finer soldiery. i cannot, however, say so much for their officers; most of them appeared to be utterly unfit and unable to command their men. those who had the means, seemed to think of nothing else but dressing like apes or mountebanks, and intriguing with the women. it was really absurd and ludicrous to see the strange figures they generally made themselves. in one regiment alone you might have observed more different uniforms than both we and the french have in all our armies. one would have had on a blue coat turned up with red, with a chaco and a straight sword, the uniform prescribed for officers of the infantry, i believe; the next would have most likely had on a hussar dress, with an enormous sabre dangling by his side; another would have had a red coat, a fourth yellow, a fifth white, and so on. in short, all the colours of the rainbow were generally exhibited in the uniforms of one regiment's officers; and every one of them appeared to vie with the other who could make the greatest harlequin of himself, whilst those of them who were mounted would caper and prance about the streets like so many fools, riding with their legs at full stretch, and the toe of the boot (if they had one) just touching the stirrup, and drawing the reins continually through the fingers of their right hand; and if by any chance an ape of this kind came near the window of his dulcinea, and thought there was a likelihood of her seeing him, i pitied the poor foot-passengers who might happen to be near him, for he would make his unfortunate rosinante prance and caper by the immense long bit in its mouth, and the pieces of iron in the shape of spurs on his (shoes perhaps), till the poor animal was like to fall under him. in short, they had all the pride, arrogance, and self-sufficiency of the best officers in the world, with the very least of all pretension to have an high opinion of themselves; it is true they were not all alike, but the majority of them were the most haughty, and at the same time the most contemptible creatures in the shape of officers, that i ever beheld. it was, therefore, not to be expected that the soldiers would or could look upon them with that degree of respect and reverence so essential to a due maintenance of subordination in an army. about the month of february , it was concerted between the spanish government and general graham, who commanded us, to undertake an expedition which should land in the vicinity of gibraltar; and being there reinforced by some troops from that fortress, the whole should move forward in the direction of chiclana, and, taking the enemy in the rear of his works, compel him either to abandon them or fight a battle. accordingly, on the th of that month, we embarked on board some small vessels that had been fitted up for the occasion in the bay of cadiz, and, sailing soon after, we reached algeziras, ten miles on this side of gibraltar, and landed there on the th. our force consisted of a brigade of artillery, with ten guns; two battalions of foot guards; the th, th, and th regiments; a battalion composed of flank companies from gibraltar; two companies of the th regiment, and two of the th portuguese regiment, with six companies of our corps and one squadron of cavalry,--in all about men. the spanish army, under the command of general la pena, (who, being senior officer, directed the whole,) consisted of two divisions,--in all from ten to eleven thousand. we were not allowed to take any baggage with us, consequently we could not expect much comfort during the service, which was expected to be short. the day we landed we bivouacked on a height near algeziras, and the next morning moved on towards tarifa, where we remained for that day and the next, to allow time to get the artillery and cavalry horses on shore. here i observed a strange custom among the females of this place, the remains, i apprehend, of the moorish fashion, (which no doubt would continue longer in this place than others, it being immediately opposite to and in sight of africa.) the spanish women all wear what they term a mantilla, that is, a kind of scarf made of cloth, generally black, which they throw over their heads lengthwise, letting the two ends come over their shoulders, and meeting and crossing on the breast, it forms a sort of head-dress which shows only the face, and keeps them close and snug about the head; but here, they bring it so far forward as to completely cover the face, leaving nothing but a very small hole in front of their left eye (i think it is), at which they peep out, without showing any part of the face. colonel brown of the th, who was then a most wild and eccentric character, although now i understand completely altered, could not relish this hiding of their beauty by the modest dames of tarifa. all, therefore, that he met in the streets he stopped, and made them open the mantilla, that he might have a fair peep at them, to the great scandal of the good ladies of this still moorish town, and which, had it been on any other occasion, might have been attended with unpleasant consequences to himself. when every thing was ready we moved forward from tarifa, and halted for the night on a height about twelve miles distant. the next day we reached casas vejas, or "old houses," where we bivouacked on a scrubby hill, the weather being very bitter, which we felt in all its force, having no covering whatever. next day we had to cross a considerable lake of fresh water, by a sort of ford which crossed it about the middle. we had started before daylight, and, through some mismanagement, did not reach this lake till near mid-day, although it was only a few miles distant from our last night's quarters. one division of the spaniards led the column, and another was behind us, we being thus in the centre, as being the least thought of probably by our spanish commander-in-chief; for indeed we had often heard it said in and about isla, "what fine-looking and well-disciplined soldiers the british are!--what a pity they cannot fight!" so thought la pena, probably; but by two o'clock the first division of spaniards had not near got over the lake, at which the patience of our general was so completely exhausted, that he requested the spanish general to allow him to bring forward the british troops, to show him the way how he and they would act. my battalion led the van, and were ordered to march straight through it without any picking of steps, and to go forward in regular sections, one man supporting another. they went in and marched right through it, as if it had been plain ground, the water taking them generally about mid-deep. the rest of the british army followed, and were all through in less than half an hour; a one-horse cart, indeed, stuck fast in the middle of it, from the wheels having got entangled between the large stones at the bottom. general graham seeing this, instantly dismounted, and, plunging in, set his shoulder to the wheel, and fairly lifted it clear of the obstruction. la pena, and those about him, after witnessing the example set them by our general and his troops, seemed really ashamed of their former conduct, and, setting to in good earnest, they contrived to urge their soldiers and officers to take the water with more freedom, and before dark the whole army had got over. while we were so long detained by the first division of spaniards getting across, i, with several other mounted people, rode forward to the ford, to ascertain the cause of our stoppage for so long a time. the spaniards were going into the water one at a time,--here one, and there one,--while the creatures of officers were making the men carry them on their backs. had the whole army acted thus, we should not have got over before daylight next morning. when all were across, and the columns formed, we moved forward, and reached the neighbourhood of veger, which stands on a high hill not far distant from the memorable cape trafalgar. we halted in an olive-grove below the town, and bivouacked for the night; it was bitter cold, and the troops could find but little wood for firing, which they much needed, from having got so completely wet in crossing the lake. we remained at veger all the next day, and a little after dark commenced our march. we being now in the neighbourhood of the enemy, it became necessary to conceal our movements as much as possible. during the night we passed the fishing town of conil, and, keeping near the coast, we arrived the next morning on the plain of chiclana. i quote from our general's dispatch, as it states the thing in a much more clear and satisfactory manner than i could do. he says,--"after a night march of sixteen hours from the camp (bivouack) near veger, we arrived on the morning of the th on the low ridge of barossa, about four miles from the santi petri river. this height extends inland about a mile and a half, continuing on the north the extensive heathy plain of chiclana. a great pine-forest skirts the plain, and circles round the height at some distance, terminating down towards santi petri, the intermediate space between the north side of the height and the forest being uneven and broken." the two spanish divisions had preceded us, who, after having rested a while on the plain, moved down towards the santi petri, where a bridge was to be thrown over by the troops in the isla de leon, and thus open a communication between the two armies, that is, between those inside the island and us. the general goes on to say,--"a well-conducted and successful attack on the rear of the enemy's lines, near santi petri, by the vanguard of the spanish army under brigadier-general ladrizabel, having opened the communication with the isla de leon, i received general la pena's directions to move down from the position of barossa to that of the torre de bermesa, about half-way to the santi petri river, over which a bridge had been lately established. this latter position occupies a narrow woody ridge, the right on the sea-cliff, and the left falling down to the almanza creek, on the edge of the marsh; a hard sandy beach gives an easy communication between the western points of these two positions. "my division being halted on the eastern slope of the barossa height, was marched about twelve o'clock through the wood towards bermesa, (cavalry patrols having previously been sent towards chiclana, without meeting with the enemy.) on the march i received notice that the enemy had appeared in force on the plain, and was advancing towards the heights of barossa. as i considered that position as the key of santi petri, i immediately countermarched, in order to support the troops left for its defence; and the alacrity with which this manoeuvre was executed, served as a favourable omen. it was, however, impossible, in such intricate and difficult ground, to preserve order in the columns, and there never was time to restore it entirely. but before we could get ourselves quite disentangled from the wood, the troops on the barossa hill were seen returning from it, while the enemy's left wing was rapidly ascending. at the same time his right wing stood on the plain, on the edge of the wood, within cannon-shot. a retreat in the face of such an enemy, already within reach of the easy communication by the sea-beach, must have involved the whole allied army in all the danger of being attacked during the unavoidable confusion of the different corps arriving on the narrow ridge of bermesa nearly at the same time. "trusting to the known heroism of british troops, regardless of the numbers and position of the enemy, an immediate attack was determined on. major duncan soon opened a powerful battery of ten guns in the centre. brigadier-general dilkes, with the brigade of guards, lieutenant-colonel brown's (of the th) flank battalion, lieutenant-colonel norcott's two companies of the d rifle corps, and major acheson, with a part of the th, (separated from the regiment in the wood,) formed on the right. "colonel wheately's brigade, (consisting of the th, th, and th,) with three companies of the coldstream guards, under lieutenant-colonel jackson (separated likewise from his battalion in the wood), and lieutenant-colonel barnard's flank battalion (being two companies th, two ditto th portuguese, and four of third battalion th) formed on the left. as soon as the infantry was thus hastily got together, the guns advanced to a more favourable position, and kept up a destructive fire. the right wing proceeded to the attack of general ruffin's division on the hill, while lieutenant-colonel barnard's flank battalion, and lieutenant-colonel bush's detachment of the th portuguese, were warmly engaged with the enemy's tirailleurs on our left. "general laval's division, notwithstanding the havoc made by major duncan's battery, continued to advance in very imposing masses, opening his fire of musketry, and was only checked by that of the left wing. the left wing now advanced firing. a most destructive charge, by the three companies of the guards and the th regiment, supported by all the remainder of the wing, decided the defeat of general laval's division. "the eagle of the th regiment of light infantry, which suffered immensely, and a howitzer, rewarded this charge, and remained in possession of major gough of the th regiment. these attacks were zealously supported by colonel bilson with the th regiment, and lieutenant-colonel prevost with a part of the th. a reserve, formed beyond the narrow valley, across which the enemy was closely pursued, next shared the same fate, and was routed by the same means. "meanwhile, the right wing was not less successful. the enemy, confident of success, met general dilkes on the ascent of the hill, and the contest was sanguinary; but the undaunted perseverance of the brigade of guards, of lieutenant-colonel brown's battalion, and of lieutenant-colonel norcott's and major acheson's detachments, overcame every obstacle, and general ruffin's division was driven from the heights in confusion, leaving two pieces of cannon. "no expressions of mine could do justice to the conduct of the troops throughout--nothing less than the almost unparalleled exertions of every officer, the invincible bravery of every soldier, and the most determined devotion of the honour of his majesty's arms in all, could have achieved this brilliant success against such a formidable enemy, so posted. in less than an hour and a half from the commencement of the action, the enemy was in full retreat. the retiring divisions met, halted, and seemed inclined to form; a new and more advanced position of our artillery quickly dispersed them. the exhausted state of the troops made pursuit impossible. a position was taken up on the eastern side of the hill; and we were strengthened on our right by the return of two spanish regiments, that had been attached before to my division, but which i had left on the hill, and which had been ordered to retire. "an eagle, six pieces of cannon, the general of division ruffin, and the general of brigade rousseau, wounded and taken; the chief of the staff, general bellegarde, and aide-de-camp of marshal victor, and the colonel of the th regiment, with many other officers killed, and several wounded and taken prisoners, the field covered with the dead bodies of the enemy, attest that my confidence in this division was nobly repaid. the animated charges of the th regiment were most conspicuous. lieutenant-colonel barnard, (twice wounded,) and the officers of his flank-battalion, executed the duty of skirmishing in advance with the enemy in a masterly manner; and were ably seconded by lieutenant-colonel bush, of the th portuguese, who (likewise twice wounded) fell into the enemy's hands, but was afterwards rescued." the dispatch contains many more acknowledgments, which, as they have no connexion with my narrative, i have omitted. i beg now to make such remarks and observations as may tend to throw light upon the different parts of the foregoing dispatch. the two spanish battalions attached to our division, together with lieutenant-colonel brown's flank-battalion, were left upon the height of barossa, when we moved down into the wood, in order to secure that position till we had possessed ourselves of the height of bermesa; but we had not left the plain more than half an hour, i think, and descended into the wood, till an officer came galloping after us, saying the french had debouched from the wood, and were moving on to the high ground in our rear, and had attacked the troops left there for its defence. orders were instantly given us to countermarch, and to get on to the plain and into action as soon as possible. in coming about, one of the guns got entangled with a pine-tree; there was no time to disengage it, and setting to with the whip, they pushed the horses forward, and tore up the tree completely by the roots, although one of considerable size. i thought (as our general says) it appeared a good omen, and that a trifling obstacle would not be allowed to impede their career. when we reached the plain, and perceived the enemy, never did a finer sight present itself. they were manoeuvring on the high ground before us; and as home says, "the hill they gained, and moving on its top, of more than mortal size, towering, they seemed an host angelic, clad in burning arms." those immediately in front of my battalion were the famed th regiment, and consisted of two battalions of men each; one was composed of grenadiers, and the other of voltigeurs, or light infantry. the grenadiers had long waving red plumes in their caps, at least a foot in length; while the light infantry had feathers of the same length and make, but green, with yellow tops. the whole of the french army had on their best or holyday suits of clothing, with their arms as bright as silver, and glancing in the sun as they moved in column, gave them really a noble and martial appearance. we had no sooner cleared the wood than we inclined to our left, and went immediately at them. major duncan's guns commenced playing upon their column the moment he could get a clear piece of ground. the two companies of the th, attached to my battalion, were taken to cover and remain with the guns. our people extended as we went up the hill, the portuguese supporting us in the rear; and in a very short time we were hotly engaged with the fellows with the beautiful green feathers, many of which fell on the ground in a short time. as we advanced, the battalions to our right and in rear of us got formed in line, and moving forward in fine style, took up stronger ground in advance; the guns in the centre also moving onward, and causing dreadful havoc in the enemy's ranks. early in the action my horse was killed, being shot in the head, which ball, had his head not stopped it, would in all probability have entered my body. he fell like a stone. i then went on and joined the ranks, and finding a rifle of a man that had just fallen, (poor little croudace's servant, who afterwards fell himself,) i took a few shots at them in revenge for my horse. at this time the grenadier battalion of the th, with their waving red plumes, began to advance in close column, the drums beating all the time the _pas de charge_. they were supported by other columns in their rear, together with one, the french th, which they sent into the wood to try to turn our left. the th advanced, notwithstanding the galling fire kept up by our people and the portuguese, every shot almost of which must have told, as they were in a solid body, not more than from to yards' distance. our people were of course compelled to give way to this imposing column, when the regiments on our right and in our rear, opening out upon them a destructive fire, and the th and guards immediately after attacking them with the bayonet, their rout and discomfiture was complete. the th, which suffered most, and from whom the eagle was taken, never yet got into line--nor did they intend, i believe--but advanced as a solid body, (occasionally firing from their front,) till, coming in contact with the regiments above mentioned, and in this state receiving the charge, their loss was excessive, for they could not get away. i understand, when the th charged, ensign keogh of that regiment made the first attempt to wrench the eagle from the officer who carried it; but in so doing he was run through by several of those who supported it, and fell lifeless to the ground. sergeant masterson of that regiment then dashed at it, and was more fortunate, he succeeding in securing it. i understand there was some dispute between them and the guards, who charged at the same time with the th, to whom it properly belonged; but i imagine the th must have been the captors, for sergeant masterson soon after received a commission for his gallantry, and is now a captain in that regiment. the th, the french regiment, which had been sent into the wood to turn our left flank, by some means got entangled; for, except their light company, no part of the regiment ever got into action again; and when their columns were routed, they found some difficulty in effecting their retreat. there is something rather extraordinary and very interesting in the story of the eagle and the th regiment, if it be true, and which i see no reason to doubt. they were one of the regiments, it is said, which were engaged at talavera, and were particularly distinguished; and it is further said, that the th was one of the regiments opposed to them, and over which they gained some advantage; that is, the french troops caused the british brigade, in which the th was serving, to retire with considerable loss; and that it was for their conduct in this action that bonaparte had placed a golden wreath of laurel round the neck of the regimental eagle with his own hand. if such was the case, it is most remarkable that the very regiment by whom they should have obtained this honour, should be the regiment that deprived them of their eagle, which had been so highly honoured. but here, poor fellows, although they did not lose their honour, they lost very nearly the whole regiment; for out of which entered the field, not more than of them entered chiclana after the action. indeed i never witnessed any field so thickly strewed with dead as this plain was after the action; and i feel confident, and all accounts agree in confirming the opinion, that the loss of the french on this occasion was little short of men; ours was about . here then we have a loss of men in about an hour and a half, out of about , which composed the two armies. in this action, colonel bush was almost absurdly brave and conspicuous. as soon as he got his portuguese fairly into action, he rode slowly backward and forward among them, with his spectacles on, crying out as the balls whistled past him, "que bella musica!" what delightful music! poor fellow, he did not ride there many minutes; for, being within a very short distance of the enemy's tirailleurs so conspicuous an object, it was not to be expected he could escape. he died a few days after the action. colonel barnard, my commandant, (now sir andrew,) about the middle of the action, received a severe wound, and was borne away to the rear. whilst the surgeon was dressing him, another shot struck him, and inflicted, i believe, a worse wound than the former. the horses of my battalion suffered greatly in proportion to their numbers. we had only four in the field, two of which, major ross's and my own, were killed, and colonel barnard's wounded; only the adjutant's escaped with a whole skin. indeed there was scarcely an officer or soldier in the action that had not marks of shot about him. the caps of the tall guardsmen were riddled as it were; while the greater part of the enemy's shot passed over our little fellows, who were both too near them, and too low for their fire. i may remark on this subject that the french generally fire high, but here i think unusually so; for, after a considerable quantity of ammunition had been expended by my battalion, it became my duty to look out for a fresh supply. i accordingly posted off to the rear, where i expected to have found some mules which had been attached to us, with ammunition on their backs; but on my way thither, the ground was actually ploughing up on all sides by the enemy's large shot, and their musket-balls falling very thick; so much so, that some of our mules far to the rear had been wounded, and the others had dispersed. hence also the second wound which my gallant commander received, where he ought to have been completely out of danger. some ammunition for our rifles was, however, found in a one-horse cart belonging to the artillery, and out of it those whose ammunition was expended were replenished. but during my absence to the rear, the gallant and decisive charge had been made; and when i again reached the front, i perceived the enemy's columns in full retreat, covered by the remainder of their light troops, closely followed by some of my people. the retreat was accordingly sounded to recall them from the pursuit, and our brave and victorious little army cheered the enemy as his beaten and disheartened columns left the field. immediately after our army began to move off towards the isla, our general being, as i understood, so much exasperated with the apathy evinced by the spanish general, that he would no longer co-operate with him, and consequently drew off our troops into the isle of leon. my battalion, however, was destined to remain on the field all night to protect the numerous wounded from any marauders, or small parties and cavalry patrols of the enemy, which might happen to return. however, not a frenchman made his appearance there again that night. when it was determined to withdraw the british army, major duncan, with great humanity, (approved of course by our excellent general,) cast off from the artillery-carriages all the spare ammunition, in order to make room for as many of our wounded officers and soldiers as those carriages could accommodate, and thus a considerable number of them were carried from the field immediately. after they had left us, and my battalion was still standing in front of the position last occupied by our troops, all having retired but ourselves, and it now began to draw towards night, and we were preparing to move off, an unfortunate french sergeant attracted our notice. poor fellow, he had been shot in the small of the back, and (on our surgeon examining him) pronounced to be mortally. he appeared to be a man above forty, and apparently a veteran, who had fought many a hard field; and was, i think, one of the most respectable-looking men of his class that i have seen. when he saw us preparing to leave him to his fate, the expression of his countenance became the most piteous and beseeching imaginable; imploring us in french not to leave him there to perish. my heart bled for him; but unhappily we had no means of removing him, had there even been a hope of his recovery. when he saw that his fate was inevitable, he crawled in the best manner he was able to a broken ammunition-box, and raising himself on his knees, supported by it, besought that being who never casts out the cry of the unfortunate, and who, i sincerely hope, imparted to him that strength and comfort which his unhappy circumstances so greatly required. i doubt not he was a sincere christian; never shall i forget the impression his unhappy fate made on my mind. to be left in solitude and darkness on this blood-stained heath, with the prospect of his own certain death before his eyes, and without any to comfort him in his last agony, must indeed have been a severe trial to his fortitude. would to god i could have relieved him! his case was not singular, it is true; but none ever presented itself to my view under such truly affecting circumstances as this unhappy veteran's did. after dark, my battalion retired over the field where the thickest of the dead and wounded were strewed, and many were the dying groans which struck upon our ears, as we traversed this bloody field; but, except these groans, no sound was heard, where lately the din of arms had been loud and fierce, and where war had raged in all its fury; till coming to the house upon the sea-beach, where many of the wounded had been collected, we were formed into square on a sand-hill near it, and in this position rested on our arms for the remainder of the night. on our way from the front, we passed not far from where my horse had fallen; and as saddlery was scarce at cadiz, i thought it would be prudent to try to recover that on which i had been riding. i found it; but my horse having fallen with his back inclined to the front, it was perforated by shot in five places, and the tree was broken. however, i disengaged it, and giving it to one of the men, whose rifle i carried in return, i got it safely into isla. about twelve at night, poor general rousseau died, a cannon-shot having carried away the greater part of the flesh of one of his thighs; and as no other troops were near, the task of paying him the last sad duty devolved upon me. i went to the house aforesaid, and procured a shovel or a spade, and digging a hole in the sand by the light of the moon, his body was deposited, where it in all probability will remain till the last trumpet shall summon it to rise. poor drunken gilles, one of the men i had employed on the occasion, pronounced the only service as he was committed to the dust, which was, "god rest his soul!" i indeed sincerely hope so. poor rousseau had been a noble soldier; in his pocket was found a leave which he had obtained to return to france on account of ill health; but in the prospect of the approaching action he had delayed his departure, and thus fell a victim as it were to his patriotism and his sense of honour. he was military governor of xeres de la frontera, from whence we have our wine called sherry, a corruption of xeres. he was a small slender person, and apparently had suffered greatly from ill health. during the night some spaniards were sent into the field to look for and bring off the guns we had taken, which they did. as it approached towards morning, major ross, seeing all was quiet, moved us off by the beach towards our former quarters; and passing over the position of bermesa, which the spaniards still occupied, and crossing the santi petri by the lately erected bridge, we returned weary and hungry to la isla, and where our friends received us once again with great cordiality. if my reader is not tired of the subject, i would just beg to draw his attention for a moment to the circumstances attending this action. the french troops were at least (some say ) strong, well clothed and appointed, and apparently well fed, and fresh from their cantonments, none of them probably having marched more than four miles. they were some of the best in the french service, and commanded by one of bonaparte's ablest generals, a marshal of france, victor, duke of belluno. they occupied a fine position, having the ground completely at their choice; while we did not muster more than at most. we had been marching for sixteen hours successively through the night over bad roads; and being taken in a manner by surprise, we came out of the wood _beneath_ the enemy, broken and disjointed, and were instantly hurried into action. the french fought desperately; for when their marauding columns came down upon us with an intrepidity seldom seen in the french army, and opening out their heavy and destructive fire, my heart quaked within me for the safety of our little army, and the honour of our country, for i thought it would be impossible to resist them. however, the steady valour of our troops repelled the assailants, and, taking advantage of their proximity, charged as before stated, and completely overthrew them. it is certain, as general graham says, that _all_ must have done their duty on this occasion; notwithstanding, we may sing with great propriety, "non nobis, domine"--"not unto us, o lord, but unto thy name be the praise;" for it is certain we must have been specially favoured by a kind providence, or it is impossible we could have gained _such_ a victory under so many and so great disadvantages; for never was victory more complete. in less than three hours from the first glimpse we had of them as we debouched from the wood, a frenchman was not to be seen in all the field, save the numerous killed and wounded. although our general did not say any thing in his public dispatch of the abominable conduct of la pena, no doubt he stated truly in his private information how ill that general had behaved; for he and the , or , spaniards he had with him remained within two miles of the field of action, quiet and passive spectators of the scene, without making one effort to support us had we been beaten, or to take advantage of the victory should we gain it; and the consequence was, the french retained their ground and works by which they invested cadiz and la isla, whereas, had he made the slightest movement during or after the fight, they would have all gone off, and the siege would have been raised, for it is evident they contemplated and were prepared for this, the soldiers having each three or four days' bread in his possession. a considerable number of other officers besides generals ruffin and rousseau were taken. ruffin was wounded in the neck by a rifle-shot, which touched the spinal marrow, depriving him of the use of his limbs. he was soon after embarked for england, but died as he came within sight of the isle of wight. he was an immense and a fine-looking man, about six feet two inches or six feet three inches high, and ate enormously. he every day received a mess from our general's table. the other officers also were treated with the greatest politeness and attention, dining first at one regimental mess, and then at another. they were fully sensible of the kindness shown them, and expressed themselves very grateful. they were afterwards sent to england. i cannot omit here noticing the high estimation in which general graham was held by every officer and soldier of this little army. i may truly say, he lived in their affections; they not only looked up to him with confidence as their commander, but they esteemed and respected him as their firm friend and protector, which indeed he always showed himself to be. in all my fighting i never was in an action where the chances of death were so numerous as in this; and i may say, i never was in an action where i was less prepared to die. it is therefore of the lord's mercies that he spared me--i hope, for good at last. footnote: [ ] the distance to which the french threw these shells is truly amazing. the longest range of heavy iron sea mortars is only about yards, whereas the distance from the french batteries on the trocadero to the nearest point of cadiz was, i believe, or more; but they exceeded this considerably, for, as i said above, some of their shells fell in the sea beyond the town, near the lighthouse, a distance of at least or yards farther. the shells were always half filled with lead, to increase their flight, so that when they burst the mischief they occasioned was never extensive; i believe not more than about half-a-dozen individuals suffered from them in all. chapter vii. the d battalion of the th rifles ordered to proceed to portugal--our author visits england--returns to portugal, and joins his regiment at rodrigo--the army move towards badajos--siege of badajos--badajos surrenders--insubordination among the troops--quelled by the prompt measures of lord wellington. we remained at isla till june, without any thing of importance occurring, but at this time i was brought nigh to death's door by the bursting of a bloodvessel in the lungs. i was so ill that it was deemed necessary to send me home for change of air, it being exceedingly hot at this time at isla. i was accordingly removed to cadiz to wait for the first ship returning to england, and while there i suffered greatly, not being able to lie down in bed. however, before a vessel could be had, an order was received for my battalion to proceed to portugal, and our esteemed commander was likewise ordered to proceed to that country. as i felt myself somewhat better, i obtained permission to accompany my battalion to portugal, and i accordingly embarked with it at cadiz on the th of that month, on board a transport, the name of which i forget. general graham intended to have gone in a gun ship that was leaving that port for england, he being to be left at lisbon in passing. he sent an aide-de-camp on board to prepare for his reception; but he met with such treatment while on board, as induced the general to alter his plan and go in a frigate, on board which some of our people were embarked. it is said, that after the aide-de-camp had been shown the accommodation, the captain intimated to him, that it was expected the military officers would always keep on the leeward side of the quarter-deck. the windward side on board a man-of-war is considered the most honourable, therefore this was in fact putting the general beneath himself. he suffered, however, for his ill-timed assumption of supremacy, for there was a quantity of specie at cadiz which was to be transported at the same time for the use of the army in portugal, and which was intended to have gone in the ship with the general; but after this reception of his aide-de-camp, and the imperious condition attached to his going in this ship, he went on board the frigate with his suite, and took the money with him, thus depriving him of a considerable premium for its transport, to which he would have been entitled had the general gone with him. he, however, being the senior officer, we were all put under his charge, save the frigate before mentioned, and we were greatly annoyed by him during our passage, which our master said he prolonged in looking out for american merchantmen, there being then an appearance of war between the two countries. they said he actually detained one or two which left cadiz when we did, and that he fired small arms into them to bring them to, although war had not been declared. one day during the passage he made a signal to the transports which we did not immediately perceive. we were astonished at the report of a gun, and at the same time a cannon-shot whizzed past our rigging. this is not, i believe, customary, a blank gun being generally fired first, and when nothing else will do, a shot a-head of the vessel, but he appeared not to stand on any ceremony. we were glad when the voyage was over, it continuing from the th june to the th july, although three or four days only is the usual time. we landed at lisbon, and immediately set about preparing for our journey up the country to join the army; but colonel barnard having received letters respecting the settlement of our late colonel (general manningham's) affairs, which could not be easily arranged without my presence, determined to send me home for the purpose, with a promise, however, that i should immediately come out again. i accordingly embarked on board the same transport with a ship full of all kinds and descriptions of people, sick and wounded, and lame and lazy; such a motley group i have seldom seen. our paymaster also returned home with me, and besides him i did not know a person on board. we had a long and tedious passage, not reaching portsmouth till the th august, although we embarked on the st of that month. when we entered the chops of the channel, there was a considerable swell in the sea. our master, for some purpose or other, had got up from the hold a small quantity of ballast (gravel), which was laid upon the quarter-deck. a fine stout young irishman, an officer on board, came up the companion, and seeing the ballast lying there, asked where it came from. "why, don't you see," says the master, "how rough the sea is? it has been washed up from the bottom and thrown upon the deck." the hibernian seemed quite astonished at the effect of the swell, but believed the story with all the simple-hearted credulity of a johnny-raw, as the soldiers term a young and inexperienced soldier. our paymaster was a little of a gourmand, and having for some time been deprived of luxuries, determined to indulge a little now we had come to the land of plenty. on our road, therefore, to london, (he and another officer and myself posting it,) we stopped at godalming for dinner; he would needs have a carp, which he happened to see in a pond in the garden, made ready for our dinner. it was prepared according to his request, and with it and other good things we contrived to fare pretty well; although, according to my taste, a fresh herring would have been preferable. but lo, and behold! when the bill was called for, the awful sum of _half a guinea_ for the carp was added to the other items of the dinner, which amounted to quite enough without it. to remonstrate would have been useless; we therefore paid the bill and set off, determined to be more economical in future. i passed through london, and reached the depôt of my battalion, then stationed at ashford in kent, where, after having arranged the business for which i had been sent home, i obtained a three months' leave of absence to visit my native place, where i arrived, thank god, in a much improved state of health, and where i found all my friends and connexions as well as could be expected, and no doubt happy to see me. about the middle of november of the same year, i started once more for foreign service, and embarked at portsmouth for lisbon on the d of that month, on board a small brig heavily laden with corn for the army in portugal. we remained some time wind-bound, but at length got to sea and proceeded on our voyage, but shortly after the wind headed us and began to blow very fresh. we were therefore compelled to run for the race of portland, where we came to anchor. but the wind coming more favourable in a day or two, we weighed again, and got as far on our voyage as opposite torbay; but here again the wind coming foul, we were obliged to enter the bay and drop anchor again. we were detained here a good many days, during which i went ashore with another officer, who was on board with me, and indulged in some devonshire clotted cream at brixham. in about a week we again started, and got about half way across the bay of biscay, when a heavy gale overtook us, and in which we lost a considerable portion of our quarter-bulwarks (i think they are called). indeed, from the brig being so heavily laden, the water being within a very little of her gunwale, she did not weather the heavy seas which struck her very well, for during the night one came clean over her, partly filling the cabin where we lay with water; and i own i had considerable apprehension for our safety, which i believe was pretty universal on board. it pleased him, however, who ruleth over all things, to bring us through the gale without further injury, although we appeared next morning in a very shattered condition, and after a few more days' sailing, we reached the tagus, and landed at lisbon about the middle of january , and immediately commenced equipping for a campaign with the army which was at this time besieging ciudad rodrigo. i had to purchase a riding-horse and a mule to carry my baggage, and a great deal more of essential requisites to enable me to do my duty in the field; and to say truth, i had not, by any means, sufficient funds to meet these considerable expenses, and was consequently forced to borrow, and glad enough to find a friend who could and would lend me enough for the occasion. and here i cannot but remark, that it seemed peculiarly hard on junior officers, on their taking the field, to be compelled to furnish all this equipment at their own expense. i have known several who did not recover from the debt they thus incurred (could they find a friend, as i did, to lend them what they wanted) for a considerable time after they had joined the army; nay, i believe some never recovered it, and the persons who were kind enough to oblige them lost several large sums in this manner. in my own case, i know, i was most wofully put to it to raise a sufficiency for this purpose; and many, i know, have been compelled to take the field without the necessary equipment to render them efficient. they were thus of little service to the army for a considerable time after joining, and many of them were obliged to leave it again, after striving to do their duty, inadequately provided with the conveniences and comforts requisite to enable a man to bear up against the fatigues he had to encounter. it struck me as but just, and in this opinion i am not singular, that all officers who have not sufficient pay and allowances to enable them to provide themselves with the means of transport, ought to be furnished in the first instance at the public expense, and then be afterwards obliged to keep them in a fit state for service at their own. i set out from lisbon soon after, and joined my regiment, which was one of those that formed the light division, and found them cantoned in the neighbourhood of rodrigo, that fortress having fallen some days previous to my arrival. i had not been many days with the regiment till the division was assembled at a village called ituera, on the banks of the azava, to carry into execution the sentence of a general court-martial, before which seven men of the division had been arraigned for desertion to the enemy, they having been taken in rodrigo at the capture of that place. they were of course all found guilty, as they were taken as it were out of the enemy's ranks, and never attempted to plead not guilty; but they had said in palliation of their heinous crime, that they were forced to desert from want of food and clothing; indeed the army had not been so well supplied for a short while previously, as they had been accustomed to, but there never was any thing like want. i understood the clothing also was getting bad, but the men could not be got up the country for want of transport, and they were no worse off than their comrades. indeed, from all i could learn, they had acted in a most diabolical manner; for at the attack of the breaches in assaulting the place, they were distinctly heard crying out to one another, "now here comes the light division; let us give it them, the rascals," or something to that effect, and had, it is said, done more injury to the assailing party than twice their number of frenchmen. death of course was their sentence, and now the wretched victims of delusion were to atone with their lives for one of the greatest crimes known in the criminal code of the army. the division was formed into three sides square, on a plain in front of the village, the graves of the hapless beings occupying a part of the fourth face of the square. when all was ready, and a firing party from each regiment had been formed in the centre, the provost-marshal went to the guard-tent, where the prisoners were in waiting, to conduct them to the place of execution. they soon after appeared, poor wretches, moving towards the square, with faces pale and wan, and with all the dejection such a situation is calculated to produce. their arms had been pinioned one by one as they came out from the guard-tent, and all being ready, the melancholy procession advanced towards the centre of the square. the proceedings of the court which tried them, together with the sentence, and the approval of the commander of the forces, was read by the assistant adjutant-general, in the hearing of the whole division; which concluded, the prisoners were marched round in front of every regiment, that all might see and avoid their unhappy fate. they were then moved towards their graves. i ought to observe that the chaplain of the division had been with them in the guard-tent some little time previously to their leaving it, and when they quitted as above described, he followed them at a considerable distance, apparently ashamed of his peculiar calling, and the duty incumbent on him in such a conjuncture. they were led, as i said before, towards their graves; and when they reached the bank of earth in front of each, they were made to kneel down with their faces fronting the square, and then being one after another blindfolded, and left for a few moments to their own reflections or their prayers, the provost-marshal proceeded to the firing party, who had been previously loaded, and directing the men of each regiment to fire at their own prisoner, he advanced them to within about ten or twelve paces of the wretched men, and giving the signals by motion for their making ready and firing, the whole fired at once, and plunged the unhappy criminals into eternity. there was, indeed, one melancholy exception to this. one of the prisoners belonged to the troop of horse artillery attached to the division, and it seems the provost, in giving his orders for the soldiers of each regiment to fire at their own man, had not recollected that the artillery had no men there to fire. he was thus left sitting on his knees, when the others had fallen all around him. what his feelings must have been it is in vain to guess; but, poor fellow, he was not suffered long to remain in suspense, for a reserve party immediately approaching, they fired and stretched him also along with his companions in crime and misery; and in such of the others as they perceived life still remaining, they also immediately put an end to their sufferings, by placing their muskets close to their body, and firing into them. one poor man, when he received his death wound, sprung to a considerable height, and giving a loud shriek, he fell, and instantly expired. when all was finished, the division was formed into column, and marched round in front of the bodies, where each soldier might distinctly perceive the sad and melancholy effects of such a fatal dereliction of duty. they were then, without more ado, thrown into their graves, which were filled up without delay, and the division separating, each regiment marched to its quarters. i cannot describe the uncomfortable feelings this spectacle produced in my mind--nay, not only there, but in my body also--for i felt sick at heart; a sort of loathing ensued; and from the recollection of what i then suffered, i could not easily be persuaded to witness such another scene, if i had the option of staying away. death in the hundred shapes it assumes on the field of battle seems honourable, and not near so revolting to the feelings, and withal comes suddenly; but to witness the slow and melancholy preparations for an execution such as this, is productive, in any heart that can feel, of the most unpleasant sensations, i think, imaginable. one of the poor wretches was the little shoemaker of our highland company, by name m'guiniss, whom i had known for many years, and who formerly bore an excellent character; but he had most likely been seduced by some of his companions to commit this heinous crime. not many days after this, the whole army began to move towards badajos. on the th of february we left our cantonments, and passing by way of castello branca and villa velha, we reached a village not far from niza, called povo das meadas, where my battalion took up its quarters for a time. from hence i was dispatched to lisbon for the regimental clothing, which had then arrived at that port; but being unable to procure the means of transport, i was obliged to return without it. i rejoined them in the camp before badajos about the th of march, and witnessed the siege of that fortress from this period to its fall on the th of april. the breaches having been reported practicable by the engineers on the th, in the evening the army was assembled for the assault, and was disposed as follows: the d division under general picton was ordered to attack the citadel, and to endeavour to establish himself there by escalade; the th and light divisions, the former under general colville, and the latter commanded by colonel barnard, were destined for the breaches; the th division, which had not co-operated hitherto in the siege, but brought this evening into the neighbourhood, was ordered to occupy the ground in front of the town by way of reserve. one brigade of that division was ordered to make a false attack on a work called the pardeleras, which was connected with the town, although not actually belonging to it. another brigade of the same division was ordered to make another false attack round towards the gate near the river guadiana, which latter was to be turned into a real attack, if circumstances permitted general walker, who commanded it, to do so. there was also a brigade of portuguese, which was ordered to attack st cristoval, a fort on the other side of the river. every thing was arranged in the clearest and most satisfactory manner; all knew what they had to do, the point they were to occupy in the attack having been pointed out to most of them the day before. soon after dark, the different divisions began to move towards their destined posts, all elated with the certainty of success. i was then in the mess of the senior captain of my battalion, who commanded it on this occasion; and my other messmates were poor little croudace and cary, both lieutenants, the latter acting adjutant, and another. we had taken a farewell glass before we got up from dinner, not knowing which of them would survive the bloody fray that was likely soon to commence. poor croudace, a native of the county of durham, and consequently a near countryman, put into my hand a small leather purse, containing half a doubloon, and requested me to take care of it for him, as he did not know whose fate it might be to fall or to survive. i took it according to his wish, and put it into my pocket, and, after a little more conversation, and another glass, for the poor little fellow liked his wine, we parted, and they moved off. although i had thus, as it were, settled it in my mind that i would not go with them on this occasion, for my services could have been of but very little utility, yet, when they went away, i felt as if i was left desolate as it were, and was quite uneasy at parting from my beloved comrades, whom i had always accompanied hitherto. i therefore slung over my back my haversack, containing my pistol and a few other things, and moved forward, to try if i could find them; but falling in with some of my friends, staff-officers of the d, who were in the same brigade, they strongly dissuaded me from it, representing to me the folly of uselessly exposing myself, and the little service i could render there; and one of them requested me to accompany him to a hill immediately in front of the breaches, where we could see the business as it proceeded. we waited till about ten o'clock, when the fire first commenced from the castle upon the d division, as they approached it; but the fire from thence did not appear very heavy. not long after it opened out at the breaches, and was most awfully severe; indeed it was so heavy and so incessant, that it appeared like one continued sheet of fire along the ramparts near the breaches, and we could distinctly see the faces of the french troops, although the distance was near a mile. all sorts of arms, &c. were playing at once, guns, mortars, musketry, grenades, and shells thrown from the walls, while every few minutes explosions from mines were taking place. the firing too appeared to have such a strange deathlike sound, quite different from all i had ever heard before. this was occasioned by the muzzles being pointed downwards into the ditch, which gave the report an unusual and appalling effect. this continued without a moment's cessation, or without any apparent advantage being gained by our struggling but awfully circumstanced comrades. lord wellington had also taken his stand upon this hill, and appeared quite uneasy at the troops seeming to make no progress, and often asked, or rather repeated to himself, "what can be the matter?" the enemy had adopted an excellent plan to ascertain where our columns were posted; they threw an immense number of light balls on all sides of the town, and when they found out where there was a large body, a rocket was fired in the direction of where it stood, and instantly every gun, mortar, and howitzer, not previously engaged, was turned in that direction, and grievous was the destruction their shot made in the ranks of these columns. still our people at the breaches did not get forward, although we distinctly heard, with emotion, the bugles of our division sounding the advance. his lordship seemed now to lose all patience, and aides-de-camp were sent to ascertain the cause of the delay. they flew like lightning, while the whole rampart round the town seemed enveloped in one flame of fire. our brave but unsuccessful comrades were heard cheering every now and then; but still the fire at the breaches did not slacken. at length a dispatch arrived from general picton, stating, that he had established himself in the castle. this was cheering news to his lordship, who expressed very strongly the gratitude he felt for that gallant general. during the reading of the dispatch, which was done by torchlight, the enemy, perceiving the light, and that a number of people had assembled on the hill, directed a shell in that direction; but it fell short, and did us no injury. his lordship now rode off, and ordered our people at the breaches to retire, as the town was now perfectly secure. i also set off to inform my people of the happy circumstance. i found them drawn off from the glacis a few hundred yards; but, oh! what a difference in their appearance now from what they were previous to the attack! the whole division scarcely mustered at this time men, so many had been killed and wounded, and many had been sent to the rear with the latter. i informed them that general picton had got possession of the castle, but my story appeared to them an incredible tale; for it was actually impossible, they thought; and although they made me repeat it over and over again, they could scarcely bring their minds to credit such unexpected news. it was now dawn of day, and the firing had ceased at every point. here i learnt the fate of my two beloved friends and messmates: croudace had been shot through the body, and carried to the rear; cary had fallen, but they could not tell what had become of him. i now went forward towards the breaches, where i found that several men of both the th and light divisions had remained; and when general picton moved from the castle towards that point, which i believe he stated in his dispatch to be his intention, the enemy, finding themselves attacked in rear, began to abandon the defence of the breaches, and our people were then enabled to enter. never did i witness any thing like the artificial impediments which the enemy had here thrown up, which, added to the natural ones, that is, to the breaches not having been so perfectly practicable as was desirable, rendered it next to impossible to enter, even after all opposition on their part had ceased. in one breach (the large one) this was literally the case; for at the top of it was fixed a chevaux-de-frize extending the whole width of the breach, and composed of a strong beam of wood, with sharp-pointed sword-blades fixed in every direction, they being generally about three quarters of a yard long, and so closely set together, that it was impossible either to leap over them or penetrate between them, and the whole so firmly fixed to the works at the top, that it could not be moved. in addition, they had fitted a number of long and thick planks, with spikes about an inch or more in length, and laid them all down the breach, but fixed at the top, so that it was impossible for any one to get up without falling on these. beyond the chevaux-de-frize several ditches had been cut, into which those must have fallen who surmounted the obstacles on the breach; but i believe none did, although i saw one portuguese lying dead upon the ramparts; but i imagine he must either have been thrown up there by some explosion, or been one of those of the d division who came from the castle. in addition to all the above, from the covered way down into the ditch was, i should imagine, at least thirty feet; our people had descended by ladders, and, i doubt not, in the dark, and, in the hurry and confusion of the moment, many were thrown down and killed. in the middle of the large ditch a smaller one had been cut, which was filled with water, and in which, added to the inundation close to the right of the breaches, (which had been caused by bringing the river partly into the ditch,) numbers were drowned. small mines had been constructed all along in the ditch, which were exploded when it was filled with people, and which produced infinite mischief. on the top of the ramparts the enemy had a considerable number of shells of the largest size, ready filled and fused; and when our people had filled the ditch below, these were lighted, and thrown over on their heads, each shell being capable of destroying from twelve to twenty men or more. they had beams of wood also laid on the ramparts, with old carriage-wheels, and every sort of missile imaginable, which were poured upon the unfortunate people below. when these things are taken into consideration, added to the incessant and destructive fire of from to men, all emulous to do their duty, at the short distance of perhaps twenty yards, with the ditch as full as it could possibly stow, the reader will be able to form some idea of the destruction that must naturally ensue: and awful indeed it was, for, within the space of less than an acre of ground, i should imagine not less than from to men were lying: it was a heart-rending sight. i learnt afterwards that many were the desperate efforts that had been made to ascend the breaches, but all in vain; that many had nearly reached the top, but they being either shot or blown up, the others were forced down again. another and another trial still was made, but each succeeding party shared the fate of their predecessors. at last the bottoms of the breaches were nearly blocked up with the bodies of those who fell. by this time, general philippon, the french governor, had surrendered. when he found the d division had got possession of the castle, and were preparing to move down to second the attack of the breaches by taking the enemy in rear, and that general walker, with a part of the th division, had escaladed, and established themselves at the other end of the town, he deemed further resistance useless, and retired, with the garrison, to st cristoval, on the opposite side of the river; and shortly after the whole surrendered prisoners of war, the troops, after being stripped of their arms and accoutrements, being marched along in the ditch to one of the gates, from whence they were escorted on their way to elvas. they passed near the breaches while i was there, and i had a full view of them as they moved along. i thought they seemed under great apprehension for their safety, as they appeared quite downcast and dejected, which is not generally the case with french prisoners, who will shrug their shoulders, and tell you it is the fortune of war; but these poor fellows, who certainly had made a noble defence, seemed low-spirited and timid to a degree. certainly by the rules of war, i believe, they might have been put to death, for having stood an assault of the place; but a british general does not resort to the same measures which their marshal suchet did at tarragona, when he put all, both soldiers and inhabitants, to the sword. soon after daylight, the remaining men of attacking divisions began to rush into the town, in hopes of sharing, with those who had already entered, the plunder they imagined it would afford; and though every thing was done by colonel barnard, aided by the other officers, to keep out those of the light division, it was useless, although he even risked his life to prevent their entering. he had bravely, during the attack, repeatedly ascended the breach, in hopes of overcoming the obstacles which presented themselves, but he had always been driven back, although he escaped unhurt where all was death around him; and now his life nearly fell a sacrifice, in endeavouring to restore that discipline in his division which this unfortunate and unsuccessful assault had considerably impaired. he opposed his personal and bodily strength to the entrance of the plunderers, but in vain. they rushed in, in spite of all opposition; and in wrenching a musket from one of the soldiers of the d, who was forcing past him, he fell, and was nigh precipitated into the ditch. he, however, finding resistance here in vain, set off, accompanied by several other officers, into the town, to endeavour to restrain, as much as lay in his power, the licentiousness of those inside, whose bad passions, it was but too evident, would be let loose upon the defenceless inhabitants. i had been in company with captain percival, my commanding-officer before alluded to, from the time of my first coming down to the division before daylight; and now he and i, hearing the heart-piercing and afflicting groans which arose from the numbers of wounded still lying in the ditch, set to work to get as many of these poor fellows removed as was in our power. this we found a most arduous and difficult undertaking, as we could not do it without the aid of a considerable number of men; and it was a work of danger to attempt to force the now lawless soldiers to obey, and stop with us till this work of necessity and humanity was accomplished. all thought of what they owed their wounded comrades, and of the probability that ere long a similar fate might be their own, was swallowed up in their abominable rage for drink and plunder; however, by perseverance, and by occasionally using his stick, my commandant at length compelled a few fellows to lend their assistance in removing what we could into the town, where it was intended that hospitals should be established. but this was a most heart-rending duty, for, from the innumerable cries of,--"oh! for god's sake, come and remove me!" it was difficult to select the most proper objects for such care. those who appeared likely to die, of course it would have been but cruelty to put them to the pain of a removal; and many who, from the nature of their wounds, required great care and attention in carrying them, the half-drunken brutes whom we were forced to employ exceedingly tortured and injured; nay, in carrying one man out of the ditch they very frequently kicked or trode upon several others, whom to touch was like death to them, and which produced the most agonizing cries imaginable. i remember at this time colonel (the late sir niel) campbell passed out at the breach, and, as he had formerly been a captain in our regiment, many of the poor fellows who lay there knew him, and beseeched him in the most piteous manner to have them removed. he came to me, and urged upon me in the strongest manner to use every exertion to get the poor fellows away. this evinced he had a feeling heart; but he was not probably aware, that for that very purpose both my commanding-officer and myself had been labouring for hours; but it soon began to grow excessively hot, and what with the toil and the heat of the sun, and the very unpleasant effluvia which now arose from the numerous dead and wounded, we were both compelled, about mid-day, to desist from our distressing though gratifying labours. it was now between twelve and one o'clock, and though we had had a great many removed, a much greater number lay groaning in the ditch; but our strength was exhausted, for he was lame and unable to move much, and i had been obliged to assist in carrying many myself, the drunken scoundrels whom we had pressed into the service seldom making more than one or two trips till they deserted us. but my lamented friend and messmate, poor cary, was still to search for, and, after a considerable time, he was found beneath one of the ladders by which they had descended into the ditch. he was shot through the head, and i doubt not received his death-wound on the ladder, from which in all probability he fell. he was stripped completely naked, save a flannel waistcoat which he wore next his skin. i had him taken up and placed upon a shutter, (he still breathed a little, though quite insensible,) and carried him to the camp. a sergeant and some men, whom we had pressed to carry him, were so drunk that they let him fall from off their shoulders, and his body fell with great force to the ground. i shuddered, but poor cary, i believe, was past all feeling, or the fall would have greatly injured him. we laid him in bed in his tent, but it was not long ere my kind, esteemed, and lamented friend breathed his last. poor croudace had also died immediately after reaching the hospital, whither he had been carried when he was shot. thus i lost two of my most particular and intimate acquaintances, from both of whom i had received many acts of kindness and friendship. they will long live in my memory. cary was buried next day behind our tents, one of the officers (my other messmate) reading the funeral service. i cannot help adverting to some of the scenes which i witnessed in the ditch, while employed there as above noticed. one of the first strange sights that attracted our notice, was soon after our arrival. an officer with yellow facings came out of the town with a frail fair one leaning on his arm, and carrying in her other hand a cage with a bird in it; and she tripped it over the bodies of the dead and dying with all the ease and indifference of a person moving in a ball-room,--no more concern being evinced by either of them, than if nothing extraordinary had occurred. it was really lamentable to see such an utter absence of all right feeling. soon after this the men began to come out with their plunder. some of them had dressed themselves in priests' or friars' garments--some appeared in female dresses, as nuns, &c.; and, in short, all the whimsical and fantastical figures imaginable almost were to be seen coming reeling out of the town, for by this time they were nearly all drunk. i penetrated no farther into the town that day than to a house a little beyond the breach, where i had deposited the wounded; but i saw enough in this short trip to disgust me with the doings in badajos at this time. i learnt that no house, church, or convent, was held sacred by the infuriated and now ungovernable soldiery, but that priests or nuns, and common people, all shared alike, and that any who showed the least resistance were instantly sacrificed to their fury. they had a method of firing through the lock of any door that happened to be shut against them, which almost invariably had the effect of forcing it open; and such scenes were witnessed in the streets as baffle description. one man of our first battalion, i am told, had got a hogshead of brandy into the streets, and, getting his mess-tin, and filling it from the cask, and seating himself astride like bacchus, swore that every person who came past should drink, be who he may. his commanding-officer happened to be one who came that way, and he was compelled to take the tin and drink, for, had he refused, it is not improbable the wretch would have shot him, for his rifle was loaded by his side, and the soldiers had by this time become quite past all control. another, who had been fortunate enough to obtain a considerable quantity of doubloons, put them in his haversack, and was making his way out of the town, but was induced, before he left it, to drink more than he could carry. he laid him down somewhere to take a nap, and awoke soon after without even his shoes, and not only were the doubloons gone, but all his own necessaries also. in, short, a thousand of the most tragi-comical spectacles that can possibly be imagined, might be witnessed in this devoted city. the officers did all they could to repress these outrages, but the soldiers were now so completely dispersed that one quarter of them could not be found; and indeed the only benefit almost that the officers could render was, by each placing himself in a house, which generally secured it from being broken open and plundered. the different camps of our army were for several days after more like rag-fairs than military encampments, such quantities of wearing-apparel of all kinds were disposing of by one set of plunderers to the other. but they were not content with what they had brought out of badajos; they had now got such relish for plunder, that they could not leave it off when driven out of the town. a night or two after the surrender of the place, they stole no less than eight horses and mules belonging to my battalion, and took them to some of the other divisions, where they sold them as animals captured from the enemy. i lost on this occasion an excellent little mule, worth at least l. , and for which i of course never obtained a farthing. we used every exertion to discover both the perpetrators and the animals, but without success. an english army is perhaps, generally speaking, under stricter discipline than any other in the world; but in proportion as they are held tight while they are in hand, if circumstances occur to give them liberty, i know of no army more difficult to restrain when once broke loose. a reason may perhaps be assigned for it in part. on such occasions as this siege, where they were long and much exposed to fatigue almost insupportable, to the most trying scenes of difficulty and danger, which were generally borne with cheerfulness and alacrity, they perhaps reasoned with themselves and one another in this manner,--that as they had borne so much and so patiently to get possession of the place, it was but fair that they should have some indulgence when their work and trials were crowned with success, especially as the armies of other powers make it a rule generally to give an assaulted fortress up to plunder. they had also become quite reckless of life from so long exposure to death; but an english army cannot plunder like the french. the latter keep themselves more sober, and look more to the solid and substantial benefit to be derived from it, while the former sacrifice every thing to drink; and when once in a state of intoxication, with all the bad passions set loose at the same time, i know not what they will hesitate to perpetrate. the reader will judge of the state of our soldiers who had been engaged in the siege, when lord wellington found it absolutely necessary to order in a portuguese brigade to force the stragglers out of the town at the point of the bayonet. at this time i think i was fairly tired of life, so disgusting and so sickening were the scenes the few last days had presented. i had also lost two of those for whom i had a great regard, together with several others of my brother officers, all excellent young men, with still a greater number wounded,--in all, in our fifteen companies, to the amount of twenty-six,--and men in equal proportion. it was indeed a trying time. notwithstanding what has been said above of the bad conduct of the british troops on this occasion, i am fully persuaded there is more humanity and generosity to be found in the breast of an english soldier than in any other in the world, for, except when inflamed by drink, i am confident it would be most revolting to his feelings to be ordered to proceed with cool deliberation to the execution of such horrid butcheries as we read of in the armies of other nations.--no! when calm and sober, no man acts with more tenderness towards those in his power than an english soldier. bonaparte would not have found in them the willing actors in his political tragedy in egypt, when he coolly fusiladed several thousands of his unfortunate turkish prisoners, as related by sir r. wilson. if i may be permitted to make a few remarks on the taking of this strong fortress, and of the conduct of the besiegers, i would say that never in the annals of military warfare was greater devotion shown by those of all ranks, from the general to the common soldier. the arduous and dangerous service of the trenches was cheerfully performed by every individual whose duty called him there; but the most conspicuous gallantry was manifested in the assault. conceive of the heroic picton and his brave division escalading a wall probably forty feet high, built on the summit of an almost inaccessible rock, and with troops at the top of all to oppose them as they reached its summit. it is true the enemy were not numerous here, having only about men in the castle, but still one man in this situation was able to destroy probably twenty of the assailants, by throwing down a ladder after it had been set up; most of those ascending would be crushed to death by the fall over such a precipice. but he carried every thing before him, and after establishing his own division in this commanding situation, he either actually did, or prepared to move upon the body of the enemy, who were defending the breaches. general walker also, who commanded a part of the th division, bravely forced an entrance into the town at the opposite side, overcoming every one of the numerous barriers and obstacles which presented themselves; and where he himself, in the act, i believe, of mounting the rampart, received a most desperate wound. it was said, but i know not how truly, that when he fell, the french soldier who wounded him was about to repeat the blow, which in all probability would have deprived him of life, but that the general, whether intentionally or not it is not said, made the masonic sign, which was understood by one of the frenchmen, and that he instantly interfered in his behalf and stopped the blow. they say the general some time after found out that his brave deliverer had been sent to scotland with his fellow-prisoners, and that he had him searched for and handsomely rewarded, and, i believe, procured him his liberty. it is well known, i believe, to be the rule in all services like the assault of fortresses, &c., that those, both officers and men, who form the forlorn hope and the storming party, are volunteers, these being services of extreme danger, and which generally procure for the officers who survive a step of promotion; but it might as well have gone (in the light division at least) as a tour of duty, for on all occasions of this nature, with only one or two exceptions, the senior officers of each rank insisted upon being sent on that duty. nay, in one instance this heroic feeling was carried to an almost censurable excess. lieutenant harvest of the d having been some time the senior of his rank in that regiment, and there being a vacancy for a captain, he had been recommended for the company; and although he had not been gazetted, yet it had been intimated to him through his commanding-officer that his name should shortly appear as captain. thus his promotion was perfectly secure; notwithstanding, when volunteers were called for for the storming party, he insisted on his right of going as senior lieutenant; so over scrupulous was he that his permitting a junior officer to occupy this post might be construed to the detriment of his honour. he went, and fell; and thus not only lost his company but his life, and by his too refined sense of honour deprived another officer, probably, of that promotion which would have been the consequence of going on this duty had he survived. among the men also the same noble enthusiasm prevailed, for he who was selected for this dangerous service out of the superabundant numbers who always volunteered, was envied by his comrades as truly fortunate. in fact, it required a character for good conduct to entitle a man to this honourable employment. whatever, therefore, their other faults might be, a want of bravery was not one of them. chapter viii. the army leave badajos on the th of april, and move into quarters near the river agueda, where they remain till the th of june--advance towards salamanca, which, with the exception of three forts, the enemy had evacuated--the forts invested--the main bodies of both armies bivouack within a mile and a half of each other, in the vicinity of monte rubio and morisco--the forts of salamanca surrender--the main body of the enemy retire to tordesillas--movements of the army. on the th april we left badajos to return again to the neighbourhood of rodrigo, the french having, during the absence of our army from that frontier, made an irruption into portugal, and penetrated as far down as below castello branca, completely ravaging the country. our first march was to campa mayor, where we were quartered in the town. we next day reached arronches, where we bivouacked in a wood near it. the following day we marched into portalegre, and on the th, niza; the th we crossed the tagus at villa velha, and moved on to larnadas. here we began to perceive some of the effects of the recent visit from the french; but at castello branca, which we reached next day, the devastation they had caused was truly deplorable. we halted here one day to refresh the troops and get forward our supplies, and the next day reached escallas da cima. here we began to get very close upon the rear of the enemy; it therefore became us to move forward with circumspection, for our force on this side the tagus was yet but small. we advanced, however, and occupied successively st miguel d'arch, penamacor, and st bartholomo, near sabugal, which last town we passed through on the d, and bivouacked that night at alfyates. the utter desolation of sabugal was beyond conception; filth and misery presented themselves in every direction. it had been made a depot for provisions by the french, i imagine, for on all sides the entrails and other offal of bullocks and sheep polluted the atmosphere by the abominable stench they caused, and had attracted multitudes of vultures and other birds of prey, who had by this time become horribly tame and familiar: one vulture sat so long upon a dead horse as i was riding along the road, that he allowed me to come near enough to make a cut at him with my sword, as he stretched his enormous wings to mount up from his prey. on the th we reached ituera, where we halted for two days. we had now entered spain, and it not being intended as yet to commence another active campaign, we moved into quarters near the river agueda, my battalion and the d occupying the village of la encina, or "the oak." here it was necessary that every exertion should be used to re-equip and prepare the troops for service, as it was intimated that another campaign would speedily commence. all the winter and spring hitherto had been spent in active service, consequently much required putting to rights before we again took the field; all hands were therefore employed to patch up and repair our clothing and shoes, and to get every thing in good order when our services were again to be called for. while we were here, i began to experience some of the ill effects of a deep-rooted enmity which one of my brother officers had conceived against me, though till now partly concealed. i was unconscious of having given him any cause for this; but he, without ever giving me any opportunity for explanation, used all his influence in endeavouring to injure me in the opinion of two of my superior officers, who had hitherto been friendly to me; and not only with them, but, i have reason to believe, with our acting brigadier, whose mind, with the others also, he completely estranged from me for a time. but though he misled them then, they did not retain the ill opinion of me which his misrepresentations had produced, for there are testimonials from all three at the end of this volume. i was not so fully aware of his dislike of me, till one day i was dining at the table of our acting brigadier, when he and one of those before noticed were also guests. i overheard him telling this officer, (with an intention, i almost imagine, that i should hear,) that i must be a bad man, for that i was sitting silent when all the rest were talking, in order that i might listen to their conversation. but i was the junior officer there, and it did not become me to be talkative; besides, i never was loquacious. i said nothing, (although some may blame me for it, but i loved peace,) trusting that one day such forbearance would not be forgotten; but i felt it deeply, and mourned over it in secret with great bitterness of spirit. in this place also i began to receive very pressing letters from the merchants in england, from whom i had purchased a quantity of goods when last at home, but which, for want of transport, could not be got up to the army in order to their being disposed of; and, in short, scarcely a post arrived that did not bring some unwelcome and distressing tidings. i had purchased a fine mule in place of that stolen from me at badajos, for which i had given about £ . i sent him down to lisbon with my batman, to bring up as many of the goods as the mule could carry; but he had not been long gone till i had the mortification to learn that this mule also was lost. the man said he had been stolen, but i had every reason afterwards to believe that he had sold him. be it observed, i could but very ill afford losses of this extent out of my pay and scanty allowances; but i endeavoured to bear up as well as i could against these misfortunes, although it is certain i was not able to bring religion to my aid at this time of trial, for i had lived hitherto in total neglect of that most momentous of all concerns, and, although i endeavoured to amuse myself occasionally by fishing in the agueda, my mind began to be greatly depressed. about this time an order was issued for each british regiment in the peninsula to endeavour to enlist fifty spaniards to be incorporated in the regiment. i was sent in company with another officer into the mountains of gata, not far from the city of placentia. we were not successful, for although we obtained the names of some who promised they would follow us to la encina, they never made their appearance. however, the beauty and magnificence of the mountain scenery amply repaid us for our trouble. from this village also i had the pleasure of visiting, for the first time, the lately captured fortress of ciudad rodrigo, and some of my brother officers who had shared in the toils and dangers of the siege, pointed out to me the most remarkable scenes about it. like badajos, it had been battered till practicable breaches were made to admit the besiegers, and then stormed in the same manner, but its defence was feeble compared with badajos; and yet, to look over the ground in the neighbourhood of the trenches, one would imagine it impossible for troops to have lived, so completely was it ploughed up with shot and shells, each of the latter generally making an excavation sufficiently large in which to bury a horse. whilst we remained in these cantonments, the officers of the division once or twice got up a sort of "pic-nic," every one contributing something towards the feast, which was held in a large wood in the neighbourhood of ituera. on our way from la encina to this assembly, we passed over the ground where the th and th regiments had so distinguished themselves in september , against a very superior force of the enemy's cavalry. the bones of the combatants lay bleaching upon the plain, the flesh having been very soon devoured by the innumerable birds of prey, which appeared as if collected from every part of the peninsula. indeed so numerous were the battles and skirmishes which took place along this frontier, together with the offal from the animals killed for the use of the armies, that they were no doubt better fed than they had in general been accustomed to. but the period of our stay in this vicinity drew to a close, and on the th june we broke up from our cantonments, and passing the agueda, the division assembled in a wood about a mile or two in front of rodrigo. while we were here a rather remarkable phenomenon appeared about mid-day, or soon after; the sun, which shone most brightly, and the moon, with several stars, appeared all at the same time, the latter being distinctly visible. this of course attracted great numbers, and many were the sage remarks that were made, some believing it ominous of disastrous events; and indeed very shortly afterwards a circumstance occurred which in some degree confirmed their prediction. a grenadier of the th regiment (i think it was) had come over from his own division, to endeavour to prevail upon his wife, who had deserted him and taken up with a sergeant of our first battalion, to return with him, she having, as i understand, left him with one or more children, the first of their marriage, which he was anxious she should come and take care of. they had often, i fancy, quarrelled, and he had probably used her ill, but he was now desirous of a reconciliation, and entreated her to return with him to his regiment. he prevailed upon her to accompany him to some distance from the bivouack, that they might the more freely discuss the subject, for she had hitherto refused to agree to his request, being probably better provided for by the sergeant than she had been with him. while walking in a field close to the wood in which the bivouack was situated, and arguing the point with some heat, and she still persisting in remaining where she was, he became so exasperated at her continued refusal, that he, in a rage of jealousy and anger, drew his bayonet and plunged it in her bosom. her cries soon brought people to the spot, who at once secured him, and he was instantly committed to the provost prison tent, and her body of course brought in and buried. poor creature! she was one of the gayest of the females which graced our rural balls near ituera only a short while previous, and had often danced with old general vandaleur on those occasions. i believe he was not brought to trial for it, as her ill conduct probably had been considered as in some measure palliating what he did, and that he might be supposed to have been irritated to a degree of madness when he perpetrated the fatal act. i subsequently learnt that he was a brave soldier, and that he afterwards fell in the hard-fought battle of the pyrenees. we moved forward the next day in the direction of salamanca, halting on the th at alba de yeltes, on the th at sancho bueno, the th at matillo, in a large plain in front of which we bivouacked, where were the most luxuriant meadows i think i ever saw, the horses on our arrival being literally up to their bellies in fine rich grass. what a pity the natives know nothing of hay-making! this fine herbage is permitted to stand there till it perishes, and yet in the winter they are frequently very ill off for provender for their cattle; indeed i do not exactly know how they contrive to feed them in that season, but i know we were always greatly put to our shifts to procure any sort of long forage for our animals, being generally compelled by necessity to resort to this grass, rotten and dead as it was. i believe they use a considerable quantity of straw, which they chop very short, and which in truth is no bad substitute for hay; but when it is so very plentiful and so good, common sense, one would imagine, would induce them to preserve it. lord wellington in the following season caused a considerable quantity of hay to be made in portugal, getting scythes, &c. out from england, but we never returned that way afterwards to reap the benefit of it. all this immensely rich and extensive plain is in a complete state of nature--no enclosures to mark the different boundaries of the proprietors, should it have any, but where there are "landmarks," the mode of ancient days is resorted to. on the th we moved forward to within about five miles of salamanca, and bivouacked near a range of low hills extending from the rio valmuso (which we had just crossed) to the city. in front of this place our cavalry fell in with that of the enemy, with whom they had a _petit affaire_, and had captured a few of them, who, in the afternoon, passed our bivouack, on their way to the rear. we observed as they passed that they wore long queues, which had an odd appearance in our eyes, the british army having for so many years left them off. next morning we advanced towards the city. we had gone, i think, about three miles, when ascending one of those heights over which the road passes, we had a most interesting view of this beautiful place. it seemed thickly studded with elegant and highly ornamented spires, springing from the numerous cathedrals and colleges, &c. which it contained; but what heightened the effect was an immense column of smoke rising from some magazines which the enemy (not having time to carry off) had set on fire. we feared it was but the prelude to the whole city sharing the same fate, for their barbarous conduct in portugal during massena's retreat, rendered it but too doubtful they were resorting to the same mode of warfare here. they still retained possession of a portion of the town, in which they had constructed three forts; one very strong, and capable of containing about or men; the other two were smaller, to cover and act as supports to the principal one. in constructing these works they had destroyed the greater part of the colleges, and a considerable number of other public buildings, besides several extensive streets which salamanca had formerly contained; but even now it was still a beautiful and interesting city. one of these works commanded the bridge, which rendered our crossing the tormes here impracticable. we were in consequence moved about a league higher up the river, where we crossed by a rather deep ford. however, all got safely over, and we halted for the night on a small plain, a short distance from the ford, the main body of the enemy having retired and left men in the forts before mentioned. these occupied but about one-third of the town, of course the remainder was open and free, and, as might be expected, every one was anxious to have a peep at this famous university. consequently away a number of us scampered, and soon entered the city, the inhabitants of which were overjoyed to see us. the nuns were seen waving white handkerchiefs out of their iron-grated windows, and the padres and other respectable inhabitants welcomed us with a thousand vivas, embracing us, and using every means of testifying their joy at our arrival. i need not attempt to describe the place, for i am not able, and it has so often been described that my reader will not be disappointed at my declining to do it here; suffice it to say, the buildings in general, and the religious edifices in particular, were most superb; but the goths had destroyed the finest portion of the city. the forts were immediately invested, and we went and had a look also at them. they seemed remarkably strong, having been constructed principally of hewn stones, taken from the buildings they had destroyed; and on all sides of them a space of perhaps two hundred yards or more was cleared away to make room for the play of their artillery, and to prevent a lodgement being made by the besiegers. we next day moved from our bivouack near the ford, and marched to the village of aldea secco, in front of which our cavalry and the enemy had a rencontre, after which the latter retired: this was about a league and a half in front of salamanca. next day we were suddenly assembled in consequence of the enemy, in great force, making his appearance at some distance in front of our bivouack. we were then removed from the plain, and took up a position on a height called monte rubio, or red hill, a little to the right. soon after, also, the other divisions of our army began to assemble on the height, and our chief arriving on the spot, every thing had the appearance of something serious being about to take place. here also, for the first time, i saw don carlos de espagna with his few followers. these were better clothed and equipped than almost any other spanish troops that i had seen. the day passed over, however, without the french making any attack, and without any movement being made on our side, farther than putting the different divisions into position as they arrived on the ground. the french were continually receiving reinforcements, or rather their different divisions were rapidly arriving in succession, when they all bivouacked in the plain in front of us, at perhaps a mile and a half distance, and near to the village of morisco. this they very soon gutted of every portable article, whether it was food, clothes, furniture, or whatever they could carry off; nay, they unroofed the greater part of the houses for fuel for the troops, but this latter proceeding could not be avoided, there being no wood near them. englishmen may well feel thankful that their dwellings have not been exposed to such visitors, who, in half an hour, will convert a comfortable and smiling village into a heap of ruins. we remained in this position for some days, the two armies, like two experienced pugilists, each waiting for the other to strike the first blow, by which he would in some measure lay himself open. it was not, however, lord wellington's game to commence operations, seeing a part of our army was then employed in the siege of the forts in salamanca; besides, it is said, when some one ventured to hint that we should attack the enemy, that his lordship judged it would make a difference of men less on the side of the attacking army. i know not if this story be true, but certainly great prudence was displayed on both sides. however, the enemy had occasionally cannonaded us a little from the first; but about three days after their arrival, they made a very brisk and vigorous attack upon a conical hill immediately in front of our position, and a little to the right of morisco. it was defended by the seventh division, which repelled the attack with great gallantry, driving the enemy down the hill again with great precipitation. the th regiment distinguished itself greatly, but in their pursuit of the beaten enemy, they advanced too far into the plain, and which the french observing, a forward movement was made again by them, and before our people could recover the high ground, captain m'kay and lieutenant m'donald, with a considerable number of their men, were made prisoners. poor m'kay received i know not how many bayonet wounds on this occasion, i believe not less than ten or twelve, but none of them very serious of course, or he could not have survived. he, with the others, were taken into the french lines, but he was so ill when they retired a few days after, that they were obliged to leave him in morisco. the enemy's artillery played upon our line during the greater part of this attack, and caused us some loss, but not of any consequence, the horses appearing to have suffered more than the troops. the french seemed disappointed and annoyed at our sticking so pertinaciously to the hills on this occasion, and told m'donald (from whom i afterwards had this information) that it was only when we had every advantage on our side that we durst give them battle. our armies were, i think, pretty nearly equal, each having perhaps about , , but they were, i believe, superior in cavalry, and of course the plain was the very ground for them. marmont seeing himself thus foiled, withdrew from before us, and made a movement to his left, crossing the tormes with a considerable part of his force, and advanced on the other side of the river towards salamanca. our heavy german cavalry, under general baron back, opposed them here, and greatly distinguished themselves, driving the enemy's cavalry from the field. our army made corresponding movements with the enemy, changing in parts our position. meantime the siege of the forts had been proceeding with from the first day of our arrival, and as the distance from monte rubio to the town was not great, several of us rode in to see how the siege was progressing, as the americans have it. an attempt had been made to carry them by escalade, but it had failed; general bowes, who led the attacking party, with several officers and men, having fallen in the attempt. his lordship now deemed it necessary to batter them regularly previous to another assault being made upon them. heavy ordnance was therefore got into battery, which not only effected a breach in the smaller fort nearest the principal one, but which also threw a considerable quantity of hot shot into a building in the centre of it, which served as a barrack to the troops, the roof of which was presently set on fire, and the only shelter they had was thus destroyed. they thus were compelled on the th to surrender prisoners of war. it is not easy to describe the effect produced on those inhabitants who lived nearest to the forts while the siege was going forward. just as i entered one of our batteries, which had been established close behind a street, still occupied by the people, one of our artillerymen was carried out shot by a musket ball in the breast, and dead; the poor people when he was brought out into the street assembled round his body, and set up the most piteous lamentations imaginable. this impressed me with the good feeling which must have existed in their minds towards the english, for they are not a people, as the reader will be aware, who are very susceptible of horror at the sight of blood. a few hours after these forts surrendered, i went to visit the principal one--the devastation caused by our hot shot on the house before mentioned was awful. they had been obliged to make this their hospital also as well as barrack, and it was really lamentable to see the poor wounded frenchmen lying there in a house that was literally falling about their ears, the roof having been completely fired, while burning beams and rafters were continually dropping upon these poor helpless beings. a french surgeon was still in charge of these men, and he had the politeness to show us all over the fort. as it had appeared from the outside, it was in reality remarkably strong, and the place where our people had made an attempt to escalade it, was pointed out to us; he said it was heavily mined, and that if our people had carried it by escalade, the mines would most likely have been sprung. there was fixed immediately opposite the gate a beam of wood, with holes bored in it, and about twenty musket barrels fitted into them, so as to command the entrance. these, i imagine, it was intended to have fired by a train, as our people forced the gate, and it would have been like a little volley, which must have swept away the first of the assailants. the inhabitants seemed greatly rejoiced when this business was concluded, and peace once more established in their city, and they vied with each other in showing us every mark of attention and kindness, looking upon us as their deliverers. if i am not mistaken, it was here where our illustrious chief played off a sort of innocent _ruse_ upon some of the padres of the place. soon after our arrival, and before the attempt upon the forts had failed, he went to visit some of the principal cathedrals, &c. which remained entire; the priests of course were proud to show their churches on such an occasion. he admired them greatly, and praised them much; but what seemed particularly to attract his attention was the extreme whiteness and cleanness of their walls and ceilings, although they were so very lofty. he enquired how they managed to get up to them to keep them so; and the unsuspecting padre, without hesitation, led him to where they kept the immensely long ladders by which they ascended. this was just the very thing he wanted in his meditated attempt upon the forts, and of course they, with others of a similar description, were procured for that service. i will not vouch for the truth of the above, although i heard it, and i think it was not unlikely to have taken place. indeed had he made a formal demand for such things, it is not improbable they might have denied they had them; but his having seen them himself precluded this. the forts surrendered on the th, and on the th the enemy's main body retired altogether; for they soon learned the fate of the besieged, as they had occasionally communicated in some measure by rockets thrown up, and answered. on the same day, our division moved forward to castilbanos; and the day following to parada de rubiallis. on the th, we reached castrillo de aguerino; and on the st of july, the town of ravel-del-rey. the next day, we moved on towards rueda, a considerable town. here we found the french in some force, their main body having retired across the duero to tordesillas. the force in and about rueda consisted of both cavalry and infantry, and seemed to act as a rearguard till the enemy's columns had time to file over the bridge at tordesillas. i was at some distance in front of our division, the cavalry having preceded it, with whom i went forward. as we approached the place, a pretty large column of the enemy's infantry left it, and moved in the direction of the bridge. some of our horse-artillery at this time came up, and fired shrapnel shells into it, which did considerable execution; one shell particularly having killed and wounded great numbers, among whom was an officer, i think one of the handsomest men i had almost ever seen. our cavalry had a little brush with some squadrons of the enemy a little further on in the plain, and captured a few prisoners. one of these was the sergeant-major of one of their hussar regiments, and of all the men i ever saw taken, this man evinced the greatest trepidation and alarm. he was absolutely like to sink to the earth, either from fear of what awaited himself, or from the effects of the contest in which he had been engaged. he had lost his cap in the fray, and seemed like a person deprived of his senses. he must, notwithstanding, have been looked upon by the french as a good soldier, and a valuable non-commissioned officer; for i learned afterwards that they sent in a request that he might be exchanged for one of our sergeants whom they had captured, as it was intended immediately to promote him to the adjutancy of his regiment; of course this was immediately complied with. the enemy retired to tordesillas, and we bivouacked near rueda, a part of the officers being permitted to go into houses in the town during the day. in this situation we remained for a day and a night; but the sun being so powerful, the troops began to feel the ill effects of the heat. they were accordingly brought into the town and quartered in the houses. here i experienced more of that hostility before spoken of, on the following occasion. in the number of houses allotted to my battalion, there happened to be some of the best of them without stables; but as there was not time to examine farther than their outward appearance, this could not be known by me. i therefore marked off the houses according to custom, giving the best, in point of appearance, to the senior officers in succession, and so on till all were served. it so happened that the house allotted to this officer, who had nearly the best in the battalion given him, had no stable. this i was, from the fore-mentioned cause, totally ignorant of. neither had i any stable in the house i occupied, but, after some trouble, i had found one in a house occupied by some of the men, where i had put up my horses and mules, and went about the other duties of my station. in the evening i was informed by my servant that my animals had been turned out by this officer, and his own put in, in their stead; and that mine were running loose in a yard, he not caring what became of them. my saddlery, and all the mule-apparatus, (precious articles in this country,) had also been cast out. he was my _senior_ officer, and i was consequently obliged to bear this ill-treatment. i mention this little circumstance, because it will show with what determined and unrelenting hostility he pursued me. indeed it might not have been so trifling an affair, for had i not heard of it in time, i might have lost every horse and mule i possessed, which would have been one of the most serious disasters that could have befallen me. i could obtain no redress, for the captain before mentioned, who commanded the battalion, and this officer, being on rather unfriendly terms, he felt delicate in interfering in my behalf. indeed i have some reason to believe, that it was partly on account of his enmity to this captain (with whom i still messed) that he so persecuted me. i own i was on this occasion strongly tempted to demand that satisfaction which the rules of honour (as they are termed) dictate, for i then had not a christian feeling on this subject; but after consideration and consultation with some friends, it was feared he might take advantage of his superior rank, not only to decline giving me that satisfaction, but to report me, and thus destroy my prospects for life, for he would have been compelled to the latter step had he not acceded to my demand; and from the feeling he displayed towards me, there is not the least doubt he would have rejoiced at such an opportunity of ruining me. at this time, also, i had very few _real_ friends who would have stood by me; for his secret machinations, and his having the ear of our brigadier, tended greatly to estrange my former friends from me. all this, as might be expected, tended powerfully to depress my spirits, and to cast a gloom over a mind but too susceptible of impressions of that nature; for there is not any thing almost i would not do or submit to, to live on good terms with those i associate with, and indeed with all men. my mind was also much harassed at this time by receiving very unpleasant letters from england on the subject of the goods i before mentioned, and which had not yet reached any farther than abrantes; and as the men began to be ill off for want of clothing, i obtained leave to proceed forthwith to abrantes, to endeavour to get both the clothing and goods brought up to the regiment. i therefore set off, accompanied by one servant on a mule, leaving the other animals with the battalion, and proceeded on the th on my journey, and passing through ravel-del-rey, i halted for the night in a village where the seventh division was quartered. as i knew some of the officers of the st, i took up my abode with them for the night, and they indeed received me very kindly. my friends spent the evening very merrily; but, about midnight, they were called out and put under arms, expecting shortly to turn in again, as they told me; but they were marched off, and left the place entirely, leaving only my servant and myself in occupation of the town. it seems that marmont, with his whole force, had moved from tordesillas, and had threatened lord wellington's communication with salamanca. in order, then, to keep up a corresponding movement, and be ready to take advantage of any false step the enemy might make, his lordship withdrew his whole force, and began to retire as marmont advanced. thus, in the morning, to my surprise, all the army had left the neighbourhood, and as i was not certain who the next visitors might be, i quickly decamped from a village now left open to the enemy. i got on at a considerable pace, as both my servant and myself were riding, and on the th i reached salamanca. during yesterday's march i heard a considerable cannonade to my right and rear, and i afterwards learnt that the two armies had come nearly in contact with each other, and some skirmishing and exchange of shots had taken place. i did not stop in salamanca longer than to draw rations for ourselves and animals, being anxious to get on as fast as possible, to try to get up the supplies while the army remained near the frontiers, for it was still expected they would advance into the heart of spain, notwithstanding the present partial retreat. i accordingly moved on that evening to matilla, and continued thus making stages of thirty or forty miles a-day, and on the th i reached abrantes; but on the preceding day i was overtaken by lord clinton, going home with the dispatches relative to the glorious and decisive battle of salamanca, which took place on the d. his lordship was nearly worn out, being actually asleep on his horse as he rode past me, for he had never once stopped from the time he first set out. i learnt the news from the person who accompanied him. it is impossible to describe the joy this information created among the portuguese inhabitants of the village. i stopped for the night at gaviæ. i found at abrantes a detachment of our second battalion proceeding to join the army; but, to my sorrow, learnt there was no chance of procuring transports for the clothing, &c., for months to come. this was distressing information to me, and of course added to the despondency already preying upon my spirits; for the merchants' letters i was continually receiving began to be most importunate, and indeed attributing the non-remittal of their money to a want of principle, and talked of reporting my conduct to the commander-in-chief. want of a proper religious feeling, under such circumstances, as might be expected, laid me open to great temptations. i therefore, to drown sorrow, and because i had always been too much addicted to it, began to give way to intemperance, and, falling in with a number of officers of very dissipated habits, i was led on to indulge in the most vile and abominable of all vices, _drunkenness_, to an excess almost incredible. but the gloom still seemed to thicken, and a dark cloud seemed impending over me, of which i was fully aware, and wrote home to my friends to that effect. at length my birthday, the th of august, arrived, and which must, as my unhappy companions in sin urged on me, be kept with all due jollity. accordingly, a dozen of strong port-wine was procured, and we boozed away most joyfully, the whole being drank by about four or five of us. this produced constipation in the bowels, and had nigh brought me to my end; but my mind was more affected, if possible, than my body. about two days after this debauch, on my retiring to bed at night, i felt an unusual inclination to rise up and fall down on my knees, to offer up my evening prayer; for, notwithstanding all my wickedness and forgetfulness of god, i had not altogether abandoned the _form_ of _saying_ my prayers at night, but it was always after i lay down. i resisted this impulse, however, to rise and pray, and, after mumbling over my _form_ without the _spirit_, i endeavoured to compose myself to sleep. i did sleep for a while, during which i was troubled with some confused and incoherent dreams; but soon after awaking, gracious god! what were my feelings then? despair, black despair, had seized upon me. i rushed out of bed, and rolled upon the floor like one distracted, as indeed i was. oh! what would i then have given that i had never been born, or that i could cease to exist! had it been possible, by throwing my body into the flames, to annihilate for ever my consciousness of being, how gladly would i have done it! but no--the terrors of the lord were upon me, and drank up my spirits; and no one who has not been in a similar situation can form the most distant idea of the misery which preyed upon me. the pains of hell got hold upon me, and hope seemed for ever to be shut out from my mind. i believed i had sinned past all redemption; that the mercy of god could not possibly be extended to me; and of the efficacy of the redeemer's blood i knew nothing. oh! this was a time much to be remembered by me, for none but he who afflicted me, and my soul which bore the affliction, knows what i then suffered! at length the morning came, but with it no comfort for me. one of my sinful and dissolute companions came to see me, but he seemed greatly shocked at the recital of my woful tale, and i believe then formed for himself resolutions of amendment, which i fear, poor fellow, he never was able to fulfil. he did not long survive, but was shortly after called to his awful account, whilst i am spared,--a monument of the long-suffering mercy of god. amongst all my companions in error and wickedness, i could not procure a bible, and, as a proof of the ungodly state i was then in, i had not one myself. this poor friend, however, had a prayer-book, which he lent me, and out of which i eagerly sought for comfort and hope, but in vain, for all was against me. yes--and all who make god their enemy, will find in the hour of need, that every other creature and thing will fail to yield them comfort; but i had sinned too deeply and too perseveringly to find peace speedily. oh! in what black array did the sins of my whole life pass before me, and how did i sigh for annihilation; or, if i could in any way atone for my wickedness, if i could but go and bury myself in a cave or den of the earth, and forego for ever all intercourse with mankind, how easily and how cheaply did i then conceive i should purchase pardon and peace! but, alas! i knew nothing of the way of reconciliation with an offended god, although i had been duly instructed in my youth. i was in such agony of mind that i scarcely heeded my body, but was prevailed upon to have a surgeon, who administered what he considered necessary, but without effect. my bowels had ceased to perform their functions, and this no doubt would greatly affect my head; still, although this, as a _second_ cause of the distraction of my mind, was easily discoverable, yet the _great first cause_, not only of my disorder, but of all its effects, was the god against whom i had so grievously sinned, and from whom alone i could hope for the removal of my present sufferings. but hope was at this time banished from my breast, and i gave myself up to all the agonies of a soul that is lost for ever; but still i could not _rest_ in this sad situation. i therefore now determined to set off for lisbon, in hopes that i might obtain from the chaplain, who was stationed there, some slight alleviation of my misery, for none but roman catholic priests were to be found where i then was. i accordingly set off, accompanied by my servant, but in such a hurry, and so utterly regardless of all worldly concerns, that i left my baggage in my quarters, which was taken care of by the friend before mentioned. i started in the afternoon of the second day after my attack. the sun was scorching hot above my head, but i regarded it not, seeing there was a hotter fire within me; indeed i believed i could not mortify my flesh sufficiently, so blind was i at this time of the nature of atonement. my feeling was, that i had an almighty enemy over me; that his eye was upon me for evil, let me go where i would; and that i could not possibly escape from the destruction which he would shortly inflict upon my soul. how gladly, as i rode along, would i have solicited the rocks and mountains to fall upon me, and hide me from his sight, did i believe they could have availed for this purpose! but no--i felt it was impossible, and that i must endure for a short while longer the lighter punishment he had then laid upon me; and by and by i must drink to the dregs the cup of his everlasting indignation. o, sinners! be persuaded to flee from the wrath to come, for indeed one of the slightest terrors of the almighty is enough to drive to distraction the strongest mind, and to appal the stoutest heart! i arrived at galigao, the place of my intended rest for the night--and here i was attacked with ague and fever in addition to my other disorder--this was the effect of my exposure to the sun in so weak a state. but i cared not for my body. i knew that would return to the dust from whence it was taken. but oh! the never-dying soul--to think that it should endure eternal and omnipotent wrath, overwhelmed me with dread indescribable. my mind, it is true, was affected by my disorder; but it could not be termed insanity or madness, for i even now remember with great distinctness the feelings i then experienced, and those feelings remained with me for a considerable time afterwards. here i felt myself extremely ill, and believed i could not survive till morning. i consequently got my servant to make down my bed in a corner of the room i occupied, with his own near it, and told him to leave the candle burning, for that my time could not be long. i was compelled to submit, and quietly lay myself down, in dreadful expectation of the fatal hour, and when, as i imagined, the infernal fiend would be commissioned to seize and carry off my soul to its abode of everlasting misery. i could not pray, nor had i any the most distant hope that my sentence could be reversed, for i fully believed it had been finally pronounced by him who changeth not. during this woful night, i appeared to possess a sort of second self, a being which existed and thought and reasoned quite distinct from that _me_ who was stretched upon the floor, and which appeared to upbraid me with the misery it was then suffering, and was still to suffer, for the sins of my past abandoned life. i know not whether any other person in despair ever experienced this feeling; but to me it was quite obvious, for i remember distinctly the sin to which it more particularly drew my guilty attention. was not this the soul which will exist when the body is dissolved, and may not such an upbraiding take place between the body and the soul when the former shall be raised to join the latter in the judgment? but the fact is, my soul was that night as it were on the point of taking its departure from the tenement of clay, and seemed strong to endure the everlasting wrath of god. i do not know whether i slept any during this dreadful night; but morning came, and with it a certainty that i was still in this world, but without the hope that this might have been expected to produce. i felt as in a fire, yet i scarcely durst put my burning hands into the water my servant brought me. i felt convinced that i had forfeited all claim to any thing like blessings, and that curses, both in body and soul, were alone my due. ill as i was, however, i proceeded on my melancholy journey, not with any hope that a minister of religion could give _me_ any relief, but a drowning man will catch at a straw. oh! how strong, how awfully strong, did my soul appear at this time, to endure the tremendous wrath of omnipotence, whilst my body seemed fast sinking into its original element! i reached lisbon in two days from this time, having taken a boat at santarem. i ate nothing, with a trifling exception. i had no inclination for food, nor did i think i ought, for the reason before given; my only sustenance was a little water which i kept in a bottle, and with which i now and then moistened my parched lips. i arrived at lisbon about daybreak in the morning, and proceeded as well as i was able to a friend's house, and knocked at the door; but shocked indeed were he and his wife, when they saw me standing below, more like a ghost than an inhabitant of this world. indeed it is not easy to describe my looks at this time; there must have been much of that spiritual misery depicted in them which a confirmed despair no doubt produces. they took me in, and after hearing my woful tale, prepared to do for me the best that lay in their power; they gave me their own bed, taking a pallet for themselves, and treated me as if i had been their brother. he, poor fellow, is no more, but his beloved and kind partner still lives, and may she always enjoy that happiness she seemed so desirous of contributing to on this occasion, and everlasting happiness hereafter! as soon as it could be conveniently done, the clergyman was sent for, and also a medical officer, although from neither had i any hope. but, alas! from the former, although a kind and sympathizing man, i derived but little benefit. he did not direct me to the only source of a sin-sick being's hopes, the lamb of god which taketh away the sins of the world. he made my hopes to centre too much in my own resolutions and after-doings. no doubt, as my sins had been enormous and flagrant, my repentance ought to be proportioned; but when he saw me bowed down under an indescribable sense of guilt, oh! had he, like paul to the jailer, pointed me to the saviour, how unutterably precious and acceptable would it have been to my soul! i do not remember that any one character in scripture is described as having felt more fully and more keenly the sinfulness of sin, and of its consequent danger to the soul, than i did at this time. how thankfully would i have accepted the mode of salvation pointed out in the gospel; for indeed i was but too much (as all natural men are) inclined to expect pardon and happiness from the things which, if god spared me, i intended to perform. but he only knows best. this kind gentleman wrote me out prayers, and seemed much interested in my welfare; notwithstanding, the gloom of despair still hung heavy on me, and at length; and when the kind medical friend was enabled, after repeated efforts, to procure me some relief, i felt as if it was only the prolonging of my existence, in order that i might fill up the measure of my iniquity. this, i am now fully persuaded, was a suggestion of the father of lies, in hopes probably of prevailing upon me to adopt the awful and miserable resolution of judas to get rid of life. i thank god this was the only temptation of that nature which he permitted me to be exercised with; for i felt no inclination even in my darkest hours to commit suicide, fully believing that the utmost of my sufferings here could bear no proportion to those of the damned in hell. i consequently had no inclination to hasten them by rushing into eternity; this, it is evident, was of the merciful goodness of the lord, and for which i am bound to be truly thankful. i continued in this state of mind for several months, and could not, with all my reading, praying, and doing, find peace. my reading and praying seemed to me more like an irksome task, than an exercise in which i took delight. i had formed a resolution from the first to retire from the service, where it appeared to me i was exposed to so many temptations; but here the experienced christian will perceive how erroneous were my views, and i think feel pleased that i never fully effected my purpose, although i made preparations for it. indeed i could not well feel _certain_ that i should act right by retiring from the post to which god's providence had appointed me, although my firm determination was to live devoted to him. but, alas! how wofully have i failed of maintaining that resolution! my health now gradually improved, under the kind and fostering attentions of my warm-hearted host and hostess, and it became necessary that i should resume my station at abrantes, which i did, in hopes of being able to obtain transport from thence, although the army was at this time in the neighbourhood of madrid. but after returning to abrantes i suffered a relapse, and was again brought to the borders of the grave, my mind still deeply impressed with my former ill forebodings, although not quite so distressing as before. i got my servant to read to me while i lay groaning on the floor, for i could not bear to sleep in a bed at this time, but felt little comfort from his endeavours, the scriptures being at this time "a sealed book" to me; so true is it that till the grace of god dispels our darkness we have no light in us. i think it is probable that some of my readers, on perusing this part of my narrative, will be inclined to say, "surely this man must have been an uncommon and atrocious sinner, above all others, or he never would have suffered thus." i acknowledge with shame that i have been a most abominable and vile sinner, deserving of all the lord laid upon me, and much more, for i was, and am, fully deserving of hell fire; and should that be my portion (as, through the merits and sufferings of my saviour, i have a humble hope it will not be), i must acknowledge the kindness and justice of god, although i perish for ever. but i would say to such readers, as our saviour said to the jews, that "except _ye_ repent, _ye_ shall likewise perish." others may be inclined, on the contrary, to say, that all this was merely the effect of disease, and not at all to be resolved into god's hatred of sin and punishment of it in this instance. i acknowledge that it was the effect of disease. but when god laid that disease upon me, he knew what effect it would produce upon my mind; consequently, both disease and mental agony came from him; and, because i knew it came from him, "i held my tongue and said nothing." and i have now, and i hope shall have for ever, the greatest cause to bless his holy name for this, as one of the greatest mercies he ever showed me, for having thus taught me to know how evil and bitter a thing sin is, and to set a juster estimate upon his favour. he thus taught me also to value and love the saviour, who alone can deliver me from the punishment, the power, the pollution, and the love of sin, and to make me happy for ever. blessed be his holy name, for he has done to me all things well, and i humbly hope to enjoy his favour for ever. during my stay at lisbon, my batman, whom i before mentioned as having lost, or rather sold, my mule, and who had here rejoined me to take care of the horse and mule i had with me, either from remorse, or some other cause, made an attempt to cut his throat, and succeeded so far as to sever the windpipe, i believe, but did not quite effect his purpose. he was found in a field near lisbon bleeding nearly to death, and brought into the hospital, where, with great care, and after some time, he recovered. indeed was a sickly year, and many were affected strongly in the mind, several having committed suicide, i believe. while i lay here ill the second time, i received a letter from the regiment telling me that the paymastership had become vacant, the poor old gentleman with whom i returned to england last year, having come out again to the peninsula, and got as far as rodrigo on his way to the regiment, and there, being attacked with the same disease i had suffered so much from, died; and that as general stewart, our colonel, had arrived at lisbon, i was to go and wait upon him, and that letters would be written from the regiment requesting him to recommend me for the situation. i with great difficulty again reached lisbon, and waited upon the general, but to my great mortification i found the promised letters from the regiment had never been received, and that another person had, in consequence, been recommended, he being the son of the late paymaster, and had applied some time before. my disappointment did not prey upon my mind, for at this time i set very light indeed by the good things of this world, and felt conscious that i already possessed much more than i deserved. i was compelled through illness to remain again in lisbon some time, but found great difficulty to obtain permission from the commandant for so doing. my general, however, procured me leave to stay till i should be able to resume my post at abrantes. here, not only myself, but all the officers who were then in lisbon, and also at the army, suffered much from the want of subsistence. i had at this period seven months' pay due me, and could not obtain a dollar from the public chest, although i wrote a note to the commandant showing him how i was suffering from want of money. the army had in the meantime pursued the french, as before noticed, on one side to madrid, and on the other to burgos; but the attempt to take the latter by storm having failed, and the enemy having been able to assemble a more numerous force than lord wellington had before it, he was obliged to retire from both those places to the frontiers of portugal. the division from cadiz, the siege of which having been raised by our forward movement in summer, had joined the army at madrid. much was suffered, i understand, during this retreat, the troops having been exposed to great privations, and the weather being exceedingly wet and unpleasant. my division, after the retreat, took up its quarters again in the villages on the portuguese side of rodrigo--my battalion being stationed at the village of espeja. the army, as might be expected from the late severe and harassing service they had been engaged in, began to be extremely ill off indeed for want of clothing, many of the men being nearly quite naked; in consequence, the most pressing orders were sent from head-quarters to use every means possible to have the supplies immediately forwarded, for abrantes at this time contained stores belonging to almost every regiment in the army. my health having been considerably improved, i again returned to that depot, and, after waiting a few weeks, the means of transport were at last given me by the commissary there. i need not say with what alacrity i prepared for and commenced my long wished for journey. i had got a sufficient escort assigned me, from a detachment of our men being about to join the regiment. we started about the beginning of january , and proceeded on our route by way of niza, &c. i had been obliged to buy another horse from some cause which i do not now recollect, but when we were leaving the town just named, i found, on turning out to move off, that a large nail had been driven right up into the centre of one of his feet. whether this was done accidentally, or by design, i never could learn, but the consequence was the loss of the horse. i had great trouble also to keep the convoy, which consisted of about a dozen bullock carts, with as many soldiers as an escort, together; the drivers, if they were not strictly guarded, very often made their escape, taking their bullocks with them during the night, and leaving the cart in our possession, glad, i dare say, that they got off so cheaply, for they seemed to have a great antipathy to go with us. i was therefore compelled to collect them all together near castello branco, and making the soldiers load their rifles before them, told them as well as i was able that they had orders to shoot the first who attempted to desert with his bullocks. this had a good effect, for i believe we lost no more till we reached the regiment; but, as we approached the frontiers of spain, several of the drivers ran away without their cattle, preferring the loss of both bullocks, cart, and payment, rather than enter that country, of which the peasantry in general seemed to have a great dread. those who stuck by us to the last, were rewarded with the bullocks and carts of the deserters; but i think we did not take more than two or three out of the twelve to the regiment, the rest had all made their escape. nothing can be conceived more tiresome than travelling with such a convoy. the carts are all constructed upon the principle of the irish car; that is, the axle rolls round with the wheels, they being firmly united; consequently the creaking noise created by the friction is loud and most unpleasant, and they have no idea of grease or tar to diminish this, but believe in many parts, if not in all, the noise to be a sort of holy noise, which keeps the devil from them. i found, in removing these stores, that great robberies had taken place upon them, several of the bales having been opened while on board ship, great quantities of goods taken out, and their place filled up with old transport bedding, &c. i found it necessary, however, to endeavour to bear up against all this, for my mind would not suffer me to dwell too much upon such misfortunes. at length i arrived at the regiment, where indeed i was a welcome guest, for they were greatly in need of all kinds of equipment. the officer who had rendered my life so unhappy before, had left the regiment, and gone into another far distant from my present place of abode, for which i was truly thankful, and his absence i found produced a great change in my favour; for every one seemed glad to see me, and sympathized with me in my late alarming illness; in fact, the face of things was entirely changed for the better. i myself had benefited much by my late chastisement. i had learned to think meanly of myself, and to be kind and submissive to all to whom i owed submission; a virtue which, i fear, i was but too deficient in before. all things now went well with me. the goods, which before had been such a source of uneasiness and trouble, were rapidly disposing of, and thus the prospect of my soon being able to pay my creditors became every day brighter. but, in the mean time, what i had hinted at before took place: one of the merchants had actually reported me to his royal highness the duke of york. this might, indeed, have deprived me of my commission, had his royal highness been harsh with me; but he caused a letter to be written to my commanding-officer, (now sir andrew barnard,) to call on me to explain why i had not remitted the merchant what i owed him, and to account for my not answering his letters, which he said i had failed to do for several months. my answer was very simple, as the reader is aware; but, with respect to the letters, i showed the colonel one, in which the merchant acknowledged having received one from me a short time previously. this also was satisfactory, and i had moreover remitted him a short while before l. of the money i owed him. the colonel was fully satisfied, and wrote off to his royal highness accordingly, and i heard no more of the business. soon after the captain, who had been acting as paymaster, was obliged to return to england, on account of ill health. after some necessary steps i was appointed to this duty, it being an addition of s. per diem to my pay. according to the army regulations, a person in my situation could not be appointed acting paymaster; but a committee of three captains was formed, who took all the responsibility of my transactions upon themselves, giving me, as before said, the whole s. per diem. this showed, at least, that they were not afraid to trust themselves in my hands; for i might have involved them deeply. in short, whatever i did (almost) prospered, and a kind providence seemed to smile upon me; and i believe that from this to the close of the peninsular campaigns was the happiest part of my life. i have reason, therefore, to bless god for his unbounded goodness to me. chapter ix. preparations for the field--amusements in winter quarters--grand review--advance of the army in pursuit of the enemy--come up with their rearguard in the vicinity of hornilla de camino--skirmishing--encounter with the st brigade of the enemy, who are beaten, and forced to retreat--our army advance in pursuit--an affair between the rearguard of the enemy and our th brigade--vittoria--general engagement--the enemy defeated--remarks. i begin this chapter, through the mercy and goodness of god, with brighter prospects than any i have written hitherto; for though i was still ignorant of the peculiar doctrines of christianity, i believed god was at peace with me, and, from my late dreadful sufferings for sin, i certainly walked very circumspectly, and i believe i had also more of the genuine feelings of a christian, though not the knowledge; for i was lowly in my own eyes, and loved all mankind. in me was fully verified at this time that sublime, but seemingly ill understood, saying of our saviour's, "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." i now was meek and lowly, and i had friends in abundance, and may truly be said to have possessed or inherited the earth, for i had plenty of every necessary good, and, withal, peace and contentment. i could not enjoy more had i been in possession of more. alas! how lamentable is it that chastisement should produce a better effect upon me, than love and gratitude to god is capable of doing; for, to my shame be it spoken, pride and selfishness now prevail much more in my heart than they were able to do then; and i find it much more difficult now to bring my mind down to that lowly and contrite feeling which with god is so acceptable, and with the possession of which only he promises to dwell. as the officer whom i have had occasion so often to mention owed me a trifle of money, i wrote to him, in as friendly a manner as i could, hoping, now we were separated, that his enmity would cease, and i was desirous of being at peace with all mankind; for, as i said before, i never yet knew why he was my enemy. he wrote back, with an order for the money, telling me, he hoped never to hear from me again, for that he was anxious to forget that such a person had ever existed in the world. this, as might be supposed, wounded my feelings deeply, but i remembered that i had myself sinned as deeply against god, and that he might raise up such instruments for my correction as seemed good to him. my feelings, therefore, towards this person were more of regret and pity than of resentment, and i think i did not forget to pray to god for him. poor fellow, he has a good while since been called to his account, and that in rather an awful manner; he fell in a duel, but which (from all i could learn) he was engaged in from the best motives, that of endeavouring to prevent the seduction of a young female belonging to his regiment. i hope he is at peace. during our stay in winter-quarters every exertion was made to put the troops in a proper state to take the field again, so soon as the season was sufficiently advanced. while we remained here also every sort of innocent amusement, at least generally innocent, was had recourse to, both by officers and men, not only to pass the time of inactivity with pleasure, but to keep up that readiness for action always so necessary in a state of warfare. we accordingly had races, balls, plays, and every other description of pastime our situation admitted of. we in espija established what was termed a _trigger_ club, each one in turn giving an entertainment at his house, and at which, as the name would imply, as much game was produced as our sportsmen could procure. the plays were generally held at gallegos, the quarter of the d, and which were indeed got up in a surprising style, considering the means of doing so. a _walking_ club was established in our st battalion, which was quartered at alamada; we were of course frequently favoured with the company of its members, for they thought nothing of setting out, each with a long pole in his hand, and walking twenty or more miles to dinner. thus harmony and a brotherly feeling was promoted amongst the officers of the division,--a thing of great moment where regiments have to act together, as well as pleasant to all parties. some of our people also occasionally had a wolf-hunt, for these animals were quite numerous in this part of the country; nay, so bold were they when pressed with hunger, that they did not scruple sometimes to enter our villages, and devour whatever fell in their way that they could master. an officer of ours had an ass or a mule torn to pieces one night while standing in the yard behind his house. the mode of hunting them was, to have a certain number with arms stationed at the different passes in the wood, whilst a large party of drivers scoured the wood in line, driving every thing before them, when the animals, coming upon the armed people, were shot; but i do not think they were at all successful: it requires people accustomed to the business to enable them to kill many. there is a premium given for every wolf's head, but i forget how much it is. i sometimes took a trip to the azava, or the agueda, on a fishing excursion; but i was ill off for fishing tackle: the hooks the spaniards make are the clumsiest things imaginable, and would not, i am persuaded, be made with less dexterity by the natives of new zealand. those which we were forced to use for fly-hooks had a hole or eye at the top, like the crook which you will sometimes see in a butcher's shop, intended to be hung upon another, which was formed by turning the wire down again, and through this they run their line; besides, they almost invariably broke, and i have been wofully tantalized sometimes by having the hook break off the only fly that the fish were taking; notwithstanding, i caught some very fine trout in the agueda, this river abounding with them. i sometimes also caught barbel in that river; but it was literally swarming with a sort of roach, or what some of our people called rock-fish: they generally feed from some stuff they find on the large stones. but as the season approached which was to call us to the field, a review of the whole division was ordered to take place on the plain of espija, and which, i think, was as brilliant a spectacle of that description as it was possible for men to make. every regiment was in high and complete order, the whole having by this time been fully equipped for the campaign: the movements, too, were beautiful, and executed with great precision and promptitude, and, as might be anticipated, called forth the unqualified approbation of our illustrious chief. a new and different arrangement was made this campaign with respect to both officers and men in their field-equipment. experience had proved that constant bivouacking injured the men's health, as the mode they had adopted last year, though very ingenious, was not calculated to protect them sufficiently from exposure to the weather. they had last campaign been ordered each man to have loops sewed on at the corner of his blanket; thus, when in the field, two of these were united, and spread over two stand of arms set up at the ends for poles, and being fastened down at the other corners with bayonets, they formed a sort of tent, into which perhaps four men might creep; but then they had thus only two blankets to serve as a bed for the whole four men; consequently they would, in cold weather, be much exposed. this campaign each company received four tents; thus allowing about twenty men for each, and the officers of each company had one among them, and the field and staff officers in like proportion. these were carried on mules, which before had carried the camp-kettles; but these being exchanged for smaller ones, the men carried them in turns upon their knapsacks. thus it rarely happened that the tents were not on the ground nearly as soon as the men; but strict orders were given always to encamp out of sight of the enemy, if practicable, that they might not be able to calculate our numbers. how very different from the ancient mode of encamping! each of which being more like a town laid out with regular streets, &c. &c. but war was a very different thing in those days, and could marlborough have risen to see one of our straggling and irregular mountain camps, i know not what his feelings would have been: he would, i fear, have thought we had sadly degenerated. all being now ready for opening the campaign, a part of the army, under sir thomas graham, crossed the douro low down in portugal, and proceeded up the right bank, while we, with sir rowland hill's corps, moved forward in the direction of salamanca and toro. on the st of may, our division broke up from its cantonments, and assembled at the village of st felices el chico, a few miles below ciudad rodrigo, each regiment having had the agueda to ford in its march to this camp. our division at this time consisted of the following corps:--viz. the st brigade, under general kempt, was composed of the d regiment, th portuguese, and the st and d battalions of my regiment; the d brigade, under general skerrit, contained the d regiment, st and d portuguese caçadores, and the d battalion of my regiment; one troop of horse artillery, under colonel ross, was attached to the division; the whole being under the command of general charles alten. on the d, we moved on to martin del rey, near the river yeltes, by the side of which we encamped. on the d, we marched to and encamped near san munoz, where the division had, i understand, suffered considerably during the retreat of last year, from the french having gained ground upon them, and severely cannonaded them from a height near this village. on the th, we moved on to robliza, having halted the day before to enable the other division to come up with us. we next morning moved forward to the little river valmuzo, a few miles on the portugal side of salamanca, and alluded to in my former advance. here we halted for three hours during mid-day and cooked, and in the afternoon advanced to the ford of el canto, on the river tormes, and about two leagues below salamanca. here we encamped for the night, and remained next day also. lord wellington, with some cavalry we understood, had entered salamanca, where only a small force of the enemy's cavalry had been found, and which retired immediately; but i believe some little skirmishing took place between the parties. on the morning of the th we forded the tormes, and advanced towards aldea nueva de figuera, which we reached late in the day, the distance being about twenty-four miles. while we lay at el canto, a few of our officers visited salamanca, in hopes of meeting some of their old friends of last year; but not a _viva_ greeted their ears on entering the city; a sort of suspicious look of recognition was all they could obtain from those people, who had received us only last summer with such extravagant demonstrations of joy. no doubt they had been made to suffer for their former expressions of attachment to us, for the french had in almost every place their partisans, who doubtless would not fail to give them, on their return, an account of the manner in which the english had been received, and the contributions would be laid on accordingly. we remained at aldea from the th may to the d of june, waiting for information from the corps under sir thomas graham, it being intended to form a junction at or about toro, where it was expected the enemy had a considerable force; this was distant from us about thirty miles. while we continued here, i took a trip to sir rowland hill's division, where i had a townsman, an officer in the th, but had not the satisfaction of seeing him. i had other friends in that division, however, with whom i and my companions spent the day in great harmony and satisfaction, and at evening returned to our camp, about four miles distant, highly gratified. on the d of june, we set off early in the morning, and arrived at villa buena about mid-day, where we halted for three hours to cook and refresh, after which we continued our march towards toro, which we reached in the evening, but the enemy having destroyed the bridge across the douro at this place, we encamped for the night in some fields on the left bank of the river. we learnt here that the hussars attached to sir thomas graham's division had attacked a corps of french cavalry soon after their having quitted toro, and with whom a very smart affair had taken place, the enemy being completely routed, and about prisoners taken from them. our cavalry, i believe, lost an officer on this occasion, who fell into the hands of the enemy. nothing could exceed the miserable appearance of the horses taken from the french on this occasion; they appeared really half starved, although at this season there was plenty of green forage to be had; they must either have been sadly neglected, or have been doing exceeding hard duty. the bridge having been rendered passable for the men, the division crossed on the following morning, the horses and mules fording the river. we left toro immediately, and moved on in pursuit of the enemy, and encamped that night at terra buena. on the th, we reached the convent of espinar, and encamped on a height just over it. it was a most picturesque and beautiful piece of country around this convent, but itself appeared to have been lately rendered uninhabitable. i believe the monks had been driven away by the french, but not a soul remained to enquire of; all about the building was desolation. we next day advanced to the village of muderra, and on the th to amperdia, and on the th we marched through the city of palentia, and encamped outside the walls, on the banks of the river carrion. here the inhabitants evinced the same degree of enthusiasm on our entrance as we had been accustomed to witness in other large towns, till the french had taught them a little more circumspection, and which the good people of palentia would have been most probably fully taught, had these good friends of theirs ever got possession of their city again. some time after we had pitched our camp, and were strolling about the city, the lifeguards entered, and were of course saluted with repeated vivas. one of the men, a rather country-looking young fellow, cried out, "ay, the folks be always glad to see we lifeguards," happily supposing, no doubt, that they were intended as a particular compliment to his corps alone. all the country through which we had marched for several days past, was one continued plain of waving corn, mostly wheat of the very finest description. there are no hedges or dikes, but, as before noticed, only landmarks to divide the different fields, so that its appearance is like an immense sea, stretching as far as the eye can reach, the long corn undulating with the wind as the waves in the ocean. on the th we marched forward and encamped at the village of tamara, the weather having, from being exceedingly fine, and indeed rather hot, set in extremely wet and cold, and thus rendered marching very unpleasant. we next day reached la peña, (the name, it may be remembered, of the barossa spanish hero,) the weather continuing very coarse and stormy. on the th we continued to advance, and marching through the village of framosa, and passing over a canal which crosses here, we halted for the night on the right bank of the river pisuerga, near the village of lantadilla. in all these late movements, we had experienced a great deficiency of fuel for cooking and drying our clothes when wet, neither forest nor bush-wood being to be seen for days together, and indeed scarcely one solitary tree to be met with--nothing but corn; so that we were occasionally compelled to resort to the cruel and unchristianlike expedient of pulling down houses to obtain the timber with which they were built for the purpose of cooking, or we must have eaten our food raw. this, however, was done in a regular and systematic order, the alcalde of the village pointing out such of the houses as were to be doomed to the fire, and the troops taking no more than was absolutely necessary. it is astonishing to me how the natives themselves exist for want of this article of first necessity. from this village we moved forward on the th, and crossing the pisuerga, marched on the town of pallacio, which we passed, and reached the village of landrino, near which we encamped for the night. from the time we left toro, the enemy had been gradually retiring before us, having withdrawn his forces from all the strong places on the douro, and seemed concentrating somewhere in the direction of burgos or vittoria. excepting our cavalry, no part of our forces ever had the satisfaction of seeing a frenchman hitherto during the whole of this long and rapid march; but on the morning of the th, as we now approached burgos, it was fully expected that we should be able to get a sight of the fugitives; and accordingly, after we had left our last night's quarters, and marched a few miles in the direction of the city, a pretty strong body of the enemy's cavalry was seen drawn out on a high plain, a little above the village of hornilla de camiño. these were supported by a division of infantry formed in square, and occupying the outer edge of the high plain facing the way we advanced, and apparently observing our motions. on discovering this force, our division was halted to give the cavalry attached to us time to ride forward to reconnoitre, and ascertain more exactly the force before us, than could be done while we were on the low ground. i rode forward with our cavalry, which, passing by the enemy's square of infantry, approached the main body of their cavalry. it not being, however, the intention of the french to fight here, they slowly and orderly retired before us across the plain; but as we had left the square of infantry nearly behind us, the guns attached to our cavalry turned in that direction, for this body seemed indifferent about the movements of our cavalry, and it was not till our division began to ascend the hill that they evinced the slightest intention of stirring. on seeing them, however, they quickly decamped, and as they had to pass within yards of the position our guns had taken up, i imagined considerable execution must have been done upon them before they got out of our reach. but, strange to say, i believe only one single man was knocked down by the great numbers of shot fired at them. it must have been owing to the relative situations of the two parties; they passed down a hollow way which led from the high plain in the direction of the burgos road, and which covered them completely till they came immediately below our guns, when it became a difficult matter to depress them so as to bear upon the enemy's square as they passed us. however the whole turned round and gave us a regular volley, for, as we were so much above them, there was no danger from their firing in square; but this, although the shots flew pretty thick about us, was not productive of any mischief that i remember. they retired across the plain below us, pursued by another division of ours which had advanced on our right, and between whom and the french a pretty smart skirmish took place. so soon as their infantry were clear from us, their guns opened out from the opposite side of the river upon us on the height, but, the distance being considerable, their shot did little execution. it was evident this force was only left here as a rearguard, to ascertain our movements and force, &c. we encamped for the night near the road by which we had ascended the high plain; but were awoke early next morning by a tremendous explosion which shook the earth beneath us, although at the distance of or miles from burgos, the castle of which the enemy had blown up, and retired altogether. we soon after commenced our march, and, leaving that city to our right, made a long march in the direction of the ebro, and halted for the night near the village of tovar. the next day we moved on to quintanajar, and on the th, after a long march, we reached the ebro, and halted at the village of puente arrenas, situated in the delightful valley of veras. this is one of the most picturesque and beautiful valleys in europe, i dare say. when you arrive at the brow of the high ground over the ebro, a sight breaks upon you all at once which is indescribably grand and beautiful;--a large river rolling under you, beyond which a rich and fertile valley, laden with the fruits of a hundred orchards, with charming villas and farm-houses dispersed through all the lawn; a stupendous bridge, of i know not how many arches, leading you across this magnificent river; and the whole closed by high and beetling rocks jutting out of the high woody bank on the opposite side. it really appeared like enchantment when we first arrived within sight of it, from the long dreary plains we had been so long traversing. here, for the first time since we entered spain, did we meet with "manteca de vaca," or "cow butter," all the other we had been compelled to use hitherto for want of better, was what they call "manteca de puerco," or "hog's-lard." the women who brought it wore a quite different dress from those we had seen in the parts we had passed through; the women had on generally yellow stockings, with abundance of petticoats of red, yellow, green, &c. &c., and were all very stout-made; they were, i believe, from asturias. poor creatures, many of them followed us with loads of butter, wine, cheese, &c. &c., even into france, so pleased were they with the excellent prices their merchandise brought amongst us; indeed, we had been so long debarred the enjoyment of butter and cheese, that we would have given almost any price to get them sweet and good. they carried their loads (and tremendous ones they were) as the flesh-wives in newcastle carry theirs, that is, by passing a broad leather belt across the forehead and over the shoulders, and so underneath the heavy load upon their back. they were a civil and obliging race of beings, and apparently much more industrious and cleanly than the rest of their country people. we left this delightful spot on the morning of the th, following the course of the river upwards for about a league, then turning short to the right, passed through an enclosed country, and halted for the night at the town of medina del pomar. this is a considerable-sized place, in which was a nunnery, the inmates of which greeted us with hearty welcomes and vivas, with waving of handkerchiefs, &c., through their strongly iron-grated windows, where they more resembled criminals of the worst description shut up in a strong prison, poor things, than people who had devoted themselves to the service of their maker. next morning, we moved forward through a country almost without roads; we were, in fact, crossing the country in order to get nearer to the great road leading from madrid to vittoria, and on which the enemy's army was then retiring. we encamped for the night, after a fatiguing day's march, on a woody height near the little river loza. we took the high ground on this occasion for our encampment, although extremely inconvenient and uncomfortable, being among stumps and brushwood, where there was scarcely room to pitch our tents; this was in consequence of being in the neighbourhood of a considerable force of the enemy, which was retreating, as before noticed, along the great road. the next morning, the th of june, we started pretty early, and calculating that we should this day come in contact with the above force, we marched in such a manner as to be ready, when that event took place, to take advantage of any favourable circumstances that might offer. we had in our front a squadron of hussars belonging to the german legion, and which were generally attached to our division. about mid-day the squadron in front of us reached the village of san millan, where the road on which we were then marching, and the great road on which the enemy was retreating, unite; the latter descending from a high tableland just above the village, and passing a narrow defile between two high rocks. our cavalry, on reaching this village, descried the advance of the french, composed also of cavalry; and what was not a little singular, they also were germans in the french service. our brave hussars instantly charged those of the enemy, and immediately overthrew the body opposed to them, and in the charge captured several men and horses, which they brought in prisoners. by this time the head of the division had reached the spot, (my st battalion leading,) which in a few minutes got warmly engaged with the enemy's voltigeurs, a considerable number of whom had advanced to oppose us, in order that the main body of their division might be enabled, under cover of their fire, to pass through the village on the way towards vittoria. our people, however, pressed them so hard, that the whole of their leading brigade was obliged to join in the action. at this moment our illustrious chief came galloping up; for, whenever any thing was to be done, he was always present. he had also taken care to have our th division moved so as to arrive at the village of espija, a town about a league in front of us on the great road, nearly about the same time, so that, should the french contrive to get away from us, they might fall into their hands. he immediately sent me off to the leading company of our people who were engaged, for the guide they had had with them, in order that he might conduct his lordship to espija; but that was no place for a spanish peasant who had neither honour nor glory to gain, and he had accordingly made his escape the moment our folks got into action. his lordship instantly dashed off without a guide, while our two battalions, that is, the st and d of my regiment, kept advancing upon the enemy, and fairly drove them through the village, being supported by the other regiments of the brigade, but who had not any occasion to come into action. the first brigade of the enemy being thus beaten, retreated along the great road in the direction of espija, leaving their second brigade and all their baggage to their fate. these latter being pressed by our second or rear brigade, and seeing us in possession of the village, and the road they had to pass, immediately broke in all directions, and dispersed themselves in the mountains over the village, each man making the best of his way. this their baggage could not do, and it consequently fell into the hands of the captors, an easy and valuable booty; but although my brigade, by beating and dispersing the enemy at the village, had been the principal cause of its capture, yet those whose hands it fell into had not the generosity to offer the least share of it to us, but divided it amongst themselves. during the skirmish in the village, a french hussar chased one of our officers several times round one of the trees growing by the side of the road, and repeatedly cut at him with his sabre, and it is likely would have cut him down at last, had not the officer seen a rifle lying near, belonging to a man just killed; and luckily it was loaded when he picked it up. he waited for the frenchman, and coolly shot him through the body, and instantly seized his horse as lawful prize; had the rifle missed fire he was gone. we had not rested long after this brush till we heard a firing in our front, where indeed it was expected. the troops which had just left us, i imagine, had been attacked by the th division, and we, the st brigade, were instantly ordered to their support should they need it; but before we reached espija, the enemy was completely beaten, and had retired in the direction of vittoria. we had to retrace our steps and join our other brigade, and encamped for the night in the neighbourhood of san millan. our loss on this occasion was but trifling, considering the smartness of the affair. an officer of my regiment, of the name of haggup, a countryman of my own, received a most dangerous wound in the abdomen, of which it was feared he would die, but he soon after completely recovered. an aide-de-camp of the french general was wounded, and taken prisoner, but he soon after died, poor fellow. along with the captured baggage were a number of spanish ladies, who had been attached to the french officers to whom it belonged, but they did not appear over faithful to their protectors, for most of them, i believe, preferred remaining in the hands of their captors, to being forwarded after their beaten and now ill-provided former companions; such is generally the fidelity to be expected from that sort of people. on the th we advanced by the same road the french had retired, till we reached the town of salinas, where there were very extensive salt-works, as the name of the place denotes. we encamped for the night near the village of pobes, on a small rivulet named bayas, i believe. near the end of our march to-day we had a view of the enemy's rearguard, as they rounded the end of a mountain, which lay immediately before us, and over which the road to vittoria passes. after rounding the mountain, this part of the enemy's force fell in with our th division again, which had been moved forward from espija by another road. a very smart skirmish was the consequence, which we distinctly heard, and in which a good number fell on both sides. the french retired from hence into their position in front of vittoria. during the next day, while we halted here, it began to be whispered that the enemy had concentrated his forces in and around vittoria, which was distant from us perhaps about ten or a dozen miles, and that the divisions of our own army had that day approached nearer together, which indicated a determination on the part of our chief to try his hand with king joseph, should he be bold enough to stay where he then was. many, of course, and various would be the reflections which occupied the minds of the different individuals composing the two armies; but i can speak from experience, that those are of a much more pleasing nature which a consciousness of superiority and a good prospect of success inspires, than those which a retreating army are compelled to entertain. pretty early in the morning of the st, we fell in and moved forward by the way the french rearguard before-mentioned had taken, and after having passed the end of the mountain and descended into the valley on the other side, we saw evident proofs that the affair between our th division and the french, above alluded to, must have been pretty warm. we continued to advance on the road to vittoria, till, on ascending a rising ground, the french army appeared in position immediately in front of us. it was a noble and animating sight, for they appeared as numerous almost as grashoppers, and were posted as nearly as i can recollect in the following order. immediately before us ran the river zadora, passing from our left and front to our right and rear. in the centre of an extensive plain rose a pretty lofty conical hill, from which extended to their left a sloping plain, through which the great road lay, and terminated by a long range of mountains, stretching from puebla de arlanzon, just above the river, to a considerable distance beyond vittoria. the city was shut out of our view by the conical hill before mentioned, and was distant from it about four or five miles; to the right of this hill, along the bank of the river, it appeared broken, and not easily approachable. on the face of the conical hill, and to its very summit, it appeared as thickly set with troops as if they had been bees clustering together; it was also thickly studded with batteries and other field-works. on the plain between that and the long range of mountains, the troops appeared to stand so thick that you might imagine you could walk on their heads. there did not appear any great force on the mountains to their left, and what they had to the right of the conical hill and towards vittoria we could not discern, but it turned out they had a strong force there. there were several small villages in the plain and on the side of the mountains; the largest stood rather to the right of the plain, with a wood immediately behind it; this, i believe, is called subijana de alva. on the bank of the river also were three or four villages, most of them on our side, with a bridge at each village. the french army did not extend immediately to the river bank, but was placed at some little distance beyond it. the river was easily fordable. our army began to arrive by divisions, and was posted as follows--general hill with the d division, consisting of about , men, was on our extreme right, except about or spaniards under general morillo, who were still more to the right, and facing the long range of mountains before mentioned. in the centre was his lordship with the d, th, th, and light divisions, perhaps , strong, with the main force of artillery and cavalry. sir thomas graham had been early detached to our left with the st and th divisions and some portuguese, about , in all, to turn the enemy's right flank, and to try to cut him off from the great road leading from vittoria to france, which ran in that direction. whilst this movement was executing, and the different divisions were getting into their several stations, we, who had arrived first, were allowed to pile our arms and sit down. his lordship, with a numerous staff, went down a little nearer to the river to reconnoitre the enemy's position. i wandered down with them, and got as near as i could in order to ascertain the opinion of the big-wigs as to the business about to take place. one staff-officer, after carefully examining the position of the enemy through his glass, gave it as his opinion, that we should scarcely be able to make any impression upon so numerous an army, and so very strongly posted; but this opinion must have been dictated, i think, by his rather desponding temperament, for i believe it was entirely singular. the enemy, however, did not fail to notice this movement of our general and his staff, and instantly detached a corps of voltigeurs, who, rushing down to the river, dashed across the bridge at the village of villoses, and immediately took possession of a small woody height on our side of the river, from whence they opened a fire on his lordship and those that were with him. this of course could not be borne; and as my battalion was the leading battalion of the column and nearest at hand, we were ordered (with two companies of our st battalion, which stood next to us) to take our arms, and drive those fellows across the river again. thus we had, i believe, the high honour of commencing the action on that memorable day. we soon chased the voltigeurs from the woody height, down through the village, and over the bridge, where they took post and remained, we not having orders to pursue them any farther. we took possession of the village, and continued skirmishing with the enemy, a good many men falling on both sides, as the river was not more probably than thirty or forty yards wide, and a constant fire was kept up by both parties till the french were afterwards driven away by our divisions crossing lower down the river. after we had chased the enemy along the bridge, and they were fairly clear of the village, a french battery, situated a little above the river towards the conical hill, opened its fire upon us, from which we suffered a good deal, one shot having taken our people, who were lining a garden wall, in flank, and swept away five or six at a stroke; after this we kept more under cover. almost the first person who fell on our side was a lieutenant of the name of campbell. he had, i am sure, a strong presentiment of his death, for he had, i believe, made his will the evening before; and when we first came in sight of the french army, and the others were all animated with life and glee at the prospect of gaining laurels in abundance, he, poor fellow, sat down by himself quite pensive, and seemed lost in thought. he received a shot in the forehead which terminated his career in a moment as it were, and plunged him into an eternity of bliss or woe. i hope he was prepared, but scarcely dare say i believe he was. our duty having been accomplished by taking possession of this village, and keeping the french from coming over, we had now leisure to look round us and see what was going forward; and we had certainly a noble field for observation. my commanding-officer, with the rest of the staff-officers and myself, together with half a company of men, took up our station at the church, which, standing high, gave us a fine opportunity of witnessing the movements of both armies. a short while after we had taken post here, we observed the smoke to arise in dense columns in the direction which sir thomas graham had taken, which showed he had commenced the attack on that flank of the enemy, and this was the signal for commencing operations on our right and centre. sir rowland hill's people, with the spaniards, instantly forded the river, and advanced along the top and side of the mountains before mentioned; and as this was done in considerable force, it seemed to disconcert king joseph a good deal, for instantly his aides-de-camp were seen galloping in every direction, and the troops which stood upon the plain began to move in that direction, while those upon the conical hill began to descend in great numbers into the plain. this was precisely what our chief had calculated upon; and now, by a rapid movement, he threw the centre divisions across the river, by the bridges of trespuentes and nanclara, a little below our village, and attacking the remaining troops upon the conical hill, they were overthrown as fast as our divisions reached them. the d, sir thomas picton's division, here particularly distinguished itself. general hill's people were by this time very warmly engaged, for the enemy having, as stated above, strongly reinforced that point, they made a rather obstinate defence, particularly at the village and wood of subijana de alva, which latter was filled with their light troops, and where our th regiment, which was opposed to them, suffered considerably, and were not able to make much impression. the action had now become general, and our people on every side advancing; at this moment old douro, who never failed to inspire confidence wherever he appeared, came dashing down into our village, and seeing the light troops which had been opposed to us had retired, instantly ordered us to advance, and join our division on the other side of the river. we accordingly moved forward, and marched with all expedition to reach our point; but the french had now begun to retire, and our people to follow them, so that we found it difficult to overtake them, and did not do so till they had passed the conical hill. when we came near that eminence, i rode up to have a peep at the field before us, and never did i witness a more interesting and magnificent sight. a beautiful and extensive plain lay before me, covered with the cavalry, infantry, and artillery of the contending armies; while the noise and din, occasioned by repeated volleys and rolls of fire from the infantry, with the rattle of upwards of pieces of artillery, almost stunned the ear. near the end of this plain, and to the left, arose the lofty spires of vittoria; and beyond that again, the smoke arising from the attack of sir thomas graham's people added animation to the scene. i had not contemplated the scene before me above a minute or two, till a howitzer-shell from the french fell close at my feet. my horse's bridle was hooked on my arm, and i was standing looking through my glass; but when this unwelcome visiter descended so near me, i thought it high time to be packing. my horse, however, not having the same fear of the consequences that i had, would not move but at a snail's pace. i was, therefore, constrained to leave him to take his chance, and get myself out of the way. it burst, but providentially without injuring either horse or man, but in the scramble i lost the top of my glass, which i could not afterwards find. i got down the hill, and joined my people, who had by this time passed it; and just at this juncture i observed a body of troops a little to our right, moving in the same direction we were. they were dressed in blue, and had caps covered with white canvass. i took them for spaniards; but upon consideration that no spaniards ought to be there, and a closer inspection, i found they were a battalion of french, and most likely those who had been so warmly engaged with the th at the village of subijana, and who having stood perhaps too long, and afterwards having the wood to traverse, they had been detained considerably behind the rest of the army; for by this time our advance, and consequently the french rear, could not be less than half a mile in front of us. i pointed them out to one of our lieutenant-colonels; but as we had received orders to push on with all haste, and he not liking to disobey his orders, and withal a ravine being between them and us, which would have prevented our closing with them, they were allowed to move quietly off, which they did with a pretty quick but steady pace. before we reached our division, we had to pass a village, over against which was a very strong french battery, and where they peppered us considerably, but without doing much harm, i believe. we here joined our brigade. immediately in front of this village the enemy made one of his longest stands. our brigade now formed lines of battalions, and lay down in some ploughed fields, while their artillery kept playing upon us. on our left the d division was warmly engaged. in about half an hour we moved in that direction. the th we found posted behind a thin thorn hedge, with its commanding-officer poor colonel ridewood, whom i had known before, lying on its right, gasping in the agonies of death. a great many men of this regiment had fallen here. we passed them, and continued to advance along the plain by brigades and battalions; but we found the ground much intersected with ditches, which would have retarded us had we wished to advance rapidly; but from some cause or other, which we could not then comprehend, we never pressed upon the enemy closely, but gave them time to get quietly away. we were still, however, in expectation of their making their final stand; for at every short interval a beautiful little position presented itself, which the french invariably occupied in the finest style possible, forming their lines on these little eminences with the greatest precision, and in beautiful order; but they never stood to let us get at them, for the moment we began to come within musket-shot, they instantly began to retire to another, which they took and abandoned in like manner. all this time, indeed, there was continual skirmishing going on between the light troops of the two armies, and a constant cannonade, and occasionally the heavy lines came in contact; but their infantry appeared to us to leave the field in the main unbroken. we continued these movements till near dark, by which time we had considerably passed vittoria, and the enemy's artillery had nearly ceased. our cavalry now got at them; and although, from the nature of the ground, their movements were greatly cramped, yet they continued to charge, and nearly captured king joseph. we halted when we had got about four miles beyond vittoria, which we passed on the left hand. we thought we had indeed gained a victory, but it appeared to us to be a most barren and useless one; and many were not over well pleased that the enemy had been allowed to get off so easily. but our noble chief knew well what he was about, for he reaped all the fruits from this that could have been possibly gained from the most bloody battle. indeed it was far from being a bloodless victory, but he certainly did not sacrifice one half the men that some in the action would have done; they thought we should have pressed the enemy far more, and brought him to closer action. after we halted, i (being the only quartermaster present) was sent in search of the baggage belonging to the division, and which had followed as far as they could along the great road. i passed through vittoria on my way to the rear in search of it, and saw as i entered it several of morillo's men, who had descended from the mountains and come into the town. from the vivas and other marks of gratulation which some of the inhabitants were rendering these ragged ruffians, a stranger would have thought that don morillo, with his or spaniards, had achieved the whole victory themselves. it is certain they are a vainglorious people. i passed through the town, and, taking the great road, i soon had ocular proofs of the value of our day's work; the road being literally blocked up with every description of carriage-guns, tumbrils, waggons, &c. &c. which filled the great high-road for nearly two miles to the rear of vittoria. i found it difficult to make my way through them, but at last fell in with the baggage; i could not, however, get it through, and was obliged to leave it, after giving directions where to find the division in the morning. i again passed through vittoria in returning to the division; but oh, what scenes had i now to witness! the followers of an army are sometimes very numerous, and here they were abundantly so; muleteers, portuguese and spanish concubines, with every description of vagabond you can imagine. these were by this time all labouring hard in their avocation of breaking open and plundering the carriages and waggons, &c. that had been left by the enemy. among these were hundreds of soldiers, who were now beginning to feel the effects of the wine, &c. which they had found in the enemy's baggage; and such a babel was here to be witnessed as is not easy to conceive. i had some difficulty in forcing my way through the town, at the end of which i was accosted by five or six soldiers' wives, belonging to one of our light cavalry regiments, who wished to accompany me, in order that they might find their husbands, as that regiment was attached in some measure to our division. of course it would have been cruel to refuse them; and as they were all mounted, away we posted, but had great difficulty to make out where the division now was. many were the waggons and other carriages we passed on the road, either broken down, upset, or with people plundering them; and i did not reach the division till o'clock at night. i was very glad when i found them, being then excessively fatigued and hungry; and just as i reached my people, i found the mess to which i belonged cooking a piece of thin mutton, which they had cut off from a sheep that had been taken from the enemy. this was all the plunder i got that memorable day, although, had i done as many others did, i might have obtained a great deal both of money and other valuables; for, as i said before, the numerous carriages i passed gave me an opportunity which many would have rejoiced at of possessing myself of immense wealth; but plundering never was my forte. one officer whom i knew got, i believe, near l. worth of money, and other valuable property; and innumerable others got considerable sums, more or less. i am glad now that i refrained from what _might_ have been accomplished with ease and safety, but what also _might_ have entailed upon me disgrace and ruin. one officer i heard of, who, while in the rear, where he ought not to have been, found a box full of money, most likely silver, but very heavy. a german dragoon coming up at the same moment laid claim to half of it, and when this officer took hold of it to remove it, the german also laid hold to prevent him. a sort of scuffle ensued, when the german made use of most abusive and mutinous language, with threats, which the officer was obliged to submit to, knowing, as both of them did, how far he had descended from his station, thus putting it in the power of the soldier to treat him as a brother plunderer. surely the mention of such an occurrence is enough to deter any man who possesses the least spark of honour from ever putting it in the power of a soldier to treat him so. besides, if an officer plunders before his men, what may not soldiers be expected to do? in looking back upon the events of this day, i cannot help being struck with the bad generalship of those who commanded the french army. marshal jourdan, i understand, was joseph's adviser on this occasion. he had always borne the character of an able general, but here he showed but little ability. why did he so much weaken his force on the conical hill to support his left? had he maintained his ground there, which is strong by nature, and they had rendered it stronger by art, he might have completely checked us on the right; for if we had advanced too far on that side, our wings would have been separated, which would have been a dangerous experiment; and i think lord wellington would not have hazarded it. and after leaving his first position, why did he not fight at every one of the beautiful little positions which he afterwards took up but never defended? this conduct is most unaccountable, for had he made a longer stand, even although he should be beaten, which no doubt he would have ultimately been, yet, by making this stand, he might have got off the greater part of his materiél, instead of which he carried off with him one gun and one howitzer only, leaving upwards of pieces of ordnance in our hands. most of his infantry left the field apparently unbroken; for only here and there they had stood to let our people get at them. it is true sir thomas graham early cut off their retreat by the great road to france; but what then? this ought to have made them fight the more desperately, to enable them to get off the better by the pamplona road. the infantry should have stood till the last, and not retired till fairly beaten out of the field. nothing could be finer than the movements of our army. every thing our chief attempted succeeded to a tittle. the only thing i did not like was the delay we occasionally made in following up the enemy; but i could not, of course, comprehend the general movements, from seeing only a small part of them, and i believe the victory would not have been more decisive by being more bloody. we lost in the village, where we first began the fight, nearly thirty men, with the officer before mentioned as killed, and a considerable number wounded. there was something remarkable in the fate of one of the men who were killed by the cannon-shot i before noticed. this man was remarkably averse to fighting, and had shown, on all occasions, a disposition to leave that kind of work as soon as practicable. poor fellow! his failing was known to all; and on this occasion those about him had orders to watch him, and keep him to his duty. they had not been in the village many minutes when this fatal shot swept him and about five others into eternity in a moment. it has often been remarked, that this description of people are generally the first to fall. it may not be generally known, perhaps, that a battle was fought on the d april , a little higher up this river, near the village of novarete, between our edward the black prince, and henry the bastard, who had usurped the throne of don pedro, king of castile. the history of it is given by froissart, who says, "a little before the two armies met, the prince of wales, with eyes and hands uplifted towards heaven, exclaimed, 'god of truth, the father of jesus christ, who hast made and fashioned me, grant, through thy benign grace, that the success of this battle may be for me and my army; for thou knowest that in truth i have been emboldened to undertake it in the support of justice and reason, to reinstate the king upon his throne, who has been disinherited and driven from it, as well as from his country.'" this zealous prayer was immediately followed by the onset, the prince crying aloud, "advance banners, in the name of god and st george!" "at the commencement," says froissart, "the french and arragonese made a desperate resistance, and gave the good knights of england much trouble; but at last, when all the divisions of the prince were formed into one large body, the enemy could no longer keep their ground, but began to fly in great disorder; and henry, the usurper, perceiving his army defeated, without hope of recovery, called for his horse, mounted it, and galloped off among the crowd of runaways. the english pursued them through the town of najara, where they gained considerable plunder; for king henry and his army had come thither with much splendour, and after the defeat they had not leisure to return to place in security what they had left behind them in the morning." there is a striking coincidence in many parts of the two actions and their consequences, which the reader cannot fail to notice. the most material difference, i think, in the two stories is, the offering up of the prayer by the prince, and the modern practice of not recognising, publicly at least, the hand of god at all in any of our victories. this is to be lamented. chapter x. advance in pursuit of the enemy--our forces retreat, in order to counteract soult's movements for the succour of pamplona--total defeat of soult in the several actions near pamplona--our forces again advance--come up with the retreating enemy at the bridge of yanzi--the enemy take up a position behind vera--a considerable body of the enemy attacked at the pass of eschallar, and forced to retreat. we remained in bivouack all night where the battle had terminated; and did not begin to move till near mid-day on the d, when we set off in the track of the enemy, and at night reached salvatiera, where king joseph had slept the night after the action. the poor beaten french must have had a long march after the fight, for this was probably sixteen or eighteen miles from vittoria. we started early on the morning of the d, and very soon began to overtake the rear of the enemy. they now resorted to a system of retarding our march, at once both cruel and cowardly; every village they passed through they set on fire. of course this caused us some delay, as the road generally ran through the middle of the village, and the country on each side was enclosed, but still nothing could justify such barbarity to the unoffending natives, who were thus deprived of house and home, and probably all they possessed in the world. we overtook their rearguard near a village about two leagues from salvatiera. they attempted to make a stand while the village was in flames, but a shrapnell shell from our horse artillery set them instantly in motion. we came upon a considerable body of them again near the village of la cunca, where we again cannonaded them, and where our people had some slight skirmishing with their rear. we encamped for the night near this village, and again started after them in the morning early. my battalion led the column to-day, the post of honour. we had marched, i think, about eight or ten miles without overtaking any of the flying foe before us, but at last we came to an open country, that which we had traversed being pretty thickly enclosed, with bad roads and wet weather, which rendered marching very uncomfortable. here a halt was ordered, as the enemy was in front in some force; here for the first time we got upon the great road leading from pamplona towards bayonne; and here, where it turned the corner of a mountain, forming a pretty acute angle, they had the only gun and howitzer they had saved from the fight in position, and ready to receive us. the men of my battalion, and a part of our st battalion, were ordered to put their knapsacks up behind the hussars of the german legion, as it was not expected they would be wanted, and it thus rendered our people better able to run. the enemy appeared to have two battalions here, one of which remained on the great road near the two pieces of artillery, while the other moved off more to our right, down a valley which they imagined would, at the other end, let them out into the great road again. we now began to move forward, and as i happened to be the first mounted person who left the enclosed road we had been in, i was honoured with the first shot from their gun, which, although a good shot, did me no injury. our people now pushed on at them pretty smartly, which caused them, after firing a round or two more, to limber up and retire with their artillery, though they of course retired as leisurely as possible, to give time for their troops, whom they were covering, to get away. the skirmishing between them and our people continued for about two miles, they gradually retiring before us; but when they came to a sort of pass in the road, formed by two rocks nearly meeting in the middle, their bugles or trumpets sounded first the halt to their troops, and afterwards the advance upon us. we could not comprehend the meaning of this, till in a few minutes the battalion which we had observed go down towards the right, suddenly made its appearance out of a wood among our skirmishers. of course a sharp contest now took place, and the firing on both sides became more brisk; this battalion, it appears, had miscalculated on getting out of the valley, down which it had retired, and had been compelled, at whatever risk, to make the great road again before they passed the rocks before mentioned; and in order to let it do so, the other skirmishers had advanced to cover its movement. this battalion suffered considerably before it reached the road, and we did not get off scot-free, having lost out of our five companies about twenty-four men. our artillery being pretty near at hand, colonel ross brought up two guns, and fired into their retreating column, doing considerable execution. we now moved forward in close pursuit of the enemy for about two miles farther, when a shot from colonel ross's guns having struck one of the leaders in their gun, and our people at this time pressing them so closely as not to give time to disentangle the dead horse, they unwillingly were compelled to throw their only gun into the ditch, and there abandon it. we continued the pursuit till we drove them under the walls of pamplona, which i understand, poor wretches, they were not allowed to enter, on account of the scarcity of provisions in that fortress, and which after events proved was the case. we retired to the village of aldava and others in the neighbourhood, where we remained for the night. on the morning of the th, we advanced on the road to pamplona, the enemy having all retired towards france, till we came within about one mile and a half of it, when we branched off to the left, and moved along a range of hills at about a mile distant from the works of the place, till we reached the town of villaba, on the mountain-road from pamplona to france; thus cutting off all retreat from the garrison, and thus in fact investing the place. during our movements to-day, my people being in the rear of the th portuguese regiment, i was riding in company with my commanding-officer at the head of the battalion, when the horse of the portuguese major threw out with both his hind feet with all his might, and struck me with one foot on my thigh, and the other on the calf of the leg. the blow was so severe that i nearly fainted, and was obliged to dismount and throw myself on the ground; but as no bones were broken, i gathered myself up again, and mounted and set off after the troops. we encamped on the pamplona side of villaba, distant from the former about one mile and a half. the captain in whose mess i was, with his company, was that night ordered on picquet within about three quarters of a mile of the city. i went there to get my dinner, during which several poor people, who had made their escape from the place, came and welcomed us in the name of the people, telling us they were heartily tired of their present lodgers; of course there would be different opinions among them, but i believe the generality at that time hated the french most cordially. there was a division of the french army under general clausel, which had not partaken of the flight at vittoria, being then stationed at logrona, and he having learnt the fate of his companions in arms, and their retreat into france, was moving through the country to our right, in order to effect his retreat also. next morning, therefore, the d and our divisions were despatched in pursuit of this french corps. we marched that day to near taffala, and halted at the village of muro, at the junction of the great road from logrona with that we now occupied, but we learnt that clausel had kept more to his right, and was directing his course towards the mountain-road, which passes near caceda and languessa, into france. we accordingly passed through taffala and olite, and encamped for the night. next day we started early, and moved on till mid-day, when we halted for an hour or two to cook and refresh near the village of murillo del fruto. we here came upon the river arragon. this had been already a long day's march, and the greater part of the division were ready to lie down now, but a much longer portion still remained to be accomplished. accordingly, we set off after a short rest, and traversed the right bank of this river for about ten hours longer. night marches at all times are unpleasant, but much more so on such a road or path as this was, and every one so nearly tired before beginning it. we crossed the arragon at the village of galla pienzo, and lay down in a field not far from the village of caseda. very few of the division reached this place until daylight next morning. but when i got in i unfortunately lay down on a ridge immediately behind our column, and where, had i given it a thought, i was continually liable to be disturbed. and indeed i was most wofully disturbed, for every fresh batch that came in tumbled themselves down upon me, or in blundering about in the dark were sure to stumble over me. it must be observed that my leg by this time, instead of getting better, had begun to swell dreadfully and to suppurate, consequently i was in a high state of fever; and to the thumps and kicks which i received in the dark during this uncomfortable night, i cannot but attribute much of my subsequent suffering. next morning we discovered that all our labour had been in vain, for clausel had got the start of us, and had got off by another road into france. we next day moved into languessa, from which we were not far distant, but i could no longer accompany or precede the troops, my leg was now so bad. i was therefore obliged to get a pillow laid on my holsters, and then ride with my leg resting upon it, (a most uncomfortable position, could i have found a better,) while one of my men led my horse, and thus follow them as well as i was able. we rested in languessa all the th and st july; and on the d reached deriza, having passed through monreal. here i was obliged to be lifted off my horse, and put to bed. i was almost stupid from the pain i suffered; for my leg was now swoln as large as my thigh. we next day moved into villaba, from whence we had started in pursuit of clausel, and thence into some villages on the plain, close to pamplona. here i believe some works were thrown up to shelter the troops, either against the shot from the fortress, or a sally from the garrison. this continued all next day. i remained very ill in bed. on the th, the division left this quarter, and set off on the road towards france; but i could not follow them. i got with great difficulty from my present station, which was now occupied by other troops, and stopped at a village, the name of which i forget, just over the ridge where i received my hurt, and a few miles distant from villaba. here i found out that dr jones of the th regiment was in the latter town; and, as he had formerly been in our regiment, i took the liberty of requesting he would come and see me. this i found out by my servant going in for provisions. he very kindly came, and gave me the best advice he could. by this time my leg had burst, and had discharged a prodigious quantity of matter. i remained in this village till about the th, during which time a priest had shown himself remarkably kind and attentive; there were very few inhabitants remaining besides him. he told me in one of the conversations that i had with him, that, from the first entry of the french troops into this country, one million had passed out of france into spain, for he had had good opportunities of making a just calculation; and that, out of that vast number, not more than , had returned, thus proving that the enemy had lost in that country , men. and this is not to be wondered at, for nearly the whole population during that time had been in arms against them; and, although not acting as soldiers in the field, they never failed to assassinate the french wherever they could accomplish it. he said, moreover, that mina, with his little band, could produce documents to prove that he had destroyed , frenchmen. about the th, i set off from this village, as my leg had by this time become somewhat easier; and, passing through lantz, elizonda, and st estevan, arrived at sumbilla on the th, still obliged to ride sideways with my leg over the pillow and holster. here i found my division; and, as this journey had again brought my leg to nearly as bad a state as before, i was obliged to have it opened in two places, but without reaching the matter, as nothing but blood was discharged. on the th, my division moved forward to the town of vera, the last town on the spanish frontier. here the enemy had taken up a strong position, both in front and rear of the town; the front position was on santa barbara, an exceeding high and almost inaccessible mountain. they were dislodged from the position before the town by my brigade, and retired into the puerta, or pass of vera. i was not present on this occasion, having been again compelled to stay behind on account of my leg. while i remained at sumbilla, i had been obliged to have my horse shod by a spanish blacksmith, who drove a nail right into the quick. this i did not discover till several days after, when i found my horse quite lame. on the th, i again crept on after my people, whom i found encamped on the height of santa barbara, from which i before said they had driven the enemy. here we remained till the th, during this time my horse's foot had also suppurated, and he was quite unable to move. my leg also was daily discharging a vast quantity of matter, so that i felt at this time very uncomfortable; particularly as very stormy weather came on while we were here, which killed a great number of our animals, horses and mules, i believe not fewer than seven or eight in one night. it will be known to the reader, perhaps, that on the th, soult (who had now been appointed to the command of the french army) made an attack upon our posts at roncesvalles and maya, and had driven the divisions stationed there from their posts. he moved on towards pamplona, in hopes either of beating back our army to vittoria, (as he vainly talked,) or of being able to supply pamplona with provisions, which it greatly needed. in consequence of this movement of the enemy, we also were compelled to fall back, although the troops in front of us made no demonstration of advancing. accordingly, on the th, we began our retrograde movement, being myself at that time in as pitiable a plight as can well be conceived. my horse was so utterly lame, that he could scarcely hop on three legs, while i was totally unable to walk a step. my kind friend captain perceval, with whom i had long messed, helped me out of my trouble, by dividing the load of one of his baggage-ponies among the other animals, and lending it me to ride upon. we retired from the height, and crossed the river bidassoa, near lizacca, through which we passed, and kept along the mountains on the left bank of that river till we reached a height opposite sumbilla, where we pitched our tents, and remained for the night. we did not move all next day; but just as night set in, we were ordered under arms, and continued our retreat. this was a still more distressing night-march than any i had previously witnessed. we were now, it may be noticed, in the midst of the mountains of the pyrenees, where precipices abound; consequently the precaution to avoid falling over them would be doubled. one little streamlet, i well remember, delayed the division probably two hours. it came down from the sides of the mountain which overhung the road, and crossed it at a very dark and ugly-looking place, making a considerable noise as it fell from rock to rock. this of course made every one extremely cautious; and in consequence a poor good-natured corporal, who was killed soon after, got himself into the middle of the streamlet, and took hold of every person's hand as he passed, conducting him safely to the other side. poor fellow, he was extremely anxious to help me and my miserable little pony safely over. this and a few other places, something similar, prevented us reaching our destination till an hour after daylight next morning, although the whole distance was not more than ten miles. we arrived at zubietta in the morning. this place is about a league to the right of st estevan, more into the mountains. here we remained that day, and the next day moved higher up the mountain, behind the town, where we encamped, and remained till evening, when we again commenced our retreat. we had not quite so bad a march of it this night, the road being much more even, although, just at the outset, our adjutant, in riding along, had his cap pulled off by the bough of a tree, and in endeavouring to save it from falling, he pulled his horse right over a small precipice, which the two rolled down together. luckily it was not a deep ravine into which he fell, or he would not have escaped so well: neither man nor horse were much hurt. we reached the village of saldias in the morning, where we remained for the day. last night my servant told me he had been obliged to leave my little horse behind, as he could not get him to hop any farther. i felt grieved at this, for he had brought me all the way from lisbon, and shared both my good and bad fortune; however, it was no use to fret, for that would not improve my situation, which indeed was not an enviable one, my leg all this time being extremely painful. on the th, we made an excessively long march, (by day,) and at night reached lecumberg, where we encamped. during the latter part of this day's march, we had heard an incessant cannonade and firing of musketry in the direction of pamplona, from which we were apprehensive that soult had penetrated too far; but as it did not appear to recede, we believed our people had been able to hold him in check at least. we were now on the great road from bayonne to pamplona, in order to keep up the communication between our right, where the fighting was now going on, and sir thomas graham, who was besieging st sebastian. we were here also to intercept any of the enemy's columns that might either advance or retreat by this road. towards evening of the st, an aide-de-camp arrived from lord wellington, more dead than alive from the excessive fatigue which he had undergone for the last three or four days, with news of the total defeat of soult in the several actions near pamplona, termed the battle of the pyrenees, and ordering us to retrace our steps, and again advance. we set off in the evening, and reached larissa, where we halted for the night. it was whispered that it was expected we should have gone much farther this night, but i am not certain whether it is true; but certainly we might have proceeded to saldias, if absolutely necessary. on the morning of the st of august, we again started pretty early. it was again reported this morning that another dispatch had been received during the night, directing us to proceed with all haste, as the enemy were retreating by st estevan, and that we were to attack them wherever we met them. we now of course stepped out very freely, and presently gained zubietta. here i had ridden forward to get a shoe fastened on, my horse having cast one in coming over the mountains; during which time the quartermaster had been called for some purpose or other, as i was not there. my general was not well satisfied: he saw me in this village, and asked me why i had not been present when i was wanted. i told him the cause, but he still did not appear satisfied, and, by way of punishment, directed me to remain in the village till the baggage came up, and show them the way the division had gone. i may here observe, that it was a little unreasonable in my general to find any fault with me on this occasion; for, had i not got the shoe put on my horse, i could not have been of any use at all as a quartermaster. my punishment indeed was slight, and i rather think he was glad to find any excuse to delay me for the purpose for which i was left. i am confident the officers of the infantry suffered more anxiety and even loss on account of the great want of farriers or horse-shoers in their regiments, than from almost any other cause. without the officer was pretty high in rank, he had not only to pay most exorbitantly for any thing of this kind which he got done, but to beg and pray, and to look upon it as a favour conferred on him. most of the good shoers were taken by the staff or general officers, consequently only the inferior ones were left for the regimental officers, and in several cases none at all. the consequence of all this was, the loss of several valuable animals, both horses and mules; besides, in some cases, the officers being rendered incapable of performing their duty as they otherwise would have done. to this i attribute a considerable loss in animals during this service. it might easily be remedied by each infantry regiment having a proper establishment of farriers, (say two,) with tools, &c. in proportion, and the means of carrying them; and then every officer, whose duty requires him to be mounted, might be served. i myself bought tools to the amount of l. , and never had but one horse shod with them. i could not get a man to do it. as soon as i saw the baggage on the right way, i pushed forward, and joined the division again. we were literally at this time climbing up a mountain, where i could not ride, but was obliged to crawl up, and pull my horse after me. my leg by this time had much improved. we followed the road by which we had retreated a few days before, and at length came to the rivulet that had so alarmed us all on our night-march. it was really surprising that we should have been stopped so long by such a trifle; but in such a situation, and at such a time, things of that kind are magnified a thousandfold by the imagination. we passed our old camp ground opposite to sumbilla, and here we came in view of the enemy's columns retreating along the road on the opposite bank of the bidassoa. this gave our men new life; but here the d and other regiments of the d brigade were obliged to halt: they could proceed no farther. we had marched by this time to-day two and a half of the stages we made in retreating; but the d brigade had been in the rear of the column all day, and had consequently suffered much from stoppages, &c. my battalion, our st battalion, and the d regiment, continued to move on, and as they approached, the enemy seemed to acquire fresh vigour. at length we reached the point of attack,--the bridge of yanzi,--and here the st battalion turning down towards the river, at once left the wood and ground above the bridge to be occupied by us. the enemy sent a pretty strong corps of light troops across, which got engaged with our people; but we soon drove down through the wood again towards the bridge. at length, we got two companies posted just over the bridge, in front of which all the rear of the french column had to pass. poor creatures! they became so alarmed, that they instantly began to cut away, and cast off, all the loads of baggage, and both cavalry and infantry, &c. to make the best of their way. but the mountain on their right was inaccessible; consequently they had all, as it were, to run the gauntlet. great was the execution done amongst the enemy at this bridge, and many were the schemes they tried to avoid passing. at length they got a battalion up behind a stone wall above the road, on the opposite side, from whose fire we received some damage; consequently those poor people who had afterwards to pass were not so much exposed. just about the close of the business, my kind friend, captain perceval, received a shot through his right wrist. his left hand had been closed for a length of time before, in consequence of a wound through that wrist, which had contracted his fingers, besides being lame from a wound in the hip. now he was rendered completely useless. towards dusk i went with him a little to the rear, and got his tent pitched, and made as comfortable as circumstances would admit. i pitied the french on this occasion, they seemed so much alarmed. the whole of their baggage fell into the hands of our th division, who were closely following them up on their side of the bidassoa. in this affair, the french were reduced to a dreadful dilemma; great numbers of their wounded had been brought off from the battles of the th, th, and th, near pamplona, which were carried on biers or stretches by men of this division. when they saw us in front of them, where they had to pass, as it were, immediately under the muzzles of our pieces, they were compelled to adopt the cruel alternative of either throwing their wounded men down to perish, or run the risk of being shot or taken themselves. i believe the former, shocking as it seems, was generally adopted; and i have reason to believe that the greater part of them were thrown into the river; for, from the point where we first came in view of them to near where this affair took place, the bidassoa was literally filled with the dead bodies of frenchmen, and they could have come into it in no other way. we lost only a very few men on this occasion, not more than six or eight, while that of the enemy must have been extremely severe. here the effects of rifle-shooting were plainly visible. in remarking on this affair, i beg to draw the reader's attention to the following circumstances; viz. probably never troops made such a march over such a country before. we travelled at least thirty-two miles over mountains such as i before described, where you were sometimes nearly obliged to scramble upon your hands and knees. the day was exceedingly hot, and occasionally there was a great want of water. i am told that one of the regiments in our d brigade, which, it may be remembered, were obliged to halt, as they could go no farther, had no less than men fell out, unable to keep up, and that some of them actually died of fatigue. i heard of one poor fellow, who, when he came to water and had drunk, lost his senses, fell to the ground, and shortly after expired. i have reason to be proud of my battalion on this occasion, which, when the roll was called, just before the action commenced, had only nine men fallen out; but they had been in the front all day, a great advantage in marching, particularly over a mountainous country. this day's work gave me a higher idea of the powers of human nature, when properly trained, than ever i possessed before; for when you consider that each of those soldiers carried a weight of not less probably than forty or fifty lbs. and some much more, it cannot but be surprising that men should be able to sustain such fatigue for such a length of time--at the end of which to fight, and gain a victory. next morning were clearly observable the effects of the evening's work. in the house, the yard, and on the road opposite the bridge, were a great number of dead frenchmen; and to the rear, by the way they had advanced, the road was literally strewed with baggage, and equipments of every description. some of our people picked up a number of visiting cards, with general vandermason on them, very elegant; so that his baggage, no doubt, had been cast off, as well as that of inferior people. soon after daylight, we were ordered to fall in, and move forward towards vera. just as we cleared the bridge, old douro, with his staff, came riding up, who, when he saw how we had handled the enemy the night before, gave his head a significant nod, and smiled, which conveyed most intelligibly his approbation. we soon reached the neighbourhood of vera, behind which, in the pass of that name, as before stated, the enemy took up a strong position, from which their picquets had never yet been driven. we were ordered to encamp a little below the bridge leading to lezacca, between that and vera, while the other regiments were intended to occupy the heights of santa barbara, from which we had before retreated. but towards mid-day it was discovered that the enemy still had a considerable body of troops in and about the pass of echallar, a few miles to our right. our brigade was therefore ordered again under arms, with the intention of co-operating with the th division in an attack upon those people. it was a thick mist, so that we could scarcely see twenty yards before us; but when we reached the bottom of an immensely high hill, on which the enemy were posted, we presently discovered whereabouts we had them. our st battalion extended to the right, and my battalion moved straight forward up the hill. for a considerable time the enemy's fire did us no injury, being deceived, i imagine, by the denseness of the fog. they fired almost always over our heads, some of which shots struck the men of the d, a considerable way below us. at length we began to approach the summit of the mountain, where the enemy were of course much more condensed, the ground they had to occupy being much smaller. our people were advancing regularly up the hill, when we run right up against a rock, on the top of which was collected an immense body of the french, and from whom our people received a most destructive fire, knocking down fourteen men in an instant. this unlooked-for circumstance checked our people, and made some of them retire for an instant behind a broken part in the mountain, from which they kept up the best fire they could. during this transaction, the french, who were not more than ten or twelve yards distant, were calling out to us in spanish to advance, and abusing us most lustily. a spaniard (one of the recruits i formerly mentioned) was so much annoyed, that he began in his turn to abuse the french; and, as if words were not enough, accompanying them with the best shot he could give them. poor fellow, he was instantly shot through the body, and fell to rise no more. they now began to get courage, and made a show of advancing upon us: they did do so on the right against our st battalion, but my commanding-officer calling out to cheer our people, set up a shout, which had the effect of intimidating them, and they did not dare to advance. i was now sent away by colonel barnard to request the d (who were behind us) to send a company to support our st battalion, which they instantly did; and just as i returned, i found the french had evacuated the rock from which they had annoyed us, on the top of which we found a great number of caps and pouches, &c., belonging to men who had fallen there. we followed them over the hill, but they now gave us leg-bail, posting down into the valley towards france with all expedition. the th division had some pretty sharp work before they dislodged the people in front of them, and had suffered very severely in effecting their object. when every thing was settled, one of our men thought he saw a man hiding behind a tree just below us: he went to see what it was, and dragged out by the neck a french soldier of the d light infantry. poor fellow, he came out shrugging his shoulders, and, putting on a most beseeching look, begged we would spare him, as he was only a "pauvre italien." of course no injury was done him, only the soldier who took him claiming and taking from him his knapsack, which appeared a fine full one, and which he appropriated to himself. i thought it cruel, and would have prevented it, had my voice been of any weight; and yet, had it not been taken from him now, it would very soon after, when he became a prisoner. one battalion was ordered to remain and occupy this hill, which dreadfully alarmed me, lest it should be ours, for it was bitter, bleak, and cold. luckily a portuguese battalion was ordered up, and we returned to our snug camp by the river side; and here, as if to crown our good fortune, one of our men, who had been left behind in charge of the tents, had got some meat roasted for our mess, of which we all partook with great delight and thankfulness. a friend of mine of our st battalion, during the advance the french had made upon that battalion, was nigh falling into their hands. they rushed at him, but he perceiving, and endeavouring to avoid them, fell into a bush, which scratched him most wofully, and in the fray lost his cap and sword. they grasped at the latter, (which was not drawn,) but which luckily broke loose from the belt, or they would have had him. this hill was always known afterwards by the name of barnard's hill, in honour of colonel barnard, who commanded on the occasion. chapter xi. the author, from a mistake, loses his servants for a few days--a feast of death--a feast of life--fighting near st sebastian--singular instance of spanish bravery--st sebastian is captured, but no details given, the author not having been present--attack of the pass of vera. we remained at rest here for some time, during which i, as acting paymaster, had several trips to tolosa, a considerable town on the great road from bayonne to madrid, where the paymaster-general had taken up his residence with the military chest. in one of them i went and had a peep at st sebastian, the siege of which was then going on. while here, i received directions from general sir william stewart to attend him at villaba, where he lay wounded, he having received two balls in the late actions. i set off, directing my servants with my baggage to follow close after me: by some means they were delayed a few minutes, and, supposing i was going again to the paymaster-general at tolosa, went off in that direction, without asking any questions. i imagined they knew very well where i was going, and still went on slowly, every now and then looking back to see if i could descry them coming; but although there was no appearance of them, i simply enough continued my route till i reached st estevan; and here i put up for the night, thinking, of course, they would come by and by. in the morning, i was fully convinced they must have gone some other road, and as all my books, &c., from which i wanted information, were in my baggage, i thought it useless to proceed any farther. in retracing my steps, which i did leisurely, i had an opportunity of seeing the great number of bodies which the french had thrown into the river, the road running close by its brink nearly all the way. it was really shocking to behold such numerous wrecks of mortality, with the disgusting appearance which most of them had assumed; many of them were half eaten by the fish, and of others the flesh was hanging in rags, and bleaching in the stream. of course i returned home, but did not see my servants again for several days, as it took three or four to accomplish the journey to tolosa and back, and they had waited there a day for me. on the day that i was absent, all the officers of my corps had had a sumptuous and splendid entertainment, it being the th august, the anniversary of the regiment's first formation. they had dug a ditch in an oblong shape in the middle of a field, the centre of which served for a table, while they sat with their feet in the ditch. i am told the french, who were just above, and overlooked them from the heights behind the town, assembled and viewed them, as if in astonishment to see them regaling themselves with so much glee in the midst of the wild pyrenean mountains. no doubt the wine went merrily round, and many were the toasts which were drunk with three-times-three. during this interval, i often amused myself with fishing in the bidassoa, in which there were many excellent trout, and i was pretty successful, for i had got some tackle from one of our captains, which he had brought from england. on one of these occasions, while i was wading in a pool, i spied a fine salmon laying just below me; i threw in and brought my flies right over him, at which he instantly rose, but i missed him. i tried again, and hooked him, but in a moment he plunged right across the river, carrying with him all my flies and part of my line, for i had no reel. i might have calculated upon this, if i had thought for a moment; but the opportunity was so tempting, that i could not resist it. at length the st of august arrived, the day on which st sebastian was to be stormed. we knew this, for we had furnished a number of volunteers, both officers and men, to take part in the assault; many of our higher officers had gone to witness the glorious spectacle. but early in the morning, we were all astonished at the bugle sounding through the camp the alarm, or assembly, and instantly orders were given for the tents to be struck, the baggage to be packed, and to set off with it to the rear without a moment's delay, for the french were advancing; of course all this was done in as short a time as possible, and the troops were ordered to move on to a hill just over the bridge of vera. a detachment of ours had joined the evening before, and it cannot easily be conceived the strange effect this sudden alarm had on some of them. one of them, a lieutenant, was all in a bustle getting his pistols put in fighting order, and came to me begging i would take some money to keep for him. i told him that it was likely to be in as much danger with me as with himself, and of course declined. the old hands, on the contrary, were as cool and quiet about it as if it was an everyday occurrence. we moved to the height before mentioned, and saw a cloud of fellows with white caps coming down to the left of the town, and of course prepared to give them the best reception we could. i was sent with orders to my commanding-officer from the general, 'that he was, when pressed, to retire till he got on the ridge just over his house, (which was on the road a little to the rear of where we then were,) and that he was to stand there as long as it was possible.' i thought something very warm was going to occur, seeing such a cloud of frenchmen were then approaching us, but we were all disappointed; they went quickly to their right after descending from the heights, and forded the river below the town, setting their faces towards st sebastian. all this was effected under a cannonade from the heights. our st brigade (except my battalion) was then ordered to cross the river by the lezacca bridge a little behind us, and to move parallel to the enemy along the ridge above that town, which had all along been lord wellington's head-quarters. as soon as they got across, they sent a body of troops to the bridge of vera, close to which some of our people were stationed, and from thence they kept firing on us all day from some small mountain guns, which they had brought down with them, and occasionally with musketry. we were now somewhat curiously situated. the french position was on the side we occupied, while the other side of the bridge had been fortified by the spanish general longa, to protect himself during the last excursion of the french towards pamplona; but now they occupied the side on which the intrenchments had been thrown up, and turned them against us of course; they did little execution by their fire. lord wellington, seeing the intention of the enemy, assembled all the british troops he could easily collect, and brought them in rear of a corps of spaniards, which met the french in this direction; and finding this a fair opportunity of seeing what the don could do, withheld the british, and let the spaniards attack them by themselves. they had now the best chance of showing their valour that ever had or might present itself; they had the high ground, and the enemy had to climb up on their hands and knees to get at them; besides, they had behind them backers that would not see them get foul play. so away they set at them, and indeed they did tumble the french down in good style, upsetting them in all directions; so that our english division had nothing to do but to look on. this was the only time i ever knew the spaniards act in a body like good soldiers. the enemy, being beaten, were obliged of course to retrograde; but it came on one of the bitterest nights i have almost ever witnessed; the rain fell in torrents, and the lightning was very vivid. the french endeavoured to retrace their steps during the night, fording the river where they had crossed it in the morning; but the heavy rain had so swoln the river by midnight, that they could not continue any longer to wade it. a considerable number of them still remained on the other side, and no way presented itself of extricating themselves, but by forcing their passage across the bridge, near which a company of our d battalion, under captain cadoux, was posted, with one of ours, a short distance in the rear, to support him. captain cadoux's people were stationed in houses about thirty yards from the bridge, and had a double sentry on the bridge. the enemy's column approached very quietly, and then made a rush; but the rain having wet the priming of the sentries' rifles, they could not get them to go off to give the necessary alarm, and were in a moment driven from their post. the french then, seeing they had effected a passage, set up a shout, and rushed towards the houses where cadoux's people were, who turned out at once, and with the supporting company, opened a deadly fire upon the enemy's column; but poor cadoux fell instantly almost, as he had imprudently mounted his horse on the first alarm; his lieutenant also was severely wounded. the firing of course soon brought the whole brigade to the spot, which kept up a constant and well-directed fire during the whole of their progress along the little plain towards vera. the enemy suffered dreadfully on this occasion, leaving the ground literally strewed with their dead, who, like the others before mentioned, were next morning thrown into the river; so that the fish had ample feeding for some time after. some people afterwards reflected upon general skerrott, who commanded here, for not posting a stronger force at the bridge, and for not blocking it up with an abbatis; the former he might and ought to have done; but the latter was impracticable, from the enemy holding the breastwork at the other end of the bridge, which was not more than about thirty yards long. had a battalion been posted there, it is probable the french, who were compelled to have recourse to this daring attempt, might have been induced to surrender; but i believe the general never imagined they had need to make such an attempt. our loss on this occasion was rather severe also. a great many of captain cadoux's men fell; lieutenant travers, who commanded the company of my battalion, was wounded, and a considerable number of men were killed and wounded; among the former, some of the poor fellows who had joined from england only the day before. thus was soult's second attempt frustrated, and st sebastian fell into our hands. as i was not present at that glorious exhibition of british valour and prowess, i cannot take upon me to give any account of its capture. the volunteers who went from our division to assist in the storm or assault, sustained their full share in the casualties attendant thereon. the field-officer, colonel hunt of the d, was severely wounded; a lieutenant of the d, brother to mr o'connell, the famous roman catholic advocate, was killed; two lieutenants of our first battalion, named percival and hamilton, were severely wounded. the latter, i believe, was a volunteer on the occasion, not being entitled, from his standing, to take it as a tour of duty. he was conspicuously brave, and received two severe wounds, from which it would scarcely be imagined possible any one could recover. a few days after the surrender of st sebastian, i had again occasion to go to tolosa for money, and took the road by passages, the port where we now received all our supplies from england; and also to see the ruins of that late formidable fortress. when i reached it, the houses were still on fire, and not i believe half-a-dozen in the whole town that remained habitable, or the inhabitants had quite deserted it. i went up to the citadel and examined it, and i believe this, with proper casemates or bomb-proofs, might be rendered one of the strongest places in spain, next to gibraltar; but the french had suffered dreadfully from our shells, which had literally ploughed the ground on the top of this naturally strong height, and from which cause they had been compelled to surrender. st sebastian was indeed a melancholy spectacle at this time. i returned from tolosa by a part of the road which we had traversed in our late retreat and advance again, as i now began to hope i might perhaps recover my little horse, for i suspected from some cause that my servant, instead of having been obliged to abandon him, because of his lameness, as he told me, had sold him at that time; and this i actually found had been the case. i compelled him to tell me where he had disposed of him, and, with my broken spanish, traced him from thence for near twenty miles farther into the mountains, where i found him in a village, the name of which i do not recollect, but where a squadron of our german hussars were quartered. i of course claimed and took possession of the horse, giving the person the amount he had paid for him; but he being still lame, the commanding-officer of the hussars kindly permitted me to leave him with his farrier till he got well. he afterwards sent him to me, and would not even allow the farrier to receive any remuneration for his trouble, so kindly and politely did he behave. september passed away without any thing remarkable occurring. my friend captain (now major) perceval had been obliged to return to england, and captain balvaird succeeded him as senior captain of my battalion. i still continued in that company's mess. at length it was determined to attack the puerta, or pass of vera, which the enemy had rendered exceedingly strong. the left of our army, under sir thomas graham, were ordered to attack in their front, and force the passage of the bidassoa, and establish themselves in france. we were merely to drive them from the heights above the town of vera, taking possession of all the strong ground between that and france. the fourth division was brought up to support our attack, and formed immediately in rear of the town. one of the captains who formed the committee of paymastership, and who, it may be remembered, were held responsible for my accounts, and the due appropriation of all public money which might come into my hands, took a fancy that i exposed myself too much, and requested the commanding-officer, colonel ross, to prohibit my again entering into action, except for the purpose of bringing ammunition, &c., when my duty required me; in consequence of which the adjutant was sent to me this morning, previous to the operations commencing, with an order for me not to accompany the battalion. it may seem to the reader perhaps like affectation when i tell him i felt hurt at this order, and determined not very strictly to comply with it, for i believed that my respected commanding-officer had no objection that i should accompany him, did not this untoward circumstance interfere with my so doing. accordingly i remained a looker-on among the fourth division. my battalion was destined to commence this attack by driving the enemy from a high and rugged hill on the right of the pass, which was a necessary operation before the pass itself could be attacked. accordingly he extended the battalion, and encircled its base on the side next to vera; and i believe, without firing a shot almost, he marched right up to the top of the hill, notwithstanding the sturdy resistance made by the enemy, and in a very short space of time completely cleared this formidable height. this operation was the admiration of the whole fourth division, (for it was clearly observable by every one,) and they were most lavish of their praises for such a workmanlike movement. when my people approached the top of the hill, i felt alarmed for their safety and their honour, for the french commander closed all his force to one point, and, forming them into line, made them fix bayonets, apparently with a determination to charge them down the hill again; and i saw that my people, for they could not perceive what the french were doing, were likely to be taken by surprise. whether the frenchman's heart failed him i know not, but when colonel ross reached the top of the hill, the enemy went to the right about, and instantly retired. i felt proud of belonging to that corps, and happy at such a termination of this dangerous operation, and feeling a desire i could no longer resist, i set off to join them. by the time i reached the height just mentioned, the attack of the puerta was going on, and a most arduous undertaking it was. my brigade attacked the right or strongest pass, which they carried in fine style, without much loss, although the enemy had a breastwork at every available point of ground. our d brigade did not attack the left pass quite so soon as the other, and when they had got about half way up they encountered the most formidable opposition. a redoubt which the enemy possessed was filled with men, who waited till our battalion came within a few yards of them, and then poured in the most destructive fire imaginable, making the battalion recoil, and leaving one-third of its numbers on the ensanguined ground. but the d regiment being close behind, promptly supported them when rushing on together to the charge, and the french, after some hard fighting, were finally driven from this stronghold. after this they never made any obstinate stand, although there was occasional fighting all the way from the pass down into the plain below, where some of our people followed them; but it not being intended to quit for the present this high and formidable barrier, they were afterwards recalled. the boundary lines passed along this ridge. we lost a few men on ascending the first hill, and a few in skirmishing afterwards, but our loss was not severe. but that of the d battalion, before noticed, was awful; several of that battalion who fell in this action had only a few days before joined from england, and this was their first action. on looking at the ground on which this affair took place, one would imagine it almost impossible that any army could force a passage through such innumerable difficulties. the hill itself was nearly impassable, and with the numerous redoubts and breastworks, with which it was literally covered, no troops in the world, i think, but british, would have dared to attempt it. we found that the french, who occupied this station, had rendered themselves extremely comfortable, considering the kind of country and ground where they were posted. they had been at great pains in building very convenient and substantial huts in lines and streets, the same as an encampment, and which were indeed remarkably clean and neat. they had even built arm-racks at the end of each line, where their arms were stowed away most securely, and where they were preserved from the effects of the bad weather. indeed, from the pains they had taken to render themselves comfortable here, it would appear as if they had not expected to be driven from it so soon. the left of our army, under sir thomas graham, also established themselves within the french territory. a corps of spaniards on our left, between us and sir thomas, had likewise made a forward movement corresponding with the british. some spaniards were on the right of our division also, and were destined to drive the french from la rhune, an exceeding high rock, which overlooks all the other mountains, as well as the plain below. this they failed to accomplish, the enemy keeping possession all that night, and the skirmishing between the two forces continuing till after dark. my battalion was sent on the outpost duty in the evening down into the french plain below, and relieved the spanish general longa, whose corps, with our d brigade, were ordered to assist in the morning in dislodging the enemy from la rhune. i will not say whether the sight of the red-coats coming against them the next morning had the effect of alarming them, but they certainly evacuated that exceedingly strong post without much farther opposition, and established themselves on a similar rock, but lower, on the french side, and called by them petit or little rhune. but the possession of this lofty peak gave us the power of overlooking all their movements for miles around us, as well as of surveying la belle france as far as the eye could see, and indeed, compared with the bleak and barren mountains in which we had so long been residing, it did appear a beautiful country, although, in reality, it is far from being such. but we gazed upon it with strange and mingled emotions, hardly believing it possible that we had now reached and entered the territory of that once formidable nation whose victorious armies had penetrated to the farthest confines of europe, who had overrun and subdued some of the most warlike nations of the continent, and who had so often threatened, and as often alarmed, the inhabitants of england with the invasion of that sacred soil, on which never yet a frenchman has dared, in hostile array, to set his foot since the days of the norman william, but who met there either with a prison or a grave. we now pitched our camps by battalions, each occupying a post more or less important, and the enemy began again to construct their huts, and make themselves as comfortable as their circumstances would admit; soult, no doubt, being mightily chagrined that we had now fairly beat them out of spain, when he (as we now learnt) had promised his followers that he would soon lead them again to the plains of vittoria, where they might again retrieve their lost honours, and at which city they would celebrate the emperor's birthday. he thus boasted, and no doubt would have effected his purpose, had he not been so promptly met near pamplona by his never-to-be outmanoeuvred antagonist. we now began to suffer greatly from the severity of the weather. it became exceedingly wet and stormy; and not infrequently the tents were blown away from over our heads, or the pole was forced up through the top, letting the wet canvass fall comfortably down about our ears while we were perhaps in a sound sleep. i had two streams flowing past my head, one went round the trench outside my tent, while the other i was fain to let pass through it; their murmurs lulled me to sleep, and i do not remember that ever i slept sounder than i did here, having made my couch comfortable by gathering dry fern, and spreading my mattress upon it. whilst we remained here, a few officers were appointed to watch the motions of the enemy from an old work which we understood had been constructed by the spaniards and emigrant french against their revolutionary neighbours, whom they endeavoured to keep from entering spain; and, of course, this was the daily lounge of those who had no better employment, not only that they might themselves see, but hear also from others what of importance was passing. on one of these occasions, a vessel was descried (for the sea was not more than five or six miles from us) making for the harbour of bayonne, or st jean de luz, with a small schooner following her in chase, and every now and then giving her a shot. the vessel, (which turned out to be a french brig going with provisions for the few frenchmen who still retained the castle of santona,) seeing she could not get clear of her unwelcome neighbours, her crew set her on fire, and taking to their boats, abandoned her, and escaped on shore--she soon after blew up with a tremendous explosion. on the st of this month pamplona surrendered, the garrison, consisting of men, under major-general cassan, the governor, becoming prisoners of war. they had been compelled to adopt this measure from sheer starvation, of which they, i understand, had suffered dreadfully. i happened to be at passages on the day they reached that port, where they embarked, on their way to england. the general was a stout, handsome, and intelligent-looking man, and such a one as i should imagine would make a noble officer. the soldiers seemed quite unconcerned about their fate; whether from the change being actually an improvement of their condition, or from the lightness and gaiety of their natural temper, i know not, but they were jesting and making as merry as if nothing had happened. during the time we lay on these mountains, i regret to state my gallant and respected commanding-officer, colonel ross, suffered so much from rheumatism, that he was compelled to leave the regiment, and take up his abode at rentaria, a village near to passages. it was reported that lord wellington intended attacking the enemy along his whole line, early in november, but the weather having rendered the roads impassable, it was postponed. on the day previous to the intended attack, the commanding-officers had been taken up to la rhune, and the post that each corps had to occupy, with the movements they were intended to make, were clearly pointed out to them; an excellent plan, when practicable, as it leaves no one any excuse for mistakes or blunders during the action. at length, on the th of that month, i believe, it was settled to take place; but on the th i was ordered to set off with the mules of the battalion, to fetch corn from passages, a distance of about thirty miles. i suspected this was a scheme of the captain i before mentioned, as one of the committee of paymastership, in order the more effectually to keep me out of danger, for certainly had any thing serious happened me, they would have had some difficulty in rendering their accounts. it was not quite certain the attack was to take place next day, although it had been so rumoured; however, i was determined to try and reach the division as early as possible on that day. i accordingly got my business done in passages as early as i could get the commissary to work; and having got the corn, and come on to rentaria, which i reached about mid-day, i took the liberty of leaving the animals in the charge of the non-commissioned officer who had accompanied me; and calling on colonel ross, obtained his permission to let the sergeant proceed in charge of them to the regiment, while i might, if i chose, push on at a quicker rate. i had heard by this time, that the action had commenced by daylight that morning. i accordingly set off at as quick a pace as my starved animal could carry me; and passing irun, and crossing the bidassoa, and keeping along the great road for a considerable distance, i then inclined to my right, and skirted the pyrenees along the whole plain. i had thus an opportunity of witnessing the conflict carrying on by the left wing of our army, as i passed along towards la rhune, but with every exertion of myself and my poor jaded horse, night closed in upon me before i had nearly reached the station of the light division. i was compelled to work my way through a country which i had not hitherto passed, and which having been the scene of a sanguinary combat, presented no very pleasing aspect. at last i heard some strange and foreign voices before me, for it was now quite dark, on which i turned into a field, and waited till they passed, by which i learned they were spaniards. i was apprehensive i might have kept too far to the left, and had got into the french lines, which would not have been so comfortable; but after finding them to be men of general frere's spanish division, i then had hopes of shortly meeting with my own people. directed by those good spaniards, i at last reached petit la rhune, the late formidable position of the enemy, on which the blazes from a thousand of their huts were rising to the clouds, and enlightening the atmosphere around. but it being now ten o'clock, i found myself incapable of proceeding farther, more particularly as the portuguese, among whom i now found myself, could not give me any certain directions which way my division had gone. i was fain therefore to take up my abode, and gladly did so, in a cottage with colonel st clair and several other officers of the sixth caçadores. let it not be supposed that a fighting disposition induced me to use so much exertion to reach my division on this occasion--no; but as i considered that a sort of trick had been played off upon me, i did what i could to render it nugatory; no man liking, as i imagine, to be the dupe of any other party's manoeuvres, with whatever friendly intention these may have been put in operation. i arose next morning early, and hastened to the point where i expected to meet my brave comrades, anxious to learn the fate of all i loved amongst them. i saw them and the third division at a considerable distance, each on a height in front, appearing like flocks of sheep huddled together as close as possible. i soon reached them, and learned with sorrow, that the brave colonel barnard was, as they supposed, mortally wounded, the ball having passed through the chest, and that little lieutenant doyle was killed. this was a most stupendous action; the scene of operations extending from right to left, embracing, i imagine, not less than thirty miles of country. the centre had fallen to the share of my division, which, in the eyes of the best judges, was the strongest part of the enemy's line, for it had been fortified with the most consummate skill, and no labour had been spared to render it impregnable, as the enemy had been busily employed in the construction of forts, redoubts, and other field-works of every denomination, from the day we drove them from the pass of vera; one in particular, a stone built fort, in the shape of a star, was exceedingly strong, and which was attacked and carried in the finest style possible, i understand, by the d regiment; the d also surrounded a fort in which the french th regiment was posted, the brave commander of which not having received any orders to evacuate it, remained till the retreat of the french left him no other alternative than to surrender at discretion. the part my battalion had to play, was to cross the valley separating the two la rhunes in double quick time, and attack the french rock by a gorge, which allowed a passage from that valley into their position. this was to be in conjunction with the attack of the star fort by the d, as it in some measure took that work in reverse. in short, every corps in the division, and i believe in the army, had a most arduous duty to perform, and most nobly did they execute it. the left of our army, under sir thomas graham, did not succeed in driving the enemy from his innumerable works which covered st jean de luz, and which he retained possession of till the next morning; when the centre, that is the d and light divisions, together with the spaniards on our right and left centre, made a movement in advance, and crossed the nivelle river, from which this action derives its name. our movement, which threatened to separate the wings of the french army, caused the enemy to abandon his strong position in front of st jean de luz, as well as that town, on which occasion he attempted, and partly succeeded in destroying the bridge over the nivelle at that place; but it being soon after repaired, sir thomas graham's corps took up their quarters in the town. we encamped for the night in front of the village of serres, or sarre, or zarre. it had rained hard all the day of the th, and it continued almost without intermission till our camp was literally swimming. i remember perfectly that the water in my tent was several inches deep; and when i awoke in the morning, i found a portuguese boy (who had followed us, and had attached himself to our mess as a sort of servant) was sitting holding by the tent-pole, that being the only place where he could find rest for the sole of his foot. in short, we were as wet, clothes and beds and all, as if we had been dragged through a river. the evening before, i well remember, we had been highly amused by my scotch quartermaster-sergeant and his friends, who had taken up their abode close by, singing, till they rather grew tiresome, "we are nae fou', we're nae that fou', but just a drappie in our e'e." this of course was done to drive away dull care, and to make the best of an uncomfortable situation. the next day towards afternoon, a considerable firing was heard on our right, which had continued but a short while, till our gallant and unwearied chief came galloping up, with some few of his staff following, who could with difficulty keep pace with him, and asking most anxiously whereabouts and what the firing was. we could only point out the direction in which we heard it, but could give him no account as to its cause. away he galloped in the direction we pointed out, and no doubt soon reached the spot. i forgot to mention, that a man of the brunswick oels corps had been hung the day before for plundering by the provost marshal, no doubt in compliance with superior orders. it was necessary thus to give the army an example of severity, in order to deter them from committing those acts to which all armies are but too prone. we found indeed very little to plunder, had we been so inclined; for the greater part of the inhabitants had left their houses, taking every thing portable with them. this they had been induced to do from the false statements which soult had set forth in some proclamations he issued about this time, in which he described the english as savages, nay, even as cannibals, who would not scruple to commit the most monstrous atrocities; so ignorant were the generality of these poor peasants, that many of them implicitly believed his representations. this, no doubt, was done with the view of raising the whole population in arms against us, in order to defend their homes against such a set of wretches as he made it appear we were; but, although many of the natives joined the french army at this time, with which they were incorporated and led to battle, the result of his famous proclamations was not equal to his expectations; for a great part of them declined warlike proceedings, and retired into the interior of the country with their families, leaving only a very small proportion indeed who remained in their houses. as might be expected, the empty houses suffered dreadfully; every piece of furniture almost being destroyed, either for fire-wood, or in seeking for valuables; while the houses of those who remained in general escaped. general harispe, being a basque himself, had the organizing of the new levies now raised; indeed, many of these had taken a part in the irruption into spain on the th july for the relief of pamplona, and many of them fell on that occasion. we were not so fully aware of the extent of the misrepresentation to which soult had gone in these proclamations, till some time after we had entered france, and had penetrated considerably into the interior, when some of our officers, either during or after a march, entered the cottage of a peasant who had not left his home, to get a little milk. the poor woman was remarkably civil, offering them any thing the house afforded. they got some milk, for which they offered her money, but which she declined. her child was running about the house at this time, which, coming near one of the officers, he took it between his knees, and patted it on the head, with which the child seemed very well pleased; but the poor mother, standing at a little distance, and eyeing most intently every motion of the officer, was like to swoon with fear and agitation. but as the mother had declined receiving any thing for the milk, the officer who had the child gave it some small coin, and letting it go, it ran to its mother, who snatched it up into her arms with the utmost joy, and altering her look, began to say, she thought they had been deceived; for that they had been led to believe from the proclamations of soult, that we were such barbarians that we would not scruple to kill and eat their children, and which was the cause of her late fear and anxiety, as she expected the officer had taken the child for that purpose; but now she found we were not such people as she had been led to believe. of course the officer laughed most heartily at having been suspected of a man-eating propensity, and soon convinced the poor woman that the english were not quite such barbarians as that, whatever she might have heard to the contrary. chapter xii. the british army advance farther into france--pass the nive--soult's plans baffled--two or three battalions of the nassau and frankfort regiments come over from the french--french politesse--threatened attack by the french--battle of the nive--account of the basques. we left our wet camp on the th, and advanced to the village of arbonne, where, for the first time during the campaign, we were quartered in houses, except once or twice. during our stay in the camp at serres, or zarre, we sent our baggage animals to passages for corn, on which occasion i lost another horse, the batman pretending it had been stolen, but which, no doubt, he sold, as that trick had often been resorted to by this time, and there was no detecting it. on the th we left arbonne, and advanced to arcangues, sending forward picquets to the village of bassozari, about half a mile in front. my battalion took up into quarters in some straggling houses in front of the church of arcangues, while our first battalion occupied the chateau and outhouses of arcangues, about a quarter of a mile to the right and front of the church. the enemy's picquets were close to bassozari, so that in some places scarcely a quarter of a mile intervened between our quarters and their outposts. they allowed us to take up our outposts very quietly, they being now established in their intrenched camp in front of bayonne, and which was not far distant from our advance. there were some houses in the line of posts occupied by the french, which, if in our possession, would add greatly both to our security and convenience, and which it was determined to wrest from them if practicable. accordingly, on the d the division was put under arms, and our brigade, being in front, had this task assigned to them. the d, not having had so much work during the campaign as our two battalions had, was selected for the purpose of driving in the enemy's picquets, whilst we supported them. they accordingly attacked and carried the houses without a moment's delay; but unfortunately, captain hobkirk of that regiment, advancing with his company beyond the line at which it was intended to halt, got immediately in front of some of their intrenchments, from which he could not extricate himself, in consequence of which our first battalion was ordered to advance to cover his retreat; but he had by this time fallen into the hands of the enemy, with a considerable number of his men: his lieutenant was killed, and altogether the company suffered great loss. the remainder retreated, our first battalion people holding the houses it was intended to occupy. this occurred on the left of the ridge. on the right, and adjoining a marsh which separated us from some high ground near the river nive, and which was occupied by another division of our army, were two or three houses also which it was intended to take, as their possession secured us a passage across this marsh by a causeway, which connected two eminences, that on which we stood, and that occupied by the other division, the principal object upon the latter being a large chateau called garratt's house. one company of the d also took those houses, supported by some more of that regiment and my battalion; but after they were taken, from what cause i know not, an order was sent to evacuate them, on which the d retired. soon after, they were again ordered to be re-occupied, when a company of ours advanced, and took possession, but had not been there many minutes till another order was sent for them to be evacuated. this order, however, had scarcely reached them, when a charge was made on them by a body of french cavalry, supported by a strong column of infantry. the officer who commanded the company, either from the order he had received, or from want of presence of mind, called to his men to run to the rear when the cavalry charged him, by which he did not suffer much in point of losing men, for only one was wounded by the cavalry; but it had a bad appearance to run away from cavalry, a description of force which we had learnt by this time almost to despise, especially as, from his post, he might have knocked down great numbers of them, and finally have repulsed them, had he allowed his men to fire. the houses were, however, eventually taken possession of by another company of our battalion the next day, which retained them in despite of the enemy. the man who was wounded by the cavalry was shot in the head by a pistol ball: he came to the surgeon, where the main body of the battalion was standing, to be dressed; while this was doing, and the orderly man holding a tin-full of water near, from which the surgeon was sponging and cleaning the wound, a ball came, and, striking the tin, carried it right out from between the hands of the orderly. i was standing close by, and shall not easily forget the blank look which, as might be expected, the poor orderly put on. there was a good deal of firing all day, which, except what the d suffered, as before noticed, did little damage to the brigade. on the occasion of our company taking these houses the next day, a very young officer, who happened to command it, evinced great fortitude and presence of mind. he advanced on the enemy, who, being then rather inclined to quietness, retreated gradually before him; but after reaching the hedge, just beyond the principal house, told him (for they were quite near enough to speak) that he must not advance any farther, or they would be compelled to fire on him. the young fellow, solicitous about nothing but obeying his orders, told them that he was determined to have the house, and immediately putting his men under the best cover he could, called out that they might begin to fire whenever they pleased, he was ready for them. this young officer (whose name was cary, and brother to my friend who fell at badajos) spoke excellent french, so that the enemy understood him perfectly. the enemy did not contend any longer for the post, but planted their sentries within about thirty yards of ours. these sentries, indeed, were still so posted as to prevent a passage across by the causeway, had they been so inclined; but the next day i went with another officer across by this road, on which occasion we actually passed to the rear of the french sentries. a disposition had for some time been gaining ground with both armies, to mitigate the miseries of warfare, as much as was consistent with each doing their duty to their country; and it had by this time proceeded to such an extent, as to allow us to place that confidence in them that they would not molest us even if we passed their outposts for the purpose i have mentioned. and this mutual confidence in each other was productive of the most comfortable results to both parties. we could move about at any time, and almost in any place, shooting or otherwise amusing ourselves, without the dread of falling in with an enemy's patrol, or of getting among their sentries. they never molested us from this time, except when we either advanced upon them, or they upon us, in hostile array. our division had two main picquets; all this took place at the right picquet. a few days after i happened to be at the advanced post on the left, commanded by one of my battalion, when the french officers beckoned to us. we, to show we were peaceably inclined, pulled off our swords, and advanced to meet them. a number of inhabitants, who had left their houses on our first entering the country, having heard that we were not what we had been represented, were desirous of returning to their homes, and the officers wished us to admit them, and see them safe through the advanced posts. this of course we gladly promised, and the poor people were quite overjoyed at being permitted to visit their dwelling-places once again; but, poor creatures, i fear they would find little there except the bare walls, if indeed these remained entire, for, from the reasons before assigned, it could scarcely be expected that houses without inhabitants, in the midst of an invading army, would be much respected. each individual among them, old and young, carried heavy bundles on their heads, no doubt they having removed every thing that was valuable, if portable. the french officers were extremely polite, and asked us many questions of the news of the day, &c.; but the commander-in-chief, hearing of the familiarity which subsisted between the two armies, issued an order, prohibiting british officers from holding conversations with the enemy; for as all these conversations were necessarily conducted in french, (very few indeed of their officers being able to speak english,) he was apprehensive they might gain such information from our people, from their imperfect knowledge of the french language, as might materially injure our future proceedings. before this order was issued, the most unbounded confidence subsisted between us, and which it was a pity to put a stop to, except for such weighty reasons. they used to get us such things as we wanted from bayonne, particularly brandy, which was cheap and plentiful, and we in return gave them occasionally a little tea, of which some of them had learnt to be fond. some of them also, who had been prisoners of war in england, sent letters through our army-post to their sweethearts in england, our people receiving the letters and forwarding them. they told us also how hobkirk was situated, and were astonished at the extent and splendour of his equipage, (for he was a great dandy,) and could scarcely be persuaded he was only a captain. my present commanding-officer, who was the senior captain, and in whose mess i then was, had sent to england, and got out from thence two immense pies, weighing nearly a hundred-weight each, and packed in tin cases. they were composed of every kind of game, and the best description of fowls, such as turkeys, &c., with the bones taken out, and the meat baked till it became like brawn when cut in slices. they were most excellent. one of these he had made a present of to our major-general, and the other we were eating in the mess. we had also at this time a considerable quantity of good wine, which, by some accident, we had got hold of. we also had bought a pig and killed it, both living quite sumptuously at present, and having a good stock for future use. but while we ourselves fared so well, our poor horses and mules were literally starving. there was no kind of forage for them, except what they could pick up in the now completely exhausted fields around us. we had nothing else to give them. in this way we were going on, when, on the th of december, lord wellington, determining on passing the nive, preparatory to future operations, ordered our division and all the left, under sir john hope, who had now succeeded sir thomas graham, to make a movement in advance, in order that the enemy's attention might be attracted to this point, while he threw over some divisions to the right bank of that river. my battalion had to advance along the ridge by which i had formerly passed in peace, to meet the returning inhabitants, as may be recollected; but now the face of affairs was completely altered;--a heavy fire was kept up by the french picquets from the moment they saw us advance in arms, but we soon drove them from their advanced works, and they were obliged to take shelter in their intrenched camp, which was remarkably strong, and which it was not intended we should attack. we accordingly halted on the brow of the ridge, while they kept up an incessant fire, both from their guns and infantry, but which, considering its extent and duration, was not by any means a destructive fire. sir john hope had a more laborious task to perform, or else his troops went beyond the point intended, for they continued the fight nearly all day, and at one time were considerably in advance, but afterwards recalled. the passage of the nive was completely effected, and in the evening we returned to our comfortable houses, a short distance in the rear, and went to bed as usual. next morning, however, very early, orders were given to turn out immediately, and stand to our arms, for the enemy was advancing; and indeed, when i came to the door, i heard a good deal of firing. the troops turned out at once, but the mules were to get, and the baggage to pack, and send away to the rear, or it might be lost; so i set myself about this with all dispatch; but before any of it was put up, i saw posting by me, with all expedition, a civil officer, who had only a short while joined us, and who, in his hurry, had put up all he could scrape together on his horse, on which he himself was riding. his boots, tied together, were slung over the horse's neck, and in short he looked more like a bagman than an officer, from the number of things he had hanging about him. it was most laughable to see him. i called out and asked him why he was in such a hurry, but he did not stop to give me an answer. i got up our baggage very well, but what to do with the pie, the pig, and the wine, i knew not, so was constrained to leave them as they were, hoping we might not allow the enemy to penetrate so far. i then moved off the baggage, and, directing the servants who had charge of it to proceed up a lane which carried them towards the rear, i moved on and joined the battalion. just as i reached the plateau, or high ground in front of the church of arcangues, i met an officer of ours to whom i had lately lent a fine young mare, for which i had not food sufficient; and he having no horse himself, i thought he would take care of her; but here i met him going into the fight riding on the poor animal, although scarcely able to drag one leg behind the other. i remonstrated with him, but he did not mind me. the result was as might have been anticipated--she soon after dropped down, unable to move farther, and died; thus i lost l. more, which she had cost me. by this time the enemy had driven in the regiment which had been on picquet, and one or two of our companies were sent forward to cover their retreat to the church behind us, where they were ordered to take post, it being a high and fine position, and had by this time been partly fortified. my people retired gradually before the enemy, who now advanced in great numbers. our st battalion were not so fortunate in effecting their retreat. an officer and some men having got into a hollow way, were surrounded by the enemy and taken; another was killed; and another, with his section, had to force their way through a strong body which had got in his rear. my battalion did not fall into any scrape of that nature, but sustained a considerable loss in killed and wounded, from the vast superiority of the enemy in point of numbers, who, no doubt, did not escape with impunity. we held our ground at the bottom of the hill on which the church is built, the french not being able to force us farther back; the st battalion, at the same time, holding the fence and ditch in front of the chateau, as well as that building itself. but a rather unpleasant occurrence took place at this time. when the enemy appeared on the plateau before mentioned, a regiment behind us, without orders, i believe, opened a heavy fire upon them, several shots of which struck among our men. one of them went in at the back of one of our soldiers, and killed him on the spot; another penetrated the back window of a house into which a party of ours had entered for defence, and very near struck an officer, who was in the room at the time. these shots must have been fired either by young soldiers, who scarcely knew how they pointed their muskets, or they must have taken our people for the enemy, from which, indeed, they were not far distant. i am confident it was purely accidental, for no two corps could be on better terms than that regiment and ours always were. the skirmishing continued till dark. this was one of a series of masterly movements between the two contending generals. lord wellington having sent a pretty strong force across the nive, as before mentioned, soult imagined he had so weakened his force on the left, as to render it probable he might penetrate it, and thus cause his lordship to withdraw his troops again from the right bank of the nive; but he was anticipated; for lord wellington had no sooner established himself on the other side of the nive, than he brought one of the supporting divisions of that movement to support us at the church of arcangues, it being an important post to hold; so that, when we looked behind us, after we retired into position, we saw innumerable bayonets glistening in the sun, and ready to move forward whenever they should be required; but they never were wanted here, the light division being quite sufficient to sustain any attack the enemy had yet made on them. this, however, showed the provident care of his lordship, and how completely he had penetrated soult's design. this night two or three battalions of the nassau and frankfort regiments came over and left the french. they had heard that the dutch had declared against bonaparte, and wished to be transported to holland, with all their arms and appointments, which they brought with them. we remained in bivouack on the ridge extending between the church and chateau of arcangues all night, our picquets remaining in possession of the houses and hedges at the bottom of the hill, where we stopped the french in the morning. i visited the picquets at night, in company with my commanding-officer, where we found all well, and alert. the next day, there being no firing between us and those in our front, three french officers, seemingly anxious to prove how far politeness and good breeding could be carried between the two nations, when war did not compel them to be unfriendly, took a table and some chairs out of a house which was immediately in our front, and one which we had lately occupied as a barrack; and bringing them down into the middle of the field, which separated the advance of the two armies, sat down within yards of our picquet, and drank wine, holding up their glasses, as much as to say your health, every time they drank. of course we did not molest them, but allowed them to have their frolic out. during the day, also, we saw soldiers of the three nations, viz. english, portuguese, and french, all plundering at the same time in one unfortunate house, where our pie, our pig, and wine had been left. it stood about or yards below the church, on a sort of neutral ground between the two armies; hence the assemblage at the same moment of such a group of these motley marauders. they plundered in perfect harmony, no one disturbing the other on account of his nation or colour. there were a great number of apples in it at the time we left it, belonging to the owner of the house, but when we returned, two or three days afterwards, the desolation was complete. our once comfortable quarter contained nothing now but filth and dirt. one poor girl had remained in it all the while, but she could not save one article; indeed, in such a case it would have been a service of danger to attempt it. at night one of our sergeants played the french a trick. he took with him a few men, and, knowing the ground well, they passed the french sentry unobserved, having reached the house at the top of the field out of which they had brought the table, &c., where their picquet was stationed. he made a rush at their arms, which he found piled in front of the house, and set to work and broke them before the french had time to recover from the consternation into which they were thrown by so unexpected an assault. he and his party then came running off without sustaining any injury. he was a most determined brave soldier this, but afterwards lost an arm at toulouse, and was of course discharged with a pension. on the th, the enemy made a mighty show of attacking our position, having greatly increased their force in front of us, and had, some way or other, found the means of spreading a report in our lines that grenadiers had been chosen to lead on the attack. they also traced out batteries, and cut embrasures, apparently with the intention of burning or knocking down the chateau of arcangues, the owner of which remained in it all this time, and was rather suspected of holding correspondence with his countrymen. it is not unlikely it was by his means the report above alluded to was propagated. every thing now wore a serious aspect, and of course every thing was done to render their attack abortive. all were animated with the best disposition to defend the post to the last extremity; but while the generality believed all these preparations were serious, there were others who thought it only a _ruse de guerre_; indeed, had our friends, the german hussars, (with whom we had often acted in concert,) been here at this time, it is more than probable they would have been strongly inclined to the latter opinion, for they scarcely ever saw the french make a great bustle and noise, as if about immediately to advance and attack, but they would coolly say, after eyeing them awhile, "oh, he not come to-day!" "he go away!" and were generally certain of being right. so full of trick and artifice are our french antagonists, that they generally act in quite a contrary manner to what appearances indicate. but they began to be known; hence the scepticism of some of our people on the present occasion. accordingly, about midnight, when the attack was to have been made, away they went, and retired nearly into their lines, leaving only a few to keep the ground. at daylight next morning we again moved forward, on which there was a good deal of firing between the portuguese battalion that had followed them and their rearguard; but when our people advanced to our old post on the ridge, i, happening to be first, took off my cap, and, putting it on the top of my sword, held it up, which the french taking for a signal of peace, as it was intended, the firing on both sides ceased, each party taking up the post they held previous to the late movements. we wondered why the french had retired, but presently heard a tremendously heavy firing in the direction of the nive. soult, it seems, had withdrawn nearly all his troops from our flank, and marching rapidly through bayonne, had attacked general hill, who commanded on the other side of the nive, with great impetuosity, thinking lord wellington had weakened that force to strengthen us; but here again soult was outwitted, for he found on that side quite sufficient to give him as sound a drubbing as he ever got; the portuguese on this occasion, i understand, performing wonders. these five days' fighting (for on every day there was firing, more or less, in one part or other of the line) were called the battle of the nive. we had had three days' work of it--they on our right two--and sir john hope's people, on our left, four, i believe, and they not trifling ones. in every thing soult undertook, he was completely foiled--all his schemes having been clearly seen through by his more sagacious opponent. indeed he had inflicted a heavy loss on our left wing, commanded by sir john hope, where the fighting had been most severe, but no doubt he suffered equally, if not more severely than they did. i am told that the enemy's light troops were most insolent and annoying to our heavy regiments on the left, on this occasion. what a pity that they could not have been opposed by troops of a similar description! it may be remembered the civil officer of whom i made mention, as having rode away with the greater part of his wardrobe hanging about his horse; he was more fortunate than we were, for the things which he left, his kind landlady took care of, and hid in some snug corner till the business was over, and on his return restored them all to him. he said the cause of his going off in such a hurry arose from a cannon-shot having struck the lintel of the door or window of his house while he was in the act of shaving, on which he bundled out with whatever he could scrape together, and set off. i verily believe it must have been the effect of imagination, for i remained behind him at least a quarter of an hour, and although our houses were close together, i did not either hear or see a shot fired in that direction till we had reached the hill, nearly an hour after; but he constantly maintained that it was so. we again took up our old quarters in front of the church; but oh, how changed were they now from what they had formerly been in point of comfort! nevertheless, they still afforded us shelter from the inclemency of the weather. soon after dark on this evening, a rather unpleasant affair occurred at the left advanced post of our division. an officer and two men coming from the french advance, with what intention is not known, were observed by the corporal who was stationed at our abatis, who immediately took out his rifle and shot the officer through the body, on which his two men lifted him up and carried him into their picquet-house. we were apprehensive this would put an end to that good understanding which had hitherto subsisted between the picquets of the two nations, and much regretted the circumstance. it is more than probable the officer was coming as a sort of patrol, to ascertain whether or not we had left the post, which, being a military undertaking, subjected him to all the chances of war attendant thereon. this is the more probable from his having two soldiers with him armed, as i understand they were; but if it was meant as a friendly visit, as formerly sometimes took place, it was greatly to be lamented; however, they did not, on account of this occurrence, manifest any soreness or ill-will afterwards, and the mutual good understanding continued to subsist between us. while we remain at rest here a short space, i will endeavour to put the reader in possession of the character of the inhabitants, among whom we have been sojourning for a few months past--i mean the biscayans. from the time we crossed the ebro, a wonderful change took place in the appearance of the natives; and i believe the same description of people extend considerably into france, although under another government; they, i understand, still retain their ancient customs, dress, and language; they are denominated basques, from the name of the province, i apprehend, which is called biscay. they speak a different language from either the spaniards, who border them on one side, or the french, on the other; and some of our officers who spoke welsh, said they could understand a few of their words; it is denominated the basque language. they generally wear cloth of their own manufacture, which is commonly blue, in some parts red or brown; in the neighbourhood of pamplona, almost always the latter. the men wear a sort of scotch bonnet, with a short jacket and trowsers, and are an amazingly athletic and active people. the women wear a short jacket also, of the same colour with their petticoat; and with their hair, which they encourage to grow to a great length, plaited in one large plait, and tied with a small piece of ribbon; it is allowed to hang down their back, and almost in all cases reaches to, or below their middle. they wear a handkerchief tastefully disposed upon their head. they are a fine, tall, and handsome race of women; but they have a custom of compressing their breasts, so that they appear as flat in the bosom as the men, which, to an english eye, is not becoming. the women do the same kind of work as the men, that is, they plough, and labour at all sorts of husbandry; but what seemed most remarkable to us, was their sole management of the ferry-boats about passages and st sebastian; they row as well as any men, being amazingly strong and active; they seem content with their lot, and always appeared cheerful and happy. i believe they are strictly virtuous; and although very handsome in general, they did not seem so fond of admiration as the females of many other countries are; upon the whole, i think they resemble the welsh more than any other people with whom i am acquainted; their countries are exceedingly similar, being mountainous, and in general not over fruitful, so that constant labour seems to be rendered absolutely necessary to insure to them the means of subsistence; hence they are industrious and frugal, and, upon the whole, an interesting and moral people. chapter xiii. the author's battalion quartered in aurantz on d january, --the cantonments at aurantz broke up on th february, and the campaign of commenced--farther advance into france--skirmishing with the enemy--military manoeuvres--battle of orthes--defeat and pursuit of the enemy--succession of attacks on them--they are driven from their position in and near tarbes--skirmishing at tournefoile--the enemy retire towards toulouse. on the d of january , we were ordered to quit a part of the country, which, from the various occurrences that had taken place since we first arrived in it, had, in some measure, rendered it interesting to us. we moved a little to the right, and crossed the nive, and again moved in advance about a league or more. this movement was made in support of some operations which lord wellington was conducting in the direction of the adour, which being completed, we returned to the nive, and took up our cantonments in the villages of ustaritz and aurantz. about this time, nearly the whole of the peasantry, who had fled on our entering france, were now returning to their habitations, all fear that we should murder them, and eat their children, having by this time been completely dissipated. indeed we were often told after this, that they would much prefer having a british army among them, to their own people, for they were always haughty, they said, and overbearing, and never scrupled to take whatever they had a mind for, while we were orderly and quiet, and never took an article without amply repaying the owner for it. indeed i am well convinced the change the poor people had made in their lodgers was greatly for the better to them. my battalion was quartered in the village of aurantz, from which we often took a stroll, to look at the scene of our late operations. the french having, in consequence of lord wellington's movements near the adour, strengthened their army in that direction, which of course rendered it necessary they should contract the limits of their front on the side towards spain, they had consequently withdrawn their advance considerably within their former lines. we now also had plenty of opportunity for shooting, but were but ill supplied with fowling-pieces, or we might have killed an abundance of woodcocks, every thicket in the neighbourhood being filled with them. the weather now was extremely bad, and the roads impassable, except by yourself wading up to the knees, or having your horse almost continually nearly up to his belly. in consequence of the difficulty of communicating by dragoons, on account of the roads, telegraphs were established all along from the right of the army, on the banks of the adour, to st jean de luz on our left, the head-quarters of the army. while in these cantonments, an account arrived of our gallant major-general (kempt) having been appointed to the colonelcy of the th battalion of the th regiment, which had just been raised. at the recommendation of my commanding-officer, now major balvaird, the general kindly transmitted my name to the war office for the appointment of paymaster of his battalion; but unfortunately for me, before my name arrived, his late royal highness the duke of york, as colonel-in-chief of the regiment, had nominated another person to the situation. it had always hitherto been customary for colonels-commandant, and not the colonel-in-chief, to nominate their own staff, but on this occasion another rule was adopted, which, of course, was a great disappointment to me, as i had, with considerable trouble, got all my sureties, &c. prepared, although they were now not needed. i had, during our stay here, one or more trips to the paymaster-general for money, for although the paymaster of the battalion had by this time arrived, i had several months' pay still to draw, the army being considerably in arrear in their pay. i had thus an opportunity of visiting st jean de luz, and all the enemy's late fortifications and position in that neighbourhood, and amazingly strong they had indeed rendered the ground in front of that town. it was a considerable and well-built town, partaking a good deal of both the spanish and french character of course, it being the first french town next to the frontier; and, as i said before, there being very little difference between the basques on either side of the bidassoa, the change of countries in respect to inhabitants was not very observable except among the better orders. on the th of february we broke up from our cantonments in aurantz, and commenced the campaign of , crossing the nive at ustaritz, and moving on in the direction of la bastide de clarence. we encamped on a wild heath, without any village or town being near us, and again the next morning continued our route to the place above-named, which we reached about noon, and encamped on a hill beyond it. on the d we advanced to st palais, having passed other villages, the names of which i have forgot, in the intermediate days. nothing, however, of any note occurred in that period. on the d we encamped near la chere and charrette; on the th we crossed two rapid and deep streams of the bidowse. the first we got over with considerable ease,--it was the gave de mauleon, which we crossed at nabes; but the second, the gave d'oleron, was not only both deeper and more rapid than the other, but the passage seemed intended to be disputed with us; some french cavalry having made their appearance on the opposite bank, as we approached the river. the resistance they could offer, however, seemed very trifling, for, on our bringing up some guns to the bank, and a few shots having been fired from them, and from a company of our second battalion, they withdrew. we now prepared to go over; accordingly, every man was ordered to take off his pouch and buckle it on the top of his knapsack, the ford being so deep as to take the men up to or above the middle. on this occasion i had i know not how many of the poor men hanging about me and my horse. some were holding by the stirrup, some by the tail, and others by the mane, or wherever they could lay hold, for the stream was so rapid as to nearly sweep them off their legs. indeed i understand several of those who followed us were actually swept down, and perished. on reaching the farther bank, we found the french had endeavoured to render it impassable, by throwing harrows, &c., with their spikes upmost, in the only places where you could ascend from the river. i believe a trumpeter of the french was all who fell on this day. we passed through ville neuve, and formed in a field beyond the village, till the whole division had got over. it was in this village where the scene between the mother, the child, and some of our officers, took place. when joined and formed, we moved on to a high and ugly common, not far in rear of the village of orion, where we bivouacked for the night. it was most uncomfortable. before we reached our ground this evening, we observed, at a short distance to our left, a body of about french infantry moving on parallel to us, but apparently making all haste to get away in front of us. some suggested the idea of attacking and taking them prisoners; but as they were rather before us, it could not have been done without setting one of the battalions at them in double-quick time, and which would not have been an easy operation, after a long and fatiguing march, and fording two rivers. besides, as our quartermaster-general said, it was certain they could not be far from their support; consequently it would only bring on an affair, which it was not the general's wish to do at that time, for there was none near to support us should the enemy send a force against us. this day general picton's division had a sharp affair at navarreins, where they forced the passage of the gave we had crossed. on the th, we moved forward early in the morning, and on reaching the village of orion, we found that soult had had his head-quarters the night before, with a considerable portion of his army, in and around the village; it was therefore fortunate we did not attack the french detachment before mentioned, for we should certainly have had soult, with all his people, upon our single division. a french band had remained in this village till our arrival, having deserted in a body from the regiment to which they belonged, or they, seeing they could not make their escape, pretended to desert and join our army. we bent our course towards orthes, which was now only a few leagues in front of us. a man brought a cask of excellent wine to the roadside, with the intention of giving every man of the division a drink, but we could not wait, and were consequently obliged to leave the good man's gift. it showed that either good-will or fear had prompted him to this act. i rather think the former was the cause, as he lived some distance from the road. we had not continued long on the march, till we heard a loud and thundering explosion in front of us, which, as it was expected, turned out to be the bridge of orthes, which the enemy had blown up. a short while after we came in sight of the town, and one of our portuguese caçadore regiments being sent forward, a smart skirmish commenced between them and the french, who had been left on and about the bridge to prevent our repairing it. i foolishly went down to see what was going on, and had nigh paid for my curiosity. we took up our ground behind a height which overlooked the town, through which the enemy were passing in large columns. in consequence of this, we got some guns into a field in front of our hill, and commenced a cannonade upon them, which, we could observe, made them hurry their pace considerably. they also brought some heavy field-guns to bear upon us, and fired some shots, but without doing us much injury. throughout the whole of the road by which the french had come before us, desolation and misery marked their footsteps; and in the village of orion, where soult himself had slept the night before, nothing could exceed the despair and misery of the few remaining inhabitants, who told us they had been literally stripped of their all; indeed, they appeared most forlorn and wretched beings, and, as might be expected, poured out the most heavy and bitter complaints, not unmingled with imprecations, on the heads of their plundering countrymen. i went into a poor weaver's house here, where, if i mistake not greatly, the marauders had actually cut the web he was weaving out of the loom, and carried it off with them. we remained on this ground all night, and the next morning his lordship was intently occupied for a considerable time in reconnoitring the enemy's position. at length, as if he had fully made up his mind how to act, he ordered our division to fall in, which was promptly obeyed; then, sending his staff with directions, we were ordered to file to the right, and to move down towards the river, apparently with the intention of crossing a little above the bridge, which had been destroyed. on the other side, immediately opposite what appeared to be the ford, were large bodies of infantry, together with a great quantity of artillery. i recollect my battalion was leading the division, and it appeared at this moment as if we were going to be engaged in a most arduous and hazardous undertaking; for the enemy's artillery would have swept us off the face of the earth before we could possibly have reached the farther bank; however, this was only a _ruse de guerre_, and a most deep-planned and well-executed one it was; for while we were moving down towards the river, a staff-officer came riding, and ordered us all to hide as much as possible from the view of the enemy, by crouching down, &c. as we moved along. it may seem rather paradoxical to be ordered thus to act, at the same time that we wished the enemy to observe our movement; but the fact is, there were probably a thousand eyes fixed on us all the time we lay here, and who watched most closely our every movement; consequently, we could not stir without the enemy being aware of it; and if on this occasion we had made a show and a parade of our movement, it would have been suspected as only a feint at once, as the french themselves, from often practising this stratagem, would have penetrated immediately our object. but our chief went a step too deep for them, adepts as they are in all the arts of this kind; for he made a pretence of hiding from them his movement, knowing well that we were observed; and this completely deceived them. this threat of crossing here was made in order to favour the construction of a bridge about eight or ten miles down the river, and the crossing there by another division, as they were thus enabled to guess where the principal force for opposition would be required. i believe a better planned or more successful stratagem was never practised. but i own, when we were marching down to the river to cross in front of the immense masses which we saw ready to oppose us, i believed that few would survive to tell the tale hereafter. the moment when we were just opening from the covered ground to plunge into the river, we were instantly countermarched with all expedition, and moved down the river at a quick pace till we reached the pontoon bridge which had been so successfully constructed and thrown over at the village of sala. this being now perfectly safe, we encamped at the village for the night. on the morning of the th, we early crossed the river called the gave de pau, and moved forward in the direction of the town of orthes by the great road. on the right bank of that river, when we came within about two miles of the town, we were moved more to our left, ascending the high ridge which runs parallel with the river, and on which the french had taken up a strong position, and were said to be between , and , strong. one division had been ordered to move along the summit of this ridge, on which ran the great road to peyrehourade, and to attack the enemy on that flank, while our division communicated with that and the d division to our right. when the action was commenced, the d division had been directed to ford above the bridge, where our feint had been made the day before, and passing through the town, to attack on the opposite flank, and thus cut off their retreat towards the pau. the enemy's position proved to be exceedingly strong, and difficult of access by us. the action commenced by the th division attacking on the road leading along the ridge, where an obstinate and bloody conflict took place, without our people being able to make any impression. the attack of the d division, on our right, also commenced immediately after; but such was the nature of the ground on this side, being mostly in long pointed ridges, running out like the rays of a star, and which were exceedingly strong, that no efforts were able to force them from this ground. general hill had by this time got over the river, and was approaching the position. my division, having been deprived of two of its regiments, which had been sent, previous to the commencement of our operations this spring, to receive their clothing at st jean de luz, being rendered weak in consequence, it was kept in reserve, as i before mentioned. during this unsuccessful attack, our gallant chief was for a considerable time immediately in front of us, watching with the most anxious care every motion of both armies. he appeared to me to be extremely thoughtful and serious on the occasion, as our troops did not succeed in forcing this stronghold of the enemy. the firing at this time was extremely animated, particularly on the ridge to our left, where great slaughter was made on both sides. and the french having discovered where he and his staff were assembled, opened a smart cannonade on the group, but without doing any mischief, i believe, and without being noticed by him. their shots generally fell about our division, which was formed immediately behind the hill on which he stood. at length, whether from the request of colonel barnard, who was at this time by his lordship's side, or whether by his own direction, i know not, but the colonel was ordered to take on the d and st portuguese belonging to the caçadores, our d brigade, and endeavour to force a passage through the french line, by the gorge of the valley, which lay immediately in his front, and they would thus, if successful, penetrate into the centre of the enemy's position. they accordingly moved up the valley in column of companies, sustaining all the time the most galling and destructive fire, for the enemy were thus on each of their flanks, as well as in front. when they reached within a short distance of the centre height, they formed line, and moving on at a brisk pace and carrying every thing before them, they drove the enemy from the plateau, and thus penetrated into the very heart of their army. this was a most daring and intrepid movement, for although assailed by ten times their force, and nearly surrounded by the enemy, these gallant corps hesitated not to push on, although the very elements seemed as it were to fight against them; for on the brow of the enemy's position the fire had been so heavy and so incessant, that the very furze bushes and herbs of all kinds were in a blaze along the front, through which, with innumerable foes behind it, these gallant men forced a passage at the point of the bayonet. this movement had the effect of at once deciding the fate of the day, for soult seeing his very centre and strongest position carried, which separated between his wings, at once ordered a retreat of his whole force. the remainder of our division were now despatched with all speed in pursuit of the flying enemy, but they never attempted after this to make a stand, and nothing was left for us to perform but to give chase to the fugitives. when we reached the enemy's centre position, we found that every thing had been cleared away which could in the least impede his movements; every hedge and ditch had been completely levelled, so that nothing remained but a beautiful plain on the top of the ridge, except where works of defence had been thrown up. we were not successful in capturing any of the enemy, except the wounded, who had necessarily been left on the field, and we did not lay hold of any of his materiél, except a few guns which he had been obliged to abandon in a swamp below the position. i have related only such things as fell within my own observation, but no doubt many were the heroic and gallant deeds that were performed in this hard contested battle, besides what i have detailed. as might be expected, the gallant d and its supporting corps, the st portuguese caçadores, suffered dreadfully, leaving probably one-fourth of their numbers on the field. but i must not omit mentioning one trait of gallantry which attracted the admiration of the whole army. lord march (now the duke of richmond) had for some time been on the personal staff of lord wellington, where his services had been most efficient. he also was at this time a captain in the d regiment, but from his high civil rank had never served as an infantry officer with his regiment. he was determined to know and practice his duty in every situation, and therefore requested leave from his lordship to be permitted to join his corps as a captain, which was granted of course, and this was his first debut in the character of an officer of foot. it was no doubt a sharp trial; and poor fellow, while bravely leading on the company which his majesty had intrusted to his command, he fell dangerously (then supposed mortally) wounded. this was a noble example to set our young nobility, and they cannot do better than to follow such a precedent. i understand he has been heard to say, "that the chance of a staff-officer being hit in action, is not near so great as that of an officer of infantry, who must quietly brave all that comes against him, while a staff-officer, being well mounted, can quickly get out of danger; and that if a gentleman wishes truly to learn his profession as an officer, he ought to serve for a time in the infantry whilst engaged in operations in the field." this was a most decided, but withal an unfruitful victory, and only tended to establish more firmly the superior skill of our commander, and the superior bravery of the british army. we had heard of the proceedings of the allies in the north, and of a number of the french generals having deserted the cause of their once potent, but now fallen master. and i verily believed that soult had collected his whole force together here for the express purpose of either allowing himself to be surrounded, and thus make a show of being compelled to surrender, or of inducing his whole army to come over at once to the side of the bourbons, but in all these conjectures i was completely mistaken; for whatever may have been soult's faults as a man, he has always shown himself a consistent and an able defender of the cause he first espoused, and as such is certainly respectable. we pursued the flying columns of the enemy for about two leagues beyond the field of action, crossing in our pursuit the river luy de bearne, and at night took up our abode in bivouack, near the village of bonne garde. the night proved extremely cold and frosty, for in the morning when i intended to arise, i found my cloak frozen to the ground. we had no kind of covering. my commanding-officer had taken up his abode in a cottage close by, where there was no bed but what the people occupied. he therefore got into the kneading-trough, in which he slept very comfortably; but in the morning i remember he turned out like a miller. we started soon after daybreak, and continued our march, crossing the small river luy de france. here i remember our assistant quartermaster-general told us what great difficulty he found in obtaining information from the inhabitants as to the by-roads which run parallel to the great road from orthes; for these good people could not conceive why he should be hunting after by-roads of this description, which were generally very bad, while the great road, which was always good, lay so near the line by which he wished to move, not knowing perhaps, or not understanding, that other divisions of the army were moving on the high-road, while we wished to make a corresponding movement on their flank. they would always, however, after directing him how to proceed for a while, bring him again on to the great road, which he wished to avoid for the reason before given. the comfort, and the efficiency of an army in the field depends more, i am persuaded, on the abilities and zeal of officers in the quartermaster-general's department, than on any other branch of the service; for if they are remiss or unacquainted with their duty, the marches and counter-marches, the halts, and the changes of direction, are so numerous and annoying, that the spirits and strength of the troops are soon worn out, and of course dissatisfaction and inefficiency soon follow. but to the credit of the officers of this department at the period of which i am writing, i believe never army possessed more able, more zealous, or more active staff-officers, than we did, and that principally owing to the excellent example set them by the head of this department, than whom a more able conductor of an army does not exist. on one of these occasions when our assistant quartermaster-general had occasion to wait upon the authorities of a village, he jokingly asked them for passports, as is customary in france, to proceed into the country. "ma foi," says the worthy mayor, "you obtained your passports at vittoria, you need no others now." we halted for the night near the village of duerse. in the morning, we forded the adour near a small village, the name of which i forget, and making a long and rapid march, we took possession of the city of mont de marsan, where we found immense magazines of provisions, which had been collected by the enemy. this was the most valuable capture that had been made by the british army since its arrival in the peninsula; for although a great deal of treasure was obtained at vittoria, yet a considerable portion of that fell into the hands of individuals; but this was secured for the benefit of the whole army. the enemy had abandoned the city previous to our arrival, consequently it was a bloodless conquest, which rendered it the more valuable. mont de marsan is what may be termed a fine and an extensive city, containing about inhabitants. the people received us kindly upon the whole, and showed us great attention. here we had superb quarters, and the change from what we had lately been accustomed to, produced a rather uncomfortable feeling; for our clothes and all our equipments so little corresponded with the magnificence around us, that we should have preferred less stately mansions, if comfortable, as more congenial with our respective establishments. but we did not long enjoy our splendid lodgings; for, having secured the booty, we left the city, and returned to the banks of the adour. the march both to and from this city had been along straight flat roads, cut through an immense pine forest, with which this department is almost completely covered. the roads had been for some time much traversed, and having a sandy bottom, were consequently very bad at this season of the year; added to which, a violent storm of snow and sleet assailed us all the march of this day, which made it a rather uncomfortable business. we halted for the night in a village named, i think, st maurice, and the next day were moved into st sever, a considerable town on the left bank of the adour, in which lord wellington had taken up his head-quarters. here we remained some days, doing duty over his lordship, when we crossed to the right bank, and moved up the river, halting at the town of grenade. we next morning continued our route up that bank till we reached barcelonne, a considerable town some little distance from the river, and nearly opposite aire, a large town on the left bank, and near which general the hon. wm. stewart, with the d division, had had a smart brush with the enemy on the day we captured mont de marsan. on the evening of the th we halted at the village of arblade, and, on the th, entered tarsac, where we remained for the night. we were next morning pushed on to a village in front, about a league distant, but were allowed to remain there only for one night, for the enemy now began to appear in our front in considerable force. we were consequently withdrawn, and, passing through tarsac, the division formed in a wood about half-way between that and aire. we expected something serious was about to occur, but, from what cause i know not, the enemy again retreated, leaving a body of cavalry on the road about half-a-league beyond tarsac, to which we again returned and took up our quarters. on the th, as these fellows still continued so near us, although evidently without any infantry to support them, it was determined either to drive them away or take them prisoners. i must observe, our th hussars were at this time occupying tarsac with ourselves, and one squadron of them were selected for this service. the advance of the french consisted only of one squadron, the remainder of their regiment being at some distance in rear as supports; consequently it was but fair that an equal force should attack them. captain hancox's squadron (in which was captain booth, with his troop) was pitched upon for this affair. the remainder of the th were drawn out to support them, if needed, but were not to take any part in the combat. every one of course went out to see the fight. accordingly this squadron moved on to the front, and steadily advanced upon the enemy, who seemed determined to stand the charge, as they put every thing ready to receive our gallant dragoons. when within a proper distance the word "trot" was given, and soon after "gallop," and then "charge," when our fellows dashed in among the french, upsetting them in all directions, and cutting many of them down to the ground. in a few minutes the business was settled, for our people returned, bringing in with them the captain commanding, (and who, i believe, had been personally engaged with captain hancox,) with about twenty-five men, prisoners. the rest made their escape. the french captain, and the greater part of the twenty-five men, were wounded, and some were left dead on the road. i shall not soon forget the little wounded captain. he, i believe, was either a native of tarsac, or somewhere near, and had been determined to show his valour to the utmost; hence his standing, when he ought to have retired; but all the way, as they were bringing him along into the village, and after he reached the house where he directed them to take him, he kept crying out, "i'm as brave as a lion!--i'm as brave as the devil!" and could scarcely be got to hold his peace while the surgeon was dressing him. most piteous moaning was made by many of the inhabitants, to whom it seems he was well known. we understood afterwards that this regiment, the th french hussars, had fallen rather under the displeasure of soult, for some ill conduct on a former occasion, and that they were thus determined to wipe off the stain and retrieve their character; but they would have shown more sense, and have rendered more service to their country, had they retired when they saw it was determined to drive them away. on the th, we again advanced by the road the french had taken, and, crossing the adour at the bridge and village of la row or arros, we pursued our route till we reached the town of st germain's, where we halted for a short space; and thence to plaisance, a good town, where we remained for the night. an unfortunate circumstance occurred in or near this town, which might have produced the most disastrous consequences:--a man, who most likely had been resisting the plundering of his house, was basely murdered by some soldier or soldiers of the division; but although every endeavour was made to discover the perpetrators of this vile act, they could not be found out; but a subscription was set on foot among the officers of the division, and guineas were collected and paid to the unfortunate widow, who, though grieved for the loss of her husband, was thankful for the money. i strongly suspect my friends the portuguese were the culprits on this occasion. on the th we again moved forward, and, passing obrigort, halted for the night at the village of aget. towards the close of this day's march, we both heard and saw smart skirmishing, down on the great road which runs parallel to the ridge on which we were, and from auch to tarbes, along the plain on our right, and passes through vic bigore. near this town the firing was very brisk. we understood it was picton's division driving the french before them. the next morning we started early, and, continuing our march along the ridge of the height on which our last night's quarters were situated, we reached pretty soon the town of rabasteins, where we learnt that the enemy had taken up a position in and near the town of tarbes. we, accordingly, changing our direction, moved to our right, down the road leading from the former to the latter place. we passed on this road the sixth division, which, it seems, was ordered to keep on the flank of the enemy, which, should he make a stand, this division was to turn. when we got within about a mile and a half of tarbes, we discovered the enemy posted on a strong woody height on the left of the road, with a windmill on its highest and most distant point. the whole of our th people were accordingly ordered forward, to endeavour to drive them from this position. my battalion formed the right, the d battalion the centre, and the st battalion the left of our line of skirmishers. we found them covered in front with a great number of light troops, which occupied us some time in driving in, and in which service we suffered considerably, for they occupied the hedges and dikes on the high ground, from which it was necessary we should dislodge them. we had also a considerably-sized brushwood to pass through before we could get at them. at length, after much smart skirmishing, we gained the height, but found the whole of their heavy infantry drawn up on a steep acclivity, near the windmill, which allowed them to have line behind line, all of which could fire at the same time over each other's heads, like the tiers of guns in a three-decker. we continued, however, to advance upon them, till we got within a hundred paces of this formidable body, the firing from which was the hottest i had ever been in, except perhaps barossa. at this moment i received a shot through my right shoulder, which compelled me for a moment to retire; but meeting the main support of my battalion advancing with colonel ross at its head, and finding my wound had not disabled me, i again advanced with him, until we got close under the enemy's line, and took post behind a hillock, which protected us from their fire. we here found colonel norcott, who then belonged to the d battalion, riding about on his large black mare; but he had not ridden long till he also was wounded through the shoulder, from which he still suffers. while we were in this situation, a shot struck a captain of ours in the side where he had his drinking-horn slung; in fact it struck both the horn and his side; but, from some cause, it did not penetrate the flesh, but bruised it sore, which is generally painful. the captain, and those about him, thought he was shot through the body; they accordingly picked him up, and were carrying him off to the rear, when he cried, "stop, let me feel," and putting his hand down to the place, and finding no wound, he sprung out of their arms, and, with the most ludicrous appearance possible, returned to his post again. no one present could refrain from laughing at the ridiculousness of this occurrence, although at the moment the men were falling fast around us. at this time also, a spent shot, one which i imagine had first hit the ground, struck me on the left arm, but did not injure me. i now thought it better to go to the rear to get my shoulder dressed, immediately after which i became quite faint from loss of blood. the firing still continued most animated on both sides; but before an hour had elapsed, the french were driven completely from every position they held on this very strong hill; and as i returned, (after having been dressed, and having swallowed some spirits to remove the faintness,) i found them posting away with all expedition to the plain below, some guns, which had just arrived, giving them an occasional shot, but from which they did not suffer much, they marched with such rapidity. we immediately followed them down to the plain, on reaching which, we perceived a body of french troops coming apparently from the town of tarbes, pursued by the d division, with whom they had been engaged, and which, with some exertion, we thought we could intercept and cut off; but they, perceiving our intention, inclined considerably to the right, and marching with all speed, they got away before us. the enemy now having all retired across the plain, began to take up a strong position on a height at its extremity, towards which we continued to advance; but lord wellington having expected that the th division would by this time have reached their position, and, attacking in flank, have rendered our attack in front more likely to succeed, and they not making their appearance, although it was now nigh dusk, he ordered the divisions here to halt, and bivouack for the night on the plain. i never saw any one more disappointed, or apparently more annoyed by this last order, than our adjutant-general, the lamented sir edward packenham; he was for attacking them at once; but this could not have been done without a great sacrifice of excellent troops, as all those were who now filled the ranks of the british army, having by this time been completely seasoned, and become almost invaluable. in reviewing the operations of this day, i need say little, as facts speak for themselves. the enemy had on the windmill hill, as it was vulgarly called, or more properly the hill of oleac, i believe a whole division, consisting of at least or men, while not a shot was fired by any but by the sixteen companies of my regiment, amounting probably to or men; it is true the other regiments of the division were drawn up in rear of us, and would have supported us had we been repulsed. but it is not so much to the driving away of this so much stronger force, that i would draw the reader's attention, as to the great loss the enemy sustained, and solely from our fire. i believe i shall not be far from the truth, if i state their loss in killed and wounded as equal to the whole strength of our sixteen companies. lord wellington, in his dispatch, mentions the destruction caused in the enemy's ranks as unusually severe; hence the advantage of rifles over the common musket, or else the superior mode of using our arms beyond what is practised in the line. the americans tauntingly tell us, our soldiers do not know how to use the weapons that are put into their hands; and, truly, if we are to judge by the awful destruction which they have occasionally inflicted upon our brave soldiers, we should be led to suspect that they understand this science much better than ourselves. it might, however, be easily remedied, if more attention were paid to the instruction of the recruit in this most essential qualification, and more time and ammunition devoted to target practice; but, at the same time, every officer should be made to know something of projectiles in general, or he will, as at present, be incapable of instructing his men. i will venture to assert, that eight out of ten of the soldiers of our regular regiments will aim in the same manner at an object at the distance of yards, as at one only . it must hence be evident that the greater part of those shots are lost or expended in vain; indeed the calculation has been made, that only one shot out of fired from muskets in the field takes effect, while one out of twenty from rifles is the average. my opinion is, that our line troops ought to be armed with a better description of musket. if five shillings more were added to the price, it would make a great difference in the article, and be very trifling to the public. our army has always been too sparingly supplied with flints, which may be had almost for an old song; but if wanted in the field, nothing can supply their place. many a brave soldier has fallen while hammering at a worn out flint. it is true we can, with the weapons we have, drive any other army out of the field, but not without occasionally sustaining an overwhelming loss, particularly when opposed to the americans; and could we meet them with the same advantages they possess in point of shooting, our chances of victory would be greater, and at less expense. these are my private opinions only, and are deduced from the experience i have had, both as a heavy infantry soldier and a rifleman. i am now firmly persuaded, that of the near shots i fired on the d of october , in holland, not one took effect, from my total want of knowledge how to aim. what an useless expenditure this was of both time and ammunition! much indeed has lately been done by sir henry torrens, to supply the deficiency of which i have been speaking, but still not sufficient, in my opinion, to remedy all the evils attendant thereon. our loss on this occasion was very heavy, being about men and eleven officers killed and wounded; the proportion of officers being nearly double what usually takes place. the regiments which supported us also had some casualties, arising from the shots which passed over our heads striking among them; but they were not considerable. my servants having heard i was wounded, went to tarbes, (where all the wounded were collected,) with my baggage. i should consequently have been very ill off, had not my kind friend and messmate, major balvaird, lent me his tent and bed, as he himself had been ordered on picquet. immediately after nightfall, the enemy had all retired from the position in front of us. we accordingly next morning continued the pursuit, and halted at night at the village of lannemazen, not far from the borders of the pyrenees, towards which, in their retreat, they had been inclined. this day and night, my shoulder had become extremely painful. we started again in the morning; but leaving the pyrenees, we turned our faces more towards toulouse, and took up our abode for the night at a considerable-sized town, called castelnau; here the inhabitants received us very kindly, and we had excellent quarters. however, on the following morning, we were obliged to continue our march, and passing through several villages on the road, halted for the night at l'isle, in dodon. during this day's march, my poor old horse played me a sad trick. he was one which i had been compelled to purchase as soon after i lost my little portuguese one by the bad shoeing of the blacksmith at sumbilla, as i could fall in with one for sale. he was a very tall grey horse, rather old, and whose mouth had not been well made in his breaking; he was withal rather stubborn, or more properly speaking stupid, consequently he did not always obey the rein as he ought. the roads were excessively deep and dirty, and as i was riding at the head of the battalion, and had occasion to pull him a little to one side, for some purpose or other, he either would not, or could not, obey the pull of the rein; and as i had but one hand, he took advantage of it, and sat down completely on his haunches, in the very deepest of the mire. of course i was tumbled right over his rump, and rolled in the mud, and after extricating myself as well as i could, i crawled out, as pretty a figure as may well be imagined. this, as might be expected, raised the laugh of all who saw it, at my expense; but, uncomfortable and ridiculous as my situation was, i was not hurt, the mud being sufficiently deep to protect me from any injury by the fall. in this village i fell in with a frenchman who had just come from toulouse, towards which he understood we were bending our course. he gave me such a flaming account of the "belle position" in the neighbourhood of that town, and of the impregnable works which soult had caused to be thrown up, and of the superb artillery which were stationed there, and which, he said, were those who had served in the famous battle of austerlitz, and of the utter improbability of any impression ever being made on them by an enemy, that if i had given credit to the half of what he told me, i might have been filled with fear lest all our laurels might here be tarnished. from what motive this rather exaggerated statement was made, i know not, but am inclined to think it was merely an inclination to indulge in a trifling gasconade. on the th we reached mont ferrand, where we halted for the night. on the th, in the morning, we were moved forward to the village of tournefoile, where it seems some of our cavalry had been quartered the night before, but who had had their quarters beat up during the night by a body of the enemy, who still held the ground beyond the village. my battalion, and a portuguese battalion, were sent forward, the remainder of the brigade following. we found the enemy occupying the road leading from the village to a bridge about half a mile distant, together with the hedges and enclosures in the vicinity. my people extended to the left, while the portuguese battalion kept on the road. a smart skirmish now commenced, during which the enemy gradually retired towards the bridge; but at this time a most remarkable occurrence took place. one of our men (the servant of a friend of mine) received a shot in the mouth, which struck out several of his teeth. one of these was propelled with such force by the blow that it flew at least twenty yards, and, entering the left arm of one of the portuguese on the road, inflicted a deep and severe wound. when the surgeon of the d, who was the nearest to this man at the time, came to dress the wounded portuguese, he, instead of a ball as every one expected, extracted a tooth, at which, no doubt, both he and all about him were quite astonished; and a report was immediately set afloat that the enemy were firing bones instead of balls. this most extraordinary circumstance was not cleared up till they were informed of our man having had his teeth knocked out, when, after comparing the relative situations of the two men, it became quite evident how this most uncommon wound had been inflicted. if any thing like a joke might be permitted on such an occasion, it may with great propriety be said, the frenchman who fired the shot had killed two birds with one stone. i happened to be near our man at the time, and besides seeing him wounded, i enquired minutely into the circumstances, or i own i should have hesitated before i gave implicit credit to the story; so it may probably be with my reader. poor fellow, he had afterwards nearly all his intestines torn out by a cannon-shot at the fatal attack near new orleans, and where i saw him writhing in the agonies of death; his name was powell, and he was, i believe, a welshman. not long after the commencement of the skirmish, the artillery on both sides was brought into play; but the enemy kept gradually retiring till they crossed the bridge, and as we did not pursue them, they quietly walked off, taking the road towards toulouse. i cannot conceive for what purpose this body of troops had been sent here, unless it was intended as a reconnoissance, to ascertain whether any, and what description, of troops had arrived at this point, as their waiting, after driving out our cavalry, to see whether any infantry approached, would seem to indicate. major balvaird was conspicuously brave on this occasion. the loss on either side was but trifling. chapter xiv. the british army cross the garonne--advance on toulouse--prepare for the attack--the attack--spaniards driven back--battle very hot--french completely defeated--soult evacuates toulouse, and tardily adheres to the bourbons. on the th or th, we were moved forward, and after a short march we reached a beautiful plain, with toulouse appearing most magnificent in the distance. here we went into cantonments, in the different villages and chateaux in the neighbourhood, the greater part of which were completely deserted, and many of them most wofully sacked and plundered, which could have been done only by their own troops. a noble and stately mansion, belonging to a mr villeneuve, stood immediately in front of our outposts, which had shared the same fate with all the others, every article of furniture having been entirely destroyed. the cloth had been torn from the billiard-table, the splendid pier-glasses shivered into a thousand atoms, and, in short, every article of luxury or splendour which a man could wish for, might have been found in this princely habitation previous to its desertion by its owner; but now devastation and destruction had laid its unhallowed hands on all in which its possessor had formerly delighted. i, with my messmates, took the liberty of visiting mr v.'s fish-ponds, where we found some fine-looking carp; and having some hooks by me, we caught a considerable quantity, which we imagined would be a great treat to our messmates; but we found them excessively muddy, and not worth eating. here also we rejoiced in being able to procure some good provender for our still half-starved horses and mules. the grass and cinquefoil which we found in this beautiful and luxuriant plain, in a few days began to make a wonderful improvement in our poor fellow-travellers. i know not a more gratifying feeling than we experienced in thus being able to feed the hungry; for although they were but of the inferior creation, yet so much did our own comforts, and, indeed, efficiency for service, depend on their being capable of performing the task allotted to them, and so much did the circumstance of our having passed through trials and dangers together attach us to them, that i very frequently would have preferred getting them a meal even at the expense of wanting one myself. here my little portuguese horse, which i had originally brought from lisbon, and who had been my companion in all my wanderings, (except when he was left for a while owing to his bad foot,) began to look quite brisk and lively again; for hitherto his spirits had been very low indeed since he happened by his misfortune, and had been literally starved into the bargain. a pontoon bridge having been constructed some distance above the town, and which our engineers had been able to accomplish on account of its being thrown over above the junction of the ariege with the garonne, on the st we moved down towards this point, and crossing it, my battalion was left as its guard in a village on the bank of the river. the remainder of the division, and the ---- division,[ ] moved up the ariege river with the intention of crossing, and thus approaching toulouse in that direction; but, from the heavy rains, the river was too much flooded, which, together with the dreadful state of the roads, these troops were unable to effect this operation, and were consequently recalled. by the d of april the whole had recrossed the garonne, when we again went into our cantonments on the plain, but now farther down the river than before. we remained here a few days, and i cannot help recording a remarkable circumstance which took place at this time. for want of dwelling-houses we had been obliged to put a certain number of the men of my battalion into a sort of wine-house; it was not a vault, for it was above ground, but had a considerable number of barrels of wine in it, amongst which the men were obliged to sleep. it will scarcely be credited, but not one of these men ever appeared the least intoxicated during the whole time they lay there. whether they were completely tired of wine, or whether their having been placed in such a situation produced a feeling of honour and pride among them, i know not, but i verily believe less wine was drunk by these men during the time they remained here, than would have been had they had to pay most exorbitantly for it. with soldiers i believe it is as with mankind in general; what is prohibited always appears more valuable or more pleasurable in our eyes, than what we may with freedom enjoy. on the th we moved down the river till within a short distance of grenade, about twelve miles below toulouse. we halted near a small village, and encamped. a pontoon bridge had been thrown over the garonne here, and one division (i believe the d) had crossed; but now, owing to the swollen state of the river, together with several attempts which were now made by the enemy to destroy the bridge, by floating down trees, &c. which might eventually carry it away, it loosened at the farther end, and the anchors being taken up, the whole was allowed to float down to our side of the river, keeping fast the end next our own bank. we remained in this situation for several days, one division only being on the opposite side, with which it was impossible to communicate, or, if attacked, to afford it almost any support. now was the time for the enemy to bestir himself; for had he marched out of toulouse with half his force, and been met at this place by the force he had at montauban, they must have annihilated this division, or taken them prisoners. it is true we might have rendered them some little assistance by our artillery from the bank we occupied, but the distance was so great that a determined enemy would not have held back from the dread of it. i took a trip from hence to grenade, where the paymaster-general had established the military chest, as i had not yet quite finished my paymaster's duty. it is a good-sized town, but contains nothing remarkable, only here i remember i got some excellent wine of the champagne kind, and which my friend poured out of an immense magnum bottle. i understood our chief was most anxious to have the bridge re-established by the th, which was easter eve, the weather having now somewhat taken up, and the river of course had fallen; but although the engineer thought he could effect it, and had promised his lordship it should be ready by that time, it was not passable till the morning of the th. early on that morning, my division crossed to the other side, together with the th and th divisions, and a whole host of spaniards. i omitted to mention, that these latter gentry, on their entering france, had behaved most wantonly, and had committed numerous atrocities; on which, his lordship, as generalissimo, had ordered them back to their own country again; but upon the promise of good behaviour, and an anxious desire to participate in the honourable achievements of the allied troops, he had granted them permission to rejoin the army, and they were to have a post of honour assigned them at the ensuing battle. such was the current report which prevailed among our army newsmongers: be it as it may, however, they were here in number, i should think, about or . the whole army now present having crossed, except general hill with the d division, advanced upon the town of toulouse. we here found a beautiful country and excellent roads, along which we got on rapidly. the town stands close to the right bank of the river, along which there are numerous quays, and over which there is an excellent bridge, communicating with the suburb on the opposite side, called st cyprian. from the river on the north side of the town runs the famous canal of languedoc, with which it communicates by locks, and which, encircling the town on that and on the east sides, with the river on the west, almost entirely encloses it. on the east side of the town, and just beyond the canal, a considerable eminence arises, forming a sort of chain or ridge, on the top of which numerous redoubts and batteries had been constructed, and which, both from the nature of the ground and by the great labour bestowed upon them, had been rendered, as the frenchman told me, nearly impregnable. the th division, supported by the th, had been ordered to move considerably to the left, and, after crossing the garonne, to attack this formidable position on the outer side, while the spaniards were to attack it immediately in front. my division was ordered to communicate with the right of the spaniards, and, extending down to the great montauban road, was to press upon the town in this direction, in order to aid the attack upon the height before mentioned. the d division joined our right at the montauban road, and extended from thence down to the river, and were ordered to act similarly to us. the d division, under general hill, remained on the other side of the river, and was to co-operate by attacking the suburb before mentioned, together with the works for the protection of the bridge, and for the same purpose of our attack, namely, to keep the troops in these parts of the town employed, while the th division and spaniards attacked the height. immediately in front of our division, we found considerable bodies of troops, at some distance from the town, occupying the houses all along the road, and which it took us a considerable time to drive in. they had also constructed a battery on the bridge over the canal, where the great road passes, and from which they kept up an almost incessant fire. at the hither end of the bridge also there stood a very large convent, which they had fortified in a very strong manner, having loopholed the whole of the surrounding wall, which was twenty feet high, and had also looped the upper part of the convent, which contained a garrison of probably or men. we commenced operations in conjunction with the d division on our right, in driving these people in, and with whom a smart firing was kept up during the whole day. the french had also other troops beyond the canal, and on the moorish or roman wall which encircled the town inside the canal, and both of which they had fortified; so that, had it been intended we should force the town on this side, we should have found it a difficult undertaking: we were, however, merely (as said before) to press upon them without committing ourselves; but unfortunately, in the eagerness of some of our people to push forward, they got immediately under the muzzles of the pieces of the men who were defending the convent, and from the loopholes several of our poor fellows were shot without being able to see their antagonists. a good number fell here; for it was not more than thirty yards distant where they had taken up their post, and an unpleasant one it was as well as dangerous; for they were obliged to stand in a drain which ran from a jakes, and which of course emitted no very desirable flavour; or, if they had left it for a moment, they were immediately shot. our adjutant escaped here as by a miracle, the bole of a very small tree having stopped the ball that would have pierced his body. when, however, we had got them fairly driven in, we had then time to look about us, and the first thing we saw was the don moving on to the attack of the height with all due ceremony. they gained the first or lower ridge without much opposition, and here getting up some artillery, a pretty heavy fire was opened on the enemy; but the french remained quite passive, not offering to resist the approaching spaniards till they got within a certain distance of their works on the top of the hill. the spaniards, elated by having gained the first ridge so easily, pushed on too rapidly, and without having taken time to re-form their columns after the first conquest. they were not aware either that a rather deep ravine separated them from the enemy's works; however, on they pushed, in a very disorderly manner, till they reached the point the french intended they should reach, when a fire was opened out upon them, such as they had never witnessed before. few troops would have remained unshaken by such a reception, but to the spaniards it was intolerable; consequently they broke into a thousand parties, and, turning tail, it was who should be first away from such unpleasant doings. i am told that lord wellington at this moment could scarcely hold his sides for laughing, and cried out he "wondered whether the pyrenees would bring them up again, they seemed to have got such a fright." he did not indeed depend on their valour, or he would have made a bad winding up of his peninsular campaign. the moment they left the height, every man took the way that seemed to him best, and they soon after literally covered the whole plain, and set to work with all expedition to plunder at least, if they would not fight. some of the villains had the audacity to come and take a poor man's horse out of the stable of the very house which we were then, as it were, defending, and had nigh got off with it; but having been perceived, it was taken from them, and restored again to its owner. the left of our division was now obliged to be moved up to fill the space vacated by these vagabonds; and in doing which a good deal of hard fighting took place. this also made the people in front of us rally again, and coming out in great numbers hurraing and shouting, we had something to do to drive them back. but by this time we heard, in the distance behind the hill, a dropping and now brisker fire; by and by, approaching the summit, it became quite animated. we could plainly perceive now the different appearance which the french assumed; they no longer lay supine and passive till their enemy approached their works, but fought for every inch of ground, and all was now animation and bustle among them, hurrying to the support of those troops who defended the redoubts, &c. on the point assailed. the battle now raged with great fury, each party with all their might for the mastery, and the french, we could perceive, when compelled by sheer force to yield ground, did it with the utmost reluctance. at length, we saw the british colour waving on the summit of the hill, with the most deadly warfare raging on each side of it; but every move we saw was in favour of the british. the d regiment had by this time gained possession of the principal redoubt, which they held till their ammunition was all expended, and which the enemy perceiving, or suspecting, again advanced, and gained possession of it. things did not now wear quite so favourable an aspect; but being promptly supported by other troops behind them, a movement was again made in advance, and again the french were expelled from the redoubt. great was the slaughter in and about this place, as i saw next day when i visited it. the enemy were now reluctantly compelled to yield up all those famous works, on which so much time and labour had been expended, and on which they so much relied, and were obliged to abandon (slowly indeed) this long disputed ridge; but they fought till they were fairly forced down into the town, where they still kept up a feeble fire; at length it gradually subsided. this was the principal part of the drama; but it had many subordinate plots. on our right, general picton, with that ardour which ever characterised him, was scarcely well satisfied to play an under part on this occasion; and, instead of merely keeping his opponents in play, as i before hinted, he was for effecting a forcible entry into the town. he accordingly attacked with his division a strong and well-secured battery, near the canal, in doing which his brave connaught rangers, who had scarcely ever hitherto known a reverse, met with a severe and bloody repulse, in which they lost a great number of excellent officers and men. the other corps of his division, who co-operated, also suffered greatly. general hill strictly obeyed his instructions, and, as he always did, effected every object at which he aimed. in this action i had another opportunity of witnessing the effect of presentiment. early in it i was sent forward by my commanding-officer with some orders to a company of ours, which was in front skirmishing, and which had taken possession of a house, which partly screened them from the enemy's battery on the bridge. behind this house, one of the men was sitting on a heap of stones with the most woe-worn countenance possible. he had separated from the rest of the men, and was sitting here apparently ruminating on his fate, and appeared to be quite absorbed in his meditations. i remarked him most particularly, wondering what could render him so different from the rest of his comrades, who were all life and animation, and from what he had formerly been himself in action. he presently went forward with some of the other men, and soon after fell to rise no more. the poor man's melancholy look made a deep impression upon me at the time, together with his fate soon after. thus terminated the battle of toulouse; our troops maintaining the ground they had gained, while the enemy had retired into the town completely beaten. soult seemed undetermined how to act, whether to endeavour to hold the town, (which indeed he might have done for a day or two perhaps,) or to leave it by the road towards the south, the only one now open to him. we rested on the field all night, the enemy sending an occasional shot or shell in the direction of our camp. next morning we still found the enemy retaining possession of the town; and nothing being likely to be done, i rode up with another officer to see the bloody field, with all its redoubts and batteries, and also to see, if i could, in what situation the enemy now appeared. just as we reached the summit, a cry was given by the d sentry, "turn out the picquet." there was a good deal of firing going on in the suburbs nearest to the position, which this highlander thought it right to apprize his people of. we looked a considerable time with our glasses, and observed a good number of troops on a green and open space in that part of the suburbs, and who every now and then would fire their muskets. i thought it must either be a sort of _feu-de-joie_, or a funeral, and it turned out to be the latter. they were burying a general officer, who had fallen the day before, and to whom they were paying the last melancholy honours; but it was conducted in a quite different manner from our military funerals, for they did not fire in volleys like us; but every few minutes apparently a few men only fired, and by and by some others. this had the effect, however, of turning out our whole line in the neighbourhood of the position; and as i was afterwards returning, i met colonel barnard and colonel colborne (than whom there were not two better officers in the army) riding up to see what was the matter. colonel barnard asked me what it was. i told him what i thought it was. he said the whole line had fallen in, thinking it was an attack. towards evening we heard that the inhabitants of the city had been most urgent on soult to withdraw from it; and that he had promised to do so. indeed, had he not, lord wellington might, if he chose, have soon reduced the town to ashes; for the heights we had taken were not yards distant from the city, and completely overlooked it. on the morning of the th, therefore, soult marched out, and was not molested by our troops. he took the road to villefranche and carcassonne, up the canal of languedoc, our cavalry following their track. now all the loyalists came rushing out of the town to meet and welcome us; every one wearing white scarfs or favours to denote his attachment to the bourbons. now all was joy and festivity, and nothing but shaking of hands and embracing was to be seen in all directions. this day also arrived lord stewart from paris with the account of bonaparte's abdication, and of the bourbons having been reinstated. it was also rumoured that soult had received this news previous to the battle; but not being inclined to yield obedience to that dynasty, he had allowed the warfare to proceed. indeed, what almost puts this beyond a doubt, was his still continuing for many days after this to refuse sending in his submission to the bourbon government. we also heard afterwards that the courier bringing the official information of bonaparte's fall, &c. had been detained by the postmaster of montauban by soult's direction; for although he had had private intelligence of the fact, he imagined the detention of the official information might screen him hereafter. such are the surmises of the wise heads respecting this affair, which, as it turned out, is to be regretted; for the sacrifice of so many valuable lives on both sides was a thing of no trifling importance; but i believe soult felt sore at his having been so often worsted, and hoped here in some measure to retrieve his lost honours; for it cannot be doubted, i believe, that he expected to be able to repel our attack at least, if not to force us to retire from toulouse. on the th, the divisions marched into the town; my battalion having the fauxbourg adjoining the lately disputed position assigned to it, and in which we found very comfortable quarters. to show that the french people of this place took lord wellington either for a very generous person, or a great fool, a man who owned a house on the border of the position, and which the french had fortified by loopholing it, and otherwise rendering it unfit for occupation by its owner, sent in a memorial to his lordship, praying him to order that he might receive out of the military chest a sufficient sum to enable him to put his house in its former state; and this, although it had been done by his own countrymen. i suppose his lordship would laugh at it when he saw it. i should have been inclined to be angry with the fellow. the man showed the memorial to the adjutant and myself before he sent it in--a step which of course we dissuaded him from taking. notwithstanding it was notorious that bonaparte's career was at that time finished, soult still made a show of holding out for him; in consequence of which the army was again put in motion to compel him either to send in his adhesion to the new government, or to resign his command of troops who had not now a master. he had taken up a position near villefranche. accordingly, we marched, i think, on the th or th, the which rather alarmed him; and in consequence he despatched count gazan with terms to offer to his lordship, the which, after some alterations, were finally agreed upon, and the army returned once more to toulouse, where we resumed our former quarters. thus finished the peninsular war, the last campaign of which had been the most active probably that is recorded in history. in ten months and a half we had marched from the frontiers of portugal, had completely traversed spain, which we had cleared of its long troublesome and insidious invaders; had penetrated far into the interior of that country, which three years before gave law to most of the continental nations; and had worsted, in various actions, those troops, which, except when encountering the british, had been accustomed almost invariably to conquer. footnote: [ ] some obscurity is occasioned here and elsewhere, by blanks being left in the ms., which the death of the good-humoured and kindly author has rendered it now impossible to fill up.--ed. chapter xv. author's happy state during and --character of the veritable french--british distributed over the country--civility of the inhabitants of grissolles--amusements in quarters--the british prepare to quit france. when i look back on the events of and , i cannot but deem that the happiest period of my life, for i had been actively, and, as i believed, usefully employed. my mind during this time was tranquil, and i was, with a few exceptions, prosperous in my outward circumstances. all those among whom my lot was cast were now sincerely friendly to me, and i believe i may with confidence affirm that i had not (with the exception of the person before mentioned, and who was now far removed from me) a single enemy in the world. it is true my occupation had not been, strictly speaking, of a christian character, but i believed i was fulfilling my duty; hence the peace of mind which i enjoyed. i have since learned certainly, that a christian, to resemble his master, should be more ready to save than to destroy men's lives; but, at the same time, i cannot see why a christian soldier should not be as zealous in the defence of his king and country, as those who are actuated by other motives; and it is certain, i believe, although i once doubted whether there was such a precept, that in whatever calling or occupation a man is in when called to become a christian, that therein he should abide, st cor. vii. , , and . but i attribute the peace of mind i then enjoyed as much to the constant employment which the nature of our services entailed upon us, as to any other cause. be it remembered, i was doing the duties of both paymaster and quartermaster during this period, and my battalion had been as often called into action as any in the army, having been engaged in battles and skirmishes no less than sixteen times in less than ten months. this naturally left little time for reflection. but, above all, i am bound to render thanks to where alone it is due, to that gracious and beneficent being, who not only watched over me during this period, and protected me from harm, but who poured his choicest blessings upon me, even the blessings of a cheerful and contented heart, together with the means of retrieving my sadly deranged finances; for had i not been appointed acting paymaster, i might have gone to prison on my return to my native country, from the unavoidable losses i had sustained, and which i shall mention by and by. another cause of comfort and cheerfulness arose from our operations against the enemy having been invariably successful; for we never, from the time of our leaving the frontiers of portugal, till we took possession of toulouse, met with any thing like a serious reverse. most of my readers no doubt know that the city where we had now taken up our quarters is one of the largest and finest in this part of france; but as it has been so often described, i shall content myself with merely informing my readers, that the people among whom we now resided were truly and veritably french. the character of the inhabitants, since we left our poor friends the basques, had materially changed; that kind, but rude and simple hospitality, which had on most occasions been displayed by those honest mountaineers, had now given place to all that imposing, but less sincere politeness of the real french character. we were, indeed, treated here with every degree of respect; and perhaps more, or at least an equal degree of attention, was paid to our convenience and comfort, as they would have shown to their own troops. we had every reason, therefore, to be perfectly satisfied. in this part of the country there are a great number of protestants, which, of course, permitted us to live on better terms with them than had they been all such stanch and bigoted catholics as we met with in some parts of the continent, and where our heretical presence was frequently looked upon as a contamination; for i remember well in the small village of zalada, where we lay for some time, near astorga, we never left the village, as they supposed, for a permanency, but the joy bells were rung for our departure. it was our lot, indeed, to be frequently quartered in this village, and such was their invariable custom. it is true the padre and people of the place only expressed openly the feeling that was covertly, but universally, entertained throughout spain and portugal respecting us; for although the monks and priests made great pretences of friendship and good-will towards us, while we were upholding them in their iniquitous dominion over the minds of the people, yet secretly they cordially hated us, and were glad when at last our successes contributed to rid their country of both the invaders and their conquerors. one noble spanish lady, (i remember well,) when i was quartered at cadiz, made use of an expression which i am sure would shock and horrify my simple and delicate countrywomen. she said, "she should rejoice to see all the french then in their country hung up in the intestines (las tripas) of the english, who had come to drive them out." thus they should get quit of both. this lady, as might be supposed, was a most depraved and abandoned being, yet even she, it seems, looked upon us in the light of a curse or plague sent upon their country, rather than as a generous and gallant people, who had not hesitated to sacrifice much, both of blood and money, in freeing them from their french oppressors. but such, i fear, is the too general feeling in that country; for while the innumerable religiosos which overrun that nation maintain their cursed dominion over the minds of the other classes, an englishman will always be looked upon by them as a dangerous and hateful being, uniting in himself both the mortal sins, first, of having totally cast off the pope's authority, and being the subject of a free and popular government--than either of which, not even satan himself could be more odious to them. we were not allowed, however, to remain long in toulouse, but were distributed over the country in the neighbourhood, lines of demarcation having been pointed out which were to separate the french and british armies. my division was sent down the right bank of the river, and occupied castel sarazin, grissolles, and castelnau, &c. my battalion was stationed at grissolles. during our stay here i had two or three opportunities, in company with others, of going to see montauban, the seat of a protestant college, and famed in romantic lore. the people were kind and obliging, and showed us every attention; but unfortunately a french garrison was quartered in it, the officers of which took every opportunity of quarrelling with ours. indeed we had no business there, and were consequently obliged to put up with more than we should have otherwise done, for we were strictly forbid to enter any place within the french lines; but we did not conceive that those fellows, who had shown themselves so friendly and polite near bayonne, while we were avowedly in arms against each other, would now turn round upon us when peace was made, and endeavour to engage us in quarrels and duelling. but i believe they felt a degree of soreness at our acknowledged superiority as soldiers, (for even the inhabitants of montauban, where they lay, did not hesitate to express it,) and thus wished to be revenged for the many victories we had gained over them. indeed there was a sort of recklessness about them which is not easily accounted for, unless they supposed their occupation was gone, and cared not what became of themselves; but they did not succeed, i think, in any instance in obtaining their wishes, for they would not fight with pistols, the only weapon which gives each a fair and equal chance, but insisted upon using the sword,--a mode of fighting to which the english in general were utter strangers. the people uniformly gave us warning as soon as ever they learnt that a plot was laid to insult us, on which we generally came away without subjecting ourselves to it; and when their designs became too evident, we refrained from going there. it was only a short distance from our quarters. during our stay here, also, the marquis de pompignan, a gentleman residing between grissolles and castelnau, and where our major-general had taken up his quarters, gave to the officers of the brigade a splendid fête. i know not exactly how to denominate it, for it was a sort of dramatic medley, part of it being performed in the garden and part in the house, where a private theatre had been fitted up; that in the garden, it was said, was intended to represent some military event,--i think it was the burning of moscow, and in which the marquis's beautiful daughter bore a part. this young lady was said to be greatly enamoured of an honourable gentleman, aide-de-camp to the general, who was quartered in their house, and between whom it was expected a match would have taken place. she was extremely beautiful and engaging. we sometimes went a-fishing while we remained here also, but were not successful, there being none other than lake-fish, such as perch, &c., in the neighbourhood, which were scarcely worth taking. here, also, for want of better occupation, some of our young gentlemen amused themselves by hunting and lashing the spanish muleteers as they were returning, after having delivered in their loads at the commissary's stores. they always rode one mule, (sideways, like a woman,) and led one or two more, and were most dexterous in handling the long shank of the halter, with which they sometimes soundly belaboured their pursuers; and had they not been set on by two or three at a time, they would not have liked better fun than to fight one of our gentlemen with his whip, for they saw that it was only for amusement, and generally took it good-naturedly; but our young gentlemen, as they generally do, carried the joke too far, and it was consequently put a stop to. of course none but the young and idle took any part in this exercise. we had, while we lay here, also several little balls and hops; and here, for the first time, several of our young men began to dance quadrilles; in short, there was no want of amusement among this gay and lively people, who are ever intent upon pleasure themselves, and who of course found our wild and thoughtless young fellows ever as ready to second their endeavours to get up something new and entertaining. certainly their morality is not the highest in the world, but their vices are most of them divested of that coarse and disgusting appearance which similar vices carry on their front in england; and thus, while they are generally more pleasing, they are the more seducing, and consequently the more dangerous. however, as no person is compelled to enter into these scenes of dissipation and voluptuousness which they rejoice in, i found it, upon the whole, a very comfortable country to live in. the people were kind and civil, and were always good-natured and polite, and, as we now had plenty of the good things of this world at our command, i spent two months here very contentedly. it is true we had none of those excellent privileges with which my native country abounds, and which i have since learnt highly to prize,--i mean the privileges of the gospel,--the food for the nobler and never-dying part; but i was then ignorant of their value, for although i had been convinced and convicted, i had not been converted. i was still in darkness respecting the way, the truth, and the life, and yet my foolish and carnal mind whispered peace; hence my contentedness in this situation. no! it was not till some years that i discovered that there is but one way to real happiness, but one true foundation on which to build our hope,--even that which is laid in zion. but the time had arrived for us to move down towards bordeaux, preparatory to our quitting france. accordingly, on the d june, we forded the garonne, and stopped all night in grenade, a place i formerly mentioned. we next day reached cadours, a village near cologne, where our d battalion was that evening quartered. in the afternoon of that day, a storm collected in the north, which i think had the most frightful appearance i ever witnessed. it was actually as black as night in the direction in which we saw it. it did not reach us, but it alarmed the inhabitants of our village so much, that they set on ringing the church bells with the utmost fury imaginable. we could not account for this strange proceeding till we enquired of them why it was done. they told us the devil was in the storm, and the bells being holy, he durst not, when he heard them, proceed any farther in that direction. indeed they had ample reason to be in dread of its reaching their village; for the next day, as we passed along the country where it had raged most furiously, the whole face of the country was desolated. it had been a hail-storm such as i never before witnessed. the hailstones were still lying, some of them larger than a bullet; the vines had been all destroyed; the crops of corn completely swept from the face of the earth. trees knocked down, birds killed; in short, nothing could equal the appearance of misery and woe which this awful hail-storm had inflicted upon the unfortunate inhabitants, many of whom were going about wringing their hands in all the bitterness of heart, which a consciousness of being deprived of every hope of subsistence for the year to come would naturally inspire. indeed most of them were literally stripped of their all. on the th we marched into lectoure, a fine town on the river, and famous for having given birth to marshal lannes, one of bonaparte's best generals. it stands on a high ground near the river, and overlooks one of the richest and most beautiful plains i think i ever saw. here i experienced another misfortune in my steed. my little portuguese horse (which was now in high condition, and being an entire horse was apt to fight) quarrelled with a large horse belonging to one of our officers, while i was serving out the billets; and although we were both mounted at the time, the quarrelsome animals reared up against each other, and fought most desperately; but his, being the strongest, pulled mine and myself down to the ground. i luckily fell clear of him, and was not hurt; but he by some accident got a kick in his hind leg or foot, which completely lamed him, and i could not ride him any longer. we passed through condom, another fine town, and nerac, also a good town, and nearly full of protestants. we next day halted at castel jaloux, where i was quartered on a house of religeuse. here my poor little horse was so very ill that i could not drag him any farther. i was consequently obliged to leave him with those good dames, to whom i made him a present, and parted from him in the morning with sincere regret. they promised to take care of him, which i hope they did. we next reached the town of bazas. here there was to be another parting scene exhibited. the portuguese were ordered to leave us here, and proceed towards their own country. the spanish and portuguese women who had followed the men were either to be sent home from hence, or their protectors were to consent to marry them. some adopted the latter alternative, having had children by them, and some others who had not, and the remainder, of course, were compelled to separate. our division drew up in the morning they marched, and honoured the brave portuguese (for indeed they had always behaved well in the field) with three cheers, as they turned their faces towards portugal. many were the heavy hearts in both armies on this occasion; for it is not easy to conceive how the circumstance of passing through scenes of hardship, trial, and danger together, endeared the soldiers of the two armies to each other. it was perhaps never before felt so fully how much each was attached to the other; but the departure of the poor women caused many heavy hearts, both among themselves, poor creatures, who had a long and dreary journey before them, and among those with whom they had lived, and who had shared in all their good and bad fortune; but among these, several on both sides were not oppressed with too fine feelings. a friend of mine, who was an officer in the portuguese service, told me afterwards that the women marched down to spain and portugal at the same time his regiment did; that they formed a column of or strong; that they were regularly told off into companies; and that the commanding-officer, a major, and all the captains, were married men, who had their families with them--all excellent arrangements; but that they were the most unmanageable set of animals that ever marched across a country. the officers had to draw rations for them all the way; but many of them, he says, left the column and went wherever they pleased. few reached portugal in the order in which they started. we reached langon on the th, and barsac on the th june. this latter place is famed for a fine white-wine, something resembling sauterne. the adjutant (who had now been my chum for some time) and i were here quartered in a fine old baronial castle, the inmates of which showed us great attention. a ball was given in the evening to the officers of the brigade. on the th we halted at castres, and on the th entered bordeaux. this was the finest town we had seen since we entered the peninsula, except lisbon and madrid. this town had been occupied by the british for some time, a division of the army having been sent by lord wellington to take charge of it in the name of louis xviii. we were not, however, destined to be quartered in this southern capital of france, but marched right through it, on the road towards the village of blancfort. on the road the division was formed, and very minutely inspected by our gallant chief, who was dressed in all his finery, his orders, and medals, and ribbons, &c., which he wore for the first time that ever i had seen. he looked most splendid indeed, and right proud were we to see him in them. after inspection we moved on to the camp at blancfort, where we found a great part of the army assembled, waiting for the arrival of shipping to carry them off. some had sailed a considerable time before our arrival. besides our tents, the adjutant and i had got a cottage close by, in which our servants and our baggage were put. we had not been here above two or three days, i think, till his two servants, that is, his servant and groom, took it into their heads to desert. this was not the first instance of desertion that had taken place lately; for as we drew near the time of departure great numbers ran off into the interior, mostly bad characters. however, on this occasion, these worthies were determined to have something to carry them on the road, and, without hesitation, broke open their master's panniers, or boxes, and took away all the money he had, which did not indeed amount to any great sum, for it was only dollars, (about l. british,) but it being all he was worth it was a great loss to him. i have reason to be thankful to providence for my escape on this occasion. my paymaster's chest was standing close to the adjutant's panniers when they broke them open, and they did not touch it, although it contained about l. worth of gold. had they taken that i might have gone after them. i of course expressed my thankfulness for this lucky escape, and told several people of it. i fancy some person (my groom, i suspect) overheard me telling what a lucky escape i had been favoured with, and determined in his own mind that i should not always come off so well. the sequel will show: a few days after this i had occasion to go into bordeaux to draw some money from the commissary-general. the amount was dollars, or about l. . as i could not conveniently carry them out to the camp, i requested major balvaird, who had a quarter in town, to allow me to put them in his portmanteau till i had an opportunity of getting them sent out. his servant had overheard this conversation, and made up his mind at once to desert and take this money with him; but providentially again i escaped. i found the means, before night, of carrying it out to the camp, and the major gave it me unknown to the servant. that night he broke open the portmanteau, and, taking every thing worth carrying away, (among which was a gold watch of mine,) deserted, and got clear off. this money, also, had it been taken, would have sorely crippled me, although i might perhaps have overcome the loss. we marched in a few days after, passing through the district of medoc, famous for bordeaux or claret wine, and halted for the night at castelnau de medoc. the next day we passed through chateau margaux, where the best and most expensive of the claret grows, and again encamped at pauillac, from whence we were to go on board. now was the time for the person who had overheard me speaking about my escape with the l. , to make his grab and start off, or he would be too late. accordingly, after dark, he or they lifted up a part of the tent where the box was standing, and, pulling it out, set off with it bodily. but, again directed by providence, i had taken the money out of the box, and given it into the hands of a gentleman, to take care of for me; and there remained in the box my papers and books, public and private, about l. in money, an old silver watch, and, among other things, the half doubloon which poor croudace had given me to take care of for him on the evening previous to his death at badajos, and which i was preserving as a memorial for his afflicted friends. as soon as the box was missed i instantly raised the hue and cry, and, reporting the circumstance to my commanding-officer, he ordered the rolls to be called, to see if any man had deserted; but no, they were all present. i then offered a reward of forty dollars to any one who would bring me the box and papers, and did not regard the money. instantly the whole camp was in a move to find the box, and search was made in all directions. i of course was not idle myself on the occasion; and having a man or two with me, i actually discovered where the box had been opened, for i found the inkstand, that had been in it, lying near a heap of wood close to the bank of the river, into which, after plundering it, no doubt they had thrown it. i now went down to the town and waited on the mayor, offering the same reward to any of his people that would try to find it in the river; but, unfortunately, just as there was the best chance of recovering it, the order came for us instantly to go on board.--thus was i deprived of every document i possessed, both paymaster's, quartermaster's, and private. i had fortunately got my paymaster's accounts made out up to the very latest period, and transmitted to the war-office, or i know not what i should have done; but my duplicates were gone, and when afterwards objections were made to some of the items in the charges, (as is always the case,) i, being unable to answer them, was obliged to submit to the loss of them. i had also several private accounts unclosed, on which i lost considerably, so that altogether i calculate this loss fully amounted to l. , besides the vexation of not having my papers to refer to when wanted. i had been obliged to part with all my remaining animals for next to nothing, for when the french people found we were obliged to leave them, they offered us the most shameful trifles possible, but which we were compelled to take or give the animals away. one i did actually make a present of, besides my little portuguese horse before-mentioned. i made a close calculation, and found that my losses in horses and mules, from the beginning of to june , did not amount to less than l. , besides sums that i lost by officers who died. by one i lost l. , and another l. odd, so that, as i said before, had i not fortunately been appointed acting paymaster, i should have been so much involved, that at this time i durst not have returned to my native country. i do not complain, for most of my losses were sent by providence, who saw best what was fitting and good for me; but never, till the peninsular campaigns, were officers obliged generally to provide and keep up their own baggage-animals, and from the loss of which i had suffered so severely; and i cannot but think that rule, always acted upon till these campaigns, ought to be continued, and that subalterns at least ought to have their baggage always carried at the public expense. chapter xvi. author's battalion embark for england--land at plymouth--expect to be again ordered on foreign service--order received--embark, with other troops, for america--land at pine island. we embarked on the th july on board his majesty's ship dublin, of guns, commanded by captain elphinstone, which took the five companies of my battalion, with two companies of the d. we sailed the next day, i think, and had generally fine weather during our voyage, which lasted till the th, when we arrived at plymouth. she was but a dull sailer, or we ought not to have occupied so many days in so short a passage. during our voyage, as remarkable an instance of heroic fortitude and bodily strength was exhibited by a sailor of this ship as i ever remember to have witnessed. he was doing something on the fore-yard, and by some accident he was precipitated into the water, but in his fall his shoulder came in contact with the flue of one of the anchors, by which it was deeply and severely cut. the ship was going at about five knots an hour, and it took near half an hour before she could be brought round and a boat sent to his assistance; and notwithstanding the severe cut he had received, from which the blood was fast streaming, he not only contrived to keep himself from sinking by buffeting with a heavy sea, but actually stripped off his jacket in the water, as it seems it had been an encumbrance to him. when the boat reached him, the poor fellow was nigh exhausted, and a few minutes more would have deprived the ship and the service of an excellent sailor, but having been got into the boat, he was brought on board more dead than alive, where every attention being paid to him, he soon afterwards recovered. we landed at plymouth on the th, and occupied one of the barracks. we did not exactly know what was to become of us. kent being our regimental station, we expected to be ordered to march and join the left wing in that county, but were still kept at plymouth, where we met with great kindness and attention from the inhabitants in general, who are upon the whole, i think, an excellent and a moral people. we also fared sumptuously here, every description of food being both cheap and good. fish in particular is most abundant and excellent. in short, we were here as comfortably and as well quartered as we could desire, and every thing tended to make us perfectly satisfied with our lot. we relaxed by attending the theatre occasionally, which is one of the best provincial ones in the kingdom, and at this time could boast some very good actors. there were a variety of other amusements, such as fishing, &c., which of course we indulged in occasionally. from hence i was called up to london to meet our colonel, the hon. sir w. stewart, to arrange our battalion concerns, &c. for the few latter years of hurry and confusion, and which was at last got done to the satisfaction of all concerned. here also we began to replenish our wardrobes, which, it will easily be imagined, were not the most magnificent in the world on our first arrival. but we were not long permitted the enjoyment of english society or english comforts, for we had scarcely been a month at plymouth till we received an order to prepare again for foreign service, and the nature of that service being kept a profound secret, we scarcely knew what necessary articles of equipment to prepare. the general opinion, however, was, that our destination was some part of america, consequently we endeavoured to meet all contingencies by preparing both for a warm and cold climate. all hands of course were vigorously set to work, in order to be ready when the summons arrived, which we knew might be very soon expected. an alteration was made in the arrangement of our battalion. the staff was ordered to proceed to join the other wing at thorncliffe, which of course included myself, but major mitchell, who was now appointed to the command of these five companies, was anxious to take me out with him in the capacity of acting paymaster, and to his friendly and earnest endeavours, added to the kindness of captain james travers, who had at first intended to apply for that situation himself, but renounced it on my account, i am indebted for again having an addition of s. per diem made to my regimental pay during the continuance of service on this expedition. at length the order arrived for our embarkation, and on the th september, just two months from the day of our arrival in england, our five companies were sent on board his majesty's ships fox and dover, both frigates of the smaller class, and which had been prepared for the reception of troops, by having a part of their guns taken out, and being, as it is termed, armed "en flute." the commanding-officer, with the staff and three companies, were put on board the fox. we laid in an immense sea stock of provisions, &c. not knowing how long we might be on the water, but unfortunately for us we had scarcely put foot on board, when the order was given to weigh and proceed to sea forthwith, so that no time was given for the stowing away of all the stock, which had cost us about l. per person; the consequence was, a great part of it was lost or destroyed, from its being knocked about the deck in the midst of the confusion and bustle consequent on the crew and the soldiers (strangers to each other) being set to work to weigh anchor and make sail in such a hurry. little assistance was afforded us from the ship on this occasion. we thus lost nearly the half of what we had been at so much pains to provide; but such things being common occurrences in a life like ours, it was therefore vain to fret. the force that embarked at the same time with us, consisted of the d highlanders, a company of artillery, some rocketeers, a squadron of the th light dragoons, without horses, and our five companies, the whole under the command of general keane. the good people of plymouth, as is customary, cheered us as we left their shore, wishing us the most ample success and good fortune, and which we, who had for so long a time been in the habit of conquering, did not for a moment admit a doubt of being fully realized. we sailed, as i said, on the th september, and stood down the channel with a pretty fair breeze, till we reached what are commonly called its "chops," where we encountered adverse winds, and blowing a succession of gales (equinoctial, i imagine) which detained us beating off and on for seven days. this was as uncomfortable a beginning of our service as could well be imagined. high winds, with rain, and contrary to the way we wished them, were certainly rather trying to the patience of us landsmen, and there was something in our situation on board this ship which did not at all tend to alleviate our discomfort. in fact, we wished our fortune had placed us on board a transport rather than where we now found ourselves. all the discipline and strictness of a regular man-of-war was enforced, without any of the countervailing comforts and conveniences usually found on board such ships; and to such a length was this carried, that because our officers sometimes stood on the quarter-deck, holding on, in the rolling of the ship, by the hand-ropes which surround the companion, not only these, but the ropes which were stretched to prevent people falling out at the gangway, were ordered to be removed, that nothing should remain by which lubbers like us might hold on in the heavy rolls to which the vessel was subject in gales like those i have been describing. we were no less than twenty-four people in the cabin, twelve of our officers and twelve gentlemen of the commissariat department, so that we were sufficiently crowded, besides being in several other respects ill provided. but all this would have been borne with cheerfulness and good-will, had we not experienced such a total want of kindness and urbanity from a quarter where we least expected it, and from which that unkindness could be made most effectual. we lost the fleet during the continuance of these gales, but sealed orders having apprized our commander where to rendezvous, we made sail for the island of madeira, which we reached on the th october, and where we found the fleet. some of the wags of our other two companies on board the dover, pretending to think we must have been cast away and lost, had erased all our names from the army list as defunct. this rather annoyed some of our folks, but it might have been easily seen it was only a little waggery in which they had been indulging themselves. a day or two before we reached madeira, we fell in with a strange sail, to which we gave chase, and brought her to; she proved to be an english merchant brig. it was said our commander wished to have a little independent cruise, which caused him to part from the fleet, and that there was a famed american privateer called the wasp that had made a great number of captures, and which he was anxious to fall in with that he might take her. had such a thing occurred as the wasp appearing in sight, and we had given her chase, i could have compared it to nothing but to a vulgar simile which i have sometimes heard used, that of a cow endeavouring to catch a hare, for indeed she was, i believe, one of the fastest sailers that had ever been known, while we, on the contrary, were in comparison just like the cow to the hare. this also must have been a piece of waggery on the part of those who first set such a report afloat, for no man in his senses would have ever thought of chasing privateers with the fox frigate at the time of which i am now writing. i regret i did not go on shore on this beautiful island, the town and scenery of which were most inviting, but as our stay was only to be so very short, it was scarcely worth while. we sailed again on the th, after having first got a cask of excellent madeira wine from the house of messrs gordon and co. this was the best, i think, i ever drank. we stood almost due south, passing pretty close to teneriffe and the other canary isles, until we fell in with the trade-winds, when we kept more away towards the south-west. our voyage now became delightful, for a gentle and refreshing, but constant and steady breeze, carried us on at the rate of about five or six knots an hour, without having occasion hardly to alter a sail or rope. we passed to the tropic of capricorn on the th october, when our sailors prepared to indulge in the same innocent but amusing ceremonies that are adopted on crossing the equator. neptune, with his amphitrite, got dressed in full costume, and every other appendage being ready, it only now remained that the commander's sanction should be obtained to their commencing the imposing ceremony; but no! his godship was dismissed in no very courteous manner, and told to go and attend to his duty. thus the fiat of a greater than neptune, even in his own element, reduced him from the godlike rank he held to that of a mere forecastle sailor; and thus were all our expectations frustrated. in all the other ships of the fleet the amusement was carried on with the greatest good humour, as we could plainly perceive with our glasses. on the th, we passed pretty near the isle of st antonio, the westernmost of the cape verde isles, and then bearing off still rather more to the west, we kept our course generally at about or north latitude, and in this manner crossed the atlantic. from the time that we had entered between the tropics, we had seen numerous shoals of flying fish, some of which, when closely pursued, (by the dolphin generally,) actually fell on board our ship. a very accurate drawing of one of these was made by one of our lieutenants, a friend of mine, who, i believe, has it to this day. they were generally about the size of a herring, and much resembling that fish in shape and colour, with two fins projecting from behind their gills, nearly as long as their body. these are their wings, with which they can fly generally for , or , or sometimes yards, when they fall again into the water. we also caught a dolphin about this time, our carpenter having harpooned it from the bow of the ship; but i was considerably disappointed in finding it did not exceed from twenty-four to thirty inches in length; and the hues of it, though beautiful when dying, by no means answered my expectations. on the ---- november, we made the island of barbadoes, and anchored in carlisle bay, off bridgetown, the capital of the island. it is not easy to describe the effect which is produced on an european the first time he beholds the beauties of a tropical country, and which, i think, he does in the greatest perfection while they are yet distant from him. robertson's description of columbus's first view of a west india island is, i think, as correct and as beautiful as any thing can possibly be; and his feelings for the moment (heightened indeed by the circumstance of his having at length attained to his long-looked-for western india) will describe pretty nearly what every one must feel, who has not before beheld the productions of a tropical climate. but oh! how is the scene changed when you get on shore! nature indeed is still beautiful and rich beyond the conception of a northern native; but man--how fallen! here (i think i shall not far err if i say) you behold man in his lowest state: the savages of the woods are, in my opinion, much higher in the scale of being than those whom our cursed cupidity has introduced to all our vices, without one alleviating virtue to counterbalance the evil. but how could the poor africans learn any thing that is good from those who do not practise good themselves? one of our people while here said, "he thought the men were all rogues, and the women all unfaithful." of the slave population the latter is certainly a correct description, almost universally, in bridgetown; for, with shame be it spoken, their masters and mistresses calculate upon their worth as if they were brood-mares, by the number and the description of wretched beings which they can bring into this world of misery. what indeed could you expect from those who can thus act, and those who sanction such conduct, but the like treatment that mr shrewsbury met with, if you endeavour to show them to themselves or to others in a true light? while the strong man armed keepeth his castle, his goods are in peace; but let another endeavour to bind this strong man, and take his goods from him, and oh, what a resistance may not be expected! let the west indians have slaves whom they may treat as cattle for their own gain and profit, even if it be at the expense of the souls of the poor wretches whom they thus destroy; but endeavour to show these degraded human beings that they are capable of being raised to a level with their unfeeling and avaricious masters, and you may shortly expect the fate of a smith or a shrewsbury, so regardless are these dealers in human flesh of their duty as men who must soon render an account of all their actions. it may be said, that i saw little, while here, but the very worst of society, and this may in a great measure be true; but it is evident that such things were done and sanctioned at bridgetown when i was there, in , as led me to pray that my lot might never be cast among such people. i now gladly turn from this scene of vice and misery, and pursue my narrative. in the bay at this place a hulk was stationed for the reception of prisoners of war. our boats usually passed pretty near it on going on shore for water. a number of americans were on board as prisoners. on one occasion, or more, i believe, they called out to our fellows as they passed under her stern, "so you have come out from england to attack our country, have you? i hope you have brought your coffins with you, for you will need them before you return." and, in truth, many of those fine fellows to whom this insolently coarse but patriotic speech was addressed, did indeed require coffins before the business we were going upon was finished. we left barbadoes on the ----, and, passing down through the midst of the islands, we left st lucia on our left and martinico on our right hand. we also passed close to dominico and guadaloupe, with several smaller islands which i do not recollect, and, keeping to the southward, passed st christopher's, santa cruz, porto rico, and st domingo, having a fine view of the whole as we moved delightfully along. this latter large island took us more than two days in passing; but on the st we came in sight of jamaica, the chief of our west india possessions. we stood off and on near to port-royal till the d, when we made sail to the westward, and on the th came to anchor in negril bay, at the extreme west end of the island of jamaica. here we found several sail both of men-of-war and transports, having on board the troops which had been engaged in the operations against washington and baltimore, &c., and consisting of the th, st, th, and th regiments, with some artillery. they were not strong indeed, having been considerably reduced by their late arduous services; but their numbers, added to ours, we thought quite sufficient to enable us to make a descent upon the american coast, near new orleans, which it was now whispered was our destination: indeed this had been conjectured from the time we left england, but nothing certain was known, and even now it was not officially made public. a day or two after our arrival here, two of the west india regiments also joined us, the st and th, at least a part of both; so that we now mustered a respectable force. admiral sir alexander cochran commanded the naval part of the expedition, he being here on our arrival on board the tonnant ; several smaller vessels also, with stores, &c. &c. joined us from port-royal. when the whole were collected together, we felt proud of our fine force, which we vainly imagined nothing we should have to encounter could withstand for a moment: but the battle is not always to the strong; and we were shortly after painfully reminded of this truth. but i must not anticipate,--evil always comes early enough. during our stay here, i went on shore for a few hours, and visited some of the farms or plantations. indeed, while we remained, the place where we landed was generally like a fair; for the inhabitants had assembled in great numbers, bringing with them live stock and poultry and vegetables, &c. for sale, all of which were greedily bought up at prices high enough, i warrant you. the vegetation at this place was most luxuriant, even in this the middle of winter almost; but i apprehend this was the finest season of the year, for it was not at all intolerably hot, and every thing, had the appearance which our country assumes in the height of summer. an accident occurred whilst we continued here, which had nigh proved serious. the alceste frigate, one day, in shifting her berth, run with her head right on board the dover, where our other two companies were on board. she cut her up from the stern into the cabins, not less i am sure at the top than ten feet. two of our people were in the cabin at the time playing at backgammon, and were not a little astonished to see the prow of another large vessel tearing its way right into the very place where they were sitting. on the th, signal was made to weigh, when the whole got under way, and started in fine style; our now gallant fleet covering the ocean for many miles. we kept along on the south side of cuba, and on the d december made cape st antonio, the westernmost point of that large island. from hence we now stood to the northward, crossing right athwart the gulf of mexico. during our stay at barbadoes, we had purchased a live sheep and a pig, as we feared our stock might run out before we landed. the sheep was productive of great amusement to our messmates, at the expense of the poor caterer. in all hot climates, i believe, the wool of the sheep becomes in course of time more like the hair of a goat than what it really is. this was the case in the present instance, most of our people declaring they would not eat of such an animal, which was, as they conjectured, a sort of mule bred between a sheep and a goat; while the poor caterer was like to have the sheep thrown on his hand. this produced many a bickering, even after it was known that such was the case in warm climates; for they kept up the fun as long as possible, always trying to keep the unfortunate caterer in hot water about it. the sheep was killed, and produced excellent mutton--not fat indeed, but eatable. we were not so fortunate, however, with our pig; it appears it must have been diseased--what, i believe, is usually termed measly. it was dressed without this being known, and eaten; and the consequence was, all the twenty-four of our mess, except myself and another were literally poisoned. in the middle of the night, when it began to take effect, the most distressing scene took place imaginable, and the medical men were kept busily employed for a considerable time afterwards preparing and administering emetics, which providentially had the desired effect on all, for in a short time the whole recovered; but had medical assistance not been promptly administered, the chances are some of them would have suffered. its effects were something like cholera morbus, working both up and down in the most violent manner. on the th december we made the american coast off mobile, where we fell in with a vessel, on board of which was colonel nichols of the marines, with three or four indian chiefs of the creek nation, to which people he had been for some time previously attached, they being then at war with the americans, and consequently our allies. they came on board our ship, and were shown every thing curious; but their reason for visiting us was, that they might see our rifles, for they considered themselves good shots, and wished to examine our arms, with which they did not express themselves over-satisfied, as they had been accustomed to see no other description of rifles than those used by the americans, which are both much longer and heavier, but carry a much smaller ball. indeed they had never seen any military rifles, but only such as the above, and which are constructed solely for the purpose of killing deer and other game. the gallant colonel endeavoured to amuse us a little on this occasion with the wonderful feats of his protegés. he told us, that they being generally very short of balls, were always very careful how they expended them in hunting; and that their rule was never to fire at a deer, until it was in the act of passing between them and a tree, that, should the ball go through its body, as it sometimes did, it might lodge in the tree on the other side, and they would then go and pick it out, and recast it. we thought he ought to have told that story to his own corps the marines; for i believe he did not get many of us to give implicit credit to so wonderful a tale. they were most grotesque-looking figures; most of them were dressed in some old red coats, which they had got hold of by some means, with cocked hats of the old fashion. these i believe had been given them by some of our people, for they were english manufacture. but they had tremendous large rings, &c. hung in their ears, the laps of which were stretched nearly to their shoulders; some of them also wore rings in their noses; and some of them were without any sort of lower garments, having nothing but a sort of cloth tied round their waist, which passed through between their legs and fastened before. these people it was intended should bring their warriors to join us near new orleans; but, owing to some cause with which i am not acquainted, none but these three or four chiefs ever came near us. on the th we anchored near the chandeleur islands, at the entrance into lake ponchartrain. but it was discovered that the americans had some gun-vessels, which, on account of their drawing only little water, had been stationed in this lake for its protection, and on our appearance had retired nearer to new orleans. it was necessary that these should be previously disposed of in some manner, before the disembarkation of the troops could with safety be effected. none of our ships could follow them on account of the shoalness of the lake. an order was therefore issued for all the men-of-war to prepare their boats for an attack on these vessels, the chief command of which was given to captain lockyer of the sophia gun-brig. on the morning of the ----, they therefore assembled for this purpose, and pushed up the lake in search of the gun-vessels, which were discovered moored near some islands called by the natives, "les isles malheureuse," or the "unfortunate islands," and which form the entrance from lake ponchartrain into lake borgne, or blind lake. no time was lost in attacking this formidable flotilla, consisting of vessels carrying from five to six guns each, and commanded by a lieutenant of the american navy, named by them commodore jones. a most determined and gallant resistance was made by the americans; but superior numbers, with equal, if not superior courage and seamanship, prevailed, and in a short space of time the whole were captured. both the commandants were severely wounded, with a great number of officers and men killed and wounded. nothing could exceed the gallant intrepidity, i understand, with which our boats advanced to the attack; for, from experience i am well convinced, the fire from those gun-vessels must have been most destructive; for better shots, either with artillery or small arms, do not exist than the americans. orders were now issued for the army to prepare to land; but the distance, from where we had been obliged from shoal water to stop to the town, being so great, it was determined to form a sort of depot on a small island, near the mouth of the pearl river, called pine island; and farther to facilitate the transport of the troops, small brigs, &c. were sent as far up the lake as possible, into which the troops were put successively from the larger vessels, and from which they generally took their departure for the above island. on the th our people left the fox, and were moved up the lake into one of the brigs before noticed, where we were packed in as tight as herrings, there being near men on board a little thing scarcely calculated to contain the fourth of that number, and where there was not literally room to lie down. but, on the th, we were relieved from this rather close confinement; and being put on board of long boats, we pushed off for the island, which lay at a considerable distance, notwithstanding the measures that had been adopted to shorten our voyage. the weather proved extremely rough and unpleasant, which rendered our trip neither over-safe nor comfortable; and to mend the matter, the seamen on board our boat were rather in the wind, and did not manage her so well as was desirable; for, poor fellows, they had been engaged in this fatiguing service for several days, (a considerable number of the troops having been previously landed,) and were consequently the more easily prevailed upon to indulge when grog came in their way. our middy too was quite worn out with fatigue, and slept nearly all the time we were on board. our boat was several times on the point of being swamped, for the water came in quite plentifully on occasions of her being laid down by sudden squalls. another boat, which accompanied us, had her mast carried away. we landed on the island before mentioned in the evening, and of course looked out for the best shelter we could find. but it was a complete desert; nothing but reeds grew on it, except a few stunted and scrubby bushes at the lower end of it. it came on a most severe frost during the night, which i understand caused the death of several of the sailors, who had indulged perhaps a little too freely, and had lain down without any covering. some of the poor blacks also, i understand, suffered in consequence of the severe cold, a thing with which they were totally unacquainted, and against which they were ill provided, having nothing but their light and thin west india dress to keep it out. it was laughable the next morning to see them examining so intently the ice which had been formed on the pools near our bivouack. they could not conjecture what it was; some of them asserting it was salt; while the greater part were totally at a loss respecting it. i had by great good luck got into a sort of hut belonging to some of the officers who had previously landed; but i do not remember in all my campaigning to have suffered more from cold than i did this night, and was extremely glad when daylight appeared, that i might be able to move about. chapter xvii. proceed to attack the enemy, and capture one of their picquets--advance in search of a bivouack--alarmed by shots in front--fired on by an american schooner--captain hallen severely attacked--manoeuvres on both sides--ruse of the enemy--fighting continues--enemy repulsed at all points--courage of the british--a british battery brought into play--activity of the enemy. by the st, the whole army had been landed on this island, when they were told off into brigades, and inspected by the general. during our stay here, about five or six french americans, (the natives of new orleans, or neighbourhood,) arrived as friends, and told us that there were scarcely any troops in the district; so that we had nothing to do but to land on the opposite side, and march right on to the town, and that the inhabitants would welcome us most cordially, and that no resistance might be expected. i did not, i confess, put much confidence in their information, and believed at the time, that they came more as spies than with any view of befriending, as they pretended, our cause. more correct information was obtained from spanish fishermen, who had been following their occupation at the mouth of a creek on the new orleans side of the lake, and who had come across, i believe, at the suggestion of major peddie, our assistant quartermaster-general, who had been despatched to find out a suitable landing-place for the army. from one of them, i learned afterwards that there were troops in the town, commanded by general jackson, and that a battery of two guns had been erected on the road, by which we must advance. what they told the general, i do not know, but fancy he saw no reason to alter his plans, from the information of either party. every thing being ready by the morning of the d, the advance guard, commanded by colonel thornton, and consisting of the th and th regiments, with two light three-pounders, some artillery and some rocketeers, accompanied by a few artificers to repair bridges, &c. embarked on board the boats, that had been assembled for the purpose--two companies of the d followed us; these troops occupying the whole of the boats that could be mustered in the fleet, consequently the remainder of the army had to remain where they were till the return of the boats. the distance was not less, i should think, than from thirty to forty miles. we pushed off about two o'clock p.m., the wind being favourable for a considerable part of the way, but it failing, the men were obliged to commence with the oars. we were completely wedged in, so that there was no moving, let the call be ever so urgent. i suffered much from a severe pain in my side, from being obliged to remain so long in the same position; but we endeavoured to divert the tedium in the best manner we could by amusing stories, &c. my luck placed me on board the bang-up, a fine cutter belonging to the admiral, and commanded by a countryman of mine, a lieutenant foster of that ship. we did not reach the mouth of the creek, or bayou, as it is called by the natives, till a long time after dark. as we approached it, some light boats were sent forward with captain travers of ours and his company, to endeavour to surprise a regiment of the enemy, which we knew were stationed in some huts at the mouth of the creek, and which huts belonged to the spanish fishermen before mentioned. from the information they gave, the best arrangements possible were made for effecting this; for travers, moving silently on, and landing his men at the opposite ends of the hamlet, there remained no way of escape open for the troops in the houses. as soon as all was ready, they rushed forward and secured the whole picquet without a single shot being fired, with the exception of two men, who preferred venturing into the marsh, in rear of the huts, where it is not improbable they perished. the duty was conducted so quietly, and so expeditiously, that very few of the other troops knew any thing of the matter; but this alone secured us a landing without opposition, for had a firing been begun on either side, it must have alarmed the american army, who, no doubt, would have used their endeavours to oppose our landing. we soon after began to enter the creek, but such was the darkness of the night, and the shoalness of the water, and such the uncertainty of the way by which we had to proceed, that very little progress was made during the remainder of the night; daylight, however, enabled us to move forward at a brisker pace, but from the obstacles that had presented themselves in the dark, the squadron of boats was sadly dispersed; and when we reached the head of the creek, only two or three of the light boats, with the staff and naval officers, had arrived, and considerable intervals of time elapsed between the arrival of the different boats with troops; so that had the enemy been aware of our intention, and had they had a force of a few hundred men hid in the high reeds which grow in this marsh, they might, i am persuaded, have cut us off in detail, for from the causes before mentioned, no two boats were sufficiently near to assist each other. we got on shore about an hour after daylight; and right glad was i to be enabled to stretch my legs, which had been kept motionless for the last sixteen hours. as soon as the whole advance-guard had landed, and a few planks had been thrown over a deep rill which we had to cross, we moved forward towards the high ground, captain travers' company leading; and, in order to magnify the appearance of our force, should any concealed american be looking on, we extended our files to double the usual distance, and thus passed through a wood which skirted the swamp, and which it was necessary to traverse before we could reach the open country, which we did about six miles below new orleans. as soon as our advance cleared this wood, they observed a good-looking farm onstead, towards which they moved in double quick time, and arrived just in time to seize and make prisoner a monsieur villerey, a major of the militia, just then setting off to join his people. we heard (but i will not vouch for the truth of the report) that a considerable body of the enemy had been assembled on the high-road, near to monsieur villerey's house, but on learning that we had landed, and were moving rapidly forward, they separated, one part retiring towards the town, while the other went down the river. our advance now moved on with celerity, and dashing on to the different farm-houses in the neighbourhood, seized several groups of arms at each of them, which it seems had either been abandoned by the troops to whom they belonged, or had been collected there for some military purpose. they captured at some of these farm-houses to the amount of twelve or twenty stand; and in all not less than fifty. monsieur villerey unfortunately contrived to make his escape, through the too great leniency of one of our lieutenants. i think the most probable opinion respecting the arms and the troops assembled near monsieur villerey's is, that it was the militia of the district just at that moment assembling, which will not only account for the arms being found in such numbers, (under the verandas of the houses,) but also for monsieur villerey himself being then on the point of setting out in his warlike costume, and the number of men which were observed near his house. about twenty militiamen were also captured in and about these houses. except there, the whites had all abandoned their houses; but a considerable number of black slaves remained at each, whether of their own accord, or left to protect the property, and occasionally convey information to their masters, i know not. as soon as our advance had sufficiently reconnoitred the adjacent houses, &c. the whole of the troops moved on past the house of monsieur villerey, and turning to the right, followed the great road to new orleans for about half a mile, till a suitable piece of ground presenting itself in the neighbourhood of some other farm-houses, the whole turned in to a green field a short distance from the road, and forming into close columns of battalions, commenced bivouacking for the night. the road ran partly on, and partly alongside of the river dike. immediately between the troops and the river, this dike was perhaps about three feet high. on our right was a farm-house, and a little to the right and front another--the latter a pretty large one--all these, and indeed all the farm-houses in this neighbourhood, are surrounded at one end by the huts of the slaves, and generally on the other by barns and other out-buildings, and in the rear a garden or orchard. the ground in all this country, which is perfectly flat, apparently of alluvial formation, is divided into fields, &c. by wooden paling of the common description, very few hedges being to be seen. the situation in which the troops were placed, was as follows, viz. the artillery and rocketeers in one line; immediately behind them, my battalion and the th, in close column; the th in rear of us, and the d two companies in rear of the th; the whole in close columns. the men, as soon as dismissed, instantly set about cooking, for they had had nothing from the morning before, and it was now considerably past mid-day. captain travers' company, which had formed the advance-guard, still remained in front as a picquet, and occupied a post on the great road, about a mile in front of the division. about three o'clock p.m., we were all alarmed by some shots at the advanced picquet; and, on enquiry, found that an american staff-officer, escorted by about thirty cavalry, had come galloping down, no doubt for the purpose of reconnoitring us; when within distance, our people instantly fired, one of which shots wounded the staff-officer, and another killed a horse, but they contrived to get him off. this caused the whole of the troops to fall in till the cause of alarm was ascertained, after which they set about their cooking again with great glee. considerable discussion now began to take place amongst the knowing ones, as to the merits and demerits of our situation, in point of security; and of course various opinions were given on the occasion. one officer of ours, a particular friend of mine, did not hesitate roundly to assert, that we were in a most unprotected and dangerous situation. i do not remember exactly the reasons he assigned; but certainly, could he have foreseen what yet remained in the womb of time, he would have had much stronger reasons for his opinion. another company of ours, (captain hallen's,) and one of the th, were ordered to prepare at dusk to relieve the picquet in advance; and as i messed with captain hallen's company, i accompanied it on this duty. i did not go with the main body of the company, there being no house at that post, but with one section, commanded by lieutenant forbes, and we occupied a small house to the right, and a little to the rear of captain hallen's party, which was stationed on the great road. the company of the th occupied the large farm-house before-mentioned, a little to the right and front of the column. i had purchased an excellent turkey on our arrival at monsieur villerey's house, which we had dressed at this little house, and made a most hearty meal indeed, after which we took each a tot or horn of grog to comfort us. we had not long finished our comfortable meal, when we were astounded by the report of heavy ordnance, apparently close to the bivouack of the column, and which reports followed each other in quick succession. a cheer was also given, but by whom, or what the occasion of the firing was, we were totally at a loss to conjecture. i at first imagined it was some of our men-of-war that had been able to pass the forts down the river, and that they were firing a salute and cheering in consequence; and yet this seemed a strange conjecture; but we did not long remain in suspense, for we were soon after informed of the real state of the case, that it was a large american schooner, with at least fourteen guns, and which she had been enabled to bring to bear upon our unfortunate bivouack with the most deadly precision, great numbers having fallen at her first broadside. the troops of course dispersed in some measure, leaving their fires, which had too well served as a direction for the fire of this terrible schooner. but the time was not far distant when we should have other enemies to encounter; for by the time the schooner had fired a dozen broadsides, a noise was heard in our front; and just at this moment an american was brought in by a man from captain hallen's post, who had foolishly come right into the centre of his picquet, and asking if they could tell him which way the regulars had gone. this showed that he was a young soldier, who did not know our troops from his own; but it also showed that the regulars which he was seeking could not be far distant; consequently, every thing was got ready to give them the best reception possible; but as the people we had heard in front of the post where i then was appeared to be rather to our right, i feared lest they might get unawares upon the company of the th, which was stationed in the farm behind us. i consequently set off with all dispatch to give them timely warning, but when i arrived there, i could not find the officers, nor could i see where the picquet was posted; i therefore thought they must be on the alert at the bottom of the garden, which lay in the direction in which we heard the noise; and meeting here an officer and several of our men, who had moved in this direction, from the fire of the schooner, i told him i was certain that hallen would be shortly most vigorously attacked, from the information i had learnt respecting the regulars, and advised him to collect all the men he could, and proceed forthwith to reinforce him at the advance. this he instantly did, and it was well, for by this time the firing had commenced in volleys at that post. i then returned to the picquet-house, where i had previously dined, and found the officer was going round his sentries; but as the firing was going briskly on at hallen's post, i expected every moment to be attacked here, and began, in the absence of the officer, to post the men as advantageously as the nature of the ground would admit. the house stood on a little path, or bye-road, running across the country, from the river towards the wood, and which, before he could get into, the enemy would have to clamber over a railing which lay on the side from which they were advancing. on the hither side of the road was a ditch, with a hedge, almost the only one to be met with, and a little copse of small trees. into this copse i put the men, extending them along the inside of the hedge, which would not only keep them from the view of the enemy, but be some little protection from their fire, and would leave them the more at liberty to retreat when overpowered by numbers, as it was certain they must shortly be. but all my labour was in vain, for when forbes came from visiting his sentries, he did not approve of my disposition, but took them all out, and formed them on the open road, without any cover, and with a hedge and ditch in their rear, both of which they would be compelled to pass the moment the enemy pressed upon him. i felt annoyed, not only at his want of courtesy to me, but that he would thus expose his men to almost certain destruction, without being able to effect any thing against the enemy, or at all check his advance. i accordingly left him in a huff, and went again to try to find the picquet of the th in the house behind us. i was determined to make a more close and thorough search than i had done before, and for this purpose went over the gates, &c. into the yard behind, when lo, i found myself within a yard or two of a strong body of the enemy, which had got into the garden at the lower end, and were just advancing to the house. i crouched down, and hid in the best manner i could, and luckily was enabled to creep off without their discovering who i was. just as i reached the outer gate, i found a sergeant of ours there, to whom i said, we must set off with all possible speed; and accordingly we both took to our heels, and ran like heroes; the noise of which brought the fire of twenty or thirty rifles after us, but luckily without effect. i now made the best of my way towards where i judged the main body of our people were, on the great road, in order to inform colonel thornton of what i had seen, of this column of the enemy having got possession of the house and garden i had just left, and by doing which they had nearly separated the advance picquet from the main body. he said he had sent two companies of ours, and two of the th, to the house immediately in the rear of this i speak of, and in a short time afterwards they and the americans came into close contact, for they immediately commenced firing; and where as strange a description of fighting took place as is perhaps on record. the enemy soon discovered from some men, whom they had unfortunately taken, what the regiments were that were opposed to them--and with all that cunning which the yankees are famed for, instantly turned it to the best account--for in several places they advanced in bodies, crying out at the same time, "come on, my brave th!" or "my brave th!" and thus induced several of our small detached parties to go over the rails to them, supposing they were some of our own people, when of course they were instantly made prisoners. this _ruse_ did not always succeed, however, for some of the parties turning restive on their hands, refused to surrender, and thus a fight hand to hand took place, and in which they generally had the worst of it. on one occasion of this kind our people made a body of them prisoners. the men and officers being requested to lay down their arms, the officer, after surrendering, when he saw there were not many of our people, drew a sort of dirk or knife, and made a stab at the officer of ours who had taken him. we instantly cried out to the men near him, one of whom took up his rifle and shot the villain through the body. they had before this time brought two of their regular battalions close in front of our advance, which did not consist of more than men, and were pouring in dreadful volleys into that small but gallant detachment; but even in this they showed themselves young soldiers, for they formed up the two battalions in line at about forty or fifty yards in distance from the post, and gave the words "ready--present--fire," with all the precision of a field-day; but being so near, of course every word was heard by our people, who, at the critical moment, always took care to cleave as close to the ground as possible, by which they escaped most of their shot. they then up and at them, and, pouring in a desultory but most destructive fire, brought great numbers of them to the ground. their force, however, was too great to be opposed successfully by such a handful of men, and these brave fellows were at length compelled to yield a little ground; but it was not more than just to enable them to cover themselves, and form again in proper order; and from this time all the efforts of these two battalions were unable to remove them. indeed, not long after, our people became the assailants, and, advancing again, retook their original position. poor hallen was severely wounded on this occasion, and lost about forty of his men. two or three naval captains came also to see the fight at hallen's post, one of whom soon fell severely wounded. the other, the gallant captain of the dover frigate, with whom part of our people went out, and with whom we all came home, behaved most nobly. whenever the enemy had fired their volley, he cried, "now, my lads, up and give them another broadside!" and thus contributed, by his animating conduct, to inspire all around him with confidence. poor forbes just met the fate that i expected. he stood upon the road, and opened his fire upon the enemy as they approached; but they being perhaps more than twenty times his number, he was instantly compelled to give way, after being himself wounded, having his sergeant killed, and losing nearly the half of his men. the schooner all this time kept up a most galling and incessant fire. some attempts were made with our light three-pounders, and with rockets, and even with small-arms, to compel her to sheer off, but they were all in vain. her men, protected by her stout bulwarks which surrounded them, defied all our efforts, and continued to pour in both round and grape wherever they judged, from the direction of the fire, our people were stationed. luckily the darkness of the night rendered her fire less destructive than it would otherwise have been. a considerable body of the enemy had penetrated to the house immediately on the right of our original bivouack, where the firing was kept up between them and the parties opposed to them with great spirit for a long time; but the general, having detached the th regiment to form line a little to the rear and right of that house, completely secured that flank from being farther turned. notwithstanding this, the skirmishers of both armies extended to the wood, some of whom we found lying the next morning almost touching each other. the firing now began to slacken, the enemy having been repulsed at all points, and, towards three o'clock in the morning, it had completely ceased, when they retired, leaving us in possession of the warmly-contested field. my battalion had been extremely unfortunate in this action; for almost at the very outset, when the attack on hallen's picquet commenced, major mitchell, our commandant, had taken a party of about twenty or thirty men, and advanced for the purpose of supporting that post. between the bivouack, however, and the point he intended to reach, he unexpectedly fell in with a large body of americans, (for it was so dark he could not distinguish who they were,) when both himself, and all the men he had with him, were made prisoners. the loss of our five companies in this action was about men; that of the th more, i believe; and in all, i think, it amounted to about men. the loss of the enemy must have been considerably greater, if we are to judge from the number of dead they left on the field, and, which is a good criterion, the general average being about ten wounded for one killed. nothing could equal the bravery of the few troops we had in the field on this occasion. their numbers certainly did not amount to men; while the enemy could not have had fewer than from to . they had two regular regiments, the th and th; they had a large corps of irregular riflemen from kentucky, and another stronger corps from tennessee, with all the militia of new orleans and its neighbourhood, every man who is able being compelled to bear arms in case of invasion. they had about irregular horse, whether militia or not i cannot tell, but think it likely they were in all at least men--with the great and effectual assistance of the schooner, which did us more mischief than men could have done, probably not so much by the loss she occasioned us, as, by being able to fire on our flank, and even in our rear, she rendered the enemy the most essential service, besides the fire of the ship on our advanced picquet. we were thus completely surrounded on three sides, and had not the troops behaved with the most determined courage and intrepidity, we must have been driven back, and eventually the greater part would have been taken prisoners; for the path to the water was quite narrow, and even should we reach the head of the creek where we landed, the boats had probably all left it by this time to return for the other troops. indeed it was reported afterwards, that the arrangements of general jackson were such, that we were to have been attacked in the rear at the same time as in front, and by the schooner; but the troops for that purpose either not being in readiness, or being too distant to arrive in time, were too late to take part in the action, but arrived about three o'clock in the morning, when they met with a half-drunk artillery-driver of ours near mons. villerey's house, as he was returning from the field, and who, seeing a large body of men, which he took for some of our other regiments that had landed, cried out to them, "come on, my lads, for the yankees never got such a licking in their lives!" this, it is said, had the effect of frightening them back, without proceeding farther. i will not vouch for this being fact, but such was the report the next morning; and indeed it is feasible, from the number of people (apparently going with orders, &c.) which we saw galloping down on the other side of the river in the afternoon; and it is certain that a considerable body of militia must have resided down the river, setting aside the report which i mentioned, of some troops having retired in that direction in the morning, when we first advanced; and nothing would have tended more to our complete overthrow than such an attack on our rear, could it have been accomplished. i might here mention, that captain hallen saw the schooner as she passed his picquet, on her way down from new orleans, on which he instantly despatched a man with the information; but she having the current in her favour, sailed much quicker than the man could run, consequently his information came too late. i omitted to mention also, that a large ship of guns came down the river at the same time with the schooner, but being less manageable than that vessel, she had anchored abreast of hallen's picquet; and that he had to sustain her fire, as well as that of the troops in his front, during the whole of the attack of the d. she remained at that spot without moving. i will here also notice another circumstance which took place at this post. an american rifleman fell into the hands of some of captain hallen's people, who, when he was brought in, were desired to take his arms from him. these he seemed reluctant to part with, and said to the officer, "recollect i shall hold you responsible for that rifle, if you take it from me!"--on which the officer took hold of it by the muzzle, and flung it right into the river. i daresay the poor fellow thought they were a strange sort of people he had got amongst; and i doubt not he had set a great value upon his rifle. another officer and myself had a providential escape the next morning, for we had scarcely left a little wooden hut, behind which we had taken up our abode, and slept for a few hours after the fight, when bang comes an eighteen-pound shot right through the house, just at the very spot where we had a minute or two before been sitting. it seems the captain of the schooner, which still lay abreast of us at about yards distance, and from which this shot had been fired, was determined we should not occupy any of the houses in the vicinity, for, beginning with our hut, which was nearest to him, he fired into every house within reach of his guns, although he saw as plainly as we did that most of them were filled with the wounded; nay, he carried his savage cruelty so far, that he actually fired on a party of the th as they were removing one of their wounded officers. it could not be pleaded that he did not know what it was, for, being only half-a-mile distant, and much elevated above our level, with a glass he could see as well as we could what they were doing, for they were carrying the poor fellow on a bier, on their shoulders. he continued this cruel work all the next day, the ship also giving us an occasional shot. one shot which he fired went through the front of a house in which some of our wounded men were lying, and, striking low, it carried the knapsack out from under the head of a man of ours named rayour, which he had put for a pillow, without doing him the smallest injury. i could not credit the story till i went and actually saw the hole by which it entered, the knapsack and the shot lying near the fire-place. after this i went to view the house where i had fallen in with the column of the enemy the night before, and where the th were now stationed; but the fire of the schooner still continued, one shot from which we saw was directed towards us. it fell right in among the th, and, striking a corporal about the breach, as he was endeavouring to get out of its way, it passed out at his breast, on which he gave himself a sort of shake, and fell lifeless to the earth. nothing could exceed the great annoyance this mischievous schooner continued to be to us all that and the next day, for they not only saw every thing we did, but we could not move in any number without being saluted with an lb. shot, and we had no means of retaliation. but during the th, efforts were made to get up some heavier guns from the fleet, and every thing having been settled as to the plan, &c., a battery was constructed as close to the water's edge as possible in the river dike, and a number of gun barrels having been collected from those broken, &c. during the late fight, a sort of furnace was erected for the purpose of heating shot, with which it was determined to give her a salute the next morning. every thing succeeded admirably. the battery was constructed, embrasures cut, and shot heated, and all ready by daylight on the morning of the th; of course we were all looking out to witness the effect, and most noble it was, for when the guns opened out upon her, the people on board seemed quite thunderstruck, and although they attempted to return our fire, it was only like the blows of a man beat blind by his antagonist, for her shot fell in every other direction but that in which she should have thrown them. however, they could not stand to fire more than one round, as our hot shot rendered their situation very soon untenable, and taking to their boats, they made their escape to the opposite shore with all expedition. the distance from the battery to the schooner had been so accurately measured by major blanchard, who superintended the construction of the work, that almost every shot and shell penetrated the hull of the vessel, and in a short time after her crew had left her, she broke out into a blaze of fire, which soon reaching the magazine, she blew up with a loud explosion, to the great comfort and joy of all our army. this of course deserved and obtained three as hearty cheers as i believe were ever given by britons, and no doubt the americans were greatly chagrined at the loss of their fine and exceedingly useful vessel. a shell or two were directed towards the ship, but she having seen the fate of the schooner, got out her boats, which, taking her in tow, she set off up the river in all haste. could a battery have been constructed to fire upon her at the same time, it would have saved us some hard knocks afterwards. she, however, effected her escape, and we now remained in peace for a few days at least. on the th, sir edward packenham and general gibbs had arrived; the former immediately assumed the command, and they both set off to the front to reconnoitre the enemy and the kind of country around us. every night since our arrival the enemy had been incessant in their means to harass and annoy us, as in truth they had a right to do if they pleased, but it was exceedingly distressing to the troops, and therefore i mention it. they seldom let an hour pass during the night, that they were not firing at some of our out sentries, and on some occasions they brought the body of irregular cavalry, before mentioned, immediately in front of our outposts, and fired volleys, which, although it did not do much injury to our advanced picquets, had the effect of turning out the whole line, and that often repeated, with the annoyance from the schooner, certainly did not leave us much time for comfortable rest. they frequently lay in ambush for the reliefs of our sentries also, and patrols, and fired upon them sometimes with effect. in short, they did all they could to annoy and weary us out, but of which we ought not to complain, as they were defending their own country, and allowances ought to be made in such a case that would not be tolerated in an army having no interest in the soil. i trust englishmen will be equally zealous and bitter to their enemies should our country ever be invaded. chapter xviii. british army told off into brigades--advance, and are hotly received--heroism of a young artillery officer--we take up a fresh position--the enemy work incessantly in raising an extensive breastwork--two batteries erected, from which our heavy ship artillery are brought to bear against it, but without effect--the enemy also place their ship guns on batteries--colonel lambert arrives with the th and d regiments--preparations for a grand attack on the enemy's lines, which entirely fails, and the british are repulsed with great loss. the remainder of the army all arrived during the th, and were put in bivouack in an oblique direction, with their front to the late field of action, their right thrown back towards the wood, and their left towards mons. villerey's house. the d formed line in advance at an angle of the wood, as a sort of outpost, while the th and ours were stationed in and around the house, to which i have so often alluded, _i. e._ where i fell in with the column of the enemy. our advanced picquets remained the same as before the action. if i might here be permitted to hazard an opinion, i should say that had we advanced upon new orleans the morning after the fight, i think there is little doubt we should have been successful; for when an irregular and undisciplined body of troops once meet with a reverse, it is difficult to bring them into action again with that steadiness and determination which they often evince in their first essay. i understood general jackson had some trouble in keeping them together after their defeat on the night of the d, and the only mode in which he could get them to form was, in planting the first who retired in line near the road, and as each successive detachment arrived from the fight, they were made to form on their left, the whole line sitting or laying down for the remainder of the night. it is easy to perceive that they would have been quite unmanageable should they have been seriously attacked, while their spirits were depressed by their recent failure, and as the works which we afterwards encountered did not then exist, at least only in part, i think they would have retired after a very slight resistance indeed. i had the information as to the manner in which they formed, from some of those who were made prisoners, and who witnessed it. all this, however, is merely the opinion of a private individual, who judged from appearances only, and it is not in the nature of things probable that i should be able to form so correct a one as those who possessed more ample information. after the arrival of the two general officers before mentioned, the army was told off into brigades as follows, viz. the st brigade, commanded by general gibbs, consisted of the th, st, and th british, and th west india regiments; the d brigade, commanded by general keane, consisted of the th, d, and th british, and st west india regiments, (observe, the west india regiments had by this time become exceedingly reduced in point of numbers from cold and hardship, which they seemed unable to bear, and very soon after almost ceased to be regiments, so many of them were sent away sick;) the artillery was commanded by colonel dickson, an excellent officer; the squadron of the th light dragoons not being able to get mounted, formed the guards at the hospitals, and at head-quarters, &c. every thing having been previously arranged on the morning of the th, we advanced in two columns, the right near the wood commanded by general gibbs, and ours on the left by the great road near the river, commanded by general keane. the enemy had all along kept possession of those farm-houses which lay at some distance in front of our picquets. they were consequently driven from these as we moved forward, which we did, i should imagine, to the distance of about three miles, their picquets retiring gradually before us. we here discovered that the enemy had thrown up a strong field-work, which extended from the river to the wood, and which consequently shut up every avenue to our farther advance, without fighting. we also found that their numbers had considerably increased, as we could perceive by the immense bodies of troops behind their works. as we pressed upon their picquets as they retired, we got a shot or two at them with our field-guns; but every thing remained quiet within their lines till we had arrived within about yards of them, when they opened out on the head of our columns as destructive a fire of artillery as i ever witnessed. one shot struck in the column of the th, which knocked down two officers and about ten men. my battalion was leading, and being partly extended skirmishing, they did not offer so fair a mark for artillery as a solid body, and consequently escaped this. the ship also, which was anchored a little in advance of their work, opened her broadside on the columns on the road at the same time. our gun and howitzer, the only two pieces we had there, endeavoured to return the fire of the ship, but without doing her much injury. when the fire was found to be so galling, the troops were moved off the road into the fields on the right, and my battalion advancing about paces farther, was ordered to lay down in a sort of ditch which was there, and to shelter themselves the best way they could. the th and d formed also more to the right, and secured themselves as well as the nature of the ground would admit. it was only intended as a reconnoissance, consequently the troops did not advance farther, as soon as the nature of their position was ascertained. it appeared to be a high dike of casks, formed as a breastwork, with a considerable quantity of artillery mounted on it, and with a sort of canal or wet ditch in front of it. of course, all this took some time to ascertain, during which they kept up an incessant cannonade, both from their works and from the ship. the latter poured in an immense quantity of large grape, which rendered the situation of those exposed to it extremely unpleasant. our two fieldpieces were very soon silenced by the superior fire of the enemy, and in an hour after our arrival at this point, there was not a man left with them but the officer, who was quite a youth, but yet stood as steady as if he had been on a common parade, although all his men were knocked down about him. i never witnessed more devoted heroism than this fine young man displayed. one shot, nearly towards the last, struck off his sergeant's head, and sent his cap spinning over a ditch, where another officer and i had taken up our post. some rockets were also tried from this point, both against the ship and the enemy's works, but those directed against the vessel flew quite wide of the mark, and totally failed. some of those fired into the works, we saw pass over the heads of the men posted in them, but whether they produced any effect we could not see. the enemy either had set fire to the houses near us before they retired from them, or they had fired heated shot with a view of producing that effect; but we had not been long here ere the whole of the houses in the neighbourhood were in one grand and terrific blaze of fire. i do not exactly know what was done on the right, for we could not see distinctly for some trees which grew in the garden of the farm in that direction, but imagine they encountered something similar to ourselves, as the play of artillery from the enemy's line in front of them was equally unceasing with that in our front. not a man showed himself out of the enemy's works. when every thing was ascertained that could be, the troops began gradually to draw off, but this was obliged to be conducted in a very cautious manner, or the loss from their fire would have been severe. the d retired first, by separate wings, afterwards the th, but ours did not leave their ground till after dark, when, i believe, some of the yankees began to advance in a rather triumphant and bullying manner, but were taught to keep at a respectful distance by a few shots well laid in among them. a party of sailors had been sent forward to bring off the two fieldpieces, there being no artillerymen left to do it, and we had no horses. they undertook and accomplished this task most cheerfully and effectually, without a man hurt i believe. the loss of my battalion on this occasion was not great. the army now took up a fresh position in which to bivouack, at about a mile and a half distance from the enemy's line, but which they could easily reach with the shot and shells of their larger pieces. the head-quarters were removed from monsieur villerey's house to a large farm or chateau behind our new lines, and which were formed in the following manner, viz.:--the th and th composed one line, with their right near the wood. the st formed on their left, but with an intervening space between them. the th and d formed one line on the left of the st, with an interval between their line and that regiment. this latter line was rather in an oblique direction, with its front towards a farm-house in advance and to the left, and where my battalion was ordered to take its station. this latter post was more exposed to the enemy's shot than any of the others; it being a good deal advanced, and being close to the river, the guns from the opposite shore ceased not firing on it, generally with hot shot. the men were put into a sugar house belonging to this chateau, the floor of which being sunk a little below the surface of the adjoining earth, protected them wonderfully; but on occasions they had their very cooking utensils knocked off the fire by the enemy's shot, in consequence of the exposed situation of this house. the acting quartermaster and myself being deemed civilians, and having no inclination to be deprived of our natural rest at night, as long as we could be allowed to obtain it, took up our abode in one of the outhouses at head-quarters, which we found unoccupied, and where our respective duties could be carried on with as much facility as if we were in the same house with the battalion, the distance between them being only about half a mile. here, also, the sick and wounded were brought, where they could enjoy more comfort than in the sugar-house, till an opportunity offered of sending them down to the shipping. to secure our front a little more, and to protect the troops against the shot from the opposite shore, a redoubt was thrown up about half a mile in front of the right, and pretty near the wood; while batteries and breastworks were constructed on the road, to fire on any vessels of the enemy which might come down the river. these latter were principally constructed of hogsheads of sugar, which were found in the sugar-houses of the different plantations in the neighbourhood. but nothing could have answered worse than they did for this purpose, the enemy's shot going quite through them, without being at all deadened almost by the resistance they offered. in front of the left also, inside the road, a breastwork was thrown up, which secured the persons of a corps of marines and sailors, who occupied that part of the line. this body was, soon after the th, landed from the fleet; and the latter, having brought small arms on shore with them, acted as a small battalion. it is evident the enemy must have worked incessantly, from our first landing, to complete the work they occupied; for, from the information i before mentioned, as given me by one of the spanish fishermen, it is clear they had only two guns, mounted on something like a battery, on the great road. but now that work extended even into the wood, a distance of at least three quarters of a mile, and at this time there could not be less than ten or twelve pieces of heavy ordnance mounted on it. we were told by the slaves who had remained in the houses, that the ditch behind which they had constructed this work was a sort of small canal, which the gentleman who owned the property used for the purpose of transporting the produce of his farm from thence into the river. from this time we could plainly perceive great numbers of men continually at work upon it, mostly blacks, of which they would, of course, have abundance; but their white people also (the army, we conclude) were constantly employed upon it. we could see distinctly that they were widening and deepening the canal in front of the work, and raising the parapet to a considerable height. it was now determined to try what our heavy ship-artillery would do against this work. accordingly, the greater part of the army were employed in bringing up these unwieldy machines, and to effect which required no slight power and perseverance, as we had no means of transport but the sheer strength of a number of men combined, to drag them successively through the deep soil. a sufficient number of them having been brought up by the st, strong working parties were employed all night in erecting two batteries, as near to the enemy's works as they could with safety venture, and getting the guns, carriages, and ammunition, &c., into them. these were formed principally of casks, &c., filled with earth; and i am not sure that some sugar hogsheads were not used on the occasion. however, at daylight on the morning of the st jan. , the whole of the troops were ordered under arms, and moved forward to nearly the same points they occupied on the th ult. this morning there was an extremely thick fog, which greatly favoured our movements, the americans being, i believe, totally ignorant that any alteration had taken place in the situation of our army. as soon as the fog cleared away, our artillery opened out a tremendous and thundering cannonade upon the enemy's line, which so completely astonished them, that there was not a shot returned for twenty minutes at least, so little did they expect heavy artillery there. nay, we heard afterwards that a great number of the irregular troops were so alarmed, that they actually quitted the lines without orders, and were posting off to new orleans, and were with great difficulty brought back again. as soon as they perceived, however, that nothing more than a cannonade was intended, and that our troops did not advance to the attack, they commenced gradually with their artillery against ours, the fire of which increasing as their confidence increased, they were not long in silencing our guns, and in dismounting some of them. the fact is, our works had been thrown up in such haste, that they were not nearly so strong as they ought to have been made, had there been more time; the consequence was, their shot penetrated into every part of our works, and caused us not only considerable loss in artillerymen, (with one officer killed,) but, as i said before, actually dismounted a great many of our guns. this consequently entirely failed of having the desired effect; but with such a very favourable opportunity as this morning's fog presented, together with the alarm and terror with which the enemy were struck on opening our artillery upon them, there is not the most distant doubt that we should have at once got possession of their lines, had we but advanced to the attack. it is true, we were not prepared for passing the ditch, having no fascines or other necessaries for that purpose; but the resistance, in my opinion, would have been so slight, that we might almost have chosen our own place to cross it; and it was not very deep at any place. the battalion of sailors were quite annoyed at being kept looking on, while so fair an opportunity, as they thought, offered, and were crying out one to another, "why don't we go on? what is keeping us back?" 'tis not to be doubted that the first effect of any new thing in warfare is always the most certain of producing success, particularly against inexperienced troops; but let them see and know the whole of the effects that such a thing is calculated to produce, and the alarm wears off, and confidence and courage return with wonderful rapidity. so it was here; the first fire of our guns struck them dumb with amazement and terror--but mark the contrast! both the latter part of this day, and on the th, at the general attack, how little they seemed to care for all the artillery we could bring against them! their gun, a -pounder, was a most bitter antagonist to our principal battery. this happened to be erected nearly in front of that part of the line where this gun was situated, and when it fired, its shot always struck the battery at the first bound, and then it ricocheted into the redoubt where i had taken up my post. general keane, with a part of his brigade, was in this latter work, and some of them narrowly escaped the effects of the numerous balls thrown from this gun. we were told the captain of the schooner, after having been deprived of his vessel, had been appointed to the charge and management of this gun, with some of his crew to work it; and indeed it seemed very like the bitter and determined manner of our former opponent, for any of the other guns seemed like children's play to the unceasing and destructive fire of this heavy piece of ordnance. i could distinctly see that they were sailors that worked it--one of whom, a large mulatto, with a red shirt, always spunging her out after firing. in what i am going to relate, i know i shall incur the risk of being deemed a _traveller_ by some of my readers, but that shall not deter me from telling what i plainly and repeatedly saw with my own eyes, assisted by a glass. at the distance of three quarters of a mile, i could distinctly perceive the ball from this gun every time it was fired, it appearing like a small black spot in the midst of the column of white smoke, and which gradually grew larger in appearance as it approached us. in many instances i was providentially the cause of saving some of the men who were in the redoubt with us, because, seeing which way the ball was coming, i told them when to lie down; and on one occasion was the shave so close, that it actually carried away one of the men's packs as he lay on the ground. another shot struck about three feet above our heads, and carried away part of a piece of timber which supported a shed just behind us. i forgot to mention, that, after the th, the americans, conceiving that the guns of the ship would be of more use if taken out and placed in batteries, this was accordingly done; the greater part of them being planted on the other side of the river, and being completely on our flank, were enabled to annoy our people considerably, who were posted near the great road. about two or three o'clock in the afternoon of the st, the army began again to retire to its bivouack, leaving covering parties to protect the batteries; and after night, the whole having formed, working parties were sent to bring off as many of the heavy guns as possible. some of these, however, they were obliged to bury in the earth, not being able to drag them away before daylight next morning. this work seemed more oppressive and fatiguing to the troops than the bringing of them up did, inasmuch as they were animated in the latter instance by the hope of their being able to effect something against the enemy through their toil and labour; but now disappointment added poignancy to their sufferings. however, although things began to assume not quite so favourable an aspect as formerly, yet every thing was borne with the greatest good-will, as they were still confident of all their laborious services being ultimately crowned with success. in all these fatiguing services, the sailors bore an ample share, and were of the very utmost benefit to the whole army, for they could readily contrive the means of moving those immense masses of metal by purchases, &c., which to a soldier would be utterly impossible. indeed, throughout the whole service, the gallant tars deserved the very highest praise, for they were equally brave as laborious and willing. all hands, both soldiers and sailors, had been up the whole of the night of the st, and now up again all night of the st. this was very trying, no doubt. if any thing like dissatisfaction was evinced, this incessant toil and want of rest in encountering it, arose more from a desire to be led on to the attack, than from any wish to be rid of their labours, however painful these were. as this attempt had failed, no other scheme now appeared to present itself, but a vigorous and well sustained attack on their line; for several efforts had been made to penetrate through the wood, to endeavour to ascertain whether it was possible to turn their position at that point, but all these efforts had failed. the last that was attempted was conducted by lieutenant wright of the engineers, but both himself and nearly all his party perished; for it seems they fell in with a body of american riflemen, who, being much better accustomed to travelling in woods than our people were, fell on them, and, as said before, nearly cut off the whole party; yet it is evident it was not utterly impassable, or the two parties could not have met. i do not recollect to what regiment the men belonged who accompanied wright, but think it probable they were altogether unacquainted with that description of service, which led them into the fatal snare in which they fell. i am confident i saw blacks, who passed and repassed by the wood, but it is certain that no attempt upon a large scale could be made in that direction to turn their position; and it was probably the better plan to abandon the idea altogether. a very excellent expedient was however devised, for the purpose of turning the right flank of the enemy; it was certainly a bold and vigorous idea, and one which, if successful, would no doubt have secured to us the victory and the possession of new orleans. this was no less than cutting a canal, in order to unite the mississippi with the lake by which we had arrived, and by getting boats out of the latter into the river, to transport a sufficient number of men to the opposite shore, for the purpose of making a diversion in aid of the principal attack on this side. nothing could exceed the grandness of the conception. accordingly, all hands were set to work to widen and deepen the rill of water which flows into the creek at the landing-place, and, continuing it up past monsieur villerey's house, to let it enter the river a little above that point. this, as may easily be conceived, was most laborious and dirty work; and, lest the health and spirits of the troops should suffer from such incessant fatigue, they were told off into four watches or spells, each of which followed the other in regular succession, so that the work never stood still. when it had reached near the house and high-road, screens were put up on the latter, to prevent the enemy on the opposite bank of the river from seeing what was carrying on; but as the blacks were passing and repassing almost continually by the wood, as i before mentioned, no doubt the americans were well acquainted with what we were doing. on the ---- general lambert arrived with the th and d regiments, to our great joy, two finer regiments not being in the service. consequently every eye now sparkled with hope, that our labours and privations would soon terminate, as every one confidently anticipated a favourable result, and seemed still inclined to despise that enemy who had shown us that we could not do so with impunity. we were glad to meet many of our old peninsular friends in these two fine corps, and of course welcomed them to the new world in the best manner we were capable of. they took up their ground a little in front of the canal which was cutting, there not being room sufficient for them in the line of our bivouack. we were now about effective troops, and all beginning to cheer up again, imagined nothing could withstand us. by the th the canal was finished, and the boats brought up into it. there was obliged to be a lock in it at the entrance from the river, for the strength of which sir edward, our chief, i understand, expressed his apprehensions, but was assured by the engineer that there was not the slightest danger. i give this merely as report. on the th the arrangements for the attack next morning having been completed, orders were issued to that effect. the arrangements were as follows, viz.--a corps consisting of the th regiment, with sailors and marines, and the th west india regiment, with four light fieldpieces, the whole under the command of colonel thornton, was to embark in boats by twelve o'clock, and to be all across the river by daylight next morning. this force would amount to about or men, and were destined to attack and carry the works on the opposite bank, getting possession of the guns without allowing them to be spiked if possible, when they were to be turned upon the right flank of the enemy's position, on this side the river, to favour our attack. it is clear, then, that this movement should precede that of the grand attack by a considerable space of time. in the grand attack the troops were to be disposed as follows, viz.--the right column, under general gibbs, was to consist of the th, st, th, and three companies of my battalion, which latter were to extend as close to the enemy's work as possible, previous to the advance of the column, and, by maintaining a constant fire, were to endeavour to keep the enemy down as much as possible. the th was to be divided; one-half of that corps was to carry fascines, &c., which they were to throw into the ditch on reaching it, in order that the remaining regiments of that column might be able to pass it. these fascines were to be had in the redoubt i before mentioned. the other wing of the th was to lead that column, followed by the st, and then the th, regiments. this was to be the principal attack. the left column, commanded by general keane, was to be composed as follows, viz.--one company of the th, one of the st, one of the d, and two of ours. the whole to be supported by the d regiment. these were to make a feint attack upon the half-moon work which the enemy had constructed near the river, and if opportunity offered, to turn it into a real attack, and penetrate the enemy's line, co-operating with the other column. our two companies were to act here in the same manner as the other three with whom they were to form a junction, thus covering the whole front of the enemy's work. some blacks of the st west india regiment were to enter the wood on the right of our right column, and to keep up as much noise as possible by firing and sounding bugles, &c. to induce a belief that a large body of troops was moving in that direction. the reserve, under general lambert, was to consist of the th and d regiments, and was to be so stationed as to be able to render aid to either of the attacking columns. strict orders were given that no obstacle was to be permitted to retard the advance of the columns, but that they were to press forward and endeavour to overcome every hinderance that might present itself. as far as i recollect, and from the information i have since gained, these were substantially the orders issued, and arrangements made, on this occasion. the commanding-officers and heads of departments were also assembled, and each told the part he had to perform; on which occasion, i understand, the commanding-officer of the th expressed himself in terms which i could scarcely conceive it possible could fall from the lips of a soldier, which were, that "it was a forlorn hope with the th." in all my campaigning i never yet heard a commanding-officer who did not look upon the post of danger as the post of honour, and who did not rejoice, as if a favour was conferred on him, when appointed to an arduous or hazardous duty. had the commanding-officer of the th served in the peninsula under our illustrious leader there, he would, i am confident, have been animated by a quite different spirit. after dark i went with my commanding-officer and adjutant to view the ground over which our battalion was to march next morning, and to find out the wooden bridges, &c. over some ditches which lay in the way, that no delay might take place when they were to be called upon to act. i was sadly disappointed at our not meeting with any other commanding-officers engaged in this most necessary duty, and at the time i expressed my apprehensions as to the result. i pointed out to him the different manner in which the business had been conducted previous to the assault of badajos, and previous to the attack on the enemy's position on the nivelle, where every commanding-officer, or others, who had any particular duty assigned to them in the next day's operations, were brought to ground from which it was clearly pointed out to them how they were to move and act; but here all seemed apathy and fatal security, arising from our too much despising our enemy. this latter, i believe, was the principal cause of our not taking the necessary precautions, and consequently of our failure; particularly the commanding-officer of the th ought to have been brought and shown where the fascines were lodged, that no excuse of ignorance on that score might be pleaded. a rocket thrown up was to be the signal for the troops to advance to the attack, after they had been properly posted under the cover of night for that purpose. i own i did not at all feel satisfied with what i had seen and heard, and retired to rest with a considerable degree of despondency on my mind; and as i knew i could render little aid to the service in a case like the present, i determined i should not take any part in it, for i almost felt confident of its failure. the whole of the troops were at their post by the time appointed; but, unfortunately, as the sailors, &c. were getting the boats out of the canal into the river, the lock gave way after only a very few had passed it. thus the whole business seemed at one blow to be totally ruined. every effort was made to remedy the evil, but it was irremediable. they toiled, however, to get more boats into the river, but the delay had been so great that it began to draw towards dawn before they had effected any thing worth mentioning. poor sir edward seemed like one bereft of his reason, for this failure had blasted all his most sanguine hopes; and as the troops were now close under the enemy's works, and could not be withdrawn before daybreak, nor without being perceived by the enemy, he thought it as dangerous to turn back as to go forward with the operation, consequently he ordered the rocket to be fired, although it was considerably past the time for the attack to take place, and no troops on the opposite shore. as soon as this was done, he galloped to the front. but the enemy had been quite prepared, and opened such a heavy fire upon the different columns, and upon our line of skirmishers, (which had been formed for some time within about or yards of the enemy's work,) as it is not easy to conceive. i was not in it as i said before, but i was so posted as to see it plainly. but the th, with the fascines, were not to be found. their commanding-officer had taken them considerably past the redoubt where the fascines were placed, and when he bethought him of what he had to do, he and his men were obliged to turn back to seek them; and thus, when he ought to have been in front to throw them into the ditch to allow the other troops to pass over, he was nearly half a mile in rear seeking for them. but i believe it would not have availed much had they been there in time, for the right column never reached the point to which it was directed; but from the dreadful fire of every kind poured into it, some of the battalions began to waver, to halt and fire, and at last one of them completely broke, and became disorganized. sir edward seeing this rushed forward with his hat in his hand, and endeavouring to animate them by his presence, he cheered them on to advance again; but at this moment he fell, after receiving two wounds, the last of which was mortal. general gibbs also fell nearly at the same time mortally wounded, and was borne off the field. thus was the right and principal column deprived of both its leaders; and although one regiment gave ground, and could not be brought again to the attack, the other continued to keep in a body, although any attempt now must be hopeless, and they were losing such numbers of men that they must shortly be annihilated. they accordingly retired without effecting any thing. the left column succeeded somewhat better; but, as things turned out, it was only to enhance their own loss. they forced their way into the circular work before mentioned, in which they made all the men who defended it prisoners. but the canal still lay between them and the main work, which was passed only by a plank; and being so few in numbers, it would have been madness in them to attempt to go beyond where they had at present stationed themselves. indeed, they were in a most critical situation; for, being within a few yards of the enemy's main body, they could not move without being shot through the head by their riflemen; and it was not till they had threatened to shoot the prisoners they had taken, that they induced the americans to desist from attacking them; for by this time general keane also had fallen severely wounded, and the d had been nearly cut to pieces; and general lambert, with the reserve, had been obliged to advance and cover the retreat of the other columns. colonel dale, who commanded the d, fell early in the action, and the command devolved on colonel creagh; this officer, being unwilling to retire his regiment without effecting the object aimed at, although the men were literally mown down by the murderous fire of the enemy, and the other column had given way, still endeavoured to advance, but was at length reluctantly compelled to retrograde, taking care to keep his men together. this showed a fine and noble feeling in him, and is equally honourable to his gallant regiment; but unfortunately it tended only to swell the list of killed and wounded on this lamentable occasion. my people were thus left to shift for themselves, and to get away in the best manner they could. but being extended, and not being so good an object for the artillery to fire at as the columns, they escaped with much less loss than could well be supposed. some few of them reached the ditch when they saw the columns advancing, and which they say could have been passed with ease; but the columns never advanced so far, which had they done, and that rapidly, their loss would not have been half so great; for the enemy's troops in front of the right column were evidently intimidated, and ceased firing for some seconds as the column approached; and there is little doubt, had they pushed on to the ditch with celerity, the americans would have abandoned their line; at least, such is my humble opinion. but the poor fellows on the left, who had gained the only work which fell into our hands on this bank of the river, were still detained there, unable either to advance or retreat; and not one durst show his head above the parapet, or he was instantly shot dead. such was their confined and critical situation at this period, that an officer of the th, whose name i forget, being himself rather tall, and wearing at this time the high narrow-topped cap, could not squeeze in sufficiently close to cover himself completely by the parapet, the top of the high cap he wore sticking above the top of the work. this part of the cap, which was visible to the americans within the line, had no less than four or five rifle-shots put through it while he lay there, but without touching his head. all this information respecting these three companies i had from lieutenant steele of the d, one of the officers who was in the work. they were obliged at last to adopt a very singular but politic expedient, which was, to make one of the american prisoners embrace a man of the d, and thus to stand up together to see what was going forward; for hitherto they were totally ignorant, from the causes above assigned. the enemy durst not fire in such a case, for fear of killing their own man. the news they now learned was most disheartening indeed, which was, that the whole of the british had retired, and that the americans were coming out of their lines, and were moving in the direction of that work. nothing now remained but to surrender, or to make an attempt to retreat, at the risk of being every man knocked down. the latter, however, they preferred; on which colonel rennie, of the st, who commanded these three companies, was the first to make the experiment, and in doing which, the moment after he left the fort, he fell to rise no more. they thought it better for them all to go at once, and instantly the whole party made a rush out of the work. the greater part of them providentially succeeded in effecting their escape, although many a brave fellow fell in the attempt. chapter xix. bravery and success of colonel thornton--negotiation for leave to transport the wounded across the river--insult offered to the british--they retreat--our army embark, and determine to make an attack upon mobile--proceed in the direction of mobile bay--a brigade detached to reduce fort boyer--the fort surrenders, the garrison becoming prisoners of war--intelligence of a treaty of peace being concluded at ghent--cessation of hostilities. it now remains to detail the operations of colonel thornton's party. it will be seen, that, although his people were all ready at the appointed hour, they could not get a sufficient number of boats to transport them to the opposite shore. in fact, they did not get on board till it was near daylight, and then only about one-half of the appointed number. but, although at the risk of sacrificing himself and the few men he took with him, he hesitated not to make the attempt of fulfilling his orders. the signal for the general attack, however, was made before he could reach the opposite bank, and he had then to land, and after making his disposition with the few troops he had, to advance and attack a corps of men, mostly covered by works, some of which were extremely strong. he dashed on, however, the advance of the enemy giving way before him, till coming to their principal battery, he was obliged to detach a part of his force through the wood on his left to turn their flank, while he with the remainder attacked in front. this was conducted in such a soldierlike manner, that, after a short conflict, the enemy gave way on all sides, and retiring with precipitation, abandoned to the victors batteries and works containing sixteen guns of various calibre. but, alas! all this success came too late; for the principal attack had by this time ended in a total failure, attended with the loss of three out of four generals, and with nearly officers and men killed, wounded, and made prisoners. had providence prospered the work of the canal, and the troops could have been got across at the appointed hour, and in sufficient numbers, there is every reason to believe that the effect produced on the main body by such a powerful diversion, would have tended to the complete overthrow of the whole force before us; for so insecure did general jackson feel himself to be after our establishment on the other bank of the river, and so alarmed at its consequences, that, in the evening of the fatal day, he would not consent to a cessation of hostilities, to enable us to bring off our numerous wounded, till general lambert (who had now succeeded to the command) agreed as a preliminary to withdraw the force under colonel thornton from that bank; and this, although with great reluctance, the general was compelled from motives of humanity and other causes to consent to. before, however, a final answer was returned to general jackson, i believe it was suggested to our general, that, with the possession of the other bank of the river, and with the th and d nearly yet entire, and with the remainders of the other regiments, our chances of success had not yet entirely departed, particularly as jackson evinced such eagerness for our withdrawing from that bank. general lambert in consequence used means to ascertain the feelings of the troops on this proposition, but without their knowledge of his having done so; but i regret to state, they seemed utterly hopeless of ever being able to overcome such formidable difficulties as had presented themselves, particularly now that their means of overcoming them had been so lamentably diminished. the idea was consequently abandoned. in this negotiation between the generals, which continued for some hours, lieutenant-colonel smith, our assistant adjutant-general, had repeatedly to pass from army to army with flags of truce, before the matter could be finally arranged. this officer was most indefatigable in his exertions on this unfortunate expedition, and to him the army is greatly indebted for his zeal, ability, and gallantry, on this and every other occasion where they could be of service to his country, and by those in authority no doubt they are duly appreciated. thus terminated the fatal attack on the lines of new orleans--a termination probably as disastrous in its consequences as any of modern date--not even excepting that of buenos ayres; for that, discreditable as it was to our arms, did not cost the lives of such a number of fine soldiers; and i fear we have not yet experienced the full consequences of this failure, for it is certain that the americans are greatly elevated by it in their own estimation, and it is not improbable they may be thence induced to maintain a higher tone in all their future negotiations with this country. one instance may be to the point, as showing the feeling of individuals of that country on this subject. a fellow in the shape of an officer asked colonel smith, (i think it was,) "well, what do you think of we yankees? don't you think we could lick any of the troops of the continent easily?"--"i don't know that," says our officer.--"why, i'll prove to you," says jonathan, "that we have shown ourselves the best troops in the world. didn't the french beat the troops of every other continental nation? didn't you beat the french in the peninsula? and haven't we beat you just now?" this of course was conclusive, and no farther argument on that subject could be advanced. the remainder of the troops retired in the evening to their sorrowful bivouack, worn out and sadly dispirited. all that night was of course devoted to bringing off the unfortunate wounded; but several of those who fell far in advance had been taken into the american lines, and, i have every reason to believe, were treated with the greatest humanity. every effort was used, during the continuance of the truce, to bring away the great numbers who lay wounded in the different parts of the field; and on this as on all other occasions, the sailors with their officers, evinced the utmost solicitude to render assistance to the army; a great number of them were employed all night on this distressing duty. during the whole of that afternoon, both while the negotiations were pending, and at other times, the american officers were unceasing in their endeavours to induce our soldiers to desert and join their army. too many, i regret to say, listened to their offers, and accepted them. to some they promised promotion, to others money or grants of land; in short, they were more like recruiting sergeants, i understand, than the officers of a hostile army. my battalion did not quit the field till after dark, and it is from some of them i have this information. a group of two sergeants and a private of ours were accosted by an american officer of artillery with a request that they would enter the service of the united states; that the sergeants should be promoted if they wished to serve, or that they should have grants of land if they preferred a civil life; but that, if they chose to enter the army, he would ensure them the rank of officers. our people listened to this harangue for some time, and then began, i regret to say, to give him some bad language; telling him, at the same time, that they would rather be privates in the british army, than officers among such a set of raggamuffins as the americans, and told him to sheer off or they would fire upon him. this so exasperated the cowardly villain, that he went off instantly into the line, they watching him all the while, and pointing the gun, of which, it seems, he had charge, it was fired, and knocked down the private, who was only wounded, however, by the shot. innumerable attempts of this nature were made both now and all the time we remained before their lines subsequently, but which attempts, i am proud to say, as far as i have been able to learn, failed in every instance in the men of my battalion. much about the same time, an american soldier came within about yards of our line, and began to plunder such of the killed or wounded men as he thought possessed of any thing valuable. he at length commenced upon a poor wounded man belonging to my battalion, which being perceived by a corporal scott of ours, he asked permission from his captain to take a shot at him. this being granted, (although a sort of truce had been established while the negotiations were going on,) he took up his rifle, and taking a steady aim, he fired, and tumbled the plundering villain right over the body of the poor wounded man. the loss of our five companies in this attack amounted to seven officers and about ---- men killed and wounded. some of the other regiments, the d in particular, had suffered dreadfully, having lost more than half their numbers. the sad ceremony of burying such of the officers whose bodies had been recovered, together with attention to the wounded, occupied several days from this period, and sending the wounded, who were able to bear removal, to the shipping, kept great numbers of the remaining men continually employed; and the attention of all was now turned towards drawing off from this scene of our late disastrous attempt. the general entered into a negotiation with jackson about being permitted to send a portion of our wounded down the river in boats; for which permission some equivalent, which i forget, was to be granted on our part, and which, after considerable discussion, was eventually agreed to. the sick, the wounded, the stores of every description, were now despatched as fast as circumstances would allow; but the effecting of this occupied not less than nine days, during the whole of which time the enemy was incessant in his attempts to harass and annoy us. all their heavy ordnance was brought to bear on our bivouack; the sugar-house our people occupied, and even the head-quarters, did not escape; night and day they kept up a fire of shot and shells upon these points; but the distance being considerable, no very great mischief resulted from it, further than the continual state of uneasiness and alarm in which it kept the troops. on one occasion, however, a shell was thrown into the lines of the d, who had since the attack occupied a part of the general bivouack, and which, falling into a hut occupied by lieutenant darcy of that regiment, while he lay asleep, carried off both his legs as it fell. poor fellow! he would thus be awakened in a rough manner indeed. i have since seen him in dublin, the government having kindly compensated him by giving him a company, and i believe two pensions. several shells were thrown into the head-quarters premises, but providentially without injuring any one. one fell in the yard while a party of troops was halted there for a short while, and which falling on one of the men's knapsacks, which he had put off, it carried it, with itself, not less than six feet deep into the earth. it did not explode. some fell on the roof, which penetrated through all the stories to the very ground. every night also the picquets were kept in a state of agitation and alarm by the continual attacks of small parties of our skulking enemy, and my battalion, as did the others also, lost considerable numbers by this petty warfare. in short, the men's lives began almost to be a burden to them. there was another source of annoyance adopted on the part of the americans on this occasion, but which, affecting only the mental, and not the bodily powers of our soldiers, was not so much heeded. every day almost they assembled in large bodies on the parapet of their line, with flags of various descriptions, some with "sailors' rights" and numerous other devices, &c. painted on them, using the most insulting gesticulations towards those who were near enough to see them, a band playing yankee doodle, and other national airs, all the while, and sometimes ironically favouring us with rule britannia. considerable numbers of our men deserted about this time. every encumbrance being removed, however, by the th, orders were issued for the march of the army on the following evening soon after dark, leaving the picquets as a rearguard, which were not to march till a short while before daylight. in retiring, some of the wounded, who were unable to bear removal, were necessarily left in the houses where they had been collected; but there were not many so left, and no doubt the enemy acted humanely by them. there were seven men of my battalion left, out of which three rejoined us after the conclusion of peace; the other four, i believe, were very badly wounded, and died in consequence. it was also necessary to abandon such of the guns as remained in the advanced batteries, because, both from their weight and their being so near the enemy, they could not be brought off without exposing our intentions of retreating. neither were these numerous, and most of them only iron ship-guns, which are of no great value. the movement commenced according to the preconcerted plan, and being conducted with secrecy and regularity, every soldier was brought off, over a country almost impassable, and where, if followed and harassed by an enterprising enemy, great numbers must have either fallen into their hands or perished in the swamp. but i believe, had the americans even been aware of our intention, they would have hesitated before they came into collision with our highly exasperated army, and would scarcely have dared to attack us in the open field: they had had enough of that work on the d, to give them a specimen of what british soldiers could do when met fairly, front to front. the marsh, it may be necessary to mention, extended from the lower skirt of the wood to the fishermen's huts at the mouth of the creek. this creek we had sailed up on our advance, but this could not possibly be the case at present, both on account of our numbers being much too great for the number of boats, and of the danger to which it would have exposed the troops had they been attacked from the shore, but principally on the former account; a sort of road had therefore been constructed by our artificers, by cutting down boughs from the wood, and laying them across such places as required something on the surface on which to tread. this road extended, as nigh as i can judge, about eight or ten miles, and in passing which numerous slips were made into the sloughs on each side; but there being plenty of assistance generally at hand, they helped each other out: some men, i understand, were lost, however, in this night-march through the swamp. having arrived at the huts before-mentioned, the whole army set about forming such places of shelter as the desert swamp afforded. there were certainly reeds in abundance, but we wanted some sort of timbers for the support of the outward covering. we, however, did the best we could; and now every exertion was made by the navy to bring the army off from this most uncomfortable place of abode, and regiment after regiment were despatched as fast as the boats and other small craft could go and return, the distance from hence to the shipping being about seventy miles. while we remained here, we who were fond of shooting found plenty of wild-ducks on which to exercise our sporting abilities; but, alas! we wanted shot, and were therefore seldom able to bring home a couple for dinner. a considerable number of slaves, belonging to the estates where we had lately been stationed, followed us down thus far, some of whom would not return, but were afterwards sent on board of ship. these, male and female, often amused us with their native dances, the men generally having a number of rings or bells about them, which sounded as they kept time to the tune. some of their dances were, however, far from decent, particularly on the part of the females, which, it may be supposed, highly delighted some of our young and thoughtless countrymen. some were induced to return to their masters: for those who came on board of ship, i believe it was not till very lately that the two governments came to terms as to the remuneration which their owners claimed for them. at length the turn came for my battalion to go on board, which we did on the th of january, when our whole five companies were put on board the dover, the ship that had brought out two companies of the battalion, and which were then not much fewer in number than the five at present were; in fact, we had lost more than half. the whole army did not get embarked till ----, when the th fusileers came on board. this regiment had been necessarily left alone at the fishermen's huts till the boats could return, as before stated, to bring them off, and yet even this single battalion the enemy, with upwards of , men, dared not come down and attack, although there were no works to protect it in this exposed situation. nothing could possibly demonstrate more fully and clearly, that, notwithstanding the repulse they had unfortunately given our troops, they dreaded them in the open country; or else it must be attributed to the prudent sagacity of their leader, who, having gained a victory which he had previously scarce dared to hope for, now wisely resolved not to risk the tarnishing of his dear-bought laurels. it is not an easy matter to reconcile this cautious and timid conduct with their furious onset on the night of the d, and with their boasting speeches after our failure on the th instant. now, while we remain at rest for a short while on board of ship, let us take a retrospective glance at the late events. it is certain we were singularly unfortunate. providence, which had smiled upon us in our late operations against the most formidable army in the world, the french, here taught us most painfully, that the victory is not always to be gained by strength or courage. indeed it was but a just punishment for the contempt we entertained for our opponents, and which unfortunate feeling, i believe, was almost universal. i own i entertained it in a high degree; for i judged it next to a moral impossibility that an army of undisciplined and unmanageable peasants, however numerous, could for a moment withstand the attack of those troops who had overthrown the victorious legions of bonaparte. but every soldier was a patriot, and they fought for their country, and for a country of all others most suitable for the operations of such troops; full of fastnesses, composed of creeks, and necks, and woods, &c. of all which they did not fail to take the utmost advantage. for this work of theirs, constructed on a spot of ground said to have been pointed out by general moreau, completely shut us out from all approach towards the town, and compensated for every disadvantage under which they, as irregulars, laboured; for it was not only a formidable barrier to our army, but it gave them, by the protection it afforded their persons, all the steadiness of troops inured to combat, and permitted them the full exercise of that superior skill as marksmen for which they are famed, and which exposure in the open field would have deprived them of; for here they were covered up to the chin, and suffered comparatively nothing from all our fire. but i fear we have something for which to blame ourselves on this occasion. it is certain, i believe, that they had been timely apprized of the destination of our expedition, however secret we pretended to keep it ourselves, and if rumour may in such a case be permitted to go for any thing, it is said that information was conveyed from jamaica to new orleans direct by a french ship, which left the former for the latter place some time before our arrival. how she came into the possession of that information, i cannot justly tell. it is certain, however, that the americans must have had timely notice, or general jackson could not have had the men from kentucky and tennessee to oppose us the first night we landed. i before hazarded an opinion, that had we pushed forward on the th december, we should in all probability have proved successful. i will say nothing as to the point of debarkation being well or ill chosen, although many have said we should have been more likely to succeed had we attacked fort ----, which, after carrying, would have allowed us to land behind the town, instead of three leagues below it. these things i am totally incapable of judging of, from my ignorance of the country. i also before expressed my opinion, that had we attacked on new year's day, when our artillery produced such an effect on the appalled americans, we should have had a better chance of carrying their works. another thing in which i venture to differ from the plan adopted by our lamented commander, is, that i would have employed the th and d to the post of honour, instead of keeping them in reserve. they, it was well known, had each established a reputation for being the finest regiments in the service, and every reliance might have been placed in their executing whatever task was assigned them, if executable by human powers. far different was it with those who unfortunately led the attack, for except one of the regiments of the attacking column, they had not any of them been conspicuous as fighting regiments. it was, i believe, a well known maxim of bonaparte's, always to put his best troops in front; if they were successful, their example served to stimulate the others to copy their example; if unsuccessful, their discipline and valour never permitted them to become so totally disorganized as to render the reverse irretrievable. the onset also of these better troops, must produce a far different effect on the enemy than the hesitating and dispirited attack of inferior ones. had our troops on this occasion rushed forward to the ditch in double quick time, or at least at a quick march, i venture to affirm the work would have been carried with the fourth part of the loss of what they suffered. reason itself must point out to any man, whether acquainted with military matters or not, that to move slowly under a galling fire is more trying and destructive to the troops so moving, than to rush at once to the point aimed at; but much more, to halt at the very point where every fire-arm can be brought to bear upon them with the deadliest effect, is of all other modes of proceeding the least likely to succeed. they were thus exposed for hours to as destructive a fire as ever was poured upon the heads of an attacking army, while, had they pushed on at the rate i mention, a few minutes would have sufficed to put them from under the fire of the artillery at least, for when close to the ditch, it could not be brought to bear upon them. mark the mode in which the three companies on the left effected the task assigned to them. before the enemy were aware almost that they were to be attacked, these troops were in possession of the work they were destined to storm; so quickly indeed that the defenders of that work had not time to effect their retreat, and were, as before noticed, made prisoners by the attacking party. this not only secured their safety while left there by themselves, but enabled them, in some degree, to effect their retreat with less loss than they would otherwise have been exposed to. i have dwelt perhaps too long on this, but of all other causes i deem this to have been the greatest of our sad failure. it is lamentable, however, to be obliged to confess, that ill conduct on the part of some parties, but of one individual in particular, contributed in no small degree to our repulse on this melancholy occasion. for the rest, nothing could exceed the determined courage and patient endurance of hardship that the army in general evinced, and certainly nothing could exceed the gallantry of our leaders. it was now determined to make an attempt upon mobile, a town lying about thirty or forty leagues to the eastward of new orleans. accordingly, the fleet got under weigh and proceeded in the direction of the entrance into mobile bay, which is protected on the west side by shoals and isle dauphine, and on the east by a fort, built on a point of land called mobile point, and mounting about twenty pieces of heavy ordnance. its name is fort boyer, i believe. before our arrival in this country, an attempt had been made on this fort by one of our frigates, but which entirely failed, owing to her taking the ground on the shoals before mentioned. as she could not be got off, and as she lay under the fire of the fort, her crew were compelled to abandon her, but, i believe, not till they had first set her on fire; her wreck lay here when we came. until this fort was taken, no vessel of any size could enter the bay, consequently it became necessary to attack it in form. the brigade formerly general gibbs's, consisting of the th, st, and th, was therefore landed a little behind the point, and proceeded without delay to invest it; the remainder of the troops were landed on isle dauphine. we were put on shore on the th february, and instantly commenced hutting ourselves by brigades. some of the officers had tents issued out to them; the acting quartermaster and myself had one between us. this island is almost covered with pine-wood, but in other respects it is nearly a desert, and without any inhabitants resident on it, save one family, a mr rooney, formerly from belfast i understand, but now a naturalized american. he was married to a native of louisiana, a lady of french extraction. he had been a midshipman in the american navy, but had been dismissed for some misconduct, it was said, and banished to this island. he appeared to us to be no great things. i omitted to mention that the th regiment had arrived from england before we left the banks of the mississippi, but it being after the failure they were of no use, and were consequently not permitted to land. they were afterwards placed in our brigade, which now bivouacked near to the point of the island facing the bay. when we arrived, the island contained a considerable number of cattle, with pigs, &c. belonging to rooney, but which had been permitted, as is customary in this country, to run wild in the woods, there being no danger of their leaving the island. these, however, soon fell a prey to such hungry fellows as we were, who had been for some time past on rather short commons. but they did not answer our expectations, being in taste, what may appear singular, quite fishy. this was attributed to their feeding so much on marine vegetables, there being little other pasture for them on the island. a hoax was played off upon great numbers of our young hands respecting this fishiness. there was on one point of the island a considerable oyster-bed, and it was generally pretty near this that the cattle were found and shot, that being the most distant from our bivouack. it was therefore said the flesh of the cattle became of that peculiar flavour from feeding upon oysters. some, without reflecting, credited this strange story, as the assertor generally said he had seen the cattle opening the oysters with their tongues. this oyster-bed, however, was a source of great luxury to us, for it not only afforded us the means of rendering the salt junk more palatable by having an excellent sauce to make it go down, but it even afforded a most wholesome and delicious meal upon occasions by eating them raw. we also made the best use of our time when not employed on military affairs, in endeavouring to catch as many fish as we could; and for this purpose, my mess purchased from one of the poor spanish fishermen before mentioned (and who, for the information and kindness they had shown us, were obliged to quit their habitations and follow us), an excellent casting-net, with which the acting quartermaster and myself occupied ourselves from day to day, generally bringing home a sufficient quantity of fish to serve our mess. i never laboured more assiduously in any occupation than i did in this, not only from a relish for such amusement, but because we really wanted something to eke out our scanty meals. we at length got a siene-net from one of the men-of-war, with which we were not only able to supply ourselves most abundantly, but always had a large quantity to give away to the soldiers. wild-fowl also were very plentiful when we first entered the island; but from the number killed, and the constant shooting at them, they soon became scarce and difficult to get at. here also there were abundance of alligators, and on our fishing and shooting excursions we frequently started them from their lurking-places, which were generally among the reeds by the side of an inland lake, or rather creek of the sea. on these occasions we seldom saw them, for they always endeavoured to avoid us; but wherever they ran along the bottom of the water, they stirred up the mud so greatly all the track they took, that we had no difficulty in tracing them. i never remember to have seen a live one on these occasions, but a dead one once afforded us considerable amusement. one evening, on our return home from our constant occupation, there being three or four of us of the party, i was in front, and the acting quartermaster and the others in the rear of me. on a sudden i was alarmed by the cry of "oh stop, here's an alligator!" and before i could look round, a shot was fired apparently into the earth, close beside their feet. i went back to see what was the matter, and found indeed, as he had said, an alligator, but one which i suppose had been dead for several months at least. it was buried in the sand, and only a part of its body appeared; but whether he imagined it might have placed itself in that situation intentionally, with the view of enticing its prey within its reach, or what other thought he had, i cannot tell, but, to make assurance doubly sure, he fired his rifle right into the body of the half-rotten alligator. he was long and often severely roasted about this afterwards. a young one was caught alive, however, by some of the th dragoons, and brought home to england, and afterwards, i understand, presented to the british museum. all this while the siege of the fort was going forward, but as we had nothing to do with it, we had plenty of time, not only to hunt for extra prog, but to amuse ourselves in any other manner we pleased. the army, about this time, was inspected by our chief, general lambert, by battalions. my kind late commanding-officer, captain travers, who was severely wounded at the attack on the th, had rejoined by this time, although still very lame. during the inspection, the general said to him, "travers, i am sorry to hear that your sergeant-major ran away on the night of the d, during the attack."--"that is impossible, general," said travers, "for he fought as bravely as any man could possibly do, and was carried off the field near the end of the fight, severely wounded. but i have a guess what has given rise to this report. a sergeant of ours left his battalion, i believe, either during or after the fight, and having taken up his quarters near one of the houses where the wounded were carried, the surgeon pressed him to remain with him as hospital-sergeant. i made efforts to have him sent to his battalion, but could not get it done. this must have been the cause of such a story having got abroad."--"ah," says the general, "i am sorry that the poor sergeant-major should have lain under a stigma, of which he was altogether undeserving; and, now since we have done him an involuntary injustice, and he is a deserving man, we must try what amends we can make him for it." he accordingly recommended him for an ensigncy in one of the west india regiments; and before that day twelvemonth, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant. nothing could be finer than the feeling of sir john lambert on this occasion; indeed, he has always shown himself a most excellent upright man, and a gallant officer. about this time, a russian vessel was detained going up to new orleans with a cargo of wine from bordeaux; but although she would, i doubt not, have been a legal capture, for breaking the blockade, the master was permitted to dispose of his cargo to our army, and an excellent thing he made of it, for the wine, which he must have purchased for about one shilling or one and sixpence a bottle, he charged us in general about four shillings for; we were glad, however, to get it at any price, and a most seasonable supply it was indeed. on one of our shooting excursions, an officer of ours fell in with a sow and two or three pigs, in the wood; he instantly fired at one of the pigs and killed it; but when going to pick it up, the sow set upon him with such fury, that he was glad to abandon his prize, and retreat with precipitation. when the army landed near new orleans, the th light dragoons had taken their saddles and other horse equipments with them, in hopes of being able to get mounted in the country; and which, being bulky, required a good large boat to bring off again. they were therefore put on board a considerable-sized one, with an officer of the regiment and a guard to protect them. on their way down towards the shipping, night overtook them before they could reach their destination, on which they pushed towards the shore, whether of an island or the mainland, i cannot say, in hopes of being more secure for the night; they consequently put on a sentry, and all lay down in the boat to sleep. soon afterwards, however, a boat came rowing rapidly alongside, and before the sentry could discover who or what they were, they boarded, and instantly made the party all prisoners. the officer, i believe, when called on to deliver up his sword, was so annoyed at being trapped in such a manner, that he threw it into the lake, as far as he could fling it. the american officer who captured them was a lieutenant in their navy, and went by the name of commodore shiel (for every fellow is a commodore who commands even a few boats). he was so elated by his success on this occasion, and, i believe, by having taken another boat with stores, that he boasted to his prisoners, that he would take even admiral cochrane himself yet, before he left the country. while we remained on isle dauphine, a commissary, with a sergeant and party of our men, were sent on shore, on the mainland, to shoot bullocks for the supply of the army. they had landed, and the commissary, with the sergeant and i think two men, went off into the neighbouring wood, leaving the two or three other men at the landing-place to protect the boat. here again mr shiel made his appearance, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, having come round a jutting point before the men were aware of his presence; he instantly, of course, made them prisoners, and, taking their arms from them, he put them on board their own boat, then, sending a part of his crew on board to manage it, despatched it for the american harbour. he now with a few more of his people went in search of the commissary and his party, whom he soon found; and they seeing resistance would be vain, when their own boat was departed, were compelled at once to surrender. he instantly put them into his own boat; and taking the commissary into the after-sheets alongside of himself, the sergeant and the other men were put forward to the head of the boat. whether any preconcerted scheme and signal had been agreed upon between the commissary and the sergeant, i do not know, but an opportunity soon after offering, the commissary gave the sergeant the wink, and instantly seizing mr shiel by the thighs, pitched him right overboard in an instant; the sergeant, at the same moment, seizing the stoutest of shiel's men, and serving him in a like manner. the others being attacked by the remaining two men, at once surrendered, and, i believe, suffered themselves to be bound; and our people, having now resumed their arms and become masters of the boat, admitted mr shiel, who, i fancy, had clung to the boat to prevent his drowning, to come once more on board. what became of the other man who was thrown over, i know not; whether he swam on shore, or was drowned, or was afterwards taken into the boat, i cannot tell; but the result was, that the great, the boasting commodore shiel, was brought to the island a prisoner, where he landed like a drowned rat, and quite chopfallen. the commissary, who was a fine, stout, and gallant young fellow, spoke highly in praise of tom fukes, our sergeant, for his bravery and good management on the occasion. at length the works being all completed for battering the fort, colonel smith was sent in with a flag of truce to demand its surrender. the commandant was quite undecided how to act, and asked the colonel what he, as a man of honour, would advise him to do. "why," says the colonel, "do you not see that our guns are now overlooking your whole work, and that we could, in a very short time, knock it down about your ears? i have no hesitation in telling you, that the rules of war will fully justify you in surrendering to such a superior force, and when the siege has advanced to such a point as it actually is." his arguments, together with the truth of his statements, at length overcame the courage and determination of jonathan, and he instantly agreed to surrender, the garrison, afterwards becoming prisoners of war, marching out and laying down their arms on the glacis. thus, on the th february, this important fortification fell into our hands, together with men of the d regiment of the united states, and either one or two american colours. this obstacle removed, every exertion was now made to advance up the lake to the attack of mobile; but on the th, a vessel arrived with the unexpected, but cheering information, that peace had been concluded at ghent between the two nations, and that it only required the ratification of mr maddison, the united states' president. of course, all further operations of a warlike nature were suspended for the present, till it was known whether the treaty would be ratified or not. this ship also brought out the notification of our two generals, lambert and keane, being appointed knights of the bath. some of our colonels also were included in the list, viz. blakeny of the the th, and dickson of the royal artillery. and now nothing was thought of but amusement, and making ourselves as comfortable as possible. but we began to get very short of provisions. our people were therefore obliged to send to the havannah, where they procured the strongest sort of beef i ever saw. it was not salted; but after the cattle had been killed, all the thin belly part had been cut round the whole bullock, in narrow stripes, of about two inches in width; this being laid, or hung up in the sun, which is extremely powerful in that country, it was dried without having the least offensive taste or smell, farther than a little rancidity, which was not by any means unpleasant; but when brought from on board, it had much more the appearance of coils of ropes (for it was coiled up in a similar manner) than provision for the use of man. an aide-de-camp of general lambert's, then lieutenant, but now major d'este, son of his royal highness the duke of sussex by lady augusta murray, used frequently to join the shooting party of our acting quartermaster and myself; and, on one occasion, having obtained a canoe, a trip to the mainland was projected, for the purpose of shooting; accordingly we took two or three men with us, and started from the northernmost point of the island, that being the nearest to the main, which we saw before us, and not more than five or six miles distant. it was considered the best mode of proceeding for us all to get into the boat, except one man, who was a famous wader, (having often accompanied us in our expeditions around the island,) and who was to wade as far out into the sea as he could, dragging the canoe after him. this he could do very easily, for she was quite light, and the water was exceeding shallow for a great distance into the sea. he continued towing us in this manner for about half a mile, when, being fairly up to his chin, he and we thought it was high time for him to come on board; but, in doing this, he gave her such a cant as turned her right over, and pitched us all into the water. i luckily had my eye upon the man when he sprung to get into the canoe, and suspecting that she could not bear so rough a pull, was ready; and accordingly, when i saw her going, leaped out, without being plunged overhead, as all the others were. but all our rifles, &c. were pitched out, and of course sunk to the bottom, to which we were obliged to dive before we could get them up. this accident put a stop to our excursion, and we waded out again, looking extremely foolish. nevertheless we ought to have been truly thankful to providence that it occurred before we got out of our depth; for, with such a frail bark, it is more than probable some accident would have happened before our return, had not this prevented our further progress. innumerable were our adventures of this nature, for the water was delightfully warm, and having no military occupation at the time, we could not find any better amusement. a party, indeed, suggested the getting up of theatricals, which being approved on all hands, workmen were instantly set about erecting the theatre-royal, isle dauphine. this, of course, with the getting off of parts, occupied the managers and the other performers for some time; but at length all being ready, most excellent entertainments took place, following each other in quick succession. at some of these parties, american officers, who now often paid us visits, were highly entertained, and paid us high compliments, not only as to the splendour and magnificence of our theatrical representations, but to our ingenuity as displayed in hut-building, which, they said, even surpassed the architectural abilities of the indians in that branch of the art,--a high compliment indeed! chapter xx. ratification of the treaty of peace--exchange of prisoners--our troops embark for england--when off the coast of ireland, receive intelligence of bonaparte's escape from elba--the author and his battalion reach the downs, and proceed to thorncliffe--embark for france--arrive at paris, and occupy the champs elysées--review of the russian guards--russian discipline--british troops reviewed--accident to prince blucher--amusements in paris--the allied forces, except the army of occupation, leave paris--the author's battalion embark for england--reach dover, and return to thorncliffe--he obtains leave of absence, and visits his family--his battalion ordered to ireland--sets out to join it, accompanied by his wife, who dies three days after they reach dublin--his battalion reduced--joins the first battalion at gosport, which is ordered to scotland--arrive at leith, and march to glasgow--the author returns home in ill health--his father dies--joins his battalion again--winters at home--his battalion ordered to ireland--joins it at belfast--they occupy different stations during the whiteboy insurrection--six companies of his battalion ordered to nova scotia, but the author remains with the other four companies--he is shortly ordered to proceed to nova scotia--his health declines--returns home in consequence, takes advantage of lord palmerston's bill, and retires on full pay. on the th march, the ratification of the treaty of peace, by mr maddison, arrived; and now all our thoughts were turned towards our dear native country. on the th also, all our poor fellows, who had been made prisoners by the americans, joined us at this island, an exchange in consequence of peace having of course taken place. many of these were strange-looking figures when they came among us, most of them having been stripped of great part of their uniforms, their caps particularly, and wearing mocassins, a sort of indian sandals, instead of shoes or boots, and being so sunburnt as to be scarcely recognisable. major mitchell told us that general jackson had treated him exceeding harshly, because he did not choose to give the general such information respecting our numbers, &c. as he wished. he also said he met with great insolence on his way up to natchez, where the prisoners were kept, from the different parties of kentucky men, and others, whom he met on their way down "to take a shoot," as they termed it, "at his countrymen." he met many thousands in this manner, so that or , is the very lowest number that jackson could have had for the defence of his lines. i do not remember that we ever had divine service performed during the period of this expedition except once or twice, and that about this time. indeed the activity required of the army at all times, during the continuance of hostilities, almost necessarily precluded it. at this time i remember perfectly the preacher's text was, "my son, give me thy heart." alas! how few of the hearts of his hearers were given at that time to him who only had a right to demand them! i confess with shame and sorrow, that almost any trifle, however unworthy, possessed a greater interest in my heart than he who had formed it, and who alone is worthy of supreme regard.--the good lord pardon this neglect, for christ's sake! the regiments now began to go on board the different ships, as fast as arrangements could be made to receive them; and when on board, they sailed at once without waiting for the others, there being now no danger of falling in with an enemy. the weather now began to grow exceedingly warm, which brought out alligators and snakes in abundance. the latter were extremely annoying, for they sometimes got into our very tents, and one on one occasion so frightened a captain of ours (who was not afraid of man) as to make him sprawl up the tent-pole to get out of its reach, roaring out at the same time most lustily for help. it was killed and put into a bottle of spirits, and i believe he brought it home. it was an exceeding small one, but with the most beautiful crimson, or rather pink-coloured wavy streak running down its back imaginable. we were told it was one of the most venomous of all the american reptiles, save probably the rattlesnake. the thunder and lightning also became very frequent, and the former, i think, the most awfully grand i ever heard. it appeared to roll along just on the very tops of the pine-trees, many of which indeed were scathed to the very roots by the latter. on the st march our turn came to go on board, and we were rejoiced to find that the dover, our old friend was to be our principal ship, the remainder of the men beyond what she could hold being sent on board the norfolk transport. while we were preparing for sea, i took a boat and a party with a siene, and went on shore on a sandy point of the island, where i had not been before, and in a short time caught a fine load of fish, mostly grey mullet, with which we returned on board, greatly to the satisfaction of all those who shared in them. every thing being now ready, we weighed and bid adieu to america on the th april, shaping our course for the havannah, where our captain intended to call for various purposes, but principally to replenish his stock, which had begun to get exceedingly low. on our passage thither we encountered a heavy gale, which detained us longer than we had calculated for our voyage. we did not reach that place till the th. here we found ourselves once more in espana, every thing here being exactly like what you meet with in the mother country,--the same stink of oil, garlic, and dried fish. speaking of the latter, which is called by them bacalao, an officer of ours who kept a journal, when describing this place, says, "the natives catch a great quantity of fish on the coast, called bacalao." unfortunately it is not called bacalao till after it is dried, but piscado. this brought, as it might be expected, lots of laughter upon his head. i need not describe the havannah, because any one who has a gazetteer, may there read an account of it; and which, though perhaps not altogether a correct one, will be sufficient to give him an idea of what it is; suffice it to say, it is an exceeding strong place, and would not, i apprehend, be so easily taken, if the inhabitants are true to their country, as it was in the year . the capture of it at the time above stated, made the place extremely interesting to me, for one of my earliest and best friends served as a lieutenant in the th grenadiers at the taking of it; and often have i heard him expatiate, with great delight and animation, on the scenes he witnessed, and the dangers he encountered, in this most arduous undertaking. he is now, poor man, no more, having died only very lately, and i sincerely trust and hope he is in peace. the moro and the punta, and all the other immense fortifications, attracted my particular regard, on this old gentleman's account; but so extremely jealous were the spaniards, that they would not permit even us, their late faithful helpers and friends, to view the works. we visited the theatre, which is a fine building, but heavy and badly lighted, but apparently well supplied with performers. the piece on this occasion was anthony and cleopatra. there were also some equestrian performers here from the united states. they had built a fine circus, at about half a mile's distance from the city, to which every one of course repaired. all the world was there; even little connolly, whom i had known at cadiz as a major in the spanish service, was here in the command of a regiment, and had attained the rank of full colonel. he did not seem over anxious to recognise any of his former acquaintances, nor even to let it be known that he was so much of a briton as to have acquaintance with any people of that country; in short, he wished to be considered a complete spaniard. i doubt not he is now a rank apostolical. we paid a visit also to old woodville, the famous cigar-maker. he was an expatriated englishman, from portsmouth i believe, obliged to flee his country on account of some smuggling transaction, and, in doing this, he had changed his name. we found the old man ill in bed, but able to sit up and speak with us. he wore an immense long white beard, reaching down nearly to the bed as he sat up. yet this old man had a young black wife, and a whole fry of young mulattoes running about the house like as many little pigs. he was very kind, but apparently not over well to do. we bought each a considerable quantity of his famed cigars, for which we paid him, i think, four dollars a thousand--more, i apprehend, than he usually gets from the spaniards for them. having laid in such sea stock as we could conveniently procure, and having stored ourselves well with the delicious preserves of this country, and withal bought a fine turtle, weighing about two cwt., on the th we set sail for old and happy england, glad once more to set our faces homeward. we had a quickish run through the gulf of florida, or, as it is more properly called, the bahama channel, and, keeping to the northward of bermuda, shaped our course so that we passed a little to the south of the great newfoundland bank. from hence the wind was roughish generally, but quite fair, so that we frequently ran at the rate of miles in the twenty-four hours, the transport being an excellent sailer. nothing particular occurred till we were within a few days' sail of ireland, when we fell in with an american who had just left england. from him we learned the totally unlooked-for information, that bonaparte had made his escape from elba, and had returned to france, and that the whole continent was once more involved in war. nothing could exceed the change which this unexpected news produced among our people. some who were desponding at the gloomy prospect of half-pay, revived in a moment, and again set honour, glory, and promotion, once more before the eyes of their imagination. indeed, i think no one seemed sorry at the change; but some probably would have preferred a short repose, before they were called upon again to leave that home which they had painted to themselves so comfortable and happy. on the ---- we arrived at plymouth, where the good folks received us with great cordiality; but the news from flanders now engrossed all attention, and our unfortunate business seemed forgotten. it was as well perhaps that it was so, for we had no victory to boast; and with the world it is but too often the case, that a want of good fortune is almost tantamount to a want of good conduct. we were ordered on to portsmouth, which we reached in two days; and from thence proceeded still onwards to the downs. our arrival was telegraphed to london, from whence, after some communication by post also with the commander-in-chief, we were ordered to disembark, which we did on the d june. the cause of this being ordered, and of our not proceeding direct to flanders, was, that we were extremely ill off for equipment, nearly one-fourth of our men being without arms or appointments, all those who had been prisoners, and many of those who had been severely wounded, having been deprived of them. in some respects the order for our landing was unfortunate, as far as regards the honours of that great and crowning victory of waterloo, in which we consequently had no share; and, on the other hand, as far as regards my own public accounts, at least it was fortunate for me, for i was thus enabled to have them prepared, and forwarded to the war office, and finally settled without loss of time, which i could not have done had we left england again immediately. we were ordered from deal to thorncliffe, our old quarters, where we found three companies of my battalion, and five or six of the other two. all our old friends were of course glad to see us; and, under such circumstances, the meeting of those between whom friendship has long subsisted, is in a great measure a compensation for the toil and sufferings of a soldier's life. we continued at thorncliffe for some time, but busily preparing once more to take the field; and had bonaparte not been so precipitate in his movements, we might have shared in the glory of his final overthrow. i was compelled to go to london while we remained here, for the purpose of settling a variety of accounts, &c., and while there was persuaded to appear before the medical board, for the purpose of obtaining a certificate as to the nature of my wound, on which to found a claim for a year's pay, the amount at this time given to all whom that board recommended as fit subjects for this bounty. i had omitted doing so when in london before, because i thought no one had any claim for it, except such as had suffered most materially in health in consequence of their wounds. however, at the suggestion of my friends i did appear before the board, who considered my wound of such severity as to entitle me to that bounty; and i accordingly soon after received the sum of l. , s. d., the amount of one year's pay. i have reason to be thankful both to the government and to my friends for this unlooked-for augmentation of my funds, and trust i did not make an ill use of it. but at length the news of the memorable battle of waterloo arrived, and we had no share in it. i know not whether i shall be believed, but i think there were few of my companions in the late expedition but felt somewhat disappointed, and rather vexed, that this decisive action should have taken place so early, and almost wished that the government had despatched us even as we were on our first arrival in england; for really, as it turned out, it was most unfortunate to those of my friends, who had been undergoing probably as severe and hazardous a service as any our army had lately been engaged in, and that all that should be looked upon as almost worse than nothing, while some young fellows, who had never before seen an enemy, should be covered with the honours and distinctions which were so amply lavished on them, merely because they had the good fortune to share in that brilliant and decisive victory. but regret is vain and unprofitable, and a soldier must make up his mind to meet with bad as well as good fortune, or he will only render his life the more miserable. on the th of july we embarked at dover, and on the th landed at ostend; but we were entering only on a barren service, the honours having been all acquired previous to our arrival. we moved forward by the way of bruges, ghent, oudenarde, and mons, and then through bavay and chatelet to peronne; from peronne through roye, pont lant, maxence, and louvre, to paris. here we were posted to the brigade in which our other two companies were stationed, and occupied the champs elysées as our camp. certainly the sights we witnessed in this far-famed capital amply repaid us for our trip to france, however devoid of military glory that might be. it will not be expected that i should enter into a detail of all the lions which this splendid city contains, and which have attracted the curiosity of nearly half the gentry of this country. suffice it to say, we saw the palaces of the tuilleries, st cloud, luxemburg, and versailles, with all the splendour they contain--the churches of notre dame and the pantheon--the hospital of invalids--the garden of plants--the hotel de ville--the palais royal, and the far-famed louvre. in this latter, a person might at that time spend a twelvemonth, without exhausting the curiosities and beauties it contained; but, during our stay here, we witnessed its divestment of nearly all its most valued specimens of art, to the great regret, grief, and annoyance of those who had ransacked almost all nations to decorate this splendid gallery. this was undertaken and executed by our illustrious chief, in the name and on the behalf of this our generous nation. he dealt out with a just and impartial hand, to all who had claims upon this magnificent collection, the specimens of art which had formerly adorned their national churches and palaces, without one painting or one statue of the meanest description being reserved for himself, who had been mainly instrumental in this restoration, or for the nation which he represented. we saw also the triumphal arch of bonaparte, in the place de carousel, stripped of its four matchless venetian horses. the stately pillar in the place vendome was also deprived of the effigy of him who erected it. in short, every thing was done by the bourbons at this period, sanctioned by the allies, to obliterate even the very remembrance of such a character as bonaparte. we visited also the splendid manufactory of china at sevres--the national museum of antiquities--the royal library, and the theatre français, to witness talma's performance of hamlet, with various other places of curiosity, too tedious to notice here; and, finally, the catacombs, the repository of millions of human bones. here it is where man is taught to remember what he is--a worm--a shadow that departeth--even a vapour, which appeareth for a moment, and then passeth away for ever. oh, how does all human greatness dwindle into nothing, while you stand viewing these silent memorials of our frailty! the myriads of generations that have passed away, multitudes of whose bones are collected in this vast, dark cavern! now how noiseless those who perhaps once shook the world with alarms! i love to meditate on this sad scene, which, if duly considered, teaches the soundest wisdom. how apt are we to be allured by the gay fantastic follies of an hour, to forget that we must soon, so very soon, take up our abode in the dark and silent tomb! oh! to be ready, when called upon, to descend into the house appointed for all living! but though these meditations may be pleasing to myself, they may not be so to my reader. i will therefore leave this dark, deep, and capacious charnel-house, and once more ascend with him to the light of the sun. we had not remained long in paris, till there was a grand review of the emperor of russia's guards, and which took place in the place of louis xv., immediately in front of the tuilleries. nothing could exceed the uniformity and the steadiness of these northern warriors. there were troops of all armies amongst them; the cossacks, the hussars, the artillery, the grenadiers, and the regular infantry, all vied with each other in their endeavours to please their beloved czar. here were all the great ones of the earth assembled to witness this imposing spectacle; exhibited, no doubt, as much as any thing, for the purpose of showing the french the power of those who now held them in subjection. but that arbitrary power which is so intolerable to the ideas of an englishman, was here exhibited in all its native deformity. a colonel of one of the regiments, whose movements did not please the emperor, was, without the least ceremony, taken from the head of his regiment, and rammed into a common guard-house, where an english officer was on duty. he hesitated to receive him, until assured that such was the custom in the russian service, and that it was the emperor's orders. my battalion was soon after removed from the brigade it was originally posted to, and joined another, stationed on montmartre. here the adjutant and myself were quartered on a proprietor of the pits out of which the famous plaster of paris is dug. these pits are situated on the side of this hill, facing the city. from hence i often took a fishing, or a shooting, or a coursing excursion. the first was generally confined to the canal del ourq, in which i found pike, perch, and tench. i never was very successful, however, both from the vast numbers of fishermen which frequented this water, and from the scarcity of fish. partridges and hares were abundant in the neighbourhood of paris, but we had not a good dog among us. we obtained leave from the duke of orleans to shoot in one of the royal preserves, the forest of bondy. in our coursing expeditions we were more successful, sometimes bringing in to the amount of seven hares in a day. this would be looked upon almost as poaching in england, but in france it was otherwise; they know nothing of coursing there; and nothing could exceed the beautiful country round paris for that sport; it was a dead level generally, without a hedge, sometimes for miles together, and a rich corn country, so that hares abounded. towards autumn, we had two or three reviews of the british troops; these were splendid exhibitions of the tactics of our great general. but though the army had the appearance of a fighting army, i do not think it equalled the russians in point of regularity and uniformity; with them the whole army is nearly dressed alike, especially the infantry; while the variety of our facings, and other distinctions of regiments, detracts greatly from the appearance of the army as a whole. here also the crowned heads of europe assembled in this city, paid us the compliment of their presence, the emperor alexander inspecting most minutely every regiment and division as it passed him. the austrians and the prussians also occasionally showed themselves in bodies, but i do not remember to have seen a general review of either of these armies; indeed neither of them had a large force in or near paris, they being mostly at some distance from the capital, i believe. but we were often delighted with the austrian emperor's band, in which there were no less, i believe, than seventy performers, and all these the very first-rate musicians. we also had horse-races occasionally, that is, among the english officers; at one of which i witnessed poor old blucher receive a hurt, from which he never recovered. near the winning-post, the course was roped in, which the brave old fellow, as he came galloping down, all life, from the city, did not perceive, and coming up against them with great force, he was thrown from his horse, and unfortunately broke his arm. he lingered some time afterwards, but never got well of it, till death released him. we had two english boxers over there also, to amuse the people; they only sparred of course, with gloves on; and i rather think they realized a good deal of money by these exhibitions. balloons also were set up from the gardens of tivoli, with various other sources of amusement, so that to recount them all would only tire out my reader; suffice it to say, that in paris, with plenty of money, and with an inclination to enter into all the gaieties of the place, no city on earth, i believe, is so fruitful of the means of pleasure and dissipation; but they leave a sting behind, which far outweighs these momentary gratifications; and if i was asked which i considered the most sinful city in the world, i would without hesitation say paris. towards december arrangements were made for the army leaving paris, and going into cantonments on the north-eastern frontier; but the remainder of the troops above the number required for the army of occupation were ordered home to england. my battalion was among the latter number; and, accordingly, we left the french capital on the d december, and marched out to st denis, that famous burying-place of french royalty. from thence we passed near beaumont, through noailles to beauvais, thence through some small villages, where we halted for the night, and on the th reached abbeville. on the th we quartered in montreuil-sur-mer, and on the th reached calais, where we embarked for dover. we landed at the latter place on the d, and the next morning proceeded to our old quarter thorncliffe. all warlike proceedings having now terminated, i made application for, and obtained, leave of absence to revisit my wife and my family, whom i had not seen for four years. i need not describe my feelings on once more beholding those i loved, and the reader will best appreciate them by placing himself in my situation. but i had not long enjoyed this pleasure till i heard that my battalion had been ordered to ireland. i confess i did not much relish the information. when my leave expired i started for that country, and endeavoured to procure a passage across to dublin; first from maryport, in cumberland, but without success. i then tried workington, next whitehaven, but was equally unable to get off from either of these. i then moved on to liverpool, and took my place in one of the packets; but, after waiting several days, i was obliged to start for holyhead, the only place from whence i was able to proceed to ireland. all this disappointment and fatigue, together with some sad punches which a large woman in the coach had given my wife with her masculine elbows, so preyed upon her health and spirits, that three days after our arrival in dublin she breathed her last. she had been in delicate health for a number of years, of an affection in the chest, but she complained mostly of this woman's elbows, which she said had injured her much. it will easily be conceived how afflictive such a dispensation must have been to him who had to bear it. but god does all things well; and even in the midst of our severest chastisements, we should view him as a kind and tender parent, who only chastens us for our good, and who does not willingly afflict the children of men. a part of the battalion had arrived in dublin when the melancholy event took place, almost all the officers of which favoured me by their presence at the funeral. i had her buried in st mary's churchyard, mary being her own name. we remained in dublin for twenty-seven months--a longer period than any other regiment i believe; and here i think i may truly say i acquired the first knowledge of the only way of salvation; for although born and reared a christian, and having, as the reader may recollect, been brought sensibly to the knowledge of myself as a condemned sinner, i had as yet no distinct knowledge or apprehension of the nature of the christian faith; and i think i may, under the blessing of god, attribute my earnest search after a sure foundation of hope to the reading of doddridge's "rise and progress of religion in the soul," and to the truly evangelical sermons i heard from the many eminent preachers which fill the pulpits of this capital, but more particularly to the rev. mr matthias, chaplain to the bethesda institution. my narrative will contain nothing interesting from this period to the general reader. i will, therefore, generalize as much as possible. from dublin we marched to birr, in the king's county; and while here, it was determined upon by government to reduce the battalion to which i belonged, which was carried into effect in january ; but as i was then the senior quartermaster of the regiment, i was ordered to join the st battalion of the corps at gosport, which i did in february. here we remained till september, when the radical war called us to the north. we embarked on board the liffy frigate and ---- corvette, in about three or four hours' notice, on the th of that month, and landed at leith on the th, whence we marched to glasgow, the seat of this unhappy disturbance. i need not describe the radical war, it being well known. here my health began to be much impaired. the affection of my chest, occasioned by the rupturing of the bloodvessel at cadiz, produced most distressing effects upon my general health. i consequently obtained leave, and returned home for a few months. during my stay at home my dear father departed this life; and i had thus the melancholy satisfaction of witnessing the last sad scene, and of paying the last duties of a child to a beloved parent. he was not, as i mentioned at the beginning of my narrative, a religious man when i left home; but towards the close of his life i have every reason to believe he was a sincere penitent, and a believer in him through whom alone our sins can be forgiven; and i have a well-grounded hope that he is now enjoying eternal felicity in heaven, whither i hope myself to come through him that loved me, and washed me from my sins in his own blood, and to whom be praise and glory for ever. amen. i joined again in the spring, and remained there all that summer, during which i had many pleasant fishing excursions into the country. i visited the falls of the clyde, and proceeded to some a considerable distance higher up, where another officer and myself caught abundance of trout. i also took a trip into the highlands of argyleshire, where i had excellent sport. but at the approach of winter i was again obliged to leave glasgow, the damp atmosphere of which, together with the smoke of the numerous steam-engines employed in its manufactories, fairly drove me out. i again went home for the winter; but during this period this battalion also got an order to embark for ireland, and i joined them in belfast in january . from hence we marched in the spring to armagh, where i had the high privilege of becoming acquainted with a sincere and pious clergyman, one of the reading vicars of the cathedral; and i trust i benefited by this favourable opportunity. from armagh we marched to naas, the country to the south having become much disturbed by the whiteboys, as they termed themselves. we did not remain long at naas, but were pushed on to kilkenny, where i first became acquainted with that truly christian minister, the rev. peter roe, a gentleman well known in the religious world. i am proud and happy that i ever had the privilege of knowing him. may god prosper his pious and unceasing endeavours to benefit the souls of his fellow-creatures! we did not remain long, however, at kilkenny, but moved on to fermoy, and thence to newcastle, in the county of limerick, the cradle of the whiteboy insurrection. here we were for a time actually shut up as in a besieged town; and no individual belonging to the army durst attempt to move out without a sufficient number being together, to deter the misguided peasantry from attacking us. innumerable were the murders that were committed about this neighbourhood at this time; and one's blood runs chill to think that these miscreants, when taken and brought to the gallows to atone for their crime, protested their innocence with their last breath, although hundreds around them could attest their guilt. this rockite war gave us considerable trouble, and it was not for a long time after that it was finally put down. we remained in newcastle till september, when we marched to rathkeale, in the same county. here we continued stationary till october , when we marched again for dublin. i had thus an opportunity of again hearing my favourite preacher; but the place was always so crowded that it was seldom practicable for strangers to obtain seats. from dublin we marched to belfast, in september , where we continued till july , when my battalion was ordered for service in nova scotia. the orders of the army being now for only six companies out of the ten to go abroad, the other four remained at home, to form what is termed the depôt. application was made for me to remain and act as paymaster to this body; but it having been decided that quartermasters could not act as paymasters, according to the new regulations, this boon was refused me, although i had acted four times before. this is to be attributed to the ill conduct of many of my brother quartermasters who had obtained paymasterships during the war, but who generally did not conduct themselves as men of honour and integrity ought to do, and many were consequently dismissed from the service. it was perfectly correct for those in authority to consult the good of the public in all appointments of this nature, but it was hard on those who were thus made to suffer for the sins of others,--nay, this ineligibility of quartermasters extended farther than to the appointment of acting paymaster. they have since been precluded from holding the situation of full paymaster, however well recommended they might be. i was a second time recommended, in , by lieutenant-general the hon. sir william stewart for the paymastership of his own battalion, that is, the one in which i was serving, but received the same answer from the secretary-at-war, that quartermasters were ineligible to the situation. i cannot but feel keenly the degradation to which the ill conduct of certain individuals has reduced that situation, which formerly was only like a step towards the more lucrative and more respectable one of paymaster; but, as i said before, we must not murmur at the dispensations of providence, however severely they affect our worldly prospects; and no doubt all this was done by the direction of him who cannot err. however, i have great reason also to be thankful to lord palmerston, notwithstanding my disappointments as above stated; for he--taking into consideration the injury that the present quartermasters had sustained, in consequence of the ill conduct of the individuals before noticed, and their consequent deprivation of all prospects of farther promotion, however eligible in other respects they might be, and however exemplary their conduct--brought in a bill in the session of , to allow these officers to retire on _full_ pay after twenty years' service in the army, provided their health was such as to render them incapable of farther service. this could not formerly take place till after thirty years' service. i have, therefore, abundant cause of gratitude to that right honourable lord, for his kind remembrance of us on this occasion, as well as for his kindness in permitting me to avail myself of the benefit of this act; and i have on this, as on all other occasions, abundant cause of thankfulness to the great disposer of all events, not only for what he has permitted me to enjoy, but for what he has withheld from me; for he only knows what is really good for me, and i doubt not will give me always that. i may with great truth declare, that goodness and mercy have followed me all my days, notwithstanding my seeming disappointments, and which i believe were inflicted on me solely for my everlasting good. to him, therefore, be praise and glory for ever. but to return. having been disappointed of obtaining the acting paymaster's place, i remained with the depôt in my capacity as quartermaster till the spring of , when i received an order to be ready for embarkation to join the battalion in nova scotia. accordingly i embarked, with four other officers, at liverpool, on the th of june, on board the robert burns merchant brig, and reached halifax after a rather tedious passage, in which we encountered some roughish weather on the d july. i scarcely need say any thing of halifax, which, being one of our oldest colonies, must be well known to almost all my readers. neither was i there a sufficient time to enable me to enter into a minute description of the town or country: suffice it to say, it appears to be a town built mostly of wood along the face of a hill, on the left-hand side of the harbour, reaching close down to the latter, which is so deep, capacious, and sheltered, that i question whether there is a better in the world: a seventy-four can lie close alongside the wharfs. the town contains, i understand, about , inhabitants, composed of settlers from different countries, but chiefly english, irish, scotch, and dutch. there are a few negroes, a part of the slaves taken from the americans during the late war having been located here. the colony is not so flourishing as it was during war, as it was then greatly supported by the immense number of ships and troops which always were stationed here. the country round halifax is barren in the extreme, except a very small portion, where hay is generally grown. it seems incapable of cultivation, being little else than rock, with forests of stunted pines, &c. growing upon it. in some parts of nova scotia, however, there is excellent land, which yields a great return for cultivation; and were it not for the severity of the winter, which in this country is both long and severely trying to weak constitutions, it would, i doubt not, be an excellent country to which to emigrate. the waters in every direction afford abundance of fish, but not of the best quality. there are portions of two tribes of indians occasionally in the neighbourhood of halifax. i forget their names; but the men of one tribe are exceedingly tall, being seldom below five feet ten inches, and many reaching to six feet three inches. the men of the other are in general short. both tribes are fast diminishing in point of numbers. they are greatly addicted to the fatal vice of drunkenness, whenever they can command the means of becoming so; and in halifax it is no difficult matter, for the abominable rum which is sold here may be had almost as cheap as ale in england. these unfortunate wanderers have hitherto resisted all efforts to induce them to settle and cultivate the land, although many of them are _good christians_, their progenitors having been converted by the roman catholic priests while the french held the country. the woods, &c. in the neighbourhood of halifax contain little game of any kind. there are a few what they call partridges, which, i believe, roost on trees; but they have more the appearance of grouse than the partridge of england. there are some woodcocks also in the season, but they are rather scarce. snipes also, and several species of plover, may be met with occasionally; but you will seldom be able to fill your game-bag with any thing. there are some hares of a very small description, little larger than our rabbits; but these are rare. bears also, with a few other wild animals, occasionally show themselves; but in winter, i am told, a deathlike silence pervades the whole face of the country, as if every living animal had totally deserted it, and i believe with all the winged tribes this is actually the case. the women here are remarkably fair and beautiful, and, generally speaking, are, i believe, as virtuous as at home; but among the lower orders, whose virtue is so frequently assailed by the temptations which a large naval and military force always brings with it, like our portsmouth, and other places of a similar description, the scenes of vice and abomination are extremely disgusting. a great many of the unfortunate blacks before mentioned are included in the number of these unhappy prostitutes. the places of worship in halifax are both good and pretty numerous. there are two churches, two or three presbyterian or scotch churches, two baptist, two or three methodist, and one or two roman catholic places of worship. i did not remain here long; for, finding that my broken and debilitated constitution could not possibly withstand the severity of a winter in this climate, i was ordered to be examined by a board of medical officers, who recommended my return to england without delay. accordingly, on the th of september, i embarked on board the borodino transport. we sailed on the d, and on the th encountered one of the severest gales i almost ever witnessed. it carried away every sail we had set, and swept away our jolly-boat from the quarter. i often wished i was once more snug in england, and my hope was, i should then tempt the sea no more. that same all-gracious being who had so long watched over me, and had brought me in safety that far on my journey, he also brought me to my native land once more in peace; for on the th of october i landed at portsmouth, having been only three weeks in returning from, while we had been nearly six in going to, halifax. i immediately set off for london, where, having reported myself to the secretary at war, i was ordered to be examined by the director-general of hospitals as to the state of my health, and with a view to avail myself of the benefits of the act of parliament before mentioned, and being prospered by him who has always been better unto me than i could possibly deserve, i have been permitted to set myself down in peace in this my own native village for the remainder of my life, having the unspeakable privilege of being surrounded by many kind and dear relations, who vie with each other in their endeavours to render me comfortable and happy, and where i can in serenity watch the gradual approach of that enemy which my saviour has overcome for me, and which, my hope is, he will deprive of all his terrors, as i trust he has done of his sting, and that, when i shall have continued my appointed time in this vale of tears, i, as well as the reader of this narrative, shall be taken to himself, to dwell with him for ever. appendix. the following are copies of fifteen testimonials addressed to the late quartermaster surtees. no. .--from lieut.-col. duffy. _birr, th january, ._ dear sir, as you are on the point of removing to the st battalion, i take this opportunity of expressing my entire satisfaction at the very regular and orderly manner in which your department has been conducted during the time you have been placed under my command; and it will give me great pleasure should an occasion occur where my testimony to your gentlemanlike conduct can be of service to you. i remain, dear sir, very faithfully yours, j. duffy, lt.-col. rifle brigade. quartermaster surtees, st bat. rifle brigade. no. .--from major travers. _tuam county, galway, th april ._ dear surtees, with feelings of most sincere regret i read your letter to me, which i received yesterday, and lose not a moment in complying with your request, which, should it prove to be of any use to you, i am sure will be productive of the most heartfelt gratification to every one of those concerned, whose opinions of you are, as they always have been, of the highest description. your conduct, both as a gentleman and soldier, has ever been such as to excite in the breast of your brother officers sentiments peculiarly favourable; and for myself, i have only to say, that few of my old acquaintances in the corps have had my esteem in a higher degree. i send you the sentiments of such of your old brother officers, in the shape of a certificate, as i could obtain, whose standing may have some influence in the procuring the accomplishment of your wishes, and regret that the dispersed state of the regiment prevents its being more general. dear surtees, yours faithfully, jas. travers. wm. surtees, esq. quartermaster, rifle brigade. no. .--from officers of the d battalion rifle brigade. the following testimonial is subscribed by us, in hopes it may prove beneficial to an officer who has so long supported the character which we are desirous to portray in the terms it deserves. we certify, that mr william surtees, late quartermaster in the rifle brigade, has been for a considerable number of years known to us in the regiment, and that for soldierlike and gentlemanly conduct, no person bore a higher character. he served in the situation he filled in the corps, particularly that of acting paymaster, for two considerable periods in the peninsula, and with the expedition to new orleans, with credit to himself, and satisfaction to his superiors, and, to our knowledge, obtained the general esteem and approbation of all his brother officers of the regiment who knew him. s. mitchell, brevet lieut.-col. and major, d bat. rifle brigade. jas. travers, brevet-major, rifle brigade. wm. cox, capt. rifle brigade. boyle travers, capt. rifle brigade. chas. geo. gray, brevet-major, rifle brigade. wm. hallen, capt. rifle brigade. t. h. ridgway, m.d., surgeon, rifle brigade. _tuam, th april ._ no. .--from lieut.-col. ross, c.b. _paisley, th july ._ dear sir, i learn with extreme regret that you consider it to be expedient to make application to be removed as quartermaster to a veteran battalion. i have stronger reason to feel this regret than i believe any other of your brother officers, as i have known you longer, it being now about twenty years since we met at the formation of the rifle corps; during the greater part of this time you served, i may say, under my immediate command; and i can bear the most ample and unqualified testimony to the zeal, intelligence, and gallantry with which you discharged the duties of the different situations you have filled in the corps. i shall have great pleasure in hearing of your future welfare; and should it ever happen to be in my power to promote your views in any way, i hope you will consider that you will only have to make them known. believe me, my dear sir, ever yours most sincerely, john ross, lt.-col. major, rifle brigade. quartermaster wm. surtees, rifle brigade. no. .--from lieut.-colonel smith, c.b. _halifax, nova scotia, th august ._ my dear sir, were it permitted a soldier to regret the loss of his comrades, then truly should i deplore yours; i have only just learned that you are about to avail yourself of lord palmerston's permission to retire from the service on account of ill health, after having in your present situation completed your period of twenty years. you have struggled against indisposition with manly fortitude in various climes, and have ever performed your duty zealously and conscientiously. i, as well as the other officers of the corps, have ever lamented that your natural zeal and talent as a soldier, should not have been called forth in a more conspicuous situation; and there is not an old officer in the regiment who has not witnessed your intrepid bravery in the field. i must again assure you, that you leave us with the most heartfelt good wishes for your welfare, and the universal regret of the corps, in which you have served so many years with the most rigid integrity and zeal; and should i have it in my power upon any future occasion to render you any service whatever, it will afford me as much satisfaction as i now feel distress, in losing one of my old companions in arms, with whom i have been so many years happily associated. and ever believe me, your very sincere friend, h. g. smith, brevet lieut.-col. rifle brigade. quartermaster surtees, rifle brigade. no. .--from officers of the st batt. rifle brigade. _halifax, nova scotia, th august ._ we the undersigned officers present with the st battalion rifle brigade, who have had the satisfaction of an intimate acquaintance with mr surtees for a series of years at home and abroad, beg leave to add our testimony as to the valour, integrity, zeal, and gentlemanlike conduct which we have ever witnessed in him; and beg to express our sincere regret at the prospect of losing his society and services. j. logan, major. w. johnstone, captain. a. wade pemberton, captain. g. hope, captain. john cox, captain. j. kincaid, lieutenant. joseph burke, m.d. surgeon. george simmons, lieutenant. no. .--from colonel norcott, c.b. _halifax, nova scotia, th august ._ my dear sir, i most truly and sincerely regret that your long, zealous, and indefatigable duties have so seriously undermined your constitution, as to oblige you to retire from the service. although i feel a very lively gratification in bearing testimony to your merit and gallantry in the field, as well as to your public and private character as an officer and a gentleman, in the most unqualified sense, during a period of twenty-four years which i have known you, i cannot, at the same time, but lament the circumstances which bind me, in justice to your meritorious services, to tender you this my humble tribute of regard and esteem for all you have done for the service and the corps, and for such unremitted integrity and worth. you have my ardent wishes for your health and happiness wherever you go. believe me to be, my dear sir, always sincerely yours, a. norcott, colonel. no. .--from lieut.-colonel fullarton, c.b. _halifax, nova scotia, th august ._ dear sir, having served in the same battalion with you for eighteen years, during which time i had every opportunity, both public and private, in various situations of home and on foreign service, of witnessing your very exemplary conduct, both as an officer and a gentleman, i, with my brother officers, have to regret that your ill health has deprived the regiment of a valuable officer, and your companions of a friend, whose amiable and excellent qualities will ever be revered by them. with regard to myself, it will afford me the greatest pleasure if at any future period i can in any way be of service to you. believe me, my dear sir, yours most truly, jas. fullarton, lt.-col. major, rifle brigade. quartermaster surtees, rifle brigade. no. .--from lieut.-colonel balvaird. _naas, d june ._ my dear sir, it affords me much pleasure to assure you, that during the time i was in the rifle brigade ( years), and more particularly when you served under my immediate command, i can bear the most ample and unqualified testimony to the zeal, intelligence, and gallantry with which you discharged your duty--and wherever you may go, you carry with you the good wishes of, yours most sincerely, w. balvaird, lt.-col. late major, rifle brigade. quartermaster surtees, rifle brigade. no. .--from major-general sir a. f. barnard, k.c.b. _albany, th october ._ dear sir, i have heard with great regret that your state of health has obliged you to avail yourself of the regulation which enables you to retire from the rifle brigade, in which corps i had such frequent cause to praise the gallantry and assiduity which you showed in the discharge of your duties in the field, and your regularity and assiduity in quarters. the officers of the corps, i am confident, will all regret the loss of a person whose mild and gentlemanlike manners and disposition had so much endeared him to them. with every wish for your future welfare, i remain, dear sir, very sincerely yours, a. f. barnard. quartermaster surtees, rifle-brigade. no. .--from major logan. _london, th october, ._ my dear surtees, i have just learnt with much regret that you are about to retire from the rifle brigade, from an impaired constitution, owing to your unwearied and zealous exertions in the service. from the period of my entering the corps, _twenty-two years_ ago, i have had the pleasure of being intimately acquainted with you, and i must do you the justice to state, that a more gallant, zealous, and indefatigable officer, i have seldom fallen in with. as a gentleman, your conduct always won and gained the esteem of your brother officers. believe me i shall ever feel warmly interested in your welfare. yours, my dear surtees, most faithfully, j. logan, major st bat. rifle brigade. to quartermaster surtees, st bat. rifle brigade. no. .--from lieut.-colonel beckwith, c.b. _london, th october, ._ my dear surtees, i cannot suffer you to return to your home, without adding my mite of applause to that of our brother officers, who have, together with myself, known you so well and so long. from the day that we were employed together at ipswich, in obtaining volunteers from the militia, when you were so instrumental in obtaining so large a number of men for the service, and during the whole of our services in the peninsula, and elsewhere, when my situation as assistant quartermaster-general of the light division threw us so constantly together, until the last period of our regimental service, i have always known and respected your courage, your active discharge of your duties in times of difficulty and hardship, and your zeal and affection for the rifle brigade. your present poverty is the surest testimony of your integrity, which you have always kept in times of strong temptation, when very many others similarly placed have not resisted so well. all my feeble services are constantly at your disposal, and wishing you content, and as much happiness as we can reasonably expect here, i remain, my dear surtees, yours, most sincerely, charles beckwith, lieut.-colonel. quartermaster surtees, rifle brigade. no. .--from lieut.-general the honourable sir wm. stewart, g.c.b. _cumloden, newtonstewart, nov. , ._ if the three or four-and-twenty years, my dear sir, that i have had the satisfaction of having had you under my command in the rifle regiment or brigade, suffice not to authorize my full approval of your conduct, both towards that corps and towards the public service, i know not what experience would do so. to this extent and to still farther extent, if it be required in detail, i am gratified by your having given me this opportunity of certifying the above. the loss that my battalion will sustain by the deprivation of your services will be great, and the only consolation that i shall have will be in learning that your present object of retiring on full pay be obtained, and that your health, injured, as my own has been, by perhaps too great a zeal in the fulfilment of our respective duties, may be somewhat amended by your retirement in private life. i have much to thank you for the most justly merited encomiums from your several commanders and from your elder brother officers, enclosed in your letter of the th instant, and to these honourable documents favour me by adding this one. i wish it was in my power to be of any service to your views towards a civil appointment under government, but as your age much exceeds that to which all official nominations are now limited, application for such will be fruitless. i have the honour to be, my dear sir, with repeated assurance of regard, your faithful friend and obedient servant, wm. stewart, lieutenant-general. quartermaster surtees, st bat. rifle brigade. no. .--from major eeles. _dublin, nov. , ._ my dear surtees, i enclose herewith copies of two letters which i have received from the office of his royal highness the commander-in-chief. in congratulating you on their contents, i cannot refrain from expressing, strange as it may seem, not only my gratification but also my regret; gratification that you have succeeded in obtaining the object of your wishes, and regret the most lively, that your state of health should have obliged you to quit the corps; the more particularly, as the regiment will not only by your retirement be deprived of the benefit of your zealous and meritorious services, but i shall lose the society of one of my oldest and most valued friends. the senior part of the regiment will ever remember with pride the glorious occasions in which you so often signalized yourself in the field, while the younger members of the corps will not fail, equally with the former, to admire the gentlemanlike conduct and urbanity of manners which have secured to you the friendship and good wishes of us all. believe me, my dear surtees, very sincerely yours, william eeles, major, rifle brigade. to quartermaster surtees, rifle brigade. no. .--from major-general sir t. s. beckwith, k.c.b. _gilsland, june , ._ my dear sir, in returning to you the packet you have favoured me with the perusal of, i cannot refrain from expressing, in common with all your old friends and brother officers of the rifle brigade, my regret that your health made it necessary for you to retire from a corps, where your faithful and unremitting services for nearly thirty years had been so eminently useful, and where you possessed the friendship and confidence of every individual of any standing in it. that your concern is as sincere as theirs in parting with them, i am perfectly convinced; yet it will be matter of real consolation to you to be able to reflect that you never gave just cause of offence to any member of the corps, and never neglected an opportunity of rendering them a service when in your power. that you have not retired a richer man, is a subject of regret to us all; and we shall learn with great satisfaction of any event, that may tend to increase your means of doing good to those who look to you for protection. should any such opening present itself, i do not hesitate to express my conviction, that whoever may employ you, will never have reason to repent doing so; as i am well assured you will undertake no situation, without due reflection, and the nature of which you do not understand; and that, once taken in hand, you will discharge the duties of it with the same diligence and fidelity that you have performed those of your public life for so many years past. earnestly wishing that a little repose after such a lengthened series of toils and dangers, may restore you to health and strength, i remain, my dear surtees, your sincere and faithful friend, thos. sidney beckwith, col. d bat. rifle brigade. to william surtees, esq. late rifle brigade. finis. edinburgh: printed by ballantyne and company, paul's work, canongate. * * * * * transcriber's notes obvious punctuation errors repaired. presumed archaic spellings have not been changed: apprize, assertor, fusileers, grashoppers, harraing, mocassins, reconnoissance, sailer, siene, shrapnell, spunging, vere, visiters, woful. the following words appear both with and without diacritical marks and have not been changed: camiño, depôt, peña. there are two chapters "iv". the second one is denoted with an asterisk. hyphens removed: "quarter[-]master" (page ), "wind[-]mill" (page , twice), "porto[-]real" (page ), "brush[-]wood" (page ), "death[-]like" (page ), "road[-]side" (page ), "fore[-]yard" (page ). hyphens added: "farm[-]house" (page ), "mid[-]day" (page ), "half[-]way" (pages , ), "field[-]work(s)" (page , ). page xi: "ships'" changed to "ship" (place their ship guns on batteries). page : "apppeared" changed to "appeared" (separate body which appeared). page : " th" changed to " th" (the rifle corps, or th). page : removed duplicate "on" (to stand on the same tack). page : "lhe" changed to "lehe" (bremer lehe to the city of bremen). page : "feversham" changed to "feversham" (i joined it at feversham). page : illegible number changed to " d" ( d battalion of my regiment). page : " th" changed to " th" (in this affair the th hussars were engaged). page : "call" changed to "called" (called the tore alto). page : "pompadours" changed to " th rifles" ( d battalion of the th rifles). page : "bettter" changed to "better" (no doubt better fed). page : "morilhl" changed to "morillo" (thought that don morillo). page : "officer" changed to "officers" (the commanding-officers had been taken up). page : "horse" changed to "horses" (our poor horses and mules). page : "numder" changed to "number" (to put a certain number). page : "chooner" changed to "schooner" (the fire of the schooner). page : redundant "the" removed (blakeny of the th). page : "brough, ast" changed to "brought, as" (this brought, as it might be expected). under wellington's command: a tale of the peninsular war by g. a. henty. contents preface. chapter : a detached force. chapter : talavera. chapter : prisoners. chapter : guerillas. chapter : an escape. chapter : afloat. chapter : a french privateer. chapter : a smart engagement. chapter : rejoining. chapter : almeida. chapter : the french advance. chapter : fuentes d'onoro. chapter : from salamanca to cadiz. chapter : effecting a diversion. chapter : dick ryan's capture. chapter : back with the army. chapter : ciudad rodrigo. chapter : the sack of a city. chapter : gratitude. chapter : salamanca. chapter : home again. illustrations "you may as well make your report to me, o'connor." plan of the battle of talavera. "we surrender, sir, as prisoners of war." stooping so that their figures should not show against the sky. "she is walking along now." "this is colonel o'connor, sir." plan of the battle of busaco. "good news. we are going to take coimbra." plan of the lines of torres vedras. plan of the battle of fuentes d'onoro. the men leapt to their feet, cheering vociferously. "search him at once." the man fell, with a sharp cry. plan of the forts and operations round salamanca. a shell had struck terence's horse. preface. as many boys into whose hands the present volume may fall will not have read my last year's book, with moore in corunna, of which this is a continuation, it is necessary that a few words should be said, to enable them to take up the thread of the story. it was impossible, in the limits of one book, to give even an outline of the story of the peninsular war, without devoting the whole space to the military operations. it would, in fact, have been a history rather than a tale; and it accordingly closed with the passage of the douro, and the expulsion of the french from portugal. the hero, terence o'connor, was the son of the senior captain of the mayo fusiliers and, when the regiment was ordered to join sir arthur wellesley's expedition to portugal, the colonel of the regiment obtained for him a commission; although so notorious was the boy, for his mischievous pranks, that the colonel hesitated whether he would not get into some serious scrapes; especially as dick ryan, one of the ensigns, was always his companion in mischief, and both were aided and abetted by captain o'grady. however, on the way out, the slow old transport, in which a wing of the regiment was carried, was attacked by two french privateers, who would have either taken or sunk her, had it not been for a happy suggestion of the quick-witted lad. for this he gained great credit, and was selected by general fane as one of his aides-de-camp. in this capacity he went through the arduous campaign, under general moore, that ended at corunna. his father had been so seriously wounded, at vimiera, that he was invalided home and placed on half pay; and in the same battle captain o'grady lost his left arm but, on its being cured, returned to his place in the regiment. at corunna terence, while carrying a despatch, was thrown from his horse and stunned; and on recovering found that the british had already embarked on board the ships of the fleet. he made his way to the frontier of portugal, and thence to lisbon. he was then appointed to the staff of sir john craddock, who was now in command; and sent in charge of some treasure for the use of the spanish general romana, who was collecting a force on the northern border of portugal. terence had orders to aid him, in any way in his power, to check the invasion of portugal from the north. of this order he took advantage when, on the way, the agents of the junta of oporto endeavoured to rob him; attacking the house where he and his escort had taken up their quarters with a newly-raised levy of two thousand five hundred unarmed peasants. by a ruse he got their leaders into his hands, and these showed such abject cowardice that the peasants refused further to follow them, and asked terence to take the command of the force. he assented, formed them into two battalions, appointed two british orderlies as majors, the portuguese officer of his escort lieutenant-colonel, and his troopers captains of companies; put them in the way of obtaining arms and, by dint of hard drill and kindness, converted them into an efficient body of soldiers. finding that little was to be expected from romana's force, he acted as a partisan leader and, in this capacity, performed such valuable service that he was confirmed in the command of his force, which received the name of the minho regiment; and he and his officers received commissions for the rank they held in the portuguese army. at oporto he rescued from a convent a cousin, who, at the death of her father, a british merchant there, had been shut up by her portuguese mother until she would consent to sign away the property to which she was entitled, and to become a nun. she went to england to live with terence's father, and came into possession of the fortune which her father, foreseeing that difficulties might arise at his death, had forwarded to a bank at home, having appointed captain o'connor her guardian. the present volume takes the story of the peninsular war up to the battle of salamanca, and concludes the history of terence o'connor. my readers will understand that, in all actions in which the british army took part, the details are accurately given; but that the doings of the minho regiment, and of terence o'connor as a partisan leader, are not to be considered as strictly historical, although similar feats of daring and adventure were accomplished by trant, pack, and other leaders of irregular forces. g. a. henty. chapter : a detached force. "be jabers, terence, we shall all die of weariness with doing nothing, if we don't move soon," said captain o'grady; who, with dick ryan, had ridden over to spend the afternoon with terence o'connor, whose regiment of portuguese was encamped some six miles out of abrantes, where the division to which the mayo fusiliers belonged was stationed. "here we are in june, and the sun getting hotter and hotter, and the whisky just come to an end, though we have been mighty sparing over it, and nothing to eat but ration beef. begorrah, if it wasn't for the bastely drill, i should forget that i was a soldier at all. i should take meself for a convict, condemned to stop all me life in one place. at first there was something to do, for one could forage for food dacent to eat; but now i don't believe there is as much as an old hen left within fifteen miles, and as for ducks and geese, i have almost forgotten the taste of them." "it is not lively work, o'grady, but it is worse for me here. you have got dicky ryan to stir you up and keep you alive, and o'flaherty to look after your health and see that you don't exceed your allowance; while practically i have no one but herrara to speak to, for though bull and macwitty are excellent fellows in their way, they are not much as companions. "however, i think we must be nearly at the end of it. we have got pretty well all the troops up here, except those who are to remain at lisbon." "i see the men," o'grady said, "but i don't see the victuals. we can't march until we get transport and food, and where they are to come from no one seems to know." "i am afraid we shall do badly for a time in that respect, o'grady. sir arthur has not had time, yet, to find out what humbugs the spaniards are, and what wholesale lies they tell. of course, he had some slight experience of it when we first landed, at the mondego; but it takes longer than that to get at the bottom of their want of faith. craddock learnt it after a bitter experience, and so did moore. i have no doubt that the spaniards have represented to sir arthur that they have large disciplined armies, that the french have been reduced to a mere handful, and that they are only waiting for his advance to drive them across the frontier. also, no doubt, they have promised to find any amount of transport and provisions, as soon as he enters spain. as to relying upon cuesta, you might as well rely upon the assistance of an army of hares, commanded by a pig-headed owl." "i can't make out, meself," o'grady said, "what we want to have anything to do with the spaniards for, at all. if i were in sir arthur's place, i would just march straight against the french and thrash them." "that sounds well, o'grady, but we know very little about where the french are, what they are doing, or what is their strength; and i think that you will allow that, though we have beaten them each time we have met them, they fought well. at rolica we were three to one against them, and at vimiera we had the advantage of a strong position. at corunna things were pretty well even, but we had our backs to the wall. "i am afraid, o'grady, that just at present you are scarcely qualified to take command of the army; except only on the one point, that you thoroughly distrust the spaniards. "well, dick, have you been having any fun lately?" "it is not to be done, terence. everyone is too disgusted and out of temper to make it safe. even the chief is dangerous. i would as soon think of playing a joke on a wandering tiger, as on him. the major is not a man to trifle with, at the best of times and, except o'flaherty, there is not a man among them who has a good word to throw at a dog. faith, when one thinks of the good time one used to have at athlone, it is heartbreaking." "well, come in and refresh yourselves. i have a bottle or two still left." "that is good news!" o'grady said fervently. "it has been on the tip of me tongue to ask you, for me mouth is like an oven; but i was so afraid you would say it was gone that i dare n't open me lips about it." "to tell you the truth, o'grady, except when some of you fellows come over, there is not any whisky touched in this camp. i have kept it strictly for your sergeants, who have been helping to teach my men drill, and coaching the non-commissioned officers. it has been hard work for them, but they have stuck to it well, and the thought of an allowance at the end of the day's work has done wonders with them. "we made a very fair show when we came in, but now i think the two battalions could work with the best here, without doing themselves discredit. the non-commissioned officers have always been our weak point, but now my fellows know their work very fairly, and they go at it with a will. you see, they are all very proud of the corps, and have spared no pains to make themselves worthy of it. "of course, what you may call purely parade movements are not done as they are by our infantry; but in all useful work, i would back them against any here. they are very fair shots, too. i have paid for a lot of extra ammunition; which, i confess, we bought from some of the native levies. no doubt i should get into a row over it, if it were known; but as these fellows are not likely ever to fire a shot against the french, and it is of importance that mine should be able to shoot well, i didn't hesitate to do it. fortunately the regimental chest is not empty, and all the officers have given a third of their pay, to help. but it has certainly done a lot of good, and the shooting has greatly improved since we came here." "i have been working steadily at portuguese, terence, ever since you spoke to me about it. one has no end of time on one's hands and, really, i am getting on very fairly." "that is right, dicky. if we win this campaign i will certainly ask for you as adjutant. i shall be awfully glad to have you with me, and i really do want an adjutant for each battalion. "and you, o'grady?" "well, i can't report favourably of meself at all, at all. i tried hard for a week, and it is the fault of me tongue, and not of meself. i can't get it to twist itself to the outlandish words. i am willing enough, but me tongue isn't; and i am afraid that, were it a necessity that every officer in your corps should speak the bastely language, i should have to stay at home." "i am afraid that it is quite necessary, o'grady," terence laughed. "an adjutant who could not make himself understood would be of no shadow of use. you know how i should like to have you with me; but, upon the other hand, there would be inconveniences. you are, as you have said many a time, my superior officer in our army, and i really should not like to have to give you orders. then again, bull and macwitty are still more your juniors, having only received their commissions a few months back; and they would feel just as uncomfortable as i should, at having you under them. i don't think that it would do at all. besides, you know, you are not fond of work by any means, and there would be more to do in a regiment like this than in one of our own." "i suppose that it must be so, terence," o'grady said resignedly, as he emptied his tumbler; "and besides, there is a sort of superstition in the service that an adjutant should be always able to walk straight to his tent, even after a warm night at mess. now, although it seems to me that i have every other qualification, in that respect i should be a failure; and i imagine that, in a portuguese regiment, the thing would be looked at more seriously than it is in an irish one; where such a matter occurs, occasionally, among men as well as officers." "that is quite true, o'grady. the portuguese are a sober people and would not, as you say, be able to make the same allowance for our weaknesses that irish soldiers do; seeing that it is too common for our men to be either one way or the other. "however, ryan, i do hope i shall be able to get you. i never had much hopes of o'grady; and this failure of his tongue to aid him, in his vigorous efforts to learn the language, seems to quite settle the matter as far as he is concerned." at this moment an orderly rode up to the tent. terence went out. "a despatch from headquarters, sir," the trooper said, saluting. "all right, my man! you had better wait for five minutes, and see if any answer is required." going into the tent, he opened the despatch. "hooray!" he said, as he glanced at the contents, "here is a movement, at last." the letter was as follows: "colonel o'connor will at once march with his force to plasencia; and will reconnoitre the country between that town and the tagus to the south, and bejar to the north. he will ascertain, as far as possible, the position and movements of the french army under victor. he will send a daily report of his observations to headquarters. twenty portuguese cavalry, under a subaltern, will be attached to his command, and will furnish orderlies to carry his reports. "it is desirable that colonel o'connor's troops should not come in contact with the enemy, except to check any reconnoitring parties moving towards castello branco and villa velha. it is most necessary to prevent the news of an advance of the army in that direction reaching the enemy, and to give the earliest possible information of any hostile gathering that might menace the flank of the army, while on its march. "the passes of banos and periles will be held by the troops of marshal beresford and general del parque, and it is to the country between the mountains and marshal cuesta's force, at almaraz, that colonel o'connor is directed to concentrate his attention. in case of being attacked by superior forces, colonel o'connor will, if possible, retreat into the mountains on his left flank, maintain himself there, and open communications with lord beresford's forces at banos or bejar. "colonel o'connor is authorized to requisition six carts from the quartermaster's department, and to hand over his tents to them; to draw , rounds of ball cartridge, and such rations as he may be able to carry with him. the paymaster has received authority to hand over to him pounds, for the payment of supplies for his men. when this sum is exhausted, colonel o'connor is authorized to issue orders for supplies payable by the paymaster to the forces, exercising the strictest economy, and sending notification to the paymaster general of the issue of such orders. "this despatch is confidential, and the direction of the route is, on no account, to be divulged." "you hear that, o'grady; and you too, dicky. i ought not to have read the despatch out loud. however, i know you will keep the matter secret." "you may trust us for that, terence, for it is a secret worth knowing. it is evident that sir arthur is going to join cuesta, and make a dash on madrid. well, he has been long enough in making up his mind; but it is a satisfaction that we are likely to have hot work, at last, though i wish we could have done it without those spaniards. we have seen enough of them to know that nothing, beyond kind words, are to be expected of them and, when the time for fighting comes, i would rather that we depended upon ourselves than have to act with fellows on whom there is no reliance, whatever, to be placed." "i agree with you there, heartily, o'grady. however, thank goodness we are going to set out at last; and i am very glad that it falls to us to act as the vanguard of the army, instead of being attached to beresford's command and kept stationary in the passes. "now i must be at work. i daresay we shall meet again, before long." terence wrote an acknowledgment of the receipt of the general's order, and handed it to the orderly who had brought it. a bugler at once sounded the field-officers' call. "we are to march at once," he said, when herrara, bull, and macwitty arrived. "let the tents be struck, and handed over to the quartermaster's department. see that the men have four days' biscuit in their haversacks. "each battalion is to take three carts with it. i will go to the quartermaster's department, to draw them. tell off six men from each battalion to accompany me, and take charge of the carts. each battalion will carry , rounds of spare ammunition, and a chest of pounds. i will requisition from the commissariat as much biscuit as we can carry, and twenty bullocks for each battalion, to be driven with the carts. "as soon as the carts are obtained, the men will drive them to the ordnance stores for the ammunition, and to the commissariat stores to load up the food. you had better send an officer in charge of the men of each battalion. "i will myself draw the money from the paymaster. i will go there at once. send a couple of men with me, for of course it will be paid in silver. then i will go to the quartermaster's stores, and get the carts ready by the time that the men arrive. i want to march in an hour's time, at latest." in a few minutes the camp was a scene of bustle and activity. the tents were struck and packed away in their bags, and piled in order to be handed over to the quartermaster; and in a few minutes over an hour from the receipt of the order, the two battalions were in motion. after a twenty-mile march, they halted for the night near the frontier. an hour later they were joined by twenty troopers of a portuguese regiment, under the command of a subaltern. the next day they marched through plasencia, and halted for the night on the slopes of the sierra. an orderly was despatched, next morning, to the officer in command of any force that there might be at banos, informing him of the position that they had taken up. terence ordered two companies to remain at this spot, which was at the head of a little stream running down into an affluent of the tagus; their position being now nearly due north of almaraz, from which they were distant some twenty miles. the rest of the force descended into the plain, and took post at various villages between the sierra and oropesa, the most advanced party halting four miles from that town. the french forces under victor had, in accordance with orders from madrid, fallen back from plasencia a week before, and taken up his quarters at talavera. at the time when the regiment received its uniforms, terence had ordered that twenty suits of the men's peasant clothes should be retained in store and, specially intelligent men being chosen, twenty of these were sent forward towards the river alberche, to discover victor's position. they brought in news that he had placed his troops behind the river, and that cuesta, who had at one time an advanced guard at oropesa, had recalled it to almaraz. parties of victor's cavalry were patrolling the country between talavera and oropesa. terence had sent bull, with five hundred men, to occupy all the passes across the sierras, with orders to capture any orderlies or messengers who might come along; and a day later four men brought in a french officer, who had been captured on the road leading south. he was the bearer of a letter from soult to the king, and was at once sent, under the escort of four troopers, to headquarters. the men who had brought in the officer reported that they had learned that wilson, with his command of four thousand men, was in the mountains north of the escurial; and that spies from that officer had ascertained that there was great alarm in madrid, where the news of the british advance towards plasencia was already known; and that it was feared that this force, with cuesta's army at almaraz and venegas' army in la mancha, were about to combine in an attack upon the capital. this, indeed, was sir arthur's plan, and had been arranged with the supreme junta. the junta, however, being jealous of cuesta, had given secret instructions to venegas to keep aloof. on his arrival at plasencia, the english general had learned at once the hollowness of the spanish promises. he had been assured of an ample supply of food, mules, and carts for transport; and had, on the strength of these statements, advanced with but small supplies, for little food and but few animals could be obtained in portugal. he found, on arriving, that no preparations whatever had been made; and the army, thus early in the campaign, was put on half rations. day after day passed without any of the promised supplies arriving, and sir arthur wrote to the supreme junta; saying that although, in accordance with his agreement, he would march to the alberche, he would not cross that river unless the promises that had been made were kept, to the letter. he had, by this time, learned that the french forces north of the mountains were much more formidable than the spanish reports had led him to believe; but he still greatly underrated soult's army, and was altogether ignorant that ney had evacuated galicia, and was marching south with all speed, with his command. del parque had failed in his promise to garrison bejar and banos, and these passes were now only held by a few hundreds of cuesta's spaniards. a week after taking up his position north of oropesa, terence received orders to move with his two battalions, and to take post to guard these passes; with his left resting on bejar, and his right in communication with wilson's force. the detachments were at once recalled. a thousand men were posted near bejar, and the rest divided among the other passes by which a french army from the north could cross the sierra. as soon as this arrangement was made, terence rode to wilson's headquarters. he was received very cordially by that officer. "i am heartily glad to see you, colonel o'connor," the latter said. "of course, i have heard of the doings of your battalions; and am glad, indeed, to have your support. i sent a messenger off, only this morning, to sir arthur; telling him that, from the information brought in by my spies, i am convinced that soult is much stronger than has been supposed; and that, if he moves south, i shall scarce be able to hold the passes of arenas and san pedro barnardo; and that i can certainly spare no men for the defence of the more westerly ones, by which soult is likely to march from salamanca. however, now you are there, i shall feel safe." "no doubt i could hinder an advance, sir robert," terence said, "but i certainly could not hope to bar the passes to a french army. i have no artillery and, though my men are steady enough against infantry, i doubt whether they would be able to withstand an attack heralded by a heavy cannonade. with a couple of batteries of artillery to sweep the passes, one might make a fair stand for a time against a greatly superior force; but with only infantry, one could not hope to maintain one's position." "quite so, and sir arthur could not expect it. my own opinion is that we shall have fifty thousand men coming down from the north. i have told the chief as much; but naturally he will believe the assurances of the spanish juntas, rather than reports gathered by our spies; and no doubt hopes to crush victor altogether, before soult makes any movement; and he trusts to venegas' advance, from the south towards the upper tagus, to cause don joseph to evacuate madrid, as soon as he hears of victor's defeat. "but i have, certainly, no faith whatever in either venegas or cuesta. cuesta is loyal enough, but he is obstinate and pig headed and, at present, he is furious because the supreme junta has been sending all the best troops to venegas, instead of to him; and he knows, well enough, that that perpetual intriguer frere is working underhand to get albuquerque appointed to the supreme command. as to venegas, he is a mere tool of the supreme junta and, as likely as not, they will order him to do nothing but keep his army intact. "then again, the delay at plasencia has upset all sir arthur's arrangements. had he pressed straight forward on the th of last month, when he crossed the frontier, disregarding cuesta altogether, he could have been at madrid long before this; for i know that at that time victor's force had been so weakened that he had but between fourteen and fifteen thousand men, and must have fallen back without fighting. now he has again got the troops that had been taken from him, and will be further reinforced before sir arthur arrives on the alberche; and of course soult has had plenty of time to get everything in readiness to cross the mountains, and fall upon the british rear, as soon as he hears that they are fairly on their way towards madrid. here we are at the th, and our forces will only reach oropesa today. "victor is evidently afraid that sir arthur will move from oropesa towards the hills, pass the upper alberche, and so place himself between him and madrid; for a strong force of cavalry reconnoitred in this direction, this morning." "would it not be as well, sir," said terence, "if we were to arrange some signals by which we could aid each other? that hill top can be seen from the hill beyond which is the little village where i have established myself. i noticed it this morning, before i started. if you would keep a lookout on your hill, i would have one on mine. we might each get three bonfires, a hundred yards apart, ready for lighting. if i hear of any great force approaching the defiles i am watching, i could summon your aid either by day or night by these fires; and in the same way, if soult should advance by the line that you are guarding, you could summon me. my men are really well trained in this sort of work, and you could trust them to make an obstinate defence." "i think that your idea is a very good one, and will certainly carry it out. you see, we are really both of us protecting the left flank of our army, and can certainly do so more effectually if we work together. "we might, too, arrange another signal. one fire might mean that, for some reason or other, we are marching away. i may have orders to move some distance towards madrid, so as to compel victor to weaken himself by detaching a force to check me; you may be ordered, as the army advances, to leave your defiles in charge of the spaniards, and to accompany the army. two fires might mean, spies have reported a general advance of the french coming by several routes. thus, you see, we should be in readiness for any emergency. "i should be extremely glad of your help, if soult comes this way. my own corps of men are fairly good soldiers, and i can rely upon them to do their best; but the other have been but recently raised, and i don't think that any dependence can be placed upon them, in case of hard fighting; but with your two battalions, we ought to be able to hold any of these defiles for a considerable time." two days later, terence received orders to march instantly with his force down into the valley, to follow the foot of the hills until he reached the alberche, when he was to report his arrival, wait until he received orders, and check the advance of any french force endeavouring to move round the left flank of the british. the evening before, one signal fire had announced that wilson was on the move and, thinking that he, too, might be summoned, terence had called in all his outposts, and was able to march a quarter of an hour after he received the order. he had learned, on the evening he returned from his visit to sir robert, from men sent down into the plain for the purpose, that cuesta's army and that of sir arthur had advanced together from oropesa. he was glad at the order to join the army, as he had felt that, should soult advance, his force, unprovided as it was with guns, would be able to offer but a very temporary resistance; especially if the french marshal was at the head of a force anything like as strong as was reported by the peasantry. as to this, however, he had very strong doubts, having come to distrust thoroughly every report given by the spaniards. he knew that they were as ready, under the influence of fear, to exaggerate the force of an enemy as they were, at other times, to magnify their own numbers. sir arthur must, he thought, be far better informed than he himself could be; for his men, being portuguese, were viewed with doubt and suspicion by the spanish peasantry, who would probably take a pleasure in misleading them altogether. the short stay in the mountains had braced up the men and, with only a short halt, they made a forty-mile march to the alberche by midnight. scarcely had they lit their fires, when an hussar officer and some troopers rode up. they halted a hundred yards away, and the officer shouted in english: "what corps is this?" terence at once left the fire, and advanced towards them. "two portuguese battalions," he answered, "under myself, colonel o'connor." the officer at once rode forward. "i was not quite sure," he said, as he came close, "that my question would not be answered by a volley. by the direction from which i saw you coming, i thought that you must be friends. still, you might have been an advanced party of a force that had come down through the defiles. however, as soon as i saw you light your fires, i made sure it was all right; for the frenchmen would not likely have ventured to do so unless, indeed, they were altogether ignorant of our advance." "at ten o'clock this morning i received orders from headquarters to move to this point at once and, as we have marched from banos, you see we have lost very little time on the way." "indeed, you have not. i suppose it is about forty miles; and that distance, in fourteen hours, is certainly first-rate marching. i will send off one of my men to report who you are. two squadrons of my regiment are a quarter of a mile away, awaiting my return." "have you any reason to believe that the enemy are near?" "no particular reason that i know of, but their cavalry have been in great force along the upper part of the river, for the last two days. victor has retired from talavera, for i fancy that he was afraid we might move round this way, and cut him off from madrid. the spaniards might have harassed him as he fell back, but they dared not even make a charge on his rear guard, though they had cavalry. "we are not quite sure where the french are and, of course, we get no information from the people here; either their stupidity is something astounding, or their sympathies are entirely with the french." "my experience is," terence said, "that the best way is to get as much information as you can from them, and then to act with the certainty that the real facts are just the reverse of the statements made to you." as soon as the forces halted a picket had been sent out; and terence, when the men finished their supper, established a cordon of advanced pickets, with strong supports, at a distance of a mile from his front and flanks; so as to ensure himself against surprise, and to detect any movement upon the part of the enemy's cavalry, who might be pressing round to obtain information of the british position. at daybreak he mounted and rode to talavera, and reported the arrival of his command, and the position where he had halted for the night. "you have wasted no time over it, colonel o'connor. you can only have received the order yesterday morning, and i scarcely expected that you could be here till this evening." "my men are excellent marchers, sir. they did the forty miles in fourteen hours, and might have done it an hour quicker, had they been pressed. not a man fell out." "your duty will now be to cover our left flank. i don't know whether you are aware that wilson has moved forward, and will take post on the slopes near the escurial. he has been directed to spread his force as much as possible, so as to give an appearance of greater strength than he has." "i knew that he had left his former position," terence said. "we had arranged a code of smoke signals, by which we could ask each other for assistance should the defiles be attacked; and i learned yesterday morning, in this way, that he was marching away." "have you any news of what is taking place on the other side of the hills, since you sent off word two days ago?" "no, sir; at least, all we hear is of the same character as before. we don't hear that soult is moving, but his force is certainly put down as being considerably larger than was supposed. i have deemed it my duty to state this in my reports, but the spaniards are so inclined to exaggerate everything that i always receive statements of this kind with great doubt." "all our news--from the juntas, from mr. frere, and from other quarters--is quite the other way," the officer said. "we are assured that soult has not fifteen thousand men in condition to take the field, and that he could not venture to move these, as he knows that the whole country would rise, did he do so. "i have no specific orders to give you. you will keep in touch with general hill's brigade, which forms our left and, as we move forward, you will advance along the lower slopes of the sierra and prevent any attempt, on the part of the french, to turn our flank. "i dare say you do not know exactly what is going on, colonel o'connor. it may be of assistance to you, in taking up your position, to know that the fighting is likely to take place on the line between talavera and the mountains. cuesta has fallen back, in great haste, to talavera. we shall advance today and take up our line with him. "the spaniards will hold the low marshy ground near the town. our right will rest on an eminence on his left flank, and will extend to a group of hills, separated by a valley from the sierra. our cavalry will probably check any attempt by the french to turn our flank there, and you and the spaniards will do your best to hold the slope of the sierra, should the french move a force along there. "i may say that victor has been largely reinforced by sebastiani, and is likely to take the offensive. indeed, we hear that he is already moving in this direction. we are not aware of his exact strength, but we believe that it must approach, if not equal, that of ourselves and cuesta united. "cuesta has, indeed, been already roughly handled by the french. disregarding sir arthur's entreaties, and believing victor to be in full retreat, he marched on alone, impelled by the desire to be the first to enter madrid; but at two o'clock on the morning of the th of july, the french suddenly fell upon him, drove the spanish cavalry back from their advanced position, and chased them hotly. they fled in great disorder, and the panic would have spread to the whole army, had not albuquerque brought up fresh cavalry and held the french in check, while cuesta retreated in great disorder and, had the french pressed forward, would have fled in utter rout. sherbrooke's division, which was in advance of the british army, moved forward and took up its position in front of the panic-stricken spaniards, and then the french drew off. "cuesta then yielded to sir arthur's entreaties, recrossed the alberche, and took up his position near talavera. here, even the worst troops should be able to make a stand against the best. the ground is marshy and traversed by a rivulet. on its left is a strong redoubt, which is armed with spanish artillery; on the right is another very strong battery, on a rise close to talavera; while other batteries sweep the road to madrid. sir arthur has strengthened the front by felling trees and forming abattis, so that he has good reason to hope that, poor as the spanish troops may be, they should be able to hold their part of the line. "campbell's division forms the british right, sherbrooke comes next, the german legion are in the centre, donkin is to take his place on the hill that rises two-thirds of the way across the valley, while general hill's division is to hold the face looking north, and separated from the sierra only by the comparatively narrow valley in which you have bivouacked. at present, however, his troops and those of donkin have not taken up their position." the country between the positions on which the allied armies had now fallen back was covered with olive and cork trees. the whole line from talavera to the hill, which was to be held by hill's division, was two miles in length; and the valley between that and the sierra was half a mile in width, but extremely broken and rugged, and was intersected by a ravine, through which ran the rivulet that fell into the tagus at talavera. chapter : talavera. on leaving the adjutant general, terence--knowing that mackenzie's brigade was some two miles in advance on the alberche river, and that the enemy was not in sight--sent off one of the orderlies who accompanied him, with a message to herrara to fall back and take up his station on the lower slopes of the sierra, facing the rounded hill; and then went to a restaurant and had breakfast. it was crowded with spanish officers, with a few british scattered among them. as he ate his food, he was greatly amused at the boasting of the spaniards as to what they would accomplish, if the french ventured to attack them; knowing as he did how shamefully they had behaved, two days before, when the whole of cuesta's army had been thrown into utter disorder by two or three thousand french cavalry, and had only been saved from utter rout by the interposition of a british brigade. when he had finished breakfast, he mounted his horse and rode to the camp of his old regiment. "hooroo, terence!" captain o'grady shouted, as he rode up, "i thought you would be turning up, when there was going to be something to do. it's yourself that has the knack of always getting into the thick of it. "orderly, take colonel o'connor's horse, and lead him up and down. "come on, terence, most of the boys are in that tent over there. we have just been dismissed from parade." a shout of welcome rose as they entered the tent, where a dozen officers were sitting on the ground, or on empty boxes. "sit down if you can find room, terence," colonel corcoran said. "wouldn't you like to be back with us again, for the shindy that we are likely to have, tomorrow?" "that i should, but i hope to have my share in it, in my own way." "where are your men, o'connor?" "they will be, in another hour, at the foot of the mountains over there to the left. our business will be to prevent any of the french moving along there, and coming down on your rear." "i am pleased to hear it. i believe that there is a spanish division there, but i am glad to know that the business is not to be left entirely to them. now, what have you been doing since you left us, a month ago?" "i have been doing nothing, colonel, but watching the defiles and, as no one has come up them, we have not fired a shot." "no doubt they got news that you were there, terence," o'grady said, "and not likely would they be to come up to be destroyed by you." "perhaps that was it," terence said, when the laughter had subsided; "at any rate they didn't show up, and i was very pleased when orders came, at ten o'clock yesterday, for us to leave banos and march to join the army. we did the forty miles in fourteen hours." "good marching," colonel corcoran said. "then where did you halt?" "about three miles farther off, at the foot of the hills. we saw a lot of campfires to our right, and thought that we were in a line with the army, but of course they were only those of mackenzie's division; but i sent off an orderly, an hour ago, to tell them to fall back to the slopes facing those hills, where our left is to be posted." "you are a lucky fellow to have been away from us, terence, for it is downright starving we have been. the soldiers have only had a mouthful of meat served out to them as rations, most days; and they have got so thin that their clothes are hanging loose about them. if it hadn't been for my man doolan and two or three others, who always manage, by hook or by crook, to get hold of anything there is within two or three miles round, we should have been as badly off as they are. be jabers, i have had to take in my sword belt a good two inches; and to think that, while our fellows are well-nigh starving, these spaniards we came to help, and who will do no fighting themselves, had more food than they could eat, is enough to enrage a saint. "i wonder sir arthur puts up with it. i would have seized that stuck-up old fool cuesta, and popped him into the guard tent, and kept him there until provisions were handed over for us." "his whole army might come to rescue him, o'grady." "what if they had? i would have turned out a corporal's guard, and sent the whole of them trotting off in no time. did you hear what took place two days ago?" "yes, i heard that they behaved shamefully, o'grady; still, i think a corporal's guard would hardly be sufficient to turn them, but i do believe that a regiment might answer the purpose." "i can tell you that there is nothing would please the troops more than to attack the spaniards. if this goes on many more days, our men will be too weak to march; but i believe that, before they lie down and give it up altogether, they will pitch into the spaniards, in spite of what we may try to do to prevent them," the colonel said. "here we are in a country abounding with food, and we are starving, while the spaniards are feasting in plenty; and by saint patrick's beard, terence, it is mighty little we should do to prevent our men from pitching into them. there is one thing, you may be sure. we shall never cooperate with them in the future and, as to relying upon their promises, faith, they are not worth the breath it takes to make them." as everything was profoundly quiet, terence had no hesitation in stopping to lunch with his old friends and, as there was no difficulty in buying whatever was required in talavera, the table was well supplied, and the officers made up for their enforced privation during the past three weeks. at three o'clock terence left them and rode across to his command, which he found posted exactly where he had directed it. "it is lucky that we filled up with flour at banos, before starting, colonel," bull said, "for from what we hear, the soldiers are getting next to nothing to eat; and those cattle you bought at the village halfway, yesterday, will come in very handy. at any rate, with them and the flour we can hold out for a week, if need be." "still, you had better begin at once to be economical, bull. there is no saying what may happen after this battle has been fought." while they were talking, a sudden burst of firing, at a distance, was heard. "mackenzie's brigade is engaged!" terence exclaimed. "you had better get the men under arms, at once. if the whole of victor's command is upon them, they will have to fall back. "when the men are ready, you may as well come a few hundred feet higher up the hill, with me. then you will see all over the country, and be in readiness to do anything that is wanted. but it is not likely the french will attempt anything serious, today. they will probably content themselves with driving mackenzie in." terence went at once up the hill, to a point whence he could look well over the round hills on the other side of the valley, and make out the british and spanish lines, stretching to talavera. the troops were already formed up, in readiness for action. away to his left came the roll of heavy firing from the cork woods near the alberche and, just as his three officers joined him, the british troops issued pell mell from the woods. they had, in fact, been taken entirely by surprise; and had been attacked so suddenly and vigorously that, for a time, the young soldiers of some of the regiments fell into confusion; and sir arthur himself, who was at a large house named the casa, narrowly escaped capture. the th, however, a regiment that had seen much service, and some companies of the th rifles presented a stout front to the enemy. sir arthur speedily restored order among the rest of the troops, and the enemy's advance was checked. the division then fell back in good order, each of its flanks being covered by a brigade of cavalry. from the height at which terence and his officers stood, they could plainly make out the retiring division, and could see heavy masses of french troops descending from the high ground beyond the alberche. "the whole french army is on us!" macwitty said. "if their advance guard had not been in such a hurry to attack, and had waited until the others came up, not many of mackenzie's division would have got back to our lines." it was not long before the french debouched from the woods and, as soon as they did so, a division rapidly crossed the plain towards the allies' left, seized an isolated hill facing the spur on to which donkin had just hurried up his brigade, and at once opened a heavy cannonade. at the same time another division moved towards the right, and some squadrons of light cavalry could be seen, riding along the road from madrid towards the spanish division. "they won't do much good there," terence said, "for the country is so swampy that they cannot leave the road. still, i suppose they want to reconnoitre our position, and draw the fire of the spaniards to ascertain their whereabouts. they are getting very close to them and, when the spaniards begin, they ought to wipe them out completely." at this moment a heavy rattle of distant musketry was heard, and a light wreath of smoke rose from the spanish lines. the french cavalry had, in fact, ridden up so close to the spaniards that they discharged their pistols in bravado at them. to this the spaniards had replied by a general wild discharge of their muskets. a moment later the party on the hill saw the right of the spanish line break up as if by magic and, to their astonishment and rage, they made out that the whole plain behind was thickly dotted by fugitives. "why, the whole lot have bolted, sir!" bull exclaimed. "horse and foot are making off. did anyone ever hear of such a thing!" that portion of the spanish line nearest to talavera had indeed broken and fled in the wildest panic, , infantry having taken to their heels the instant they discharged their muskets; while the artillery cut their traces and, leaving their guns behind them, followed their example. the french cavalry charged along the road, but sir arthur opposed them with some british squadrons. the spanish who still held their ground opened fire, and the french drew back. the fugitives continued their flight to oropesa, spreading panic and alarm everywhere with the news that the allies were totally defeated, sir arthur wellesley killed, and all lost. cuesta himself had for some time accompanied them, but he soon recovered from his panic, and sent several cavalry regiments to bring back the fugitives. part of the artillery and some thousands of the infantry were collected before morning, but men were still absent at the battle, and the great redoubt on their left was silent, from want of guns. in point of numbers there had been but little difference between the two armies. prior to the loss of these men, cuesta's army had been , strong, with seventy guns. the british, with the german legion, numbered , , with thirty guns. the french were , strong, with eighty guns. these were all veteran troops, while on the side of the allies there were but , who could be called fighting men. "that is what comes of putting faith in the spaniards!" bull said savagely. "if i had been sir arthur, i would have turned my guns on them and given them something to run for. we should do a thousand times better, by ourselves; then we should know what we had to expect." "it is evident that there won't be any fighting until tomorrow, macwitty. you will place half your battalion on the hillside, from this point to the bottom of the slope. i don't think that they will come so high up the hill as this; but you will, of course, throw some pickets out above. the other wing of your battalion you will hold in reserve, a couple of hundred yards behind the centre of the line; but choose a sheltered spot for them, for those guns victor is placing on his heights will sweep the face of this hill. "this little watercourse will give capital cover to your advanced line, and they cannot do better than occupy it. lying down, they would be completely sheltered from the french artillery and, if attacked, they could line the bank and fire without showing more than their heads. of course, you will throw out pickets along the face of the slope in front of you. "do you, bull, march your battalion down to the foot of the hill and take up your post there. the ground is very uneven and broken, and you should be able to find some spot where the men would be in shelter; move a couple of hundred yards back, then macwitty would flank any force advancing against you. the sun will set in a few minutes, so you had better lose no time in taking up your ground. "as soon as you have chosen a place go on, with the captains of your companies, across the valley. make yourselves thoroughly acquainted with the ground, and mark the best spots at which to post the men to resist any force that may come along the valley. it is quite possible that victor may make an attempt to turn the general's flank tonight. i will reconnoitre all the ground in front of you, and will then, with the colonel, join you." the position terence had chosen was a quarter of a mile west of the spur held by donkin's brigade. he had selected it in order that, if attacked in force, he might have the assistance of the guns there; which would thus be able to play on the advancing french, without risk of his own men being injured by their fire. bull marched his battalion down the hill and, as terence and herrara were about to mount, a sudden burst of musketry fire, from the crest of the opposite hill, showed that the french were attempting to carry that position. victor, indeed, seeing the force stationed there to be a small one; and that, from the confusion among the spaniards on the british right, the moment was very favourable; had ordered one division to attack, another to move to its support, while a third was to engage the german division posted on the plain to the right of the hill, and thus prevent succour being sent to donkin. from the position where terence was standing, the front of the steep slope that the french were climbing could not be seen but, almost at the same moment, a dense mass of men began to swarm up the hill on donkin's flank; having, unperceived, made their way in at the mouth of the valley. "form up your battalion, macwitty," he shouted, "and double down the hill." then he rode after bull, whose battalion had now reached the valley and halted there. "we must go to the assistance of the brigade on the hill, bull, or they will be overpowered before reinforcements can reach them. "herrara, bring on macwitty after us, as soon as he gets down. "take the battalion forward at the double, bull." the order was given and, with a cheer, the battalion set out across the valley and, on reaching the other side, began to climb the steep ascent; bearing towards their left, so as to reach the summit near the spot where the french were ascending. twilight was already closing in, and the approach of the portuguese was unobserved by the french, whose leading battalions had reached the top of the hill, and were pressing heavily on donkin's weak brigade; which had, however, checked the advance of the french on their front. macwitty's battalion was but a short distance behind when, marching straight along on the face of the hill, bull arrived within a hundred yards of the french. here terence halted them for a minute, while they hastily formed up in line, and macwitty came up. the din on the top of the hill, just above bull's right company, was prodigious, the rattle of musketry incessant, the exulting shouts of the french could be plainly heard; and their comrades behind were pressing hotly up the hill to join in the strife. there was plainly not a moment to be lost and, advancing to within fifty yards of the french battalions, struggling up the hill in confused masses, a tremendous volley was poured in. the french, astonished at this sudden attack upon their flank, paused and endeavoured to form up, and wheel round to oppose a front to it; but the heavy fire of the portuguese, and the broken nature of the ground, prevented their doing this and, ignorant of the strength of the force that had thus suddenly attacked them, they recoiled, keeping up an irregular fire; while the portuguese, pouring in steady volleys, pressed upon them. in five minutes they gave way, and retired rapidly down the hill. the leading battalions had gained the crest where, joining those who had ascended by the other face of the hill, they fell upon the already outnumbered defenders. donkin's men, though fighting fiercely, were pressed back, and would have been driven from their position had not general hill brought up the th and th, with a battalion of detachments composed of sir john moore's stragglers. these charged the french so furiously that they were unable to withstand the assault, although aided by fresh battalions ascending the front of the hill. in their retreat the french, instead of going straight down the hill, bore away to their right and, although some fell to the fire of the portuguese, the greater portion passed unseen in the darkness. the firing now ceased, and terence ordered bull and macwitty to take their troops back to the ground originally selected, while he himself ascended to the crest. with some difficulty he discovered the whereabouts of general hill, to whom he was well known. he found him in the act of having a wound temporarily dressed, by the light of a fire which had just been replenished; he having ridden, in the dark, into the midst of a french battalion, believing it to be one of his own regiments. colonel donkin was in conversation with him. "it has been a very close affair, sir," he said; "and i certainly thought that we should be rolled down the hill. i believe that we owe our safety, in no small degree, to a couple of battalions of spaniards, i fancy, who took up their post on the opposite hill this morning. just before you brought up your reinforcement, and while things were at their worst, i heard heavy volley firing somewhere just over the crest. i don't know who it could have been, if it was not them; for there were certainly no other troops on my left." "they were portuguese battalions, sir," terence said quietly. "oh, is it you, o'connor?" general hill exclaimed. "if they were those two battalions of yours, i can quite understand it. "this is colonel o'connor, donkin, who checked soult's passage at the mouth of the minho, and has performed other admirable services." [illustration: 'you may as well make your report to me, o'connor.'] "you may as well make your report to me, o'connor, and i will include it in my own to sir arthur." terence related how, just as he was taking up his position for the night along the slopes of the sierra, he heard the outbreak of firing on the front of the hill and, seeing a large force mounting its northern slope, and knowing that only one brigade was posted there, he thought it his duty to move to its assistance. crossing the valley at the double, he had taken them in flank and, being unperceived in the gathering darkness, had checked their advance, and compelled them to retire down the hill. "at what strength do you estimate the force which so retired, colonel?" "i fancy there were eight battalions of them, but three had gained the crest before we arrived. the others were necessarily broken up, and followed so close upon each other that it was difficult to separate them; but i fancy there were eight of them. being in such confusion and, of course, unaware of my strength, they were unable to form or to offer any effectual resistance; and our volleys, from a distance of fifty yards, must have done heavy execution upon them." "then there is no doubt, donkin, colonel o'connor's force did save you; for if those five battalions had gained the crest, you would have been driven off it before the brigade i brought up arrived and, indeed, even with that aid we should have been so outnumbered that we could scarcely have held our ground. it was hot work as it was, but certainly five more battalions would have turned the scale against us. "of course, o'connor, you will send in a written report of your reasons for quitting your position to headquarters; and i shall, myself, do full justice to the service that you have rendered so promptly and efficaciously. where is your command now?" "they will by this time have taken up their former position on the opposite slope. one battalion is extended there. the other is at the foot of the hill, prepared to check any force that may attempt to make its way up the valley. our line is about a quarter of a mile in rear of this spur. i selected the position in order that, should the french make an attempt in any force, the guns here might take them in flank, while i held them in check in front." the general nodded. "well thought of," he said. "and now, donkin, you had better muster your brigade and ascertain what are your losses. i am afraid they are very heavy." terence now returned across the valley and, on joining his command, told herrara and the two majors how warmly general hill had commended their action. "what has been our loss?" he asked. "fifteen killed, and five-and-forty wounded, but of these a great proportion are not serious." brushwood was now collected and in a short time a number of fires were blazing. the men were in high spirits. they were proud of having overthrown a far superior force of the enemy, and were gratified at the expression of great satisfaction, conveyed to them by their captains by terence's order, at the steadiness with which they had fought. [illustration: plan of the battle of talavera.] at daybreak next morning the enemy was seen to be again in motion, victor having obtained the king's consent to again try to carry the hills occupied by the british. this time terence did not leave his position, being able to see that the whole of hill's division now occupied the heights and, moreover, being himself threatened by two regiments of light troops, which crossed the mouth of the valley, ascended the slopes on his side, and proceeded to work their way along them. the whole of macwitty's battalion was now placed in line, while bull's was held in reserve, behind its centre. it was not long before macwitty was hotly engaged; and the french, who were coming along in skirmishing order, among the rocks and broken ground, were soon brought to a standstill. for some time a heavy fire was exchanged. three times the french gathered for a rush; but each time the steady volleys, from their almost invisible foes, drove them back again, with loss, to the shelter they had left. in the intervals terence could see how the fight was going on across the valley. the whole hillside was dotted with fire, as the french worked their way up, and the british troops on the crest fired down upon them. several times parties of the french gained the brow, but only to be hurled back again by the troops held in reserve, in readiness to move to any point where the enemy might gain a footing. for forty minutes the battle continued; and then, having lost men, the french retreated down the hill again, covered by the fire of their batteries, which opened with fury on the crest, as soon as they were seen to be descending the slope. at the same time the light troops opposed to terence also drew off. seeing the pertinacity with which the french had tried to turn his left, sir arthur wellesley moved his cavalry round to the head of the valley and, obtaining bassecour's division of spanish from cuesta, sent them to take post on the hillside a short distance in rear of terence's portuguese. the previous evening's fighting had cost victor men, while british had been killed or wounded; and the want of success then, and the attack on the following morning, tended to depress the spirits of the french and to raise those of the british. it was thought that after these two repulses victor would not again give battle, and indeed the french generals jourdan and sebastiani were opposed to a renewal of hostilities; but victor was in favour of a general attack. so his opinion was finally adopted by the king, in spite of the fact that he knew that soult was in full march towards the british rear, and had implored him not to fight a battle till he had cut the british line of retreat; when, in any case, they would be forced to retire at once. the king was influenced more by his fear for the safety of madrid than by victor's arguments. wilson's force had been greatly exaggerated by rumour. venegas was known to be at last approaching toledo, and the king feared that one or both of these forces might fall upon madrid in his absence, and that all his military stores would fall into their hands. he therefore earnestly desired to force the british to retreat, in order that he might hurry back to protect madrid. doubtless the gross cowardice exhibited by the spaniards, on the previous day, had shown victor that he had really only the , british troops to contend against; and as his force exceeded theirs by two to one, he might well regard victory as certain, and believe he could not fail to beat them. up to midday, a perfect quiet reigned along both lines. the british and french soldiers went down alike to the rivulet that separated the two armies, and exchanged jokes as they drank and filled their canteens. albuquerque, being altogether dissatisfied with cuesta's arrangements, moved across the plain with his own cavalry and took his post behind the british and german horse; so that no less than cavalry were now ready to pour down upon any french force attempting to turn the british position by the valley. the day was intensely hot and the soldiers, after eating their scanty rations, for the most part stretched themselves down to sleep; for the night had been a broken one, owing to the fact that the spaniards, whenever they heard, or thought they heard, anyone moving in their front, poured in a tremendous fire that roused the whole camp; and was so wild and ill directed that several british officers and men, on their left, were killed by it. soon after midday the drums were heard to beat along the whole length of the french line, and the troops were seen to be falling in. then the british were also called to arms, and the soldiers cheerfully took their places in the ranks; glad that the matter was to be brought to an issue at once, as they thought that a victory would, at least, put an end to the state of starvation in which they had for some time been kept. the french had, by this time, learned how impossible it was to surmount the obstacles in front of that portion of the allies' line occupied by the spaniards. they therefore neglected these altogether, and sebastiani advanced against the british division in the plains; while victor, as before, prepared to assail the british left, supported this time by a great mass of cavalry. the french were soon in readiness for the attack. ruffin's division were to cross the valley, move along the foot of the mountain, and turn the british left. villatte was to guard the mouth of the valley with one brigade, to threaten hill with the other, and to make another attempt to carry it. he was to be aided by half the division of lapisse, while the other half assisted sebastiani in his attack on the british centre. milhaud's dragoons were placed on the main road to talavera, so as to keep the spaniards from moving to the assistance of the british. the battle began with a furious attack on the british right, but the french were withstood by campbell's division and mackenzie's brigade, aided by two spanish columns; and was finally pushed back with great loss, and ten of their guns captured; but as campbell wisely refused to break his line and pursue, the french rallied on their reserve, and prepared to renew the attack. in the meantime lapisse crossed the rivulet and attacked sherbrooke's division, composed of the germans and guards. this brigade was, however, driven back in disorder. the guards followed hotly in pursuit; but the french reserves came up, and their batteries opened with fury and drove the guards back, while the germans were so hotly pressed, by lapisse, that they fell into confusion. the th, however, fell upon the flank of the advancing french; the guards and the germans rallied, the british artillery swept the french columns, and they again fell back. thus the british centre and right had succeeded in finally repelling the attacks made upon them. on the left, as the french advanced, the rd light dragoons and the st german hussars charged the head of ruffin's column. before they reached them, however, they encountered the ravine through which the rivulet here ran. the germans checked their horses when they came upon this almost impassable obstacle. the rd, however, kept on. men and horses rolled over each other, but many crossed the chasm and, forming again, dashed in between the squares into which the french infantry had thrown themselves, and charged a brigade of light infantry in their rear. victor hurled two regiments of cavalry upon them and the rd, hopelessly over matched, were driven back with a loss of men and officers, being fully half the number that had ridden forward. the rest galloped back to the shelter of bassecour's division. yet their effort had not been in vain. the french, astonished at their furious charge, and seeing four distinct lines of cavalry still drawn up facing them, made no further movement. hill easily repulsed the attack upon his position, and the battle ceased as suddenly as it had begun, the french having failed at every point they had attacked. terence had, on seeing ruffin's division marching towards him, advanced along the slope until they reached the entrance to the valley; and then, scattering on the hillside, had opened a heavy and continuous fire upon the french, doing much execution among their columns, and still more when they threw themselves into square to resist the cavalry. he had given orders that, should ruffin send some of his battalions up the hill against them, they were to retire up the slopes, taking advantage of every shelter, and not to attempt to meet the enemy in close contact. no such attack was, however, made. the french battalion most exposed threw out a large number of skirmishers, and endeavoured to keep down the galling fire maintained from the hillside; but as the portuguese took advantage of every stone and bush, and scarcely a man was visible to the french, there were but few casualties among them. the loss of the british was in all, during the two days' fighting, , including taken prisoners. that of the french was . ten guns were captured by campbell's division, and seven left in the woods by the french as they drew off, the next morning at daybreak, to take up their position behind the alberche. during the day crauford's brigade came up, after a tremendous march. the three regiments had, after a tramp of twenty miles, encamped near plasencia, when the alarm spread by the spanish fugitives reached that place. crauford allowed his men two hours' rest and then started to join the army, and did not halt until he reached the camp; having in twenty-six hours, during the hottest season of the year, marched sixty-two miles, carrying kit, arms, and ammunition--a weight of from fifty to sixty pounds. only twenty-five men out of the three regiments fell out and, immediately the brigade arrived, it took up the outpost duty in front of the army. terence was much gratified by the appearance, in general orders that day, of the following notice: "the general commander-in-chief expresses his warm approbation of the conduct of the two battalions of the minho regiment of portuguese, commanded by colonel o'connor. this officer, on his own discretion, moved from the position assigned to him, on seeing the serious attack made on colonel donkin's brigade on the evening of the th and, scaling the hill, opened so heavy a fire on the french ascending it that five battalions fell back, without taking part in the attack. this took place at the crisis of the engagement, and had a decisive effect on its result." at eight o'clock a staff officer rode up, with orders for the minho regiment to return at once to the pass of banos, as the news had come in that the enemy beyond the hills were in movement. terence was to act in concert with the spanish force there, and hold the pass as long as possible. if the enemy were in too great strength to be withstood, he was given discretion as to his movements; being guided only by the fact that the british army would, probably, march down the valley of the tagus. if soult crossed, "his force," the order added, "was estimated as not exceeding , men." chapter : prisoners. on the st of july terence reached the neighbourhood of banos and learned, from the peasantry, that a french army had passed through the town early on the preceding day. no resistance, whatever, had been offered to its passage through the pass of bejar; and the spanish at banos had retreated hastily, after exchanging a few shots with the french advanced guard. the peasantry had all deserted their villages, but had had some skirmishes with small foraging parties of cavalry. several french stragglers had been killed in the pass. hoping to find some of these still alive, and to obtain information from them, terence continued his march for banos; sending on two of the best mounted of the portuguese horsemen, to ascertain if there was any considerable french force left there. he was within half a mile of the town when he saw them returning, at full speed, chased by a party of french dragoons; who, however, fell back when they saw the advancing infantry. "what is your news?" terence asked, as the troopers rode up. "banos is full of french troops," one of them replied, "and columns are marching down the pass. from what i can see, i should think that there must be , or , of them." in fact, this was soult's second army corps--the first, which had preceded it, having that morning reached plasencia, where they captured sick in the hospitals, and a large quantity of stores that had been left there, from want of carriage, when the british army advanced. terence lost no time in retreating from so dangerous a neighbourhood, and at once made for the mountains he had just left. two regiments of french cavalry set out in pursuit, as soon as the party that had chased the portuguese troopers entered banos with the news that a body of infantry, some strong, was close at hand. they came up before the portuguese had marched more than a mile. the two battalions were halted, and thrown into square. the french rode fearlessly down upon them, but were received with so hot and steady a fire that they speedily drew off, with considerable loss. then the regiment ascended the hills and, half an hour later, halted. "the question is, what is to be done?" terence said to herrara and his two majors. "it is evident that, for once, the information we obtained from the spaniards is correct, and that soult must have at least , men with him. possibly his full strength is not up yet. by this time the force that passed yesterday must be at plasencia, and by tomorrow may be on the tagus, and sir arthur's position must be one of great danger. putting cuesta and the spaniards altogether aside as worthless, he has, even with that brigade we saw marching in soon after we started, only , or , men; and on one side of him is victor, with some , ; on the other is soult, with perhaps as many more. with starving and exhausted troops his chances are small, indeed, unless he can cross the tagus. he might beat one marshal or the other, but he can hardly beat the two of them. "the first thing to do is to send two troopers off, with duplicate despatches, telling sir arthur of soult's passage. he might not otherwise hear of it for some time, and then it might be too late. the peasantry and the village authorities will be too busy carrying off their effects, and driving their animals to the hills, to think for a moment of sending information. that is evidently the first thing to be done. "until we see what is going to happen, i don't think we can do better than cross the sierra, and encamp at some spot where we can make out the movements of the french on the plain. at the same time we can keep an eye on the road to plasencia, and be able to send information to sir arthur, if any further bodies of french troops come down into the valley. our position is evidently a dangerous one. if the news has reached sir arthur, he will have fallen back from talavera at once. victor will no doubt follow on his heels, and his cavalry and those of soult will speedily meet each other. therefore it will be, in all ways, best to see how matters develop themselves before moving down into the plain." accordingly two of the troopers were sent off with information that , french were already in the valley, and that as many more would be there on the following day. then the regiment marched across the sierra and took post high up on the slope, with plasencia ten miles away on the right, and the spires of oropesa visible across the valley. on the following day another army corps was seen descending from banos to plasencia, while a large body of troops marched from that town to navalmoral, thus cutting off the retreat of the british by the bridge of boats at almaraz. clouds of dust on the distant plain showed that a portion, at least, of the allied army had arrived at oropesa; and bodies of french cavalry were made out, traversing the plain and scattering among the villages. two more troopers were sent off with reports, and warned, like the others, to take different routes, and make a wide circuit so as to avoid the french, and then to come down upon oropesa. if the troops there were british, they were to deliver their reports to the general in command. if it was occupied by spaniards, they were to proceed to talavera and hand them in at headquarters. on the following day, still another army corps marched down to plasencia, raising soult's force to , . on that day cuesta, who had undertaken to hold talavera, retreated suddenly; alarmed by victor's army making an advance, and leaving to their fate the british wounded in the hospital. these, however, were benefited by the change. they had been dying of hunger for, although there was an abundance of provisions in talavera, the inhabitants refused to sell any to the british, and jealously concealed their stores in their houses. nor would cuesta do anything to aid them; and thus the men who had fought and suffered for the spanish cause were left to perish, while there was abundance around them. the conduct of the spaniards, from the moment the british crossed the frontier to the time of their leaving spain, was never forgotten or forgiven by the british troops, who had henceforth an absolute hatred for the spanish, which contributed in no small degree to the excesses perpetrated by them upon the inhabitants of badajos, and other places, taken subsequently by storm. the french, on entering talavera, treated the british wounded with the greatest kindness, and henceforth they were well fed and cared for. the first report sent by terence reached sir arthur safely, ten hours after it was sent out, and apprised him for the first time of the serious storm that was gathering in his rear; and he had, without an hour's delay, given orders for the army to march to oropesa, intending to give battle to soult before victor could come up to join his fellow marshal. the second report informed him of the real strength of the army towards which he was marching, and showed him the real extent of his danger. so he at once seized the only plan of escape offered to him, marching with all speed to arzobispo, and crossing the tagus by the bridge there, cuesta's army following him. as soon as the tagus was passed, crauford's brigade was hurried on to seize the bridge of boats at almaraz, and prevent the french from crossing there. fortunately, soult was as ignorant of the position of the allies as sir arthur was of his and, believing that the british were following victor and pressing forward towards madrid, he had conducted his operations in a comparatively leisurely manner. therefore, it was not until the british were safely across the tagus that he ascertained the real state of affairs, and put himself in communication with victor. on the morning following the crossing terence was apprised, by a note sent back by one of the troopers, of the movement that had taken place. it was written upon a small piece of paper, so that it could be destroyed at once, by the bearer, if he should be threatened with capture, and contained only the following words: "your report invaluable. the allied army moves to arzobispo, and will cross the tagus there. you must act according to your judgment. i can give no advice." "thank god the british army has escaped!" terence said, after reading the despatch to his officers; "now we have only to think of ourselves. as to rejoining sir arthur, it is out of the question; the valley is full of french troops. ney has joined soult, and there are , frenchmen between us and our army. if i had any idea where wilson is, we might endeavour to join him, for he must be in the same plight as ourselves. our only chance, so far as i can see, is to cross their line of communications and to endeavour to join beresford, who is reported as marching down the frontier from almeida." "would you propose to pass through banos, colonel?" herrara asked. "the mountains there are almost, if not quite, impassable; but we might get a peasant to guide us." "i don't like going near banos, herrara. the french are almost sure to have left a strong body there, and the chances are against our finding a peasant; for the inhabitants of all the villages, for ten miles round, have almost certainly fled and taken to the hills. "i think it would be safer to follow along this side of the sierra, cross the road a few miles above plasencia, then make for the mountains, and come down on the head of the river coa. beresford is probably in the valley of that river. we are more likely to find a guide, that way, than we are by going through banos. we shall have tough work of it whichever way we go, even if we are lucky enough to get past without running against a single frenchman." "would it not be better to wait till nightfall, colonel?" bull asked. terence shook his head. "there is no moon," he said; "and as to climbing about among these mountains in the dark, it would be worse than running the risk of a fight with the french. besides, we should have no chance whatever of coming across a peasant. no, i think we must try it as soon as it gets light, tomorrow morning. we had better dress up a score of men in peasant clothes; and send them off, in couples, to search among the hills. whoever comes across a man must bring him in, whether he likes it or not. the spaniards are so desperately afraid of the french that they will give us no information, whatever, unless forced to do so; and we shall have even more difficulty than the british. there must have been thousands of peasants, and others, who knew that soult had come down upon plasencia; and yet sir arthur obtained no news. "there is one comfort: there can be little doubt that soult is just as much in the dark as to the position of the british army." by nightfall three peasants had been brought in. all shook their heads stolidly, when questioned in portuguese; but upon terence having them placed against a rock, and twelve men brought up and ordered to load their muskets, one of them said, in spanish: "i know where a path across the mountains leaves the road, but i have never been over the hills, and know nothing of how it runs." "ah! i thought you could make out my question," terence said. "well, you have saved the lives of yourself and your comrades. take us to the path, tomorrow, and set us fairly on it; and you shall be allowed to go free, and be paid five dollars for your trouble." then he turned to bull. "put four men to guard them," he said, "and let the guard be changed once every two hours. their orders will be to shoot the fellows down, if they endeavour to make their escape. they are quite capable of going down into plasencia and bringing the french upon us." at daybreak they were on the march and, two hours later, came down into the valley through which the road from banos ran down to plasencia. they had just crossed it when the head of a column of cavalry appeared, coming down the valley. it at once broke into a gallop. "how far is it to where the path begins to ascend the mountains?" terence asked, holding a pistol to the peasant's head. "four miles," the man replied sullenly, looking with apprehension at the french. terence shouted orders to bull and macwitty to throw their men into square, and as they had been marching, since they reached level ground, in column of companies, the movement was carried out before the enemy arrived. the french cavalry, believing that the battalions were spanish, and would break at once, charged furiously down upon them. they were, however, received with so heavy a fire that they drew off discomfited, leaving many men and horses on the ground. "they are a strong body," terence said quietly to bull, in the centre of whose square he had taken up his position. "i should say there are of them, and i am afraid they are the head of another division." "yes, there are the infantry coming down the valley. we must press on, or we shall be caught before we get into the hills." the battalions were soon in motion but, immediately they started, the cavalry prepared to charge again. "this will never do, bull. if we form square every time, we shall be delayed so much that the infantry will soon be up. you must do it now, and quickly; but we will start next time in column, eight abreast; and face the men round in lines, four deep either way, if they charge again." the french, this time, drew off without pressing their charge home; and then, trotting on, took their place between the portuguese and the mountains. "form your leading company in line, four deep, bull. the column shall follow you." the formation was quickly altered and, preceded by the line, to cover them from the charge in front, the column advanced at a rapid pace. the cavalry moved forward to meet them, but as the two parties approached each other the line opened so heavy a fire that the french drew off from their front, both to the right and left. bull at once threw back a wing of each company, to prevent an attack in flank; and so, in the form of a capital t, the column kept on its way. several times the french cavalry charged down, compelling them to halt; but each time, after repulsing the attack, the column went on. "it would be all right if we had only these fellows to deal with," terence said to bull, "but their infantry are coming on fast." the plain behind was, indeed, covered with a swarm of skirmishers, coming along at the double. "we must go at the double, too, bull," terence said, "or they will be up long before we get to the hills. we are not halfway yet. keep the men well in hand, and don't let them fall into confusion. if they do, the cavalry will be down upon us in a minute." the cavalry, however, were equally conscious of the importance of checking the portuguese, and again and again dashed down upon them, with reckless bravery; suffering heavily whenever they did so, but causing some delay each time they charged. "i shall go back to the rear, bull. mind, my orders are precise that, whatever happens behind to us, you are to push forward until you begin to climb the hills." then, without waiting for an answer, he galloped back. although the column pressed on steadily at the double, the delay caused by the cavalry, and the fact that the french infantry were broken up--and able, therefore, to run more quickly--was bringing the enemy up fast. herrara was riding at the head of the second battalion, and to him terence repeated the instructions he had given bull. "what are you going to do, colonel?" the latter asked. "there is some very broken ground, a quarter of a mile ahead," he replied. "i intend to hold that spot with the rear company. it will be some little time before the french infantry will be able to form and attack us; and the ground looks, to me, too broken for their cavalry to act. as soon as i can see that you are far enough ahead to gain the hill, before they can overtake you again, i shall follow you with the company; but mind, should i not do so, you must take the command of the two battalions, cross the mountains, and join beresford." he galloped on to macwitty, who was riding in the rear, and repeated the order to him. "well, colonel, let me stop behind with the company, instead of yourself." "no, no, macwitty. it is the post of danger and, as commanding officer, i must take it. it is a question of saving the two battalions at the cost of the company, and there is no doubt as to the course to be taken. do you ride on at once, and take your post at the rear of the company ahead of this, and keep them steady. here come their cavalry down again on the flank." there was another charge, three or four heavy volleys, and then the french drew off again. the bullets of their infantry were now whistling overhead. "a hundred yards farther," terence shouted, "and then we will face them." in front lay an upheaval of rock, stretching almost like a wall across the line they were following. it was a sort of natural outwork, pushed out by nature in front of the hill, and rose some fifty feet above the level of the plain. there were many places at which it could be climbed, and up one of these the track ran obliquely. hitherto it had been but an ill-defined path, but here some efforts had been made to render it practicable, by cutting away the ground on the upper side, to enable laden mules to pass up. terence reined up at the bottom of the ascent, and directed the men to take up their post on the crest; the leading half of the company to the right, and the other half to the left of the path. before all were up the french light troops were clustering round, but a rush was prevented by the heavy fire that opened from the brow above, and the company were soon scattered along the crest, a yard apart. in five minutes some two thousand french infantry were assembled. a mounted officer rode some distance to the right and left, to examine the ground. it was evident that he considered that the position, held by determined men, was a formidable one. lying down, as they were, only the heads of the portuguese could be seen; while a force attacking them would have to march across level ground, affording no shelter whatever from the defenders' fire, and then to climb a very steep ascent. moreover, the whole force they had been pursuing might be gathered, just behind. after another five minutes' delay, half a battalion broke up into skirmishers; while the rest divided into two parties, and marched parallel to the rocks, left and right. terence saw that these movements must be successful for, with men, he could not defend a line of indefinite length. however, his object had now been achieved. the descent behind was even and regular, and he could see the column winding up the hill, somewhat over half a mile away. of the french cavalry he could see nothing. they had, after their last charge, ridden off, as if leaving the matter in the hands of their infantry. he ordered the bugler to sound the retreat, in open order; and the portuguese, rising to their feet, went down the gentle slope at a trot. they were halfway to the hills when the long lines of the french cavalry were seen, sweeping down upon them from the right; having evidently ridden along the foot of the steep declivity, until they came to a spot where they were able to ascend it. at the sound of the bugle the rear company instantly ran together and formed a square and, as the french cavalry came up, opened a continuous fire upon them. unable to break the line of bayonets, the horsemen rode round and round the square, discharging their pistols into it, and occasionally making desperate efforts to break in. suddenly the cavalry drew apart, and a battalion of infantry marched forward, and poured their fire into the portuguese. terence felt that no more could be done. his main body was safe from pursuit, and it would be but throwing away the lives of his brave fellows, did he continue the hopeless fight. he therefore waved a white handkerchief, in token of surrender; shouted to his men to cease fire and, riding through them with sheathed sword, made his way to the officer who appeared to be in command of the cavalry. [illustration: 'we surrender, sir, as prisoners of war.'] "we surrender, sir," he said, "as prisoners of war. we have done all that we could do." he could speak but a few words of french, but the officer understood him. "you have done more than enough, sir," he said. "order your men to lay down their arms, and i will guarantee their safety." he ordered his cavalry to draw back and, riding up to the infantry, halted them. terence at once ordered his men to lay down their arms. "you have done all that men could do," he said. "you have saved your comrades, and it is no dishonour to yield to twenty times your own force. form up in column, ready to march." the commander of the cavalry again rode up, this time accompanied by another officer. "the general wishes to know, sir," the latter said in english, "who you are, and what force this is?" "i am colonel o'connor, holding that rank in lord beresford's army; and have the honour to be on the staff of sir arthur wellesley, though at present detached on special service. the two battalions that have marched up the hill are the minho regiment of portuguese, under my command. we were posted on the sierra and, being cut off from rejoining the british by the advance of marshal soult's army, were endeavouring to retire across the mountains into portugal, when you cut us off." the officer translated the words to the general. "tell him," the latter said, "that if all the portuguese fought as well as those troops, there would have been no occasion for the british to come here to aid them. i have never seen troops better handled, or more steady. this cannot be the first time they have been under fire." terence bowed, when the compliment was translated to him. "they fought, general, in the campaign last year," he said, "and the regiment takes its name from the fact that they prevented marshal soult from crossing at the mouth of the minho; but their first encounter with your cavalry was near orense." "i remember it well," the general said, "for i was in command of the cavalry that attacked you. your men were not in uniform, then, or i should have known them again. how did you come to be there? for at that time, the british had not advanced beyond cintra." "i had been sent with a message to romana and, happening to come across this newly-raised levy, without officers or commander, i took the command and, aided by two british troopers and a portuguese lieutenant, succeeded in getting them into shape; and did my best to hold the pass to braga." "peste!" the general exclaimed. "that was you again, was it? it was the one piece of dash and determination shown by the portuguese, during our advance to oporto, and cost us as many men as all the rest of the fighting put together. "and now, colonel, we must be marching. major portalis, here, will take charge of you." in a few minutes the french cavalry and infantry were on their march towards plasencia, the portuguese prisoners guarded on both sides by cavalry marching with them; their captain being, like terence, placed in charge of an officer. the portuguese marched with head erect. they were prisoners, but they felt that they had done well, and had sacrificed themselves to cover the retreat of their comrades; and that, had it not been for the french infantry coming up, they might have beaten off the attacks of their great body of cavalry. on their arrival at plasencia, the troops were placed in a large building that had been converted into a prison. here were some hundreds of other prisoners, for the most part spaniards, who had been captured when soult had suddenly arrived. terence was taken to the quarters of general foy, who was in command there. here he was again questioned, through the officer who spoke english. after he translated his answers to the general, the latter told him to ask terence if he knew where wilson was. "i do not, sir," he replied; "we were together on the sierra, a fortnight ago, but he marched suddenly away without communicating with me, and i remained at banos until ordered to march to the alberche. we took part in the battle there, and were then ordered back, again to support the spaniards at banos; but marshal soult had marched through the pass, and the spaniards had disappeared before we got there. we remained among the mountains until yesterday when, hearing that the british had crossed the tagus, and seeing no way to rejoin them, i started to cross the mountains to join lord beresford's force, wherever i might find it." "general heron reports that the two battalions under your command fought with extraordinary steadiness, and repulsed all the attempts of his cavalry to break them; and finally succeeded in drawing off to the mountains, with the exception of the two companies that formed the rear guard. how is it that there is only one officer?" "they were, in fact, one company," terence said. "my companies are each about strong, and the officer captured with me was its captain." "general heron also reports to me that your retreat was admirably carried out," general foy said, "and that no body of french veterans could have done better. "well, sir, if you are ready to give your parole not to escape, you will be at liberty to move about the town freely, until there is an opportunity of sending a batch of prisoners to france." "thank you, general. i am ready to give my parole not to make any attempt to escape, and am obliged to you for your courtesy." terence had already thought over what course he had best take, should he be offered freedom on parole, and had resolved to accept it. the probabilities of making his escape were extremely small. there would be no chance whatever of rejoining the army; and a passage, alone, across the all-but-impassable mountains, was not to be thought of. therefore he decided that, at any rate for the present, he would give his promise not to attempt to escape. quarters were assigned to him in the town, in a house where several french officers were staying. these all showed him great courtesy and kindness. between the english and french the war was, throughout, conducted on honourable terms. prisoners were well treated, and there was no national animosity between either officers or men. when he went out into the town one of the french officers generally accompanied him, and he was introduced to a number of others. he set to work, in earnest, to improve the small knowledge of french that he possessed and, borrowing some french newspapers, and buying a dictionary in the town, he spent a considerable portion of his time in studying them. he remained three weeks at plasencia. during that time he heard that the army of venegas had been completely routed by victor, that cuesta had been badly beaten soon after crossing the tagus, and albuquerque's cavalry very roughly treated. five guns and prisoners had been taken. ney had marched through plasencia, on his way back to valladolid to repress an insurrection that had broken out in that district; and on his way met wilson, who was trying to retreat by banos, and who was decisively beaten and his command scattered. terence was now told to prepare to leave, with a convoy of prisoners, for talavera. he was the only british officer and, being on parole, the officer commanding the detachment marching with the prisoners invited him to ride with him, and the two days' journey was made very pleasantly. at talavera he remained for a week. the portuguese prisoners remained there, but the british who had been captured in plasencia, and the convalescents from the hospital at talavera--in all strong, among whom were six british officers--were to march to the frontier, there to be interned in one of the french fortresses. the officer who had commanded the escort, on the march from plasencia, spoke in high terms of terence to the officer in charge of the two hundred men who were to go on with them. the party had been directed not to pass through madrid, as the sight of over two hundred british prisoners might give rise to a popular demonstration by the excitable spaniards, which would possibly lead to disorder. he was therefore directed to march by the road to the escurial, and then over the sierra to segovia, then up through valladolid and burgos. the escort was entirely composed of infantry and, as terence could not therefore take his horse with him, he joined the other officers on foot. to his great surprise and joy he found that one of these was his chum, dick ryan. "this is an unexpected pleasure, dicky!" he exclaimed. "well, yes, i am as pleased as you are at our meeting, terence; but i must own that the conditions might have been more pleasant." "oh, never mind the conditions!" terence said. "it is quite enough, for the present, that we both are here; and that we have got before us a journey that is likely to be a jolly one. i suppose that you have given your parole, as i have; but when we are once in prison there will be an end of that, and it is hard if, when we put our heads together, we don't hit on some plan of escape. "do you know the other officers? if so, please introduce me to them." as soon as the introductions were completed, terence asked ryan where he had been wounded. "i was hit by a piece of a french shell," the latter replied. "fortunately it did not come straight at me, but scraped along my ribs, laying them pretty well bare. as it was a month ago, it is quite healed up; but i am very stiff still, and am obliged to be very careful in my movements. if i forget all about it, and give a turn suddenly, i regularly yell; for it feels as if a red-hot iron had been stuck against me. however, i have learned to be careful and, as long as i simply walk straight on, i am pretty well all right. "it was a near case, at first; and i believe i should have died of starvation if the french had not come in. those brutes of spaniards would do nothing whatever for me, and i give you my word of honour that nothing passed my lips, but water, for three days." "perhaps it was a good thing for you, dicky, and kept down fever." "i would have run the chance of a dozen fevers, to have got a good meal," ryan said indignantly. "i don't know but that i would have chanced it, even for a crust of bread. i tell you, if the french had not come in when they did, there would not have been a man alive in hospital at the end of another forty-eight hours. the men were so furious that, if they could have got at arms, i believe everyone who could have managed to crawl out would have joined in a sally, and have shot down every spaniard they met in the streets, till they were overpowered and killed. "now, let us hear your adventures. of course, i saw in orders what good work you did, that day when you were in our camp, against the french when they attacked donkin. some of our fellows went across to see you, the morning after the big battle; but they could not find you, and heard afterwards, from some men of hill's division, that you had been seen marching away in a body, along the hills." terence then gave an account of the attack by the french upon his regiment, and how he had fallen into their hands. "that was well done, terence. there is some pleasure in being taken prisoner, in that sort of way. what will become of your regiment, do you suppose?" "i have no idea. herrara may be appointed to the command. i should think that most likely he would be, but of course sir arthur may put another english officer at its head. however, i should say that there is no likelihood of any more fighting, this year. ney's corps has gone north, which is a sign that there will be no invasion of portugal at present; and certainly sir arthur is not likely to take the offensive again, now that his eyes have been thoroughly opened to the rascality and cowardice of the spaniards; and by next spring we two may be back again. we have got into so many scrapes together, and have always pulled through them, that i don't think the french will keep us long. "have you stuck to your portuguese, dicky?" "i have, and am beginning to get on very fairly with it." "that is right. when we get back i will apply for you as my adjutant, if i get the command of the regiment again." chapter : guerillas. the marches were short, as many of the prisoners were still weak and, indeed, among their guard were many convalescents who had recently been discharged from the hospital at toledo, and who were going back to france. the little column was accompanied by four waggons, two of which were intended for the conveyance of any who should prove unable to march; and the others were filled with provisions for consumption by the way, together with a few tents, as many of the villages that would be their halting places were too small to afford accommodation for the men, even if every house was taken up for the purpose. although the first day's march was only twelve miles, the two empty waggons were quite full before they reached their halting place; and many of the guard had placed their guns and cartridge boxes on the other carts. it was now the middle of august, and the heat in the valley of the tagus was overpowering. the convoy, however, had marched at six in the morning; and halted at eight, in the shade of a large olive wood; and did not continue its march until five in the afternoon. the night was so warm that the english prisoners, and many of their guards, preferred lying down in the open and throwing the blanket (with which each had been furnished) over him to keep off the dew, to going into the stuffy cottages, where the fleas would give them little chance of rest. on the third day they arrived at the village of escurial. the next morning they began to mount the pass over the sierra, and slept that night in an empty barracks, at segovia. here they left the main road leading through valladolid and took one more to the east, stopping at small villages until they arrived at aranda, on the douro. thence they marched due north, to gamonal. they were now on the main road to the frontier, passed through miranda and zadorra, and began to ascend the slopes of the pyrenees. the marches had, for some days, been considerably longer than when they first started. the invalids had gained strength and, having no muskets to carry, were for the most part able to march eighteen or twenty miles without difficulty. four had been left behind in hospital at segovia, but with these exceptions all had greatly benefited by steady exercise, and an ample supply of food. "i could do a good deal of travelling, in this way," one of the officers said, as they marched out from miranda. "just enough exercise to be pleasant; no trouble about baggage or route, or where one is to stop for the night; nothing to pay, and everything managed for you. what could one want for, more?" "we could do with a little less dust," dick ryan said, with a laugh; "but we cannot expect everything." "unfortunately, there will be an end to our marching, and not a very pleasant one," terence said. "at present, one scarcely recognizes that one is a prisoner. the french officers certainly do all in their power to make us forget it; and their soldiers, and ours, try their best to hold some sort of conversation together. i feel that i am making great progress in french, and it is especially jolly when we halt for the night, and get the bivouac fires burning, and chat and laugh with the french officers as though we were the best friends in the world." the march was, indeed, conducted in a comfortable and easy fashion. at starting, the prisoners marched four abreast, and the french two abreast at each side; but before a mile had been passed the order was no longer strictly observed, and the men trudged along, smoking their pipes, laughing and talking, the french and english alternately breaking into a marching song. there was no fear of the prisoners trying to escape. they could, at night, have got away from their guards easily enough; but there was nowhere for them to go, if they had done so. the english, smarting from the cruelty and ill faith of the inhabitants of talavera and the spanish authorities, felt a burning hatred of the spanish; while the spaniards, on their side, deceived by the lying representations of their juntas, had no love whatever for the english, though ready enough to receive money and arms from them. on leaving zadorra, the french officer in command said to terence: "now, colonel, we shall have to be more careful during our marches, keeping a sharp lookout at night. the country here is infested by guerillas, whom all our efforts cannot eradicate. the mountains of navarre and biscay are full of them. sometimes they are in bands of fifteen or twenty strong, sometimes they are in hundreds. some of them are at ordinary times goatherds, shepherds, muleteers, and peasants; but a number of them are disbanded soldiers--the remains of armies we have defeated and broken up, and who prefer this wild life in the mountains to returning to their homes. our convoys are constantly attacked, and have always to be accompanied by a strong guard." "as we have no waggons with us, i should think that they would hardly care to molest us," terence said. "that renders it less likely, certainly, colonel; but they fight from hatred as much as for booty, and no french soldier who falls into their hands is ever spared. generally they are put to death with atrocious tortures. at first there was no such feeling here and, when my regiment was quartered at vittoria, some three years ago, things were quiet enough. you see, the feeling gradually grew. no doubt some of our men plundered. many of the regiments were composed of young conscripts, with very slight notions of discipline. those from the country districts were, as a rule, quiet lads enough; but among those from the towns, especially such places as toulouse, lyons, and marseilles, were young scoundrels ready for any wickedness, and it is to these that the troubles we now have are largely due. "of course the peasants, when they were able to do so, retaliated upon these marauders. the feeling of hatred grew, on both sides. straggling parties of our men were surrounded, captured, and then hung, shot, or burnt alive. "then, on our side, villages were destroyed and the peasants shot down. lately, that is, after the defeats of their armies, numbers of fugitives took to the hills, threw away their uniforms, obtained peasants' dresses, and set up as what they called guerillas, which is only another term for bandits; for although their efforts are chiefly directed against us, they do not hesitate to plunder their own people, when they need provisions, and are a perfect scourge to all the villages among the hills between the bay of biscay and the mediterranean. of course, they are strongest along the line of communication with france; but it may be said that, roughly, where there are mountains there are guerillas, though there are but few of them along the hills we crossed between the valley of the tagus and that of the douro. "this is for two reasons: in the first place, there are very few villages, and they would have difficulty in maintaining themselves; and in the second place, because hitherto leon and old castile, on the north of the sierra, have always been under different commands to that in the tagus valley, and therefore there has been but small communication between them, except by messengers with despatches from madrid. the passes have scarcely been used and, indeed, in winter they are practically altogether impassable; except that along the valley of the ebro. we found that to our cost, when we marched with napoleon to cut off your british general moore. we lost nearly two days getting through them, and the delay saved your army." "yes, it was a very close thing," terence said. "as i have told you, i was with moore; and if the troops from the south had come up but six hours earlier, it would have gone very hard with us." "it was an awful time," the officer said, "and i think our army must have suffered quite as much as yours did. soult's force was reduced fully to half its strength, when he first arrived on that hill near corunna. of course the stragglers came in rapidly, but a great number never returned to their colours again--some died of cold and hardship, others were cut off and murdered by the peasantry. altogether, we had an awful time of it. your men were, in one respect, better off than ours; for your stragglers were not regarded with hostility by the peasants, whereas no mercy was shown to ours." "yes, major, one of the battalions that fought at talavera was entirely composed of men who had straggled in the retreat, and who afterwards succeeded in gaining the portuguese frontier." that evening they halted, for the night, at a small village high up in the passes. the french officer took every precaution against surprise. twenty sentries were placed at various points round the village; and as many more were posted, in pairs, three or four hundred yards farther out. at three in the morning, several shots were fired. the troops all got under arms, and parties were sent out to the outposts. at two of these posts both the sentries were found stabbed to the heart. at others men had been seen crawling up towards them, and the shots that had aroused the troops had been fired. the outposts were recalled to the village, and the soldiers remained under arms until morning. as soon as it was daybreak a scattered fire opened from the hills on either side of the valley, and it was evident that these were occupied by strong parties. the villagers, on being questioned, denied all knowledge of these bands; but under threats said that they had heard that minas, with a very strong force, was in the neighbourhood, and that the impecinado had been reported to be among the hills between the pass and that of roncesvalles. "what strength do you put them down at, colonel?" the major asked terence. "i should say, from what we can see of them, that there must be four or five hundred on each hill." "they must have had information from their spies at zadorra, colonel, and half a dozen bands must have united to crush us. "diable, that was a good shot!" he exclaimed, as his shako was struck from his head by a bullet. "that is the worst of these fellows. they are uncommonly good shots. you see, almost all these mountain men are accustomed to carry guns, and the charcoal burners and shepherds eke out a living by shooting game and sending it down to the towns." "what are you thinking of doing, major?" "i shall hold the village," the latter replied. "we might get through the pass, but i doubt whether we should do so; and if we did, my men and yours would suffer terribly. can i rely upon your fellows keeping quiet?" "i think so. at any rate, we will all go round and order them to do so." there was, however, no necessity to impress this on the men. two of them had already been wounded by the guerillas' fire. "why, sir," one of them said, "if we had but muskets here, we would turn out and help the french to drive those fellows off. the french have behaved very well to us, while the spaniards did their best to starve us to death; and there ain't one of us who wouldn't jump at the chance of paying them out." "all right, men!" said terence. "i agree with you, as to the treatment you have received; however, we are not here to fight. we are prisoners, and have nothing to do with the fray, one way or the other; though i don't mean to say that i should not, myself, be glad to see the french beat the guerillas off." the other officers found the same spirit among the soldiers they questioned. "i quite agree with them," one of the officers said, "and if there were muskets handy i would not mind leading them, myself, if it were not for the uniform. sir arthur would scarcely be pleased if, among all his other worries, he got a despatch from the central junta, complaining that a large number of innocent peasants had been killed by english troops, fighting by the side of the french." gradually the guerillas drew in towards the village, taking advantage of every stone and bush, and rarely giving a chance to the french infantry. their aim was exceedingly accurate and, whenever a french soldier showed himself from behind a hut to fire, he was fortunate if he got back again without receiving a bullet. "this is getting serious," the french major said, coming into the cottage where the english officers were gathered. "i have lost thirty-eight killed and wounded, already. i have had the wounded carried into the church, and some of your men are unloading the provision waggons, and taking the contents inside. they have requisitioned every utensil that will hold water in the village. no doubt we shall be able to hold out there till some other detachment comes along the road." "i think that it is a very good plan, major," terence said. "they would hardly be able to carry it by assault, unless they burnt down the door; and you ought to be able to prevent them from doing that." half an hour later, the whole french force was collected in the church. as soon as the spaniards found what had happened, they speedily entered the village; and opened fire from every window giving a view of the church, and from loopholes that they quickly made in the walls. terence noticed that, when the british soldiers entered the church, most of them carried heavy staves. a sergeant came up, and saluted. "we have had four men killed and eight wounded, sir. the men declare that they are not going to stand still and see the french murdered by these fellows, and i doubt if any orders will keep them back." "very well, sergeant. i will speak to them, presently. "now, gentlemen," he said, to the other officers, "three of you are senior to me in our own army and, though i own that i don't know how matters should stand, holding as i do lord beresford's commission as colonel, i am perfectly willing to place myself under the orders of whoever may be senior of you." "i believe i am the senior," one of the captains said; "but i should imagine that lord beresford's commission would, for the time, rank just as if it had been signed by our own authorities. moreover, you are on wellesley's staff. you have seen more service out here than any of us, and i think that you are certainly entitled to the command; though really, i don't see what we can do, in our uniforms." "i quite agree with you, captain travers, and therefore my proposal is that we shall all take them off, and fight in our shirt sleeves. the guerillas will then not be able to affirm that there were any men in english uniforms assisting the french." "i think the idea is an excellent one," captain travers said. "then in that case i will act upon it;" and terence went up to the english soldiers, who were standing in a group in the middle of the church. "i am sure you quite understand, my men," he said, "that it would never do for you to be fighting, in british uniforms, against the spaniards; otherwise, i leave the matter in your hands. but i may mention that it is the intention of myself, and the other officers, to defend this church without our coats and caps. if any of you like to do the same, of course you can join us. i give no orders whatever on the subject, but you see that it would get rid of the inconvenience of soldiers, in british uniforms, fighting against the spaniards." the men answered with a shout of satisfaction, mingled with laughter and, in less than a minute, the scarlet uniforms had disappeared. the muskets of the french killed and wounded were appropriated, and the rest of the english prisoners seized their clubs. for some hours the fight continued and, from the roof of the church belfry and windows, a hot fire answered the incessant fusillade of the spaniards. the french and english officers were obliged, constantly, to impress upon the men that they must husband their ammunition; as there was no saying how long they might be besieged before a detachment, strong enough to turn the scale, arrived. "maintain a fire heavy enough to make them keep at it. their ammunition is likely to run short as soon as ours, and there is not much chance of their being able to replenish it. but don't fire at random. let every bullet tell. take a steady aim at the windows through which they are firing." late in the afternoon the fire of the guerillas slackened a good deal, and it was evident that their leaders were enjoining them not to waste their ammunition. as it became dark, the officers gathered again in the body of the church. the total loss had risen to thirty-two killed and fifty wounded, the english casualties being about a third of the whole. "it is a heavy loss," the major said, "and i have noticed that, as the fire slackened, the proportion of men hit has been larger. i suppose that they are only keeping their best shots at work." "i should fancy," terence said, "that if we were to make a sortie, we could scatter them altogether. as soon as it is dark we might get out by that sacristy door at the rear. they gave up the attack on that side some time ago, as they could not get any shelter; and when they found that was so, they betook themselves to houses where they were better covered. if we were to go out noiselessly and sweep round the village; so as to fall upon it in two bodies, one at each end; they will take us for a body of troops just arrived. even if they do hear us, as we go out, we can go straight at them; and should, i have no doubt, be able to clear the place with a rush. "the only thing is, major, i should be glad if your soldiers would take off their coatees, too, so that there would be nothing to distinguish our men from yours. what do you think?" "i think that it will be much the best plan," captain travers said. "in the first place, it is probable that they will try to burn us out, tonight; and we could not hope to prevent their piling faggots against the doors, in the dark. for that reason, alone, i think that it will be much better to attack them than wait for them to attack us. "we need only leave some twenty of the less seriously wounded men to guard the place. when we sally out, the guerillas will have plenty to do without making an attack on the church. i certainly think that we are not likely to lose so many lives in a sortie as we should do in the defence, here, against a night attack." "i certainly am of your opinion, colonel," the french major said; "and if you and your men will join us, i have no doubt that we shall be able to clear the village." as soon as it became quite dark, the men on the roof were all called down; with the exception of one or two, who were ordered to continue to fire from various spots there and in the belfry, so that the spaniards should not discover that the garrison had been withdrawn. then the french were drawn up, and divided into two parties. the english who had muskets were told off, in equal numbers, to each of these parties; as were those who had nothing but their clubs. the major then ordered his soldiers to take off their coats, and to leave their shakos behind them. the french major took the command of one party, and asked terence to take command of the other. this he declined. "no, sir, it is better that one of your own officers should be in command. we will divide ourselves between the two parties." the major now impressed upon his men the necessity for absolute quiet, and for marching as lightly and silently as possible. the english officers gave similar instructions to their men. it was arranged that, when the door was opened, the two parties should issue out simultaneously, two abreast; so that if the alarm was given before all were out, they would be able to turn right and left, and attack in both directions at once. a french lieutenant was appointed to remain in the church, and command the little garrison of wounded men. those who sallied out were to stoop low as they went, and were to keep a few paces apart. some hangings in the church were pulled down and torn up into strips, with which the men were directed to muffle their boots. there was no mistaking the ardour with which the soldiers prepared for the sortie. both english and french were indignant at being pent up by a foe they thoroughly despised, and were eager to be at the enemy. the casualties added to their wrath; one of the french officers had been killed, and another hurt seriously; while three of the english had also been wounded, though in each case but slightly. the bolts of the door were noiselessly drawn, and that of the lock forced back; then the two little parties stole out, in the order in which they had been directed. the guerillas had just begun to fire heavily, as a prelude, terence had no doubt, to a serious attack upon the church. fortunately there were no houses at the back of the church, and no shout indicated that the party were seen. they therefore kept together, until fifty or sixty yards from the door; then they separated, and continued their way to the ends of the village to which they had been, respectively, assigned. then at one end of the village a french trumpeter sounded the charge, and two drummers at the other beat the same order, vigorously, and with loud cheers they rushed down the street, the french and english alike shouting. it had been arranged that, while the french held their way straight on, shooting down the spaniards as they poured out into the street, the british should break up into small detachments, burst their way into the houses, and overpower the enemy there. they found the first houses they entered deserted, and the soldiers uttered exclamations of impatience as they heard the heavy roll of firing in the main street. as they approached the centre of the village, however, they came upon a number of the spaniards rushing from their houses. the men who had arms opened fire at once upon them, while those with clubs dashed forward, levelling the panic-stricken guerillas to the ground with their heavy blows, and arming themselves with their muskets and bandoleers. thus the firing soon became general, and the spaniards, struck with utter dismay, and believing that they had been attacked by a heavy column that had just arrived, speedily took to headlong flight, most of them throwing away their arms as they fled. in some of the houses there were short but desperate conflicts but, in a quarter of an hour after the first shot was fired, there was not a guerilla remaining alive in the village, upwards of a hundred and fifty having been killed; while on the side of their assailants only some fifteen had been killed, and twenty-eight wounded. they soon formed up in the street, and were told off, in parties of twelve, to the houses in the outskirts of the village. three in each party were to keep watch, by turns, while the rest slept. an english officer was to remain in charge on one side of the street, and a french officer on the other. the rest went back to the church, whose doors were now thrown open. "i thank you most heartily, gentlemen," the french officer said, to terence and to the other british officers, "for the immense service that you have rendered us. had it not been for your aid, our position would have been a very precarious one, before morning. as it is, i think we need fear no further interruption. we are now all armed; and as, with the wounded fit for work, we are still three hundred strong, we should beat off any force likely to attack us; though indeed, i have no belief that they will rally again. at any rate, their losses have been extremely heavy; and the streets were completely strewn with guns, so that i doubt whether half of those who got away have carried their weapons with them." the next morning, indeed, it was found that in all about muskets had been left behind. all that remained over, after arming the british soldiers, were broken up and thrown down the wells. enough provisions were collected, among the houses, to furnish the whole with three or four days' rations. the dead were buried in a field near the village, those wounded too severely to march were placed in the waggons; and the rest, who had now resumed their uniforms, set out in high spirits. they were in the same order as before, but the prisoners were told to carry their muskets at the trail, while the french shouldered theirs; so that, viewed from a distance, the british should appear unarmed. "that has been a grand bit of excitement, terence," dick ryan said gleefully to his friend, as they marched along together. "those fellows certainly fight a good deal more pluckily than the regular troops do. it was a capital idea to make all the men take off their uniforms, for i don't suppose the spaniards, even for a moment, dreamt that we were among their assailants; at any rate, they have no proof that we were. "you really must get me as your adjutant, terence. i see there is very much more fun to be got out of your sort of fighting than there is with the regiment. i am very pleased, now, that i stuck to portuguese as you advised me; though it was a great bore, at first." "i hope, dicky, we sha'n't find, when we get back in the spring, that the corps has been turned over to beresford as part of his regular command; for i must say that i quite appreciate the advantage of independence. "well, this business ought to do us some good. no doubt the major will report, in warm terms, the assistance we have rendered him; and we shall get good treatment. of course, some of their prisons must be better than others and, if they will confine us in some place near the frontier, instead of marching us half through france, it will make it all the easier for us to get away. it is not the getting out of prison that is the difficulty, but the travelling through the country. i am getting on well with my french, but there is no hope of being able to speak well enough to pass as a native. as for you, you will have to keep your mouth shut altogether, which will be mightily difficult." "you will manage it somehow, terence. i have no fear of you getting me through the country. it is getting out of the country that seems, to me, the difficulty." "there is one thing, dicky. we need be in no hurry about it. there is little chance of fighting beginning for another six or seven months and, directly we come to the end of our march, wherever it may be, we must begin to pick up as much french as we can, from our guards. in three or four months i ought, at least, to be able to answer questions; not perhaps in good french, but in french as good as, say, a savoyard workman or musician might be able to muster." "oh, lor'!" dick ryan said, with a deep sigh, "you don't mean to say that i must begin to work on another language, just after i have been slaving, for the last six months, at portuguese?" "not unless you like, dicky. i can either start alone, or with someone else who has some knowledge of french; but i am not going to run the risk of being recaptured by taking anyone with me who cares so little for liberty that he grudges three or four hours' work, a day, to get up the means of making his escape." "oh, of course i shall learn," ryan said pettishly. "you always get your own way, terence. it was so at athlone: you first of all began by asking my opinion, and then carried out things exactly as you proposed, yourself. learning the language is a horrid nuisance, but i see that it has to be done." "i expect, dicky, you will have to make up as a woman. you see, you are not much taller than a tallish woman." "well, that would be rather a lark," ryan said; "only don't you think i should be almost too good-looking for a french woman?" "you might be that, dicky. it is certainly a drawback. if i could get hold of a good-sized monkey's skin, i might sew you up in it." "a bear skin would be better, i should say," dick laughed; "but i don't think anyone would think that it was a real bear. i saw a chap with one once, at athlone: no man could open his mouth as wide as that beast did; and as to its tongue, it would be four times as long as mine. no, i think the woman idea would be best; but i should have to shave very close." "shave!" terence repeated, scornfully. "why, i could not see any hair on your face with a magnifying glass. if that were the only drawback, the matter could be arranged without difficulty." without farther adventure, they crossed the mountains and came down to bayonne. at each halting place where french troops were stationed, the british prisoners were received with warm hospitality by them, when they learned from their comrades that the british had fought side by side with the french against the guerillas, and had saved them from what might have been a very serious disaster. the french shook hands with them warmly, patted them on the shoulders, with many exclamations of "braves garcons!" and they were led away to cafes, and treated as the heroes of the day, while the officers were entertained by those of the garrison. at bayonne they and their escort parted on the most cordial terms, the french exclaiming that it was a shame such brave fellows should be held as prisoners; and that they ought to be released at once, and sent back in a ship, with a flag of truce, to portugal. the major, after handing over the soldiers to the prison authorities, took terence and the other british officers to the headquarters of the governor of the town; and introduced them to him, giving him a lively account of the fight with the guerillas, and the manner in which the prisoners, armed only with clubs and the muskets of the soldiers no longer able to use them, had made common cause with the french and, joining them in the sortie, defeated the spanish with heavy loss. the governor expressed, courteously, his thanks to the officers for the part they had taken. "i shall forward major marcy's report to headquarters, gentlemen, and shall be happy to give you the liberty of the town on parole. i have no doubt that, if no other good comes of your adventure, you will be placed among an early list of officers to be exchanged." "i am very much obliged to you, general," terence said, "but i and lieutenant ryan would prefer not to give our parole. i don't say we are likely to make our escape but, at any rate, we should like to be able to take any opportunity, if we saw one." the general smiled. "of course, it must be as you like, sir; but i think that you are wrong. however, at any time, if you like to change your minds, i will give instructions to the officer in command of the prison to release you, immediately you give your parole not to leave the town." the matter had been talked over on the march, and the others now expressed their willingness to give their parole. they had told terence they thought he was wrong, and that it would be impossible to make an escape, as it would be necessary to traverse either the whole of spain or the whole of france before he could find any means of rejoining the army; and that, before long, they might be exchanged. "i don't think there is a prospect of an early exchange," terence said. "there cannot have been many prisoners taken, during this short campaign; and i don't suppose there will be any talk of exchanges, for some time to come. i am particularly anxious to get back again, if i possibly can, as i am afraid that my regiment will be broken up; and that, unless i get back before the campaign begins in spring, i shall not get the command again. so i mean to get away, if i can. anyhow, i would just as soon be in prison as walking about the streets of bayonne. so i have quite made up my mind not to give my parole." the officers all returned to the prison quarters assigned to them; the difference being that those on parole could go in and out as they chose, and could, at will, take their meals in the town; while terence and ryan were placed together in a room, with a sentry at the door, whose instructions were to accompany them whenever they wished to go beyond the door and to walk in the prison yard, or on the walls surrounding it. chapter : an escape. "well, here we are, terence," ryan said cheerfully, as the door of their cell closed behind them; "and now, what next?" "the next thing is to look round, dick. other matters can wait. one cannot form the remotest idea as to the possibilities of an escape, until one has found out everything about the place. i should say that it will be quite soon enough to discuss it, in another couple of months. "now, as to the room; there is nothing to grumble at here. two truckle beds, not altogether luxurious in appearance but, at any rate, a good deal softer than the ground on which we have been sleeping, for months past. a couple of chairs, designed for use rather than comfort; but which will do to sit on, while we take our meals, and at other times we can use the beds as sofas. a good-sized piece of carpet, a table, and what looks like a pudding dish to wash in. "things might have been better, and they might have been a great deal worse. as to our food, we must reserve comment until they bring us some. "now, as to funds, i had only twenty-five crowns on me when i was captured. you were rather better off, as you had ten pounds in gold and eight crowns in silver. you see, had we given our parole like the others, and gone in for luxurious feeding outside, our stock would soon have given out; and money is an essential for carrying out an escape, when that escape involves perhaps weeks of travelling, and certainly disguises of different kinds. we have not a penny too much for that, and must resolve to eschew all luxuries except tobacco, and perhaps a bottle of wine on sundays." "our windows, as you observe, are very strongly barred. they look westward, but that range of buildings opposite prevents our getting a view of the sea. one thing is evident, at once: that it is no manner of use for us to think of cutting through those bars, or dislodging them; for we should only, on lowering ourselves, be in the courtyard, and no nearer escape than we were before we began the job. it is a good thing to get at least one point off our mind. "now, dick, before we go further, let us make an agreement that we will always talk in french. i know enough of it to be able to assist you, and it will be an amusement, as well as a help, to accustom ourselves to talk in it." "all right," ryan said, resignedly; "but i bargain that, for an hour a day, we drop it altogether. it will be an awful nuisance; and one must give one's tongue a rest, occasionally, by letting it straighten itself out a bit." the door now opened, and one of the warders entered with two large bowls of broth, a fair-sized piece of the meat from which it was made, a dish of vegetables, a large piece of bread, and a bottle of wine. "this is your supper, messieurs. in the morning you have coffee and a piece of bread; at twelve o'clock a meal like this, with a bottle of wine between you." "thank you," terence said cheerfully, "that will do extremely well. are there any other british officers here?" "none, except your comrades. there were some naval officers here last week, but they have been sent into the interior. we do not have many prisoners here. those captured at sea, by warships or privateers, are generally taken to brest and, so far, we have not had many of your nation sent from spain. there are spaniards, sometimes, but they do not count. those that are taken are generally drafted into the spanish corps of our army." "can we buy tobacco?" terence asked. "certainly, monsieur. there is a canteen in the courtyard. it is open from eight till nine o'clock in the morning, and from five to six in the evening. but you are not allowed to get things in from the town; but nevertheless--" and he smiled, "--as your comrades are on parole, doubtless, should you need anything beyond what is sold in the canteen, it may chance that they may bring you just the things you want." "thank you. you had better get something from the canteen for yourself," terence said, handing him a crown. "thank you, monsieur. i have heard, from the soldiers who came in with you, that you fought bravely with them against the spanish brigands; and they think that it is very hard that you and your companion should be shut up here, after having proved such good comrades. i have a cousin among them. he, like myself, is a native of bayonne and, should it be in his power, i am sure that he and his comrades would do anything they could for monsieur--as far, of course, as their duty as french soldiers will allow them." "thanks. by the way, what is your name?" "jean monier, monsieur." "well, jean, will you please tell your cousin that i am obliged to him for his goodwill? it was a pleasure to fight side by side with such brave soldiers and, should an occasion offer, i will gladly avail myself of his services. the detachment is not going farther, is it?" "no, monsieur. they will remain here for perhaps two or three months, till the good french air has invigorated them; then they will join some column marching south again. there is nothing more that you will want tonight, monsieur?" "no, thank you, jean. good evening!" "good evening, good sleep!" and the warder retired. "what is all that jabber about, terence?" "very satisfactory jabber, and jabber that is likely to lead to a very good result. a cousin of his is one of the guard that came down with us. he has told this warder about our fight, and asked him to say that he and his comrades were very angry at our being shut up here; and as much as said that they would aid us to escape, if it was in their power, so we may consider that our first difficulty is as good as arranged. no doubt in a short time they will be put on regular garrison duty, and will take their turn in furnishing prison guards. this warder is evidently ready to do anything he can, so that we may look upon our escape from prison as a matter of certainty. i don't suppose that, in any case, the guard is a very vigilant one; for they would not expect that prisoners of war here would try to escape. at verdun, and other prisons within a few days' journey of the frontier, it would be different." "well, that is good news, terence, though i see myself that our difficulties will really begin only when we get out. there is no doubt that the fight with the guerillas was a lucky thing for us. i would not have missed it for anything, for i must say there was much more excitement in it than in a battle, at least as far as my experience of a battle goes. at talavera we had nothing to do but stick up on the top of a hill, watch the french columns climbing up, and then give them a volley or two and roll them down the hill again; and between times stand to be shelled by victor's batteries on the opposite hill. i cannot see that there is any fun about that. this fight, too, has turned out a very good thing for us. i expect we should not have been so well treated if it had not been for it, and the fact that some of these french soldiers are ready to give us a helping hand is first rate. "you see, it is all your luck, terence. there never was such a fellow for luck as you are." "there is no doubt about that," terence agreed. "now, dick, you must really break into french." "tomorrow morning will be time enough for that," ryan said, in a tone of determination. "i want to talk now, really talk; and i can't do that in french, especially after what you have just told me. by the way, i don't see, myself, why we should make this journey through france. why not try to get a boat, and land somewhere on the coast of spain?" "i have been thinking of that, dick; but it seemed to me, before, altogether too difficult. still, if we can get help from outside, i don't know why we should not be able to manage it. we should have to go some distance along the spanish coast, for there are sure to be french garrisons at bilbao and santander; but beyond that i should think we might land at any little village. galicia must certainly have been evacuated by the french, for we know that ney's corps were down in the tagus valley; and i should think that they cannot have any great force in the asturias. the worst of it is, we have not got enough money to buy a boat; and if we had, the soldiers could hardly bargain with a fisherman for one. of course, if we were free we might arrange with a man to go with us in his boat, and pay him so much for its hire, for three or four days." "we might make our way down the river, and steal one, terence." "yes, we might do that, but it would be a heavy loss to some poor fellow. well, i shall look forward to the morning, when we can go out and see all about the prison arrangements." "then you have given up the idea of waiting for two months before you do anything, terence?" ryan remarked. "certainly. you see, these french convalescents may be marched back again, in another month's time and, at present, our plans must be formed upon the supposition that they are ready to help us. it would never do to throw away such an opportunity as that. it would be little short of madness to try and get out, unless we had disguises of some sort. my staff officer's uniform, or your scarlet, would lead to our arrest at the first village we came to. "besides, before this news one was willing to wait contentedly, for a time, till some good opportunity presented itself. now that we have such an unexpected offer of assistance, the sooner we get out of the place the better." the next morning they went out into the courtyard of the prison. the soldiers who had been captured with them were walking about in groups; but the sentry who accompanied the two british officers led them through these, and took them up to the top of the wall surrounding the prison. "messieurs," he said, "when the others are shut up you can go where you please, but my orders are that you are not to communicate with your soldiers." he then fell back some distance, and left them free to wander about on the wall. from this point they had a view over the city. bayonne was a strongly fortified place, standing on the junction of the nive and adour, and on the south side of the latter river, two miles from its mouth. the nive ran through the town, and its waters supplied the ditches of the encircling wall and bastions. the prison was situated on the nive, at some three or four hundred yards from the spot where it entered the adour. "i should say this quite decides it," terence said, when they had made the circuit of the walls, upon which sentries were placed at short intervals. "once out of the town the river would be open to us, but it would be next to impossible to pass those semicircles of fortifications on both sides of the town. you can see the masts of the craft lying at the quays and, though i should not like to rob a fisherman of his boat; i should not feel the smallest scruple in taking a ship's boat, which would be, comparatively, a small loss to the owner. the worst of it would be that, directly we were found to be missing, and the owner of the boat reported its loss, they might send out some of their gunboats in search of us, and we should very soon be overtaken." discipline was not very strict in the french army, except when in an enemy's country; and the sentries, knowing well that there was really no occasion for watchfulness, answered willingly the questions that terence asked them as to the names of places within sight. "it must be rather tedious work for you, on the wall here," terence said to one whose post was shielded by a building close by, from observation from below. "very dull," the soldier said, "and we shall be glad enough when we are relieved and marched into spain. here we are doing no good. there is no chance whatever of the prisoners attempting an escape, for if they did get out of here they could get no further; but they say that we shall not stop here long, and we shall be heartily glad when the order comes. they say the convalescents who came in yesterday will take over the prison duties next week." terence's motive for speaking to the men was to discover whether they were forbidden to talk, and it was satisfactory to find that, if there was such a rule, it was by no means strictly observed. leaning on the parapet, he and ryan stood for some time looking at the sea. there were many fishing boats dotting its surface, and the tapering masts of two schooners could be seen near the mouth of the river. "i have no doubt that they are privateers," terence said. "they have just the appearance of that fellow we captured on the way out. one would not have much chance of getting far in a boat, with those fellows after us. "it seems to me that, if it could possibly be managed, our safest plan would be to lie quiet in the town for a week or so, after we got out; then it would be comparatively safe to get hold of a boat and make off in it." "yes, if that could be managed, it certainly would be the safest plan. if we changed our minds about making off by sea, we might then be able to pass out through the fortifications, without question. of course, they would be vigilant for a short time after we were missing; but i suppose that, at ordinary times, the country people would go in and out unquestioned, just as in any other town for, with no enemy nearer than portugal, there could be no occasion whatever for watchfulness." terence and his companion had seen nothing of their friends on parole, as these, they found, although lodged in prison for their own convenience, were not permitted to have any communication with the other prisoners. ten days after they arrived at bayonne, the warder, who had, since he first spoke to them, said nothing beyond the usual salutations, remarked carelessly: "the soldiers who came down with you took up the prison duties last night. my cousin told me to say that you will know him, and four or five of his comrades of the nd of the line, all of whom are thoroughly in agreement with him, by their saying as you pass them: "'the morning is fair, colonel.' "to any of them you can speak, when you find an opportunity of doing so, unobserved." "thank you; but will it not be safer for them were you to carry my messages?" "no; i cannot do that," the warder said. "i think that it is quite right that my cousin, and his comrades, should do anything in their power to aid those who stood by them when attacked; but i wish to know nothing about it. it must be between you and them, for i must be able to swear that i had no hand in the matter, and that i locked you up safely, at night." "you are quite right, jean. it is much the best plan that it should be so. i certainly should not, myself, like to know that in making my escape i might endanger the life of one who had acted simply from kindness of heart; and trust that no suspicion, whatever, will fall upon you. i thank you most heartily for having brought me the message from your cousin, and for the goodwill that you have shown us." when terence and ryan went out as usual, after breakfast, all the sentries they passed saluted, as if to one of their own officers. they of course returned the salute, and made a cheery remark to each, such as "rather a change, this, from our work up in the hills, lad," to which each gave some short and respectful answer, three of them prefacing it with the words: "the morning is fair, mon colonel ". two of these had the number of their regiment on their shako. the other, who had a deep and scarcely-healed scar over the ear, only wore a forage cap, having evidently lost his shako when wounded. "what do you mean by saluting a prisoner," a french staff officer, when he was passing, angrily asked an old soldier. "you have been long enough in the service, surely, to know that prisoners are not saluted." the soldier stood at attention. "monsieur le capitaine," he said, "i am not saluting a prisoner. i am saluting a brave officer, whose orders i have obeyed in a hard fight, and to whom i and my comrades probably owed our lives. a mark of respect is due to a brave man, whether a prisoner of war or not." the officer passed on without answering and, arriving at headquarters, reported the circumstances to the general. "i am not surprised, captain espel," the latter replied, with a slight smile. "a french soldier knows how to respect bravery, and in this case there is little doubt that, but for the assistance of their prisoners, it would have gone very hard with that detachment. that young officer who, strangely enough, is a colonel, was a prisoner when he fought side by side with these men; and it is but natural that they scarcely regard him as one, now. he has refused to give his parole, and i am afraid he means to try to make his escape. i am sorry for, should he do so, he is sure to be captured again." the third one of the nd men, the one with a forage cap, chanced to be posted at the point of the wall that was not overlooked and, after he had repeated the formula agreed upon, terence said to him: "you are one of those lads who sent me a message that you would assist me, if you could." "that is so, mon colonel. you assisted us when we were somewhat hotly pressed, and tis but good comradeship to repay such a service, if one can. we have been thinking it over and, although it would not be difficult for you to escape from here, we do not see how you are to be got out of the town." "that is the difficulty i see myself," terence replied. "we could not hope to pass through the circle of fortifications and, were we to take a boat and make off, we should be pursued and recaptured, to a certainty; for of course, as soon as our escape was known, there would be a hot search made for us. "there are two things needed. the first is disguises. the second is a shelter, until the search for us slackens, after which it would be comparatively easy for us to make off." "what sort of disguises would you want, monsieur?" "if we go by land, peasant dresses; if by water, those of fishermen. we have money, which i can give you to purchase these." "that we could do for you, monsieur, but the hiding place is more difficult. however, that we will see about. i am a native here, and have of course many friends and acquaintances in the town. when we have made our plans i will let you know. i will manage that, when it is my turn for duty, i will always be posted here; and then i can tell you what is arranged, and give you whatever is necessary to aid you to make your escape. my cousin, jean monier, will shut his eyes; but he will not do anything himself, and i think that he is right, for of course he will be the first to be suspected. "as for us, it will be no matter. everyone knows how you stood by us, and they will guess that some of us have had a hand in it; but they will never find out which of us was chiefly concerned. i expect that soon we shall all be taken off this prison duty, for which we shall not be sorry, and sent back to spain with the first detachment that comes along; but after all, one is not so badly off in spain, and certainly madrid is a good deal more lively than bayonne." "i suppose," terence said, nodding towards their guard, who was standing a few paces away gazing over the country, "he knows nothing about this." "no, monsieur, we have kept it to just the men of our own regiment; but all feel the same about your being kept a prisoner, and there is no fear of his telling anyone that you spoke to one man more than another, when it is found out that you have escaped. still, it might be as well that you should not speak to me again, until i tell you that it is a fine morning; for although all our own men can be trusted, if any of the regular prison warders was to notice anything he would not be slow in mentioning it, in hope of getting promotion." accordingly terence made a point of only passing along that part of the wall once a day, and merely saying a word to the soldier, as he did to others, on the occasions when he was on duty. ten days later the man replied to his salutation by remarking that it was a "fair day." it happened that the man told off to guard them on this occasion was another of the nd; there was therefore nothing to be feared from him. "i have arranged the matter, monsieur," the soldier said. "my sister's husband, jules varlin, will shelter you. he is a fisherman, and you can be safely hidden in the loft where he keeps his nets and gear. he is an honest fellow, and my sister has talked him over into lending his aid so far and, although he has not promised it yet, i think we shall get him to go down the river with you, so as to reply if you are challenged. you can put him ashore a mile or two along the coast. "now as to the escape, monsieur. here is a sharp saw. with it you can cut round the lock of your door. there are two outside bolts, whose position i dare say you have noticed; by cutting a hole close to each of them, you can get your hand through and draw them. here is a short-handled augur, to make a hole for the saw to go through. "there are four sentries at night, in the courtyard. we shall manage to get all our men on duty, tomorrow evening. our sergeant is a good fellow and, if he guesses anything, will hold his tongue; for i have heard him say, more than once, that it is monstrous that you should be kept a prisoner. "therefore you need not be afraid of them. they will take care to keep their eyes shut. i shall be on sentry duty here, and will get the disguises up, and a rope. when you have got down i shall let the rope drop, and you will carry it off and take it away with you; thus there will be no evidence where you descended. "here are two sharp files, with which you can cut through the bars of your window, and remove some of them; then it will not be known whether you escaped that way, or down the stairs; and the men on sentry in the courtyard at the bottom cannot be blamed because, for aught the governor will know, you may have gone out through this window into the other courtyard, and got over the wall on that side; so they would have no proof as to which set of men were negligent. "no doubt we shall all be talked to, and perhaps kept in the guardroom a few days, but that won't hurt us; and soldiers are scarce enough, so they will hardly keep ten or twelve men long from duty. there are not enough in the town, now, to furnish all the guards properly; so you need not worry about us. "i will give you instructions how to find my sister's house, tomorrow night. you must not escape until you hear the bell strike midnight. our party will relieve guard at that hour. you see, we have four hours on duty and, as you may have gone either on the first watch, the second, or the third, they will not be able to pitch on us more than on the others; so that, in fact, the blame will be divided between forty of us. you will, of course, put on your disguises over your uniforms, and destroy your clothes, when you get to jules' house." "i thank you very warmly, my good fellow, for running all this risk for me. here are two hundred francs to pay for the disguises." "that will be more than enough," the soldier said. "jules put it down at a hundred and fifty." "things may cost more than he expects. at any rate, please hand these to him. i can arrange matters with him when i see him. "then at about a quarter past twelve we will sally out. we will walk on now, lest any of the warders should happen to notice that we have been a long time on this part of the wall." ryan had understood but little of what was happening and, when terence told him what had been arranged, he exclaimed: "well, after this, terence, i will never say a word against a frenchman. here are these soldiers going to run a lot of risk, and a certainty of getting into a row for us, merely because we did the best we could against those wretched spaniards; and without getting any reward whatever, for they must know that prisoners are not likely to have any money to spare about them." "quite so, ryan; and what is more, if i had a hundred pounds in my pocket, i would not offer them a penny; for certainly they would take it as an insult if i did so. they would feel that it would be a sort of bribe and, though they are ready to help us as comrades, i am sure they would not do it for money. i sincerely hope they won't get into any serious row. as he said, authorities won't be able to tell which party was on guard at the time we went, and they could hardly put the whole of them under arrest--at least, not keep them under arrest. no doubt there will be a close search in the town for us, but there is little fear of our being discovered. "our dangers won't begin until we are fairly afloat. i know nothing about sailing. i have rowed a boat many a time, at athlone; but as for sailing, i have never once tried it." "nor have i," ryan said. "but i suppose there is no difficulty about it. you put up the sail, and you take hold of the rope at the corner, and off you go." "it sounds all right, dicky, and i dare say we shall manage to get along, somehow; but these things are not half as easy as they look. now we had better have four or five hours' sleep this afternoon, for i expect it will take us the best part of the night to file through the bars. you must not cut quite through them, but just leave them so that we can finish them off in a short time, tomorrow night." "but the warder might notice them?" "he is not likely to look very sharply, dicky; but at the same time, it is just as well not to put too great a strain on his loyalty. we will keep a piece of bread over from our supper, work it up into a sort of paste, fill up any cuts we make, and rub it over with dirt till it well matches the bars. certainly they have planned the affair capitally, so as to throw doubt as to which way we descended, and so divide the blame between as many of the sentries as possible." it took four hours' work, that night, to get through the bars. they were most careful not to let any of the filings fall outside for, had any of them dropped into the courtyard below, they might well catch the eye of a warder; and in that case an examination of all the windows of the rooms above would certainly be made, at once. before the warder's visit the next morning, the holes had been filled up with bread worked into a putty and smeared over with dust; which so nearly matched the bars that it could not be observed, except by a careful examination. the next day they abstained from saying more than a passing word to any of the french soldiers. they waited, after being locked up for the night, for two or three hours; and then began their work at the door. the saw was a very narrow one and, when they had made a hole with the augur, they found no difficulty in cutting the wood; therefore they thought it was well to leave that for the last thing, and so betook themselves to their files, and soon removed enough of the bars to enable a man to crawl through. then they returned to the door, and had cut round the lock, and made holes through which they could pass their hands to draw back the bolts, a short time before the clock struck twelve. then they went to the window, and listened. they heard the bells strike midnight, and then a stir below, as the sentries were relieved. waiting for a few minutes, until all had become quiet again, they drew back the bolts, took off their shoes, and went noiselessly down the stairs. the night was very dark and, although they could hear the tread of the sentries in the courtyard, they could not make out their figures. they crossed the yard, keeping as far as possible from the sentries. they had no doubt that all would happen as arranged; but there was, of course, the possibility that at the last moment some change might have been made; and it was, in any case, as well that the men there should be able to declare, honestly, that they had seen no one. [illustration: stooping so that their figures should not show against the sky.] they were glad when they reached the archway leading to the stairs that led to the top of the wall. mounting, they kept along by the parapet, stooping so that their figures should not show against the sky for, dark as it was below, they might have been noticed had they not done so. presently they saw the sentry. "diable, messieurs!" he said in a low tone, as they came up to him, "you gave me a start. i was expecting you, but i did not hear your footsteps nor see you and, had you been enemies, you might very well have seized and disarmed me before i could give the alarm. "well, here are your clothes." they soon pulled the blue canvas leggings over their breeches, and over these the high boots, in which their feet felt lost. a rough blouse and a fisherman's oilskin cap completed the disguise. they put their boots into the capacious pockets in the blouses, and were then ready to descend. they had left their shakos in their cell when they started. while they had been putting on their clothes, the sentry had fastened the rope and lowered it down. "we are ready now, jacques," terence said. "goodbye, my good friend. we shall never forget the kindness that you have shown us, and shall remember with gratitude, all our lives, how a party of french soldiers were ready to show themselves good comrades to men who had fought by their sides, even though the two nations were at war with each other. we shall always feel a kindness towards the french uniform, in future; and if you or any of your comrades of the nd should chance to fall into british hands, and you can send word to me or to mr. ryan, i can promise you that we will do all we can to have you released at once and sent back, or to aid you in any other way." "we have done but our duty to brave comrades," the soldier said. "now, as to where to find my cousin. you will go down that street below, and take the third turning on the right. that will lead you down to the wharves. keep along by the houses facing them until you come to the fourth turning. it is a narrow lane, and there is a cabaret at each corner of it. my cousin's house is the twelfth on the left-hand side. he will be standing at the door. you will say to him as you pass, 'it is a dark night,' and he will then let you in. "don't walk as if you were in a hurry: fishermen never do that. it is not likely that you will meet anyone, but if you do, and he sees two fishermen hurrying, it will strike him as singular; and when there came news of two prisoners having escaped, he might mention the matter, which might lead to a search in the right quarter." "will you go first, ryan, or shall i?" terence said. "just as you like." "well, then, you may as well go, as then i can talk with this good fellow till it is my turn." ryan shook the soldier's hand heartily, took hold of the rope, slung himself over the parapet, and began the descent. terence and the soldier leaned over, and watched him until they could no longer make out the figure with certainty. as soon as the tension on the rope slackened, terence grasped jacques' hand, said a few more words of thanks, and then followed his companion. as soon as he reached the ground he shook the rope and, a minute later, it fell on the ground beside him. he coiled it up, and then they started down the street. following the instructions that they had received, in ten minutes they reached the end of the lane. "we were to throw away the rope, were we not?" ryan said. "yes, but now we are here, there can be no use in our doing so. if a length of rope were found lying in the road, people would wonder who had thrown it away; besides, it is a good stout piece of new rope, and may be of use to the fisherman." counting the doors carefully as they went along, they came to the twelfth where, before they reached it, the red glow from a pipe showed that a man was standing outside. "it is a dark night, mate," terence said in a low tone, as he came up to him. "that is right," the man replied; "come in." he stood aside as they entered, closed the door behind them, and then lifted a piece of old canvas thrown over a lighted lantern. chapter : afloat. jules varlin held the lantern above his head, and took a good look at his visitors. "you will pass very well for young fishermen, messieurs," he said, "when you have dirtied your faces and hands a bit, and rubbed your hair the wrong way, all over your head. well, come in here. my wife is waiting up to welcome you. it is her doing that you are here. i should not have agreed, but what can one do when a woman once sets her mind upon a thing?" he opened a door. a woman rose from her seat. she was some years younger than her husband. "welcome, messieurs," she said. "we are pleased, indeed, to be able to return the kindness you showed to my brother." the fisherman grunted. "no, jules," she said, "i won't have you say that you haven't gone willingly into this. you pretended not to, but i know very well that it was only because you like to be coaxed, and that you would have done it for jacques' sake." "jacques is a good fellow," her husband replied, "and i say nothing against him; but i don't know that i should have consented, if it had not been for you and your bothering me." "don't you believe him, monsieur. jules has a good heart, though he likes pretending that he is a bear. "now, monsieur, i have some coffee ready for you." "i need not say, madam," terence said, "how truly thankful we both are for your and your husband's kindness, shown to us strangers; and i sincerely hope that you will have no cause to regret it. you may be sure of one thing: that if we are recaptured, we shall never say how our escape was effected, nor where we were sheltered afterwards; and if, after the war is over, we can find an opportunity of showing how grateful we are for your kindness, we shall not miss the chance." "we are but paying the service you rendered to jacques, monsieur. he tells me that, if it had not been for the aid the british prisoners gave them, that probably those spanish bandits would have captured the church during the night; and we know that they never show mercy to prisoners." the coffee was placed on the table and, after drinking it, the fisherman led them to a low shed in the yard. "we could have done better for you," he said apologetically, "but it is likely that they may begin a search for you, early in the morning. this yard can be seen from many houses round about, so that, were you to sleep upstairs, you might be noticed entering here in the morning; and it is better to run no risks. we have piled the nets on the top of other things. you will find two blankets for covering yourselves there. in the morning i will come in and shift things, so as to hide you up snugly." "we shall do just as well on the nets as if we were in bed," terence laughed. "we are pretty well accustomed to sleep on the hard ground." "i think we are going to have some bad weather," the man remarked, as they settled themselves on the nets. "i hope it will be so, for then none of the boats will put out; and there will be no comments on my staying at home, instead of going out as usual. "and now, good night, and good sleep to you!" "he is an honest-looking fellow," terence said, when he had gone out, "and i have no doubt what his wife says of him is true; but it is not surprising that he held back at first. it is not everyone that is prepared to run the risk of heavy punishment for the sake of his wife's relations. "this is not by any means bad; these nets make a very comfortable bed." the next morning, at daybreak, the fisherman came in with a can containing hot coffee, two great slices of bread, and tin cups. "now, messieurs, when you have drank that i will stow you away. we shifted most of the things yesterday, so as to make as comfortable a bed for you as may be." the nets were pulled off; and a mass of sails, ropes, and other gear appeared underneath. one of the sails in the corner was pulled away, and showed a vacant space, some six feet long and four feet wide, extending down to the ground, which was covered by old nets. "now, messieurs, if you will get down there, i shall pile a couple of sacks over and throw the nets on the top, and there is no fear of your being disturbed. i will bring your meals in to you, and let you know what is doing in the town; but i shall not come in oftener than i can help. i shall leave the doors open, as usual." they took their places in the hole, and the fisherman piled sails and nets over the opening. there was no occasion to leave any apertures for air, for the shed was roughly built, and there were plenty of openings between the planks of which it was constructed. they had, before he came in, divested themselves of their uniforms; and these the fisherman put into a kit bag and carried indoors; where his wife at once proceeded to cut them up, and thrust the pieces into the fire. "it is a pity," she said regretfully, "but it would never do to leave them about. think what a waistcoat i could have made for you, jules, out of this scarlet cloth. with the gold buttons it would have been superb, and it would have been the envy of the quarter; but it would never do." "i should think not, marie. burn the clothes up, and give me the buttons and gold lace. i will put them in a bag with some stones, and drop them into the river. the sooner we get rid of them, the better." as soon as the things were put into a bag, he went out with with them. the wind was blowing strongly and, as he had predicted the night before, the clouds were flying fast, and there were many signs of dirty weather. he returned a couple of hours later. "there is quite an excitement in the town, marie," he said. "everyone is talking about it. two rascally english prisoners have escaped, and the soldiers say that they must be somewhere in the town, for that they could never have passed through the lines. some gendarmes have been along the quays, inquiring if a boat has been missed during the night; but they all seem to be safe. written notices have been stuck up warning everyone, on pain of the severest punishment, not to give shelter to two young men, in whatever guise they may present themselves. the gendarmes say that the military authorities are convinced that they must have received assistance from without." for the next three days, indeed, an active search was kept up. every house was visited by the gendarmes but, as there was no reason for suspecting one person more than another, there was no absolute search made of the houses; which indeed, in so large a town as bayonne, would have been almost impossible to carry out effectually. the fisherman reported each day what was going on. "the soldiers are giving it up," he said, at the end of the third day. "i saw jacques today for the first time. he tells me there was a tremendous row when your escape was discovered. the warder, and every soldier who had been on duty that night, were arrested and questioned. the warder was the one first suspected, on the ground that you must have had assistance from without. he said that if you had, he knew nothing about it; and that, as you knew all the soldiers of the prison guard, and as he had heard many of them say it was very hard, after fighting as you did on their behalf, that you should be kept prisoner, any of them might have furnished you with tools for cutting the door and filing the bars. this was so clear that he was released at once. the soldiers were kept for two days under arrest. this morning the governor himself came down to the prison, and the men under arrest were drawn up. he spoke to them very sharply, to begin with. "'one or more of you is assuredly concerned in this matter. a breach of trust of this kind is punishable with death.' "then he stopped, and looked fiercely up and down the line, and went on in a different tone: "'at the same time, i admit that some allowance is to be made for the crime, and i can understand that as soldiers you felt sympathy with soldiers who, although prisoners at the time, did not hesitate to cast in their lot with you, and to fight side by side with you. still, a soldier should never allow private sentiments to interfere with his duty. i myself should have been glad, when you arrived here and i heard of what had happened, to have been able to place these british officers and soldiers in a ship, and to have sent them back to their own country; but that would have been a breach of my duty, and i was forced to detain them here as prisoners. of course, if i could find out which among you have been concerned in this affair, it would be my duty to punish them--for there must have been more than one--severely. however, although i have done my best to discover this, i am not sorry, men, that i have been unable to do so; for although these men may have failed in their duties as soldiers, they have shown themselves true-hearted fellows to run that risk--not, i am sure, from any thought of reward, but to help those who had helped them. "'you can all return to your duty, and i hope that you will, in future, remember that duty is the first thing with a soldier, and that he should allow no other feeling to interfere with it.' "jacques and his comrades are all satisfied that, although the general felt it was his duty to reprimand them, he was at heart by no means sorry that you had got off. "the gendarmes are still making inquiries, but of course they have learned nothing. nobody was about on the wharves at that time of night, and i don't think that they will trouble themselves much longer about it. they will come to believe that you must, somehow, have managed to get through the line of fortifications, and that you will be caught trying to make your way across the country. "in another three or four days it will be quite safe for you to go down the river. for the first two days every boat that went down was stopped and examined, and some of the vessels were searched by a gunboat, and the hatches taken off; but i hear that no boats have been stopped today, so i fancy you will soon be able to go down without fear." although at night terence and ryan were able to emerge from their place of concealment, and walk up and down the little yard for two or three hours, they were heartily glad when, a week after their confinement, jules told them that he thought they might start at daybreak, the next morning. "now, messieurs, if you will tell me what you want, i will buy the things for you." they had already made out a list. it consisted of a nine-gallon breaker for water, a dozen bottles of cheap wine, thirty pounds of biscuits, and fifteen pounds of salt meat, which jules's wife was to cook. they calculated that this would be sufficient to last them, easily, until they had passed along the spanish coast to a point well beyond the towns garrisoned by the french, if not to corunna itself. "but how about the boat?" terence asked, after all the other arrangements had been decided upon. "as i told you, we don't wish to take a boat belonging to anyone who would feel its loss; and therefore it must be a ship's boat, and not one of the fishermen's. if we had money to pay for it, it would be another matter; but we have scarcely enough now to maintain us on our way through spain, and there are no means of sending money here when we rejoin our army." "i understand that, monsieur; and i have been along the quay this morning taking a look at the boats. there are at least a dozen we could choose from; i mean ships' boats. of course, many of the craft keep their boats hauled up at the davits or on deck, but most of them keep one in the water, so that they can row off to another ship or to the stairs. some simply leave them in the water, because they are too lazy to hoist them up. that is the case, i think, with one boat that belongs to a vessel that came in, four days since, from the west indies. it's a good-sized ship's dinghy, such as is used for running out warps, or putting a sailor ashore to bring off anything required. the other boats are better suited for a voyage, but they are for the most part too large and heavy to be rowed by two oars and, moreover, they have not a mast and sail on board, as this has. therefore that is the one that i fixed my eye on. "the ship is lying alongside, and there is not another craft outside her. the boat is fastened to her bowsprit, and i can take off my boots and get on board and drop into her, without difficulty; and push her along to the foot of some stairs which are but ten yards away. of course, we will have the water and food and that bundle of old nets ready, at the top of the stairs, and we can be out into the stream five minutes after i have cut her loose. we must start just before daylight is breaking, so as to be off before the fishermen put out for, if any of these were about, they would at once notice that i have not got my own boat. at the same time i don't want to be far ahead of them, or to pass the gunboats at the mouth of the river in the dark, for that would look suspicious." "and now, jules, about yourself. of course, i know well that no money could repay you for the kindness you have shown us, and your risking so much for strangers; and you know that we have not with us the means of making any return, whatever, for your services." "i don't want any return, monsieur," the fisherman said. "i went into the matter a good deal against my will, because my wife had set her mind upon it; but since you came here i have got to have just as much interest in the matter as she has. i would not take a sou from you, now; but if, some day, when these wars are over, you will send a letter to marie with some little present to her, just to show her that you have not forgotten us, it would be a great pleasure to us." "that i will certainly do, jules. it may be some time before there will be an opportunity of doing it, but you may be sure that we shall not forget you and your wife, or cease to be grateful for your kindnesses; and that, directly peace is made, or there is a chance in any other way of sending a letter to you, we will do so." that evening jacques paid a visit to his sister. he had abstained from doing so before, because he thought that the soldiers who were suspected of being concerned in the escape might all be watched; and that if any of them were seen to enter a house, a visit might be paid to it by the gendarmes. he did not come until it was quite dark, and made a long detour in the town before venturing to approach it. before he entered the lane he took good care that no one was in sight. when, after chatting for an hour, he rose to leave, terence told him that when he wrote to his sister he should inclose a letter to him; as it would be impossible to write to him direct, for there would be no saying where he might be stationed. he begged him to convey the heartiest thanks of himself and ryan to his comrades for the share they had taken in the matter. on saying good night, terence insisted on marie accepting, as a parting gift, his watch and chain. these were handsome ones, and of french manufacture, terence having bought them from a soldier who had taken them from the body of a french officer, killed during soult's retreat from portugal. they could, therefore, be shown by her to her friends without exciting any suspicion that they had been obtained from an english source. marie accepted them very unwillingly, and only after terence declaring that he should feel very grieved if she would not take the one present he was capable of making. "besides," he added, "no one can tell what fortune may bring about. your husband might lose his boat, or have a long illness; and it is well to have something that you can part with, without discomfort, in such a time of need." jules, although desiring no pay for his services and risks, was very much gratified at the present. "i for my part do not say no, monsieur," he said. "what you say is right. we are careful people, and i have laid by a little money; but as you say, one cannot tell what may happen. and if the weather were bad and there was a risk of never getting back home again, it would be a consolation to me to know that, in addition to the few hundred francs we have laid by since we were married, two years ago, there is something that would bring marie, i should say, seven or eight hundred francs more, at least. that would enable her to set up a shop or laundry, and to earn her own living. i thank you from my heart, monsieur, for her and for myself." terence and ryan slept as soundly as usual until aroused by jules. then they put on their sea boots again, loaded themselves with the nets and the bags with the provisions and wine, while jules took the water barrel and after saying goodbye to marie, started. there was not a soul on the wharf and, putting the stores down at the top of the steps, they watched jules who, after taking off his boots, went across a plank to the ship, made his way noiselessly out on to the bow, swinging himself down into the boat, loosening the head rope before he did so. a push with the oar against the ship's bow sent the boat alongside the quay, and he then worked her along, with his hands against the wall, until he reached the steps. the stores were at once transferred to the boat, and they pushed it out into the stream. the tide had but just turned to run out and, for half a mile, they allowed her to drift down the river. by this time the light was broadening out in the sky. jules stepped the mast and hoisted the sail, and then seated himself in the stern and put an oar out in the hole cut for it to steer with. terence watched the operation carefully. the wind was nearly due aft, and the boat ran rapidly through the water. "we are just right as to time," jules said, as he looked back where the river made a bend. "there are two others coming down half a mile behind us, so that we shall only seem to be rather earlier birds than the rest." near the mouth of the river two gunboats were anchored. they passed within a short distance of one of these, and a solitary sailor, keeping anchor watch on deck, remarked: "you are going to have a fine day for your fishing, comrade." "yes, i think so, but maybe there will be more wind presently." some time before reaching the gunboat, ryan had lain down and the nets were thrown loosely over him, as it would be better that there should not seem to be more than the two hands that were generally carried in the small fishing boats. once out of the river they steered south, laying a course parallel to the shore and about a mile out. after an hour's sail jules directed her head into a little bay, took out an empty basket that he had brought with him, and stepped ashore, after a cordial shake of the hand. he had already advised them to bear very gradually to the southwest, and had left a small compass on board for their guidance. "they are things we don't often carry," he said, "in boats of this size; but it will be well for you to take it. if you were blown out of sight of land you would find it useful. keep well out from the spanish coast, at any rate until you are well past bilbao; after that you can keep close in, if you like, for you will be taken for a fishing boat from one of the small villages. "i shall walk straight back now to the town. no questions are asked at the gates and, if anyone did happen to take notice of me, they would suppose i had been round peddling fish at the farmhouses." coming along, he had given instructions to terence as to sailing the boat. when running before the wind the sheet was to be loose, while it was to be tightened as much as might be necessary to make the sail stand just full, when the wind was on the beam or forward of it. "you will understand," he said, "that when the wind is right ahead you cannot sail against it. you must then get the sail in as flat as you can, and sail as near as you can to the wind. then when you have gone some distance you must bring her head round, till the sail goes over on the other side; and sail on that tack, and so make a zigzag course: but if the wind should come dead ahead, i think your best course would be to lower the sail and row against it. however, at present, with the wind from the east, you will be able to sail free on your proper course." then he pushed the boat off. "you had better put an oar out and get her head round," he said, "before hoisting the sail again. goodbye; bon voyage!" since leaving the river, terence had been sailing under his instructions and, as soon as the boat was under way again he said to his companion: "here we are, free men again, dicky." "i call it splendid, terence. she goes along well. i only hope she will keep on like this till we get to corunna or, better still, to the mouth of the douro." "we must not count our chickens before they are hatched, dicky. there are storms and french privateers to be reckoned with. we are not out of the wood yet, by a long way. however, we need not bother about them, at present. it is quite enough that we have got a stout boat and a favouring wind." "and plenty to eat and drink, terence; don't forget that." "no, that is a very important item, especially as we dare not land to buy anything, for some days." "what rate are we going through the water, do you think?" "jules said we were sailing about four knots an hour when we were going down the river, and about three when we had turned south and pulled the sail in. i suppose we are about halfway between the two now, so we can count it as three knots and a half." "that would make," ryan said, after making the calculation, "eighty-four miles in twenty-four hours." "bravo, dicky! i doubted whether your mental powers were equal to so difficult a calculation. well, jules said that it was about four hundred miles to corunna, and about a hundred and fifty to santander, beyond which he thought we could land safely at any village." "oh, let us stick to the boat as long as we can!" ryan exclaimed. "certainly. i have no more desire to be tramping among those mountains and taking our chance with the peasants than you have, and if the wind keeps as it is now we should be at corunna in something like five days. but that would be almost too much to hope for. so that it does but keep in its present direction till we are past santander, i shall be very well satisfied." the mountains of navarre and biscay were within sight from the time they had left the river, and it did not need the compass to show them which way they should steer. there were many fishing boats from nivelle, urumia, and saint sebastian to be seen, dotted over the sea on their left. they kept farther out than the majority of these, and did not pass any of them nearer than half a mile. after steering for a couple of hours, terence relinquished the oar to his companion. "you must get accustomed to it, as well as i," he said, "for we must take it in turns, at night." by twelve o'clock they were abreast of a town; which was, they had no doubt, san sebastian. they were now some four miles from the spanish coast. they were travelling at about the same rate as that at which they had started, but the wind came off the high land, and sometimes in such strong puffs that they had to loosen the sheet. the fisherman had shown them how to shorten sail by tying down the reef points and shifting the tack and, in the afternoon, the squalls came so heavily that they thought it best to lower the sail and reef it. towards nightfall the wind had risen so much that they made for the land, and when darkness came on threw out the little grapnel the boat carried, a hundred yards or so from the shore, at a point where no village was visible. here they were sheltered from the wind and, spreading out the nets to form a bed, they laid themselves down in the bottom of the boat, pulling the sail partly over them. "this is jolly enough," ryan said. "it is certainly pleasanter to lie here and look at the stars than to be shut up in that hiding place of jules's." "it is a great nuisance having to stop, though," terence replied. "it is a loss of some forty miles." "i don't mind how long this lasts," ryan said cheerfully. "i could go on for a month at this work, providing the provisions would hold out." "i don't much like the look of the weather, dicky. there were clouds on the top of some of the hills and, though we can manage the boat well enough in such weather as we have had today, it will be a different thing altogether if bad weather sets in. i should not mind if i could talk spanish as well as i can portuguese. then we could land fearlessly, if the weather was too bad to hold on. but you see, the spanish hate the portuguese as much as they do the french; and would, as likely as not, hand us over at once at the nearest french post." they slept fairly and, at daybreak, got up the grapnel and hoisted the sail again. inshore they scarcely felt the wind but, as soon as they made out a couple of miles from the land, they felt that it was blowing hard. "we won't go any farther out. dick, lay the boat's head to the west again. i will hold the sheet while you steer, and then i can let the sail fly, if a stronger gust than usual strikes us. sit well over this side." [illustration: 'she is walking along now.'] "she is walking along now," ryan said joyously. "i had no idea that sailing was as jolly as it is." they sped along all day and, before noon, had passed bilbao. as the afternoon wore on the wind increased in force, and the clouds began to pass rapidly overhead, from the southeast. "we had better get her in to the shore," terence said. "even with this scrap of sail, we keep on taking the water in on that lower side. i expect santander lies beyond that point that runs out ahead of us, and we will land somewhere this side of it." but as soon as they turned the boat's head towards the shore, and hauled in the sheet as tightly as they could, they found that, try as they would, they could not get her to lie her course. "we sha'n't make the point at all," terence said, half an hour after they had changed the course. "besides, we have been nearly over, two or three times. i dare say fellows who understood a boat well could manage it but, if we hold on like this, we shall end by drowning ourselves. i think the best plan will be to lower the sail and mast, and row straight to shore." "i quite agree with you," ryan said. "sailing is pleasant enough in a fair wind, but i cannot say i care for it, as it is now." with some difficulty, for the sea was getting up, they lowered the sail and mast and, getting out the oars, turned her head straight for the shore. both were accustomed to rowing in still water, but they found that this was very different work. after struggling at the oars for a couple of hours, they both agreed that they were a good deal farther away from the land than when they began. "it is of no use, dick," terence said. "if we cannot make against the wind while we are fresh, we certainly cannot do so when we are tired; and my arms feel as if they would come out of their sockets." "so do mine," ryan said, with a groan. "i am aching all over, and both my hands are raw with this rough handle. what are we to do, then, terence?" "there is nothing to do that i can see, but to get her head round and run before the wind. it is a nuisance, but perhaps the gale won't last long and, when it is over, we can get up sail and make for the northwestern point of spain. we have got provisions enough to last for a week. "that is more comfortable," he added, as they got the boat in the required direction. "now, you take the steering oar, dick, and see that you keep her as straight as you can before the wind; while i set to and bale. she is nearly half full of water." it took half an hour's work, with the little bowl they found in the boat, before she was completely cleared of water. the relief given to her was very apparent, for she rose much more lightly on the waves. "we will sit down at the bottom of the boat, and take it by turns to hold the steering oar." they had brought with them a lantern in which a lighted candle was kept burning, in order to be able to light their pipes. this was stowed away in a locker in the stern, with their store of biscuit and, after eating some of these, dividing a bottle of wine, and lighting their pipes, they felt comparatively comfortable. they were, of course, drenched to the skin and, as the wind was cold, they pulled the sail partly over them. "she does not ship any water now, terence. if she goes on like this, it will be all right." "i expect it will be all right, dick, though it is sure to be very much rougher than this when we get farther out. still, i fancy an open boat will live through almost anything, providing she is light in the water. i don't suppose she would have much chance if she had a dozen men on board, but with only us two i think there is every hope that she will get through it. "it would be a different thing if the wind was from the west, and we had the great waves coming in from the atlantic, as we had in that heavy gale when we came out from ireland. as it is, nothing but a big wave breaking right over her stern could damage us very seriously. there is not the least fear of her capsizing, with us lying in the bottom." they did not attempt to keep alternate watches that night, only changing occasionally at the steering oar, the one not occupied dozing off occasionally. the boat required but little steering for, as both were lying in the stern, the tendency was to run straight before the wind. as the waves, however, became higher, she needed keeping straight when she was in a hollow between two seas. it seemed sometimes that the waves following behind the boat must break on to her, and swamp her but, as time after time she rose over them, their anxiety on this score lessened, and they grew more and more confident that she would go safely through it. occasionally the baler was used, to keep her clear of the water which came in in the shape of spray. at times they chatted cheerfully, for both were blessed with good spirits and the faculty of looking on the best side of things. they smoked their pipes in turns, getting fire from each other, so as to avoid the necessity of resorting to the lantern, which might very well blow out, in spite of the care they had at first exercised by getting under the sail with it when they wanted a light. they were heartily glad when morning broke. the scene was a wild one. they seemed to be in the centre of a circle of mist, which closed in at a distance of half a mile or so, all round them. at times the rain fell, sweeping along with stinging force but, wet as they were, this mattered little to them. "i would give something for a big glass of hot punch," ryan said, as he munched a piece of biscuit. "yes, it would not be bad," terence agreed; "but i would rather have a big bowl of hot coffee." "i have changed my opinion of a seafaring life," ryan said, after a pause. "it seemed delightful the morning we started, but it has its drawbacks; and to be at sea in an open boat, during a strong gale in the bay of biscay, is distinctly an unpleasant position." "i fancy it is our own fault, dicky. if we had known how to manage the boat, i have no doubt that we should have been able to get to shore. when the wind first began to freshen, we ought not to have waited so long as we did, before we made for shelter." "well, we shall know better next time, terence. i think that, now that it is light, we had better get some sleep, by turns. do you lie down for four hours, and then i will take a turn." "all right! but be sure you wake me up, and mind you don't go to sleep; for if you did we might get broadside on to these waves, and i have no doubt they would roll us over and over. so mind, if before the four hours are up you feel you cannot keep your eyes open, wake me at once. half an hour will do wonders for me, and i shall be perfectly ready to take the oar again." chapter : a french privateer. terence went off into a deep sleep as soon as he had pulled the sail over his head, but it seemed to him as if but a minute had elapsed when his companion began to stir him up with his foot. "what is it?" he asked. "i am awfully sorry to wake you," ryan shouted, "but you have had two hours of it, and i really cannot keep my eyes open any longer. i have felt myself going off, two or three times." "you don't mean to say that i have been asleep for two hours?" "you have, and a few minutes over. i looked at my watch as you lay down." "all right! give me the oar. i say, it is blowing hard!" "i should think it is. it seems to me it is getting up, rather than going down." "well, we are all right so far," terence said cheerfully, for he was now wide awake again. "besides, we are getting quite skilful mariners. you had better spend a few minutes at baling before you lie down, for the water is a good three inches over the boards." all day the storm continued and, when darkness began to close in, it seemed to them that it was blowing harder than ever. each had had two spells of sleep, and they agreed that they could now keep awake throughout the night. it was bad enough having no one to speak to all day, but at night they felt that companionship was absolutely needed. during the day they had lashed together the spars, sail, and the barrel of water--which was now nearly half empty--so that if the boat should be swamped, they could cling to this support. it was a terrible night but, towards morning, both were of opinion that the gale was somewhat abating. about eight o'clock there were breaks in the clouds and, by noon, the sun was shining brightly. the wind was still blowing strong, but nothing to what it had been the evening before and, by nightfall, the sea was beginning to go down. the waves were as high as before, but were no longer broken and crested with heads of foam and, at ten o'clock, they felt that they could both safely lie down till morning. the steering oar was lashed in its position, the sail spread over the whole of the stern of the boat, every drop of water was baled out and, lying down side by side, they were soon fast asleep. when they woke the sun was high, the wind had dropped to a gentle breeze, and the boat was rising and falling gently on the smooth rollers. "hurrah!" ryan shouted, as he stood up and looked round. "it is all over. i vote, terence, that we both strip and take a swim, then spread out our clothes to dry, after which we will breakfast comfortably and then get up sail." "that is a very good programme, dicky; we will carry it out, at once." while they were eating their meal, ryan asked: "where do you suppose we are, terence?" "beyond the fact that we are right out in the bay of biscay, i have not the most remote idea. by the way the water went past us, i should say that we had been going at pretty nearly the same rate as we did when we were sailing; say, four miles an hour. we have been running for forty-eight hours, so that we must have got nearly two hundred miles from santander. the question is: would it be best to make for england, now, or for portugal? we have been going nearly northwest, so i should think that we are pretty nearly north of finisterre, which may lie a hundred and twenty miles from us; and i suppose we are two or three times as much as that from england. the wind is pretty nearly due east again now, so we can point her head either way. we must be nearly in the ship course, and are likely to be picked up, long before we make land. which do you vote for?" "i vote for the nearest. we may get another storm, and one of them is quite enough. at any rate, spain will be the shortest, by a great deal and, if we are picked up, it is just as likely to be by a french privateer as by an english vessel." "i am quite of your opinion, and am anxious to be back again, as soon as i can. if we got to england and reported ourselves, we might be sent to the depot and not get out again, for months; so here goes for the south." the sail was hoisted, and the boat sped merrily along. in a couple of hours their clothes were dry. "i think we had better put ourselves on short rations," terence said. "we may be farther off than we calculate upon and, at any rate, we had better hold on to the mouth of the tagus, if we can; there are sure to be some british officials there, and we shall be able to get money, and rejoin our regiment without loss of time; while we might have all sort of trouble with the spaniards, were we to land at corunna or vigo." no sail appeared in sight during the day. "i should think we cannot have come as far west as we calculated," terence said, "or we ought to have seen vessels in the distance; however, we will keep due south. it will be better to strike the coast of spain, and have to run along the shore round cape finisterre, than to risk missing land altogether." that night they kept regular watches. the wind was very light now, and they were not going more than two knots an hour through the water. ryan was steering when morning broke. "wake up, terence!" he exclaimed suddenly, "here is a ship within a mile or so of us. as she is a lugger, i am afraid she is a french privateer." terence sprang to his feet. the light was still faint, but he felt sure that his companion was right, and that the vessel was a french privateer. "we have put our foot in it now, and no mistake," ryan said. "it is another french prison and, this time, without a friendly soldier to help us to get out." "it looks like it, dicky. in another hour it will be broad daylight, and they cannot help seeing us. still, there is a hope for us. we must give out that we are spanish fishermen, who have been blown off the coast. it is not likely they have anyone on board that speaks spanish, and our portuguese will sound all right in their ears; so very likely, after overhauling us, they will let us go on our way. at any rate, it is of no use trying to escape; we will hold on our course for another few minutes, and then head suddenly towards her, as if we had only just seen her. i will hail her in portuguese, and they are sure to tell us to come on board; and then i will try to make them understand by signs, and by using a few french words, that we have been blown out to sea by the gale, and want to know the course for santander. as the french have been there for some time, it would be natural enough for us to have picked up a little of their language." in a few minutes they altered their course and sailed towards the lugger, which also soon turned towards them. when they approached within the vessel's length, terence stood up, and shouted in portuguese: "what is the bearing of santander?" the reply was in french, "come alongside!" given with a gesture of the arm explaining the words. they let the sail run down as they came alongside. terence climbed up, by the channels, to the deck. "espagnol," he said to the captain, who was standing close to him as he jumped down on to the deck; "espagnoles, capitaine; poisson, santander; grand tempete," and he motioned with his arms to signify that they had been blown offshore at santander. then he pointed in several directions towards the south, and looked interrogatively. "they are spanish fishermen who have been blown off the coast," the captain said to another officer. "they have been lucky in living it out. well, we are short of hands, having so many away in prizes; and the boat will be useful, in place of the one we had smashed up in the gale. let a couple of men throw the nets and things overboard, and then run her up to the davits." then he said to terence: "prisoners! go forward and make yourself useful;" and he pointed towards the forecastle. terence gave a yell of despair, threw his hat down on the deck and, in a volley of portuguese, begged the captain to let them go. the latter, however, only waved his hand angrily; and two sailors, coming up, seized terence by the arms and dragged him forward. ryan was called upon deck, and also ordered forward. he too remonstrated, but was cut short by a threatening gesture from the captain. for a time they preserved an appearance of deep dejection, terence tugging his hair as if in utter despair, till ryan whispered: "for heaven's sake, terence, don't go on like that, or i shall break out in a shout of laughter." "it is monstrous, it is inhuman!" terence exclaimed, in portuguese. "thus to seize harmless fishermen, who have so narrowly escaped drowning; the sea is less cruel than these men. they have taken our boat, too, our dear good boat. what will our mothers think, when we do not return? that we have been swallowed up by the sea. how they will watch for us, but in vain!" fortunately for the success of their story, the lugger hailed from a northern french port and, as not one on board understood either spanish or portuguese, they had no idea that the latter was the language in which the prisoners were speaking. after an hour of pretended despair, both rose from the deck on which they had been sitting and, on an order being given to trim the sails, went to the ropes and aided the privateersmen to haul at them and, before the end of the day, were doing duty as regular members of the crew. "they are active young fellows," the captain said to his first mate, as he watched the supposed spaniards making themselves useful. "it was lucky for them that they had a fair store of provisions and water in their boat. we are very short handed, and they will be useful. i would have let them go if it had not been for the boat but, as we have only one left that can swim, it was too lucky a find to give up." the craft had been heading north when ryan had first seen her, and she held that course all day. terence gathered from the talk of the sailors that they were bound for brest, to which port she belonged. the frenchmen were congratulating themselves that their cruise was so nearly over, and that it had been so successful a one. from time to time a sailor was sent up into the cross trees, and scanned the horizon to the north and west. in the afternoon he reported that he could make out the upper sails of a large ship going south. the captain went up to look at her. "i think she is an english ship of war," he said, when he descended to the deck, "but she is a long way off. with this light wind we could run away from her. she will not trouble herself about us. she would know well enough that she could not get within ten miles of us, before it got dark." this turned out to be the case, for the lookout from time to time reported that the distant sail was keeping on her course, and the slight feeling of hope that had been felt by terence and ryan faded away. they were placed in the same watch, and were below when, as daylight broke, they heard sudden exclamations, tramping of feet overhead, and a moment later the watch was summoned on deck. "i hope that they have had the same luck that we had, and have run into the arms of one of our cruisers," terence whispered in portuguese to ryan, as they ran up on deck together. as he reached the deck the boom of a cannon was heard, and at the same instant a ball passed through the mainsail. half a mile away was a british sloop of war. she had evidently made out the lugger before the watch on board the latter had seen her. the captain was foaming with rage, and shouting orders which the crew hurried to execute. on the deck near the foremast lay the man who had been on the lookout, and who had been felled with a handspike by the captain when he ran out on deck, at the first alarm. although at first flurried and alarmed, the crew speedily recovered themselves, and executed with promptitude the orders which were given. there was a haze on the water, but a light wind was stirring, and the vessel was moving through the water at some three knots an hour. as soon as her course had been changed, so as to bring the wind forward of the beam, which was her best point of sailing, the men were sent to the guns; the first mate placing himself at a long eighteen pounder, which was mounted as a pivot gun aft, a similar weapon being in her bows. all this took but four or five minutes, and shot after shot from the sloop hummed overhead. the firing now ceased, as the change of course of the lugger had placed the sloop dead astern of her; and the latter was unable, therefore, to fire even her bow chasers without yawing. it was now the turn of the lugger. the gun in the stern was carefully trained and, as it was fired, a patch of white splinters appeared in the sloop's bulwarks. a cheer broke from the french. the effect of the shot, which must have raked her from stem to stern, was at once evident. the sloop bore off the wind, until her whole broadside could be seen. "flat on your faces!" the captain shouted. there was a roar of ten guns, and a storm of shot screamed overhead. four of them passed through the sails. one ploughed up the deck, killing two sailors and injuring three others with the splinters. two or three ropes of minor importance were cut, but no serious damage inflicted. the crew, as they leapt to their feet, gave a cheer. they knew that, with this light wind, their lugger could run away from the heavier craft; and that the latter could only hope for success by crippling her. "steady with the helm!" the captain went on, as the pivot gun was again ready to deliver its fire. "wait till her three masts show like one. "jacques, aim a little bit higher. see if you cannot knock away a spar." the sloop was coming up again to the wind and, as she was nearly stem on, the gun cracked out again. a cheer broke from the lugger as her opponent's foretop mast fell over her side, with all its hamper. round the sloop came, and delivered the other broadside. two shots crashed through the bulwarks, one of them dismounting a gun which, in its fall, crushed a man who had thrown himself down beside it. another shot struck the yard of the foresail, cutting it asunder; and the lugger at once ran up into the wind. "lower the foresail!" the captain shouted. "quick, men! and lash a spare spar to the yard. they are busy cutting away their topmast, but we shall be off again before they are ready to move. they have lost nearly half a mile; we shall soon be out of range. be sharp with that gun again!" the sloop had indeed fallen greatly astern while delivering her broadsides; but her commander had evidently seen that, unless the wind sprang up, the lugger would get away from him unless he could cripple her; and that she might seriously damage him, and perhaps knock one of the masts out of him by her stern chaser. his only chance, therefore, of capturing her was to take a spar out of her. he did not attempt to come about again, after firing the second broadside; but kept up his fire as fast as his guns could be loaded. the lugger, however, was stealing rapidly away from him and, in ten minutes, had increased her lead by another half mile, without having suffered any serious damage; and the sloop soon ceased fire, as she was now almost out of range. seven or eight of the crew had been more or less injured by splinters but, with the exception of the three killed, none were badly hurt. the lugger was now put on her former course, the guns lashed into their places again, and the three men killed sewn up in hammocks and laid between two of the guns, in order to be handed to their friends on arrival in port. "that is another slip between the cup and the lip," terence remarked to his companion, as the sloop ceased firing. "i certainly thought, when we came on deck, that our troubles were over. i must say for our friend, the french captain, he showed himself a good sailor, and got out of the scrape uncommonly well." "a good deal too well," ryan grumbled; "it was very unpleasant while it lasted. it is all very well to be shot at by an enemy, but to be shot at by one's friends is more than one bargained for." the coolness under fire displayed by the two spaniards he had carried off pleased the captain, who patted them on the shoulder as he came along, his good temper being now completely restored by his escape. "you are brave fellows," he said, "and will make good privateersmen. you cannot do better than stay with us. you will make as much money, in a month, as you would in a year's fishing." terence smiled vaguely, as if he understood that the captain was pleased with them, but did not otherwise catch his meaning. they arrived at brest without further adventure. as they neared the port, the captain asked terence if he and his companion would enter upon the books of the privateer and after much difficulty made, as he believed, terence understand his question. the latter affected to consult ryan, and then answered that they would be both willing to do so. the captain then put the names they gave him down on the ship's roll, and handed each of them a paper, certifying that juan montes and sebastian peral belonged to the crew of the belle jeanne, naming the rate of wages that they were to receive, and their share in the value of the prizes taken. he then gave them eighty francs each, as an advance on their pay from the date of their coming on board, and signified to them that they must buy clothes similar to those worn by the crew, instead of the heavy fishermen's garments they had on. "they will soon learn our language," he said to the mate, "and i am sure they will make good sailors. i have put down their wages and share of prize money at half that of our own men, and i am sure they will be well worth it, when they get to speak the language and learn their duties." as soon as they were alongside, the greater portion of the men went ashore and, in the evening, the boatswain landed with terence and ryan, and proceeded with them to a slop shop, where he bought them clothes similar to those worn by the crew. beyond the fact that these were of nautical appearance, there was no distinctive dress. they then returned to the lugger and changed their clothes at once, the boatswain telling them to stow away their boots and other things, as these would be useful to them in bad weather. the next day the privateer commenced to unload, for the most valuable portions of the cargoes of the captured ships had been taken on board when the vessels themselves, with the greater portion of the goods they carried, had been sent into port under the charge of prize crews. they remained on board for ten days, going freely into the town, sometimes with the sailors and sometimes alone. terence pretended to make considerable progress in french, and was able, though with some difficulty, to make himself understood by the crew. the first mate had gone with them to the mairie, where the official stamp had been affixed to their ship papers. they found that no questions were asked of persons entering or leaving the town, on the land side; and twice strolled out and went some distance into the country. they had agreed that it would be better to defer any attempt to escape until the day before the lugger sailed, as there would then be but little time for the captain to make inquiries after them, or to institute a search. they bought a pocket map of the north of france, and carefully studied the roads. "it is plain enough what our best course is, dick. we must go along this projecting point of brittany through dinan to avranches, and then follow the coast up till we get to coutances. you see it is nearly opposite jersey, and that island does not look to be more than fifteen miles away so that, if we can get hold of a boat there, we should be able to run across in three hours or so, with favourable wind." "that looks easy enough," ryan agreed. "it seems to be about one hundred and twenty miles from here to avranches, and another thirty or forty up to coutances, so we should do it in a week, easily. what stories shall we make up, if we are questioned?" "i don't suppose the peasants we may meet on the road are likely to question us at all, for most of the bretons speak only their own language. we had better always sleep out in the open. if we do run across an official, we can show our papers and give out that we have been ill treated on board the lugger, and are going to saint malo, where we mean to ship on another privateer. i know that is a port from which lots of them sail. i don't think we shall have any difficulty in buying provisions at small villages. my french will pass muster very well in such places, and i can easily remark that we are on our way to saint malo to join a ship there and, if any village functionary questions us, these papers will be good enough for him. "or we can say that we got left ashore by accident, when our craft sailed from brest, and are going to rejoin her at saint malo, where she was going to put in. i think, perhaps, that that would be a better story than that we had run away. i don't know that the authorities interest themselves in runaway seamen from privateers but, at any rate, it is a likely tale. drunken seamen, no doubt, often do get left ashore." "yes, that would be a very good story, terence, and i think that there would be no great fear, even if we were to go boldly into a town." "i don't think there would; still, it is better to be on the safe side, and avoid all risks." accordingly, the afternoon before the belle jeanne was to sail they went ashore, bought enough bread and cold meat to last them for a couple of days; and two thick blankets, as it was now november and the nights were bitterly cold; and then left the town and followed the road for dinan. on approaching the village of landerneau they left the road, and lay down until it was quite dark. then they made a detour through the fields, round the village, came down on the road again, walked all night--passing through huelgoat--and then, as morning was breaking they left the road again and, after going a quarter of a mile through the fields, lay down in a dry ditch by the side of a thick hedge, ate a meal, and went to sleep. they did not start again until it was getting dusk, when they returned to the road, which they followed all night. in the morning they went boldly into a little village, and terence went into a shop and bought a couple of loaves. his french was quite good enough for so simple an operation. "i suppose you are going to saint malo," the woman said. "yes. we have had a holiday to see some friends at brest, and are going to rejoin." this was the only question asked and, after walking another two miles, they lay up for the day as before. they had met several peasants on the road, and had exchanged salutations with them. they found by their map that they were now within twenty miles of dinan, having made over thirty miles each night and, as both were somewhat footsore from their unaccustomed exercise, they travelled only some sixteen or seventeen miles the following night. the next evening, at about ten o'clock, they walked boldly through dinan. most of the inhabitants were already asleep, and the few who were still in the streets paid no heed to two sailors; going, they had no doubt, to saint malo. crossing the river rance by the bridge, they took the road in the direction of the port but, after following it for a mile or two, struck off to the east and, before morning, arrived on the river running up from the bay of mount saint michaels. they lay down until late in the afternoon, and then crossed the river at a ferry, and kept along by the coast until they reached the sebine river. "we are getting on first rate," ryan said, as they lay down for a few hours' sleep. "we have only got avranches to pass, now." "i hope we sha'n't be questioned at all, dick, for we have now no good story to tell them; for we are going away from saint malo, instead of to it. of course, as long as they don't question us we are all right. we are simply two sailors on our way home for a time; but if we have to show our papers, with those spanish names on them, we should be in a fix. of course, we might have run away from our ship at saint malo, but that would not explain our coming up this way. however, i hope my french is good enough to answer any casual questions without exciting attention. we will cross by the ferry boat, as soon as it begins to ply and, as avranches stands some little distance up the river, we can avoid it altogether by keeping along the coastline." a score of peasants had assembled by the time the ferry boat man made his appearance from his cottage, and terence and his companion, who had been lying down yards away, joined them just as they were going down to the boat. "you are from saint malo, i suppose?" an old peasant said to terence. the latter nodded. "we have got a month's leave from our ship," he said. "she has been knocked about by an english cruiser, and will be in the shipwright's hands for five or six weeks, before she is ready for sea again." "you are not from this part of the country," the peasant, who was speaking in the patois of normandy, remarked. "no, we come from the south; but one of our comrades comes from cherbourg and, as he cannot get away, we are going to see his friends and tell them that he is well. it is a holiday for us, and we may as well go there as anywhere else." the explanation was simple enough for the peasant, and terence continued chatting with him until they landed. "you do not need to go through avranches," the latter said. "take the road by the coast through granville to coutances." "how far is it to coutances?" "about twenty miles. at least, so i have heard, for i have never been there." after walking a few miles, they went down on to the seashore and lay down among some rocks until evening. at eight o'clock they started again and walked boldly through granville, where their sailor's dress would, they felt sure, attract no attention. it was about nine o'clock when they entered the place. their reason for doing so at this hour was that they wished to lay in a stock of provisions, as they did not intend to enter coutances until late at night; when they hoped to be able to get hold of a boat, at once. they had just made their purchases when they met a fat little man, with a red sash--which showed him to be the maire of the place, or some other public functionary. "where are you going, and what ship do you belong to?" he asked pompously. "we are sailors on our way from saint malo to cherbourg," terence replied. "you have papers, of course?" "of course, monsieur le maire." "i must see them," the maire said. "come with me to my house, close by." there were several persons near, and a man in civil uniform was with the maire. therefore terence gave an apparently willing assent and, followed by the functionary, they went into a house close by. a lamp was burning on the table in the hall. "light these candles in my office," the maire said. "the women have gone up to bed." the man turned a key, went in and, bringing out two candles, lighted them at the lamp; and they then went into the room. the maire seated himself in an armchair at the table. the minor functionary placed the two suspected persons on the side facing him, and took his place standing by their side. as they were going in, terence whispered: "if there is trouble, i will take this fellow, and you manage the maire." "now," that functionary said, "let me see your papers. "why," he exclaimed, looking at the names, "you are not frenchmen!" "no," terence said quietly. "we do not pretend to be but, as you see, we are sailors who have done service on board a french privateer." "but where is this privateer?" "i don't know, monsieur le maire. we were not satisfied with our treatment, so we left her at brest." "this is very serious," the maire said. "you are spaniards. you have deserted your ship at brest. you have travelled a hundred and fifty miles through france, and now what are you doing here?" "we are, as you say, monsieur, travelling through france. we desire to see france. we have heard that it is the greatest country in the world. frenchmen visit spain in large numbers. why should not spaniards visit france?" the tone of sarcasm in which terence spoke was not lost upon the maire, who rose from his seat, purple with anger. "you will take these men into custody," he said to his assistant. "this is a very grave business." "now, dick!" terence exclaimed and, turning to the man who stood next to him, he grasped him suddenly by the throat. at the same moment ryan caught up a heavy inkstand and threw it across the table at the maire, striking that functionary in the stomach, and doubling him completely up. then he ran round the table and bound the man--who had not yet recovered his breath--tightly in his chair, and thrust his handkerchief into his mouth. the man whom terence was holding had scarcely struggled. terence, as he gripped him, had said, "keep quiet or i will choke you!" and the prisoner felt that his assailant could do so in a moment, if he chose. his hands were fastened tightly behind him, with his own belt, by ryan. a short ruler was thrust between his teeth, and fastened there by a handkerchief going round the back of his head. "so far so good, dick. now look round for something with which we can bind them more firmly." several hanks of red tape lay upon the table. with a portion of one of these, the back of the chair in which the maire sat was lashed to the handle of a heavy bureau. then his feet were fastened to the two legs of the chair, so that he could neither kick nor upset himself. the other man was then fastened as securely. this done they blew out the candles, left the room, locked the door behind them--taking the key--and then sallied out into the street. "that was a good shot of yours with the inkstand," terence said. "i had my eye on it, all the time he was speaking," ryan replied. "i saw that, if i were to move to get round the table at him, the little man would have time to shout; but that if i could hit him in the wind, it would be all right." "well, there must be no more stopping, now. i don't know whether there is a mrs. maire; if not, there will certainly be no alarm until morning. if there is, it depends upon what sort of woman she is as to how long a start we shall get. if she is a sleepy woman she is probably dreaming by this time, and may not discover until morning that her lord and master is not by her side. if she is a bad-tempered woman, she will probably lie for an hour or two, thinking over what she shall say to him when he comes in. if she is a nervous woman, she will get up and go downstairs. "i left the lamp burning in the hall on purpose. seeing it there, she will naturally think that he has not come in, and will go upstairs again for an hour or two; then she will probably call up the servants, and may send them out to look for him; finally, she may go to the police office and wake up a constable. it is not probable there are any of them on night duty, in a quiet place like this. altogether, i calculate that it will be at least four hours before they think of breaking open the door of the office, to see if he is there; so at the worst we have got four hours' start; at the best, ten hours. "it is only half-past nine now. we shall be at the mouth of the sienne in three hours, or less. it does not look above nine or ten miles on the map and, directly we get fairly out of the town, we will go as quickly as we can, for every minute is of importance. "if we can get hold of a boat at once, we ought to be at jersey soon after daybreak; although i am not very sure of that, for i believe there are all sorts of strong currents along this coast. i remember one of the officers saying so, as we came down the channel on the voyage out. of course, it will make a difference whether we can get a boat with a sail, or not. if we cannot find a boat, we shall have to hide up; but you may be sure that there will be a hot search for us in the morning, and we must get off tonight, if we can. most likely there is a fishing village somewhere near the mouth of the river." as soon as they were out of the town they broke into a trot; which they continued, with scarcely any intermission, until they approached a small village. "i expect this stands on the bank of the river," terence said. "there is no chance of anyone being up, so we can go through fearlessly." a couple of hundred yards farther they reached the river. a large ferry boat was moored here. keeping along the bank to the left, they were not long before they came upon several boats hauled up on the shore; while three or four others lay at their moorings, a short distance out. "thank goodness," terence exclaimed. "we shall have no difficulty, now!" they selected the boat lying nearest the water's edge. the moon was half full, but was now sinking towards the west. its light, however, was of some assistance to them. there was a mast and sail in the boat, as well as a pair of oars. at first they were unable to move her down to the water but, getting some oars out of the other boats, they laid them down as rollers and, with these, managed after great exertions to get her afloat. chapter : a smart engagement. after pushing the boat out into the stream, terence and his companion allowed it to drift quietly for some distance; and then, getting out the oars, rowed hard until they were beyond the mouth of the river. the tide was, they thought, by the level of the water where they had embarked, within an hour or two of flood. they therefore determined to shape their course to the north of the point where they believed jersey to lie, so that when tide turned, it would sweep them down upon it. the wind was too light to be of any assistance, but the stars were bright, and the position of the north star served as a guide to the direction they should take. it had taken them some considerable time to launch the boat, and they calculated that it was nearly midnight when they left the mouth of the river. there was no occasion to row hard for, until it became daylight and they could see the island of jersey, they could not shape their course with any certainty; and could only hope that by keeping to the north of it they would not find, in the morning, that the tide had taken them too far to the south. "we are very lucky in our weather," terence said as, after labouring at the heavy oars for a couple of hours, they paused for a few minutes' rest. "if it had been a strong wind, it would never have done for us to have started. i believe in bad weather there are tremendous currents about the islands, and desperately rough water. a fog would have been even worse for us. as it is, it seems to me we cannot go very far wrong. i suppose the tide is about turning now; but if by daylight we find that we have been carried a long way past the island, we shall soon have the tide turning again, which will take us back to it. "i am more afraid of falling in with a french privateer than i am of missing the island. there are sure to be some of them at granville, to say nothing of saint malo. i don't suppose any of those at granville will put out in search of us, merely to please the maire; but if any were going to sea, they would be sure to keep a lookout for us." "if they did see us, we should have no chance of getting away, terence. this boat is not so big as the one we stole at bayonne, but it rows much heavier." "there is one thing--even a privateer could not sail very fast in this light wind and, if it freshens in the morning, we can get up the sail." "then i hope it will get up a bit," ryan said, "for after another five or six hours' rowing, with these beastly oars, my hands will be raw; and i am sure my back and arms will be nearly broken." "we must risk that, dick. we calculated fifteen miles in a straight line across to jersey, so that we must jog along at the rate of a couple of miles an hour to get far enough to the west. now then, let us be moving again." the night seemed interminable to them; and they felt relieved, indeed, when morning began to break. in another half hour it would be light enough for them to see for a considerable distance. unshipping their oars, they stood up and looked round. "that must be jersey," terence exclaimed, pointing to the north. "the current must have taken us past it, as i was afraid it would. what time is it, dick?" "nearly eight." "then tide must be turning already. the island must be six miles away now. if we row hard we shall know, in half an hour, whether we are being carried north or south." "but we must be going north if tide has turned, terence?" "i don't know--i remember that the mate of the sea horse said that, in the channel, the course of the current did not change at high and low water; so there is no saying what way we are going, at present. well, there is a little more wind, and i suppose we had better get up our sail. there is jersey, and whether we get there a little sooner or a little later cannot make much difference. i am sure we are both too tired to row her much faster than we can sail." terence agreed, and they accordingly stepped the mast and hoisted the sail. at first the boat moved but slowly through the water, but the wind was freshening and, in half an hour, she was foaming along. "tide is against us, still," terence said presently. "i don't think we are any nearer jersey that when we first saw it." "look there!" ryan exclaimed, a few minutes later, "there is a lugger coming out from the direction of granville." "so there is, dick, and with the wind behind her, she won't be very long before she is here. i should say that she is about six or seven miles off, and an hour will bring her up to us." "i will get out an oar, terence. that will help us a bit. we can change about, occasionally." terence was steering with the other oar, while he held the sheet. the boat was travelling at a good rate, but the lugger was fast running down towards them. "there is a schooner coming out from jersey!" terence exclaimed, joyously. "if she is a british privateer we may be saved yet. i had just made up my mind that we were in for another french prison." ryan looked over his shoulder. "she is farther off than the lugger," he said. "yes, but the current that is keeping us back is helping her on towards us. it will be a close thing; but i agree with you, i am afraid that the lugger will be here first. "change seats with me. i will have a spell at the oar." he was a good deal stronger than ryan, and he felt comparatively fresh after his hour's rest, so there was a perceptible increase in the boat's speed after the change had been effected. when the lugger was within a mile of them, and the schooner about double that distance, the former changed her course a little, and bore up as if to meet the schooner. "hurrah!" ryan shouted. "the frenchman is making for the schooner and, if the jersey boat don't turn and run, there will be a fight." "the lugger looks to me the bigger boat," terence said, as he stopped rowing for a moment. "however, we are likely to be able to slip off while they are at it." rapidly the two vessels approached each other and, when within a mile, a puff of smoke broke out from the lugger's bow; and was answered almost instantly by one from the schooner. running fast through the water, the vessels were soon within a short distance of each other. terence had ceased rowing, for there was no fear that the lugger, which was now abeam of them, would give another thought to the small boat. the fight was going on in earnest, and the two vessels poured broadsides into each other as they passed; the lugger wearing round at once, and engaging the schooner broadside to broadside. "the frenchman has the heavier metal," terence said. "i am afraid the schooner will get the worst of it. the lugger is crowded with men, too. what do you say, dick? shall we do our best to help the schooner?" "i think we ought to," ryan agreed, at once. "she has certainly saved us, and i think we ought to do what we can." accordingly he brought the boat nearer to the wind. the two vessels were now close-hauled, and were moving but slowly through the water. the boat passed two or three hundred yards astern of the lugger, sailed a little farther; and then, when able to lay her course for the schooner, went about and bore down towards her. just as they did so, the halliards of the schooner's mainsail were shot asunder, and the sail ran down the mast. there was a shout of triumph from the lugger, and she at once closed in towards her crippled adversary. "they are going to try and carry the schooner by boarding," terence exclaimed. "keep her as close as she will go, dick," and, seizing his oar again, he began to row with all his might. by the time they came up, the two vessels were side by side. the guns had ceased their fire, but there was a rattle of pistol shots, mingled with the clash of arms and the shouts of the combatants. running up to the schooner's side, terence and ryan clambered on the channel and sprung on to the deck of the schooner. a desperate fight was going on forward, where the two vessels touched each other. there was no one aft. here some fifteen or twenty feet of water separated the ships, and even the helmsmen had left the wheel to join in the fight. about half of the lugger's crew had made their way on to the deck of the schooner, but the jersey men were still fighting stoutly. the rest of the lugger's crew were gathered in the bow of their own vessel, waiting until there should be a clear enough space left for them to join their comrades. "things look bad," terence exclaimed. "the french crew are a great deal stronger. lend me a hand to turn two of these eight-pounders round. there are plenty of cartridges handy." they drew the cannon back from their places, turned them round, loaded them with a charge of powder, and then rammed in two of the bags of bullets that were lying beside them. the schooner stood higher out of the water than the lugger, and they were able to train the two cannon so that they bore upon the mass of frenchmen in the latter's bow. "take steady aim," terence said. "we are only just in time; our fellows are being beaten back." a moment later the two pieces were fired. their discharge took terrible effect among the french, sweeping away more than half of those gathered in the lugger's bow. "load again!" terence exclaimed. "they are too strong for the jersey men, still." for a moment the french boarders had paused; but now, with a shout of fury, they fell upon the crew of the schooner, driving them back foot by foot towards the stern. the cannon were now trained directly forward and, when the crowd of fighting men approached them, terence shouted in french to the jersey men to fall back on either side. the captain, turning round and seeing the guns pointing forward, repeated the order in a stentorian shout. the jersey men leapt to one side or the other, and the moment they were clear the two cannon poured their contents into the midst of the french; who had paused for a moment, surprised at the sudden cessation of resistance. two clear lanes were swept through the crowd; and then, with a shout, the captain of the schooner and his crew fell upon the frenchmen. ryan was about to rush forward, when terence said: "no, no, ryan, load again; better make sure." the heavy loss they had suffered, however, so discouraged the french that many at once turned and, running back, jumped on to the deck of the lugger; while the others, though still resisting, were driven after them. as soon as the guns were reloaded they were trained, as before, to bear on the lugger's bow and, as the french were driven back, they were again fired. this completed the discomfiture of the enemy and, with loud shouts, the jersey men followed them on to the deck of their own ship. terence and ryan now ran forward, snatched up a couple of cutlasses, and joined their friends; and were soon fighting in the front line. but the french resistance was now almost over. their captain had fallen and, in five minutes, the last of them threw down their arms and surrendered; while a great shout went up from the crew of the schooner. the french flag was hauled down and, as soon as the prisoners had been sent below, an ensign was brought from the schooner, fixed to the flag halliards above the tricolor, and the two hoisted together. the captain had already turned to the two men who had come so opportunely to his assistance. "i do not know who you are, or where you come from, men, but you have certainly saved us from capture. i did not know it was the annette until it was too late to draw off, or i should not have engaged her; for she is the strongest lugger that sails out of granville, and carries double our weight of metal, with twice as strong a crew; but whoever you are, i thank you most heartily. i am half owner of the schooner, and should have lost all i was worth, to say nothing of perhaps having to pass the next five years in a french prison." "we are two british officers," terence said. "we have escaped from a french prison, and were making our way to jersey when we saw that lugger coming after us, and should certainly have been captured had you not come up; so we thought the least we could do was to lend you a hand." "well, gentlemen, you have certainly saved us. jacques bontemps, the captain of the annette, was an old acquaintance of mine. he commanded a smaller craft before he got the annette, and we have had two or three fights together. "so it was you whom i saw in that little boat! of course, we made out that the lugger was chasing you, though why they should be doing so we could not tell; but we thought no more about you after the fight once began, and were as astonished as the frenchmen when you swept their bow. i just glanced round and saw what looked like two french fishermen, and thought that you must be two of the lugger's crew who, for some reason or other, had turned the guns against their own ship. "it will be a triumph, indeed, for us when we enter saint helier. the annette has been the terror of our privateers. fortunately she was generally away cruising, and many a prize has she taken into granville. i have had the luck to recapture two of them, myself; but when she is known to be at home we most of us keep in port, for she is a good deal more than a match for any craft that sails out from saint helier. "she only went into granville yesterday, and i thought that there was no fear of her being out again, for a week or so. when i saw her, i took her for a smaller lugger that sails from that port, and which is no more than a match for us. the fact is, we were looking at her chasing you, and wondering if we should be in time, instead of noticing her size. it was not until she fired that first broadside that we found we had caught a tartar. we should have run, if there had been a chance of getting away; but she is a wonderfully fast boat, and we knew that our only chance was to knock away one of her masts. "and now, we will be making sail again. you must excuse me for a few minutes." in half an hour the main halliards had been repaired, and the sail hoisted. when other damages were made good the captain, with half his crew, went on board the lugger; and the two vessels sailed together for jersey. terence and his companion had accompanied the captain. "now, gentlemen, you may as well come down with me into the cabin. it is likely enough that you will be able to find some clothes, in bontemps' chest, that will fit you. he was a dandy, in his way. at any rate, his clothes will suit you better than those you have on." they found, indeed, that the lugger's captain had so large a store of clothing that they had no difficulty, whatever, in rigging themselves out. while they were changing, the captain had left them. he returned, presently, with a beaming face. "she is a more valuable prize than i hoped for," he said. "she is full almost to the hatches with the plunder she had taken in her last cruise. i cannot make out what led her to come out of granville, unless it was in pursuit of you." "i expect it was that," terence said. "we were arrested by the maire of granville, and had to tie him and one of his officials up. he was a pompous little man; and no doubt, when he got free, went down to the port and persuaded the captain of the lugger to put out, at once, to endeavour to find us. i expect he told him that we were prisoners of importance, either english spies or french emigres. "well, captain, i am glad that the capture has turned out well for you." "you certainly ought to share it," the captain said; "for if it had not been for you, matters would have gone all the other way, and we should have undoubtedly been captured." "oh, we don't want to share it! we have helped you to avoid a french prison, but you have certainly saved us from the same thing, so we are fairly quits." "well, we shall have time to talk about that when we get into port. in the meantime we will search jacques' lockers. like enough there may be something worth having there. of course, he may have taken it ashore, directly he landed; but it is hardly likely and, as he has evidently captured several british merchantmen while he has been out, he is sure to have some gold and valuables in the lockers." the search, indeed, brought to light four bags of money, each marked with the name of an english ship. they contained, in all, over pounds; with several gold watches, rings, and other valuables. "now, gentlemen," the captain said, "at least you will divide this money with me. the annette and the cargo below hatches are certainly worth ten times as much, and i must insist upon your going shares with me. i shall feel very hurt if you will not do so." "i thank you, captain," terence said, "and will not refuse your offer. we shall have to provide ourselves with new uniforms, and take a passage out to portugal, which is where our regiments are, at present; so the money will be very useful." "and i see you have not a watch, monsieur. you had better take one of these." "thanks! i parted with mine to a good woman, who helped me to escape from bayonne; so i will accept that offer, also." in two hours the schooner entered the port of saint helier; the lugger, under easy sail, following in her wake. they were greeted with enthusiastic cheers by the crowd that gathered on the quays, as soon as it was seen that the prize was the dreaded annette--which had, for some months past, been a terror to the privateers and fishermen of the place--and that she should have been captured by the cerf seemed marvellous, indeed. a british officer was on the quay when they got alongside. he came on board at once. "the governor has sent me to congratulate you, in his name, captain teniers," he said, "on having captured a vessel double your own size, which has for some time been the terror of these waters. he will be glad if you will give me some particulars of the action; and you will, when you can spare time afterwards, go up and give him a full report of it." "i owe the capture entirely to these two gentlemen, who are officers in your army. they had escaped from a french prison, and were making for this port when i first saw them this morning, with the annette in hot chase after them. it did not strike me that it was her, for it was only last night that the news came in that she had been seen, yesterday, sailing towards granville; and i thought that she was the lionne, which is a boat our own size. i came up before she had overhauled the boat and, directly the fight began, i could see the mistake i had made. but as she was a good deal faster than we were, it was of no use running. there was just a chance that i might cripple her, and get away." he then related the incidents of the fight. "well, i congratulate you, gentlemen," the officer said, heartily. "you have indeed done a good turn to captain teniers. to whom have i the pleasure of speaking?" "my name is o'connor," replied terence. "i have the honour to be on sir arthur wellesley's staff; and have the rank of captain in our army, but am a colonel in the portuguese service. this is lieutenant ryan, of his majesty's mayo fusiliers." the officer looked a little doubtful, while terence was speaking. it was difficult to believe that the young fellow, of one or two and twenty, at the outside, could be a captain on lord wellington's staff--for sir arthur had been raised to the peerage, after the battle of talavera--still less that he should be a colonel in the portuguese service. however, he bowed gravely, and said: "my name is major chalmers, of the th. i am adjutant to the governor. if it will not be inconvenient, i shall be glad if you will return with me, and report yourselves to him." "we are quite ready," terence said. "we have nothing to do in the way of packing up, for we have only the clothes we stand in; which were, indeed, the property of the captain of the lugger, who was killed in the action." telling captain teniers that they would be coming down again, when they had seen the governor, the two friends accompanied the officer. very few words were said on the way, for the major entertained strong doubts whether terence had not been hoaxing him, and whether the account he had given of himself was not altogether fictitious. on arriving at the governor's he left them for a few minutes in the anteroom; while he went in and gave the account he had received, from the captain, of the manner in which the lugger had been captured; and said that the two gentlemen who had played so important a part in the matter were, as they said, one of them an officer on the staff of lord wellington and a colonel in the portuguese army, and the other a subaltern in the mayo fusiliers. "why do you say, as they said, major? have you any doubt about it?" "my only reason for doubting is that they are both young fellows of about twenty, which would accord well enough with the claim of one of them to be a lieutenant; but that the other should be a captain on lord wellington's staff, and a colonel in the portuguese service, is quite incredible." "it would seem so, certainly, major. however, it is evident that they have both behaved extraordinarily well in this fight with the annette, and i cannot imagine that, whatever story a young fellow might tell to civilians, he would venture to assume a military title to which he had no claim, on arrival at a military station. will you please ask them to come in? at any rate, their story will be worth hearing." "good day, gentlemen," he went on, as terence and ryan entered. "i have to congratulate you, very heartily, upon the very efficient manner in which you assisted in the capture of the french privateer that has, for some time, been doing great damage among the islands. she has been much more than a match for any of our privateers here and, although she has been chased several times by the cruisers, she has always managed to get away. "and now, may i ask how you happened to be approaching the island, in a small boat, at the time that the encounter took place?" "certainly, sir. we were both prisoners at bayonne. i myself had been captured by the french, when endeavouring to cross the frontier into portugal with my regiment; while lieutenant ryan was wounded at talavera, and was in the hospital there when the spaniards left the town, and the french marched in." "what is your regiment, colonel o'connor?" "it is called the minho regiment, sir, and consists of two battalions. we have had the honour of being mentioned in general orders more than once; and were so on the day after the first attack of victor upon donkin's brigade, stationed on the hill forming the left of the british position at talavera." the governor looked at his adjutant who, rising, went to a table on which were a pile of official gazettes. picking out one, he handed it to the governor, who glanced through it. "here is the general order of the day," he said, "and assuredly lord wellington speaks, in the very highest terms, of the service that colonel o'connor and the minho regiment, under his command, rendered. certainly very high praise, indeed. "you will understand, sir, that we are obliged to be cautious here; and it seemed so strange that so young an officer should have attained the rank of colonel, that i was curious to know how it could have occurred." "i am by no means surprised that it should seem strange, to you, that i should hold the rank i claim. i was, like my friend lieutenant ryan, in the mayo fusiliers; when i had the good fortune to be mentioned, in despatches, in connection with an affair in which the transport that took us out to portugal was engaged with two french privateers. in consequence of the mention, general fane appointed me one of his aides-de-camp; and i acted in that capacity during the campaign that ended at corunna. i was left on the field, insensible, on the night after that battle. "when i came to myself, the army was embarking; so i made my way through galicia into portugal and, on reaching lisbon, was appointed by sir john craddock to his staff; and was sent by him on a mission to the northern frontier of portugal. "on the way i took the command of a body of freshly-raised portuguese levies, who were without an officer or leader of any kind. with the aid of a small escort with me, i formed them into a reliable regiment, and had the good fortune to do some service with them. i was therefore confirmed in my command, and was given portuguese rank. sir arthur wellesley, on succeeding sir john craddock in the supreme command, still kept my name on the headquarter staff, thereby adding greatly to my authority; and continued me in the independent command of my regiment. "after talavera we were despatched to aid the spaniards in holding the pass of banos but, before we arrived there, soult had crossed the pass and, being cut off by his force from rejoining the army, i determined to cross the mountains into portugal. in so doing we came upon a french division, on its march to plasencia, and the company of my regiment with which i was were cut off, and taken prisoners." "forgive me for having doubted you, colonel o'connor. i should, of course, have remembered your name. in his report of his operations, before and subsequent to the battle of talavera, lord wellington mentions, more than once, that his left during his advance was covered by the partisan corps of wilson and o'connor; and mentions, too, that it was by messengers from colonel o'connor that he first learned how formidable a force was in his rear, and was therefore able to cross the tagus and escape from his perilous position. of course, it never entered my mind that the officer who had rendered such valuable service was so young a man. "there is only one mystery left. how was it, when you and mr. ryan escaped from bayonne, that you are found in a boat in the bay of saint malo?" "it does seem rather a roundabout way of rejoining," terence said, with a smile. "we escaped in a boat and made along the north coast of spain but, when off santander, were blown out to sea in a gale, and were picked up by a french privateer. we were supposed to be two spanish fishermen and, as the privateer was short of boats, they took ours and enrolled us among their crew. they were on their way to brest, and we took an opportunity to desert, and made our way on foot until we reached the mouth of the river sienne; and made off in a boat, last night. this morning we saw the privateer in chase of us, and should certainly have been recaptured had not the cerf come up and engaged her. while the fight was going on we had gone on board the schooner, unperceived by either party, and took what seemed to us the best way of aiding our friends; who were getting somewhat the worst of it, the crew of the lugger being very much stronger than the crew of the schooner." "well, i hope that you will both, at once, take up your quarters with me as long as you stay here; and i shall then have an opportunity of hearing of your adventures more in detail." "thank you very much, sir. we shall be very happy to accept your kind invitation; but i hope we shall not trespass upon your hospitality long, for we are anxious to be off, as soon as possible, so as to rejoin without loss of time. i am particularly so for, although it will be two or three months before there is any movement of the troops, i am afraid of finding someone else appointed to the command of my regiment; and i have been so long with it, now, that i should be sorry indeed to be put to any other work." "that i can quite understand. well, there is no regular communication from here, but there is not a week passes without some craft or other sailing from here to weymouth." "we would rather, if possible, be put on board some ship on her way to portugal," terence said. "if we landed in england, we should have to report ourselves, and might be sent to a depot, and be months before we got out there again. i spoke to the captain of the cerf about it, this morning; and he was good enough to promise that, as soon as he had repaired damages, he would run out into the bay, and put us on board the first ship he overhauled bound for the peninsula." "that would be an excellent plan, from your point of view," the governor said. "teniers is one of the best sailors on the island, and has several times carried despatches for me to weymouth. you could not be in better hands." four days later the schooner was ready to sail again. "this will be my last voyage in her," the captain said. "i have had an offer for her, and shall sell her as soon as i come back again, as i shall take the command of the annette. i ought to do well in her, for her rig and build are so evidently french that i shall be able to creep up close to any french vessel making along the coast, or returning from abroad, without being suspected of being an enemy. of course, i shall have to carry a much stronger crew than at present; and i hope to clip the wings of some of these french privateers, before long." they had, on the day of their landing, ordered new uniforms, and had purchased a stock of underclothing. they were fortunate in being able to pick up swords and belts, and all were now ready for them and, on the fifth day after landing, they said goodbye to the governor, and sailed on board the cerf. when twenty-four hours out the vessel lay to, being now on the track of ships bound south. on the following day they overhauled six vessels and, as the last of these was bound with military stores for lisbon, terence and ryan were transferred to her. with a hearty adieu to the skipper, they took their places in the boat and were rowed to the vessel; being greeted, on their departure, by a loud and hearty cheer from the crew of the privateer. there were no passengers on board the store ship, and they had an uneventful voyage, until she dropped anchor in the tagus. after paying the captain the small sum he charged for their passage, they landed. they first went to a hotel and put up. on sallying out, ryan had no difficulty in learning that the mayo fusiliers were at portalegre. terence took his way to headquarters. the first person he met, on entering, was his old acquaintance captain nelson, now wearing the equipments of a major. the latter looked at him inquiringly, and then exclaimed: "why, it is o'connor! why, i thought you were a prisoner! i am delighted to see you. where have you sprung from?" "i escaped from bayonne and, after sundry adventures, landed an hour ago. in the first place, what has been done with my regiment?" "it is with hill's division, which is at abrantes and portalegre." "who is in command?" "your friend herrara. no british officer has been appointed in your place. there was some talk of handing it over to trant in the spring but, as nothing can be done before that, no one has yet been nominated." "i am glad, indeed, to hear it. i have been fidgeting about it, ever since i went away." "well, i will take you in to the adjutant general, at once. i heard him speak, more than once, of the services you rendered by sending news that soult and ney were both in the valley, and so enabling lord wellington to get safely across the tagus. he said it was an invaluable service. of course herrara reported your capture, and that you had sacrificed yourself, and one of the companies, to secure the safety of the rest. now, come in." [illustration: 'this is colonel o'connor, sir.'] "this is colonel o'connor, sir," major nelson said, as he entered the adjutant general's room. "i could not resist the pleasure of bringing him in to you. he has just escaped from bayonne, and landed an hour ago." "i am glad to see you, indeed," the adjutant general said, rising and shaking terence warmly by the hand. "the last time we met was on the day when victor attacked us, in the afternoon, after sending the spaniards flying. you rendered us good service that evening, and still greater by acquainting the commander-in-chief of the large force that had gathered in his rear--a force at least three times as strong as we had reckoned on. a day later, and we should have been overwhelmed. as it was, we had just time to cross the tagus before they were ready to fall upon us. "i am sure lord wellington will be gratified, indeed, to hear that you are back again. i suppose you will like to return to your command of the minho regiment?" "i should prefer that to anything else," terence said, "though, of course, i am ready to undertake any other duty that you might intrust to me." "no, i think it would be for the good of the service that you should remain as you are. the difficulty of obtaining anything like accurate information, of the strength and position of the enemy, is one of the greatest we have to contend with; and indeed, were it not for trant's command and yours, we should be almost in the dark. "please sit down for a minute. i will inform lord wellington of your return." chapter : rejoining. the adjutant general returned in two or three minutes. "will you please come this way, colonel o'connor," he said, as he re-entered the room; "the commander-in-chief wishes to speak to you." "i am glad to see you back, colonel o'connor," lord wellington said cordially, but in his usual quick, short manner; "the last time i saw you was at salamende. you did well at talavera; and better still afterwards, when the information i received from you was the only trustworthy news obtained during the campaign, and was simply invaluable. sir john craddock did me no better service than by recognizing your merits, and speaking so strongly to me in your favour that i retained you in command of the corps that you had raised. i shall be glad to know that you are again at their head, when the campaign reopens; for i know that i can rely implicitly upon you for information. of course, your name has been removed from the list of my staff, since you were taken prisoner; but it shall appear in orders tomorrow again. i shall be glad if you will dine with me, this evening." "i wish i had a few more young officers like that," he said to the adjutant general, when terence had bowed and retired. "he is full of energy, and ready to undertake any wild adventure, and yet he is as prudent and thoughtful as most men double his age. i like his face. he has a right to be proud of the position he has won, but there is not the least nonsense about him, and he evidently has no idea that he has done anything out of the ordinary course. at first sight he looks a mere good-tempered lad, but the lower part of his face is marked by such resolution and firmness that it goes far to explain why he has succeeded." there were but four other officers dining with the commander-in-chief that evening. lord wellington asked terence several questions as to the route the convoy of prisoners had followed, the treatment they had received, and the nature of the roads, and whether the spanish guerillas were in force. terence gave a brief account of the attack that had been made on the french convoy, and the share that he and his fellow prisoners had taken in the affair; at which lord wellington's usually impassive face lighted up with a smile. "that was a somewhat irregular proceeding, colonel o'connor." "i am afraid so, sir; but after their treatment by the spaniards when in the hospital at talavera, our men were so furious against them that i believe they would have fought them, even had i endeavoured to hold them back; which, indeed, being a prisoner, i do not know that i should have had any authority to do." "and how did you escape from bayonne?" the general asked. "through the good offices of some of the soldiers who had been our escort, sir. they were on duty as a prison guard and, being grateful for the help that we had given them in the affair with the guerillas, they aided me to escape." "and how did you manage afterwards?" terence related very briefly the adventures that he and his companion had had, before at last reaching jersey. on leaving, the adjutant general requested him to call in the morning before starting to rejoin his regiment, as he expressed his intention of doing. the talk was a long and friendly one, the adjutant general asking many questions as to the constitution of his corps. "there is one thing i should like very much, sir," terence said, after he had finished, "it would be a great assistance to me if i had an english officer, as adjutant." "do you mean one for each battalion, or one for the two?" "i think that one for both battalions would answer the purpose, sir. it would certainly be of great assistance to me, and take a great many details off my hands." "i certainly think that you do need assistance. is there any one you would specially wish to be appointed?" "i should be very glad to have lieutenant ryan, who has been with me on my late journey. we are old friends, as i was in the mayo regiment with him. he speaks portuguese very fairly. of course, it would be useless for me to have an officer who did not do so. i should certainly prefer him to anyone else." "that is easily managed," the officer replied. "i will put him in orders, today, as appointed adjutant to the minho portuguese regiment, with the acting rank of captain. i will send a note to lord beresford, stating the reason for the appointment for, as you and your officers owe your local rank to him, he may feel that he ought to have been specially informed of ryan's appointment; although your corps is in no way under his orders, but acting with the british army." "i am very much obliged to you, indeed, sir. it will be a great comfort to me to have an adjutant, and it will naturally be much more pleasant to have one upon whom i know i can depend absolutely. indeed, i have been rather in an isolated position, so far. the majors of the two battalions naturally associate with their own officers, consequently colonel herrara has been my only intimate friend and, although he is a very good fellow, one longs sometimes for the companionship of a brother englishman." terence had not told dick ryan of his intention to ask for him as his adjutant. when he joined him at the hotel, he saluted him with: "well, captain ryan, have you everything ready for the start?" "i have, general," dick replied with a grin, "or perhaps i ought to say field marshal." "not yet, dicky, not yet; and indeed, possibly i am premature myself, in addressing you as captain." "rather; i should say i have a good many steps to make, before i get my company." "well, dick, i can tell you that, when the orders come out today, you will see your name among them as appointed adjutant to the minho portuguese regiment, with acting rank as captain." "hurrah!" ryan shouted. "you don't say that you have managed it, old fellow? i am delighted. this is glorious. i am awfully obliged to you." "i think, dick, we will make up our minds not to start until this evening. you know we had arranged to hire a vehicle, and that i should get a horse when i joined; but i think now we may as well buy the horses at once, for of course you will be mounted, too. we might pay a little more for them, but we should save the expense of the carriage." "that would be much better," dick said. "let us go and get them, at once. there must be plenty of horses for sale in a place like this and, as we are both flush of money, i should think that a couple of hours would do it." "i hope it will. as i told them at headquarters that i was going to start today, i should not like any of them to run across me here this evening. no doubt the landlord of the hotel can tell us of some man who keeps the sort of animals we want. the saddlery we shall have no difficulty about." two hours later a couple of serviceable horses had been bought; with saddles, bridles, holsters, and valises. in the last named were packed necessaries for the journey, and each provided himself with a brace of double-barrelled pistols. the rest of their effects were packed in the trunks they had bought at jersey, and were handed over to a portuguese firm of carriers, to be sent up to the regiment. at two o'clock they mounted and rode to sobral. the next day they rode to santarem, and on the following evening to abrantes. they here learned that their corps was in camp, with two other portuguese regiments, four miles higher up the river. as it was dark when they arrived at abrantes, they agreed to sleep there and go on the next morning; as terence wished to report himself to general hill, to whose division the regiment was attached, until operations should commence in the spring. they put up at an inn and, having eaten a meal, walked out into the town, which was full of british soldiers. they were not long before they found the cafe that was set apart for the use of officers and, on entering, terence at once joined a party of three, belonging to a regiment with all of whose officers he was acquainted, as they had been encamped next to the mayo fusiliers during the long months preceding the advance up the valley of the tagus. ryan was, of course, equally known to them; and the three officers rose, with an exclamation of surprise, as the newcomers walked up to the table. "why, o'connor! how in the world did you get here? how are you, ryan? i thought that you were both prisoners." "so we were," terence said, "but as you see, we gave them the slip, and here we are." they drew up chairs to the little table. "you may consider yourself lucky in your regiment being on the river, o'connor. you will be much better off than ryan will be, at portalegre." "i am seconded," ryan said, "and have been appointed o'connor's adjutant, with the temporary rank of captain." "i congratulate you. the chances are you will have a much better time of it than if you were with your own regiment. i don't mean now, but when the campaign begins in the spring. o'connor always seems to be in the thick of it, while our division may remain here, while the fighting is going on somewhere else. besides, he always manages to dine a good deal better than we do. his fellows, being portuguese, are able to get supplies, when the peasants are all ready to take their oath that they have not so much as a loaf of bread or a fowl in their village. "how will you manage to get on with them, ryan, without speaking their language? oh! i remember, you were grinding up portuguese all the spring, so i suppose you can get on pretty well, now." "yes; o'connor promised that he would ask for me, as soon as i could speak the language, so i stuck at it hard; and now, you see, i have got my reward." "i can tell you that the troops, here, are a good deal better off than they are elsewhere. there is a fearful want of land carriage, but we get our supplies up by boats. that is why the portuguese regiments are encamped on the river. "well, how did you get away from the french? it is curious that when i saw o'grady last--which was a fortnight ago, when he came in to get a conveyance to take over sundry cases of whisky that had come up the river, for the use of his mess--he said: "'i expect that o'connor and dick ryan will turn up here, before the spring. i am sure they will, if they have got together.'" "it is too long a story to tell, here," ryan said. "it is full of hairbreadth escapes, dangers by sea and land, and ends up with a naval battle." the officers laughed. "well, will you come to our quarters?" one of them said. "we have got some decent wine, and some really good cigars which came up from lisbon last week, and there are lots of our fellows who will be glad to see you." they accordingly adjourned to a large building where the officers of the regiment were quartered and, in the apartment that had been turned into a mess room, they found a dozen officers, all of whom were known both to terence and ryan. after many questions were asked and answered on both sides, ryan was requested to tell the story of their adventures after being taken prisoners. he told it in an exaggerated style that elicited roars of laughter, making the most of what he called the battle of the shirt sleeves with the guerillas; exaggerating the dangers of his escape, and the horrors of their imprisonment, for a week, among the sails and nets. "o'connor," he said, "has hardly got back his sense of smell yet. the stink of tar, mixed with fishy odours, will be vivid in my remembrance for the rest of my life." when he had at last finished, one of them said: "and now, how much of all this is true, ryan?" "every fact is just as i have told it," he replied gravely. "you may think that i have exaggerated, for did an irishman ever tell a story, without exaggeration? but i give you my honour that never did one keep nearer to the truth than i have done. i don't say that the fisherman's wife took quite such a strong fancy to me as i have stated, although she can hardly have been insensible to my personal advantages; but really, otherwise, i don't know that i have diverged far from the narrow path of truth. i tell you, those two days that we were running before that gale was a thing i never wish to go through again." "and you really tied up the maire of granville, ryan?" "we did so," dicky said, "and a miserable object the poor little fat man looked, as he sat in his chair trussed up like a fowl." "and now, about the sea fight, ryan?" "every word was as it happened. o'connor and i turned gunners, and very decent shots we made, too; and a proof of it was that, if we would have taken it, i believe the captain of the schooner would have given us half the booty found in the lugger's hold; but we were modest and self denying, and contented ourselves with a third, each, of the cash found in the captain's cabin; which we could not have refused if we wanted to, the captain made such a point of it. it came to nearly three hundred pounds apiece; and mighty useful it was, for we had, of course, to get new uniforms and rigs out, and horses and saddlery at lisbon. i don't know what i should have done without it, for my family's finances would not have stood my drawing upon them; and another mortgage would have ruined them, entirely." "well, certainly, that is a substantial proof of the truth of that incident in your story; but i think that, rather than have passed forty-eight hours in that storm, i would have stopped at bayonne and taken my chance of exchange." "then i am afraid, forester, that you are deficient in martial ardour," terence said gravely. "our desire to be back fighting the french was so great that no dangers would have appalled us." there was a general laugh. "well, at any rate, you managed uncommonly well, ryan, whether it was martial ardour that animated you or not; and o'grady was not far wrong when he said that you and o'connor would creep out through a mouse's hole, if there was no other way of doing it." "now, what has been doing since we have been away?" terence asked. "well, to begin with, all andalusia has been captured by soult. suchet has occupied valencia. lerida was captured by him, after a scandalously weak resistance; for there were over nine thousand troops there, and the place surrendered after only had fallen. gerona, on the other hand, was only captured by augereau after a resistance as gallant as that of saragossa. "that is the extraordinary thing about these spaniards. sometimes they show themselves cowardly beyond expression, at others they fight like heroes. just at present, even the juntas do not pretend that they have an army capable of driving the french out of the pyrenees; which is a comfort, for we shall have to rely upon ourselves and not be humbugged by the spaniards, the worthlessness of whose promises, lord wellington has ascertained, by bitter experience. the portuguese government is as troublesome and as truthless as that of spain, but wellington is able to hold his own with them; and there is little doubt that the regular regiments will fight, and be really of valuable assistance to us; but these have been raised in spite of the constant opposition of the junta at lisbon. "there is no doubt that the next campaign will be a hot one for, now that spain has been as completely subdued as such vainglorious, excitable people can be subdued, the french marshals are free to join against us; and it is hard to see how, with but , men, we are going to defend portugal against ten times that number of french. still, i suppose we shall do it, somehow. the french have a large army on the other side of the aqueda, and there is no doubt they will besiege ciudad rodrigo, as soon as winter is over. i doubt whether we shall be strong enough to march to its relief, and i fancy that in that direction the coa will be about our limit. at any rate, it is likely to be a stirring campaign. "the absurdity of the thing is, that we have an army in sicily which might as well be at jericho, for any use it is. if it joined us here, it would make all the difference in the world; though certainly till the campaign opens it would have to be quartered at lisbon, for it is as much as the wretched transport can do to feed us. now the truth is, portugal is a miserably poor country at the best of times, and does not produce enough for the wants of the people. of course, it has been terribly impoverished by the war. the fields in most places have been untilled and, in fact, the greater portion of the population, as well as our army, has to be fed from england. "altogether, wellington must have enough worry to drive an ordinary man out of his mind. i never heard of such difficulties as those he has to meet. we come to help a people who won't help themselves, to fight for people who not only won't fight for themselves, but want to dictate how we shall fight. instead of being fed by the country, we have to feed it; and the whole object of the juntas, both in spain and portugal, seems to be to throw every difficulty in our way, and to thwart us at every turn. the first step towards success would be to hang every member, of every junta, in every place we occupy." a general chorus of "hear, hear!" showed how deeply was the feeling excited by the conduct of the portuguese and spanish authorities. after chatting until a late hour, terence and his companion returned to their inn. the next morning, terence reported himself to general hill. "i am glad to see you again, colonel o'connor," the general said. "the last time we met was when the surgeons were dressing my wounds, on the heights near talavera. that was a hot business, for a time." "yes, sir; and i have to thank you, very much, for the very kind report you sent in as to the conduct of my regiment." "they deserved it," the general said. "if they had not come up at the time they did, we should have had hard work to retake that hill. "your regiment has been behaving very well, since they have been here. they, like the other portuguese regiments, have often been on short rations, and their pay is very much in arrear, but there has been no grumbling. i know herrara will be extremely glad to have you back again in command. he has said as much, several times, when he has been in here. he is a good man, but not strong enough for his position; and i can see that he feels that, himself, and is conscious that he is not equal to the responsibility. i intended to recommend that a british officer should be placed in command of the regiment, before the campaign opens in the spring. your two majors do their best, but they have scarcely sufficient weight; for their men know that they were but troopers when the regiment was first raised." "i shall be glad to be back again, sir; and i am pleased to say that i have been given an adjutant--lieutenant ryan, of the mayo fusiliers. he has the acting rank of captain. he is an old friend of mine, and is a good officer. he has just effected an escape from bayonne with me." "yes, that will be of great assistance to you," the general said. "with two battalions to command, you must want a right-hand man very much. i shall be glad if your regiment remains in my division, when the campaign reopens; but i suppose that, as before, you will be sent ahead. at present, it is only attached to my command for convenience of rationing and pay. i have inspected it twice, and it is by far the finest of the portuguese regiments here. but i can see a certain deterioration, and i am sure that they want you back badly. still, it is not your loss only that is telling on them. no soldiers like to go without their pay. lord wellington himself is always kept short of funds. the portuguese ministry declare that they have none. of course that is all a lie but, true or false, it is certain that all the portuguese regiments are greatly in arrears of pay, ill-provided with clothes, and indeed would be starved, were it not that they are fed by our commissariat." after his interview with the general, terence went back to the inn and, five minutes later, started with ryan to join the regiment. the two battalions were engaged in drill when they rode up, but as the men recognized terence there was a sudden movement, then a tremendous cheer and, breaking their ranks, they ran towards him, waving their shakos and shouting loudly; while herrara, bull, and macwitty galloped up to shake him by the hand. "this is not a very military proceeding," terence laughed, "but i cannot help being gratified." he held up his hands for silence. "form the men into a hollow square," he said to the majors. in a very short time the order was carried out, and then terence addressed them. "my men," he said, "i am deeply gratified by your hearty reception, and i can assure you that i am quite as glad to be back in the regiment as the regiment can be to have me with it again. while i was a prisoner, one of the things that troubled me most was that, when i returned, i might find that someone else had been appointed your commander; and i was glad indeed when, upon landing at lisbon, i heard that this had not been the case, and that i could resume my command of a body of men of whom i am proud; and at no time more proud than when you beat off the attacks of a whole brigade of french cavalry, and made good your escape to the mountains. i regret that some of your comrades failed to do this, but the manner in which they did their duty, and sacrificed themselves to cover your retreat, was worthy of all praise, and reflects the highest credit upon the regiment. "i have been fortunate enough to make my escape from a french prison, in company with my friend here, captain ryan; who has, at my request, been appointed by the commander-in-chief to be your adjutant. i am sorry to hear that there have been difficulties in the way of rations, and that your pay is in arrears. however, i know well that you are not serving for the sake of pay, but to defend your country from invasion by the french; and that whether you get your pay day by day, or receive it in a lump sum later on, will make no difference to you; and indeed, in some respects, you will be better off for the delay for, getting it daily, it is spent as soon as obtained; whereas, if it comes in a lump sum, it will be useful to you when you return to your homes, after your work is done. i am confident that, in this regiment at least, which has borne itself so well from the day that it was raised, there will be neither grumbling nor discontent; but that you will suffer any hardship or privation that may come in your way as trifling incidents in the great work that you have undertaken: to defend, at the cost of your lives if need be, your country from the invader. the regiment is dismissed drill for the day." loud cheers at once broke from the men and, falling out, they proceeded to their tents. "well, terence, there is no doubt about the enthusiasm of your fellows," ryan remarked. "as you said, it was hardly military, but it was better. it was real affection, and i am sure the men would follow you anywhere." ryan shook hands with herrara, bull, and macwitty; all of whom he knew well, from his frequent visits to terence in the spring. "i am very glad that you have come to us, captain ryan," bull said. "a regiment don't seem like a regiment without an adjutant, and it will take a lot of work off the colonel's hands. i wish there could have been one for each battalion." "how has the regiment been going on, bull?" "nothing much to grumble about, sir; but i must say that it has been more slack than it was. we have all done our best, but we have missed you terribly; and the men don't seem to take quite as much pains with their drill as they used to do, when you were in command. however, that will be all right now that you have come back again. i have always found that when the battalion was not working well, the men have pulled themselves together at once when i said: "'this won't do, lads. the colonel will be grievously disappointed, when he comes back again, if he finds that you have lost your smartness.' "it was as much as we could do to hold them in hand, when they saw you surrounded by the french. they would have rushed back again, to a man, if we would have let them. i own i felt it hard, myself, to be marching away and leaving you behind." in a few minutes, a couple of tents were erected by the side of that of herrara and, while these were being got ready for occupation, terence and ryan, with the two majors, entered that of herrara; and the latter produced two or three bottles of wine from his private store, and a box of cigars. so for some time they sat chatting, terence giving an outline of the events that had happened since he had been away from the regiment. he and ryan had ordered half a dozen small casks of wine, and two cases of whisky, to be sent up with their trunks by water; and now asked regarding the rations of the men. "they get their bread regularly," herrara said. "they have put up some large bakeries at abrantes and, as the flour is brought up in boats, there is no difficulty that way. they get their meat pretty regularly, and their wine always. there is no ground of complaint, whatever, as to rations here; though, from what i hear, it is very different at the stations where everything has to be taken up by waggons or mules. "the difficulty is with the uniforms. not one has been served out, and it is really difficult to get the men to look smart, when many of them are dressed almost in rags. it is still worse in the matter of boots. a great many of them were badly cut, when we were in the mountains; and especially in the rough march we had over the hills, after you left us. the men themselves would greatly prefer sandals to boots, being more accustomed to them; and could certainly march farther in them than in stiff english boots. but of course, it would be of no use sending in any requisition for them." "i don't see why they should not wear sandals," terence said; "at any rate, until there is an issue of boots. i suppose the men can make them, themselves." "in most cases, no doubt, they could. at any rate, those who could, would make them for the others. of course they will all have to wear them of one colour; but as most of the cattle are black, there would be no difficulty about that. i have no doubt that we could get any number of hides, at a nominal price, from the commissariat. at any rate, i will see about it. i suppose they are made a good deal like indian moccasins. i noticed that many of the spanish troops wore them, but i did not examine them particularly." "they are very easily made," herrara said. "you put your foot on a piece of hide of the right size. it is drawn right up over the foot, and laced. another thickness of hide is sewn at the bottom, to form the sole, and there it is. of course, for work in the hills it might be well to use a double thickness of hide for the sole. the upper part is made of the thinnest portion of the hide and, if grease is rubbed well inside, so as to soften the leather as much as possible, it makes the most comfortable footgear possible." "well, we will try it, anyhow," terence said. "it mayn't look so soldierly but, at any rate, it would look as well as boots with the toes out; and if any general inspects us, and objects to them, we can say that we shall be perfectly ready to give them up, as soon as boots are issued to us. but by using all black hides, i really do not think that it will look bad; and there would certainly be the advantage that, for a night attack, the tread would be much more noiseless than that of a heavy boot. "i really like the idea, very much. the best plan will be to pick out two or three score of men who are shoemakers by trade, and pay them a trifle for the making of each pair. in that way we could get much greater uniformity than were each man to make his own. "as to the clothes, i don't see that anything can be done about it, beyond getting a supply of needles and thread, and seeing that every hole is mended as well as possible. i daresay new uniforms will be served out, before the spring. it does not matter much in camp, and i suppose we are no worse than the other portuguese regiments." the next week was spent in steady drill and, by the end of that time, the exercises were all done as smartly as before. terence had already tried the experiment of sandals. the commissariat at abrantes were glad enough to supply hides, at a nominal price. he began by taking a dozen. these were first handed to a number of men relieved from other duties who, after scraping the under side, rubbed them with fat, and kneaded them until they were perfectly soft and pliable. the shoemakers then took them in hand and, after a few samples of various shapes were tried, one was fixed upon, in which the sandal was bound to the foot by straps of the same material, with a double thickness of sole. terence tried these himself, and found them extremely comfortable for walking; and gave orders that one company should be entirely provided with them. as to appearance, they were vastly superior to the cracked and bulged boots the men were wearing. after a week of sharp drill terence was satisfied, and proposed to ryan that they should now ride over to portalegre, and pay a visit to their friends of the fusiliers and, accordingly, the next day they went over. they were most heartily received. "sure, terence, i knew well enough that you and dicky ryan would be back here, before long. and so you have taken him from us! well, it is a relief to the regiment; and i only hope that now he is an adjutant he will learn manners, and behave with a little more discretion than he has ever shown before. how you could have saddled yourself with such a hare-brained lad is more than i can imagine." "that is all very well, o'grady," ryan laughed, "but it is a question of the pot calling the kettle black; only in this case the pot is a good deal blacker than the kettle. there may be some excuse for a subaltern like me, but none for a war-scarred veteran like yourself." "dick will do very well, o'grady," terence said. "i can tell you he sits in his tent, and does his office work, as steadily as if he had been at it all his life; and if you had seen him drilling a battalion, you would be delighted. it is just jealousy that makes you run him down, o'grady--you were too lazy to learn portuguese, yourself." "is it lazy you say that i am, terence? there is no more active officer in the regiment, and you know it. as for the heathen language, it is not fit for an honest tongue. they ought to have sent over a supply of grammars and dictionaries, and taught the whole nation to speak english. "when did you get back?" "a week ago; but we have been too busy drilling the regiment to come over, before. "how are you getting on here, colonel?" "we are not getting on at all, o'connor. it is worse than stationary we are. they ought to put on double the number of carts they allow us. half the time we are on short rations; except wine which, thank heaven, the commissariat can buy in the country. it is evil times that we have fallen upon, and how we shall do, when the snow begins to fall heavily, is more than i can tell you." "at any rate, colonel, from what i hear you are a good deal better off than the division at guarda, for you are but a day's march from the river." "the carts take two days over it," the colonel said, "and then bring next to nothing; for the poor bastes that draw them are half starved, and it is as much as they can do to crawl along. they might just as well keep the whole division at abrantes, instead of sticking half of them out here, just as if the french were going to attack us now. "there is the luncheon bugle. after we have done, you may tell us how you and ryan got out of the hands of the french, for i suppose you were not exchanged." chapter : almeida. the winter was long and tedious but, whenever the weather permitted, terence set his men at work; taking them twice a week for long marches, so as to keep their powers in that direction unabated. the sandals turned out a great success. the men had no greatcoats, but they supplied the want by cutting a slit in the centre of their black blankets and passing the head through it. this answered all the purposes, and hid the shabby condition of their uniforms. general hill occasionally rode over to inspect this and the other portuguese regiments encamped near them. "that is a very good plan of yours, colonel o'connor," he said, the first time the whole regiment turned out in their sandals. "it is a much more sensible footgear than the boots." "i should not have adopted them, general, if the men had had any boots to put on; but those they had became absolutely unwearable. some of the soles were completely off, the upper leathers were so cut and worn that they were literally of no use and, in many cases. they were falling to pieces. the men like the sandals much better, and certainly march with greater ease. yesterday they did thirty miles, and came in comparatively fresh." "i wish the whole army were shod so," the general said. "it would improve their marching powers, and we should not have so many men laid up, footsore. i should say that the boots supplied to the army are the very worst that soldiers were ever cursed with. they are heavy, they are nearly as hard as iron when the weather is dry, and are as rotten as blotting paper when it is wet. it is quite an accident if a man gets a pair to fit him properly. i believe it would be better if they were trained to march barefooted. their feet would soon get hardened and, at any rate, it would be an improvement on the boots now served out to them. "i wish the other portuguese regiments were as well drilled and as well set up as your fellows. of course, your men don't look smart, at present, and would not make a good show on a parade ground; but i hear that there are a large quantity of uniforms coming out, shortly; and i hope, long before the campaign opens, they will all be served out. the british regiments are almost as badly off as the native ones. however, i suppose matters will right themselves before the spring; but they are almost as badly off, now, as they were when they marched into corunna. the absurdity of the whole thing is that all the newly-raised portuguese levies, who will certainly not be called upon to cross the frontier until next year, have got uniforms; while the men who have to do the work are almost in rags." two or three of the officers of the fusiliers rode over frequently, to stop for a night or so with terence; and the latter found time pass much more pleasantly than he had done before ryan had joined him. during the day both their hands were full; but the evenings were very pleasant, now that he had dick as well as herrara to talk to. the feeling of the responsibility on his shoulders steadied ryan a good deal, and he was turning out a far more useful assistant than terence had expected; but when work was over, his spirits were as high as ever, and the conversation in terence's tent seldom languished. spring came, but there was no movement on the part of the troops. ney, with , men, began the siege of ciudad rodrigo in earnest. the agueda had now become fordable; and crawford, with his light brigade, strong, was exposed to a sudden attack at any time. on the st of june terence received orders to march with his regiment to guarda, where wellington was concentrating the greater portion of his army; leaving hill, with , men, to guard the southern portion of the frontier. both the spanish and portuguese urged the general to relieve ciudad rodrigo; but wellington refused, steadily, to hazard the whole fortune of the campaign on an enterprise which was unlikely to succeed. his total force was but , men, of whom , were untried portuguese. garrisons had to be placed at several points, and portuguese were posted at thomar, a day's march from abrantes, as a reserve for hill. it was not only the , infantry and cavalry of massena, who now commanded in front of ciudad rodrigo, that he had to reckon with. regnier's division was at coria; and could, in three easy marches, reach guarda; or in four fall on hill at abrantes; and with but , men in line, it would have been a desperate enterprise, indeed, to attack , veteran french soldiers merely for the sake of carrying off the undisciplined portuguese besieged at ciudad. the minho regiment had only received their new uniforms a month before the order came, and made a good show as they marched into guarda, where wellington's headquarters were now established. when terence reported himself to the adjutant general, the latter said: "at present, colonel o'connor, you cannot be employed in your former work of scouting. the french are altogether too powerful for a couple of battalions to approach them and, with cavalry, they would make short work of you. crawford must soon fall back behind the coa. his position already is a very hazardous one. it has therefore been decided to place of your men along on this side of the coa and, with half a battalion, you will march at once to almeida to strengthen the garrison of that place which, as soon as crawford retires, is certain to be besieged. it should be able to offer a long and stout resistance. "you will, of course, be under the general orders of the commandant; but you will receive an authorization to take independent action, should you think fit: that is to say, if you find the place can be no longer defended, and the commandant is intending to surrender, you are at liberty to withdraw your command, if you find it possible to do so." on the following morning the corps left guarda and, leaving a battalion and a half on the coa, under herrara; terence, with men, after a long march, entered almeida that night. the town, which was fortified, was occupied only by portuguese troops. it was capable of repulsing a sudden attack, but was in no condition to withstand a regular siege. it was deficient in magazines and bomb proofs; and the powder, of which there was a large supply, was stored in an old castle in the middle of the town. on entering the place, terence at once called upon colonel cox, who was in command. "i am glad that you have come, colonel o'connor," the latter said. "i know that lord wellington expects me to make a long defence, and to keep massena here for at least a month but, although i mean to do my best, i cannot conceal from myself that the defences are terribly defective. then, too, more than half my force are newly-levied militia, in whom very little dependence can be placed. your men will be invaluable, in case of assault; but it is not assault i fear, so much as having the place tumbling about our ears by their artillery, which can be so placed as to command it from several points. we are very short of artillery, and the guns are well nigh as old as the fortifications." "we will do our best, colonel, in any direction you may point out; and i think that we could defend a breach against any reasonable force brought against it. i may say that i have been ordered, if the worst comes to the worst, to endeavour to make my way out of the town before it surrenders." for a fortnight the place was left unmolested. crawford's division still kept beyond the coa, and his cavalry had had several engagements with french reconnoitring parties. on the nd of july, however, the news came that, after a most gallant resistance, ciudad rodrigo had surrendered; and it was now certain that the storm would roll westward, in a very short time. massena, however, delayed strangely; and it was not until daylight on the th that a sudden roll of musketry, followed almost immediately by a heavy artillery fire, told the garrison of almeida that the light division was suddenly attacked by the enemy. crawford had received the strictest orders not to fight beyond the coa; but he was an obstinate man, and had so long maintained his position across the river that he believed that, if attacked, he should be able to withdraw over the bridge before any very strong force could be brought up to attack him. in this he was mistaken. the country was wooded, and the french march was unsuspected until they were close upon crawford's force. the light division had, however, been well trained; indeed, it was composed of veteran regiments, and had been practised to get under arms with the least possible delay. they were, therefore, already drawn up when the french fell upon them and, fighting hard and sternly, repelled all the efforts of the enemy's cavalry to cut them off from the bridge. driving back the french light infantry, the light division crossed in safety, although with considerable loss; and repulsed, with great slaughter, every attempt of the french to cross the bridge. almeida was now left to its fate. again massena delayed, and it was not until the th of august that the siege was begun. on the th sixty-five heavy guns, that had been used in the siege of ciudad rodrigo, opened fire upon the town. the more terence saw of the place, the more convinced was he that it could not long be held, after the french siege guns had been placed in position. moreover, there was great lukewarmness on the part of several of the portuguese officers, while the rank and file were dispirited by the fate of ciudad rodrigo, and by the fact that they had, as it seemed to them, been deserted by the british army. "i don't like the look of things, at all," he had said to bull and ryan, the evening before the siege guns began their work. "in the first place the defences will crumble, in no time, under the french fire. in the second place, i don't think that the portuguese, with the exception of our own men, have any fight in them. da costa, the lieutenant governor, openly declares that the place is indefensible, and that it is simply throwing away the lives of the men to resist. he is very intimate, i observe, with bareiros, the chief of the artillery. altogether, things look very bad. of course, we shall stay here as long as the place resists; but i am afraid that won't be for very long. "i was speaking to colonel cox this afternoon. he is a brave man, and with trustworthy troops would, i am sure, hold the town until the last; but, unsupported as he is, he is in the hands of these rascally portuguese officers. i told him that, if he ordered me to do so, i would undertake with my men to arrest the whole of them; but he said that that would bring on a mutiny of all their troops; and this, bad as the situation already was, would only make matters much worse. i then suggested that, as the french are driving their trenches towards those two old redoubts outside the wall, i would, if he liked, place our force in them; and would undertake to hold them, pointing out that if they fell into the hands of the enemy they would soon mount their cannon there, and bring down the whole wall facing in that direction. "he quite agreed with that view of the case, but said that it would be a very exposed position; still, as our fellows were certainly the only trustworthy troops he had, he should be very glad if i would undertake the defence at once, as the french were pushing their approaches very fast towards them. i said that i was sure we could hold them for some little time; and that, indeed, it seemed to me that the french intended to bombard the town rather than to breach the walls, knowing the composition of the garrison and, perhaps, having intelligence that their courage would be so shaken, by a heavy fire, that the place would surrender in a much shorter time than it would take to breach the walls. accordingly, he has given me leave to march our men up there, at daybreak tomorrow; taking with us ten days' provisions. "i said that if he had trouble with the other portuguese regiments i would, on his hoisting a red flag on the church steeple, march in at once to seize and shoot the leaders of the mutiny, if he wished it. of course, one of my reasons for wanting to take charge of the redoubts was that we should have more chance of withdrawing, from them, than we should of getting out of the town, itself, in the confusion and panic of an approaching surrender." bull and ryan both agreed with terence and, at daybreak the next morning, the half battalion marched out, relieved the portuguese troops holding the two redoubts, and established themselves there. they had brought with them a number of intrenching tools, and were accompanied by an engineer officer. so, as soon as they reached the redoubts, several parties of men were set to work, to begin to sink pits for driving galleries in the direction of the approaches that the french were pushing forward; while others assisted a party of artillerymen to work the guns. some of the best shots in the corps took their places on the rampart, and were directed to maintain a steady fire on the french working parties. the roar of cannon, when the french batteries opened fire on the town, was prodigious; and it was not long before it was evident that there was no present design, on the part of the french, to effect a breach. "i expect they have lots of friends in the town," terence said to dick ryan, as they watched the result of the fire; "and they make sure that the garrison will very soon lose heart. do you see how many shots are striking the old castle? that looks as if the french knew that it was the magazine. they are dropping shell there, too; and that alone is enough to cause a scare in the town, for if one of them dropped into the magazine, the consequences would be terrific. they are not pushing on the trenches against us with anything like the energy with which they have been working for the past week; and it is certainly curious that they should not keep up a heavier fire from their batteries upon us, for it is evident that they cannot make an assault, on this side of the town, at any rate, until they have captured our redoubts." "i wish we were well out of it," ryan exclaimed. "it is quite certain that the place must fall, sooner or later; and though we might beat the french back several times, it must come to the same, in the end. the thing i am most concerned about, at present, is how we are to get away." "i quite agree with you, dick; and you know, we have had several looks at the french lines, from the roof of the church. their batteries are chiefly on this side of the town; but most of their troops are encamped on the other side, so as to be in readiness to meet any attempt of wellington to succour the place; and also to show the garrison that there is no chance, whatever, of their being able to draw off. we agreed that the chances would be much better of getting out on this side than on the other." "yes; but we also agreed, terence, that there would be a good deal more difficulty in getting safely back; for practically the whole of their army would be between us and wellington." "it will be a difficult business, dicky, whichever way we go; and i suppose that, at last, we shall have to be guided by circumstances." in a very short time, fires broke out at several points in the town. the guns on the walls made but a very feeble reply to the french batteries; and one or two bastions, where alone a brisk fire was at first maintained, drew upon themselves such a storm of missiles from the french guns that they were soon silenced. "it is quite evident that the portuguese gunners have not much fight in them," bull said. "i am afraid it is the disaffection among their officers that is paralysing them," terence said. "but i quite admit that it may be good policy to keep the men under cover. they really could do no good against the french batteries; which have all the advantage of position, as well as numbers and weight of metal; and it would certainly be well to reserve the troops till the french drive their trenches close up. if i thought that the silence of the guns on the walls were due to that, i should be well content; but i am afraid it is nothing of the sort. if the french keep up their fire, as at present, for another forty-eight hours, the place will throw open its gates. the inhabitants must be suffering frightfully. of course, if colonel cox had men he could thoroughly rely upon, he would be obliged to harden his heart and disregard the clamour of the townspeople for surrender; but as the garrison is pretty certain to make common cause with them, it seems to me that the place is lost, if the bombardment continues." in a short time, seeing that the working parties in the enemy's trenches made no attempt to push them farther forward, terence withdrew the men from their exposed position on the ramparts--leaving only a few there on the lookout--and told the rest to lie down on the inner slopes, so as to be in shelter from the french fire. bull was in command of the force in the other redoubt, which was a quarter of a mile away. the redoubts were, however, connected by a deep ditch, so that communication could be kept up between them, or reinforcements sent from one to the other, unobserved by the enemy, except by those on one or two elevated spots. all day the roar of the cannon continued. from a dozen points, smoke and flame rose from the city, and towards these the french batteries chiefly directed their fire, in order to hinder the efforts of the garrison to check the progress of the conflagration. just after dark, as ryan and terence were sitting down in an angle of the bastion to eat their supper, there was a tremendous roar; accompanied by so terrible a shock that both were thrown prostrate upon the ground with a force that, for the moment, half stunned them. a broad glare of light illuminated the sky. there was the rumble and roar of falling buildings and walls; and then came dull, crashing sounds as masses of brickwork, hurled high up into the air, fell over the town and the surrounding country. then came a dead silence, which was speedily broken by the sound of loud screams and shouts from the town. "it is just as we feared," terence said as, bruised and bewildered, he struggled to his feet. "the magazine in the castle has exploded." he ordered the bugler to sound the assembly and, as the men gathered, it was found that although many of them had been hurt severely, by the violence with which they had been thrown down, none had been killed either by the shock or the falling fragments. an officer was at once sent to the other redoubt, to inquire how they had fared; and to give orders to bull to keep his men under arms, lest the french should take advantage of the catastrophe, and make a sudden attack. "ryan, do you take the command of the men, here, until i come back. i will go into the town and see colonel cox. i fear that the damage will be so great that the town will be really no longer defensible and, even if it were, the portuguese troops will be so cowed that there will be no more fight left in them." it was but five hundred yards to the wall. terence was unchallenged as he ran up. the gate was open and, on entering, he saw that the disaster greatly exceeded his expectations. the castle had been shattered into fragments, the church levelled to the ground and, of the whole town, only six houses remained standing. five hundred people had been killed. the wildest confusion prevailed. the soldiers were running about without object or purpose, apparently scared out of their senses. women were shrieking and wringing their hands, by the ruins of their houses. men were frantically tugging at beams, and masses of brickwork, to endeavour to rescue their friends buried under the ruins. presently he came upon colonel cox, who had just been joined by captain hewitt, the only british officer with him; who had instantly gone off to see the amount of damage done to the defences, and had brought back news that the walls had been levelled in several places, and the guns thrown into the ditch. da costa, bareiros, and several other portuguese officers were loudly clamouring for instant surrender and, the french shells again beginning to fall into the town, added to the prevailing terror. in vain the commandant endeavoured to still the tumult, and to assure those around him that the defence might yet be continued, for a short time; and better terms be obtained than if they were, at once, to surrender. "can i do anything, colonel?" terence said. "my men are still available." the officer shook his head. "massena will see, in the morning," he said, "that he has but to march in. if these men would fight, we could still, perhaps, defend the breaches for a day or two. but it would only be useless slaughter. however, as they won't fight, i must send a flag of truce out, and endeavour to make terms. at any rate, colonel o'connor, if you can manage to get off with your command, by all means do so. of course, i shall endeavour to obtain terms for the garrison to march out; but i fear that massena will hear of nothing but unconditional surrender." "thank you, colonel. then i shall at once return to my corps, and endeavour to make my way through." on returning to the redoubt, terence sent a message to bull to come to him at once and, when he arrived, told him and ryan the state of things in the town, and the certainty that it would surrender, at once. "the portuguese are so clamorous," he said, "that a flag of truce may be despatched to massena, in half an hour's time. the portuguese are right so far that, if the place must be surrendered, there is no reason for any longer exposing the troops and the townsfolk to the french bombardment. therefore it is imperative that, if we are to make our way out, we must do so before the place surrenders. "we agreed, yesterday, as to the best line to take. the french force here is by no means considerable, their main body being between this and the coa. massena, knowing the composition of the garrison here, did not deem it requisite to send a larger force than was necessary to protect the batteries; and the major portion of these are on the heights behind the city. between the road leading to escalon and that through fort conception there is no french camp, and it is by that line we must make our escape. "we know that there are considerable forces, somewhere near villa puerca; but when we reach the river turones we can follow its banks down, with very little fear. it is probable that they have a force at the bridge near san felices; but i believe the river is fordable in many places, now. at any rate, they are not likely to be keeping a sharp watch anywhere, tonight. they must all know that that tremendous explosion will have rendered the place untenable and, except at the batteries which are still firing, there will be no great vigilance; especially on this side, for it would hardly be supposed that, even if the garrison did attempt to escape, they would take the road to the east, and so cut themselves off from their allies and enter a country wholly french. "of course, with us the case is different. we can march farther and faster than any french infantry. the woods afford abundant places of concealment, and we are perfectly capable of driving off any small bodies of cavalry that we may meet. fortunately we have eight days' provision of biscuit. of course, it was with a view to this that i proposed that we should bring out so large a supply with us. "now, i think we had better start at once." "i quite agree with you, colonel," bull said. "i will return to the other redoubt, and form the men up at once. i shall be ready in a quarter of an hour." "very well, bull. i will move out from here, in a quarter of an hour from the present time, and march across and join you as you come out. we must move round between your redoubt and the town. in that way we shall avoid the enemy's trenches altogether." the men were at once ordered to fall in. fortunately, none were so seriously disabled as to be unfit to take their places in the ranks. the necessity for absolute silence was impressed upon them, and they were told to march very carefully; as a fall over a stone, and the crash of a musket on the rocks, might at once call the attention of a french sentinel. as the troops filed out through the entrance to the redoubt, terence congratulated himself upon their all having sandals, for the sound of their tread was faint, indeed, to what it would have been had they been marching in heavy boots. at the other redoubt they were joined by bull, with his party. there was a momentary halt while six men, picked for their intelligence, went on ahead, under the command of ryan. they were to move twenty paces apart. if they came upon any solitary sentinel, one man was to be sent back instantly to stop the column; while two others crawled forward and surprised and silenced the sentry. should their way be arrested by a strong picket, they were to reconnoitre the ground on either side; and then one was to be sent back, to guide the column so as to avoid the picket. when he calculated that ryan must be nearly a quarter of a mile in advance, terence gave orders for the column to move forward. when a short distance had been traversed, one of the scouts came in, with the news that there was a cordon of sentries across their path. they were some fifty paces apart, and some must be silenced before the march could be continued. ten minutes later, another scout brought in news that four of the french sentries had been surprised and killed, without any alarm being given; and the column resumed its way, the necessity for silence being again impressed upon the men. as they went forward, they received news that two more of the sentries had been killed; and that there was, in consequence, a gap of yards between them. a scout led the way through the opening thus formed. it was an anxious ten minutes, but the passage was effected without any alarm being given; the booming of the guns engaged in bombarding the town helping to cover the sound of their footsteps. it had been settled that ryan and the column were both to march straight for a star, low down on the horizon, so that there was no fear of either taking the wrong direction. in another half hour they were sure that they were well beyond the french lines; whose position, indeed, could be made out by the light of their bivouac fires. for three hours they continued their march, at a rapid pace, without a check. then they halted for half an hour, and then held on their way till daybreak, when they entered a large village. they had left the redoubts at about nine o'clock, and it was now five; so that they had marched at least twenty-five miles, and were within some ten miles of the aqueda. sentries were posted at the edge of the wood, and the troops then lay down to sleep. several times during the day parties of french cavalry were seen moving about; but they were going at a leisurely pace, and there was no appearance of their being engaged in any search. at nightfall the troops got under arms again, and made their way to the aqueda. a peasant, whom they fell in with soon after they started, had undertaken to show them a ford. it was breast deep, but the stream was not strong, and they crossed without difficulty, holding their arms and ammunition well above the water. they learned that there was, indeed, a french brigade at the bridge of san felices. marching north now, they came before daybreak upon the douro. here they again lay up during the day and, that evening, obtained two boats at a village near the mouth of the tormes, and crossed into the portuguese province of tras os nontes. the men joined in a hearty cheer, on finding themselves safe in their own country. after halting for a couple of days, terence marched to castel rodrigo and then, learning that the main body of the regiment was at pinhel, marched there and joined them; his arrival causing great rejoicing among his men, for it had been supposed that he and the half battalion had been captured, at the fall of almeida. the portuguese regular troops at that place had, at the surrender at daybreak after the explosion, all taken service with the french; while the militia regiments had been disbanded by massena, and allowed to return to their homes. from here terence sent off his report to headquarters, and asked for orders. the adjutant general wrote back, congratulating him on having successfully brought off his command, and ordering the corps to take post at linares. he found that another disaster, similar to that at almeida, had taken place--the magazine at albuquerque having been blown up by lightning, causing the loss of four hundred men. the french army were still behind the coa, occupied in restoring the fortifications of almeida and ciudad rodrigo, and it was not until the th of september that massena crossed the coa, and began the invasion of portugal in earnest; his march being directed towards coimbra, by taking which line he hoped to prevent hill, in the south, from effecting a junction with wellington. the latter, however, had made every preparation for retreat and, as soon as he found that massena was in earnest, he sent word to hill to join him on the alva, and fell back in that direction himself. terence received orders to co-operate with , of the portuguese militia, under the command of trant. wilson and miller were to harass massena's right flank and rear. had wellington's orders been carried out, massena would have found the country deserted by its inhabitants and entirely destitute of provisions; but as usual his orders had been thwarted by the portuguese government, who sent secret instructions to the local authorities to take no steps to carry them out; and the result was that massena, as he advanced, found ample stores for provisioning his army. the speed with which wellington fell back baffled his calculations and, by the time he approached viseu, the whole british army was united, near coimbra. his march had been delayed two days, by an attack made by trant and terence upon the advanced guard, as it was making its way through a defile. a hundred prisoners were taken, with some baggage; and a serious blow would have been struck at the french, had not the new portuguese levies been seized with panic and fled in confusion. trant was, consequently, obliged to draw off. the attack, however, had been so resolute and well-directed that massena, not knowing the strength of the force opposing him, halted for two days until the whole army came up; and thus afforded time for the british to concentrate, and make their arrangements. [illustration: plan of the battle of busaco.] the ground chosen by wellington to oppose massena's advance was on the edge of the sierra busaco; which was separated, by a deep and narrow valley, from the series of hills across which the french were marching. there were four roads by which the french could advance. the one from mortagao, which was narrow and little used, passed through royalva. the other three led to the position occupied by the british force between the village of busaco and pena cova. trant's command was posted at royalva. terence with his regiment took post, with a portuguese brigade of cavalry, on the heights above santa marcella, where the road leading south to espinel forked; a branch leading from it across the mondego, in the rear of the british position, to coimbra. here he could be aided, if necessary, by the guns at pena cova, on the opposite side of the river. while the british were taking up their ground between busaco and pena cova, ney and regnier arrived on the crest of the opposite hill. had they attacked at once, as ney wished, they might have succeeded; for the divisions of spenser, leith, and hill had not yet arrived. but massena was ten miles in the rear, and did not come up until next day, with junot's corps; by which time the whole of the british army was ranged along the opposite heights. their force could be plainly made out from the french position, and so formidable were the heights that had to be scaled by an attacking force that ney, impetuous and brave as he was, no longer advocated an attack. massena, however, was bent upon fighting. he had every confidence in the valour of his troops, and was averse to retiring from portugal, baffled, by the long and rugged road he had travelled; therefore dispositions were at once made for the attack. ney and regnier were to storm the british position, while junot's corps was to be held in reserve. at daybreak on the th the french descended the hill; ney's troops, in three columns of attack, moving against a large convent towards the british left centre; while regnier, in two columns, advanced against the centre. regnier's men were the first engaged and, mounting the hill with great gallantry and resolution, pushed the skirmishers of picton's division before them and, in spite of the grape fire of a battery of six guns, almost gained the summit of the hill--the leading battalions establishing themselves among the rocks there, while those behind wheeled to the right. wellington, who was on the spot, swept the flank of this force with grape; and the th and a wing of the th charged down upon them furiously. the french, exhausted by their efforts in climbing the hill, were unable to resist the onslaught; and the english and french, mixed up together, went down the hill; the french still resisting, but unable to check their opponents who, favoured by the steep descent, swept all before them. in the meantime, the battalions that had gained the crest held their own against the rest of the third division and, had they been followed by the troops who had wheeled off towards their right, the british position would have been cut in two. general leith, seeing the critical state of affairs had, as soon as he saw the third division pressed back, despatched a brigade to its assistance. it had to make a considerable detour round a ravine; but it now arrived and, attacking with fury, drove the french grenadiers from the rocks; and pursued them, with a continuous fire of musketry, until they were out of range. the rest of leith's division soon arrived, and general hill moved his division to the position before occupied by leith. thus, so formidable a force was concentrated at the point where regnier made his effort that, having no reserves, he did not venture to renew the attack. on their right the french had met with no better success. in front of the convent, but on lower ground, was a plateau; and on this crawford posted the rd and nd regiments of the line, in a slight dip, which concealed them from observation by the french. a quarter of a mile behind them, on the high ground close to the convent, was a regiment of german infantry. these were in full sight of the enemy. the other regiment of the light division was placed lower down the hill, and supported by the guns of a battery. two of ney's columns advanced up the hill with great speed and gallantry; never pausing for a moment, although their ranks were swept by grape from the artillery, and a heavy musketry fire by the light troops. the latter were forced to fall back before the advance. the guns were withdrawn, and the french were within a few yards of the edge of the plateau, when crawford launched the rd and nd regiments against them. wholly unprepared for such an attack, the french were hurled down the hill. only one of their columns attempted to retrieve the disaster, and advanced against the right of the light division. here, however, they met pack's brigade; while crawford's artillery swept the wood through which they were ascending. finally, they were forced to retire down the hill, and the action came to an end. never did the french fight more bravely; but the position, held by determined troops, was practically impregnable. the french loss in killed and wounded was , that of the allies only ; the difference being caused by the fact that the french ranks, throughout the action, were swept with grape by the british batteries; while the french artillery could do nothing to aid their infantry. chapter : the french advance. as there were no signs of any french force approaching the position held by the portuguese, terence moved his regiment a short distance forward, to a point which enabled them to obtain a view right down the valley in which the conflict was taking place. he then allowed them to fall out of their ranks; knowing that in less than a minute from the call being sounded they would be under arms again, and in readiness to move in any direction required. then, with herrara and his three english officers, he moved a short distance away and watched the scene. as soon as regnier's columns had crossed the bottom of the ravine, their guns along the crest opened fire on the british position facing them. "they are too far off for grape," terence said. "you remember, ryan, at corunna, how those french batteries pounded us from the crest, and how little real damage they did us. a round shot does not do much more harm than a bullet, unless it strikes a column in motion, or troops massed in solid formation. "those fellows are mounting the hill very fast." "they are, indeed," ryan agreed. "you can see how the line of smoke of our skirmishers on the hillside gets higher and higher." "i wish our regiment was there, colonel," bull said. "we might do some good; while here we are of no more use than if we were a hundred miles away." "no, no, bull, that is not the case. if the french had not seen that this position was strongly held, they might have moved a division by this road and, if they had done so, they would have turned the main position altogether, and forced wellington to fall back, at once. so you see, we are doing good here; though i do not say that i should not like to be over there." "the french will soon be at the top of the hill," herrara exclaimed. "see how they are pushing upwards." "they certainly are gaining ground fast," macwitty said. "they are within a hundred yards of the top. our men don't seem to be able to make any stand against them at all. "colonel, the lower column is turning off more towards their left." "they had better have kept together, macwitty. it is evident that picton's division is hard pressed, as it is and, if those two columns had united and thrown themselves upon him, they would have broken right through our line. as it is, the second party will have leith's division to deal with. do you see one of his brigades marching swiftly to meet them, and some guns sweeping the french flank? i wish we were nearer." the scene had become too exciting for further conversation, and they watched almost breathlessly. the line of smoke on the top of the crest showed that the head of the column had made good its footing there; while the quick puffs of smoke, and the rattle of musketry, denoted that the other column was also within a short distance of the summit. but leith's regiments were approaching the spot at the double. presently there was the crash of a tremendous volley, and then the leading regiment disappeared over the brow of the hill, and into brushwood. the roar of musketry was heavy and continuous, and then ryan gave a joyous shout, as it could be seen that the two long smoke wreaths were becoming mixed together, and that the movement was downwards and, ere long, the dark masses of troops could be seen descending the hill even more rapidly than they had climbed it. leith's second brigade was now approaching the scene of the struggle, and was near at hand; hill's division was seen in motion towards the same spot. "that is all right now," terence said; "but there is another big fight going on, further up the valley." it was too far off to make out the movements of the troops but, even at that distance, the smoke rolling up from the hillside gave some idea of the course of the fight. here, too, after mounting more than halfway up the slope, it could be seen that the tide of war was rolling down again; though more slowly, and with harder fighting than it had done in the struggle nearer to them. and when at last the firing gradually ceased, they knew that the french had been repulsed, all along the line. "the men had better open their haversacks and eat a meal," terence said. "we may get an order to move, at any moment." no orders came, however, and the troops remained in the positions that they occupied until the following morning. then a heavy skirmishing fire broke out and, for some time, it seemed as if the battle was to be renewed. no heavy masses of the french, however, came down from the hill on their side to support the light troops in the valley and, in the afternoon, the firing died away. towards evening a staff officer rode up, at full speed, and handed a note to terence. "the french have turned our left by the royalva pass. trant has failed to check them, and the whole army must fall back. these are your instructions." the mishap had not been trant's fault. he had been sent by the portuguese general on a tremendous detour and, when he arrived at the position assigned to him, his troops were utterly exhausted by their long and fatiguing march. a large proportion had deserted or fallen out and, with but wearied and dispirited men, he could offer but little resistance to the french advance and, being attacked by their cavalry, had been driven away with loss. terence opened the note. "you will march at once. keep along on this side of the mondego, breaking up your command into small parties, who will visit every village within reach. all of their inhabitants who have not obeyed the proclamations, and retired, are to leave at once. destroy all provisions that you can find. set fire to the mills and, where this is not practicable, smash the machinery and, bearing south as you go, spread out over the country between the zezere and the sea, and continue to carry on the duty assigned to you, compelling the peasants to drive their animals before them, along the roads to lisbon." "i understand, sir," terence said, after reading the note, "and will carry out the orders to the best of my ability." five minutes later the regiment was under arms. terence called the whole of the officers together, and explained the instructions that he had received. the two battalions were broken up into half companies which, as they marched along the mondego, were to be left behind, one by one; each party, when left, turning south, and proceeding to carry out the orders received. in a few cases, only, were companies to keep intact as, although a hundred men would be ample for the duty at the large villages, two hundred would not be too much in a town like leiria. on reaching foz d'aronce, half a battalion moved to the east, to work down by the river zezere. the rest turned to the right, to follow the course of the mondego down to the sea. for convenience, and in order to keep the troops in hand, bull, macwitty, ryan, and herrara each took the command of half a battalion; with orders to supervise the work of the companies belonging to it, and to keep in touch with the nearest company of the next battalion, so that the two thousand men could advance, to a certain extent, abreast of each other. foz d'aronce had already been evacuated by its inhabitants, but in all other villages the orders were carried out. by daybreak the last company in the two battalions reached the sea coast and, after two hours' rest, began its march south. the others had long been at work. it was a painful duty. the frightened villagers had to be roused in the darkness, and told that the french were approaching, and that they must fly at once, taking their animals and what they could carry off in carts away with them. while the terrified people were harnessing horses to their carts, piling their few valuables into them, and packing their children on the top, the troops went from house to house, searching for and destroying provisions, setting fire to barns stored with corn, and burning or disabling any flour mills they met with. then, as soon as work was done, they forced the villagers to take the southern road. there was no difficulty in doing this for, although they had stolidly opposed all the measures ordered by wellington, trusting that the french would not come; now that they had heard they were near, a wild panic seized them. had an orderly retreat been made before, almost all their belongings might have been saved. now but little could be taken, even by the most fortunate. the children, the sick, the aged had to be carried in carts and, in their haste and terror, they left behind many things that might well have been saved. the peasantry in the villages suffered less than the townspeople, as their horses and carts afforded means of transport: but even here the scenes were most painful. in the towns, however, they were vastly more so. the means for carriage for such a large number of people being wanting, the greater number of the inhabitants were forced to make their way on foot, along roads so crowded with vehicles of every kind that the british divisions were frequently brought to a standstill, for hours, where the nature of the country prevented their quitting the road and making their way across the fields. on the th, the greater portion of the british troops passed the mondego. hill retired upon thomar, and the rest of the troops were concentrated at milheada. the commissariat stores followed the coast road down to peniche, and were embarked there. the light division and the cavalry remained, after the main body had been drawn across the mondego, north of that river. soon after starting on his work, terence learned that the british troops had passed through pombal, leiria, and thomar. it was consequently unnecessary for him to endeavour to clear those towns. the delays caused at every village rendered the work slow, as well as arduous. the french drove the light division through coimbra and, following, pressed so hotly that a number of minor combats took place between their cavalry and the british rear guards. before leiria the rear guards had to fight strongly, to enable the guns to quit the town before the french entered it. terence presently received orders to collect his regiment again and, crossing the zezere, to endeavour to join trant and the other leaders of irregular bands, and to harass massena's rear. he had already, knowing that great bodies of french cavalry had crossed the mondego, called in the companies that were working leiria and the coast; as they might otherwise have been cut up, in detail, by the french cavalry. with these he marched east, picking up the other companies as he went and, on the same evening, the regiment was collected on the zezere. having followed the river up, he reached foz d'aronce and then, finding that several bodies of french troops had already passed through that village, he turned to the left and camped close to the mondego; sending ten of his men over the river, in peasants' clothes, to ascertain the movements of the enemy. one of them returned with news that he had come upon a party of trant's men, who told him that their main body were but two miles away, and that there were no french north of coimbra. the regiment had made a march of upwards of forty miles that day. therefore, leaving them to rest, terence forded the mondego and rode, with ryan, to trant's village. "i am glad, indeed, to see you, o'connor," the partisan leader said, as terence entered the cottage where he had established himself. "is your regiment with you?" "yes, it is three miles away, on the other side of the river. we have marched something like eighty miles, in two days. we have been busy burning mills and destroying provisions, but the french cavalry are all over the country, so i was ordered to join you, and aid you to harass the french line of communication, and to do them what damage we could." "there is not much to be done in the way of cutting their communications; at least, there is nothing to be done to the north and east of this place, for massena brought all his baggage and everything else with him; and cut himself loose, altogether, from his base at ciudad. if the people had but carried out wellington's orders, massena would have suffered a fearful disaster. we have learned, from stragglers we have taken, that the fourteen days' provisions with which they marched were altogether exhausted; and that they had been unable to obtain any here. they would have had to retreat, instantly; but i hear that, in coimbra alone, there is enough food for their whole army, for at least two months." "but could we not have destroyed it, as we retreated?" "of course, we ought to have done so," trant said; "but from what i hear, the affair was very badly managed. instead of the first division that went through burning all the magazines and stores, it was left to crawford to do so; and he, as usual, stopped so long facing the enemy that, at last, he was regularly chased through coimbra and, the roads being blocked with carts, his brigade would have been destroyed had the french infantry pushed strongly after him. "things are just as bad, in the way of provisions, on the other side of the river. we have done a great deal in the way of destroying mills and magazines. i am afraid massena will find enough provisions to last his army all the winter." "that is bad." "had it only been coimbra, no very great harm would have been done; for the french troops got altogether out of hand when they entered, plundered the place and, as i hear, destroyed enough provisions to have lasted them a month." "of course, they hold the town?" "oh yes! it is full of their sick and wounded." "what force have you?" terence asked. "i have men of my own. miller and wilson, with some of the northern militias, will be here shortly; and i expect, in a few days, we shall have eight thousand men." "the great thing would be to act before the french know that there is so strong a force in the neighbourhood," terence said, "because as soon as they hear that, they are sure to send a strong force back to coimbra." "how do you mean, to act?" trant asked in some surprise. "i propose that we should capture coimbra, at once. i have men and you have . i don't suppose they have left above a couple of thousand in the town, perhaps even less and, if we take them by surprise, i should think we ought to be able to manage that number, without difficulty. i certainly consider my own men to be a match for an equal number of french." "it is a grand idea," trant said, "and i don't see why we should not carry it out. as you say, the sooner the better. they may know that i am here, but they will never dream of my making such attempt with a force which, i must own, is not always to be relied upon. they are always shifting and changing. after a long march, half of them will desert; then in a few days the ranks swell again. consequently, the men have little discipline and no confidence in each other, and are little better than raw levies; but for rough street fighting i have no doubt they would be all right, especially when backed by good troops like yours. "how would you proceed? as yours is the real fighting body, you should have the command." "not at all," terence said warmly. "you are my senior officer, not only in rank but in age and experience. my orders were to assist you as far as i could and, while we are together, i am ready to carry out your orders in any way." "will your men be able to attack in the morning?" "certainly. they will have a good night's rest, and will be quite ready for work, say, at four o'clock in the morning. it is not more than two hours' march to coimbra, so that we shall be there by daybreak. have they any troops between us and the town?" "they have a post at a village, a mile this side, o'connor. do you know how far their army is, on the other side of the river?" "i know that they had a division close to leiria, the day before yesterday; but whether they have any large body just across the mondego, i cannot say." "then we will first surprise their post. i will undertake that. will you march your force down the river, close to the town? i have a hundred cavalry and, as soon as i have captured the post, i will send them on at a gallop; with orders to ride straight through to the bridge, and prevent any mounted messengers passing across it. as soon as you hear them come along the road, do you at once enter the town. i will bring my men on at the double, and we shall not be many minutes after you. "it would be as well for you to enter it by several streets, as that will cause greater confusion than if you were in a solid body. the principal point is the great convent of santa clara, which has been converted into a hospital. no doubt a portion of the garrison are there; the rest will be scattered about in the public buildings, and can be overpowered in detail. "i think we are certain of success. i hope you will stop for a time and take supper with me and, in the meantime, i will send down orders for my men to be under arms, here, at half-past three." [illustration: 'good news. we are going to take coimbra.'] terence and ryan remained for an hour, and then rode back to the regiment. the men were all sound asleep, but herrara and the two majors were sitting round a campfire. "what news, colonel?" the former asked, as terence rode up. "good news. we are going to take coimbra, tomorrow morning. all massena's sick and wounded, and his heavy baggage are there. they have no suspicion that any force is yet assembled in the neighbourhood and, i expect, we shall have easy work of it. they have a post a mile out of the town. trant will surprise and capture that, at five in the morning. just before daybreak we shall enter the town. we must march from here at half-past three." "that is something like news, colonel," macwitty exclaimed. "it will cut the french off from this line of retreat, altogether, and they must either fall back by the line of the tagus, or through badajoz and merida." terence laughed. "you are counting your chickens before they are hatched, macwitty. at the present moment, it seems more likely that wellington will have to embark his troops than that massena will have to retreat. he must have nearly a hundred thousand men, counting those who fought with him at busaco and the two divisions that marched down through foz d'aronce; while wellington, all told, cannot have above , . certainly some of the peasants told me they had heard that a great many men were employed in fortifying the heights of torres vedras, and wellington may be able to make a stand there; but as we have never heard anything about them before, i am afraid that they cannot be anything very formidable. "however, just at present we have nothing to do with that. if we can take coimbra it will certainly hamper massena and, if the worst comes to the worst, we can fall back across the douro. "don't let the bugles sound in the morning. it is not likely, but it is possible that the french may send out cavalry patrols at night. if a bugle were heard they might ride back and report that a force was in the neighbourhood, and we should find the garrison prepared for us. now we had better do no more talking. it is past eleven, and we have but four and a half hours to sleep." at half-past three the troops were roused. they were surprised at the early call, for they had expected two or three days' rest, after the heavy work of the last eight days; but the company officers soon learned the news from their majors and, as it quickly spread through the ranks, the men were at once alert and ready. fording the river, they marched at a rapid pace by the road to coimbra and, soon after five o'clock, arrived within a few hundred yards of the town. then they were halted and broken up into four columns, which were to enter the town at different points. the signal for moving was to be the sound of a body of cavalry, galloping along the road. terence listened attentively for the rattle of musketry in the distance, but all was quiet; and he had little doubt that the french had been surprised, and captured, without a shot being fired. soon after half-past five he heard a dull sound which, before long, grew louder and, in five minutes, a body of horsemen swept past at a gallop. the troops at once got into motion, and entered the town. there was no longer any motive for concealment. the bugles sounded and, with loud shouts, the portuguese ran forward. french officers ran out of private houses, and were at once seized and captured. several bodies of troops were taken, in public buildings, before they were fairly awake. some of the inhabitants--of whom many, unable to make their escape, had remained behind; or who had returned from the villages to which they had at first fled--came out and acted as guides to the various buildings where the french troops were quartered and, in little over a quarter of an hour, the whole town, with the exception of the convent of santa clara, was in their hands. by this time trant had come up, with his command. the troops rapidly formed up again and, issuing from several streets, advanced against the convent. the astonished enemy fired a few shots; then, on being formally summoned to surrender, laid down their arms. thus, on the third day after massena quitted the mondego his hospitals, depots, and nearly prisoners, wounded and unwounded, among them a company of the imperial guard, fell into the hands of the portuguese. the next day miller and wilson came up; and their men, crossing the bridge and spreading over the country, gathered in more prisoners; while trant marched, with those he had captured, to oporto. [illustration: plan of the lines of torres vedras.] on the th of october the whole of wellington's army was safely posted on the tremendously strong position that he had, unknown to the army, carefully prepared and fortified for the protection of lisbon. it consisted of three lines of batteries and intrenchments. the second was the most formidable; but the first was so strong, also, that wellington determined to defend this, instead of falling back to the stronger line. at the foot of the line of mountains on which the army was posted, stretching from the tagus to the sea, ran two streams; the zandre, a deep river, which extended nearly halfway along the twenty-nine miles of lines, covered the left of the position; while a stream running into the tagus protected the right. the centre, therefore, was almost the only part at which the line could be attacked with any chance of success; and this was defended by such tremendous fortifications as to be almost impregnable. massena, who had only heard vague rumours of the existence of these fortifications, four days before, was astounded at the unexpected obstacle which barred his way. the british troops, as soon as they arrived, were set to work to strengthen the intrenchments. trees were felled, and every accessible point was covered by formidable abattis. the faces of the rocks were scarped, so that an enemy who won his way partly up the hill would find his farther progress arrested by a perpendicular wall of rock. soon the eminences on the crest bristled with guns; and massena, after carefully reconnoitring the whole position, came to the conclusion that it could not be attacked; and disposed his troops in permanent positions, facing the british centre and right, from sobral to villafranca on the tagus; and sent his cavalry out over the country, to bring in provisions. to lessen the district available for this operation, wellington sent orders for the northern militia to advance and, crossing the mondego, to drive in the foraging parties. trant, wilson and the other partisan corps were also employed in the work. a strong force took up its position between castello branco and abrantes, while the militia and partisans occupied the whole country north of leiria; and the french were thus completely surrounded. nevertheless, the store of provisions left behind in the towns and villages was so large that the french cavalry were able to bring in sufficient supplies for the army. during the week that followed, the minho regiment was engaged in watching the defiles by which massena might communicate with ciudad rodrigo, or through which reinforcements might reach him. wilson and trant were both engaged on similar service, the one farther to the north; while the other, who was on the south bank of the tagus with a number of portuguese militia and irregulars, endeavoured to prevent the french from crossing the river and carrying off the flocks, herds, and corn which, in spite of wellington's entreaties and orders, the portuguese government had permitted to remain, as if in handiness for the french foraging parties. owing to the exhausted state of both the british and portuguese treasuries, it was impossible to supply the corps acting in rear of the french with money for the purchase of food. but terence had received authority to take what provisions were absolutely necessary for the troops, and to give orders that would, at some time or other, be honoured by the military chest. a comparatively small proportion of his men were needed to guard the defiles, against such bodies of troops as would be likely to traverse them, in order to keep up massena's communications. leaving, therefore, a hundred men in each of the principal defiles; and ordering them to entrench themselves in places where they commanded the road, and could only be attacked with the greatest difficulty; while the road was barred by trees felled across it, so as to form an impassable abattis, behind which twenty men were stationed; terence marched, with men, towards the frontier. five hundred of these were placed along the coa, guarding the roads and, with the remainder, he forded the river and placed himself in the woods, in the plain between almeida and ciudad rodrigo. here he captured several convoys of waggons, proceeding with provisions for the garrison of the former place. a portion of these he despatched, under guard, for the use of the troops on the coa, and for those in the passes; thus rendering it unnecessary to harass the people, who had returned to their villages after massena had advanced against lisbon. growing bolder with success, he crossed the aqueda and, marching round to the rear of ciudad rodrigo, cut off and destroyed convoys intended for that town, causing great alarm to the garrison. these were absolutely ignorant of the operations of massena, for so active were the partisans, in the french rear, that no single messenger succeeded in getting through and, even when accompanied by strong escorts, the opposition encountered was so determined that the french were obliged to fall back, without having accomplished their purpose. thus, then, the garrison at ciudad rodrigo were ignorant both of massena's whereabouts, and of the nature of the force that had thrown itself in his rear. several times, strong parties of troops were sent out. when these were composed of cavalry only, they were boldly met and driven in. when it was a mixed force of cavalry, infantry, and artillery, they searched in vain for the foe. so seriously alarmed and annoyed was the governor that troops were withdrawn, from salamanca, to strengthen the garrison. in december massena, having exhausted the country round, fell back to a very strong position at santarem; and terence withdrew his whole force, save those guarding the defiles, to the neighbourhood of abrantes; so that he could either assist the force stationed there, should massena retire up the tagus; and prevent his messengers passing through the country between the river and the range of mountains, south of the alva, by castello branco or velha; posting strong parties to guard the fords of the zezere. so thoroughly was the service of watching the frontier line carried out, that it was not until general foy, himself, was sent off by massena, that napoleon was informed of the state of things. he was accompanied by a strong cavalry force and french infantry across the zezere, and ravaged the country for a considerable distance. before such strength, terence was obliged to fall back. foy was accompanied by his cavalry, until he had passed through castello branco; and was then able to ride, without further opposition, to ciudad rodrigo. beresford was guarding the line of the tagus, between the mouth of the zezere and the point occupied on the opposite bank by wellington, sending a portion of his force up the zezere; and these harassed the french marauding parties, extending their devastations along the line of the mondego. although the minho regiment had suffered some loss, during these operations, their ranks were kept up to the full strength without difficulty. great numbers of the portuguese army deserted during the winter, owing to the hardships they endured, from want of food and the irregularity of their pay. many of these made for the minho regiment, which they had learned was well fed, and received their pay with some degree of regularity, the latter circumstance being due to the fact that terence had the good luck to capture, with one of the convoys behind ciudad rodrigo, a considerable sum of money intended for the pay of the garrison. from this he had, without hesitation, paid his men the arrears due to them; and had still , dollars, with which he was able to continue to feed and pay them, after moving to the line of the zezere. he only enrolled sufficient recruits to fill the gaps made by war and disease; refusing to raise the number above , as this was as many as could be readily handled; for he had found that the larger number had but increased the difficulties of rationing and paying them. chapter : fuentes d'onoro. in the early spring soult, who was besieging cadiz, received orders from napoleon to cooperate with massena and, although ignorant of the latter's plans, and even of his position, prepared to do so at once. he crushed the spanish force on the gebora; captured badajoz, owing to the treachery and cowardice of its commander; and was moving north, when the news reached him that massena was falling back. the latter's position had, indeed, become untenable. his army was wasted by sickness; and famine threatened it, for the supplies obtainable from the country round had now been exhausted. wellington was, as he knew from his agents in the portuguese government, receiving reinforcements; and would shortly be in a position to assume the offensive. the discipline in the french army under massena had been greatly injured by its long inactivity. the only news he received as to soult's movements was that he was near badajoz; therefore, the first week in march he began his retreat, by sending off , sick and all his stores to thomar. then he began to fall back. thick weather favoured him, and ney assembled a large force near leiria, as if to advance against the british position. two other corps left santarem, on the night of the fifth, and retired to thomar. the rest of the army moved by other routes. for four days wellington, although discovering that a retreat was in progress, was unable to ascertain by which line massena was really retiring. as soon as this point was cleared up, he ordered beresford to concentrate near abrantes; while he himself followed the line the main body of the french army seemed to be taking. it was soon found that they were concentrating at pombal, with the apparent intention of crossing the mondego at coimbra; whereby they would have obtained a fresh and formidable position behind the mondego, with the rich and untouched country between that river and the douro, upon which they could have subsisted for a long time. therefore, calling back the troops that were already on the march to relieve badajos, which had not yet surrendered, he advanced with all speed upon pombal, his object being to force the french to take the line of retreat through miranda for the frontier, and so to prevent him from crossing the mondego. ney commanded the rear guard, and carried out the operation with the same mixture of vigour, valour, and prudence with which he, afterwards, performed the same duty to the french army on its retreat from moscow. he fought at pombal and at redinha, and that so strenuously that, had it not been for trant, wilson, and other partisans who defended all the fords and bridges, massena would have been able to have crossed the mondego. wellington however turned, one by one, the positions occupied by ney; and massena, believing that the force at coimbra was far stronger than it really was, changed his plans and took up a position at cazal nova. here he left ney and marched for miranda but, although ney covered the movement with admirable skill, disputing every ridge and post of vantage, the british pressed forward so hotly that massena was obliged to destroy all his baggage and ammunition. ney rashly remained on the east side of the river cerra, in front of the village of foz d'aronce and, being attacked suddenly, was driven across the river with a loss of men; many being drowned by missing the fords, and others crushed to death in the passage. however, ney held the line of the river, blew up the bridge, and his division withdrew in good order. massena tarnished the reputation, gained by the manner in which he had drawn off his army from its dangerous position, by the ruthless spirit with which the operation was conducted; covering his retreat by burning every village through which he passed, and even ordering the town of leiria to be destroyed, although altogether out of the line he was following. after this fight the british pursuit slackened somewhat, for wellington received the news of the surrender of badajoz and, seeing that portugal was thus open to invasion by soult, on the south, despatched cole's division to join that of beresford; although this left him inferior in force to the army he was pursuing. the advance was retarded by the necessity of making bridges across the cerra, which was now in flood, and the delay enabled massena to fall back unmolested to guarda; where he intended to halt, and then to move to coria, whence he could have marched to the tagus, effected a junction with soult, and be in a position to advance again upon lisbon, with a larger force than ever. he had, however, throughout been thwarted by the factious disobedience of his lieutenants ney, regnier, brouet, montbrun, and junot; and this feeling now broke into open disobedience and, while ney absolutely defied his authority, the others were so disobedient that fierce and angry personal altercations took place. massena removed ney from his command. his own movements were, however, altogether disarranged by two british divisions, marching over the mountains by paths deemed altogether impassable for troops; which compelled him to abandon his intention of marching south, and to retire to sabuga on the coa. here he was attacked. regnier's corps, which covered the position, was beaten with heavy loss but, owing to the combinations--which would have cut massena off from ciudad rodrigo--failing, from some of the columns going altogether astray in a thick fog, massena gained that town with his army. he had lost in battle, from disease, or taken prisoners, , men since the day when, confident that he was going to drive wellington to take refuge on board his ships, he had advanced from that town. even now he did not feel safe, though rejoined by a large number of convalescents; and, drawing rations for his troops from the stores of the citadel, he retired with the army to salamanca. having reorganized his force, procured fresh horses for his guns, and rested the troops for a few days; massena advanced to cover ciudad rodrigo, and to raise the siege of almeida--which wellington had begun without loss of time--and, with upwards of , men, massena attacked the british at fuentes d'onoro. [illustration: plan of the battle of fuentes d'onoro.] the fight was long and obstinate, and the french succeeded in driving back the british right; but failed in a series of desperate attempts to carry the village of fuentes. both sides claimed the battle as a victory, but the british with the greater ground; for massena fell back across the aqueda, having failed to relieve almeida; whose garrison, by a well-planned night march, succeeded in passing through the besieging force, and effected their retreat with but small loss, the town falling into the possession of the british. terence had come up, after a series of long marches, on the day before the battle. his arrival was very opportune, for the portuguese troops with wellington were completely demoralized, and exhausted, by the failure of their government to supply them with food, pay, or clothes. so deplorable was their state that wellington had been obliged to disband the militia regiments, and great numbers of desertions had taken place from the regular troops. the regiment had been stationed on the british right. here the fighting had been very severe. the french cavalry force was enormously superior to the british, who had but a thousand troopers in the field. these were driven back by the french, and ramsay's battery of horse artillery was cut off. but ramsay placed himself at the head of his battery and, at full gallop, dashed through the french infantry and cavalry, and succeeded in regaining his friends. the two battalions of the minho regiment, who were posted in a wood, defended themselves with the greatest resolution against an attack by vastly superior numbers; until the french, advancing on each side of the wood, had cut them off from the rest of the division. then a bugle call summoned the men to assemble at the rear of the wood and, forming squares, the two battalions marched out. twelve french guns played upon them and, time after time, masses of cavalry swept down on them but, filling up the gaps in their ranks, they pressed on; charged two french regiments, at the double, that endeavoured to block their way; burst a path through them, and succeeded in rejoining the retiring division, which received them with a burst of hearty cheering. two hundred had fallen, in the short time that had elapsed since they left the wood. terence had been in the centre of one of the squares but, just as they were breaking through the french ranks, he had ridden to the rear face; and called upon the men to turn and repulse a body of french cavalry, that was charging down upon them. at this moment a bullet struck his horse in the flank. maddened with the sudden pain, the animal sprang forward, broke through the ranks of the portuguese in front of it and, before terence could recover its command, dashed at full speed among the french cavalry. before he could strike a blow in defence, terence was cut down. as he fell the cavalry passed over him but, fortunately, the impetus of his charge had carried him nearly through their ranks before he fell; and the horses of the rear rank leapt over his body, without touching him. it was the force of the blow that had felled him for, in the hurry of striking, the trooper's sword had partly turned, and it was with the flat rather than the edge that he was struck. although half stunned with the blow and the heavy fall, he did not altogether lose consciousness. he heard, as he lay, a crashing volley; which would, he felt sure, repulse the horsemen and, fearing that in their retreat they might ride over him, trampling him to death, he struggled to his feet. the french, however, though repulsed, did not retire far, but followed upon the retreating regiment until it joined the british; when a battery opened upon them, and their commander called upon them to fall back. this was done in good order, and at a steady trot. on seeing terence standing in their path, an officer rode up to him. "i surrender," terence said. a trooper was called out, and ordered to conduct him to the rear; where many other prisoners, who had been taken during the french advance, were gathered. here an english soldier bound up terence's wound, from which the blood was streaming freely, a portion of the scalp having been shorn clean off. "that was a narrow escape, sir," the man said. "yes; i don't know how it was that it did not sever my skull; but i suppose that it was a hasty blow, and the sword must have turned. it might have been worse, by a good deal. i am afraid things are going badly with us." "badly enough, here," the soldier said; "but i think we are holding our own, in the centre. there is a tremendous roar of fire going on, round that village there. i was captured half an hour ago, and it has been growing louder and louder, ever since." for another two hours the battle continued and, as it still centred round the village, the spirits of the prisoners rose; for it was evident that, although the right had been driven back, the centre was at least holding its position, against all the efforts of the french. in the afternoon the fire slackened, and only a few shots were fired. the next morning at daybreak the prisoners, in number, were marched away under a strong escort. both armies still occupied the same positions they had held the day before, and there seemed every probability of the battle being renewed. when, however, they had marched several miles, and no sound of heavy firing was heard, the prisoners concluded that either wellington had retired; or that massena, seeing his inability to drive the british from their position, intended himself to fall back upon ciudad. the convoy marched twenty miles, and then halted for the night. two hours after they did so a great train of waggons containing wounded came up, and halted at the same place. the wounded were lifted out and laid on the ground, where the surgeons attended to the more serious cases. "pardon, monsieur," terence said in french, to one of the doctors who was near him, "are there any of our countrymen among the wounded?" "no, sir, they are all french," the doctor replied. "that is a good sign," terence said, to an english officer who was standing by him when he asked the question. "why so, colonel?" "because, if massena intended to attack again tomorrow, he would have sent the british wounded back, as well as his own men. the french, like ourselves, make no distinction between friends and foes; and that he has not sent them seems, to me, to show that he intends himself to fall back, and to leave the british wounded to the care of their own surgeons, rather than embarrass himself with them." "yes, i have no doubt that is the case," the officer said. "it seems, then, that we must have won the day, after all. that is some comfort, anyhow, and i shall sleep more soundly than i expected. if we had been beaten, there would have been nothing for it but for the army to fall back again to the lines of torres vedras; and wellington would have had to fight very hard to regain them. if massena does fall back, almeida will have to surrender." "i was inside last time it surrendered," terence said, "but i managed to make my way out with my regiment, after the explosion." "i wonder whether massena means to leave us at ciudad, or to send us on to salamanca?" "i should think that he would send us on," terence replied; "he will not want to have men eating up the stores at ciudad, besides requiring a certain portion of the garrison to look after them." terence's ideas proved correct and, without stopping at ciudad, the convoy of prisoners and wounded continued their march until they arrived at salamanca. terence could not help smiling, as he was marched through the street, and thought of the wild panic that he and dicky ryan had caused, when he was last in that town. the convent which the mayo fusiliers had occupied was now turned into a prison, and here the prisoners taken at fuentes d'onoro were marched, and joined those who had fallen into the hands of the french during massena's retreat. among these were several officers of his acquaintance and, as discipline was not very strict, they were able to make themselves fairly comfortable together. the french, indeed, along the whole of the portuguese frontier, had their hands full; and the force at salamanca was so small that but few men could be spared for prison duties and, so long as their captives showed no signs of giving trouble, their guards were satisfied to leave them a good deal to their own devices; watching the gate carefully, but leaving much of the interior work of the prison to be done by spanish warders for, violent as the natives were in their expressions of hatred for the french, they were always ready to serve under them, in any capacity in which money could be earned. "there can be no difficulty, whatever, in making one's escape from here," terence said, to a party of four or five officers who were lodged with him in a room, from whose window a view over the city was obtainable. "it is not the getting out of this convent that is difficult, but the making one's way across this country to rejoin. i have no doubt that one could bribe one of those spaniards to bring in a rope and, even if that could not be obtained, we might manage to make one from our blankets; but the question is, what to do when we have got out? massena lies between us and ciudad and, from what i hear the french soldiers say, the whole line is guarded down to badajoz, where soult's army is lying. victor is somewhere farther to the south, and their convoys and cavalry will be traversing the whole country. i speak portuguese well, and know enough of spanish to pass as a spaniard, among frenchmen, but to anyone who does not speak either language it would be next to impossible to get along." "i quite see that," one of the officers said, "and for my part i would rather stay where i am, than run the risk of such an attempt. i don't know a word of spanish, and should be recaptured before i had been out an hour. if i got away from the town i should be no better off, for i could not obtain a disguise. as to making one's way from here to almeida, it would be altogether hopeless." the others agreed, and one of them said: "but don't let us be any hindrance to you, o'connor. if you are disposed to try, by all means do so and, if we can help you in any way, we will." "i shall certainly try," terence said; "but i shall wait a little to see how things go. it may be by this time wellington has fallen back again and, in that case, no doubt massena will advance. we heard as we came along that marmont, with six divisions, is approaching the frontier and, even if wellington could maintain himself on the aqueda, soult is likely to crush beresford, and may advance from badajoz towards lisbon, when the british will be obliged to retire at once. "to make one's way across the open country between this and ciudad would be easy enough; while it would be dangerous in the extreme to enter the passes, while the french troops are pressing through them on wellington's rear. my portuguese would, of course, be a hindrance rather than a benefit to me on this side of the frontier; for the spaniards hate the portuguese very much more heartily than they do the french. you know that, when they were supplying our army with grain, the spanish muleteers would not bring any for the use of the portuguese brigades; and it was only by taking it as if for the british divisions, and distributing it afterwards to the portuguese, that the latter could be kept alive. as a british officer i should feel quite safe, if i fell into the hands of spanish guerillas; but as a portuguese officer my life would not be worth an hour's purchase." two days later came the news that a desperate battle had been fought by beresford at albuera, near badajoz. he had been attacked by soult but, after tremendous fighting, in which the french first obtained great advantages, they had been at last beaten off by the british troops; and it ended a drawn battle, the losses on both sides being extraordinarily heavy. it was not until some time afterwards that terence learned the particulars of this desperate engagement. beresford had , infantry, cavalry, and guns; but the british infantry did not exceed . soult had veteran cavalry, , infantry, and guns. the battle began badly. blake with his spaniards were soon disposed of by the french and, in half an hour, the battle was all but lost; a brigade of the british infantry being involved in the confusion caused by the spanish retreat, and two-thirds of its number being destroyed. the whole brunt of the battle now fell upon the small british force remaining. french columns pushed up the hill held by them. the cannon on both sides swept the ground with grape. the heavy french columns suffered terribly from the fire from the english lines; but they pressed forward, gained the crest of the rise and, confident of victory, were still advancing; when cole and houghton's brigades came up and restored the battle, and the british line, charging through a storm of grape and musketry, fell upon the french columns and drove them down the hill again, in confusion. the portuguese battalions had fought well, as had the german regiment; but it was upon the british that the whole brunt of the fight had fallen. in the four hours that the combat lasted, of the allies and over of the french had been killed or wounded. of the british infantry, only remained standing when the battle was over, being killed or wounded; germans and portuguese were placed hors de combat; while of the spaniards, who formed the great mass of the army, were killed or wounded by the french artillery and musketry, or cut down while in disorder by the french cavalry. never was the indomitable valour of british infantry more markedly shown than at the battle of albuera. the battle had been brought on, in no small degree, by their anxiety for action. the regiments had been disappointed that, while their comrades were sharing in wellington's pursuit of massena, they were far away from the scene of conflict; and when beresford would have fallen back, as it would have been prudent to do, they became so insubordinate that he gave way to their desire to meet the french; and so fought a battle where defeat would have upset all wellington's plans for the campaign, and victory would have brought no advantages with it. like inkerman, it was a soldiers' battle. beresford's dispositions were faulty in the extreme and, tactically, the day was lost before the fighting began. the spanish portion of the army did no real fighting and, in their confusion, involved the loss of nearly the whole of a british brigade; and it was only by the unconquerable valour of the remainder of the british force that victory was gained, against enormous odds, and that against some of the best troops of france. terence was in the habit of often going down and chatting with the french guard at the gate. their duties were tedious, and they were glad of a talk with this young british officer, who was the only prisoner in their keeping who spoke their language fluently; and from them he obtained what news they had of what was going on. a fortnight later, he gathered that the british force on the aqueda had been greatly weakened, that there was no intention of laying siege to ciudad, and it was believed that wellington's main body had marched south to join beresford. this was, indeed, the only operation left open to the british general. regnier's division of marmont's army had joined massena, and it would be impossible to besiege ciudad while a force, greatly superior to his own, was within easy striking distance. on the other hand, beresford was in no position to fight another battle and, as long as badajoz remained in the hands of the french, they could at any time advance into portugal; and its possession was therefore of paramount importance. marmont had succeeded massena in command, the latter marshal having been recalled to france; and the great bulk of the french army was now concentrated round salamanca, from which it could either march against the british force at ciudad; or unite with soult and, in overwhelming strength, either move against cadiz or advance into portugal. wellington therefore left spencer to guard the line of the coa, and make demonstrations against ciudad; while with the main body of his army he marched south. the news decided terence to attempt to make his escape in that direction. he did not know whether his own regiment would be with spencer, or wellington; but it was clear that more important events would be likely to take place near badajoz than on the coa. the french would be unlikely to choose the latter route for an advance into portugal. the country had been stripped bare by the two armies that had marched across it. the roads were extremely bad, and it would be next to impossible for an army to carry with it sustenance for the march; still less for maintaining itself after it had traversed the passes. moreover spencer, falling back before them, would retire to the lines of torres vedras; and the invaders would find themselves, as massena had done, baffled by that tremendous line of fortifications, where they might find also wellington and his army, who would have shorter roads to follow, established before they arrived. some of the townspeople were allowed to pass in and out of the convent, to sell fruit and other articles to the british prisoners; and terence thought it better to open negotiations with one of these, rather than one of the warders in french pay. he was not long in fixing upon one of them as an ally. she was a good-looking peasant girl, who came regularly with grapes and other fruit. from the first, terence had made his purchases from her, and had stood chatting with her for some time. "i want to get away from here, nita," he said, on the day he received the news of wellington's march to the south. "i dare say, senor," she laughed. "i suppose all the other prisoners want the same." "no doubt; but you see, they would not have much chance of getting away, because none of them understand spanish. i talk it a little, as you see. so if i got out and had a disguise, i might very well make my way across the country." "there are many brigands about," she said, "and it is not safe for a single man to travel anywhere. what do you want me to do?" "i want a rope fifty feet long; not a very thick one, but strong enough to bear my weight. that is the first thing. then i want a disguise; but that i could get, if a friend would be in readiness to give it to me, after i had slid down the rope into the street." "how could i give you a rope, senor, with all these people about?" "you could put it into the bottom of your basket, and cover it over with fruit. you could take your stand near the door, at the foot of the stairs leading up to my room. then i could, in the hearing of the rest, say that it was my fete day; and that i was going to give the others a treat, so that i would buy all your grapes. after we had bargained for them, i could hand you the money and say: "'give me your basket. i will run upstairs, empty it, and bring it down to you.' "as this would save my making five or six journeys upstairs, there would be nothing suspicious about that." "i will think it over," the girl said, gravely. "i do not see that there would be much danger. i will give you an answer tomorrow." the next day she said, when terence went up to her, "i will do it, senor. i have a lover who is a muleteer. i spoke to him last night, and he will help you. tomorrow i will give you the rope. in the afternoon you are to hang something out of your window; not far, but so that it can be just seen from the street. that red sash of yours will do very well. do not let it go more than an inch or two beyond the window sill, so that it will not attract any attention. "when the clock strikes ten, garcia and i will be in the street below that window. this is a quiet neighbourhood, and no one is likely to be about. garcia will have a suit of muleteer's clothes for you, and you can change at once. i will carry those you have on to our house, and destroy them. garcia will take you to his lodging. he starts at daybreak with his mules, and you can travel with them." "thank you most heartily, nita. here are five gold pieces, for the purchase of the ropes and clothes." "oh, they will not cost anything like as much as that!" the girl said. "if they don't, you must buy yourself a little keepsake, nita, in remembrance of me; but i will send you something better worth having, by garcia, when i reach our army, and am able to get money with which i can pay him for his labour and loss of time." "i don't want money," the girl said, drawing herself up proudly. "i am helping you because i like you, and because you have come here to drive the french away." "i should not think of offering you money, nita. i know that it is out of pure kindness that you are doing it; but you could not refuse some little trinket to wear, on your wedding day." "i may never get married," the girl said, with a pout. "oh, i know better than that, nita! a girl with as pretty a face as yours would never remain single, and i should not be surprised if you were to tell me that the day is fixed already." "it is not fixed, and is not likely to be, senor. i have told garcia that i will never marry, as long as the french are here. he may go out with one of the partisan forces. he often talks about doing so, and might get shot any day by these brigands. when i am married, i am not going to stay at home by myself, while he is away among the mountains." "ah! well, the war cannot last for ever. you may have wellington here before the year is out. give me your address, so that when we come, i may find you out." "callao san salvador, number . it is one of my uncles i am living with there. my home is in burda, six miles away. it is a little village, and there are so many french bands ranging over the country that, a month ago, my father sent me in here to stay with my uncle; thinking that i should be safer in the city than in a little village. he brings fruit in for me to sell, twice a week." "very well. if we come here, i shall go to your uncle's and inquire for you and, if you have left him, i will go out to your village and find you." all passed off as arranged, without the slightest hitch. terence took the girl's basket and ran upstairs with it, emptied the fruit out on the table, thrust the rope under his bed, and ran down again and gave nita the basket. at ten o'clock at night he slung himself from the window and after a hearty goodbye to his fellow prisoners--several of whom, now that it was too late, would gladly have shared in his adventure. "i should be very glad if you were going with me, but at the same time i own that i do not think we should get through. i question, indeed, if the muleteer would take anyone who did not understand enough spanish to pass, if he were questioned by french soldiers; and if he would do so, it would greatly increase the risk. at the same time, if one of you would like to take my place, i will relinquish it to you; and will, after you have gone off with the muleteer, go in another direction, and take my chance of getting hold of a disguise, somehow, and of making my way out." none of the others would hear of this and, after extinguishing the light, so as to obviate the risk of anyone noticing him getting out of the window, terence slipped down to the ground just as the clock struck ten. "good evening, senor!" a voice said, as his feet touched the ground. "here is your disguise. nita is watching a short distance away, and will give us notice if anyone approaches. you had best change, at once." terence took off his uniform and, with the assistance of the muleteer, donned the garments that he had brought for him. then he rolled the others into a bundle, and the muleteer gave a low whistle, whereupon nita came running up. "thanks be to the saints that no one has come along!" she said, as the rope, which terence had forgotten, fell at their feet; his companions having, as agreed, untied the upper end. "that will come in useful," garcia said, coiling it up on his arm. "now, senor, do not let us stand talking. nita will take the uniform and burn it." "i will hide it, if you like," the girl said. "there can be no reason for their searching our house." "thank you, nita, but it would be better to destroy it, at once. it may be a long time before i come this way again; besides, the things have seen their best days, and i have another suit i can put on, when i join my regiment. thanks very much for your kindness, which i shall always remember." "goodbye, senor! may the saints protect you!" and without giving him time to say more, she took the bundle from garcia's hand and sped away down the street. "now, senor, follow me," he said, and turned to go in the other direction. "you had best call me juan, and begin at once," terence said. "if by accident you were to say senor, in the hearing of anyone, there would be trouble at once." "i shall be careful, never fear," the man said. "however, there would only be harm done if there happened to be a frenchman--or one of their spaniards, who are worse--present. as to my own comrades, it would not matter at all. we muleteers are all heart and soul against the french, and will do anything to injure them. we are all obliged to work for them; for all trade is at an end, and we must live. many have joined the partisans, but those who have good mules cannot go away and give up their only means of earning a living; for although the french pay for carriage by mules or carts, if they come upon animals that are not being used, they take them without a single scruple. "besides, there are not many partisans in this part of spain. the french have been too long in the valley here, and are too strong in the castiles for their operations. it is different in navarre, aragon, and catalonia; and in valencia and mercia. there the french have never had a firm footing, and most of the strong places are still in spanish hands. in all the mountainous parts, in fact, there are guerillas; but here it is too dangerous. there are bands all over the country, but these are really but robbers, and no honest man would join them. "this is the house." he turned in at a small doorway and unlocked the door, closing it after them. "put your hand on my shoulder, juan," he said. "i have a light upstairs." he led the way in darkness up a stone staircase, then unlocked another door and entered a small room, where a candle was burning. "this is my home, when i am here," he said. "most of us sleep at the stables where our mules are put up; but i like having a place to myself, and my mate looks after the mules." nothing could have been simpler than the furniture of the room. it consisted of a low pallet, a small table, and a single chair. in a corner were a pair of saddlebags and two or three coloured blankets. a thick coat, lined with sheepskin, hung against the wall. in a corner was a brightly-coloured picture of a saint, with two sconces for candles by the side of it. the muleteer had crossed himself and bowed to it as he came in, and terence doubted not that it was the picture of a saint who was supposed to take a special interest in muleteers. from a small cupboard, the man brought out a flask of wine and two drinking cups. "it is good," he said, as he placed them on the table. "i go down to xeres sometimes, and always bring up a half octave of something special for my friends, here." after pouring out the two cups, he handed the chair politely to terence, and sat himself down on the edge of the pallet. then, taking out a tobacco bag and a roll of paper, he made a cigarette and handed it to terence, and then rolled one for himself. chapter : from salamanca to cadiz. "now, let us talk about our journey," the muleteer said, when he had taken two or three whiffs at his cigarette. "nita tells me that you wish, if possible, to join your army near badajoz. that suits me well, for i have orders from a merchant here to fetch him twelve mule loads of sherry from xeres; and badajoz is, therefore, on my way. the merchant has a permit, signed by marmont, for me to pass unmolested by any french troops; saying that the wine is intended for his use, and that of his staff. if it were not for that, there would be small chance, indeed, of his ever getting it. there is so little trade, now, that it is scarce possible to buy a flask of the white wine of the south, here. of course, the pass will be equally useful going down to fetch it for, without it, my mules would be certain to be impressed for service, by the french. "so you see, nothing could have happened more fortunately for, anywhere between the tagus and badajoz, we can turn off from estremadura into portugal. it would not be safe to try near badajoz, for soult's army is scattered all over there and, though the pass would be doubtless respected by superior officers, if we fell in with foraging parties they would have no hesitation in shooting me, tearing up the pass, and carrying off my mules. for your sake as well as my own, therefore, i would turn off and cross the mountains--say, to portalegre--and go down to elvas. there you would be with your friends; and i could cross again, further south, and make my way down to xeres." "they say that two of marmont's divisions started south, yesterday." "that is unfortunate, for they will leave little behind them in the way of food and drink; and we shall find it better to travel by by-roads. i should not mind being impressed, if it were only for the march down to badajoz; but once with an army, there is no saying how long one may be kept." "if we find any difficulty in crossing into portugal this side of badajoz, i shall not mind going down to cadiz. i should have no difficulty, there, in getting a ship to lisbon." "well, we shall see," the muleteer said. "we will go the short way, if we can. i hate the portuguese, and they are no fonder of us; but with you with me, of course, i should not be afraid of interference from them." "but the portuguese are fighting on our side, and aiding us to help you." "yes, because they think it is better that the war should be carried on here than in their own country. besides, from what i hear, it is with no goodwill that they fight under your british general; but only because he tells them that, unless they furnish so many troops, he will have nothing more to do with them, but will sail away with his army to england." "that may be true, garcia; but you know that when we were here--for i was with the british army that marched through salamanca--the spanish authorities were no more willing to assist than were the portuguese; and not a single soldier--with the exception of two or three thousand half-armed men under romana--joined, from the day we crossed the frontier to that on which we embarked to corunna." "the authorities are all bad," garcia said scornfully. "they only think of feathering their own nests, and of quarrelling among themselves. the people are patriots, but what can they do when the juntas keep the arms the english have sent us in their magazines, and divide the money among themselves? then our generals know nothing of their business, and have their own ambitions and rivalries. we are all ready to fight; and when the drum is beaten and we are called out, we go willingly enough. but what do we do when we go out? we are marched backwards and forwards without motive; the officers are no good; and when at last we do see the french we are always beaten, and the generals and the officers are the first to run away. "we ought in the first place to rise, not against the french, but against the juntas, and the councillors, and the hidalgos. then, when we have done with them, we ought to choose officers from among ourselves, men that have done good service as leaders of partisans. then we could meet the french. we are brave enough, when we are well led. see how the people fought at saragossa, and since then at gerona, and many other places. we are not afraid of being killed, but we have no confidence in our chiefs." "i have no doubt that is so, garcia; and that, if the regiments were trained by british officers, as some of the portuguese now are, you would fight well. unfortunately, as you say, your generals and officers are chosen, not for their merits, but from their influence with the juntas, whose object is to have the army filled with men who will be subservient to their orders. "then there is another thing against you: that is, the jealousy of the various provinces. there is no common effort. when valencia is invaded, for example, the valencians fight; but they have no idea of going out from their homes to assist castile or catalonia and so, one after another, the provinces are conquered by the french." "that is so," garcia said thoughtfully. "if they were to rise here i would fight, and take my chance of being killed; but i should not care to risk my life in defence of valencia, with which i have nothing whatever to do. i don't see how you are to get over that, so long as we are divided into provinces." "nor do i, garcia. in times of peace these various governments may work well enough; but nothing could be worse than the system, when a country is invaded. "what time do you start, tomorrow?" "as soon as the gates are open. that will be at five o'clock. it is eleven now, so we had better get some sleep. in the morning i must see that your dress is all right. nita has given me a bottle of walnut juice, to stain your face and hands. "do you lie down on the bed, senor. i will wrap myself up in this cloak. i am more accustomed to sleep on that than on the bed." terence removed his outer garments and, in a few minutes, was sound asleep. at four o'clock garcia roused him. the morning was breaking and, with the assistance of the muleteer, he made his toilet and stained his face, neck, and hands, and darkened his hair. then they each ate a piece of bread with a bunch of grapes, took a drink of red wine, and then sallied out; garcia carrying his sheepskin cloak, and terence the three coloured blankets. a quarter of a mile farther, they came to an inn frequented by muleteers. "i have told my mate about you," garcia said, "so you need not be afraid of him; nor indeed of any of us. there is not a muleteer who would not do what he could to aid the escape of a british officer." most of the mules were already saddled, and garcia went up with terence to a man who was buckling a strap. "sanchez," he said, "this is our new comrade, juan, who i told you would accompany us this journey." the man nodded. "it will be all the better," he said. "twelve mules are rather too much for two men to manage, when we get among the mountains." garcia and terence at once set to work to assist, and in ten minutes the cavalcade started. garcia rode the leading mule, three others being tied in single file behind it. terence came next, and sanchez brought up the rear. the animals were fine ones, and garcia was evidently proud of them; showing their good points to terence, and telling him their names. the mules were all very fond of their master, turning their heads at once when addressed by name; and flapping their long ears in enjoyment, as he rubbed their heads or patted their necks. the town was already astir and, as they reached the gates, country carts were pouring in, laden with fruits and vegetables for the market. garcia stopped for a moment, as an old man came along with a cart. "how are you, father?" "how are you, garcia? off again?" "yes; i am going to xeres for wine, for the french general." "i see that you have got a new comrade." "yes; the journey is a long one, and i thought that it was as well to have another mate." "yes, it is dangerous travelling," the old man said. "well, goodbye, and good fortune to you!" garcia put his mules in motion again, and they passed through the gate and soon left salamanca behind. there was little conversation on the way. the two spaniards made and smoked cigarettes continually; and terence endeavoured to imitate them, by addressing the endearing words they used to their animals, having learned the names of the four of which he was in charge. at first they did not respond to this strange voice but, as they became accustomed to it, each answered, when its name was called, by quickening its pace and by a sharp whisk of the tail, that showed it understood that it was addressed. terence knew that his escape would not be discovered until eight o'clock, when the doors were opened and the prisoners assembled in the yard for the roll call. should any pursuit be organized, which was unlikely, it would be in the direction of ciudad; as it might be supposed that an escaped prisoner would naturally make for the nearest spot where he could join his friends. one prisoner more or less would, however, make but little difference; and the authorities would probably content themselves with sending a message by a trooper, to all the towns and villages on that road, to arrest any suspicious persons travelling without proper papers. on the line they were pursuing, the risk of interference was very small. the marshal's pass would be certainly respected by the officers of the corps under his command; and it was not until they fell in with parties of soult's troops that any unpleasantness was to be apprehended; though even here the worst that could be looked for, if they met any large body of troops, would be that the mules might be taken, for a time, for service in the army. after a long day's journey they halted, for the night, at a village. here they found that the troops marching south had encamped close at hand for the night, and the resources of the place had been completely exhausted. this mattered but little, as they carried a week's store of bread, black sausage, cheese, onions, garlic, and capsicums. the landlord of the little inn furnished them with a cooking pot; and a sort of stew, which terence found by no means unpalatable, was concocted. the mules were hobbled and turned out on to the plain to graze; for the whole of the forage of the village had been requisitioned, for the use of the cavalry and baggage animals of the french column. on the following morning they struck off from the road they had been following and, travelling for sixteen hours, came down on it again at the foot of the pass of bejar; and learned from some peasants that they had got ahead of the french column, which was encamped two or three miles down the road. before daybreak they were on their way again, and reached banos in the afternoon. there were but few inhabitants remaining here; for the requisitions for food and forage, made by the troops that had so frequently passed through the defiles, were such that the position of the inhabitants had become intolerable and, when they learned from garcia that two divisions of french troops would most probably arrive that evening, and that marmont's whole army would follow, most of the inhabitants who remained hastily packed their most valuable belongings in carts, and drove away into the hills. the landlord of the largest inn, however, stood his ground. he was doing well; and the principal officers of troops passing through always took up their quarters with him, paid him fairly for their meals and saw that, whatever exactions were placed upon the town, he was exempted from them. therefore the muleteers were able to obtain a comfortable meal and, after resting their animals for three hours, and giving them a good feed of corn, went on a few miles farther; and then, turning off, encamped among the hills. they were about to wrap themselves in their cloaks and blankets, and to lie down for the night, when a number of armed men suddenly appeared. "who are you, and whither are you going?" one, who appeared to be their leader, asked. "we are bound for xeres," garcia replied, rising to his feet. "we are commissioned by senor moldeno, the well-known wine merchant of salamanca, to procure for him--as much good xeres wine as our mules will carry." "it is a pity that we did not meet you on the way back, instead of on your journey there. we should appreciate the wine quite as thoroughly as his customers would do. but how do you propose to bring your wine back, when the whole country south swarms with soult's cavalry?" "don moldeno obtained a pass for us from marmont; who, i suppose, is one of his customers." "we could not think of allowing wine to pass for the use of a french marshal," the man said. "it is not likely that he will drink it for some time," garcia said, carelessly; "for he is marching in this direction himself. two of his divisions have probably, by this time, reached banos; and we heard at salamanca that he himself, with the rest of them, will follow in a day or two." "that is bad news," the man said. "there will be no travellers along here, while the army is on its march. are your mules carrying nothing now?" "nothing at all. the mules would have been requisitioned two days ago, as were most of the others in salamanca; but marmont's pass saved us." "are you carrying the money to buy the wine with?" "no, don moldeno knew better than that. i have only a letter from him to the house of simon peron, at xeres. he told me that that would be sufficient, and they would furnish me with the wine, at once, on my handing the letter to them." "well, comrades," the man said, to the others gathered round, "it is evident that we shall get no booty tonight; and may as well be off to our own fires, where supper is waiting for us; and move away from here at daybreak. the french may have parties of horse all over the hills, tomorrow, searching for provisions, cattle, and sheep." "that was a narrow escape," garcia said, as the brigands moved off. "i wonder they did not take our mules; but i suppose they had as many as they want--three or four would be sufficient to carry their food, and anything they may have stolen--more than that would only be a hindrance to them in moving about, especially now they know that the french may be in the neighbourhood in a few hours, if they have not arrived already. "well, senor, what is the next thing to be done?" terence did not answer for some little time. "it is not easy to say," he replied at length. "seeing that marmont and soult are practically united, there can be no doubt that our troops will have to fall back again to portugal. the whole country is covered with french cavalry and, in addition, we have to run risks from these brigands; who may not always prove so easy to deal with as the men who have just left us. what do you think yourself? you know the country, and can judge far better than i can as to our chance of getting through." "i don't think it will be possible, senor, to carry out the plan of trying to cross into portugal, in this direction. it seems to me, now that soult is engaged, and there can be no large bodies of french near seville, our best plan would be to make for that town; whence, so far as we know, the country is clear of the enemy down to cadiz; and when we reach that port, you can take ship to lisbon." "but in that case i shall not be able to get the money to pay you, for i shall not be known; and although i could doubtless get a passage, i do not think that i could obtain any funds." "do not speak of it, senor. the british will be in salamanca one of these days, and then you will be able to pay me; or, if i should not be there at the time, you can leave the money for me with nita, or her father. it was for her sake that i undertook the business; and i have no doubt, whatever, that you will discharge the debt when you enter salamanca." "that i certainly will, and to make it more certain i will ask one of the officers of my old regiment to undertake to find her out, and to pay the money; in case i may be with my own men, in some other part of the country." "that will be quite enough, senor. do not trouble yourself further on the matter. we will start for seville at daybreak." travelling rapidly, the little party kept along the range of the sierras; and then proceeded by the valley of the tagus and crossed the river at talavera; and then, keeping nearly due south, struck the guadiana at ciudad real and, crossing la mancha, gained the sierra morena; held west for some distance along the southern slopes; and then turned south and struck the guadalquivir between cordova and seville, and arrived safely at the latter town. they had been obliged to make a great number of detours, to avoid bodies of the enemy; but the muleteer had no difficulty in obtaining information, from the peasants, as to the whereabouts of the french and, after reaching the plains, always travelled at night. they fell in twice with large parties of guerillas; but these were not brigands for, as the country was still unconquered, and the french only held the ground they occupied, the bands had not degenerated into brigandage; but were in communication with the local authorities, and acted in conformity with their instructions, in concert with the spanish troops. it was, however, nearly a month from the date of their leaving salamanca before they arrived at cadiz. terence had, during the journey, greatly improved his knowledge of spanish by his conversation with the muleteers and, as the language was so similar to the portuguese, he soon acquired facility in speaking it. they put up at a small fonda, or inn, frequented by muleteers; and terence at once made his way to the house where he heard that the british agent resided. the latter, on hearing his story, was surprised, indeed, that he should have made his way through spain from a point so far away as salamanca; and occupied, for the greater portion of the distance, by the french. "a sloop-of-war is sailing tomorrow for the tagus," he said, "and i will give you a letter to her captain; who will, of course, give you a passage." terence informed him of the great services the muleteer had rendered him, and asked him if he could advance him sufficient money to repay the man. "i certainly have no funds at my disposal for such a purpose, captain o'connor,"--for terence had said nothing about his portuguese rank, finding that its announcement always caused a certain amount of doubt--"but i will strain a point, and grant you thirty pounds, on your bill upon your agent at lisbon. i have no doubt that it will be met on presentation. but should, for example, your vessel be wrecked or captured, which i am by no means contemplating as likely, the amount must go down among subsidies to spaniards who have rendered good service." "thank you, sir. that will be sufficient, not to reward the man for the risk he has run and the fidelity that he has shown, but it will at least pay him for the service of his mules. i do not suppose that he would earn more, and it will be a satisfaction, to me, to know that he is at least not out of pocket." the agent at once handed him a bag of silver, together with a letter to the officer in command of the daphne. he hired a boat and was rowed off to the ship; which was lying, with several other small british warships, in the port. when he ascended the side the officer on duty asked him somewhat roughly, in bad spanish, what he wanted. "i have a letter for captain fry," he replied in english, to the surprise of the lieutenant. "i am a british officer, who was taken prisoner at the battle of fuentes d'onoro." "you must not blame me for having taken you for a spaniard," the lieutenant said in surprise, as he handed the letter terence held out to the midshipman, with a request to deliver it to the captain. "your disguise is certainly excellent and, if you speak spanish as well as you look the part, i can quite understand your getting safely through the country." "unfortunately, i do not. i speak it quite well enough for ordinary purposes, but not well enough to pass as a native. i travelled with a muleteer, who did all the talking that was necessary. i have been a month on the journey, which has greatly improved my spanish. i knew little of it when i started, but i should not have got on so quickly had i not been thoroughly up in portuguese; which, of course, helped me immensely." the midshipman now came up and requested terence to follow him to the captain's cabin. the captain smiled as he entered. "it is well that mr. bromhead vouched for you, captain o'connor; for i certainly should have had difficulty in bringing myself to believe that you were a british officer. i shall, of course, be very glad to give you a passage; and to hear the story of your adventures, which ought to be very interesting." "i have had very few adventures," terence replied. "the muleteer knew the country perfectly; and had no difficulty in obtaining, from the peasants, news of the movements of the french. when i started i had no idea of making such a long journey; but had intended to join lord beresford in front of badajos, if i could not manage to cross the frontier higher up; but marmont's march south rendered that impossible, and i thought that the safer plan would be to keep well away from the frontier; as of course things are much more settled in the interior, and two or three muleteers with their animals would excite little attention, even if we passed through a town with a large french garrison; except that the mules might have been impressed and, as i had no means of recompensing my guide in that case, i was anxious to avoid all risk. "when do you sail, sir?" "at eight o'clock tomorrow. you cannot very well go in that attire," the captain said, smiling. "i shall be glad to advance any sum that you may require to procure clothes. you can, no doubt, pay me on your arrival at lisbon." terence gladly accepted a loan of ten pounds and, with it, returned to shore. on reaching the little inn, he at once handed thirty pounds to garcia. the man, however, absolutely refused to accept it. "no, senor; since you have got money, i will take fifty dollars to pay for food and forage on my way back; although really you have cost me nothing, for i had to make the journey on business. but even did you owe me the money, i would not take it now. i may not be so lucky on my way back as we have been in coming, and might be seized by brigands; therefore i would, in any case, rather that you left the matter until you come to salamanca." "but that may not be for a long time. it is quite as likely that we may be obliged to quit portugal, and embark for england, as that we shall ever get to salamanca." "who knows, senor! luck may turn. however, i would rather that it were so. i have had the pleasure of your having made the journey with me, and i shall have pleased nita. if you come, well and good. if not, it cannot be helped, and i shall not grieve over it. if i had money with me i might lose it, and it might cost me my life." terence had again gone out, and purchased a suit of clothes befitting a spanish gentleman. he took the muleteer with him. they had no longer any reason for concealing their identity and, should he find it necessary to announce himself to be a british officer, it might be useful to have corroboration of his story. he also laid in a fresh stock of linen, of which he was greatly in need and, next morning, after a hearty farewell to garcia, he went down to the port in his new attire and, carrying a small valise containing his purchases, took a boat to the ship. the evening before he had called in at the agent's, to thank him again, when the latter told him that he had some urgent despatches from the junta of cadiz to that of seville; and some despatches of his own to persons at cordova, and others in madrid, who were in communication with the british government; and he offered a sum, for their safe delivery, that would recompense the muleteer for the whole of his journey. this garcia had gladly acceded to, on condition that he might stop for a day, to get the wine at xeres. the voyage to lisbon lasted three days, and was a very pleasant one to terence. on his arrival there he at once repaid the captain the loan he had received from him, having over thirty pounds still in hand. he next saw the agent, and requested him to pay the bill when presented and, after waiting three days to obtain a fresh uniform, started up the country and rejoined wellington, who had been compelled to fall back again behind the coa. he reported himself to the adjutant general. "you have just arrived in time, captain o'connor," the latter said, "for your regiment is under orders to start, tomorrow, to join the force of the guerilla moras who, with two thousand men, is in the mountains on our frontier near miranda; and intends to threaten zamora, and so compel marmont to draw off some of his troops facing us here. your regiment is at present on the douro, fifteen miles away. how have you come here?" "i travelled by a country conveyance, sir. i am at present without a horse, but no doubt i can pick one up, when i have obtained funds from the paymaster." "i will give you an order on him for fifty pounds," the adjutant said. "of course, there is a great deal more owing to you; but it will save trouble to give you an order for that sum, on account. i don't suppose you will want more. i will have inquiries made about a horse. if you return here in an hour, i daresay i shall hear of one for sale. "your regiment has not done much fighting since you left it, but they behaved well at banos, where we had a very sharp fight. they came up just at the critical moment, and they materially assisted us in beating off the attack of the french; who were in greatly superior force, and nearly succeeded in capturing, or exterminating, the light division." on his return, terence found that one of the officers on the adjutant general's staff knew of a horse that had been captured, by a trooper, in a skirmish with french dragoons three days before. it was a serviceable animal and, as the soldier was glad to take ten pounds for it, terence at once purchased it. the adjutant told him that, on mentioning his return, lord wellington had requested him to dine with him; and to come half an hour before the usual time, as he wished to question him with reference to the state of the country he had passed through, and of the strength and probable movements of the french troops in those districts. "i am glad to see you back again, colonel o'connor," the general said, when he entered. "of course, i heard how you had been captured, and have regretted your absence. colonel herrara is a good officer in many ways, and the regiment has maintained its state of efficiency; but he does not possess your energy and enterprise, nor the readiness to assume responsibilities and to act solely upon his own initiative--a most valuable quality," he said, with one of his rare smiles, "when combined with sound judgment, for an officer commanding a partisan corps like your own; but which, if general, would in a very short time put an end to all military combinations, and render the office of a commander-in-chief a sinecure. "now, sir, will you be good enough to point out, on this map, exactly the line you followed in travelling from salamanca to cadiz: and give me any information you gained concerning the roads, the disposition of the people, and the position and movements of the french troops." terence had anticipated that such information would be required of him; and had, every evening when they halted, jotted down every fact that he thought could be useful and, on the voyage to lisbon, had written from them a full report, both of the matters which the general now inquired about, and of the amount of supplies which could probably be obtained in each locality, the number of houses and accommodation available for troops, the state and strength of the passes, and the information that garcia had obtained for him of mountain tracks by which these passes could be turned, by infantry and cavalry in single file. "i have brought my report, sir," he said, producing it. "i endeavoured to make the most of my opportunities, to gain all the information possible that might be useful to myself, or the commander of any column moving across the same country. i fear that it is far from being perfect but, as i wrote it from my notes, made at the end of each day, i think it will answer its purpose, as far as it goes." attached to each day's journey was a rough sketch map showing the crossroads, rivers, bridges, and other particulars. the general took the bulky report, sat down and read a page here and there, and glanced at the maps. he looked up approvingly. "very good, indeed, colonel o'connor. if all officers would take advantage of their opportunities, as you have done, the drudgery my staff have to do would be very much lightened, and they would not be constantly working in the dark." he handed the report to the adjutant general. "this may be of great utility when an advance begins," he said. "you had better have two or three copies of it made. it will be useful to the quartermaster's department, as well as to yourself; and of great assistance to the officers in command of any detached parties that may be despatched to gather in supplies, or to keep in check an enemy advancing on our flank. some day, when i can find time, i will read the whole report myself. "it will be well to have a dozen copies made of the first five or six pages, and the maps, for the perusal of any officer sent out with a detachment on scouting duty, as a model of the sort of report that an officer should send in of his work, when on such duty." the party at dinner was a small one, consisting only of some five or six officers of the headquarter staff, and two generals of divisions. after dinner, lord wellington asked terence how he escaped from salamanca, and the latter briefly related the particulars of his evasion. "this is the second time you have escaped from a french prison," lord wellington said, when he had finished. "the last time, if i remember rightly, you escaped from bayonne in a boat." "but you did not get to england in that boat, surely, colonel o'connor?" one of the generals laughed. "no, sir; we were driven off shore by a gale, and picked up by a french privateer. we escaped from her as she was lying in port at brest, made our way to the mouth of the river sienne, about nine miles north of granville; and then, stealing another boat, started for jersey. we were chased by a french privateer but, before she came up to us, a jersey privateer arrived and engaged her. while the fight was going on we got on board the jersey boat, which finally captured the frenchman, and took her into port." "and from there, i suppose, you found your way to england, and enjoyed a short rest from your labours?" "no, sir. the captain of the privateer, who thought that we had rendered him valuable assistance in the fight, sailed out with us on to the ship track, and put us on board a transport bound for lisbon." "well, you are more heart and soul in it than i am," the general laughed. "i should not have been able to deny myself a short run in england." "i was anxious to get back to my regiment, sir, as i was afraid that, if i did not return before the next campaign opened, some other officer might be appointed to its command." "you need not trouble yourself on that score, in future, colonel o'connor," lord wellington said. "if you have the bad luck to be captured again, i shall know that your absence will be temporary and, if it became necessary to appoint anyone else to your command, it would only be until your return." on leaving the commander-in-chief's quarters, the adjutant general asked terence when he thought of rejoining his regiment. "i am going to start at once, sir. i ordered my horse to be saddled and in readiness, at ten o'clock." "you must not think of doing so," the adjutant said. "the road is very bad, and not at all fit to be traversed on a dark night like this. besides, you would really gain nothing by it. if you leave at daybreak, you will overtake your regiment before it has marched many miles." chapter : effecting a diversion. at twelve o'clock the next day terence rode up to his regiment, just as it had halted for two hours' rest. as soon as he was recognized the men leapt to their feet, cheering vociferously, and gathered round him; while, a minute or two later, herrara, ryan and the two majors ran up to greet him. [illustration: the men leapt to their feet, cheering vociferously.] "i have been expecting you for the last month," ryan exclaimed, "though how you were to get through the french lines was more than i could imagine. still, i made sure you would do it, somehow." "you gave me credit for more sharpness than i possess, dick. i felt sure it could not be done, and so i had to go right down to cadiz, and back to lisbon by ship. it was a very much easier affair than ours was, and i met with no adventures and no difficulties on the way. "well, herrara, i heard at headquarters that the regiment is going on well, and they fought stoutly at banos. your loss was not heavy, i hope?" "we had fifty-three killed, and a hundred more or less seriously wounded. more than half of them have rejoined. the vacancies have been filled up, and the two battalions are both at their full strength. "two of the captains, fernandez and panza, were killed. i have appointed two of the sergeants temporarily, pending your confirmation, on your return." "it is well that it is no worse. they were both good men, and will be a loss to us. whom have you appointed in their places?" "gomes and mendoza, the two sergeant majors. they are both men of good family, and thoroughly know their duty. of course i filled their places, for the time, with two of the colour sergeants." "i suppose you have ridden from headquarters, terence," ryan put in, "and must be as hungry as a hunter. we were just going to sit down to a couple of chickens and a ham, so come along." while they were taking their meal, terence gave them an account of the manner in which he had escaped from salamanca. "so you were in our old quarters, terence! well, you certainly have a marvellous knack of getting out of scrapes. when we saw your horse carrying you into the middle of the french cavalry, i thought for a moment that the minho regiment had lost its colonel; but it was not for long, and soon i was sure that, somehow or other, you would give them the slip again. of course i have been thinking of you as a prisoner at ciudad, and i was afraid that they would keep a sharper watch over you, there, than they did at bayonne. still, i felt sure that you would manage it somehow, even without the help we had. "what are your orders?" "i have none, save that we are to march to miranda, where we shall find a guerilla force under moras; and we are to operate with him, and do all we can to attract the attention of the french. that is all i know, for i have not had time to look at the written instructions i received from the adjutant general when i said goodbye to him, last night; but i don't think there are any precise orders. "what were yours, herrara?" "they are that i was to consult with moras; to operate carefully, and not to be drawn into any combat with superior or nearly equal french forces; which i took to mean equal to the strength of the regiment, for the guerillas are not to be depended upon, to the smallest extent, in anything like a pitched combat." "there is no doubt about that," terence agreed. "for cutting off small parties, harassing convoys, or anything of that sort, they are excellent; but for down-right hard fighting, the guerillas are not worth their salt. the great advantage of them is that they render it necessary for the french to send very strong guards with their baggage and convoys; and occasionally, when they are particularly bold and numerous, to despatch columns in pursuit of them. if it were not for these bands, they would be able to concentrate all their troops, and would soon capture andalusia and valencia, and then turn their attention to other work. as it is, they have to keep the roads clear, to leave strong garrisons everywhere, and to keep a sufficient force in each province to make head against the guerillas; for if they did not do so, all their friends would be speedily killed, and the peasantry be constantly incited to rise." "do you know anything of this moras?" "he is said to be a good leader," herrara replied, "and to have gathered under him a number of other bands. he has the reputation of being less savage and cruel than the greater part of these partisan leaders; and though, no doubt, he kills prisoners--for in that he could hardly restrain his men--he does not permit the barbarous cruelties that are a disgrace to the spanish people. in fact, i believe his orders are that no prisoners are to be taken." "i will look at my instructions," terence said, drawing out the paper he had received the night before. "yes," he said, when he had read them; "my instructions are a good deal like yours, but they leave my hands somewhat more free. i am to consult with moras, to operate with him when i think it advisable, and in all respects to act entirely upon my own judgment and discretion; the main object being to compel the french to detach as many men as possible from this neighbourhood, in order to oppose me; and i am to take every advantage the nature of the country may afford to inflict heavy blows upon them." "that is all right," ryan said cheerfully. "i had quite made up my mind that we should always be dependent upon moras; and be kept inactive, owing to his refusal to carry out anything herrara might propose; but as you can act independently of him, we are sure to have plenty of fun." "we will make it as hot for them as we can, dick; and if we cannot do more, we can certainly oblige the french to keep something like a division idle, to hold us in check. with the two battalions, and moras's irregulars, we ought to be able to harass them amazingly; and to hold any of these mountain passes against a considerable force." after two hours' halt the march was renewed and, two days later, the regiment arrived at miranda. the frontier ran close to this town, the douro separating the two countries. they learned that moras was lying four miles farther to the north, and across the frontier line; doubtless preferring to remain in spain, in order to prevent a quarrel between his followers and the portuguese. the next morning terence, accompanied by ryan and four mounted orderlies, rode into the glen where he and his followers were lying. they had erected a great number of small arbours of boughs and bushes and, as terence rode up to one of these, which was larger and better finished than the rest, moras himself came to the entrance to meet them. he did not at all correspond with terence's ideas of a guerilla chief. he was a young man, of three or four and twenty; of slim figure and with a handsome, thoughtful face. he had been a student of divinity at salamanca, but had killed a french officer in a duel, brought on by the insolence of the latter; and had been compelled to fly. a few men had gathered round him, and he had at once raised his standard as a guerilla chief. at first his operations had been on a very small scale; but the success that had attended these enterprises, and the reports of his reckless bravery, had speedily swelled the number of his followers; and although as a rule he kept only a hundred with him, he could at any time, by sending round a summons, collect five times that number, in a few hours. when terence introduced himself as the colonel of the two battalions that had arrived, at miranda, to operate in conjunction with him, moras held out his hand frankly. "i am very glad indeed to meet you, colonel o'connor," he said. "i received a despatch four days ago from your general, saying that the minho regiment would shortly arrive at miranda, to act in concert with me. i was glad indeed when i heard of this, for the name of the regiment is well known, on this side of the frontier as well as on the other, having been engaged in many gallant actions; and your name is equally well known, in connection with it; but i hardly expected to meet you, for the despatch said the minho regiment under lieutenant colonel herrara." "yes. i only rejoined it two days ago, having been taken prisoner at fuentes d'onoro, and having made my escape from salamanca." "your aid will be invaluable, senor. my own men are brave enough, but they are irregulars in the full sense of the word;" and he smiled. "and although they can be relied upon for a sudden attack, or for the defence of a pass, they could not stand against a french force of a quarter of their strength, in the plain. we want a backbone, and no better one could be found than your regiment. "i am the more glad that you are in command, because you know, unhappily, we and the portuguese do not get on well together and, while my men would hesitate to obey a portuguese commander, and would have no confidence in him, they would gladly accept your leadership." "i hope that there will be no difficulties on the ground of race," terence said. "we are fighting in a common cause, against a common enemy; and dissensions between ourselves are as absurd as they are dangerous. "let me introduce captain ryan, adjutant of the regiment." moras shook hands with ryan; who had been looking on, with some surprise, at the colloquy between him and terence. moras then asked them into his arbour. "i have little to offer you," he said, with a smile, "save black bread and wine. the latter, however, is good. i obtained a large supply of it from a convoy we captured, a few days since." the wine was indeed excellent and, accustomed as they were to the coarse bread of the country, terence and ryan were able to eat it with satisfaction. "now, colonel," moras said, "beyond the fact that we are to act in concert, i know nothing of the plans. please to remember that, while it is said that we are to discuss our plans of operations together, i place myself unreservedly under your orders. of irregular warfare i have learned something; but of military science, and anything like extensive operations, i am as ignorant as a child; while you have shown your capacity for command. i may be of advantage to you, from my knowledge of the country; and indeed, there is not a village track that someone or other of my followers is not well acquainted with." "that, of course, will be of great advantage to us," terence replied courteously, "and i thank you much for what you have said; but i am sure, from what i have heard, you underrate your abilities. beyond regimental drill, i knew very little of warfare until i, quite by an accident, came to assume the command of my regiment; and it was only because i drilled and disciplined it thoroughly that i had the good fortune to obtain some successes with it. your acquaintance with the country will be fully a set off to any superior knowledge that i may have of military matters, and i have no doubt that we shall get on well together. "the instructions that i have received are to the effect that we are to make incursions and attacks in various directions; concealing, as far as possible, our strength; and so to oblige the french to detach a considerable number of troops to hold us in check. this would relieve the pressure upon lord wellington's army, and would deter the enemy from making any offensive movement into portugal; until our general has received the reinforcements expected shortly, and is in a position to take the offensive." "it will be just the work to suit us," the guerilla chief said. "and as i received a subsidy from your political agent at lisbon, a few days since, i am in a position to keep the whole force i have together; which is more than i can do generally for, even if successful in an attack on a convoy, the greater portion of the men scatter and return to their homes and, as long as their share of the booty lasts, they do not care to come out again." terence now produced a map with which he had been supplied, and a considerable time was spent in obtaining full particulars of the country through which the troops might have to march; ascertaining the best spots for resistance when retreating, or for attacking columns who might be despatched in pursuit of them; and in discussing the manner and direction in which their operations would most alarm and annoy the enemy. it was finally agreed that terence should break up his battalions into three parties. two of these consisted each of half a battalion, strong, and would be under the command of bull and macwitty. each of them would be accompanied by guerillas, who would act as scouts and, in case opportunity should offer, join in any fighting that might take place. the other two half battalions formed the third body, under the command of terence, himself; and would, with the main force of the guerillas, occupy the roads between zamora, salamanca, and valladolid. in this way the french would be harassed at several points, and would find it so difficult to obtain information as to the real strength of the foe that was threatening them, that they would be obliged to send up a considerable force to oppose them; and would hesitate to undertake any serious advance into portugal until the question was cleared up, and their lines of communication assured again. it was agreed, in the first place, that the forces should unite in the mountains west of braganza, between the river esla on the east and tera on the north; affording a strong position from which, in case of any very large force mustering against them, they could retire across the frontier into portugal. terence had been supplied with money, and an authority to give orders on the paymaster's department for such purchases as were absolutely necessary. moras was also well supplied, having not only the money that had been sent him, but the proceeds of a successful attack upon a convoy proceeding to salamanca; in which he had captured a commissariat chest, with a considerable sum of money, besides a large number of cattle and several waggon loads of flour. all these provisions, with some that terence had authority to draw from the stores at miranda, were to be taken to the spot they had chosen as their headquarters in the hills. "you beat me altogether, terence," ryan said as, after all these matters had been arranged, they rode out from the guerilla's camp. "it is only about three months since i saw you. then you could only just get along in spanish. now you are chattering away in it as if you had never spoken anything else, all your life." "well, you see, dick, i knew just enough, when i was taken prisoner, to be able to, as you say, get along in it; and that made all the difference to me. if i had known nothing at all of it, i should not have been able to benefit by my trip with the muleteers in spain. as it was, i was able to talk with them and, as we rode side by side all day; and sat together by a fire for hours, after we had halted when the day's journey was over, we did a tremendous lot of talking; and as you see, i came out, at the end of the month, able to get along really fluently. i, no doubt, make a good many mistakes, and mix a good many portuguese words with my spanish; but that does not matter in the least, so long as one is with friends; although it would matter a good deal if i were trying to pass as a spaniard, among people who might betray me if they found out that i was english. "i see that you have improved in portuguese almost as much as i have in spanish. it is really only the first drudgery that is difficult, in learning a language. when once one makes a start one gets on very fast; especially if one is not afraid of making mistakes. i never care a rap whether i make blunders or not, so that i can but make myself understood." three days later the two bodies were assembled in a valley, about equally distant from miranda and braganza. it had the advantage of being entered, from the east, only through a narrow gorge, which could be defended against a very superior force; while there were two mountain tracks leading from it, by which the force there could be withdrawn, should the entrance be forced. a day was spent by the leaders in making their final arrangements; while the men worked at the erection of a great wall of rocks, twelve feet high and as many thick, across the mouth of the gorge; collecting quantities of stones and rocks, on the heights on either side, to roll down upon any enemy who might endeavour to scale them; while another very strong party built a wall, six feet high, in a great semicircle round the upper mouth of the gorge, so that a column forcing its way through, thus far, would be met by so heavy a fire that they could only debouch into the valley with immense loss. two hundred men of the minho regiment, drawn from terence's party, were to occupy the valley; with three hundred of the guerillas, who would be able to do good service by occupying the heights, while the regular infantry held the newly-erected walls. one of moras' most trusted lieutenants was to command them while, after some discussion, it was arranged that herrara should be in general command of the garrison. the brave fellow was reluctant to remain inactive; but he had been, for some time, seriously unwell, having been laid up for a time with a severe attack of dysentery; and was really unfit for any continued exertion, although he had made light of his illness, and refused to go on the sick list. terence pointed out to him that the command was a very important one. here all the plunder that they might obtain from the enemy would be carried; and if, by means of spies or traitors, the french obtained news of the situation of the post, he might be attacked in great force before the other detachments could arrive to his assistance. as there were four thousand french troops at zamora, it was agreed that no direct attack could be made upon the town. bull with his force was to watch the garrison, attack any detachments that might be sent out--leaving them severely alone when they sallied out in force, and to content himself with outmarching their infantry, and beating off any cavalry attacks. he was, if necessary, to retreat in the direction of their stronghold. macwitty was to occupy the road between zamora and valladolid, while the main body held the roads between both the latter town, and zamora, to salamanca. frequent communication was to be kept up between them, so that either column might speedily be reinforced, if necessary. in the course of a week, the whole country was in a state of alarm. bridges were broken down, roads blocked by deep cuttings across them, convoys attacked, small french posts at tordesillas, fuentelapena, and valparaiso captured--the french soldiers being disarmed, and then taken under an escort to within ten miles of salamanca. toro was entered suddenly, and a garrison of three hundred men taken by surprise, and forced to lay down their arms. the powder, bullocks, and waggons with their stores were sent, by circuitous routes, to the bridge across the douro at miranda, and then up to their stronghold. so vigilant a watch was kept on the roads that no single courier was able to make his way from valladolid to salamanca or zamora and, beyond the fact that the whole country seemed swarming with enemies, the french commanders were in absolute ignorance of the strength of the force that had so suddenly invaded leon. one day a messenger rode in from macwitty to fuentelapena, where terence had his headquarters; saying that a body of french infantry, with cavalry, were on the march from valladolid towards zamora. strong positions had already been selected for the defence, and a bridge broken down at a point where the road crossed a tributary of the douro. terence at once sent ryan with men to reinforce macwitty, and despatched several mounted messengers to find bull, and to tell him to join him on the road, four miles to the east of the point where macwitty was defending the passage of the river. he himself marched directly on that point, crossing the river at tordesillas. he arrived there early in the morning, and found that the french column had passed, late the evening before. at this point the road ran between two hills, several times crossing a stream that wound along the valley. a large number of men were at once set to work, breaking down the bridges and throwing up a breastwork along the bank, where the river made a sharp bend, crossing the valley from the foot of the hills on one side to that of those on the other. while this work was being done cannon shots were heard, then a distant rattle of musketry. terence knew that by this time ryan would have joined macwitty; and moras at once started, with his men and of the portuguese, to threaten the french rear, and make a dash upon their baggage. terence's orders to the officers in command of these two companies were that they were to keep their men well together, and to cover the retreat of the guerillas from cavalry attacks. the firing continued for the next hour and a half, then it suddenly swelled in volume, and amid the rattle could be heard the sound of heavy volleys of musketry. terence had, half an hour before, ridden forward at full speed with four mounted orderlies. when he arrived at a spot where he could survey the scene of combat, he saw that it was more serious than he had anticipated. the guerillas were falling back rapidly, but as soon as they gained the high ground they halted and opened fire upon the cavalry who, scattered over the plain, were pursuing them. his own men were retreating steadily and in good order, facing round and pouring heavy volleys into the french cavalry, as they charged them. the french attack on macwitty had ceased, and terence saw bodies of infantry moving towards the right where, on rising ground, a body of troops about a thousand strong were showing themselves menacingly. he had no doubt for a moment that this was bull's command who, hearing the firing, and supposing that terence was engaged there, had led his command straight to the scene of action. he at once sent an orderly back, at full gallop, to order the men in the valley to come on at the top of their speed; and then rode along the hillside and joined bull, who was now closely engaged with the advancing columns of french. so hot was the fire, from bull's own men and the guerillas, that the two french battalions wavered and came to a halt; and then, breaking into skirmishing order, advanced up the hill. "don't wait too long, bull," terence said. "there is a steeper slope behind you. however, i don't think they will come up very far--not, at least, until they are reinforced. there is another body just starting, and i think we can hold on here until they join the skirmishing line. as soon as they do so, sound the order for the men to fall back." "where are your men, sir?" "they are four miles away, at the spot where i told you to join me. however, the mistake is of no importance. i have sent off for them and, as soon as they arrive and show themselves, i fancy the french will retreat." he tore out a leaf from his pocketbook, and wrote out an order to macwitty: "leave captain ryan with his command to hold the river; and march at once, with the rest of your men, to the ford which we heard of, a mile down the river. cross there, and ascend the hills on the french right; scattering your men so as to make as much show as possible, and menacing the french with attack. tell captain ryan to redouble his fire, so as to prevent the french noticing the withdrawal of your force." this he gave to one of his orderlies, and told him to swim the river and deliver it to major macwitty. when terence had done this, he was able to give his attention to what was passing. across the valley his men had now ascended the hill, and joined the guerillas. the french cavalry, unable to charge up the heights, had fallen back. a column of french, some fifteen hundred strong, were marching in that direction. as he had expected, the skirmishers in front of him were making but little way; evidently halting for the arrival of the reinforcement, which was still more than half a mile distant. the french gunners had been withdrawn from the bank of the river, and were taking up positions to cover the advance of their infantry; and their shot presently came singing overhead--doing no harm, however, to the portuguese, who were lying down on the crest of the swell, and keeping up a steady fire on the french skirmishers. ten minutes later the column was within a short distance of the line of defenders. terence gave the word, and his men retired up another and steeper slope behind; while the guerillas were ordered to remain to keep up a brisk fire, until the french were within thirty yards of the crest, and were then to run back at full speed, and join him above. the portuguese had scarcely taken up their position when a tremendous fire broke out below. a minute later the guerillas were seen rushing up the hill, and close behind them came the french line, cheering loudly. as they appeared the portuguese opened fire, and with such steadiness and precision that the leading files of the french were almost annihilated. but the wave swept upwards and, encouraged by the shouts of their officers, they advanced against the second position. for half an hour an obstinate fight was maintained, the strength of the position neutralizing the effect of the superior numbers of the french. the spaniards fought well, imitating the steadiness of the portuguese and, being for the most part good marksmen, their fire was very deadly; and several determined attacks of the french were beaten off with heavy loss. then, from the valley below, was heard the sound of a bugle. the call was repeated by the bugles of the assailants and, slowly and reluctantly, the french began to fall back. terence looked round. he had from time to time glanced across to the hills opposite, and had seen his men there retiring steadily, and in good order, before the assault of the french; and now he saw that his force from the valley was marching rapidly along the hilltop to their assistance; while away on the french right, macwitty's command, spread out to appear of much greater strength than it really possessed, was moving down the slope, as if to the assault. below, in the valley, a battalion of french infantry with their cavalry and artillery were drawn up, and were evidently only waiting for the return of the two assaulting columns, to join in their retreat. the french commander doubtless supposed that he was caught in a trap. unable to effect the passage of the river, and seeing the stubborn resistance his troops were meeting with on the hills, the arrival of two fresh bodies of the enemy on the scene induced him to believe that the foe were in great force; and that, ere long, he might be completely surrounded. he moved forward slowly, by the road he had come, and was presently joined by the two detached parties. as soon as they moved on, terence sent an orderly at a gallop across the valley, to order macwitty and moras to follow the french along on the hills on their side of the valley, and to harass them as much as possible; while he, with bull's command, kept parallel with them on his side. the french cavalry kept ahead of their column. the leading battalion was thrown out as skirmishers, on the lower slopes of the hills; while the artillery, in the rear, kept up a heavy fire upon the portuguese and spanish, as soon as they were made out on the hills above them. terence kept his men on the crest, and signalled to macwitty to do the same; but the guerillas swarmed down the hillside, and maintained a galling fire on the french column. terence took his men along at the double and, heading the column, descended into the valley at the point they had fortified. here there was a sharp fight. the french cavalry fell back, after suffering heavily. their infantry advanced gallantly and, after a fierce fight, drove the portuguese from their wall and up the hillside. here they maintained a heavy fire, until the column opened out and the french artillery came to the front; when terence at once ordered the men to scatter, and climb the hill at full speed. without attempting to repair the broken bridges, the french infantry crossed the stream breast high, and the cavalry and artillery followed; and terence, seeing that their retreat could not be seriously molested, and that if he attempted to do so, he should suffer very heavily from their artillery, sounded a halt; and the french continued their retreat to valladolid, leaving behind them all their baggage, which they had been unable to get across the stream. terence's force came down from the hills and assembled in the valley. congratulations were exchanged on the success that had attended their efforts. then the roll was at once called, and it was found that a hundred and three men of the minho regiment were missing. there was no roll among the guerillas; but moras's estimate, after counting the number assembled, was, that upwards of two hundred were absent from the ranks, fully half of these having been overtaken and killed by the french cavalry. terence at once sent off two parties of his own men, to the points where the fight had been fiercest. they were to collect the wounded, including those of the french, and to carry them down into the valley; while parties of guerillas searched the hillsides, down to the scene of action, for their comrades who had fallen from the fire of the french artillery and musketry. when the wounded were collected, it was found there were upwards of two hundred french infantry, fifty-nine guerillas, and twenty-four portuguese. the smaller proportion of wounded of the latter being accounted for by the fact that so many had been shot through the head, while lying down to fire at the french as they climbed the hill. two hundred and thirty french soldiers had been killed. terence at once set his men to dig wide trenches, in which the soldiers of the three nationalities were laid side by side. a considerable amount of reserve ammunition being captured in the waggons, the men's cartridge boxes were filled up again, and the rest was packed in a waggon. some of the drivers had cut their traces, but others had neglected to do this, and there were sufficient waggons to carry all the wounded, both friends and enemies, together with a considerable amount of flour. the french wounded were taken to the ford by which macwitty had crossed; and then some of them who had been wounded in the leg and, although unable to walk, were fit to drive, were given the reins and told to take the waggons to zamora, a distance of twelve miles. fifty men were told off to march with them, until within sight of the town; as otherwise they would have assuredly been attacked, and the whole of the wounded massacred by the spanish peasants. the force then broke up again, each column taking as much flour and meat as the men could carry. the remaining waggons and stores were heaped together, and set on fire. long before this was done, they had been rejoined by ryan and his command. he had remained guarding the river until the french had disappeared up the valley, and had then crossed at the ford but, though using all haste, he did not rejoin the force until the whole of the fighting was over. "this has been a good day's work, terence," he said when, that evening, the force had entered tordesillas and quartered themselves there for the night. "you may be sure that the general at valladolid will send messengers to salamanca, giving a greatly exaggerated account of our force; and begging them to send down to marmont, at once, for a large reinforcement. if the couriers make a detour, in the first place, we shall not be able to cut them off." "no, dick, and we wouldn't, if we could. i have no doubt that he will report the force with which his column was engaged as being nearly double what it really is. besides, sharp as we have been, i expect some messengers will, by this time, have got through from zamora. the commandant there will report that a large force is in the neighbourhood of that town; and that, without leaving the place entirely undefended, he has not strength enough to sally out against them. they cannot know that this force and ours have joined hands in the attack on the valladolid column, nor that this represented anything like the whole of the force that have been harrying the country and cutting off detached posts. the fact, too, that this gathering was not a mere collection of guerillas, or of the revolted peasantry; but that there were regular troops among them, in considerable numbers, will have a great effect; and marmont will feel himself obliged, when he gets the news, to send some fifteen or twenty thousand troops up here to clear the country. "now, the first thing to do is to draw up a report of the engagement, and to send it off to wellington. i think that it will be a good thing, dick, for you to carry it yourself. i don't think that there is any fear of your being interrupted on your way to miranda, and as an officer you will be able to get fresh horses, and take the news quicker than an orderly could do; and it is of great importance that the chief should know, as soon as possible, what has taken place here. i shall speak very strongly of your services during the past week, and it is always a good thing for an officer selected to carry the news of a success; and lastly, you can give a much better account of our operations, since we crossed the frontier, than an orderly could do, and wellington may want to send orders back for our future work." "i am game," ryan said, "and thank you for the offer. how long will you be?" "well, it is eight o'clock now, and if you start at midnight it will be soon enough; so if you have finished your supper, you had better lie down on that bed in the next room and get a sleep; for you were marching all last night, and will want some rest before starting on such a journey." chapter : dick ryan's capture. terence wrote two despatches, one giving a full account of the engagement, the other a detail of the work that had been performed since they crossed the frontier. he wrote them in duplicate, so that he might send off another messenger, three hours later; in case, by any chance, ryan failed to reach miranda. he carefully abstained from giving any real account of the strength of the various columns, in each case putting the number at five times their actual strength so that, if the despatches should miscarry, not only would no information be conveyed to the french, but they would be led to believe that the invading force was vastly stronger than they had hitherto supposed. ryan was, of course, to explain, when he delivered the despatches, that the figures must in all cases be divided by five, and the reason why false numbers had been inserted. terence let him sleep until one o'clock, and then roused him. several french horses had been found, straying riderless along the valley; and the best of these was picked out for him. a few minutes later, dick was on his way to miranda. the road by which he was to travel would take him some six miles south of zamora, and the distance to be ridden was between fifty and sixty miles. he knew that he could not do this at a gallop, and went along at a steady pace, sometimes trotting and sometimes cantering. it was now late in september and, at half-past five, it was still dark when ryan approached the spot where the road he was following crossed the main road between zamora and salamanca. he was riding at a canter, when suddenly, to his surprise and consternation, he rode into the midst of a body of cavalry, halted on the main road. the sound of his horse's feet had been heard and, before he could even draw his sword, he was seized and taken prisoner. a french officer rode down the line. "what is the matter?" he asked. "we have taken a prisoner, sir," the sergeant answered. "we heard him coming by this crossroad, and seized him as he rode in among us. he is a soldier--an officer, i should think, from what i can see of him." "who are you, sir?" the french officer said to ryan. the latter saw that concealment was useless. it would soon be light enough for his scarlet uniform to be seen. he therefore replied, in broken french: "my name is ryan. i hold the rank of captain. i was riding to miranda when, unfortunately, i fell in with your troopers as they were halted. i did not hear and, of course, could not see them until i was among them." [illustration: 'search him at once.'] "riding with despatches, no doubt," the officer said. "search him at once, men. he might destroy them." "here they are, sir," ryan said, taking the despatches from inside his jacket. "you need not have me searched. i give you my word of honour, as a british officer, that i have no others on me." "put him in the middle of the troop, sergeant," the officer said. "put a trooper in special charge of him, on each side. unbuckle his reins, and buckle them on to those of the troopers. do you ride behind him, and keep a sharp lookout upon him. it is an important capture." five minutes later, the squadron again started on their way south. ryan, after silently cursing his bad luck at having arrived at the spot just as this body of cavalry were crossing, wondered what evil fortune had sent them there, at that precise moment. he was not long in arriving at a conclusion. the convoy of the french wounded had arrived at zamora, late in the evening; and the commandant, thinking it likely that the enemy, who had hitherto blocked the roads, might have concentrated for the attack on the column, had decided upon sending off a squadron of cavalry to carry the important news he had learned, from the wounded, of the defeat of the column, five thousand strong, coming to his relief from valladolid. the party proceeded at a brisk trot, and, meeting with no resistance, arrived at salamanca by ten o'clock in the morning. the officer in command at once rode with ryan, the latter guarded by four troopers, to the residence of the general. leaving dick with his escort outside, he entered the house, and sent in his name, and the duty with which he was charged, to the general. he was at once shown into his room. "i congratulate you on having got through, captain d'estrelles," the general said, as he entered. "it is ten days since we heard from zamora. we have sent off six messengers, i don't know whether any of them have arrived." "no, sir, none of them. the commandant sent off one or two, every day; and i suppose they, like those you sent, were all stopped." "the whole country seems on fire," the general said. "we have had five or six parties come in here disarmed, who had been captured by the enemy; and it would seem that all our posts on the road to zamora, and on that to valladolid, have been captured. the men could only report that they were suddenly attacked by such overwhelming forces that resistance was impossible. they say that the whole country seems to swarm with guerillas, but there are certainly a considerable number of regular troops among them. what has happened at zamora?" "these despatches will inform you, sir; but i may tell you that we are virtually beleaguered. the country round swarms with the enemy. two or three reconnaissances in force met with the most determined opposition." "are you in communication with valladolid?" "no, sir. our communications were stopped at the same time as those to this town; but i am sorry to say that you will see, by the general's despatch, that a severe disaster has happened to the column coming from valladolid to our relief." the general took the despatch and rapidly perused its contents. "a column five thousand strong, with cavalry and guns, repulsed! the enemy must be in force, indeed. from the estimates we have received from prisoners they released, i thought they must be fully ten thousand strong. i see that the wounded who were sent by moras estimate those engaged with him at twelve thousand; and it is hardly probable that they could, at such short notice, have assembled in anything like their full strength." "i have also to report, general, that we, this morning before daybreak, captured a british officer on his way to miranda, with despatches. we were fortunately halted for the moment, so that he was unaware of our presence until he rode into the midst of us. these are his despatches. i have not opened them." "it is an important capture, indeed," the general said; "that is, if the report contains details of the fighting. its contents may enable us to form a clearer idea than we can, at present, of their numbers." he broke the seal and read the account of the battle. "it is signed t. o'connor, colonel," he said. "the name is well-known to us as that of a very active partisan leader. three of the columns appear to have been commanded by british officers. here we have them: major bull, major macwitty, and captain ryan." "it is captain ryan whom we have made prisoner, sir." "their dispositions appear to have been good, and ably worked out. the bridge across the river had been destroyed, and our crossing was opposed by one column. while we were attempting to force the passage, three more columns attacked us, one on each flank and rear; while a fourth, composed of a portion of the force defending the passage who, as soon as we were fairly engaged with the other columns, crossed the ford lower down, leaving a thousand men to face us on the river bank, advanced against our left. finding themselves thus greatly outnumbered, the column fell back, leaving behind them some five hundred dead and wounded. their passage was closed by the enemy, who had broken down some bridges and thrown a breastwork across the valley; but after sharp fighting they made their way through." he then turned to the other despatch. "this is still more useful," he said. "it is a general report of their proceedings since they crossed the frontier, and gives the number of each column. they total up to twenty-five thousand men; of which some ten thousand seem to be regular troops, the rest guerillas." "do you wish to see the prisoner, sir? he is waiting with the guard, outside." "yes, i might as well see him though, as a point of fact, he can give us no more information than that contained in these reports, which are very full and detailed." "so, sir," he said when ryan was brought in, "you are a british officer." "i am, sir," dick replied quietly. "at present on detached duty, serving on the staff of colonel o'connor." "who is with the guerilla chief, moras," the general said. "yes, sir. the troops under colonel o'connor have been acting in concert with moras, and other forces; much to the advantage of such of your soldiers as fell into our hands, not one of whom has suffered insult or injury; and all have been permitted to go free, after being deprived of their arms. colonel o'connor also sent away all the french wounded who fell into our hands after the battle, in waggons, escorted by a strong body of his troops to within a mile of zamora; in order to protect them from massacre by the peasants." "he behaved, sir, as a british officer would be expected to behave," the general said warmly. "were the war always conducted on the same principle, it would be better for both armies and for the people of this country. i will place you on parole, if you choose." "i thank you, general, but i would rather have my hands free, should i see any opportunity of escaping." "that you are not likely to do," the general said, "for if you refuse to be bound by your parole, i must take measures against your having any of these opportunities that you speak of, until the country is cleared and you can be sent with a convoy to france. i am sorry that you refuse but, as i should do so myself, under similar circumstances, i cannot blame you." accordingly, ryan was taken to a strong prison in the heart of the city; where, however, he was assigned comfortable quarters, a sentry being placed at his door and, as the window that looked into the courtyard was strongly barred, his chances of escape seemed slight, indeed; and he was almost inclined to regret that he had not accepted the general's offer, and given his parole not to attempt to escape. two days later one of moras's men, who belonged to salamanca, went into the town to see some friends, and brought back the news that a british officer had been captured by a party of french dragoons, coming from zamora. he had been seen by many of the townspeople as he sat on his horse, with four troopers round him, at the door of the governor's house. he had been lodged in the city prison. a comparison of dates showed that there could be no doubt that the prisoner was dick ryan, and terence was greatly vexed at his loss. "so far as the despatches go," he said to herrara--who had, on the day before, arrived from their stronghold, which was now safe from attack, "there can be no doubt that it is fortunate rather than otherwise that they have fallen into the hands of the french; for they will give them an altogether exaggerated impression of our strength, and i have no doubt that the orderly who left, two hours later, has got through in safety. still, i am greatly annoyed that ryan has been made prisoner. i miss his services and companionship very much and, if i can possibly get him out, i will do so. i will see moras, and ask him to send the man who brought the news back again, to gather further particulars. i would take the matter in hand myself but, being in command here, i must consider the duty with which i am intrusted before a question of private friendship." moras presently came in to see terence and, when the latter told him what he wanted, he undertook at once to obtain every detail possible as to the place of ryan's confinement. "a number of my men come from the town," he said, "and i will cause inquiries to be made among them, at once; and choose half a dozen, with connections who may be able to assist, and send them into salamanca; with instructions to act in concert, to ascertain whether it is possible to do anything by bribery, to endeavour to communicate with the prisoner, and to devise some plan for his escape from the gaol. "it was a strong place before the french came. it was the city prison; but they took it over, and have used it not only for prisoners of war, but for persons suspected of being in communication with your people, and even for officers of their own army who have been convicted of insubordination or disobedience of orders, or other offences. one of the men i will send, and to whom i shall intrust the general arrangement of the matter, is one of my lieutenants, leon gonzales. he has been a friend of mine since boyhood, and entered as a law student when i went into the college for divinity. he is daring and fearless. he has an excellent head, and a large acquaintance among the young men at the university and, indeed, in all classes of society. he belongs to one of our best families." "yes, of course i know him," terence said. "he has several times come with you, when you have ridden over; and was in command of the detachment that was with me, when we captured the french garrison at tordesillas. i was much pleased with him and, although too occupied to see much of him, i conceived a great liking for him. i should say that he is just the man to manage this business successfully, if it is possible to do so." "at all events, i will despatch him with six other men, whom he may choose himself, this afternoon," moras said. "i had intended him to remain in command of the party we leave here when we march, tonight; but i will hand that over to another." that night the force, with the exception of guerillas and as many of the minho regiment, marched away from the station they occupied to take up a new position, between valladolid and valencia. herrara was to remain behind, in command of the portuguese. these, in conjunction with the guerillas, were to occupy their old positions; stopping all lines of communication, showing themselves in villages and towns hitherto unvisited and, divided into parties of two or three hundred, march rapidly about the country, so that the fact that the main body had moved elsewhere should be unknown to the french authorities, who would therefore believe that the force that was to cut the road north of valladolid was a newly-arrived one. thirty-six hours later terence, with a battalion and a half of his regiment and of moras's guerillas, took up their position in the mountains lying to the east of valencia, between the rivers esqueva and arlanza. from this position they could, with equal facility, come down on the road between valladolid and valencia, or between the latter town and burgos. here for some weeks they maintained themselves, in the first place falling upon convoys from valladolid south and, when these only moved forward under escorts too strong to be attacked, carrying on their operations on the road to burgos. in these raids they obtained an abundance of provisions, a considerable number of arms and much ammunition and, in two or three instances, a large amount of treasure that was being taken forward for the payment of the troops. the provisions and wine were amply sufficient for the support of the force. half the money was set aside for future needs, being divided between the regimental chest of moras and that of the minho regiment. the other half was similarly divided as prize money among the men, a proportion being sent down to herrara, for his command. the operations of the band caused immense annoyance and difficulty to the french. it was no longer possible to travel by the main road from france between burgos and valladolid, and thence down to salamanca or zamora, without the convoys being accompanied by strong bodies of troops. several incursions into the mountains were organized from burgos, which was always a great military centre, aided by detachments from valencia; but these met with no success whatever. on entering the passes they were assailed by a heavy fire from invisible foes. great rocks were rolled down upon them; and when, after much loss, they succeeded in forcing their way up to the hills, no traces of their foe could be discovered. as among moras's guerillas were natives of both burgos and valencia, and these had put themselves in communication with their friends, the band was kept well informed of every movement of the french, and received early intelligence when a convoy, or an expedition into the hills, was on the point of setting out, and of the exact strength of the military force employed. they were, therefore, always prepared either to sally out for an attack on the convoy, or to oppose an expedition as soon as it entered the mountains. their stores were hidden away among rocks, being divided into several portions so that, should the french by fortune or treachery discover one of these, the loss would not cripple them. their greatest enemy was cold. it was now the end of october, and several times snow had fallen, and it was necessary to keep up large fires. this was a double inconvenience. in the first place, the smoke by day and the flames by night might betray the position of their camp; and in the second place, their tracks in the snow, which would speedily cover the hills, would enable the enemy to follow them wherever they moved. it was therefore determined that they could no longer maintain their position there, but must return to the plains. frequent communication had been kept up with herrara, who reported that salamanca was now occupied by so large a force that he was no longer able to maintain his position; and that he had fallen back across the douro, and had established himself in the stronghold, from which he made frequent excursions towards zamora and benavente. to dick ryan, in his prison, the first fortnight had passed slowly. that terence would, as soon as he learned of his capture, make every effort to free him he knew well; but he could not see how he could give him any material aid. the french force at salamanca was far too strong to admit of a possibility of any attempt to rescue him by force, and the barred windows and the sentry seemed to close every chance of communication from without. on the tenth day of his imprisonment, he noticed that the sergeant who brought his food had been changed. "what has become of sergeant pipon?" he asked the non-commissioned officer who filled his place. "he was killed yesterday evening, in the streets," the man replied. "it was not an ordinary broil, for he had half-a-dozen dagger stabs. it is some time since those dogs of spaniards have killed a french soldier in the town, and there is a great fuss over it. the municipality will have to pay , dollars, if they cannot produce his murderer. it is curious, too, for pipon was not a man to get drunk. he did not speak a word of the language, and therefore could not have had a dispute with a spaniard. "we have been ordered to be more vigilant than before. i suppose the authorities think that perhaps there was some attempt to bribe him and, on his seizing the man who made it, some of the fellow's comrades rushed upon him, and killed him." ryan wondered whether the supposition was a correct one, and whether the men concerned had been set at work by terence, in order to effect his release. two days later, on cutting the loaf that formed his day's ration of bread, he found a small piece of paper in its centre. it had evidently been put there before the bread was baked for, although he examined it very closely, he could find no sign in the crust of an incision by which the note might have been inserted. it contained only the words: "keep your eyes open, and be in readiness. friends are working for your release." so terence was at work. evidently the baker had been gained over, but how it had been contrived that this special loaf should have been handed to him he could not imagine; unless one of the men in charge of the distribution of the prison rations had been bribed. that something of the sort must have taken place he was certain and, although he was still unable to imagine how he could be got out of the prison, he felt that, in some way or another, terence would manage it. he thought over the means by which the latter had escaped from the convent, but the laxity that had there prevailed, in allowing people to come in to sell their goods to the prisoners, was not permitted in the prison where he was confined. the prisoners were, indeed, allowed to take exercise for an hour in the courtyard, but no civilian ever entered it, and twelve french soldiers watched every movement of those in the yard, and did not permit a single word to be exchanged. another week passed, and ryan began to fear that his friends outside had abandoned the scheme as impossible, when one day he received another message: "do not undress tonight. on reaching the courtyard, take the first passage to the right. follow it to the end. the bars of the window there have been nearly sawn through. inclosed with this is a saw. finish the work on the middle bars. you will find a cord hanging down outside. friends will be awaiting you." with the note was a very fine steel saw, coiled round and round, and a tiny phial of oil. ryan gave a cry of delight as he read it; and then hid the saw and the oil bottle in his bed, made up the tiny note into a pellet, and swallowed it. as he ate his dinner, he pondered over how so much could have been managed. the courtyard of the prison was, he knew, some ten feet higher than the ground outside. some one must, after nightfall, have climbed up to the passage window and sawn the bars almost asunder, with a saw as fine as the one he had received. the cuts could hardly have been perceptible, and had probably been filled in with dust or black lead, each night, after the work was done. the difficulty must have been great, for he had learned that sentries patrolled the street outside the prison, and the work could only have been carried on for two or three minutes at a time. how he was to get down to the courtyard he knew not, but probably a sentry had been found more amenable to a bribe than the old sergeant had been. to his bitter disappointment the night passed without anything unusual taking place, and the scheme had evidently failed. he broke up his loaf eagerly the next morning; and found, as he expected, another message: "authorities suspicions. sentries changed. must wait till vigilance subsides. keep yourself in readiness." a fortnight passed; and then, in the middle of the night, he leapt suddenly from the bed on which he had thrown himself, without undressing, as he heard the key grating in the door. for a minute or two the sound continued, and his heart sank again. "they have got a key, but it won't fit," he muttered. suddenly he heard the bolt shoot back, and the door quietly opened. "are you ready?" a voice asked in a whisper. "quite ready." "then follow me." ryan had caught up his boots as he leapt from the bed. the man outside had evidently taken the precaution to remove his, for his step was perfectly noiseless. dick followed him downstairs and out into the courtyard. he could then see that the man was not, as he had expected, in uniform; but wore a long cloak and a sombrero, like those in general use among the peasantry. he turned in at the passage that had been indicated to ryan, and stopped at the grated opening at the end. ryan at once took out the saw, poured some oil on it, and passed his nail down the bar until he found a fine nick. clearing this out with the saw, he began to cut. the task was far easier than he had expected, for the bar had been already almost sawn through and, in five minutes, the cut was completed. a couple of feet higher up he found the other incision, and completed it as quietly as before. then he removed the piece cut out, and handed it to the man, who laid it quietly down on the pavement of the passage. in ten minutes the other bar was removed. "i have the cord," the man said, and unwound some ten feet of stout rope from his waist. ryan put his head out through the hole, and looked down. in the darkness he could see nothing, but he heard the heavy tread of two sentries. as the sound of their footsteps faded away in the distance, he heard a sudden exclamation and a slight movement and, a few seconds later, a voice below asked in a whisper: "are you there?" "yes," ryan replied joyfully. putting a noose which was at one end of the rope over the stump of one of the bars, he at once slid down. a moment later, the other man descended after him. "this way, senor," the voice said and, taking his hand, led him across the street; and then, after a quarter of a mile's walk, stopped at the door of a large house. he opened this with a key, and led the way up the stairs to the second floor; opened another door, and said: "enter, senor, you are at home." ryan had noticed that the man who had released him had not followed them, but had turned away as soon as they left the prison. "you are most welcome, senor," his guide said as, opening another door, he led the way into a handsome apartment, where a lamp was burning on the table. "first let me introduce myself," he said. "my name is alonzo santobel, by profession an advocate. i am a friend of don leon gonzales, one of moras's officers, whom i believe you know. he will be here in a minute or two. he has followed us at a distance, to be sure that we were not watched. he enlisted me in this enterprise, and i have gladly given my assistance, which indeed was confined to bringing you here. all the rest he has managed himself, with the aid of six of his men who accompanied him here. he has been longer over it than he had expected, but we had difficulties that we did not anticipate." he spoke in french, but added: "i understand sufficient portuguese to follow anything that you say, senor." "i am indeed grateful to you all," ryan said warmly. "it is good of you, indeed, to run so great a risk for a stranger." "not exactly a stranger, senor, since you are a friend of my friend, leon gonzales." at this moment the door of the room opened, and the officer named entered and warmly shook hands with ryan, and congratulated him cordially on his release. "thanks to you, senor," dick said gratefully. "it has been a matter of duty, as well as pleasure," the other replied courteously; "for moras committed the task of freeing you to my hands." "i have just been telling senor ryan," the other said, "that you found it somewhat more difficult than you expected." "yes, indeed. in the first place, my face is known to so many here and, unhappily, so many spaniards are friends of the french, that i dared not show myself in the streets, in the daytime. and before i tell my story, alonzo, please open a bottle of wine, and produce a box of cigars. our friend has not had a chance of a decent smoke since he has been shut up. "now, senor, i will tell you all about it," he went on, as soon as the glasses were filled and the cigars lighted. "in the first place, one of the men with me has a cousin who works for the baker who contracts for the supply of bread to the prison and, fortunately, it was one of his duties to go with the bread, to hand it over and see it weighed. that simplified affairs amazingly. in the next place, it was necessary to get hold of the soldier who usually handed the bread to the non-commissioned officers, who each took the rations for the prisoners under their special charge. i had been well provided with money and, when the soldier came out one evening, i got into conversation with him. he assented willingly enough to my offer to have a bottle of good wine together. then i opened the subject. "'i believe you distribute the bread rations to the prisoners?" i said. "he nodded. "'i want one special loaf which is rather better bread than the rest, though it looks the same, to reach a prisoner who is a friend of mine. it may be that i shall want two or three such loaves to reach him, and i will not mind paying a hundred francs for each loaf.' "'a hundred francs is a good sum,' he said, 'especially as our pay is generally some months in arrear; and there can be no harm in a prisoner getting one loaf, more than another. but how am i to know which is the loaf?' "'it will be the last the baker's man will deliver to you, my friend. he will give you a wink as he hands it to you, and you will only have to put it on the tray intended for the english prisoner, ryan, when the sergeant comes down to the kitchen for it. but mind, don't make any mistake and put it on the wrong tray.' "'i will be careful,' the soldier said, 'and i don't mind how many loaves you send in, at the same price.' "'very well,' i said. 'here are the hundred francs for the first loaf, which will come not tomorrow morning, but the day after.' "so that part of the business was arranged easily enough; but another attempt, which i had set on foot at the same time, had already failed. my men had discovered who was the sergeant under whose charge you were. he was an old soldier, and i had my doubts whether he could be bribed. one of the men who spoke a little french undertook it, but took the precaution of having three of the others near him, when he attempted it. it was two or three evenings before he could get speech with him in a quiet place, but he managed at last to do so. "'sergeant,' he said, 'do you want to earn as much money, in a day, as your pay would amount to in a year?' "'it depends how it would have to be earned,' the sergeant said cautiously. "'we want to get a friend of ours out of that prison,' the man said, 'and would pay a thousand francs for your assistance.' "the sergeant at once grasped him by the throat. "'you attempt to bribe me!' he exclaimed. 'parbleu! we will hear what the governor says about it;' and he began to drag him along. "there was nothing to be done, and the three other men, who had been standing hidden in a doorway, ran out and poniarded the frenchman before he had time to give the alarm. it was unfortunate, but it was unavoidable. "however, two days later the loaf got safely to you; at least we were assured that it had done so, by the soldier in the kitchen. in the meantime i learned from a man who had been a warder in the prison, before the french took possession of it, that the passage close to the bottom of your staircase terminated at the barred window in the street behind. two of my men undertook to cut the bars. it was no easy matter, for there were sentries outside, and one came along the back every two or three minutes. the men had a light ladder and, directly he had passed, ran across the street, placed it in position, and fell to work. but the constant interferences by the passing of the sentinel annoyed them, and greatly hindered the work. "you see, the sentry had to patrol the lane down one side of the prison, then along behind, and back; so they had only the time taken by him from the corner to the end of the lane, and back, to work. they were so annoyed at this that one night, when the sentry came to be relieved, he was found stabbed to the heart and, as this misfortune happened just after he went on duty, the men managed to file one of the bars that night. curiously enough, the same accident happened two nights later; just as i had arranged, with a spaniard who had enlisted in the french army, that he would aid you to escape. he was a sharp fellow, and had managed to get the key of your room from the peg where it hung, and to take an impression of it in wax, from which we had a key made. "everything was now ready. the other bar was sawn on, the night the accident happened to the second sentry. the next night the spaniard was to be on guard on your staircase, and i sent you a loaf with a message to be in readiness. unfortunately, the second accident aroused the suspicion of the authorities that these affairs had something to do with the escape of a prisoner. accordingly, the sentries outside were doubled, two men patrolling together and, that evening, the guards were suddenly changed. "it was evident that, for a time, nothing could be done. for nearly a fortnight this dodging about of the guard continued; then, as all was quiet, things went back to their old course. four sentries were taken off, the others going about two together, each pair taking two sides of the prison. this morning my spaniard who, as he was on duty at night, was able to come out into the town early, told the man who had arranged the affair with him that he would be on night duty; and would manage to take his place among the guards so that, when they arrived at your door, he should be the one to be left there. as the bread had been already sent in, i had no opportunity to warn you." "i suppose the spanish soldier you bribed has deserted?" "certainly. there was nothing else for him to do. he had that long cloak under his military greatcoat, and the sombrero flattened inside it so that, before opening your door, he had only to stand his musket in the corner, laying his greatcoat and shako by it, and he was in a position to go through the streets, anywhere, as a civilian. he has been well paid and, as he was already heartily tired of the french service, he jumped at the offer we made him." after chatting for some time longer, and obtaining some more details of the proceedings of the rescue party, ryan and gonzales lay down for a few hours' sleep on the couches in the room; while their host turned into his bed, which he had vainly attempted to persuade one or other to accept. chapter : back with the army. ryan remained four days in the flat occupied by don alonzo santobel. leon gonzales had left, before daybreak, to regain the house where he was staying, with one of his friends, before the discovery of the escape of a prisoner was made. the affair was certain to cause great excitement, and there was no doubt that everyone leaving the town would be strictly examined at the gates and, not improbably, every house would be searched, and an order issued that no one would be allowed to be out at night, after ten o'clock, without a military pass. three soldiers had been in turn assassinated, and one had deserted, a prisoner had been released; and there were evidently several persons concerned in the matter, and it would not improbably be guessed, by the authorities, that the actors in the plot were agents of the british officer in command of the troops that had given them such trouble over the whole province between burgos and salamanca. don alonzo gave his manservant, on whose fidelity he could rely, permission to go into the country for ten days to visit his relations; and ryan was installed in his place, and dressed in a suit of his clothes; but was not to open the door to visitors, the spaniard himself doing so, and mentioning to those who called that his servant had gone on his holiday. the french, indeed, instituted a strict search among the poorer quarters. but the men who had accompanied don leon were all dressed as villagers, who had come into the town from fear of being attacked by the guerillas and their allies and, as the people with whom they stayed all vouched for their story, and declared with truth that they were relatives, none of them were molested. for four days all persons passing out of the gates were examined but, at the end of that time, matters resumed their ordinary course; and don leon and his followers all quitted the town soon after the market closed, carrying with them empty baskets, as if they were countrymen who had disposed of the produce they had brought in. clothes of the same kind were procured for ryan and, the day after his friends had left he, too, went through the gate, going out with several peasants who were returning home. one of leon's followers had taken out his uniform in his basket; with a cloth thrown over it, on which were placed some articles of crockery which he had apparently bought for his use at home. ryan had been carefully instructed as to the road he should follow and, four miles out from the city, he turned down a by-path. he kept on for a mile and a half, and then came to a farmhouse, standing alone. as he approached, leon came out to meet him, and shook him warmly by the hand. "i have been feeling very anxious about you," he said. "we got through yesterday unquestioned, but the officer at the gate today might have been a more particular sort of fellow, and might have taken it into his head to question any of those who came out. the others all went on at once, but we will keep quiet until nightfall. i left my horse here when i came in; which i could do safely, for the farm belongs to me, and the farmer has been our tenant for the last thirty years. there is a horse for you here, also. "i have got the latest intelligence as to where the french are lying. they have a strong force at tordesillas; but this won't matter to us, for i got a message from moras, yesterday, saying that the hills are now all covered with snow, and that the whole force would march, today, for their old quarters in the valley near miranda. so we sha'n't have to cross the river to the north, but will keep on this side and cross it at miranda, or at some ford near. the column that was operating round zamora fell back behind the esla, a fortnight since; for four thousand of the french reinforcements from the south had reached zamora, and strong parties of their cavalry were scouting over the whole of the country round." ryan had already heard how the road between valladolid and burgos had been interrupted, and several convoys cut off and captured. he was glad to find, however, that no serious fighting had taken place while he had been a prisoner. after nightfall they started on their journey. they travelled sixty miles that night. the farmer's son, a young fellow of twenty, who knew the country thoroughly, accompanied them on horseback for the first twenty miles, to set them on their way. the road they followed ran almost parallel to the tormes, all the bridges over that river being, as they learned, held by strong parties of french troops; posted there to prevent any bodies of the spaniards crossing it, and placing themselves between salamanca and ciudad rodrigo. when morning broke they were within five miles of the douro, and entered the wood where they intended to pass the day, as they were unaware whether any french troops were stationed along the river. both were still dressed as countrymen, and leon went in the afternoon to a little hamlet, half a mile from the wood. there he learned that french were encamped at a village, a mile from the bridge at miranda. but one of the peasants, on leon's telling him that he was a lieutenant of moras, offered to guide them to a ford, of whose existence he did not think the french were aware. it was seldom used, as it could only be forded in very dry seasons; but as the water now was, it would only be necessary to swim their horses a distance of a few yards. the two friends slept a great part of the day and, as the sun set, finished the provisions they had brought with them, and were ready to start when, two hours later, their guide arrived from the village. his information proved correct. he led them straight to the ford, which they found unguarded and, rewarding him handsomely for his trouble, swam across and, an hour later, entered miranda and put up at a small inn. they mounted early the next morning and, in the afternoon, after a three hours' ride across the mountains, came down into the valley; where their arrival excited much enthusiasm among the troops, the garrison having been joined by macwitty's column. "i cannot say that i was not expecting to see you, captain ryan," macwitty said, as he shook hands heartily; "for i heard, from the colonel, that don leon had started with a party to try and get you out of prison, and that he was sure he would accomplish it, if it were at all possible. i am expecting him here in a day or two, with the rest of the regiment; for i had a message two days ago from him, saying that it was too cold to remain on the hills any longer, and that he should start on the day after the messenger left. of course the messenger was mounted; but our men can march as far, in a day, as a man can ride, and are sure to lose no time. they would take the leon road for some distance, then strike off and cross the upper esla at maylorga, follow the road down, avoiding benavente, cross the tera at vega, take the track across the mountains, and come down into the valley from above. he said that he should only bring such stores as they would be able to carry on the march, and that he hoped to get here before the french were aware that he had left the mountains." late in the afternoon leon's followers arrived. they had travelled at night, so as to avoid being questioned by the french cavalry, who were scattered all over the country. ryan was glad to see the men who had risked so much for him, and very pleased to be able to exchange his peasant's clothes for his uniform. the next morning, he and leon mounted and rode by the track by which terence would arrive, and met him halfway between vega and the camp. the greeting was a hearty one, indeed and, as ryan shook hands with moras, he said: "i cannot tell you, senor, how much i am indebted to don leon for the splendid way in which he managed my rescue. nothing could have been more admirably contrived, or better carried out. it certainly seemed to me, after i had been there a day or two, that a rescue was simply impossible; though i knew that colonel o'connor would do his best to get me out, as soon as he learned that i was captured." "i gave you credit for better sense, dick, than to ride right into the hands of the french," terence said, as he and ryan rode on together at the head of the column. "i think you would have done it yourself, terence. the night was dark, and i could not see ten yards ahead of me. if they had been on the march, of course, i should have heard them; but by bad luck they had halted just across the road i was following. it was very fortunate that you put all the numbers wrong in your despatches, and i can tell you it was a mighty comfort to me to know that you had done so; for i should have been half mad at the thought that they had got at your real strength, which would have entirely defeated the object of our expedition. as it was, i had the satisfaction of knowing that the capture of the despatches would do more good than harm. "did the man who followed me get through?" "yes, he kept his eyes open, dicky," terence said. "he returned ten days later, with a letter from the adjutant general, saying that the commander-in-chief was highly satisfied with my reports; and that the forward movement of the french had ceased and, at several points, their advanced troops had been called in. spies had brought news that ten thousand men, under general drouet, had marched for salamanca; and that reports were current in the french camp that a very large force had crossed the frontier, at the northeastern corner of portugal, with the evident design of recovering the north of leon, and of cutting the main line of communication with france. "he added that he trusted that i should be able to still further harass the enemy, and cause him to send more reinforcements. he said that, doubtless, i should be very shortly driven back into portugal again; but that he left the matter entirely to my judgment, but pointed out that, if i could but maintain myself for another fortnight, the winter would be at hand; when the passes would be blocked with snow, and marmont could no longer think of invading portugal in force. as it is now more than a month since that letter was written, and certainly further reinforcements have arrived, i think the chief will be well satisfied with what we have done. i have sent off two letters since then, fully reporting on the work we have been at between burgos and valladolid; but whether they have reached him, i cannot tell." "macwitty has one despatch for you. he tells me it came nearly a fortnight ago; but that he had, at that time, been compelled to fall back behind the esla; and that, as the country beyond swarmed with parties of the french cavalry, he thought that no messenger could get through, and that great harm might result were the despatches to fall into the hands of the enemy." "well, i daresay it will keep, dick, and that no harm will have been done by my not receiving it sooner. "now, tell me all about your escape. were you lodged in our old convent?" "i had no such luck, terence. i was in the city prison, in the centre of the town; and my window, instead of looking out into the street, was on the side of the courtyard. the window was strongly barred, no civilians were allowed to enter the prison, and i think that even you, who have a sort of genius for escapes, would have found it, as i did, simply impossible to get away." "no, the lookout was certainly bad; and you had none of the advantages we had, at bayonne, of being guarded by friendly soldiers. if i had, at salamanca, not been able to make friends with a spanish girl-- "well, tell me all about it." ryan gave full details of the manner in which don gonzales had contrived his escape. "that was well managed, indeed," terence said. "splendidly done. leon is a trump. he ought to have been born an irishman, and to have been in our regiment. i don't know that i can give him higher praise than that." on their arrival in the valley, they found that another courier had returned, half an hour before. both despatches expressed the commander-in-chief's extreme satisfaction with the manner in which terence had carried out his instructions. "the employment of your force in cutting the main road between valladolid and valencia, and between the latter place and burgos; while at the same time you maintained a hold on the country south of the douro, thus blocking the roads from salamanca both to zamora and valladolid, was in the highest degree deserving of commendation. the garrisons of all the towns named were kept in a state of constant watchfulness, and so great was the alarm produced that another division followed that of drouet. this has paralyzed marmont. as snow has already begun to fall among the mountains, it is probable that he will soon go into winter quarters. your work, therefore, may be considered as done and, as your position in the mountains must soon become untenable, it would be well if you, at once, withdraw all your forces into portugal." moras also received a despatch signed by lord wellington himself, thanking him warmly for the services he had rendered. "i may say, sir, that yours is the first case, since i have had the honour to command the british force in the peninsula, that i have received really valuable assistance from a body of irregular troops; and that i am highly sensible of the zeal and ability which you have shown in cooperating with colonel o'connor, a service which has been of extreme value to my army. i must also express my high gratification, not only with the conduct of the men under your command when in action, but at the clemency shown to french prisoners; a clemency, unfortunately, very rare during the present war. i shall not fail to express, to the central spanish authorities, my high appreciation of your services. i have given orders to the officer commanding the detachment of british troops at miranda that, should you keep your force together near the frontier, he will, as far as possible, comply with any request you may make for supplies for their use." moras was highly gratified with this despatch. "i shall," he said, "stay in this valley for the winter; but i shall not keep more than a hundred, or a hundred and fifty men with me. the peasants will disperse to their homes. those remaining with me will be the inhabitants of the towns; who could not safely return, as they might be denounced by the spanish spies, in french pay, as having been out with me. we have plenty of supplies stored up here to last us through the winter." terence at once sent off a report of his return, and an acknowledgment of the receipt of the despatches from headquarters and, the next day, in obedience to his orders, marched with his regiment across the frontier, and established himself in miranda. the answer came in five days. it was brief. "on receipt of this colonel o'connor will march, with the regiment under his command, to pinhel; and there report himself to general crawford." terence had ridden over, the afternoon before, to the valley; where he found that but two hundred of the guerillas remained. fifty of these were on the point of leaving, the rest would remain with moras through the winter. on arrival at pinhel after three days' marching, he reported himself to general crawford. the general himself was absent but, from the head of his staff, he received an order on the quartermaster's department. tents for his men were at once given him, and a spot pointed out for their encampment. six regiments were, he heard, in the immediate neighbourhood; and among them he found, to his great joy, were the mayo fusiliers. as soon as the tents were erected, rations drawn, and a party despatched to obtain straw for bedding from the quartermaster's department, terence left herrara and the two majors to see that the troops were made comfortable, and then rode over with ryan to the camp of the fusiliers. they were received with the heartiest welcome by the colonel and officers; in whose ranks, however, there were several gaps, for the regiment had suffered heavily at fuentes d'onoro. "so you have been taken prisoner again, terence!" captain o'grady exclaimed; "sure, it must be on purpose you did it. anyone may get taken prisoner once; but when it happens twice, it begins to look as if he was fonder of french rations than of french guns." "i didn't think of it in that light, o'grady; but now you put it so, i will try and not get caught for the third time." "we heard of your return, of course, and that you had gone straight with your regiment to miranda. we had a line from dicky, the day before he started; and mighty unkind we have thought it that neither of you have sent us a word since then, and you with nothing to do at all, at all; while we have been marching and countermarching, now here and now there, now backwards and now forwards, ever since fuentes d'onoro, till one's legs were ready to drop off one." "give someone else a chance to put in a word, o'grady," the colonel said. "here we are, all dying to know how o'connor slipped through the hands of the french again; and sorra a word can anyone get in, when your tongue is once loosened. if you are not quiet, i will take him away with me to my own quarters; and just ask two or three men, who know how to hold their tongue, to come up and listen to his story." "i will be as silent as a mouse, colonel dear," o'grady said, humbly; "though i would point out that o'connor, being a colonel like yourself, and in no way under your orders, might take it into his head to prefer to stop with us here, instead of going with you. "now, terence, we are all waiting for your story. why don't you go on?" "because, as you see, i am hard at work eating, just at present. we have marched twenty miles this morning, with nothing but a crust of bread at starting; and the story will keep much better than luncheon." terence did not hurry himself over his meal but, when he had finished, he gave them particulars of his escape from salamanca, his journey down to cadiz, and then round by lisbon. "i thought there would be a woman in it, terence," o'grady exclaimed. "with a soft tongue, and a presentable sort of face, and impudence enough for a whole regiment, it was aisy for you to put the comhether on a poor spanish girl, who had never had the good luck to meet an officer of the mayo fusiliers before. sure, i have always said to meself that, if i was ever taken prisoner, it would not be long before some good-looking girl would take a fancy to me, and get me out of the french clutches. sure, if a young fellow like yourself, without any special recommendations except a bigger share of impudence than usual, could manage it; it would be aisy, indeed, for a man like meself, with all the advantages of having lost an arm in battle, to get round them." there was a shout of laughter round the table, for o'grady had, as usual, spoken with an air of earnest simplicity, as if the propositions he was laying down were beyond question. "you must have had a weary time at miranda, since you came back, o'connor," the colonel said, "with no one there but a wing of the th." "i don't suppose they were to be pitied, colonel," doctor o'flaherty laughed. "you may be sure that they kept miranda lively, in some way or other. trust them for getting into mischief of some sort." "there is no saying what we might have done if we had, as you suppose, been staying for the last two months at miranda; but in point of fact that has not been the case. we have been across the frontier, and have been having a pretty lively time of it--at least i have, for dick has spent a month of it inside a french prison." "what!" the major exclaimed, "were you with that force that has been puzzling us all, and has been keeping the french in such hot water that, as we hear, marmont was obliged to give up his idea of invading portugal, and had to hurry off twenty thousand men, to save salamanca and valladolid from being captured? nobody has been able to understand where the army sprung from, or how it was composed. the general idea was that a division from england must have landed, at either oporto or vigo, or that it must have been brought round from sicily; for none of our letters or papers said a word about any large force having sailed from england. not a soul seemed to know anything about it. i know a man on crawford's staff, and he assured me that none of them were in the secret. "a french officer, who was brought in a prisoner a few days since, put their numbers down at twenty-five thousand, at least; including, he said, a large guerilla force. he said that zamora had been cut off for a long time, that the country had been ravaged, and posts captured almost at the gates of salamanca; and that communications had been interrupted, and large convoys captured between burgos and valladolid; and that one column, five thousand strong, had been very severely mauled, and forced to fall back. this confirmed the statements that we had before heard, from the peasantry and the french deserters. now there is a chance of penetrating the mystery, which has been a profound puzzle to us here, and indeed to the whole army. "the officer taken seemed to consider that the regular soldiers were portuguese; but of course that was nonsense. beresford's troops were all with him down south and, as to any other portuguese army, unless wellington has got one together as secretly as he got up the lines of torres vedras, the thing is absurd. besides, who had ever heard of portuguese carrying on such operations as these, without having a lot of our men to stiffen them, and to set them a good example?" terence did not, at once, answer. looking round the table he saw that, in place of the expressions of amusement with which the previous conversation had been listened to, there was now, on every face, a deep and serious interest. he glanced at ryan, who was apparently absorbed in the occupation of watching the smoke curling up from his cigar. at last he said: "i fear, major, that i cannot answer your question. i may say that i have had no specific orders to keep silence but, as it seems that the whole matter has been kept a profound secret, i do not think that, unless it comes out in some other way, i should be justified in saying anything about it. "i think that you will agree with me, ryan." dick nodded. "yes, i agree with you that it would be best to say nothing about it, till we hear that the facts are known. what has been done once, may be done again." "quite so, dick. i am glad that you agree with me. "however, there can be no objection to your giving an account of your gallant charge into the middle of the french cavalry, and the story of your imprisonment and escape. "i am sure, colonel, that it will be a source of gratification to you, to know that one of your officers dashed, single handed, right into the midst of a french squadron." ryan laughed. "i am afraid the interest in the matter will be diminished, colonel, when i mention that the charge was executed at night, and that i was ignorant of the vicinity of the french until i rode into the middle of them." there was again a general laugh. "i was on my way with despatches for lord wellington," he went on, "when this unfortunate business happened." "that was unfortunate, indeed, ryan," the colonel said. "they did not capture your despatches, i hope?" "indeed and they did, colonel. they had fast hold of me before i could as much as draw my sword. they, however, gained very little by them for, knowing that it was possible i might be captured, the despatches had been so worded that they would deceive, rather than inform, anyone into whose hands they might fall; though of course, i had instructions to explain the matter, when i delivered them safely." then he proceeded to give a full account of his rescue from the prison of salamanca. this was listened to with great interest. "it was splendidly managed," the colonel said, when he had brought his story to an end. "it was splendidly managed. terence himself could not have done it better. well, you are certainly wonderfully handy at getting into scrapes. why, you have both been captured twice, and both times got away safely. "when i gave you your commission, terence, i thought that you and ryan would keep things alive; but i certainly did not anticipate that you would be so successful, that way, as you have been." "i have had very little to do with it, colonel," ryan said. "no, i know that at athlone terence was the ringleader of all the mischief that went on. still, you were a good second, ryan; that is, if that position does not really belong to o'grady." "is it me, colonel?" o'grady said, in extreme surprise, and looking round the table with an air of earnest protest, "when i was always lecturing the boys?" "i think, o'grady, your manner of lecturing was akin to the well-known cry: "'don't throw him into the pond, boys.'" at this moment there was a sound of horses drawing up in front of the house. "it is the general and his staff," one of the ensigns said, as he glanced through the window. the table had been cleared, but there was a sudden and instant rush to carry away bottles and glasses to hiding places. newspapers were scattered along the table and, when the door opened half a minute later and the general entered, followed by his staff, the officers of the mayo fusiliers presented an orderly and even studious appearance. they all rose and saluted, as the general entered. "i hope i am not disturbing you, gentlemen," general crawford said gravely, but with a sly look of amusement stealing across his rugged face; "i am glad to see you all so well employed. there is no doubt that the irish regiments are greatly maligned. on two or three occasions, when i have happened to call upon their officers, i have uniformly found them studying the contents of the newspapers. your cigars, too, must be of unusually good quality, for their odour seems mingled with a faint scent of--what shall i say? it certainly reminds me of whisky though, as i see, that must be but fancy on my part. however, gentlemen, i have not come in to inspect your mess room, but to speak to colonel o'connor," and he looked inquiringly round. terence at once stepped forward, and again saluted. the general, whom terence had not before met, looked him up and down, and then held out his hand. "i have heard of you many times, colonel o'connor. general hill has talked to me frequently of you and, not long since, when i was at headquarters, lord wellington himself spoke to me for some time about you, and from his staff i learned other particulars. that you were young, i knew; but i was not prepared to find one who might well pass as a junior lieutenant, or even as an ensign. this was the regiment that you formerly belonged to; and as, on sending across to your corps, i learned that you were here, i thought it as well to come myself to tell you, before your comrades and friends, that i have received from headquarters this morning a request from the adjutant general to tell you personally, when you arrived, the extreme satisfaction that the commander-in-chief feels at the services that you have rendered. "when i was at headquarters the other day, i was shown the reports that you have, during the last six weeks, sent in; and am therefore in a position to appreciate the work you have done. it is not too much to say that you have saved portugal from invasion, have paralyzed the movements of the french, and have given to the commander-in-chief some months in which to make his preparations for taking the field in earnest, in the spring. "has colonel o'connor told you what he has been doing?" he said suddenly, turning to colonel corcoran. "no, general. in answer to our questions he said that, as it seemed the matter had been kept a secret, he did not feel justified in saying anything on the subject, until he received a distinct intimation that there was no further occasion for remaining silent." "you did well, sir," the general said, again turning to terence, "and acted with the prudence and discretion that has, with much dash and bravery, distinguished your conduct. as, however, the armies have now gone into winter quarters; and as a general order will appear, today, speaking of your services, and i have been commissioned purposely to convey to you lord wellington's approval, there is no occasion for further mystery on the subject. "the force whose doings have paralyzed the french, broken up their communications, and compelled marmont to detach twenty thousand men to assist at least an equal force in salamanca, zamora, valladolid, and valencia, has consisted solely of the men of colonel o'connor's regiment; and about an equal number of guerillas, commanded by the partisan moras. i need not tell you that a supreme amount of activity, energy, and prudence, united, must have been employed thus to disarrange the plans of a french general, commanding an army of one hundred thousand men, by a band of two battalions of portuguese, and a couple of thousand undisciplined guerillas. it is a feat that i, myself, or any other general in the british army, might well be proud to have performed; and too much praise cannot be bestowed upon colonel o'connor, and the three british officers acting under his command; of all whose services, together with those of his portuguese officers, he has most warmly spoken in his reports. "and now, colonel, i see that there are on your mess table some dark rings that may, possibly, have been caused by glasses. these, doubtless, are not very far away, and i have no doubt that, when i have left, you will very heartily drink the health of your former comrade--i should say comrades, for i hear that captain ryan is among you. "which is he?" ryan stepped forward. "i congratulate you also, sir," he said. "colonel o'connor has reported that you have rendered great services, since you were attached to him as adjutant; and have introduced many changes which have added to the efficiency and discipline of the regiment. my staff, as well as myself, will be very pleased to make the personal acquaintance of colonel o'connor and yourself, and i shall be glad if you will both dine with me today-- "and if you, colonel corcoran, will accompany them. "tomorrow i will inspect the minho regiment, at eleven o'clock; and you will then introduce to me your lieutenant colonel and your two majors, who have all so well carried out your instructions." so saying, he shook hands with the colonel, terence, and ryan and, with an acknowledgment of the salutes of the other officers, left the room with his staff. "if a bullet does not cut short his career in some of his adventures," he said to colonel corcoran, who had accompanied him, "o'connor has an extraordinary future before him. his face is a singular mixture of good temper, energy, and resolute determination. there are many gallant young officers in the army, but it is seldom that reckless bravery and enterprise are joined, as in his case, with prudence and a head to plan. he cannot be more than one-and-twenty, so there is no saying what he may be, when he reaches forty. trant is an excellent leader, but he has never accomplished a tithe of what has been done by that lad." the general having left the room, the officers crowded round terence. but few words were said, for they were still so surprised, at what they had heard, as to be incapable of doing more than shake him warmly by the hand, and pat him on the shoulder. ryan came in for a share in this demonstration. the colonel returned at once, after having seen the general ride off. "faith, terence," he said, "if justice were done, they would make me a general for putting you into the army. i have half a mind to write to lord wellington, and put in a claim for promotion on that ground. "what are you doing, o'grady?" he broke off, as that officer walked round and round terence, scrutinizing him attentively, as if he had been some unknown animal. "i am trying to make sure, colonel, that this is really terence o'connor, whom i have cuffed many a time when he was a bit of a spalpeen, with no respect for rank; as you yourself discovered, colonel, in the matter of that bird he fastened in the plume of your shako. he looks like him, and yet i have me doubts. "is it yerself, terence o'connor? will you swear to it on the testiments?" "i think i can do that, o'grady," terence laughed. "you see, i have done credit to your instructions." "you have that. i always told you that i would make a man of you, and it is my instruction that has done it. "how i wish, lad," he went on, with a sudden change of voice, "that your dear father had been here this day! faith, he would have been a proud man. ah! it was a cruel bullet that hit him, at vimiera." "ay, you may well say that, o'grady," the colonel agreed. "have you heard from him lately, terence?" "no, colonel. it's more than four months since i have had a letter from him. of course, he always writes to me to headquarters but, as i only stopped there a few hours, on my way from lisbon to join the regiment, i stupidly forgot to ask if there were any letters for me; and of course there has been no opportunity for them to be forwarded to me, since. however, they will know in a day or two that i have arrived here, and will be sure to send them on, at once." "now, let's hear all about it, o'connor, for at present we have heard nothing but vague rumours about the doings of this northern army of yours, beyond what the general has just said." "but first, colonel, if you will permit me to say so," o'grady put in, "i would propose that general crawford's suggestion, as to the first thing to be done, should be carried out; and that the whisky keg should be produced again. "we have a good stock, terence, enough to carry us nearly through the winter." "then it must be a good stock, indeed, o'grady," terence laughed. "you see, the general was too sharp for us." "that he was but, as a scotchman, he has naturally a good nose for whisky. he is a capital fellow. hot tempered and obstinate as he undoubtedly is, he is as popular with his division as any general out here. they know that, if there is any fighting to be done, they are sure to have their share and more and, except when roused, he is cheery and pleasant. he takes a great interest in his men's welfare, and does all that he can to make them as comfortable as possible; though, as they generally form the advanced guard of the army, they necessarily suffer more than the rest of us." by this time the tumblers were brought out, from the cupboards into which they had been so hastily placed on the general's arrival. half a dozen black bottles were produced, and some jugs of water, and terence's health was drunk with all the honours. three cheers were added for dicky ryan, and then all sat down to listen to terence's story. chapter : ciudad rodrigo. "before o'connor begins," the colonel said, "you had better lay, on the table in front of you, the pocket maps i got from lisbon for you last year, after o'connor had lectured us on the advantages of knowing the country. "i can tell you, terence, they have been of no small use to us since we left torres vedras; and i think that even o'grady could pass an examination, as to the roads and positions along the frontier, with credit to himself. "i think, gentlemen, that you who have not got your maps with you would do well to fetch them. you will then be able to follow colonel o'connor's story, and get to know a good deal more about the country where, i hope, we shall be fighting next spring, than we should in any other way." several of the officers left the room, and soon returned with their maps. "i feel almost like a schoolmaster," terence laughed. "but indeed, as our work consisted almost entirely of rapid marching, which you would scarcely be able to follow without maps, it may really be useful, if we campaign across there, to know something of the roads, and the position of the towns and villages." then he proceeded to relate all that had taken place, first describing the incidents of the battle, and their work among the mountains. "you understand," he said, "that my orders were not so much to do injury to the enemy, as to deceive him as to the amount of our force, and to lead them to believe it to be very much stronger than it really was. this could only be done by rapid marches and, as you will see, the main object was to cut all his lines of communication, and at the same time to show ourselves, in force, at points a considerable distance apart. to effect this we, on several occasions, marched upwards of sixty miles in a day; and upwards of forty, several days in succession; a feat that could hardly be accomplished except by men at once robust, and well accustomed to mountain work, and trained to long marches; as those of my regiment have been, since they were first raised." then taking out a copy of his report, he gave in much fuller detail than in the report, itself, an account of the movements of the various columns and flying parties, during the first ten days; and then, more briefly, their operations between burgos and valladolid, ending up by saying: "you see, colonel, there was really nothing out of the way in all this. we had the advantage of having a great number of men who knew the country intimately; and the cutting of all their communications, the exaggerated reports brought to them by the peasants, and the maintenance of our posts round salamanca and zamora while we were operating near burgos and valladolid, impressed the commanders of these towns with such an idea of our strength, and such uneasiness as to their communications that, after the reverse to their column, none of them ever ventured to attack us in earnest." "that is no doubt true," the colonel said, "but to have done all this when--with the reinforcements sent up, and the very strong garrison at four of the towns, to say nothing of the division of burgos--they had forty thousand men disposable, is a task that wanted a head well screwed on. i can see how you did it; but that would be a very different thing to doing it, oneself. "however, you have taught us a great deal of the geography of the country between the frontier and burgos, and it ought to be useful. if i had received an order, this afternoon, to march with the regiment to tordesillas, for example, i should have known no more where the place stood, or by what road i was to go to it, than if they had ordered me to march to jericho. now i should be able to go straight for it, by the shortest line. i should cross the roads at points at which we were not likely to be attacked, and throw out strong parties to protect our flanks till we had passed; and should feel that i was not stumbling along in the dark, and just trusting to luck." "now, colonel, we must be off to our own quarters," terence said. "we have been too long away now and, if i had not known that herrara and the majors were to be trusted to do their work--and in fact they did it well, without my assistance, all the time i was away prisoner--i could not have left them, as i did, half an hour after they had encamped." the next morning terence received a copy of the orders of the day of the division, at present, under general crawford's command; together with the general orders of the whole army, from headquarters. in the latter, to which terence first turned, was a paragraph: "lord wellington expresses his great satisfaction at the exceptional services rendered by the minho portuguese regiment, under its commander captain t. o'connor, of the headquarter staff, bearing the rank of colonel in the portuguese army. he has had great pleasure in recommending him to the commander-in-chief for promotion in the british army. he has also to report very favourably the conduct of lieutenant ryan, of the mayo fusiliers, and ensigns bull and macwitty, all attached for service to the minho regiment; and shall bring before general lord beresford that of lieutenant colonel herrara, of the same regiment." in the divisional orders of the day appeared the words: "in noticing the arrival of the minho portuguese regiment, under the command of colonel terence o'connor, to join the division temporarily under his command, general crawford takes this opportunity of congratulating colonel o'connor on the most brilliant services that his regiment has performed, in a series of operations upon the spanish side of the frontier." four days later, terence received two letters from home. these were written after the receipt of that sent off by him on his arrival at cadiz, narrating his escape. his father wrote: "my dear terence, "your letter, received this morning, has taken a heavy load off our minds. of course, we saw the despatches giving particulars of the battle of fuentes d'onoro--which, by the way, seems to have been rather a confused sort of affair, and the enemy must have blundered into it just as we did; only as they were all there, and we only came up piecemeal, they should have thrashed us handsomely, if they had known their business. well, luck is everything and, as you have had a good deal more than your share of it since you joined, one must not grumble if the jade has done you a bad turn this time. "however, as you have got safely out of their hands, you have no reason for complaint. still, you had best not try the thing too often. next time you may not find a good-looking girl to help you out. by the way, you don't tell us whether she was good looking. mention it in your next; mary is very curious about it. "we are getting on capitally here and, i can tell you, the old place looks quite imposing, and i was never so comfortable in my life. we have as much company as i care for, and scarce a day passes but some young fellow or other rides over, on the pretence of talking over the war news with me. but i am too old a soldier to be taken in, and know well enough that mary is the real attraction. "my leg has now so far recovered that i can sit a horse; but though i ride with your cousin, when the hounds meet anywhere near, i cannot venture to follow; for if i got a spill, it might bring on the old trouble again, and lay me up for a couple of years. i used to hope that i should get well enough to be able to apply to be put on full pay again. but i feel myself too comfortable, here, to think of it; and indeed, until i have handed mary to someone else's keeping, it would of course be impossible, and i have quite made up my mind to be moored here for the rest of my life. but to return. "of course, as soon as i saw you were missing, i wrote to an old friend on the general staff at dublin, and asked him to write to the horse guards. the answer came back that it was known that you had been taken prisoner, and that you were wounded, but not severely. you were commanding the rear face of the square into which your regiment had been thrown, when your horse, which was probably hit by a bullet, ran away with you into the ranks of the enemy's cavalry. after that we were, of course, more comfortable about you, and mary maintained that you would very soon be turning up again, like a bad penny. "i need not say that we are constantly talking about you. now, take care of yourself, terence. bear in mind that, if you get yourself killed, there will be no more adventures for you--at least, none over which you will have any control. your cousin has just expressed the opinion that she does not think you were born to be shot; she thinks that a rope is more likely than a bullet to cut short your career. she is writing to you herself; and as her tongue runs a good deal faster than mine, i have no doubt that her pen will do so, also. as you say, with your portuguese pay and your own, you are doing well; but if you should get pinched at any time, be sure to draw on me, up to any reasonable amount. "it seems to me that things are not going on very well, on the frontier; and i should not be surprised to hear that wellington is in full retreat again, for torres vedras. remember me to the colonel, o'driscoll, and all the others. i see, by the gazette, that stokes, who was junior ensign when the regiment went into action at vimiera, has just got his step. that shows the changes that have taken place, and how many good fellows have fallen out of the ranks. again i say, take care of yourself. "your affectionate father." his cousin's letter was, as usual, long and chatty; telling him about his father, their pursuits and amusements, and their neighbours. "you don't deserve so long a letter," she said, when she was approaching the conclusion, "for although i admit your letters are long, you never seem to tell one just the things one wants to know. for example, you tell us exactly the road you travelled down to cadiz, with the names of the villages and so on, just as if you were writing an official report. your father says it is very interesting, and has been working it all out on the map. it is very interesting to me to know that you have got safely to cadiz but, as there were no adventures by the way, i don't care a snap about the names of the villages you passed through, or the exact road you traversed. "now, on the other hand, i should like to know all about this young woman who helped you to get out of prison. you don't say a word about what she is like, whether she is pretty or plain. you don't even mention her name, or say whether she fell in love with you, or you with her; though i admit that you do say that she was engaged to the muleteer garcia. i think, if i had been in his place, i should have managed to let you fall into the hands of the french again. i should say a man was a great fool to help to rescue anyone his girl had taken all sorts of pains to get out of prison. "at any rate, sir, i expect you to give me a fair and honest description of her the next time you write, for i consider your silence about her to be, in the highest degree, suspicious. however, i have the satisfaction of knowing that you are not likely to be in salamanca again, for a very long time. your father says he does not think anything will be done, until the present ministry are kicked out here; and wellington hangs the principal members of all the juntas in portugal, and all that he can get at, in spain. "he is the most bloodthirsty man that i have ever come across, according to his own account, but in reality he would not hurt a fly. he is always doing kind actions among the peasantry, and the 'major' is quite the most popular man in this part of the country. "i have not yet forgiven you for having gone straight back to spain, instead of running home for a short time when you were so close to us, at jersey. i told you when i wrote that i should never forgive you, and i am still of the same opinion. it was too bad. "your father has just called to ask if i am going on writing all night; and it is quite time to close, that it may go with his own letter, which a boy is waiting to carry on horseback to the post office, four miles away; so goodbye. "your very affectionate cousin, mary." the next two months passed quietly at pinhel. operations continued to be carried on at various points but, although several encounters of minor importance took place, the combatants were engaged rather in endeavouring to feel each other's positions, and to divine each other's intentions, than to bring about a serious battle. marmont believed wellington to be stronger than he was, while the latter rather underestimated the french strength. thus there were, on both sides, movements of advance and retirement. during the time that had elapsed since the battles of fuentes d'onoro and albuera, badajos had been again besieged by the british, but ineffectually; and in august wellington, taking advantage of marmont's absence in the south, advanced and established a blockade of ciudad rodrigo. this had led to some fighting. the activity of general hill, and the serious menace to the communications effected by terence's portuguese and the guerillas, had prevented the french from gathering in sufficient strength, either to drive the blockading force across the frontier again, or from carrying out napoleon's plans for the invasion of portugal. wellington, on his part, was still unable to move; owing to the absence of transport, and the manner in which the portuguese government thwarted him at every point: leaving all his demands that the roads should be kept in good order, unattended to; starving their own troops to such an extent that they were altogether unfit for action; placing every obstacle to the calling out of new levies; and in every way hindering his plans. he obtained but little assistance or encouragement at home. his military chest was empty. the muleteers, who kept up the supply of food for the army, were six months in arrears of pay. the british troops were also unpaid, badly supplied with clothes and shoes; while money and stores were still being sent in unlimited quantities to the spanish juntas, where they did no good whatever, and might as well have been thrown into the sea. but in spite of all these difficulties, the army was daily improving in efficiency. the men were now inured to hardships of all kinds. they had, in three pitched battles, proved themselves superior to the french; and they had an absolute confidence in their commander. much was due to the efforts of lord fitzroy somerset, wellington's military secretary who, by entering into communication with the commanders of brigades and regiments, most of whom were quite young men--for the greater part of the army was but of recent creation--was enabled not only to learn something of the state of discipline in each regiment, but greatly to encourage and stimulate the efforts of its officers; who felt that the doings of their regiment were observed at headquarters, that merit would be recognized without favouritism, and that any failure in the discipline or morale of those under their orders would be noted against them. twice, during the two months, terence had been sent for to headquarters, in order that he might give lord fitzroy minute information concerning the various roads and localities, point out natural obstacles where an obstinate defence might be made by an enemy, or which could be turned to advantage by an advancing army. the route maps that he had sent were frequently turned to, and fully explained. the second visit took place in the last week in november and, on his arrival, the military secretary began the conversation by handing a gazette to him. "this arrived yesterday, colonel o'connor; and i congratulate you that, upon the very strong recommendation of lord wellington, you are gazetted to a majority. now that your position is so well assured, there will be no longer occasion for you to remain nominally attached to the headquarter staff. of course, it was before i came out that this was done; and i learned that the intention was that you would not act upon the staff, but it was to be merely an honorary position, without pay, in order to add to your authority and independence, when you happen to come in contact with portuguese officers of a higher rank." "that was so, sir. i was very grateful for the kindness that lord wellington showed, in thus enabling me to wear the uniform of his staff, which was of great assistance to me at the time; and indeed, i am deeply conscious of the kindness with which he has, on every occasion, treated me; and for his recommending me for promotion." "i should have been personally glad," lord fitzroy went on, "to have had you permanently attached to our staff; as your knowledge of the country might, at times, be of great value, and of your zeal and energy you have given more than ample proofs. i spoke of the matter to the general, this morning. he agreed with me that you would be a great addition to the staff but, upon the other hand, such a step would very seriously diminish the efficiency of the regiment that you raised, and have since commanded. the regiment has lately rendered quite exceptional services and, under your command, we reckon it to be as valuable in the fighting line as if it were one of our own; which is more than can be said for any other portuguese battalion, although some of them have, of late, fought remarkably well. "i do not say that colonel herrara, aided by his three english officers--who, by the way, are all promoted in this gazette, the two ensigns to the rank of lieutenants, and mr. ryan to that of captain--would not keep the regiment in a state of efficiency, so far as fighting is concerned; but without your leading, it could not be relied upon to act for detached service such as it has performed under you." "thank you, sir. of course, it would be a great honour to me to be on the general's staff, but i should be very sorry to leave the regiment and, frankly, i do not think that it would get on well without me. colonel herrara is ready to bestow infinite pains on his work, but i do not think that he would do things on his own responsibility. bull and macwitty have both proved themselves zealous and active, and i can always rely upon them to carry out my orders to the letter; but i doubt if they would get on as well, with herrara, as they do with me. i am very glad to hear that they and mr. ryan have got their steps. the latter makes an admirable adjutant, and if i had to choose one of the four for the command i should select him; but he has not been very long with the regiment, is not known personally, and would not, i think, have the same influence with the portuguese officers and men. moreover i am afraid that, having been in command so long, i should miss my independence, if i had only to carry out the orders of others." "i can quite understand that," the military secretary said, with a smile. "i can quite realize the fascination of the life of a partisan leader; especially when he has, which trant and the others have not, a body of men whom he has trained himself, and upon whom he can absolutely rely. you can still, of course, wear the uniform of a field officer on the general's staff, and so will have very little alteration to make, save by adding the proper insignia of your rank. i will write you a line, authorizing you to do so. "now, let us have a turn at your maps. i may tell you in confidence that, if an opportunity offers, we shall at once convert the blockade of ciudad into a siege; and hope to carry it before the enemy can march, with sufficient force, to its relief. "to do so he would naturally collect all his available forces from salamanca, zamora, and valladolid, and would probably obtain reinforcements from madrid and estremadura; and i want to ascertain, as far as possible, the best means of checking the advance of some of these troops, by the blowing up of bridges, or the throwing forward of such a force as your regiment to seize any defile, or other point, that could be held for a day or two, and an enemy's column thus delayed. even twenty-four hours might be of importance." "i understand, sir. of course, the passes between madrid and avila might be retained for some little time, especially if the defenders had a few guns; but they would be liable to be taken in the rear by a force at avila, where there were, when i went down south, over five thousand men. as to the troops coming from the north, they would doubtless march on salamanca. from that town they would cross the huebra and yeltes so near their sources that no difficulty would be caused by the blowing up of bridges, if any exist; but the pass over the sierra de gatta, on the south of ciudad, might be defended by a small force, without difficulty." the maps were now got out, and the matter gone into minutely. after an hour's conversation, lord fitzroy said: "thank you, colonel o'connor. some of the information that you have given me will assuredly be very useful, if we besiege ciudad. from what we hear, there are a good many changes being made in the french command. napoleon seems about to engage in a campaign with russia, and is likely to draw off a certain portion of the forces here and, while these changes are being made, it would seem to offer a good opportunity for us to strike a blow." on the last day of december, terence received the following order: "colonel o'connor will draw six days' rations from the commissariat and, at daybreak tomorrow, march to the river aqueda and, on the following day, will ford that river and will post himself along the line of the yeltes, from its junction with the huebra to the mountains; and will prevent any person or parties crossing from this side. it is of the highest importance that no intelligence of the movements of the army should be sent, either by the garrison of ciudad or by the peasantry, to salamanca. when his provisions are exhausted, he is authorized to hire carts and send in to the army round ciudad but, if possible, he should obtain supplies from the country near him, and is authorized to purchase provisions, and to send in accounts and vouchers, for such purchases, to the paymaster's department." "hurrah, ryan," he exclaimed on reading the order, "things are going to move, at last! this means, of course, that the army is going to besiege ciudad at once; and that we are to prevent the french from getting any news of it, until it is too late for them to relieve it. for the last month, guns and ammunition have been arriving at almeida; and i thought that this weary time of waiting was drawing to an end." "i am glad, indeed, terence. i must say that i was afraid that we should not be moving until the spring. shall we go in and say goodbye to our fellows?" "yes, we may as well; but mind, don't say where we are going to, only that we are ordered away. i don't suppose that the regiments will know anything about it, till within an hour of the time they march. there can be no doubt that it is a serious business. ciudad held out for weeks against massena; and with marmont within a few days' march, with an army at least as strong as ours, it will be a tough business, indeed, to take it before he can come up to its relief; and i can well understand that it is all important that he shall know nothing about the siege, till it is too late for him to arrive in time." "we have come in to say goodbye, colonel," terence said, as he and ryan entered the mess room of the mayo fusiliers that evening. "and where are you off to, o'connor?" "well, sir, i don't mind mentioning it in here, but it must go no further. the chief, knowing what we are capable of, proposes that i shall make a rapid march to madrid, seize the city, and bring king joseph back a prisoner." there was a roar of laughter. "terence, my boy," captain o'grady said, "that is hardly a mission worthy of a fighting man like yourself. i expect that you are hiding something from us, and that the real idea is that you should traverse spain and france, enter germany, and seize boney, and carry him off with you to england." "i dare not tell you whether you are right or not, o'grady. things of this sort must not even be whispered about. it is a wonderfully good guess that you have made and, when it is all over, you will be able to take credit for having divined what was up; but for mercy's sake don't talk about it. keep as silent as the grave and, if anyone should ask you what has become of us, pretend that you know nothing about it." "but you are going, o'connor?" the colonel said, when the laughter had subsided. "yes, colonel. we march tomorrow morning. i daresay you will hear of us before many days are over; and may, perhaps, be able to make even a closer guess than o'grady as to what we are doing. i am heartily glad that we are off. we are now at our full strength again. most of the wounded have rejoined, and i could have filled up the vacancies a dozen times over. the portuguese know that i always manage to get food for my men, somehow; which is more than can be said for the other portuguese regiments, though those of trant and pack are better off than beresford's regulars. then, too, i think they like fighting, now that they feel that they are a match for the french, man for man. they get a fair share of it, at any rate. the three months that we have been idle have been useful, as the new recruits know their work as well as the others." "then you don't know how much longer we are going to stop in this bastely hole?" o'grady asked. "well, i will tell you this much, o'grady: i fancy that, before this day week, you will all have work to do; and that it is likely to be hot." "that is a comfort, terence. but, my dear boy, have a little pity on us and don't finish off the business by yourselves. remember that we have come a long way, and that it will be mighty hard for us if you were to clear the french out of spain, and leave nothing for us to do but to bury their dead and escort their army, as prisoners, to the port." "i will bear it in mind, o'grady; but don't you forget the past. you know how desperately you grumbled at rolica, because the regiment was not in it; and how you got your wish at vimiera, and lost an arm in consequence. so even if i do, as you say, push the french out of spain, you will have the consolation of knowing that you will be able to go back to ireland, without leaving any more pieces of you behind." "there is something in that, terence," o'grady said gravely. "i think that when this is over i shall go on half pay, and there may as well be as much of me left, as possible, to enjoy it. it's an ungrateful country i am serving. in spite of all that i have done for it, and the loss of my arm into the bargain; here am i, still a captain, though maybe i am near the top of the list. still, it is but a captain i am, and here are two gossoons, like yourself and dick ryan, the one of you marching about a field officer, and the other a captain. it is heart-breaking entirely, and me one of the most zealous officers in the service. but it is never any luck i have had, from the day i was born." "it will come some day, never fear, o'grady; and perhaps it may not be so far off as you fear. "well, colonel, we will just take a glass with you for luck, and then say good night; for i have a good many things to see after, and must be up very early, so as to get our tents packed and handed over, to draw our rations, eat our breakfast, and be off by seven." it was close upon that hour when the regiment marched. it was known that there were no french troops west of the huebra but, after fording the aqueda, the force halted until nightfall; and then moved forward and reached the huebra at midnight, lay down to sleep until daybreak, and then extended along the bank of the yeltes, as far as its source among the mountains; thus cutting the roads from ciudad to salamanca and the north. the distance to be watched was some twenty miles but, as the river was in many places unfordable, it was necessary only to place patrols here; while strong parties were posted, not only on the main roads, but at all points where by-roads or peasants' tracks led down to the bank. on that day a bridge was thrown across the aqueda, six miles below ciudad, for the passage of artillery but, owing to the difficulties of carriage, it was five days later before the artillery and ammunition could be brought over; and this was only done by the aid of carts, which wellington had caused to be quietly constructed during the preceding three months. on the th, the light division and pack's portuguese contingent forded the aqueda three miles above ciudad and, making a long detour, took up their position behind a hill called the great teson. they remained quiet during the day and, the garrison believing that they had only arrived to enable the force that had long blockaded the town to render the investment more complete, no measures of defence were taken; but at night the light division fell suddenly on the redoubt of san francisco, on the great teson. the assault was completely successful. the garrison was a small one, and had not been reinforced. a few of them were killed, and the remainder taken; with a loss, to the assailants, of only twenty-four men and officers. a portuguese regiment, commanded by colonel elder, then set to work; and these--in spite of a heavy fire, kept up all night by the french forts--completed a parallel, yards in length, before day broke. chapter : the sack of a city. for the next four days the troops worked night and day, the operations being carried on under a tremendous fire from the french batteries. the trenches being carried along the whole line of the small teson, on the night of the th the convent of santa cruz was captured and, on the th, the batteries opened fire against the town and, before morning, the th regiment carried the convent of san francisco; and thus established itself within the suburb, which was inclosed by an entrenchment that the spanish had thrown up there, during the last siege. the french artillery was very powerful and, at times, overpowered that of the besiegers. some gallant sorties were also made but, by the th, two breaches were effected in the ramparts, and preparations were made for an assault. that evening terence received an order to march at once to the place, and to join pack's portuguese. the assault was to be made by the rd and light divisions, aided by pack's command and colonel o'toole's portuguese riflemen. the main british army lay along the coa, in readiness to advance at once and give battle, should marmont come up to the assistance of the besieged town. on the th both the breaches were pronounced practicable and, during the day, the guns of the besiegers were directed against the artillery on the ramparts, while the storming parties prepared for their work. the third division was to attack the great breach. the light division was to make for the small breach and, upon entering the inclosure known as the fausse braye, a portion were to turn and enter the town by the salamanca gate; while the others were to penetrate by the breach. colonel o'toole, with his portuguese, was to cross the river and to aid the right attack; while pack's portuguese were to make a false attack on the san jago gate, on the other side of the town, and to convert this into a real assault if the defence should prove feeble. the french scarcely appeared conscious that the critical moment was at hand, but they had raised breastworks along the tops of both breaches, and were perfectly prepared for the assault. when the signal was given, the attack was begun on the right. the th, th, and th regiments rushed from the convent of santa cruz, leapt down into the fausse braye, and made their way to the foot of the great breach; which they reached at the same moment as the rest of the third division, who had run down from the small teson. a terrible fire was opened upon them but, undismayed by shell, grape, and musketry from the ramparts and houses, they drove the french behind their new work. here, however, the enemy stood so stoutly that no progress could be made. unable to cross the obstacle, the troops nevertheless maintained their position, although suffering terrible losses from the french fire. equally furious was the attack on the small breach, by the light division. after a few minutes' fighting, they succeeded in bursting through the ranks of the defenders; and then, turning to the right, fought their way along the ramparts until they reached the top of the great breach. the french there wavered, on finding that their flank was turned; and the third division, seizing the opportunity, hurled themselves upon them, and this breach was also won. o'toole's attack was successful and, on the other side of the town, pack's portuguese, meeting with no resistance, had blown open the gate of san jago, and had also entered the town. here a terrible scene took place, and the british troops sullied their victory by the wildest and most horrible excesses. they had neither forgotten nor forgiven the treatment they had experienced at the hands of the spanish, both before and after the battle of talavera; when they were almost starved, while the spaniards had abundant supplies, and yet left the british wounded unattended, to die of starvation in the hospitals, when they evacuated the city. from that time their animosity against the spaniards had been vastly greater than their feeling against the french, who had always behaved as gallant enemies, and had treated their wounded and prisoners with the greatest kindness. now this long-pent-up feeling burst out, and murder, rapine, and violence of all sorts raged for some hours, wholly without check. officers who endeavoured to protect the hapless inhabitants were shot down, all commands were unheeded, and abominable atrocities were perpetrated. some share of the blame rests with wellington and his staff, who had taken no measures whatever for maintaining order in the town, when possession should be gained of it--a provision which should never be omitted, in the case of an assault. the portuguese, whose animosity against the spaniards was equally bitter, imitated the example of their british comrades. fires broke out in several places, which added to the horror of the scene. the castle was still held by the french, the troops having retreated there as soon as the breach had been carried. there was not, therefore, even the excuse of the excitement of street fighting to be made for the conduct of the victors. in vain, terence and his officers endeavoured to keep their men together. by threes and fours these scattered down the side streets, to join the searchers for plunder; until at last, he remained alone with his british and portuguese officers. "this is horrible," he said to ryan, as the shouts, shrieks, and screams told that the work of murder, as well as plunder, was being carried on. "it is evident that, single handed, nothing can be done. i propose that we divide into two parties, and take these two houses standing together under our protection. we will have two english officers with each, as there is no chance of the soldiers listening to a portuguese officer. how many are there of us?" there were the twelve captains, and twenty subalterns. "bull and macwitty, do you take half of them; colonel herrara, ryan, and i will take the other half. when you have once obtained admission, barricade the door and lower windows with furniture. when the rioters arrive, show yourselves at the windows, and say that you have orders to protect the houses from insult and, if any attack is made, you will carry out your orders at whatever cost. when they see four british officers at the windows, they will suppose that special instructions have been given us with respect to these two houses. "if they attack we must each defend ourselves to the last, holding the stairs if they break in. if only our house is attacked, come with half your force to our assistance; and we will do the same to you. we can get along by those balconies, without coming down into the street." the force was at once divided. terence knocked at the door of one house, and his majors at that of the other. no answer was received but, as they continued to knock with such violence that it seemed as if they were about to break down the doors, these were presently opened. terence entered. a spanish gentleman, behind whom stood a number of trembling servants, advanced. "what would you have, senor?" he asked. "i see that you are an officer. surely you cannot menace with violence those who are your allies?" "you are right, senor; but unfortunately our troops have shaken off all discipline, and are pillaging and, i am afraid, murdering. the men of my own regiment have joined the rest, and i with my officers, finding ourselves powerless, have resolved at least to protect your mansion, and the next, from our maddened troops. i can give you my word of honour that i and these gentlemen, who are all my officers, have come as friends, and are determined to defend until the last your mansion, which happened to be the first we came to. a similar party is taking charge of the next house and, if necessary, we can join forces." "i thank you indeed, sir. i am the count de montego. i have my wife and daughters here and, in their name as well as my own, i thank you most cordially. i have some twenty men, sir. alone we could do nothing, but they will aid you in every way, if you will but give orders." "in the first place, count, we will move as many articles of heavy furniture as possible against the doors. i see that your lower windows are all barred. we had better place mattresses behind them, to prevent shot from penetrating. i hope, however, that it will not come to that; and that i shall be able to persuade any that may come along that these houses are under special protection." the count at once ordered his servants to carry out the british officer's instructions, and the whole party were soon engaged in piling heavy furniture against the door. the count had gone up to allay the fears of his wife and daughters who, with the female servants, were gathered in terrible anxiety in the drawing room above. as soon as the preparations were completed, terence, ryan, and herrara went upstairs and, after being introduced to the ladies, who were now to some extent reassured, terence went out on to the balcony with ryan; leaving herrara in the drawing room, as he thought it was best that only british officers should show themselves. terrible as the scene had been before, it was even worse now. the soldiers had everywhere broken into the cellars, and numbers of them were already drunk. many discharged their muskets recklessly, some quarrelled among themselves as to the spoil they had taken, and fierce fights occurred. in two or three minutes bull and macwitty appeared on the balcony of the next house. "i see it is too far to get across," terence said. "if you cannot find a plank, set half a dozen men to prise up a couple from the floor." presently a number of soldiers came running along down the street. "here are two big houses," one shouted. "there ought to be plenty of plunder here." "halt!" terence shouted. "these houses are under special protection and, as you see, i myself and three other british officers are placed here, to see that no one enters. i have a strong force under my orders, and anyone attempting to break down the doors will be shot instantly, and all who aid him will be subsequently tried and hung." the men, on seeing the four british officers--three of them in the dress of field officers, and one, the speaker, in the uniform of the staff--at once drew back. "come on, mates," one said, as they stood indecisive; "we shall only lose time here, while others are getting as much plunder as they can carry. let us go on." but as the wine took effect, others who came along were less disposed to listen to orders. gradually gathering, until they were in considerable numbers, several shots were fired at the officers; and one man, advancing up the steps, began to hammer at the door with the butt end of his musket. terence leaned over the balcony and, drawing his pistol and taking a steady aim, fired, and the man fell with a sharp cry. a number of shots were fired from below, but the men were too unsteady to take aim, and terence was uninjured. [illustration: the man fell, with a sharp cry.] again he stood up. "men," he shouted, "you have shown yourselves to be brave soldiers today. are you now going to disgrace yourselves, by mutiny against officers who are doing their duty, thereby running the risk of being tried and hung? i tell you again that these houses are both defended by a strong force, and that we shall protect them at all hazard. go elsewhere, where booty is to be more easily obtained." his words, however, were unheeded. some more shots were fired, and then there was a general rush at the doors; while another party attacked that of the next house. the officers were all provided with pistols, and terence hurried below with ryan. "do not fire," he said to the others, "until they break down the door. it will take them some time and, at any moment, fresh troops may be marched in to restore order." the door was a strong one and, backed as it was, it resisted for a considerable time. those who first attacked it speedily broke the stocks of their guns, and had to make way for others. presently the attack ceased suddenly. "run upstairs, dicky, and see what they are doing, and how things are going on next door." ryan soon returned. "they are bringing furniture and a lot of straw from houses opposite. they have broken down the next door, but they have not got in yet." "let the servants at once set to work, to draw pails of water from the well in the courtyard, and carry them upstairs. "ryan, you had better go into the next house and see if they are pressed. tell them that they must hold out without my help for a short time. i am going to send six officers out by the back of the house, to collect some of our men together. another will be in readiness to open the back door, as soon as they return. "i shall keep them from firing the pile as long as i can. the count has two double-barrelled guns. i don't want to use them, if i can help it; but they shall not get in here. do you stop, and help next door. there can be no fighting here yet for, if they do burn the door, it will be a long time before they can get in." the native officers started at once. they were of opinion that they would soon be able to bring in a good many of their men; for the portuguese are a sober race, and few would have got intoxicated. most of the men would soon find that there was not much booty to be obtained, and that even what they got would probably be snatched from them by the english soldiers; and would consequently be glad to return to their duty again. an officer took his place at the back door, in readiness to remove the bars; another went up with terence to the first floor; and the remainder stopped in the hall, with six of the menservants. terence went upstairs and looked down into the street. there was a lot of furniture, with bundles of faggots and straw, piled there. "now," he said to the officer, "empty these pails at once; the servants will soon bring some more up. i will stand here with these guns, and fire at any one who interferes with you. just come out into the balcony, empty your pails over, and go back at once. you need scarcely show yourself, and there is not much chance of your being hit by those drunken rascals." yells and shouts of rage were heard below, as the water was thrown over. as fast as the pails were emptied, the servants carried them off and refilled them. at last, two soldiers appeared from a house opposite, with blazing torches. the guns had been loaded by the count with small shot, as terence was anxious not to take life. as soon as the two men appeared, he raised the fowling piece to his shoulder and fired both barrels, in quick succession. with a yell of pain, the soldiers dropped their torches. one fell to the ground, the other clapped his hands to his face and ran down the street in an agony, as if half mad. half a dozen muskets were discharged, but terence had stepped back the moment he had fired, and handed the gun to the count, who was standing behind him, to recharge. two other soldiers picked up the torches, but dropped them as terence again fired. another man snatched up one of them, and flung it across the street. it fell upon some straw that had been thoroughly soaked by the water, and burned out there harmlessly. it was not long before the servants began to arrive with the full buckets and, when these also had been emptied, terence, glancing over, had little fear that the pile could now be lighted. the pails were sent down again, and he waited for the next move. the fighting had ceased at the other door. the soldiers having drawn back from the barricade, to see the effect of the fire. ryan ran across the plank and rejoined terence. "things are quiet there, for the present," he said. "there has not been much harm done. when they had partly broken down the door, they began firing through it. bull and macwitty kept the others back from the line of fire, and not a pistol has been discharged yet. bull cut down one fellow who tried to climb over the barricade, but otherwise no blood has been shed on either side." help was coming now. one of the portuguese officers was admitted, with twenty-four men that he had picked up. the others came in rapidly and, within a quarter of an hour, three hundred men were assembled. all were sober, and looked thoroughly ashamed of themselves as they were formed up in the courtyard. terence went down to them. he said no word of blame. "now, men," he said, "you have to retrieve your characters. half of you will post yourselves at the windows, from the ground floor to the top of the house. you are not to show yourselves, till you receive orders to do so. you are not to load your guns but, as you appear at the windows, point them down into the street. the officers will post you, five at each window. "the rest of you are at once to clear away the furniture in the hall; and, when you receive the order, throw open the door and pour out, forming across the street as you do so. captain ryan will be in command of you. you are not to load, but to clear the street with your bayonets. if any of the soldiers are too drunk to get out of your way, knock them down with the butt end of your muskets; but if they rush at you, use your bayonets." he went round the house, and saw that five men were in readiness at each window looking into the street. he ordered them to leave the doors open. "a pistol will be fired from the first landing," he said; "that will be the signal, then show yourselves at once." he waited until ryan's party had cleared away the furniture. he then went out on to the balcony, and addressed the crowd of soldiers who were standing, uncertain what step to take next, many of them having already gone off in search of plunder elsewhere. "listen to me, men," he shouted. "hitherto i have refrained from employing force against men who, after behaving as heroes, are now acting like madmen; but i shall do so no longer. i will give you two minutes to clear off, and anyone who remains at the end of that time will have to take his chance." derisive shouts and threats arose in reply. he turned round and nodded to the count, who was standing at the door of the room with a pistol in his hand. he raised it and fired and, in a moment, soldiers appeared at every window, menacing the crowd below with their rifles. at the same moment the door opened, and the portuguese poured out, with ryan at their head, trampling over the pile raised in front of it. there was a moment of stupefied dismay amongst the soldiers. hitherto none had believed that there were any in the houses, with the exception of a few officers; and the sudden appearance of a hundred men at the windows, and a number pouring out through the door, took them so completely by surprise that there was not even a thought of resistance. men who had faced the terrors of the deadly breaches turned and fled and, save a few leaning stupidly against the opposite wall, none remained by the time ryan had formed up the two lines across the street. each of these advanced a short distance, and were at once joined by the defenders of the other house, and by those at the windows. "do you take command of one line, bull; and you of the other, macwitty. i don't think that we shall be meddled with but, should any of them return and attack you, you will first try and persuade them to go away quietly. if they still attack, you will at once fire upon them. "herrara, will you send out all your officers, and bring the men in at the back doors, as before. we shall soon have the greater part of the regiment here, and with them we can hold the street, if necessary, against any force that is likely to attack it." in half an hour, indeed, more than fifteen hundred men had been rallied and, while two lines, each a hundred strong, were formed across the street, some eighty yards apart, the rest were drawn up in a solid body in the centre; terence's order being that, if attacked in force, half of them were to at once enter the houses on both sides of the street, and to man the windows. he felt sure, however, that the sight of so strong a force would be sufficient to prevent the rioters interfering with them; the soldiers being, for the most part, too drunk to act together, or with a common object. this, indeed, proved to be the case. parties at times came down the street but, on seeing the dark lines of troops drawn up, they retired immediately, on being hailed by the english officers, and slunk off under the belief that a large body of fresh troops had entered the town. an hour later a mounted officer, followed by some five or six others and some orderlies, rode up. "what troops are these?" the officer asked. "the minho portuguese regiment, general," bull answered, "commanded by colonel o'connor." the general rode on, the line opened, and he and his staff passed through. terence, who had posted himself in the balcony so as to have a view of the whole street, at once ran down. two of the men with torches followed him. on approaching, he at once recognized the officer as general barnard, who commanded one of the brigades of the light division. "so your regiment has remained firm, colonel o'connor?" the general said. "i am sorry to say, sir, that it did not, at first, but scattered like the rest of the troops. my officers and myself, for some time, defended these two large houses from the attack of the soldiery. matters became very serious, and i then sent out some of my officers, who soon collected three hundred men, which sufficed to disperse the rioters without our being obliged to fire a shot. the officers then again went out, and now between fifteen and sixteen hundred men are here. "i am glad that you have come, sir, for i felt in a great difficulty. it was hard to stay here inactive, when i was aware that the town was being sacked, and atrocities of every kind perpetrated but, upon the other hand, i dared not undertake the responsibility of attempting to clear the streets. such an attempt would probably end in desperate fighting. it might have resulted in heavy loss on both sides, and have caused such ill feeling between the british and portuguese troops as to seriously interfere with the general dispositions for the campaign." "no doubt you have taken the best course that could be pursued, colonel o'connor; but i must take on myself the responsibility of doing something. my appearance, at the head of your regiment, will have some effect upon the men of the light division; and those who are sober will, no doubt, rally round me, though hitherto my efforts have been altogether powerless. all the officers will, of course, join us at once. i fear that many have been killed in trying to protect the inhabitants but, now that we have at least got a nucleus of good troops, i have no doubt that we shall be successful. "have you any torches?" "there is a supply of them in the house, sir." "get them all lighted, and divide them among the men. as soon as you have done this, form the regiment into column." "are they to load, sir?" "yes," the general said shortly; "but instruct your officers that no one is to fire without orders, and that the sound of firing at the head of the column is not to be considered as a signal for the rest to open fire; though it may be necessary to shoot some of these insubordinate scoundrels. by the way, i think it will be best that only the leading company should load. the rest have their bayonets, and can use them if attacked." some forty torches were handed over, by the count. these were lighted and distributed along the line, ten being carried by the leading company. "you have bugles, colonel?" "yes, sir. there is one to each company." "let them all come to the front and play the assembly, as they march on. "now, will you ride at their head by my side, sir? dismount one of my orderlies, and take his horse." by the time all the preparations were completed, they had been joined by nearly two hundred more men. just before they started, terence said: "would it not be well, general, if i were to tell off a dozen parties of twenty men, each under the command of a steady non-commissioned officer, to enter the houses on each side of the road as we go along, and to clear out any soldiers they may find there?" "certainly. but i think that when they see the regiment marching along, and hear the bugles, they will clear out fast enough of their own accord." with bugles blowing, the regiment started. twenty men, with an officer, had been left behind at each of the houses they had defended; in case parties of marauders should arrive, and endeavour to obtain an entrance. as they marched by, men appeared at the windows. most of these were soldiers who, with an exclamation of alarm when they saw the general, followed by two battalions in perfect order, hastily ran down and made their escape by the backs of the houses; or came quietly out and, forming in some sort of order, accompanied the regiment. several shots were heard behind, as the search parties cleared out those who had remained in the houses and, presently, the force entered the main square of the town and halted in its centre, the bugles still blowing the assembly. numbers of officers at once ran up, and many of the more sober soldiers. "form them up as they arrive," the general said to the officers. in a few minutes, some five hundred men had gathered. "do you break your regiment up into four columns, colonel o'connor. a fourth of these men shall go with each, with a strong party of officers. the soldiers will be the less inclined to resist, if they see their own comrades and officers with your troops, than if the latter were alone. i will take the command of one column myself, do you take that of another. "colonel strong, will you join one of the majors of colonel o'connor's regiment; and will you, major hughes, join the other? "all soldiers who do not, at once, obey your summons to fall in will be taken prisoners; and those who use violence you will shoot, without hesitation. all drunken men are to be picked up and sent back here. place a strong guard over them, and see that they do not make off again." five minutes later, the four columns started in different directions. a few soldiers who, inflamed by drink, fired at those who summoned them to surrender, were instantly shot and, in half an hour, the terrible din that had filled the air had quietened down. morning was breaking now. in the great square, officers were busy drawing up the men who had been brought in, in order of their regiments. the inhabitants issued from their houses, collected the bodies of those who had been killed in the streets, and carried them into their homes; and sounds of wailing and lamentation rose from every house. lord wellington now rode in, with his staff. the regiments that had disgraced themselves were at once marched out of the town, and their places taken by those of other divisions. but nothing could repair the damage that had been done; and the doings of that night excited, throughout spain, a feeling of hostility to the british that has scarcely subsided to this day; and was heightened by the equally bad conduct of the troops at the storming of badajoz. long before the arrival of lord wellington, the whole of the minho regiment had rejoined. terence ordered that the late comers should not be permitted to fall in with their companies, but should remain as a separate body. he marched the regiment to a quiet spot in the suburbs, and ordered them to form in a hollow square, with the men who had last joined in the centre. these he addressed sternly. "for the first time," he said, "since this regiment was formed, i am ashamed of my men. i had thought that i could rely upon you under all circumstances. i find that this is not so, and that the greed for plunder has, at once, broken down the bonds of discipline. those who, the moment they were called upon, returned to their colours, i can forgive, seeing that the british regiments set them so bad an example; but you men, who to the last remained insubordinate, i cannot forgive. you have disgraced not only yourselves, but your regiment, and i shall request lord wellington to attach you to some other force. i only want to command men i can rely upon." a loud chorus of lament and entreaty rose from the men. "it is as painful to me as it is to you," terence went on, raising his hands for silence. "how proud i should have been if, this morning, i could have met the general and said that the regiment he had been good enough to praise so highly, several times, had proved trustworthy; instead of having to report that every man deserted his officers, and that many continued the evil work of pillage, and worse, to the end." many of the men wept loudly, others dropped upon their knees and implored terence to forgive them. he had already instructed his two majors what was to be done, and they and the twelve captains now stepped forward. "colonel," bull said, in a loud voice that could be heard all over the square, "we, the officers of the minho regiment, thoroughly agree with you in all that you have said, and feel deeply the disgrace the conduct of these men has brought upon it; but we trust that you will have mercy on them, and we are ready to promise, in their name, that never again will they so offend, and that their future conduct will show how deeply they repent of their error." there was a general cry from the men of: "indeed we do. punish us as you like, colonel, but don't send us away from the regiment!" terence stood as if hesitating, for some time; then he said: "i cannot resist the prayer of your officers, men; and i am willing to believe that you deeply regret the disgrace you have brought upon us all. of one thing i am determined upon; not one man in the regiment shall be any the better for his share in this night's work, and that this accursed plunder shall not be retained. a blanket will be spread out here in front of me, and the regiment will pass along before me by twos. each man, as he files by, will empty out the contents of his pockets, and swear solemnly that he has retained no object of spoil, whatever. after that is over, i shall have an inspection of kits and, if any article of value is found concealed, i will hand over its owner to the provost marshal, to be shot forthwith." the operation took upwards of two hours. at herrara's suggestion a table was brought out, a crucifix placed upon it, and each man as he came up, after emptying out his pockets, swore solemnly, laying his hand upon the table, that he had given up all the spoil he had collected. terence could not help smiling at the scene the regiment presented, before the men began to file past. no small proportion of the men stripped off their coats, and unwound from their bodies rolls of silk, costly veils, and other stuffs of which they had taken possession. all these were laid down by the side of the blanket, on which a pile of gold and silver coins, a great number of rings, brooches, and bracelets, had accumulated by the time the whole had passed by. "the money cannot be restored," terence said to herrara, "therefore set four non-commissioned officers to count it out. have the jewels all placed in a bag. let all the stuffs and garments be made into bundles. i shall be obliged if you will take a sufficient number of men to carry them, and go down yourself, with a guard of twenty men, to the syndic, or whatever they call their head man, and hand them over to him. say that the minho regiment returns the spoil it had captured, and deeply regrets its conduct. "will you say that i beg him to divide the money among the sufferers most in need of it, and to dispose the jewels and other things where they can be seen, and to issue a notice to the inhabitants that all can come and inspect them, and those who can bring proof that any of the articles belong to them can take them away." the regiment was by this time formed up again, and terence, addressing them, told them of the orders that he had given; saying that, as the regiment had made all the compensation in their power, and had rid itself of the spoils of a people whom they had professedly come to aid, it could now look the spaniards in the face again. just as he had concluded, a staff officer rode up. "lord wellington wishes to speak to you, colonel," he said. "we have been looking about for you everywhere, but your regiment seemed to have vanished." "then i must leave the work of inspecting the kits to you, herrara. you will see that every article is unfolded and closely examined, and place every man in whose kit anything is discovered under arrest, at once. i trust that you will not find anything but, if you do, place a strong guard over the prisoners, with loaded muskets, and orders to shoot any one of them who tries to escape." walking by the side of the staff officer--for he had returned the horse lent him by general barnard--he accompanied him to a house in the great square, where lord wellington had taken up his quarters. chapter : gratitude. "your regiment has been distinguishing itself again, colonel o'connor, i have heard from three sources. first, general barnard reported to me that he, and the other officers, were wholly unable to restrain the troops from their villainous work last night; until he found you and your regiment drawn up in perfect order, and was able, with it, to put an end to the disorder everywhere reigning. in the second place, the count de montego and the marquis de valoroso, two of the wealthiest nobles in the province, have called upon me to return thanks for the inestimable service, as they expressed it, rendered by colonel o'connor and his officers, in defending their houses, and protecting the lives and honour of their families, from the assaults of the soldiers. they said that the defenders consisted entirely of officers. how was that?" "i am sorry to say that my men were, at first, infected by the general spirit of disorder. left alone by ourselves, i thought that we could not do anything better than save, from spoliation, two fine mansions that happened to be at the spot where we had been left. we had to stand a sharp siege for two or three hours; but we abstained, as far as possible, from using our arms, and i think that only two or three of the soldiers were wounded. however, we should have had to use our pistols in earnest, in a short time, had i not sent out several of my officers by the back entrance of the house; and these were not long in finding, and persuading to return to their duties, a couple of hundred men. "as soon as we sallied out the affair was at an end, and the soldiers fled. the officers were sent out again and when, an hour later, general barnard came up, we had some seventeen hundred in readiness for action; and his arrival relieved me of the heavy responsibility of deciding what course had better be adopted." "yes, he told me so, and i think that you acted very wisely in holding your men back till he arrived; for nothing could have been more unfortunate than a conflict in the streets between british and portuguese troops. there is no doubt that, had it not been for your regiment, the disgraceful scenes of last night would have been very much worse than they were. i should be glad if you will convey my thanks to them." "thank you, sir; but i shall be obliged if you will allow me to say that you regret to hear that a regiment, in which you placed confidence, should have at first behaved so badly; but that they had retrieved their conduct by their subsequent behaviour, and had acted as you would have expected of them. i have been speaking very severely to them, this morning; and i am afraid that the effect of my words would be altogether lost, were i to report your commendation of their conduct, without any expression of blame." lord wellington smiled. "do it as you like, colonel o'connor. however, your regiment will be placed in orders, today, as an exception to the severe censure passed upon the troops who entered the town last night. and do you really think that they will behave better, another time?" "i am sure they will, sir. i threatened to have the three hundred, who had not joined when general barnard arrived, transferred to another regiment; and it was only upon their solemn promise, and by the whole of the officers guaranteeing their conduct in the future, that i forgave them. moreover, every article taken in money, jewels, or dress has been given up; and i have sent them to the syndic, the money for distribution among the sufferers, the jewellery and other things to be reclaimed by those from whom they were taken. their kits were being examined thoroughly, when i came away; but i think that i can say, with certainty, that no single stolen article will be found in them." "you have done very well, sir, very well, and your influence with your men is surprising. "your regiment will be quartered in the convent of san jose. other divisions will move in this afternoon, and take the place of the st and rd brigades. your regiment, therefore, may consider it a high honour that they will be retained here. "i daresay that it will not be long before i find work for you to do again. lord somerset will give you an order, at once, to take possession of the convent." terence returned to the regiment in high spirits. the work of inspection was still going on. at its conclusion, colonel herrara reported that no single article of plunder had been found. "i am gratified that it is so, herrara," he said; "now let the regiment form up in hollow square, again. "men," he went on, "i have a message for you from lord wellington;" and he repeated that which he had suggested. "thus you see, men, that the conduct of those who at once obeyed orders, and returned to their ranks, has caused the misconduct of the others to be forgiven; and lord wellington has still confidence that the regiment will behave well, in future. the fact that all plunder has been given up to be restored to its owners had, of course, some effect in inducing him to believe this. i hope that every man will take the lesson to heart, that the misdeeds of a few may bring disgrace on a whole regiment; and that you will, in future, do nothing to forfeit the name that the minho regiment has gained, for good conduct as well as for bravery." a loud cheer broke from the regiment, who then marched to the convent of san jose, and took up its quarters there. two hours later, the two spanish nobles called upon terence. the count de montego introduced his companion. "we have only just heard where you were quartered," he went on. "we have both been trying in vain, all the morning, to find you; not a soldier of your regiment was to be seen in the streets and, although we questioned many officers, none could say where you were. "you went off so suddenly, last night, that i had no opportunity of expressing our gratitude to you and your officers." "you said enough, and more than enough, last night, count," terence replied; "and we are all glad, indeed, that we were able to protect both your houses. lord wellington informed me that you had called upon him, and spoken highly of the service we had been able to render you. pray say no more about it. i can quite understand what you feel, and i can assure you that no thanks are due to me, for having done my duty as a british officer and a gentleman on so lamentable and, i admit, disgraceful an occasion." "my wife and daughters, and those of the marquis of valoroso, are all most anxious to see you, and thank you and your officers. they were too frightened and agitated, last night, to say aught and, indeed, as they say, they scarcely noticed your features. can you bring your officers round now?" "i am sorry to say i cannot do that, senor. they have to see after the arrangements and comfort of the men, the getting of the rations, the cooking, and so on. tomorrow they will, i am sure, be glad to pay you a visit." "but you can come, can you not, colonel?" "yes, i am at liberty now, count, and shall be happy to pay my respects to the senoras." "the more i hear," the marquis said, as they walked along together, "of the events of last night, the more deeply i feel the service that you have rendered us. i am unable to understand how it is that your soldiers should behave with such outrageous violence to allies." "it is very disgraceful, and greatly to be regretted, senor; but i am bound to say that, as i have now gone through four campaigns, and remember the conduct of the spanish authorities to our troops during our march to talavera, our stay there, and on our retreat, i am by no means surprised that among the soldiers, who are unable to draw a distinction between the people and the authorities, there should be a deep and lasting hatred. there is no such hatred for the french. "our men fought the battle of talavera when weak with hunger; while the spaniards, who engaged to supply them with provisions, were feasting. our men were neglected and starved in the hospitals, and would have died to a man had not, happily for them, the french arrived, and treated them with the greatest humanity and kindness. soldiers do not forget this sort of thing. they know that, for the last three years, the promises of the spanish authorities have never once been kept, and that they have had to suffer greatly from the want of transport and stores promised. we can, of course, discriminate between the people at large and their authorities; but the soldiers can make no such distinction and, deeply as i deplore what has happened here, i must own that the soldiers have at least some excuse for their conduct." the two spaniards were silent. "i cannot gainsay your statement," the count de montego said. "indeed, no words can be too strong for the conduct of both the central, and all the provincial juntas." "then, senor, how is it that the people do not rise and sweep them away, and choose honest and resolute men in their place?" "that is a difficult question to answer, colonel. it may be said, why do not all people, when ill governed, destroy their tyrants?" "possibly because, as a rule, the tyrants have armies at their backs; but here such armies as there are, although nominally under the orders of the juntas, are practically led by their own generals, and would obey them rather than the juntas. "however, that is a matter for the spanish people alone. although we have suffered cruelly by the effects of your system, please remember that i am not in the smallest degree defending the conduct of our troops; but only trying to show that they had, at least, some excuse for regarding the spaniards as foes rather than as allies; and that they had, as they considered, a long list of wrongs to avenge." "there is truth in all you say, colonel. unfortunately, men like ourselves, who are the natural leaders of the people, hold aloof from these petty provincial struggles; and leave all the public offices to be filled with greedy adventurers, and have been accustomed to consider work of any kind beneath us. the country is paying dearly for it, now. i trust, when the war is over, seeing how the country has suffered by our abstention from politics, and from the affairs of our provinces, we shall put ourselves forward to aid in the regeneration of spain." by this time they had arrived at the door of the count's house. the street had been to some extent cleared; but shattered doors, broken windows, portions of costly furniture, and household articles of all sorts still showed how terrible had been the destruction of the previous night. large numbers of the poorer class were at work clearing the roads, as the city authorities had been ordered, by lord wellington, to restore order in all the thoroughfares. the count led the way up to the drawing room. the countess and her three daughters rose. "i introduced our brave defender to you last night," the count said, "but in the half-darkened room, and in the confusion and alarm that prevailed, you could have had but so slight a view of him that i doubt whether you would know him again." "i should not, indeed," the countess said. "we have been speaking of him ever since, but could not agree as to his appearance. "oh, senor, no word can tell you how grateful we feel to you for your defence of us, last night. what horrors we should have suffered, had it not been for your interposition!" "i am delighted to have been of service to you, senora. it was my duty, and it was a very pleasurable one, i can assure you; and i pray you to say no more about it." "how is it that you speak spanish so well, senor?" the countess asked, after her daughters had shyly expressed their gratitude to terence. "i owe it chiefly to a muleteer of salamanca. i was a prisoner there last year, and he accompanied me for a month, after i had made my escape from the prison. also, i owe much to the guerilla chief moras, with whom i acted for six weeks, last autumn. i had learned a little of your language before and, speaking portuguese fluently, i naturally picked it up without any great difficulty." "your name is not unknown to us, colonel," the count said. "living so close to the frontier as we do, we naturally know much of what passes in portugal; and heard you spoken of as a famous leader of a strong portuguese regiment, that seems to have been in the thick of all the fighting. but we heard that you had been taken prisoner by the french, at the battle of fuentes d'onoro." "yes, i had the misfortune to be captured by them, and was sent to salamanca; but i escaped by the aid of a girl who sold fruit in the prison. a muleteer took me with him on a journey to cadiz, and thence i came round to lisbon by ship." "you seem very young to have seen so much service, if you will excuse my saying so, colonel." terence smiled. "i have had great luck, senor; extraordinary luck." "ah, colonel! we know how well you have deserved that luck, as you call it; and you would never have been in command of such a regiment if you had not done something very much out of the way to attract the attention of your commanders." "i was not appointed to the regiment. i raised it myself; that is to say, i came upon a number of portuguese who had been called out for service, but who had neither leader nor arms. being anxious to fight for their country, they asked me to be their leader, and i accepted the offer. i found them docile and obedient and, with the aid of two british troopers with me, a spanish officer, and twelve of his troopers, i established something like order and discipline and, as we were fortunate in our first affair with the enemy, they had faith in me, and i was able to raise them to a point of discipline which is, i think, now quite equal to that of our own regiments. seeing that i had made myself useful with my corps, i was confirmed in my command, and obtained the rank of colonel in the portuguese service; and am now a major in our own." "i hope, senor, that later on you will tell us the story of some of your adventures. be assured that the house and all in it are yours, and that it is not for mere curiosity that we would hear your story; but that, as we shall ever retain a grateful memory of what you have done for us, everything relating to you is of deep interest to us." after chatting for another quarter of an hour, terence went with the count de montego to the house next door. here he received an equally warm welcome from the wife and son and daughter of the marquis. at both houses, he was warmly urged to take up his quarters there during his stay at ciudad; but explained that his place was with his regiment. he promised that he would call frequently, when his duties permitted him to do so. the next day the two spanish noblemen came to him and, after parade was over, carried off the greater portion of the officers to be also introduced to their families. from that time, three or four of the officers were always invited to dinner at each house. terence and ryan frequently spent their evenings there, and their hosts introduced them to many of the leading people in the town. the spanish general, carlos d'espagna, was appointed governor of ciudad. papers having been discovered, showing that many of the inhabitants had acted as french emissaries, these he executed without mercy. so rigorous, however, were his measures that it was felt that more than sufficient blood had been shed and, accordingly, several british deserters found in the town were pardoned. many others of these men had fallen, fighting desperately in the breach; believing that there was no hope of mercy being extended to them, if taken prisoners. in the siege the allies lost men and officers; among whom were generals crawford and mackinnon, both killed, and general vandeleur, badly wounded. lord wellington was created duke of ciudad rodrigo by the spaniards, and earl of wellington by the english. the french loss was killed and wounded, prisoners, an immense store of ammunition, and guns. thanks to the vigilance with which the minho regiment had guarded the line of the fords of the yeltes, no news of the siege was received by marmont in time for him to interfere with it. the bridge over the aqueda had been thrown across on the st of january, and the siege began on the th but, even on the th, nothing was known at salamanca of the advance of the british army; and it was not until the th, three days after the town had fallen, that news that the siege had begun reached marmont at valladolid. he had ordered his army to concentrate on salamanca, but it was not until the th that , men were collected there and, on the following day, the news arrived of the fall of ciudad. in the meantime large numbers of labourers were being employed in repairing and strengthening the fortifications of that town, while wellington laboured in making preparations for the siege of badajoz. these, however, progressed but slowly, owing to the refusal of the portuguese government to supply transport for the guns; or to furnish any facilities, whatever, for the supply of food for the army. wellington maintained his headquarters on the coa until the first week in march, and then moved south with the greater part of the army; ciudad being left entirely in the hands of the spaniards, the general supplying the governor with provisions and stores, and explaining to him the object and intention of the new works. a very strong force was left to guard the frontier of portugal from an invasion by marmont; , men, of whom , were portuguese, being scattered along the line and guarding all the passes--the minho regiment being ordered to take post, again, at pinhel. terence left ciudad with reluctance. he had all along been treated as a dear friend, in the houses of the two spanish noblemen, and spent most of his evenings at one or other of them. he had been obliged to tell, in full detail, all his adventures since he joined the army. the rescue of his cousin from the convent at oporto had particularly excited the interest of the ladies, who asked innumerable questions about her. ryan frequently accompanied him, but his very slight knowledge of spanish prevented him from feeling the same pleasure at the familiar intercourse. bull and macwitty were absolutely ignorant of the language and, although herrara now and then accepted invitations to dinner, terence and ryan were the only two officers of the regiment who felt at home among the spaniards. before the regiment marched off, each of the portuguese officers was presented with a handsome gold watch bearing an inscription expressing the gratitude of the two spanish noblemen, and their families. bull, macwitty, and herrara received, in addition, heavy gold chains. ryan received a splendid horse, with saddle, holsters, and a brace of finely-finished pistols; and a similar present was made to terence. on the day when he went to say goodbye, he found the ladies of both families assembled at the count de montego's. his host said: "you must consider the horses and equipment as a special present from myself and the marquis, colonel o'connor; but the ladies of our two families wish to give you a little memorial of their gratitude." "they are memorials only," his wife said, "and are feeble testimonies, indeed, of what we feel. these are the joint presents of the marquise and her daughter, and of myself and my girls," and she gave him a small case containing a superb diamond ring, of great value; and then a large case containing a magnificent parure of diamonds and emeralds. "this, senor, is for your future wife. she will value it, i am sure, not so much for what it may be worth; but as a testimony of the gratitude, of six spanish ladies, for the inestimable services that you rendered them. perhaps they will have a special value in her eyes, inasmuch as the stones all formed a small part of the jewels of the two families that you saved from plunder. we have, of course, had them reset; and there was no difficulty in getting this done, for at present ours are, i believe, the only jewels in ciudad." "my dear countess," terence said, much moved, "i do not like taking so valuable a present." "what is it, in comparison to what you have done for us, senor? and please do not suppose that we have seriously diminished our store. nowhere, i believe, have ladies such jewels as they have in spain; and few families can boast of finer ones than those of the marquise and myself. and i can assure you that we shall value our jewels all the more, when we think that some of their companions will be worn by the wife of the gentleman who has preserved more than our lives." "that is a royal gift, indeed," herrara said, when terence showed him the jewels. "i should be afraid to say what they are worth. many of the old spanish families possess marvellous jewels, relics of the day when the spaniards owned the wealth of the indies and the spoils of half europe; and i should imagine that these must have been among the finest stones in the possession of both families. if i were you, colonel, i should take the very first opportunity that occurs of sending them to england." "you may be sure that i shall do so, herrara. they are not the sort of things to be carried about in a cavalry wallet, and i have no other place to stow them. as soon as we arrive at pinhel, i will get a strong box made to hold the two cases, and hand them over to the paymaster there, to be sent down to lisbon by the next convoy. he sent home all the money that i did not want to keep by me, when we were at pinhel last." two other portuguese regiments, and a brigade of british infantry, were stationed at pinhel in readiness, at any moment, to march to almeida or guarda, should marmont make a forward movement; which was probable enough, for it was evident, by the concentration of his troops at salamanca and valladolid, that he had no intention of marching south; but intended to leave it to soult, with the armies of estremadura, castile, and andalusia, to relieve badajoz. from time to time, news came from that town. the siege had begun on the th of march, the attack being made on a fortified hill called the picurina; but at first the progress was slow. incessant rain fell, the ground became a swamp, and all operations had, several times, to be suspended; while phillipon, the brave officer who commanded the garrison, made numerous sorties from the town, with more or less success. on the night of the th, an assault was made on the strong fort on the picurina; which was captured after desperate fighting, and the loss of officers and men, killed and wounded. on the following day the trenches were opened for the attack upon the town itself. the assailants laboured night and day and, on the th, a breach had been effected in the work called the trinidad; and this was to be attacked by the th and light divisions. the castle was at the same time to be assailed by picton's division, while general power's portuguese were to make a feint on the other side of the guadiana, and san roque was to be stormed by the forces employed in the trenches. the enterprise was well-nigh desperate. the breaches had not been sufficiently cleared, and it was known that the enemy had thrown up strong intrenchments behind them. most of the guns were still in position to sweep the breaches, and another week, at least, should have been occupied in preparing the way for an assault. but wellington was forced here, as at ciudad, to fight against time. soult was close at hand, and the british had not sufficient force to give him battle, and at the same time to continue the siege of the town; and it was therefore necessary either to carry the place at once, at whatever cost of life, or to abandon the fruits of all the efforts that had been made. had wellington's instructions been carried out, there would have been no occasion, whatever, for the assault to have been delivered until the breaches were greatly extended, the intrenchments destroyed, and the guns silenced. the portuguese ministry, however, had thwarted him at every turn; and the siege could not be commenced until a fortnight after the date fixed by wellington. this fortnight's delay cost the lives of british soldiers. four of the assaults on the breaches failed. on the crest of these phillipon had erected a massive stockade, thickly bristling with sabre blades. on the upper part of the breach, planks, similarly studded, had been laid; while on either side a vast number of shells, barrels of powder, faggots soaked in oil, and other missiles and combustibles were piled, in readiness for hurling down on the assailants; while the soldiers behind the defences had been supplied with four muskets each. never did british soldiers fight with such dogged bravery as was here evinced. again and again they dashed up the breach, the centre of a volcano of fire; shells burst among them, cannon poured volleys of grape through their ranks, the french plied them with musketry, fireballs lit up the scene as if by day, mines exploded under their feet; yet again and again, they reached the terrible breastwork. but all efforts to climb it were fruitless. numbers of those in front were pressed to death against the sabres, by the eager efforts of those behind to get up and, for hours, the assault continued. at last, seeing the impossibility of success, and scorning to retreat, the men gathered at the foot of the breach, and there endured, sternly and silently, the murderous fire that was maintained by the enemy. picton, however, had gained possession of the castle. walker, with his command, had captured the bastion of san vincenti; and part of his command fought their way along the battlement towards the breaches, while another marched through the town. finding that the town had been entered at several points, the defenders of the breach gave way, and the soldiers poured into the town. here even more hideous scenes of murder and rapine were perpetrated than at ciudad rodrigo, and went on for two days and nights, absolutely unchecked. it has never been satisfactorily explained why, after the events in the former town, no precautions were taken, by the general commanding, to prevent the recurrence of scenes that brought disgrace on the british army, and for which he cannot be held blameless. five thousand men and officers were killed or wounded in the siege; of these, three thousand five hundred fell in the assault. the next three months passed without any action of importance. the discipline of the army had, as might have been expected, deteriorated greatly as a consequence of the unbridled license permitted to the soldiers after the capture of the two fortresses, and the absence of any punishment, whatever, for the excesses there committed. lord wellington complained bitterly, in his letters home, of the insubordination of the troops; of the outrages committed upon the peasantry, especially by detached parties; and of the general disobedience of orders. but he who had permitted the license and excesses to be carried on, unchecked and unpunished, cannot but be considered largely responsible for the natural consequences of such laxity. in may, heavy rains prevented any movement on either side; except that the town of almaraz, a most important position at the bridge across the tagus, permitting soult and marmont to join hands, was captured by surprise by general hill; the works, which had been considered almost impregnable, being carried by assault in the course of an hour. this was one of the most brilliant exploits of the war. wellington had moved north, and was again on the aqueda and, on the th of june, rain having ceased, he crossed the river and, on the th, arrived within six miles of salamanca, and drove a french division across the tormes. on the th the river was crossed, both above and below the town, and the forts defending it were at once invested. marmont had, that day, retired with two divisions of infantry and some cavalry; and was followed immediately by a strong british division. the minho regiment had been one of the first to take post on the aqueda, after wellington's arrival on the coa; and moved forward in advance of the army, which was composed of , british troops, with a spanish division and several portuguese regiments. as soon as marmont had retired, salamanca went wild with joy; although the circle of forts still prevented the british from entering. the chief of these was san vincenti, which stood on a perpendicular cliff, overhanging the tormes. it was flanked by two other strong forts; from which, however, it was divided by a ravine. the battering train brought with the army was altogether inadequate--only four eighteen-pounders and three twenty-four-pound howitzers were available--and the forts were far stronger than wellington had been led to expect. a few guns had been sent forward by general hill and, on the th, seven pieces opened fire on san vincenti. the next day some more howitzers arrived, and a breach was made in the wall of the convent; but the ammunition was exhausted, and the fire ceased until more could be brought up. that day, however, marmont, with a force of , men, was seen advancing to the relief of the forts. the british army at once withdrew from the neighbourhood of the convent, and took up its position, in order of battle, on the heights of san christoval. on the st, three divisions of infantry and a brigade of cavalry joined marmont, raising his force to , men. the french, the next night, sent a portion of their force across the tormes and, when daylight broke, the german cavalry, which had been placed to guard the ford, was seen retiring before , french infantry, with twenty guns. graham was also sent across the tormes with his division, which was of about the same strength as the french force and, as the light division was also following, the french retired, recrossed the ford, and rejoined the main body of their army. the next night the batteries again opened fire on san vincenti and, on the th, the fort and convent were in a blaze. one of the other forts was breached, and both surrendered, just as the storming parties were advancing to the assault; and marmont retreated the same night across the douro, by the roads to tordesillas and toro. as soon as it was possible to enter salamanca, terence rode down into the town, accompanied by ryan. the forts had not yet surrendered, but their hands were so full that they had no time to devote to annoying small parties of british officers passing into the town. terence had noted down the address that nita had given him, and at once rode there; after having, with some difficulty, discovered the lane in which the house was situated. an old man came to the door. terence dismounted. "what can i do for you, senor?" "i wanted to ask you if your niece, nita, is still staying with you?" the man looked greatly surprised at the question. "she has done no harm, i hope?" he asked. "not at all, but i wish to speak to her. is she married yet to garcia, the muleteer?" the old man looked still more surprised. "no, senor. garcia is away, he is no longer a muleteer." "well, you have not answered me if your niece is here." "she is here, senor, but she is not in the house at this moment. she returned here from her father's, last autumn. the country was so disturbed that it was not right that young women should remain in the villages." "will you tell her that a british officer will call to see her, in half an hour, and beg her to remain in until i come?" "i will tell her, senor." terence went at once to a silversmith's, and bought the handsomest set of silver jewelry, such as the peasants wore, that he had in his shop; including bracelets, necklaces, large filigree hairpin and earrings, and various other ornaments. chapter : salamanca. "she is a lucky girl, terence," ryan said, as they quitted the shop. "she will be the envy of all the peasant girls in the neighbourhood, when she goes to church in all that finery, to be married to her muleteer." "it has only cost about twenty pounds, and i value my freedom at a very much higher price than that, dick. if i had not escaped, i should not have been in that affair with moras that got me my promotion and, at the present time, should be in some prison in france." "you would not have got your majority, i grant, terence; but wherever they shut you up, it is morally certain that you would have been out of it, long before this. i don't think anything less than being chained hand and foot, and kept in an underground dungeon, would suffice to hold you." "i hope that i shall never have to try that experiment, dicky," terence laughed; "and now, i think you had better go into this hotel, and order lunch for us both. it is just as well not to attract attention, by two of us riding to that lane. we have not done with marmont, yet, and it may be that the french will be masters of salamanca again, before long, and it is just as well not to get the old man or the girl talked about. i will leave my horse here, too. see that both of them get a good feed; they have not had overmuch since we crossed the aqueda." as there were a good many british officers in the town, no special attention was given to terence as he walked along through the street, which was gay with flags. when he reached the house in the lane, the old man was standing at the door. "nita is in now, senor. she has not told me why you wanted to see her. she said it was better that she should not do so, but she thought she knew who it was." the girl clapped her hands, as he entered the room to which the old man pointed. "then it is you, senor colonello. i wondered, when we heard the english were coming, if you would be with them. of course, i heard from garcia that you had gone safely on board a ship at cadiz. then i wondered whether, if you did come here, you would remember me." "then that was very bad of you, nita. you ought to have been quite sure that i should remember you. if i had not done so, i should have been an ungrateful rascal, and should have deserved to die in the next french prison i got into." "how well you speak spanish now, senor!" "yes; that was principally due to garcia, but partly from having been in spain for six weeks, last autumn. i was with moras, and we gave the french a regular scare." "then it was you, senor! we heard that an english officer was in command of the troops who cut all the roads, and took numbers of french prisoners, and defeated of their troops and, as they said, nearly captured valladolid and burgos." "that was an exaggeration, nita. still, we managed to do them a good deal of damage, and kept the french in this part of the country pretty busy. "and now, nita, i have come to fulfil my promise," and he handed her the box in which the jeweller had packed up his purchases. "these are for your wedding, nita, and if it comes off while we are in this part of the country, i shall come and dance at it." the girl uttered cries of delight, as she opened parcel after parcel. "oh, senor, it is too much, too much altogether!" she cried, as she laid them all out on the table before her. "not a bit of it," terence said. "but for you, i should be in prison now. if they had been ten times as many, and ten times as costly, i should still have felt your debtor, all my life. "and where is garcia now?" "he has gone to join morillo," she said. "he always said that, as soon as the english came to our help, he should go out; so, six weeks ago, he sold all his mules and bought a gun, and went off." "i am sorry not to have seen him," terence said. "and now, nita, when he returns you are to give him this little box. it contains a present to help you both to start housekeeping, in good style. you see that i have put your name and his both on it. no one can say what may happen in war. remember that this is your joint property; and if, by ill fortune, he should not come back again, then it becomes yours." "oh, senor, you are altogether too good! oh, i am a lucky girl! i am sure that no maid ever went to church before with such splendid ornaments. how envious all the girls will be of me!" "and i expect the men will be equally envious of garcia, nita. now, if you will take my advice, you will not show these things to anyone at present; but will hide them in the box, in some very safe place, until you are quite sure that the french will never come back again. if your neighbours saw them, some ill-natured person might tell the french that you had received them from an english officer, and then it might be supposed that you had been acting as a spy for us; so it is better that you should tell no one, not even your uncle--that is, if you have not already mentioned it to him." "i have never told him," the girl said. "he is a good man and very kind; but he is very timid, and afraid of getting into trouble. if he asks me who you are and what you wanted, i shall tell him that you are an english officer who was in prison, in the convent; that you always bought your fruit of me, and said, if you ever came to salamanca again, you would find me out." "that will do very well. now i will say goodbye, nita. if we remain here after the french have retreated, i will come and see you again; for there will be so many english officers here that i would not be noticed. but there may be a battle any day; or marmont may fall back, and we should follow him; so that i may not get an opportunity again." "i hope you will come, i do hope you will come! i will bury all these things, this evening, in the ground in the kitchen, after my uncle has gone to bed." "well, goodbye, nita. i must be off now, as i have a friend with me. when you see garcia, you can tell him that you have given me a kiss. i am sure he won't mind." "i should not care if he did," the girl said saucily, as she held up her face. "goodbye, senor. i shall always think of you, and pray the virgin to watch over you." after marmont fell back across the douro there was a pause in the operations and, as the british army was quartered in and around salamanca, the city soon swarmed with british soldiers; and presented a scene exactly similar to that which it had worn when occupied by moore's army, nearly four years before. "what fun it was, terence," ryan said, "when we frightened the place out of its very senses, by the report that the french were entering the town!" "that is all very well, dick; but i think that you and i were just as much frightened as the spaniards were, when we saw how the thing had succeeded, and that all our troops were called out. there is no saying what they would have done to us, had they found out who started the report. the very least thing that would have happened would have been to be tried by court martial, and dismissed from the service; and i am by no means sure that worse than that would not have befallen us." "yes, it would have been an awful business, if we had been found out. still, it was a game, wasn't it? what an awful funk they were in! it was the funniest thing i ever saw. things have changed since then, terence, and i am afraid we have quite done with jokes of that sort." "i should hope so, dick. i think that i can answer for myself, but i am by no means sure as to you." "i like that," ryan said indignantly. "you were always the leader in mischief. i believe you would be, now, if you had the chance." "i don't know," terence replied, a little more seriously than he had before spoken. "i have been through a wonderful number of adventures, since then; and i don't pretend that i have not enjoyed them in something of the same spirit in which we enjoyed the fun we used to have together; but you see, i have had an immense deal of responsibility. i have two thousand men under me and, though bull and macwitty are good men, so far as the carrying out of an order goes, they are still too much troopers, seldom make a suggestion, and never really discuss any plan i suggest; so that the responsibility of the lives of all these men really rests entirely upon my shoulders. it has been only when i have been separated from them, as when i was a prisoner, that i have been able to enjoy an adventure in the same sort of way that we used to do, together." "i little thought then, terence, that in three years and a half, for that is about what it is, i should be a captain and you a major--for i don't count your portuguese rank one, way or the other." "of course, you have had two more years' regimental work than i have had. it would have been much better for me if i had had a longer spell of it, too. of course, i have been extraordinarily fortunate, and it has been very jolly; but i am sure it would have been better for me to have had more experience as a subaltern, before all this began." "well, i cannot say i see it, terence. at any rate, you have had a lot more regimental work than most officers; for you had to form your regiment, teach them discipline, and everything else; and i don't think that you would have done it so well, if you had been ground down into the regular regimental pattern, and had come to think that powder and pipe clay were actual indispensables in turning out soldiers." the quiet time at salamanca lasted a little over a fortnight for, in the beginning of july, lord wellington heard that, in obedience to king joseph's reiterated orders, marmont, having received reinforcements, was preparing to recross the douro; that soult was on the point of advancing into portugal; and that the king himself, with a large army, was on the way to join marmont. the latter, indeed, was not to have moved till the king joined him but, believing that his own army was ample for the purpose; and eager to gain a victory, unhampered by the king's presence, he suddenly crossed at tordesillas, and it was only by his masterly movements, and a sharp fight at castile, that wellington succeeded in concentrating his army on the aqueda. the british general drew up his army in order of battle, on the heights of vallesa; but the position was a strong one, marmont knew the country perfectly and, instead of advancing to the attack, he started at daybreak on the th, marched rapidly up the river, and crossed it before any opposition could be offered, and then marched for the tormes. by this movement he had turned wellington's right flank, was as near salamanca as were the british, and had it in his power, unless checked, to place himself on the road between salamanca and ciudad, and so to cut their line of retreat. seeing his position thus turned, wellington made a corresponding movement, and the two armies marched along lines of hills parallel with each other, the guns on both sides occasionally firing. all day long they were but a short distance apart and, at any moment, the battle might have been brought on. but wellington had no opportunity for fighting, except at a disadvantage; and marmont, having gained the object for which he had manoeuvred, was well content to maintain his advantage. at nightfall the british were on the heights of cabeca and aldea rubia, and so secured their former position at san christoval. marmont, however, had reached a point that gave him the command of the ford at huerta; and had it in his power to cross the tormes when he pleased, and either to recross at salamanca, or to cut the road to ciudad. he had proved, too, that his army could outmarch the british for, although they had already made a march of some distance, when the race began, he had gained ground throughout the day, in spite of the efforts of the british to keep abreast of him. moreover, marmont now had his junction with the king's army, approaching from madrid, securely established; and could either wait for his arrival, or give battle if he saw a favourable opportunity. wellington's position was grave. he had not only to consider his adversary's force, but the whole course of the war, which a disaster would imperil. he had the safety of the whole peninsula to consider, and a defeat would not only entail the loss of the advantage he had gained in spain, but would probably decide the fate of portugal, also. he determined, however, to cover salamanca till the last moment, in hopes that marmont might make some error that would afford him an opportunity of dealing a heavy blow. the next morning the allies occupied their old position at san christoval, while the french took possession of alba; whence the spaniards had been withdrawn, without notice, to wellington. the evening before, the british general had sent a despatch to the spanish commander, saying that he feared that he should be unable to hold his position. the messenger was captured by the french cavalry; and marmont, believing that wellington was about to retreat, and fearing that he might escape him, determined to fight rather than wait for the arrival of the king. the french crossed the tormes by the fords of huerta and alba, the british by other fords above salamanca. this movement was performed while a terrible storm raged. many men and horses of the th dragoon guards were killed by the lightning; while hundreds of the picketed horses broke their ropes, and galloped wildly about. [illustration: plan of the forts and operations round salamanca.] the position of the british army in the morning was very similar to that occupied by a portion of it, when besieging the forts of salamanca; extending from the ford of santa marta to the heights near the village of arapiles. this line covered salamanca; but it was open to marmont to march round wellington's right, and so cut his communications with ciudad. during the night, wellington heard that the french would be joined, in the course of two days, by twenty guns and cavalry; and resolved to retire before these came up, unless marmont afforded him some opportunity of fighting to advantage. the latter, however, was too confident of victory to wait for the arrival of this reinforcement, still less for that of the king and, at daybreak, he took possession of a village close to the british, thereby showing that he was resolved to force on a battle. near this were two detached hills, called the arapiles or hermanitos. they were steep and rugged. as the french were seen approaching, a portuguese regiment was sent to seize them; and these gained the one nearest to them, while the french took possession of the second. the th division assailed the height first, and gained and captured half of it. had wellington now wished to retire, it would have been at once difficult and dangerous to attempt the movement. his line was a long one, and it would have been impossible to withdraw, without running the risk of being attacked while in movement, and driven back upon the tormes. ignorant of marmont's precise intentions--for the main body of the french army was almost hidden in the woods--wellington could only wait until their plans were developed. he therefore contented himself with placing the th division on a slope behind the village of arapiles, which was held by the light companies of the guards. the th and th divisions were massed behind the hill, where a deep depression hid them from the sight of the enemy. for some time things remained quiet, except that the french and british batteries, on the top of the two hermanitos, kept up a duel with each other. during the pause, the french cavalry had again crossed the tormes, by one of the fords used in the night by the british; and had taken post at aldea tejarda, thus placing themselves between the british army and the road to ciudad. this movement, however, had been covered by the woods. about twelve o'clock, fearing that wellington would assail the hermanito held by him, marmont brought up two divisions to that point; and stood ready to oppose an attack which wellington, indeed, had been preparing--but had abandoned the idea, fearing that such a movement would draw the whole army into a battle, on a disadvantageous line. the french marshal, however, fearing that wellington would retreat by the ciudad road, before he could place a sufficient force on that line to oppose the movement, sent general maucune with two divisions, covered by fifty guns and supported by cavalry, to move along the southern ridge of the basin and menace that road; holding in hand six divisions, in readiness to fall upon the village of arapiles, should the british interfere with maucune's movement. the british line had now pivoted round, until its position extended from the hermanito to near aldea tejarda. in order to occupy the attention of the british, and prevent them from moving, the french force attacked the village of arapiles, and a fierce struggle took place. had marmont waited until clausel's division, still behind, came up and occupied the ridge, so as to connect the french main army with maucune's division, their position would have been unassailable; but the fear that wellington might escape had overcome his prudence and, as maucune advanced, a great gap was left between his division and that of marmont. as soon as wellington perceived the mistake, he saw that his opportunity had come. orders were despatched in all directions and, suddenly, the two divisions, hidden from the sight of the french behind the hermanito, dashed down into the valley; where two other divisions joined them. the th and th were in front, with bradford's portuguese; and the th and th formed the second line; while the spanish troops marched between them and the rd division, forming the extreme right at aldea tejarda. the light divisions of pack's portuguese and the heavy cavalry remained in reserve, on high ground behind them. in spite of a storm of bullets from maucune's guns, the leading divisions marched steadily forward and, while the third division dashed across the valley and, climbing the ridge, barred his progress, the main line advanced to attack his flank. marmont, seeing the terrible danger in which maucune was involved, sent officer after officer to hasten up the troops from the forest and, with his centre, prepared to attack the english hermanito, and to drive them from that portion of the village they still held; but as he was hurrying to join maucune a shell exploded near him, hurling him to the ground with a broken arm, and two deep wounds in his side. this misfortune was fatal to the french chances. confusion ensued, and the movements of the troops were paralyzed. it was about five o'clock when the rd division, under pakenham, fell upon maucune's leading division; and two batteries of artillery suddenly opened fire, on their flank, from the opposite height. having no expectation of such a stroke; and believing that the british were, ere this, in full retreat along the ciudad road, the french were hurrying forward, lengthening out into a long, straggling line. the onslaught of pakenham's division was irresistible, supported as it was by guns and cavalry. nevertheless, the french bore themselves gallantly, forming line as they marched forward, while their guns poured showers of grape into the approaching infantry. nothing, however, could stop them. pressing forward, they broke the half-formed lines into fragments, and drove them back in confusion upon the columns behind. the french cavalry endeavoured to check the british advance, by a charge on their flank; but were repulsed by the infantry, and the british light horsemen charged, and drove them off the field. pushing forward, pakenham came upon the second half of the division they had defeated, formed up on the wooded heights; one face being opposed to him, and the other to the th division, bradford's portuguese, and a mass of cavalry moving across the basin. the french had been already driven out of arapiles, and were engaged in action with the th division; but the battle was to some extent retrieved, for clausel's division had arrived from the forest and reinforced maucune; and spread across the basin, joining hands with the divisions massed near the french hermanito. marmont had been carried off the field. bonnet, who had succeeded him, was disabled; and the chief command devolved on clausel, a general of talent, possessing great coolness and presence of mind. his dispositions were excellent, but his troops were broken up into lines, columns, and squares. a strong wind raised the sandy soil in clouds of dust, the sinking sun shone full in the faces of his troops and, at once, concealed the movements of their enemies from them, and prevented them from acting with any unity. suddenly, two heavy bodies of light and heavy cavalry broke from the cloud of dust and fell upon them. twelve hundred frenchmen were trampled down and, as the cavalry rode on, the third division ran forward, at the double, through the gap that they had formed. line after line of the french infantry was broken and scattered, and five of their guns captured by one of the squadrons. two thousand prisoners were taken, and the three divisions that maucune had commanded were a mass of fugitives. in the meantime, a terrible battle was raging in the centre. here clausel had gathered three fresh divisions and, behind these, the fugitives from the left rallied. he placed three others, supported by the whole of the cavalry, to cover the retreat; while yet another remained behind the french hermanito. pack's portuguese were advancing against it, and arrived nearly at the summit, when the french reserves leapt from the rocks and opened a tremendous fire on their front and left flank; and the portuguese were driven down the hill, with much loss. almost at the same moment, one of the regiments of the th division were suddenly charged by french soldiers, hidden behind a declivity, and driven back with heavy loss. for a moment, it seemed that the fate of the battle might yet be changed; but wellington had the strongest reserve, the sixth division was brought up and, though the french fought obstinately, clausel was obliged to abandon the hermanito; and the army began to fall back, the movement being covered by their guns and the gallant charges of their cavalry. the whole of the british reserves were now brought into action, and hotly pressed them; but, for the most part maintaining their order, the french fell back into the woods and, favoured by the darkness, and nobly covered by maucune, who had been strongly reinforced, they drew off with comparatively little loss, thanks to the spaniards' abandonment of the fort guarding the ford at alba. believing that the french must make for the ford of huerta, wellington had greatly strengthened his force on that side and, after a long march to the ford, was bitterly disappointed, on arriving there at midnight, to find that there was no sign of the enemy; although it was not until morning that he learned that they had passed unmolested over the ford of alba. had it not been for the spanish disobedience and folly, marmont's whole army would have had no resource but to surrender. marmont's strength when the fight began was , infantry and cavalry, and guns. wellington had , infantry and cavalry, and pieces; but this included a considerable spanish force and one of their batteries, and , portuguese who, however, could not be reckoned as good troops. the pursuit of the french was taken up hotly next morning, and they were chased for forty miles that day but, the next morning, they eluded their pursuers, marched to valladolid, drew off the garrison there, and left it to be occupied by the british the following day. the minho regiment had been, two days before the battle, attached to the th division. for a time, being in the second line, they looked on, impatient spectators of the fight; but, at the crisis of the battle, they were brought up to check clausel's impetuous counter attack, and nowhere was the struggle fiercer. hulse's brigade, to which they were attached, bore more than its share of the fighting; and the th and the st, together, had but men and officers left when the battle was over. the portuguese fought valiantly, and the fact that their countrymen had been defeated, in their attempt to capture the french hermanito, inspired them with a fierce determination to show that portuguese troops could fight as well as their allies. they pushed forward well abreast of the other regiments of the brigade, and suffered equally. in vain the french attempted to check their advance. showers of grape swept their ranks; volleys of musketry, at a distance of but a few yards, withered up their front lines and, for a time, a hand-to-hand fight with bayonets raged. in the terrible roar of artillery and musketry, words of command were unheard; but the men mechanically filled up the gaps in their ranks, and the one thought of all was to press forward until, at length, the french yielded and fell sullenly back, disputing every yard of the ground, and a fresh division took up the pursuit. the order to halt was given. the men looked round, confused and dazed, as if waking from a dream. grimed with powder, soaked with perspiration, breathless and haggard, many seemed scarcely able to keep their feet; and every limb trembled at the sudden cessation of the terrible strain. then, as they looked round their ranks and to the ground they had passed over, now so thickly dotted with the dark uniforms, hoarse sobs broke from them; and men who had gone unflinchingly through the terrible struggle burst into tears. the regiment had gone into action over strong. scarce remained unwounded. of the officers, bull had fallen, desperately wounded; macwitty had been shot through the head. [illustration: a shell had struck terence's horse.] a shell had struck terence's horse and, bursting, had carried off the rider's leg above the knee. the men near him uttered a simultaneous cry as he fell and, regardless of the fight, oblivious to the storm of shot and shell, had knelt beside him. terence was perfectly sensible. "do one of you give me my flask out of my holster," he said, "and another cut off the leg of my trousers, as high as you can above the wound. that is right. now for the bandages." as every soldier in the regiment carried one in his hat, half a dozen of these were at once produced. "is it bleeding much?" he asked. "not much, colonel." "that is fortunate. now find a smooth round stone. lay it on the inside of the leg, just below where you have cut the trousers. "now put a bandage round and round, as tightly as you can do it. that is right. "now take the ramrod of one of my pistols, put it through the bandage, and then twist it. you need not be afraid of hurting me; my leg is quite numbed, at present. that is right. "put another bandage on, so as to hold the ramrod in its place. now fetch a flannel shirt from my valise, fold it up so as to make a pad that will go over the wound, and bandage it there firmly. "give me another drink, for i feel faint." when all was done, he said: "put my valise under my head, and throw my cloak over me. thank you, i shall do very well now. go forward and join the regiment. "i am done for, this time," he thought to himself, when the men left him. "still, i may pull through. there are many who have had a leg shot off and recovered, and there is no reason why i should not do so. there has not been any great loss of blood. i suppose that something has been smashed up, so that it cannot bleed. "ah, here comes the doctor!" the doctor was one of several medical students who had enlisted in the regiment, fighting and drilling with the rest but, when occasion offered, acting as surgeons. "i have just heard the news, colonel. the regiment is heartbroken but, in their fury, they went at the french facing them and scattered them like sheep. canovas, who told me, said that you were not bleeding much, and that he and the others had bandaged you up according to your instructions. "let me see. it could not have been better," he said. he felt terence's pulse. "wonderfully good, considering what a smash you have had. your vitality must be marvellous and, unless your wound breaks out bleeding badly, i have every hope that you will get over it. robas and salinas will be here in a minute, with a stretcher for you; and we will get you to some quiet spot, out of the line of fire." almost immediately, four men came up with the stretcher and, by the surgeon's orders, carried terence to a quiet spot, sheltered by a spur of the hill from the fire. "there is nothing more you can do for me now, doctor?" "nothing. it would be madness to take the bandages off, at present." "then please go back to the others. there must be numbers there who want your aid far more than i do. "you can stay with me, leon; but first go back to where my horse is lying, and bring here the saddle and the two blankets strapped behind it. i don't feel any pain to speak of, but it seems to me bitterly cold." the man presently returned with the saddle and blankets. two others accompanied him. both had been hit too seriously to continue with the regiment. their wounds had been already bandaged. "we thought that we should like to be near you, colonel, if you do not mind." "not at all. first, do each of you take a sip at my flask. "leon, i wish you would find a few sticks, and try to make a fire. it would be cheerful, although it might not give much warmth." it was dark now. it was five o'clock when the rd division threw itself across maucune's line of march, and the battle had begun. it was dark long before it ended but, during the three hours it had lasted, the french had lost a marshal, seven generals, and , men and officers, killed, wounded, or prisoners; while on the british side a field marshal, four generals, and nearly officers and soldiers were killed or wounded. indeed, the battle itself was concentrated into an hour's hard fighting; and a french officer, describing it, said that , men were defeated in forty minutes. presently the din of battle died out and, as soon as it did so, herrara and ryan both hurried to the side of terence. "my dear terence," ryan said, dropping on his knees beside him, "this is terrible. when i heard the news i was almost beside myself. as to the men, terrible as their loss is, they talk of no one but you." "i think i shall pull through all right, ryan. at any rate, the doctor says he thinks i shall, and i think so myself. i am heartily glad that you and herrara have gone through it all right. what are our losses?" "i don't know, yet. we have not had time to count, but not far from half our number. macwitty is killed, bull desperately wounded. fully half the company officers are killed." "that is terrible indeed, ryan. poor fellows! poor fellows! "well, i should say, herrara, that if you get no orders to join in the pursuit, you had best get all the wounded collected and brought here, and let the regiment light fires and bivouac. there is no chance of getting medical assistance, outside the regiment, tonight. of course, all the british surgeons will have their hands full with their own men. still, i only suggest this, for of course you are now in command." the wounded had all fallen within a comparatively short distance, and many were able to walk in. the rest were carried, each in a blanket, with four men at the corners. under ryan's directions, the unwounded scattered over the hillside and soon brought back a large supply of bushes and faggots. a number of fires were lighted, and the four surviving medical students, and one older surgeon, at once began the work of attending the wounded; taking the more serious cases first, leaving the less important ones to be bandaged by their comrades. many wounded men from other regiments, attracted by the light of the fires, came up; and these, too, received what aid the portuguese could give them. the next morning terence was carried down, at daybreak, on a stretcher to salamanca; where the town was in a state of the wildest excitement over the victory. as they entered the gates, an officer asked the bearers: "who is it?" "colonel o'connor, of the minho regiment." the officer knew terence personally. "i am sorry, indeed, to see you here, o'connor. not very serious, i hope?" "a leg cut clean off above the knee, with the fragment of a shell, percival; but i fancy that i am going to get over it." "carry him to the convent of saint bernard," the officer said, to the portuguese captain who was in command of the party, which consisted of men carrying wounded. "all officers are to be taken there, the others to the san martin convent. "i will look in and see you as soon as i can, o'connor; and hope to find you going on well." but few wounded officers had as yet been brought in and, as soon as terence was carried into a ward, two of the staff surgeons examined his wound. "you are doing wonderfully well, colonel," the senior officer said. "you must have received good surgical attention, immediately on being wounded. judging by your pulse, you can have lost but little blood." "it hardly bled at all, doctor, and i had it bandaged up by two of my own men. i have seen a good many serious wounds, in the course of the last four years; and know pretty well what ought to be done." "it has been uncommonly well done, anyhow. i think we had better not disturb the bandages, for a few days. if no bleeding sets in by that time, clots of blood will have formed, and you will be comparatively safe. "your pulse is very quiet. your men must have carried you down very carefully." "if i had been a basket of eggs, they could not have taken more care of me. i was scarcely conscious of any movement." "well, you have youth and good health and good spirits in your favour. if all our patients took things as cheerfully as you do, there would not be so many of them slip through our hands." bull, who had been brought in immediately after terence, was next attended to. he was unconscious. he had been struck by a round shot in the shoulder, which had not only smashed the bone, but almost carried away the upper part of the arm. "an ugly wound," the surgeon said to his colleague. "at any rate, we may as well take off the arm while he is unconscious. it will save him a second shock, and we can better bandage the wound when it is removed." a low moan was the only sign that the wounded man had any consciousness that the operation was being performed. "will he get over it, doctor?" terence asked, when the surgeon had finished. "there is just a chance, but it is a faint one. has he been a sober man?" "very; i can answer for the last four years, at any rate. all the portuguese officers were abstemious men; and i think that bull felt that it would not do for him, commanding a battalion, to be less sober than they were." "that increases his chance. men who drink have everything against them when they get a severe wound; but he has lost a great deal of blood, and the shock has, of course, been a terrible one." an orderly was told to administer a few spoonfuls of brandy and water, and the surgeon then moved on to the next bed. chapter : home again. the next morning, one of the surgeons brought a basketful of fruit to terence. "there is a young woman outside, colonel," he said, with a slight smile, "who was crying so bitterly that i was really obliged to bring this fruit up to you. she said you would know who she was, and was heartbroken that she could not be allowed to come up to nurse you. she said that she had heard, from one of your men, of your wound. i told her that it was quite impossible that any civilian should enter the hospital, but said that i would take her fruit up and, if she would come every day at five o'clock in the afternoon, when we went off duty for an hour, i would tell her how you were going on." "she used to sell fruit to the prisoners here," terence said, "and it was entirely by her aid that i effected my escape, last year; and she got a muleteer, to whom she is engaged, to take me down from here to cadiz. i bought her a present when we entered the town and, the other day, told her i hoped to dance at her wedding before long. however, that engagement will not come off. my dancing days are over." the surgeon felt his pulse. "there is very little fever," he said. "so far you are going on marvellously; but you must not be disappointed if you get a sharp turn, presently. you can hardly expect to get through a wound like this without having a touch, and perhaps a severe one, of fever." "is there any harm in my eating fruit?" "i would not eat any, but you can drink some of the juice, mixed with water. i hope we shall have everything comfortable by tonight; of course, we are all in the rough, at present. although many of the doctors of the town have been helping us, i don't think there is one medical officer in the army who has taken off his coat since the wounded began to come in, yesterday morning." that night terence's wound became very painful. inflammation, accompanied of course with fever, set in and, for a fortnight, he was very ill. at the end of that time matters began to mend, and the wound soon assumed a healthy appearance. an operation had been performed, and the projecting bone cut off. there were dire sufferings in salamanca. six thousand wounded had to be cared for, the french prisoners and their guards fed; and the army had no organization to meet so great a strain. numbers of lives that might have been saved, by care and proper attention, were lost; and the spirit of discontent and insubordination, which had its origin in the excesses committed in the sack of the fortresses, rapidly increased. the news from the front, after a time, seemed more satisfactory. clausel had been hotly pursued. had the king with his army joined him, as he might have done, he would have been in a position to again attack the enemy with greatly superior numbers; but joseph hesitated, and delayed until it was no longer possible. the british army crossed the mountains, and the king was obliged to retire from madrid and evacuate the capital; which was entered by wellington on the th of august. early in september, the chief surgeon said to terence: "there is a convoy of sick going down, at the end of the week. i think that it would be best for you to go with them. in the first place, the air of this town is not favourable for recoveries. in some of the hospitals a large number of men have been carried off by the fever, which so often breaks out when the conditions are bad. in the next place, i am privately informed, by the governor, that he has received orders from the general to send all who are capable of bearing the journey across the frontier, as soon as possible. another battle may be fought, at any moment. the reinforcements that have come from england are nothing like sufficient to replace the gaps in the army. "the french generals are collecting their forces, and it is certain that wellington will not be able to withstand their combination and, if he should be compelled to retreat, it is all important that he should not be hampered by the necessity of carrying off huge convoys of wounded. the difficulties of transport are already enormous; and it is, therefore, for many reasons desirable that all who are sufficiently convalescent to march, and all for whom transport can be provided, should start without delay." "i should be very glad, doctor. i have not seemed to gain strength, for the last week or ten days; but i believe that, if i were in the open air, i should gain ground rapidly." nita had been allowed to come up several times to see terence, since his convalescence began; and the last time she had called had told him that garcia had returned, being altogether dissatisfied with the feeble proceedings of the guerilla chief. she came up that afternoon, soon after the doctor left, and he told her the news that he had received. the next day she told terence that garcia had arranged with her father for his waggon and two bullocks, and that he himself would drive it to lisbon, if necessary. "they are fine bullocks, sir," she said, "and there is no fear of their breaking down. last night i was talking to one of your sergeants, who comes to me every day for news of you. he says that he and about forty of your men are going down with the convoy. all are able to walk. it is so difficult to get carts that only officers who cannot walk are to be taken, this time." "it is very good of garcia and your father, nita, but i should manage just as well as the others." "that may be, senor, but it is better to have a friend with you who knows the country. there may be difficulty in getting provisions, and they say that there is a good deal of plundering along the roads; for troops that have lately come up have behaved so badly that the peasants declare they will have revenge, and treat them as enemies if they have the opportunity. altogether, it is as well to have a friend with you." terence told the surgeon next morning what had been arranged, and said: "so we shall have room for one more, doctor. is major bull well enough to go with me? he could travel in my waggon, which is sure to be large enough for two to lie in, comfortably." "certainly he can. he is making a slow recovery, and i should be glad to send him away, only i have no room for him. if he goes with you, i can send another officer down, also, in the place you would have had." accordingly, on the saturday morning the convoy started. bull and terence met for the first time, since the day of the battle; as the former had been removed to another room, after the operation. he was extremely weak, still, and had to be carried down and placed in the waggon by the side of terence. garcia had been greatly affected at the latter's appearance. "i should scarce have known you again, senor." "i am pulled down a bit, garcia, but by the time we get to our journey's end, you will see that i shall be a very different man. how comfortable you have made the waggon!" "i have done what i could, senor. at the bottom are six sacks of corn, for it may be that forage will run short. then i have filled it with hay, and there are enough rugs to lie on, and to cover you well over at night; and down among the sacks is a good-sized box with some good wine, two hams of nita's father's curing, and a stock of sausages, and other things for the journey." nita came to say goodbye, and wept unrestrainedly at the parting. she and garcia had opened the little box, and found in it fifty sovereigns; and had agreed to be married, as soon as garcia returned from his journey. as the train of thirty waggons--of which ten contained provisions for use on the road--issued from the gates, they were joined by the convalescents, four hundred in number. all able to do so carried their arms, the muskets of the remainder being placed on the provision waggons. "have you heard from the regiment, bull?" terence asked, after they had talked over their time in hospital, and their comrades who had fallen. "no, sir. there is no one i should expect to write to me." "i had a letter from ryan, yesterday," terence said. "he tells me that they have had no fighting since we left. they form only one battalion now, and he says the state of things in madrid is dreadful. the people are dying of hunger, and the british officers have subscribed and started soup kitchens; and that he, with the other portuguese regiments, were to march the next day, with three british divisions and the cavalry, to join general clinton, who was falling back before clausel." "'we all miss you horribly, terence. herrara does his best, but he has not the influence over the men that you had. if we have to fall back into portugal again, which seems to me quite possible, for little more than , men are fit to carry arms, i fancy that there won't be a great many left round the colours by the spring. "'upon my word, i can hardly blame them, terence. more than half of those who originally joined have fallen and, no doubt, the poor fellows think that they have done more than their share towards defending their country.'" by very short marches, the convoy made its way to the frontier. the british convalescents remained at guarda, the portuguese marched for pinhel, and the carts with the wounded officers continued their journey to lisbon. the distance travelled had been over two hundred and fifty miles and, including halts, they had taken five weeks to perform it. terence gained strength greatly during the journey, and bull had so far recovered that he was able to get out and walk, sometimes, by the side of the waggon. garcia had been indefatigable in his efforts for their comfort. every day he formed an arbour over their waggon, with freshly-cut boughs brought in by the soldiers of the regiment; and this kept off the rays of the sun, and the flies. at the villages at which they stopped, most of the wounded were accommodated in the houses; but terence and bull preferred to sleep in the waggon, the hay being always freshly shaken out for them, in the evening. the supplies they carried were most useful in eking out the rations, and garcia proved himself an excellent cook. altogether, the journey had been a pleasant one. on arriving at lisbon, they were taken to the principal hospital. here the few who would be fit for service again were admitted, while the rest were ordered to be taken down, at once, to a hospital transport lying in the river. at the landing place they said goodbye to garcia, who refused firmly any remuneration for his services, or for the hire of the waggon; and then terence was lifted into a boat and, with several other wounded, was taken on board the transport. the surgeon came at once to examine him. "do you wish to be taken below, colonel?" he asked terence. "certainly not," terence said. "i can sit up here, and can enjoy myself as much as ever i could; and the air from the sea will do more for me than any tonics you can give me, doctor." he was placed in a comfortable deck chair, and bull had another beside him. there were many officers already on board, and terence presently perceived, in one who was stumping about on a wooden leg, a figure he recognized. he was passing on without recognition, when terence exclaimed: "why, o'grady, is it yourself?" "terence o'connor, by the powers!" o'grady shouted. "sure, i didn't know you at first. it is meself, true enough, or what there is left of me. it is glad i am to see you, though in a poor plight. the news came to me that you had lost a leg. there was, at first, no one in the hospital knew where you were, and i was not able to move about, meself, to make inquiries; and when i found out, before i came away, they said you were very bad, and that even if i could get to you--which i could not, for i had not been fitted with a new leg, then--i should not be able to see you. "it is just like my luck. i was hit by one of the first shots fired, and lost all the fun of the fight." "where were you hit, o'grady?" "right in the shin. faith, i went down so sudden that i thought i had trod in a hole; and i was making a scramble to get up again, when young dawson said: "'lie still, o'grady, they have shot the foot off ye.' "and so they had, and divil a bit could i find where it had gone to. as i was about the first man hit, they carried me off the field at once, and put me in a waggon and, as soon as it was full, i was taken down to salamanca. i only stopped there three weeks, and i have been here now more than two months, and my leg is all right again. but i am a lop-sided creature, though it is lucky that it is my left arm and leg that have gone. i was always a good hopper, when i was a boy; so that, if this wooden thing breaks, i think i should be able to get about pretty well." "this is major bull, o'grady. don't you know him?" "faith, i did not know him; but now you tell me who it is, i recognize him. how are you, major?" "i am getting on, captain o'grady." "major," o'grady corrected. "i got my step at salamanca; both our majors were killed. so i shall get a dacent pension: a major's pension, and so much for a leg and arm. that is not so bad, you know." "well, i have no reason to grumble," bull said. "if i had been with my old regiment and got this hurt, a shilling a day would have been the outside. now i shall get lieutenant's pension, and so much for my arm and shoulder." "i have no doubt you will get another step, bull. after the way the regiment suffered, and with poor macwitty killed, and you and i both badly wounded, they are sure to give you your step," and indeed when, on their arrival, they saw the gazette, they found that both had been promoted. "i suppose it is all for the best," o'grady said. "at any rate, i shall be able to drink dacent whisky for the rest of me life, and not have to be fretting meself with spanish spirit; though i don't say there was no virtue in it, when you couldn't get anything better." three days later, the vessel sailed for england. at plymouth terence, o'grady, and several other of the irish officers left her; bull promising terence that, when he was quite restored to health, he would come and pay him a visit. terence and his companion sailed the next day for dublin. o'grady had no relations whom he was particularly anxious to see and therefore, at terence's earnest invitation, he took a place with him in a coach--to leave in three days, as both had to buy civilian clothes, and to report themselves at headquarters. "what are you going to do about a leg, terence?" "i can do nothing, at present. my stump is a great deal too tender, still, for me to bear anything of that sort. but i will buy a pair of crutches." this was, indeed, the first thing done on landing, terence finding it inconvenient in the extreme to have to be carried whenever he wanted to move, even a few yards. he had written home two or three times from the hospital, telling them how he was getting on; for he knew that when his name appeared among the list of dangerously wounded, his father and cousin would be in a state of great anxiety until they received news of him; and as soon as they had taken their places in the coach he dropped them a line, saying when they might expect him. they had met with contrary winds on their voyage home, but the three weeks at sea had done great things for terence and, except for the pinned-up trousers leg, he looked almost himself again. "be jabers, terence," o'grady said, as the coach drove into athlone, "one might think that it was only yesterday that we went away. there are the old shops, and the same people standing at their doors to see the coach come in; and i think i could swear even to that cock, standing at the gate leading into the stables. what games we had here. who would have thought that, when we came back, you would be my senior officer!" when fifteen miles beyond athlone there was a hail, and the coach suddenly stopped. o'grady looked out of the window. "it's your father, terence, and the prettiest girl i have seen since we left the ould country." he opened the door and got out. "hooroo, major! here we are, safe and sound. we didn't expect to meet you for another eight miles." major o'connor was hurrying to the door, but the girl was there before him. "welcome home, terence! welcome home!" she exclaimed, smiling through her tears, as she leaned into the coach and held out both her hands to him, and then drew aside to make room for his father. "welcome home, terence!" the latter said, as he wrung his hand. "i did not think it would have been like this, but it might have been worse." "a great deal worse, father. now, will you and the guard help me out? this is the most difficult business i have to do." it was with some difficulty he was got out of the coach. as soon as he had steadied himself on his crutches, mary came up again, threw her arms round his neck, and kissed him. "we are cousins, you know, terence," she said, "and as your arms are occupied, i have to take the initiative." she was half laughing and half crying. the guard hurried to get the portmanteaus out of the boot. as soon as he had placed them in the road he shouted to the coachman, and climbed up on to his post as the vehicle drove on; the passengers on the roof giving hearty cheers for the two disabled officers. by this time, the major was heartily shaking hands with o'grady. "i saw in the gazette that you were hit again, o'grady." "yes. i left one little memento of meself in portugal, and it was only right that i should lave another in spain. it has been worrying me a good deal, because i should have liked to have brought them home to be buried in the same grave with me, so as to have everything handy together. how they are ever to be collected when the time comes bothers me entirely, when i can't even point out where they are to be found." "you have not lost your good spirits anyhow, o'grady." "i never shall, i hope, o'connor; and even if i had been inclined to, terence would have brought them back again." as they stood chatting, a manservant had placed the portmanteaus on the box of a pretty open carriage, drawn by two horses. "this is our state carriage, terence, though we don't use it very often for, when i go about by myself, i ride. mary has a pony carriage, and drives herself about. "you remember pat cassidy, don't you?" "of course i do, now i look at him," terence said. "it's your old soldier servant," and he shook hands with the man. "he did not come home with you, did he, father?" "no, he was badly wounded at talavera, and invalided home. they thought that he would not be fit for service again, and so discharged him; and he found his way here, and glad enough i was to have him." aided by his father and o'grady, terence took his place in the carriage. his father seated himself by his side, while mary and o'grady had the opposite seat. "there is one advantage in losing legs," o'grady said. "we can stow away much more comfortably in a carriage. is this the nearest point to your place?" "yes. it is four miles nearer than ballyhovey, so we thought that we might as well meet you here, and more comfortably than meeting you in the town. it was mary's suggestion. i think she would not have liked to have kissed terence in the public street." "nonsense, uncle!" mary said indignantly. "of course i should have kissed him, anywhere. are we not cousins? and didn't he save me from being shut up in a nunnery, all my life?" "all right, mary, it is quite right that you should kiss him; still, i should say that it was pleasanter to do so when you had not a couple of score of loafers looking on, who would not know that he was your cousin, and had saved you from a convent." "you are looking well, father," terence said, to turn the conversation. "never was better in my life, lad, except that i am obliged to be careful with my leg; but after all, it may be that, though it seemed hard to me at the time, it is as well that i left the regiment when i did. quite half the officers have been killed, since then. vimiera accounted for some of them. major harrison went there, and gave me my step. talavera made several more vacancies, and salamanca cost us ten officers, including poor o'driscoll. i am lucky to have come off as well as i did. it did not seem a very cheerful lookout, at first; but since this young woman arrived, and took possession of me, i am as happy and contented as a man can be." "i deny altogether having taken possession of you, uncle. i let you have your way very much, and only interfere for your own good." "you will have another patient to look after now, dear, and to fuss over." "i will do my best," she said softly, leaning forward and putting her hand on that of terence. "i know that it will be terribly dull for you, at first--after being constantly on the move for the last five years, and always full of excitement and adventure--to have to keep quiet and do nothing." "i shall get on very well," he said. "just as first, of course, i shall not be able to get about very much, but i shall soon learn to use my crutches; and i hope, before very long, to get a leg of some sort; and i don't see why i should not be able to ride again, after a bit. if i cannot do it any other way, i must take to a side saddle. i can have a leg made specially for riding, with a crook at the knee." mary laughed, while the tears came in her eyes. "why, bless me, mary," he went on, "the loss of a leg is nothing, when you are accustomed to it. i shall be able, as i have said, to ride, drive, shoot, fish, and all sorts of things. the only thing that i shall be cut off from, as far as i can see, is dancing; but as i have never had a chance of dancing, since the last ball the regiment gave at athlone, the loss will not be a very grievous one. "look at o'grady. there he is, much worse off than i am, as he has no one to make any particular fuss about him. he is getting on capitally and, indeed, stumped about the deck so much, coming home, that the captain begged him to have a pad of leather put on to the bottom of his leg, to save the decks. o'grady is a philosopher, and i shall try to follow his example." "why should one bother oneself, miss o'connor, when bothering won't help? when the war is over, i shall buy tim doolan, my soldier servant, out. he is a vile, drunken villain; but i understand him, and he understands me, and he blubbered so, when he carried me off the field, that i had to promise him that, if a french bullet did not carry him off, i would send for him when the war was over. "'you know you can't do without me, yer honour,' the scoundrel said. "'i can do better without you than with you, tim,' says i. 'ye are always getting me into trouble, with your drunken ways. ye would have been flogged a dozen times, if i hadn't screened you. take up your musket and join your regiment. you rascal, you are smelling of drink now, and divil a drop, except water, is there in me flask.' "'i did it for your own good,' says he. 'ye know that spirits always heats your blood, and water would be the best for you, when the fighting began; so i just sacrificed meself. "'for,' says i to meself, 'if ye get fighting a little wild, tim, it don't matter a bit; but the captain will have to keep cool, so it is best that you should drink up the spirits, and fill the flask up with water to quench his thirst.'" "'be off, ye black villain,' i said, 'or i will strike you.'" "'you will never be able to do without me, captain,' says he, picking up his musket; and with that he trudged away and, for aught i know, he never came out of the battle alive." the others laughed. "they were always quarrelling, mary," terence said. "but i agree with tim that his master will find it very hard to do without him, especially about one o'clock in the morning." "i am ashamed of you, terence," o'grady said, earnestly; "taking away me character, when i have come down here as your guest." "it is too bad, o'grady," major o'connor said, "but you know terence was always conspicuous for his want of respect towards his elders." "he was that same, o'connor. i did me best for the boy, but there are some on whom education and example are clean thrown away." "you are looking pale, cousin terence," mary said. "am i? my leg is hurting me a bit. ireland is a great country, but its by-roads are not the best in the world, and this jolting shakes me up a bit." "how stupid i was not to think of it!" she said and, rising in her seat, told cassidy to drive at a walk. they were now only half a mile from the house. "you will hardly know the old place again, terence," his father said. "and a very good thing too, father, for a more tumble-down old shanty i never was in." "it was the abode of our race, terence." "well, then, it says mighty little for our race, father." "ah! but it did not fall into the state you saw it in till my father died, a year after i got my commission." "i won't blame them, then; but, at any rate, i am glad i am coming home to a house and not to a ruin. "ah, that is more like a home!" he said, as a turn of the road brought them in sight of the building. "you have done wonders, mary. that is a house fit for any irish gentleman to live in." "it has been altered so that it can be added to, terence; but, at any rate, it is comfortable. as it was before, it made one feel rheumatic to look at it." on arriving at the house, terence refused all assistance. "i am going to be independent, as far as i can," he said and, slipping down from the seat into the bottom of the chaise, he was able to put his foot on to the ground and, by the aid of his crutches, to get out and enter the house unaided. "that is the old parlour, i think," he said, glancing into one of the rooms. "yes. it is your father's snuggery, now. there is scarcely any alteration there, and he can mess about as he likes with his guns and fishing tackle and swords. "this is the dining room, now." and she led the way along a wide passage to the new part of the house, where a bright fire was blazing in a handsome and well-furnished room. an invalid's chair had been placed by the fire, and opposite it was a large, cosy armchair. "that is for your use, major o'grady," she said. "now, terence, you are to lay yourself up in that chair. i will bring a small table to your side, and put your dinner there." "i will lie down until the dinner is ready, mary. but i am perfectly capable of sitting at the table. i did so the last week before leaving the ship." "you shall do that tomorrow. you may say what you like, but i can see that you are very tired and, for today, you will take it easy. i am going to be your nurse, and i can assure you that you will have to obey orders. you have been in independent command quite long enough." "it is of no use, terence; you must do as you are told," his father said. "the only way to get on with this young woman is to let her have her own way. i have given up opposing her, long ago; and you will have to do the same." terence did not find it unpleasant to be nursed and looked after, and even to obey peremptory orders. a month later, mary came into the room quietly, one afternoon, when he was sitting and looking into the fire; as his father and o'grady had driven over to killnally. absorbed in his own thoughts, he did not hear her enter. thinking that he was asleep, she paused at the door. a moment later she heard a deep sigh. she came forward at once. "what are you sighing about, terence? your leg is not hurting you, is it?" "no, dear, it has pretty well given up hurting me." "what were you sighing about, then?" he was silent for a minute, and then said: "well you see, one cannot help sighing a little at the thought that one is laid up, a useless man, when one is scarce twenty-one." "you have done your work, terence. you have made a name for yourself, when others are just leaving college and thinking of choosing a profession. you have done more, in five years, than most men achieve in all their lifetime. "this is the first time i have heard you grumble. i know it is hard, but what has specially upset you, today?" "i suppose i am a little out of sorts," he said. "i was thinking, perhaps, how different it might have been, if it hadn't been for that unlucky shell." "you mean that you might have gone on to burgos, and fallen in the assault there; or shared in that dreadful retreat to the frontier again." "no. i was not thinking of spain, nor even of the army. i was thinking of here." "but you said, over and over again, terence, that you will be able to ride, and drive, and get about like other people, in time." "yes, dear. in many respects it will be the same, but not in one respect." then he broke off. "i am an ungrateful brute. i have everything to make me happy--a comfortable home, a good father, and a dear little sister to nurse me." "what did i tell you, sir," she said, after a pause, "when i said goodbye to you at coimbra? that i would rather be your cousin. you were quite hurt, and i said that you were a silly boy, and would understand better, some day." "i have understood, since," he said, "and was glad that you were not my sister; but now, you see, things have altogether changed, and i must be content with sistership." the girl looked in the fire, and then said, in a low voice: "why, terence?" "you know why," he said. "i have had no one to think of but you, for the last four years. your letters were the great pleasures of my life. i thought over and over again of those last words of yours, and i had some hope that, when i came back, i might say to you: "'dear mary, i am grateful, indeed, that you are my cousin, and not my sister. a sister is a very dear relation, but there is one dearer still.' "don't be afraid, dear; i am not going to say so now. of course, that is over, and i hope that i shall come, in time, to be content to think of you as a sister." "you are very foolish, terence," she said, almost with a laugh, "as foolish as you were at coimbra. do you think that i should have said what i did, then, if i had not meant it? did you not save me, at the risk of your life, from what would have been worse than death? have you not been my hero, ever since? have you not been the centre of our thoughts here, the great topic of our conversation? have not your father and i been as proud as peacocks, when we read of your rapid promotion, and the notices of your gallant conduct? and do you think that it would make any difference to me, if you had come back with both your legs and arms shot off? "no, dear. i am just as dissatisfied with the relationship you propose as i was three years ago, and it must be either cousin or--" and she stopped. she was standing up beside him, now. "or wife," he said, taking up her hand. "is it possible you mean wife?" her face was a sufficient answer, and he drew her down to him. "you silly boy!" she said, five minutes afterwards. "of course, i thought of it all along. i never made any secret of it to your father. i told him that our escape was like a fairy tale, and that it must have the same ending: 'and they married, and lived happy ever after.' he would never have let me have my way with the house, had i not confided in him. he said that i could spend my money as i pleased, on myself, but that not one penny should be laid out on his house; and i was obliged to tell him. "i am afraid i blushed furiously, as i did so, but i had to say: "'don't you see, uncle?'--of course, i always called him uncle, from the first, though he is only a cousin--'i have quite made up my mind that it will be my house, some day; and the money may just as well be laid out on it now, to make it comfortable; instead of waiting till that time comes.'" "what did my father say?" "oh, he said all sorts of nonsense, just the sort of thing that you irishmen always do say! that he had hoped, perhaps, it might be so, from the moment he got your letter; and that the moment he saw me he felt sure that it would be so, for it must be, if you had any eyes in your head." when major o'connor came home he was greatly pleased, but he took the news as a matter of course. "faith," he said, "i would have disinherited the boy, if he had been such a fool as not to appreciate you, mary." o'grady was loud in his congratulations. "it is just like your luck, terence," he said. "luck is everything. here am i, a battered hero, who has lost an arm and a foot in the service of me country, and divil a girl has thrown herself upon me neck. here are you, a mere gossoon, fifteen years my junior in the service, mentioned a score of times in despatches, promoted over my head; and now you have won one of the prettiest creatures in ireland and, what is a good deal more to the point, though you may not think of it at present, with a handsome fortune of her own. in faith, there is no understanding the ways of providence." a week afterwards the whole party went up to dublin, as terence and o'grady had to go before a medical board. a fortnight later a notice appeared, in the gazette, that lieutenant colonel terence o'connor had retired from the service, on half pay, with the rank of colonel. the marriage did not take place for another six months, by which time terence had thrown away his crutches and had taken to an artificial leg--so well constructed that, were it not for a certain stiffness in his walk, his loss would not have been suspected by a casual observer. for three months previous to the event, a number of men had been employed in building a small but pretty house, some quarter of a mile from the mansion, intended for the occupation of majors o'connor and o'grady. "it will be better, in every way, terence," his father insisted, when his son and mary remonstrated against their thus proposing to leave them. "o'grady and i have been comrades for twenty years, and we shall feel more at home, in bachelor quarters, than here. i can run in three or four times a day, if i like, and i expect i shall be as much here as over there; whereas if i lived here, i should often be feeling myself in the way, though i know that you would never say so. it is better for young people to be together and, maybe some day, the house will be none too large for you." the house was finished by the time the wedding took place, and the two officers moved into it. the wedding was attended by all the tenants, and half the country round; and it was agreed that the bride's jewels were the most magnificent that had ever been seen in that part of ireland, though some objected that diamonds, alone, would have been more suitable for the occasion than the emeralds. terence, on his return, had heard from his father that his uncle, tim m'manus, had called very soon after the major had returned to his old home. he had been very friendly, and had been evidently mollified by terence's name appearing in general orders; but his opinion that he would end his career by a rope had been in no way shaken. he had, however, continued to pay occasional visits; and the rapid rise of the scapegrace, and his frequent mention in despatches, were evidently a source of much gratification to him; and it was not long after his return that his uncle again came over. "we will let bygones be bygones, terence," he said, as he shook hands with him. "you have turned out a credit to your mother's name, and i am proud of you; and i hold my head high when i say colonel terence o'connor, who was always playing mischief with the french, is my great nephew, and the good m'manus blood shines out clearly in him." there was no one who played a more conspicuous part at the wedding than uncle tim. at his own request, he proposed the health of the bride and bridegroom. "i take no small credit to myself," he said, "that colonel terence o'connor is the hero of this occasion. never was there a boy whose destiny was so marked as his, and it is many a time i predicted that it was not either by flood, or fire, or quietly in his bed that he would die. if, when the regiment was ordered abroad, i had offered him a home, i firmly believe that my prediction would be verified before now; but i closed my doors to him, and the consequence was that he expended his devilment upon the french; and it is a deal better for him that it is only a leg that he has lost, which is a much less serious matter than having his neck unduly stretched. therefore, ladies and gentlemen, i can say with pride that i have had no small share in this matter, and it is glad i am that, when i go, i can leave my money behind me, feeling that it won't all go to the dogs before i have been twelve months in my grave." another old friend was present at the wedding. bull had made a slow recovery, and had been some time before he regained his strength. when he was gazetted out of the service, he secured a step in rank, and retired as a major. in after years he made frequent visits to terence; to whom, as he always declared, he owed it that, instead of being turned adrift on a nominal pension, he was now able to live in comfort and ease. when, four months later, tim m'manus was thrown out of his trap when driving home late at night, and broke his neck, it was found that he had left the whole of his property to terence and, as the rents of his estate amounted to pounds a year, no inconsiderable proportion of which had, for many years past, been accumulating, the legacy placed terence in a leading position among the gentry of mayo. for very many years the house was one of the most popular in the county. it had been found necessary to make additions to it, and it had now attained the dignity of a mansion. the three officers followed, with the most intense interest, the bulletins and despatches from the war and, on the day when the allies entered paris, the services of tim doolan, who had been invalided home a year after the return of his master, and had been discharged as unfit for further service, were called into requisition, for the first time since his return, to assist his master back to the house. o'grady, however, explained most earnestly to mary o'connor, the next day, that it was not the whisky at all, at all, but his wooden leg that had got out of order, and would not carry him straight. dick ryan went through the war unscathed and, after waterloo, retired from the service with the rank of lieutenant colonel; married, and settled at athlone; and the closest intimacy, and very frequent intercourse, were maintained between him and his comrades of the mayo fusiliers. terence, in time, quite ceased to feel the loss of his leg; and was able to join in all field sports, becoming in time master of the hounds, and one of the most popular sportsmen in the county. his wife always declared that his wound was the most fortunate thing that ever happened to him for, had it not been for that, he would most likely have fallen in some of the later battles in the peninsula. "it is a good thing to have luck," she said, "and terence had plenty of it. but it does not do to tempt fortune too far. the pitcher that goes too often to the well gets broken, in the end." transcriber's note: minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as printed. words printed in italics are marked with underlines: _italics_. the adventures of captain john patterson, with notices of the officers, &c. of the th, or queen's own regiment, from to . london: t. & w. boone, , new bond street. . t. c. newby, printer, bury st. edmund's. to the queen's most excellent majesty. madam, encouraged by the very flattering manner in which your majesty condescended to present the th with the colours which they now carry, as well as by a high sense of the honour conferred upon the regiment when they were styled the "queen's own," i have presumed to dedicate to your majesty this feeble record of their services during the late war. i am fully assured that in whatever quarter of the globe their colours may be displayed, it will be to gain new honours in the field, and that, therefore, the regiment will ever maintain that place in your majesty's favour, which they have had the singular good fortune to acquire. i have the honour to be, madam, your majesty's most obedient, and very faithful subject, john patterson, captain, late of the th, or queen's own regiment. _liverpool, th october, ._ table of contents. chapter i. the author's motives. his entrance into military life. sketches of officers. lieutenant colonel stewart. lieutenant colonel white. a harassing march. changes of name in the th regiment. arrival at portsmouth. the embarkation. chapter ii. the expedition under sail. rough weather in the bay of biscay. christmas festivities prevented. the expedition is compelled to put back. the troops are relanded. the expedition sails again. its arrival at gibraltar. motley population of the place. the library. excessive heat of the climate. sluggishness of promotion. the expedition arrives at cadiz. dull cruize. spanish attack on the french fleet. visit to cadiz. chapter iii. campaign in portugal. arrival at mondego bay. a cool disembarkation. bustle of encamping. skirmish at obidos. action at roliça. death of colonel lake. march of the army towards vimeiro. junot's contempt of the british. battle of vimeiro. the british troops resolve to gain abundant laurels. appearance of the country. death of colonel coote. french attack repulsed. spirit of a highland piper. rout of the french. relics left behind by them. death of colonel taylor. bivouac after the battle. convention of cintra. chapter iv. march to lisbon. enthusiastic reception of the english army. danger of night rambles. encampment at monte santo. the army marches towards the frontier. santarem. a domestic occupation. bad quarters. pleasant life of a soldier. description of troops on their march. bustling second majors. march of the army resumed. picturesque scenes on the tagus. kindness of major napier. ravages committed by the french. difficulty of communicating with the natives. signs substituted for speech. hospitality at guarda. inhospitality at ciudad rodrigo. arrival at salamanca. friendly conduct of the inhabitants. chapter v. march to salamanca. sir david baird. passage of the esla. merit of the camp females. halt at lugo. short commons. suffering from want of sleep. lieutenant mccarthy. inclemency of the weather. exertions of sir david baird. distribution of shoes. odd fits. scarcity of provisions. dough boys. delights and disappointments of tea-drinking. destruction of the money-chests. wretched situation of the women and children. tattered clothing. a dandy in spite of all obstacles. bravery of the rear guard. stupidity of the peasants. corunna in sight. chapter vi. the troops at corunna. alarming explosion of a powder magazine. the brigade takes up a position near corunna. admirable conduct of sir john moore. positions of the hostile armies. french clamours in the field. the outposts are attacked. bravery of major napier. captain clunes. new mode of dislodging french soldiers. cookery spoiled. major napier is wounded and made prisoner. death of major stanhope, and of other officers. a presentiment. preparations to embark. burial of major stanhope. embarkation of the army. anger of soult. loss of the mary transport ship. departure from spain. chapter vii. quarters at braborne lees. removal to ashford. character of the th and th regiments. quarters at ashford. hauteur of the ashfordians. quarters at reading street. officers ordered to the isle of wight. ludicrous journey thither. the troops embark for walcheren. the troops disembark near camp vere. desolate appearance of flushing after its surrender. sufferings of the inhabitants. the marsh fever breaks out. mortality caused by it. kindness of the dutch. visit to middleburgh. cleanness and neatness of the town. apathy of the dutch. singular sleeping arrangement. the troops embark for england. they go into quarters. porchester castle. albany barracks. visit of the author to ireland. quarters at east bourne. chapter viii. the st battalion is ordered to portugal. lord balgonie. arrival at lisbon. march to abrantes. bad quarters at abrantes. halt at garvao. a family at gafete. bugs left as a legacy by the french. situation of portalegre. the grand cathedral. seclusion of the fair sex at portalegre. encampment on the heights of torre de moro. camp comforts. arrival at borba. beauty of the country round borba. delightful garden of don juan de almeida. style of building at borba. nunnery of st. clara. the capuchin convent. jollity of the monks. the convent kitchen. return to portalegre. terrible fatigue endured. death of ensign hay. wretched winter quarters. the crabbed donna elvira and her gloomy abode. chapter ix. general hill is despatched to surprise general girard's corps. the heights of alegrete. the division encounters a furious storm. halt at codiceira. kindness of the hostess. superciliousness of the dragoon officers. offensive and absurd superiority assumed by a dragoon colonel. folly of such conduct. anecdote of a dandy officer. "blanket merchants." the town of albuquerque. appearance of the women at malpartida. miseries of a bivouac on a rainy night. arrival at arroyo del molino. the enemy is defeated. arrival at merida. ruined state of the town. bridge over the guadiana. description of campo mayor. charnel house. quarters at campo mayor. chapter x. quarters at albuquerque and portalegre. house in which the author was quartered. march to don benito. family of don diego ramirez. style of living. the second division sent to the neighbourhood of badajos. the author visits badajos. difficulty of approach. description of the defences of the breaches. enormities committed after the storming of the place. bravery of lieut. mccarthy. chapter xi. arrival at truxillo. a force detached to reduce the forts of almaraz. solitariness of the march. arrangements for the attack. hot fire from the enemy. obstinate defence of fort napoleon. death of captain robert candler. the fort is carried by storm. bravery and fall of clarimont, the governor. the tête du pont is carried by the highlanders. fort ragusa is abandoned by the garrison. lieut. thiele is blown up. loss sustained by the two victors. the two irish brothers, larry and pat egan. repast after the success. chapter xii. the troops return to truxillo. description of truxillo. the pizarro palace. a paltry bull-fight. march to fuentes del maestro. quarters at don benito. kindness of the inhabitants. wedding at don benito. the bride and bridegroom described. assemblies in the town. dress of the ladies. departure from don benito. march to villa mercia. sad want of fuel. the bullock-cart. sierra de santa cruz. banditti-like shepherds. the troops march to toledo. warm reception given to them by the inhabitants. situation of toledo. magnificence of the cathedral. skeleton of st. ursula. beautiful paintings. the largest bell in europe. persons and dress of the ladies of toledo. dress of the men. departure from toledo. bivouac on the banks of the tagus. tedious road to aranjuez. arrival at aranjuez. ravages committed by the french. the queen's palace. gardens and groves of the place. chapter xiii. excursion to madrid with a brother officer. the travellers lose their way. a surly don refuses admission. they arrive at villa conejo. the inhabitants of the valleys are often robbers. sinister countenances of some of the villagers. the travellers at last obtain a shelter. they enter madrid. a troublesome alcalde. our host in love. custom of separating males from females in the spanish theatres. riotous conduct of the audience in the pit. blundering actors. an ill-looking prompter. gaiety of the people of madrid. la china and the retiro. palace of godoy. distress in madrid. difficulty of obtaining admission into the houses in madrid. chapter xiv. the travellers return to aranjuez. march of the army towards madrid. halt at the escurial. situation of the palace. enormous magnitude of the building. the army proceeds on its march. description of the pass of guadarama. sculpture in the pass. the army halts at alba de tormes. it moves on towards the aripiles. sufferings from the weather during the march. difficulty of procuring subsistence and fire. a pig-hunt. halt at robledo. arrival at coria. noisy belles and corpulent monks. priest's wine. ugliness of the females of coria. death of general stewart, and brigadier general wilson. description of the belem rangers. chapter xv. march of the regiment to monte hermosa. banditti in the neighbourhood. journey to placentia. description of the party. forest of carcaboso. the author arrives at placentia. he is quartered at the house of francisco barona. his host's wife and her lover. return from placentia. fears of some of the travellers. peasantry of monte hermosa described. amusements of the villagers. inharmonious music and heavy dancing. chapter xvi. march from villa hermosa. bridge at gihon. halt at la sacita. the author is quartered at the house of bernardo lopez. hospitality of his host. the march resumed. puerto de banos. arrival at bejar. warm reception given to the troops. fears entertained of the french. situation of bejar. the troops are kept constantly on the alert. hard duty. assemblies and dances. conduct of the dons in the ball-room. palace of the duke of ossuna. name-day entertainments. the carnival at bejar. the rabo. the pillijo. the priests fond of gambling. wool carding. idleness of the men. tertullias. general foy attacks bejar. he is defeated. gratitude of the inhabitants of bejar. chapter xvii. the regiment quits bejar. march through the valley of the ebro. halt at la puebla. orders given to prepare for action. battle of vittoria. hungry condition of the british troops. colonel cadogan is killed. his character. birds'-eye view of the battle-field. ruse de guerre of the french. pathetic recognition of a slain brother. close of the battle. flight of the french. vexation of a scotch economical officer. night bivouac. chapter xviii. march to pampeluna. a storm in the pyrenees. lieut. masterman killed by lightning. movements on the enemy's flanks. beauty of the vale of bastan. halt of the army near elisonda. marshal soult resolves to regain his lost ground. another storm in the pyrenees. advance of the french against the british. the british outposts are driven in. destructive fire of the riflemen. several officers are killed. cool courage of lieut. brown. bravery of colonel o'callaghan. daring conduct of the french officers. colonel hill severely wounded. the british are forced to retire. the french riflemen again. lieut. birchall killed. successful charge on the french. killed and wounded officers. the battle terminates in favour of the british. chapter xix. the author is wounded in the battle of the pyrenees. he is sent to the hospital station at vittoria. motley group of the wounded. the author is quartered on a partisan of the french. lieutenant pattison. captain gough. vittoria and its vicinity. melancholy fate of captain gore. celebration of a great festival at vittoria. ludicrous antics of the townspeople. the author sets out for bilboa. apparently cannibal innkeeper at tolosa. arrival at bilboa. the author embarks for england. singular entrance to the port where he embarked. he lands at plymouth. chapter xx. exploits of the th regiment subsequent to the author's leaving spain. action at aire. death of lieutenant d. mcdonald. good fortune of lieutenant colonel harrison. officers killed and wounded in the campaign of . estimate of the relative merit of the soldiery of various countries. of the english. of the scotch. of the irish. of the germans. characters of captain philip blassiere. chapter xxi. the th regiment in quarters at aughnacloy. it removes to enniskillen. recruiting quarters at londonderry. still hunting. disgusting nature of that service. stratagems of the illicit distillers. pursuit of outlaws and robbers. magennis, a noted villain. he eludes all pursuit. lieutenant plunkett resolves to apprehend him. notice of lieutenant plunkett's military career. he succeeds in seizing magennis. the informer is murdered. chapter xxii. the author is ordered to join the regiment in the west indies. he embarks at cove. uncomfortable state of the sleeping berths. pleasant society on board. the pilot is charged with numerous farewells. sea sickness. no compassion felt for its victims. amusing talents of mr. charles. disasters at dinner and tea in the bay of biscay. approach to madeira. preparations for warm weather. attack on the turtle. jeopardy of the assailants. palma and teneriffe in sight. attempted suicide of a soldier. beauty of the nights. dancing and singing on board. crossing the line. consequences of the excesses connected with this mummery. land in sight. arrival at jamaica. a black pilot. prying visitors from the shore. chapter xxiii. visit to port royal. tavern there. description of port royal. the author lands at kingston. he proceeds to up-park camp. terrible mortality among the troops. death of colonel hill. his character. picturesque situation of up-park camp. its extreme insalubrity. duties in camp. black female pedlars. second breakfast. cricket. evening parade. dinner. insufferable heat of mid-day. injurious effect of the night dews. excessive thirst and excessive drinking. a singular idea of a fine country. danger of being exposed to the heavy rains. death of lieut. richardson. shipwreck and death of mrs. ross. description of kingston. extortionate conduct of the hotel-keepers. character of the kingston ladies. their extreme love of dancing. drowsiness and apathy of the males. unhealthiness of spanish town. chapter xxiv. the author embarks for england. course of the vessel. sharks not palatable food. a visit from a buenos ayres privateer. rough weather. a northwester hurricane. its terrific appearance and effects. misery below deck. meritorious conduct of mr. grant, the mate. he is swept away by a billow. the hurricane ceases. vigorous attack on the breakfast. passengers in the vessel. one of them is sickly; another is crack-brained. misfortunes encountered by the latter. the author lands at deal. errata. page , lines from bottom, for "queses," read "cues." , lines from bottom, for "groops," read "groupes." , lines from bottom, for " th," read " th." , lines from bottom, for "among wood," read "among the wood." , in the list of killed, &c. at vimeiro, instead of the passage printed, read "capt. a. g. coote, killed; major charles hill, and lieutenant j. n. wilson, wounded." , lines from bottom, for "blackening," read "blanching." , lines from bottom, for "throgout," read "throughout." , lines from bottom, for "caja," read "caio." , lines from top, for "wood," read "mood." , lines from bottom, for "chandler," read "candler." , lines from bottom, for "thril," read "thiele." , lines from bottom, for "mach," read "march." , lines from top, for "firm," read "fine." , lines from bottom, for " th," read " st." , lines from bottom, for "settimo," read "septimo." , lines from top, for "lieutenant general bartley, lieutenant general power," read "lieutenant george bartley, lieutenant power." , at the top, for "lieutenant and adjutant d. mcdonald," read "lieutenant duncan mcdonald." , lines from top, instead of "to behold with what vanity as well as delight not a few," should read, "to behold with what delight as well as vanity not a few." , lines from bottom, for "wailey," read "warley." adventures. chapter i. it seems to be a general custom for the retired soldier, after he has sheathed his now harmless blade, to wield the pen, and, looking back upon his past campaigns, deliver "a round unvarnished tale." i have no wish to be singular, by making myself an exception to the rule; on the contrary, i am rather desirous of appearing on the list of those who fight their battles o'er again. i shall, therefore, as a young recruit, take part among the troop of scribblers; and, without any unnecessary preamble, assign one reason for my embarking in the cause. among the various military narratives, written to edify the world, nothing has yet transpired regarding the old fiftieth; not a single champion has been bold enough to step forward, and say a word or two in favour of that corps. now, as the battalion, whenever the pebbles were flying about, was never in the back ground, there can be no excuse for silence upon the subject. moreover, the high esteem in which i hold the companions of many a hard fought day prompts me to offer this feeble record of their services, so far as i have witnessed them; and, at the same time, to endeavour to rescue from oblivion, the memory of those brave men, who fell for their country. it perhaps may be asserted, that the interest in all such matters is now gone by, and that it is a hackneyed, dry, and threadbare theme; but i must beg leave to differ from those sapient persons, who perchance may entertain this notion. the scenes in this eventful war were ever changing; each performer ran a career as varied as the clime or country through which he travelled; in fact, so diversified were the circumstances, that if every individual from the drum-boy upwards, were to write his own adventures, i am well convinced, the story would not be wholly devoid of interest, because it would at least have novelty to recommend it. as for the movements and operations of the army, in the spanish peninsula, they have been already well described by colonel napier; and therefore i consider that any account, even from the most talented pen, would be superfluous, after the details which have been so clearly given by that able historian. the hurried nature of our service rendered it impossible for us to see beyond the surface. we were scarcely ever allowed to remain more than a day or two, in any town worthy particular notice. the woods and wilds were generally the places of our habitation. from this cause, description will necessarily be meagre, and little more than an unfinished sketch, or outline, can be looked for. i shall confine myself to things that fell within the range of personal observation, many of which were noted down in a journal at the time; and in doing so i may hope to introduce some gleanings, not wholly worthless, that may have escaped the cognizance of others more experienced, and who even were long before me in the field. if the general reader should deem my preliminary matter to be of minor importance, i must beg to remind him, that there are many veterans to whom it will appear in a different light; and i must solicit his patience till i can lead him into more stirring scenes. having, in august , received a commission in his majesty's th, or west kent regiment, i joined the nd battalion of that corps, commanded by lieutenant-colonel charles stewart, at deal barracks, on the th of the following month. it was composed chiefly of young recruits and of volunteers from the english militia, and was undergoing a strict course of drill; the whole of the officers and men being diligently employed in practising the manual and platoon exercise, marching, countermarching, and the balance step. lieutenant-colonel stewart, who had lately been promoted from the rd, in which he had served for some years, was an old and very distinguished officer, having encountered the vicissitudes of war, in almost every quarter into which the british arms were carried. in the east indies, while present at the siege of seringapatam, as captain of the st highlanders, he bore a conspicuous part, when leading his company to the assault of that fortress, in which he was severely wounded. he was a hardy northern, skilled in martial science, and was as eminent in those qualities which are required for training up the young battalion as for those which are displayed in manoeuvring the more experienced in the field. his hoary locks, well blanched by many a hard campaign, indicated the length of service to which his best days had been devoted, while his penetrating expression of countenance indicated the active mind, and the abilities, by which he was so highly distinguished. in the adjoining barrack lay the th or worcestershire regiment, commanded by lieutenant-colonel daniel white. it had lately returned from halifax, where it had been stationed for many years.--being in preparation for active employment, it was now passing through the usual ordeal of drill and ball practise; and consequently the interminable sounds of drums, and bugles, the monotonous din of the drill serjeants' "as you were," accompanied by the clamour from the adjutants' stentorian lungs, were continually wringing in our ears. the th was a fine regiment, although it had been trained up after the manner of the old school. their lieutenant-colonel, a gallant veteran,[ ] shewing the example, made his officers dress with cocked hat square to the front, long queses, and wide skirted coats, fastened or looped back with hook and eye--they had rather too much of the antique about them, and were considerably improved by getting into a more modern style of costume. [ ] this fine old officer was killed at the battle of talavera, while nobly leading his regiment to the charge. we were enlivened by their excellent band; and their corps of black drummers cut a fierce and remarkable appearance, while hammering away on their brass drums. this regiment, when complete, was sent to portugal, where by its good conduct it acquired as large a share of laurels as any other in the peninsular army. the nd battalion of the th marched, on the th of october, , to the town of ashford in kent, at which place we had excellent accommodation and good barracks. an order soon after arrived for a draught, consisting of one captain, two subalterns, and men, to proceed forthwith to join the st battalion, then on its route to portsmouth. the detachment left ashford on the th of november, under the command of captain h. i. phelps.[ ] [ ] captain phelps, was shortly after exchanged into the th and consequently was not among the number who embarked with the st battalion. the st battalion of the th, or west kent regiment, commanded by lieutenant-colonel george townsend walker, was, at that time, above a thousand strong, having been completed by men from the second battalion, on its return from the expedition to copenhagen. in addition to the old hands, they obtained a full supply of young active fellows, who had volunteered from the english militia,--the whole, officers as well as privates, were in good health and spirits, elated with the prospect of active service, and looking forward to new adventures as well as to encountering the enemy in the field. but it was not alone by numerical strength or physical power that the th was likely to be formidable. there was likewise an "esprit de corps," a high tone of feeling among them, producing a moral force not easily to be overcome. when, after a long and harassing route, on a dismal wintry day in october, the men marched up the main street in hythe covered with mud, drenched with rain, their clothing and accoutrements tarnished, their black facings in good keeping with their dingy costume, they certainly looked more like a band of demons than human beings, and realized, on this occasion at least, their ancient pet appellation of the 'dirty half hundred.' the th has undergone several changes of name, both serious and ludicrous. at the period of which we are writing, it was the west kent regiment. when, after its return from the west indies, in , it received a new set of colours, at portsmouth, from the hands of queen adelaide, (then duchess of clarence) it became the 'duke of clarence's.' on our present gracious sovereign's accession to the throne it was made a royal regiment, and obtained the honor of being styled the 'queen's own,' which is its present name. among military men, it has been known by various jocose titles; at one time it was called the 'mediterranean greys,' from its having been so long on that station that the locks of men and officers had assumed a grisly hue. it was, at another period, named the 'blind half hundred,' from being so much afflicted with the ophthalmia in egypt. the 'old black cuffs,' and the 'dirty half hundred,' from the dingy colour of the facings, are still favourite appellations.--but let us resume our march. we arrived at portsmouth on the th of november, , having had a toilsome march of ten days; the roads were bad, and the weather was unusually cold and wet; so that we did not make a very respectable or beautiful figure, upon our entrance into that garrison, any more than we did at our exhibition in hythe. the object of our coming to portsmouth, was to form a portion of an expedition which was to assemble at this place of rendezvous, preparatory to its embarkation for a destined quarter, to what part of the world it was to direct its course was, however, as yet unknown to the troops who were to be engaged in it. the force to be employed on this secret enterprise consisted of the following regiments, viz.:-- the th regiment, lieut.-col. white. the nd regiment, lieut.-col. s. v. hinde. the th regiment, lieut.-col. g. t. walker. the nd regiment, lieut.-col. sir g. smith. the armament was to be under the orders of major general sir brent spencer, an officer of well-tried experience, and merit, who had signalized himself on many occasions, and particularly when leading forward the old th on the sands of egypt. with such a gallant chief at our head, followed by such troops, we could not fail to be inspired with confidence, that to whatever quarter the expedition might be bound, success would inevitably attend upon our arms. previous to our going on board, a limited number of women were allowed to accompany the regiment, and lots were cast in order to decide this very delicate affair.--it was most affecting to witness the distress of those whose fate it was to remain behind, and the despair that was pictured on the countenances of the unhappy creatures was truly pitiable.--many of them young, helpless, and unprotected, were forced to wander back to their own country, pennyless, and broken-hearted, and to all intents and purposes left in a widowed state, for few of them were fated ever to behold their husbands again. the moment of separation was a painful one, and was calculated not only to touch the hearts of the most indifferent observer, but to affect most deeply those who, while they felt for the mourners, had no power to mitigate their sorrows. the embarkation took place on the th of december. the troops were assembled on that spot, well known by the name of portsmouth point, a place which, albeit it possesses but a scanty portion of the picturesque, even now furnished with a goodly display of animated nature, and covered with groups of motley garb and colour, consisting of all the rank, beauty and fashion of that very polite and elegant quarter of the town, drawn hither from their saloons, to witness the departure of the soldiers. chapter ii. the whole of the troops being on board, the fleet got under way, from spithead, with a fine breeze from the e.n.e. and stood down channel for the westward. the transports fitted up for our reception, were small vessels of such old and crazy materials, that in this wintry season, we did not expect they would long remain sea-worthy. however as we were now commencing the uphill work of a soldier's life, our minds were fully made up to rough it in every sense of the word; and, although appearances were not flattering, our feelings were in unison with the motto on our breast-plate, (quo fata vócant) and we were buoyed up with the hopes of a prosperous issue to our undertaking. captain bentley's company, (to which i belonged) was stowed in the brig alexander; she was an old tub, battered and knocked about by many a gale, and in her look and trim was by no means inviting. the skipper, captain young, a tall, hard-featured seaman, with a countenance well bronzed by exposure to the n.w. wind, was positive and irritable to an extreme degree, and if a landsman presumed to offer any remark, as to the affairs of his beautiful ship, old _young_, was quite indignant. we were fortunate in getting bentley for a shipmate, as he was a kind good tempered man, and a lively companion. the paymaster, john montgomery, with his wife and family, were also of our party; so that on the whole, we in the alexander were as well off with respect to society, as any of our neighbours. montgomery was a plain, good-natured irishman, fond of social life, and being a man of experience, having spent most of his days in the regiment, he was an acquisition, which ultimately proved valuable to us. his eldest daughter, an animated sensible girl, contributed with two younger sisters to our happiness; and, making due allowance for the state of things around, we had as large a share of enjoyment, (if such a word can be used with reference to being in a ship), as under the circumstances could reasonably be expected. the fleet was soon clear of the channel, bearing on a s.w. course, under a heavy press of canvass, before a fair wind.--the appearance of the clouds and atmosphere was unfavourable, and the huge unwieldy porpoises, rolling about their shapeless forms, together with the screaming of mother cary's chickens, were to the experienced mariners certain indications of a coming storm. their evil prognostics were soon realized; for, on approaching the bay of biscay, we were driven and tossed about, by one of the most violent tempests that had occurred for many years.--it began on christmas day. resolving to enjoy, though in a humble way, the good cheer of the festive season, we had previously provided for the occasion a fat goose, and other savoury things; but, alas, our promised joys proved deceptive; they all vanished, and were replaced by sorrow and disappointment, for the relentless gale denied all possibility of comfort! poor blacky, in his caboose, was rendered inconsolable, he being unable to dress the aforesaid goose, as the spray, beating in, had quenched the last spark of his culinary fire. the ship reeled and pitched with such tremendous force, that it was not without some trouble we could discuss the merits of a cold bone of junk with hard biscuit, while we lay sprawling and floundering on the wretched cabin floor. the dead-lights having been previously fixed to the stern windows, there remained but the flickering and moody glare of a yellow dirty looking luminary, y'clept a lamp, which, as it swung from the sky-light grating, afforded a glimmering just sufficient to make darkness visible, and disclose to our visual organs a scene emphatically dismal. such was the commencement of our calamitous voyage, and in this way did we get on, from bad to worse, each day more woeful than the preceding; until at length, after beating about this bay of misery, against a strong head sea, and with a hurricane in our teeth, it was thought advisable to fight no longer with the elements; the signal was therefore made from the commodore, to tack about, and make sail for england.--obeying this welcome signal with alacrity, we found ourselves going homewards before the wind, at the rate of from ten to twelve knots an hour, after having been exposed to its dreadful violence for the space of ten days, in the most terrific sea that any unfortunate bark had ever ploughed. at this time, as we looked across the foaming waste, the view was wild and dreary; amidst the atmosphere of darkness, clouds and mist, the scattered vessels might be occasionally discerned, as the fog dispersed, tossed about at the merciless fury of the waves; some dismantled, others on their beam ends. the wrecks of those that unhappily had foundered were floating here and there, while the loud and fearful moaning of the tempest increased the horrors of the scene. after five days of rapid sailing, the alexander, with a few more ships, arrived at plymouth. the remainder of the convoy took refuge in various harbours, along the coast, and by the th of january they were all safe at anchor, in the several ports which with so much difficulty they made. on the th we sailed for falmouth, when permission was granted for the men to land in detachments, in order that they might stretch their limbs after their long confinement[ ]. [ ] before our departure from falmouth our society was unfortunately deprived of captain bentley, who remained to effect an exchange. he was, for a considerable time, staff captain at chatham, and was promoted to the rank of major, when he was appointed to the th foot, stationed at ceylon. he died soon after this, justly lamented by all his friends and comrades. bentley was succeeded, in the alexander, by captain richard stowe, a weather-beaten veteran, upon whose visage time, and hard service, had imprinted numerous deep and indelible marks. stowe exchanged into a west india regiment, before we landed in portugal, and was taken off by fever in one of the leeward islands. the weather having at length become settled, the fleet again got under way, and, with a fine steady breeze from the east, soon cleared the lizard. steering towards our friend old biscay, of blustrous memory, we speedily lost sight of the shores of britain; but in a state of circumstances far more auspicious than those under which we first commenced our unfortunate career. after a prosperous and very delightful voyage of seventeen days, during which we had favourable and pleasant weather, we came to anchor in the bay of gibraltar, when the troops were disembarked, and occupied the barracks at europa point, on the southern extremity of the fortress. the transport containing the flank companies and head quarters, under colonel walker, had missed the convoy in the heavy gales of january, and bore away to the southward. after being driven about the mediterranean for some weeks, it was compelled to put into the harbour of messina, where it continued till intelligence was received of our arrival at the rock. in a little time it joined us, and the regiment was again re-assembled, and prepared for any service. during our brief sojourn in this extraordinary place, which is too well known to need any description here, we found many things to interest us after the monotony of a voyage. the great number of strange and curious looking personages, who figured in the streets, with their varied, many-coloured, and grotesque costumes, made the town appear as if there was a carnival or masquerade going forward, and produced a very gay and ludicrous effect. there is, however, a heavy drawback to the mirth which this motley population is calculated to excite. the close suffocating atmosphere, the filthy state of the houses, and other local circumstances, promote the reception of those unwelcome visitors, plague, cholera, and yellow fever; which are still further encouraged, if not engendered, by the uncleanly habits, and abominable customs of the turks, jews, and other outlandish residents of the town. the library, containing a numerous and splendid collection of books in every language, forms a delightful source of amusement, as well as profitable employment, to the officers, civil and military, who may be stationed in the garrison.--over the library is a magnificent ball-room in which at all times there is a pretty good display of the young and fair[ ] rock-scorpions, together with passing visitors, and warlike heroes, who have assembled to dispel that ennui which might otherwise pervade their leisure hours. [ ] a term applied to those who are born on the _rock_. the weather was excessively hot, the oppressive closeness of the air, being increased by the reflection, from the rock, of a burning sun. were this not tempered by the occasional breeze, wafted from the mediterranean, the climate would be insufferable: tormented by flies, mosquitos, and other insects, we had but little rest day or night, and but for the constant occupation of the mind, combined with the excitement caused by the variety and novelty of all about us, our situation would have been any thing but agreeable in such a place, which it would almost require the nature of a salamander to endure; a nature not to be obtained except by the seasoning of a very long residence. mounting guard one day at the new mole head, i was a witness of an extraordinary interview which chanced to occur. lieut. frederick baron meard, an old subaltern of the th, was upon the same duty, and, being the senior, he turned out the guard to receive the visiting field officer, then major wood, of the nd regiment; to his great surprise the major recognized meard as the same individual who, some years before, when in the west indies, was the field officer of the day, to whom the main guard presented arms, when he, (major wood), commanded it, being at that period a lieutenant in the nd. to what corps meard then belonged, i do not recollect, but his having sold out and again commenced his military career, will account for what may seem one of those strange vicissitudes to which men of the military profession are liable.--meard exchanged, while we lay at gibraltar, into a regiment in the west indies, and soon after fell a victim to the effects of that baneful climate. major cholmondly overend also returned from the regiment at this place, having sold his commission, and returned to england. overend was a yorkshireman, advanced in years, and decidedly of the old school. erect in stature, and well made, with a good military expression, he retained still enough to show that in his younger days, he must have been a handsome man. whether he is now in the land of the living i am unable to say. the th, previous to the arrival of colonel walker, was under the command of major charles hill; of whom, as he was our leader throughout a good part of the peninsular war, i shall hereafter have something more to relate. on the th of may, , the expedition, under the orders of lieutenant general sir brent spencer, sailed from the bay of gibraltar, and on the following day arrived off cadiz, where the fleet remained till the th of june, from which period to the th of the same month, it was cruizing about between cape st. vincent, ayamonte and trafalgar point; this being the second time of its visiting the coast in that quarter. being appointed to do duty in captain armstrong's company, i embarked with that officer, together with ensign john atkinson, and quarter-master benjamin baxter, on board of a fine well-built transport, called the rosina. our voyage was passed in a dull and listless manner, solely occupied as we were, for above six weeks, in sailing along the coasts of algarve and andalusia, and remaining in total ignorance of our final destination.--we were becalmed for days under a broiling sun, occasionally running short of water, and fresh provisions; and our state of uncertainty, as well as hope deferred, was enough to exhaust the patience of the most enduring mortals. whenever the wind was favourable, or that we stood in close to the land, the natives approached the ship, with boats well laden with various articles, in the welcome shape of fruit, vegetables, or fish, which they gladly disposed of at a moderate rate. these might well be called luxuries, and formed an excellent accompaniment to our salt junk, upon which we had been stall-fed so abundantly that, for some time past, we had seldom any thing else for either breakfast, dinner, or supper. had it not been for captain armstrong, i know not how we should have contrived to support a mode of existence, or rather of vegetation, which was so thoroughly wearisome. fortunately he was an amusing companion, full of drollery and comic humour, and had, moreover, a fund of good songs, so that he kept us all alive. hostilities between england and spain having ceased, in consequence of the invasion of the latter country by the french, preparations were made, in the most vigorous manner, to co-operate with the spanish and portuguese forces; and the british troops were accordingly held in readiness to disembark on any part of the peninsula to which they might be ordered. general spencer's expedition, which was now destined for immediate active service, composed a portion of that army which first obtained a footing on the shores of portugal, and which, eventually, under the illustrious wellington, performed such glorious achievements in the field, driving the french eagles before them, and bearing the victorious colours of britain from lisbon to toulouse. soon after we arrived off the road of cadiz, the french fleet, lying at anchor under the town, was summoned to surrender to the spanish flag. this request not being complied with, the natural result was a general attack, made by the artillery on their shipping. the enemy was resolved to maintain his quarters as long as he could fire a shot, and therefore returned the salute, with all the heavy metal he could bring to bear against the works, sending in a broadside, with such tremendous effect as to rattle the tiled roofs about their ears and otherwise deface the beauty of their buildings. lying so far in the offing, we could see nothing but a thick cloud of smoke, rising above the calm surface of the bay;[ ] the exhibition going forward behind this curtain, was completely hidden from our view. the cannonade, however, was audible enough, and its music sadly tantalized our seamen in the fleet, who burned to lend a hand in an affair which was so much to their taste. they had, nevertheless, quite sufficient to employ their time, having to keep a pretty sharp look out, in order to prevent the smallest craft of the adverse squadron from slipping through their fingers. [ ] while we lay off the bay, the governor, solano, being suspected of adherence to the enemy, was barbarously murdered. throughout the whole of the day, a heavy fire was kept up against the french vessels by the garrison, whose long continued volleys echoed from the harbour. compelled, at length, to strike their colours, the french surrendered to the dons, who, sheltered by their solid masonry, had endured but trifling loss, and were entitled to no particular praise for any bravery they might have manifested behind their bulwarks. on the th of july we got under way, and, sailing well up the harbour, came to anchor a short distance from the mole head, the ships of war being moored across the entrance. the men were not permitted to land; but the officers had leave to pass a few hours on shore every day, and within that limited space we were busy enough making a tour of inspection, prying into every street, lane, and alley, not in search of the picturesque, but of any thing else, that might lie in our way, deserving notice from inquisitive travellers. cadiz is delightfully situated upon an islet, separated from the main land by a narrow strait. it appeared a paradise to us, after the long imprisonment we had suffered, from the time we left gibraltar. the citizens were highly gratified on seeing the english officers, and used every means in their power to evince their friendship and good will, inviting us to their houses and entertaining us with liberality and kindness. in the course of a few days the transports containing the th were anchored near port st. mary's, a considerable town on the opposite shore. here the regiment was landed, and, after remaining for one week, was again embarked. the fleet sailed on the nd, and we steered once more towards cape st. vincent. portugal was our destination. before we left st. mary's, i was removed to captain coote's company, with which i went on board the britannia, captain clarke. the other officers of the cabin were major hill, lieut. birchall, ensign atkinson, and assistant surgeon coulson, who formed a pleasant, convivial party, among whom good fellowship and social harmony prevailed. chapter iii. upon our arrival off mondego bay, in portugal, we received orders to disembark at the little village of figueras, at the mouth of the mondego river, across which there was a dangerous surf and ground swell. the passing of this obstacle we found to be a most hazardous and difficult service. as soon as the portuguese boats, crowded with our soldiers, reached the foaming and rapid surge, a desperate pull was made by all the rowers; when, dashing over its surface, we were launched upon the strand in a most unceremonious manner, being pitched, or rather tumbled out, more like a cargo of fish than a boat load of gentlemen warriors. bundled out upon the sandy beach, we lay floundering, and drenched by the waves, like so many half drowned wretches, who had lately escaped from neptune's watery domains; and were almost doubtful of our existence, as we scrambled high, though not dry, upon the shore.--after this delightful immersion, and the cold reception we had experienced, on our first appearance upon the lusitanian stage, we moved forward, with habiliments of war effectually saturated by the briny element, and soon joined our _companions of the bath_, already on the road. most of us had been provided with small knapsacks, holding our _kit_, together with the haversack, and canteen, slung across the shoulder; of which the two former, (including their contents,) were rendered totally unfit for service, nothing being left for consolation but the brandy, or rum; cordials which were well calculated, and by no means unnecessary, to elevate our drooping spirits. as soon as we recovered from the effects of our chilling ablutions, we proceeded to the ground of encampment, and, although we were in a sorry condition with regard to the outward man, the inward was sustained by a hearty determination to bear up under privations alike inevitable to all. the weather was beautifully fine; the roads, which were in general good, led through a picturesque and richly cultivated country. at the termination of each day's march, the troops were halted in the neighbourhood of wood and water. the alignment being taken up, and the arms piled in column, fires were immediately put in requisition for cooking, and in a moment the clash and clang of bill-hooks and pioneers' entrenching tools resounded on every side; while the deep woods rang again with the clamour of ten thousand tongues, and the harsh discordant sound of bugles, drums, and other noisy accompaniments, producing, on the whole, a scene not unworthy of hogarth himself, who might have been aroused from the dead, to execute the task of depicting it, had he been entombed within the precincts of our turbulent camp. before daylight the army was up, and standing to their arms, formed in open column, the reveille at the same time was sounded from right to left, and echoed through the closely planted hills, giving to our enemies in the front loud intimation of our near approach, and proving that his newly arrived visitors were at all events on the alert, and came early into the field. as we moved onward, towards lisbon, a skirmish took place at obidos, in which fell lieutenant bunbury, of the th rifle corps; the first british officer who was slain in the peninsula. this was the prelude to a more important action. headed by general laborde, the french took post on the heights of roriça, where they resisted with wonderful obstinacy the combined attack of our troops. nothing could surpass the gallantry displayed by both parties, during the assault of this strong position; and nothing but the courage of british soldiers could have forced the enemy to withdraw. on our part, the noble conduct of the old th and th regiments was conspicuous, those corps having, at the point of the bayonet, carried the whole range of hills. it was a lovely morning, the sun rose with a splendour never witnessed in our cold latitudes, and every object seemed to smile upon our operations, at the commencement of that struggle upon which depended the slavery or freedom of a great nation. the th, th, and st were brigaded together at this time, under general i. catlin crawford[ ], and these were drawn up on the road leading to roleia. from the arrangements made, we fully expected to have had the post of honor, or rather the honor of driving the adversary from his stronghold, and waited anxiously for the order to advance; but presently, while we stood gazing about us, up comes the th regiment, which by their bold and decided pace gave evidence plain enough that they were selected for the service, and, cheering them with our wishes for their success, we could not avoid admiring the style in which they moved along. [ ] general catlin crawford was a tall, fine-looking man, with a fair complexion and sandy hair. he subsequently died of fever in portugal. general robert crawford, his relation, a gallant officer, was killed at ciudad rodrigo. the arrangements made by the french general laborde for the defence of his position were admirably planned, and his troops behaved with great valour, contesting every inch of ground. concealed within the close brushwood, on each side of the narrow defile, they took steady and deliberate aim, and their fire was attended with murderous effects. the th, however, commanded by the gallant colonel lake[ ], pressed onward, to the gorge of the pass. while they were struggling up the rugged and precipitous ascent they were exposed to a shower of balls, and, in a few minutes, the grenadier company was nearly annihilated, the chivalrous lake falling mortally wounded at their head, while in the act of bravely encouraging his men. [ ] lieutenant colonel the honorable george augustus frederick lake was the son of general lord lake, and rose to high military rank at an early age. he was a man of noble aspect and commanding appearance. mounted on a milk-white charger, he led his followers on with heroic bearing. the regiment still pushed forward, although with the loss of many other officers, and, forming on the summit of the eminence, was supported by the th; these corps, followed by others in reserve, gained possession of the heights. beaten at all points, the enemy moved off in good order; directing his march along the sea coast by the roads to vimeiro and torres vedras. the th suffered considerably in this affair, and their commander, colonel cameron, was killed at the first onset. the allies marched rapidly in the footsteps of the flying enemy, keeping him well in sight until they reached the hills surrounding the village of vimeiro, where they were formed, in order to protect the debarkation of a reinforcement of men from england; which was then off the coast. these troops landed at the small town of maceira, and were just in time for the ensuing combat, having opportunely joined before our principal adversary thought proper to shew his face. junot, who was general in chief, held the british in much contempt, and endeavoured to impress upon the minds of his followers, that their antagonists were a set of raw campaigners, wholly devoid of military skill. from the testimony of some deserters, who came into our lines, we learned, that the marshal intended, before many days were over, to give us a dusting, and to brush the pipeclay out of our jackets. this cavalier determination of the marshal afforded no small amusement to our soldiers, who promised themselves some good sport, whenever the gasconading frenchman might be pleased to make true his words: and, not to be behindhand with him in kindness, they resolved gratefully to return the compliment, by trimming the whiskers of his gallant veterans, and powdering their mustachios, in so artist-like a manner, that the aid of a friseur should no longer be required. in this posture things remained until the st of august, when both parties assembled to put in their claim to a portion of the honor and glory which were to be won on that day. by which side the largest share of those imperishable commodities was obtained, history has already recorded. at a very early hour, on the morning of the day already mentioned, some random shots were heard in front of our piquets, which gave us intimation that the french were on the move, and we doubted not that they were about to assist our toilet in the way of brushing; in plain english, it was clear enough that they had it in contemplation to try our metal, and ascertain whether it was of a base kind or not. under these circumstances it was quite natural that we should anticipate their wishes; and measures were accordingly taken to give them a warm reception. very few of us were ever in action before, and as for the smell of gunpowder, all our young hands were perfect griffins in that way. it being our initiatory battle, our minds were under no small degree of excitement. the idea of engaging in deadly strife with the soldiers of austerlitz and jena inspired the ambitious hero, escaped from the apron-string, with feelings of emulation well calculated to keep alive the flame of military ardour; and each, screwing his courage to the sticking place, resolved that he would be famed _for deeds of arms_, and that his name should go down to posterity under an accumulated weight of laurels. the rd, ( nd battalion,) th, and th rifle corps were formed into a light brigade, under the command of general (now sir henry) fane, and certainly i never beheld so fine a body of men; the rd, in particular, were a most shewy set of fellows, a healthy collection of john bulls, hot from their own country, and equally hot for a slap at the frenchmen. the th, (now the rifle brigade,) was commanded by major robert travers[ ], an officer whose bravery, on all occasions, made him worthy of a place in that crack regiment. we were posted on an eminence, to the right of the village; the th, being the junior corps, was stationed in the centre, and consequently on the highest part of the hill. from hence, as the day was fine, and the atmosphere quite clear, we had a distinct view of all that was going forward in the front, also a tolerably good prospect in every other direction. [ ] major robert travers was promoted to be lieutenant colonel of the th foot, and subsequently became major general by brevet. he settled at his native place, cork, where he died, in consequence of a fall from his horse, in . he left a widow and very numerous family. one of his daughters, previously not unknown as a writer, has very recently distinguished herself by the "the mascarenhas; a legend of the portuguese in india;" an animated romance, which displays great knowledge of character and power of description. the country was overspread with vineyards, and, the vintage season being at hand, nothing could be more beautiful than the luxuriant foliage. intermingled with the vines were chestnut and olive trees, while in the parts more distant, were rich and closely planted woods, forming a back-ground in good keeping with the whole of the splendid landscape. the plot began to thicken about o'clock, when a brisk firing of musketry, among the troops in advance, announced that it was high time to reinforce the piquets, which were commanded by captain thomas snowe, of the th regiment. they were immediately strengthened by the th battalion company of that regiment, under captain coote. a sharp discharge of small arms was kept up by a cloud of french riflemen, who, gathering round under cover of the vines and cornfields, gave their fire with a degree of activity that certainly did them credit. our men were at this time exposed in the open field, and scarcely knew from what direction the enemy were coming; but though they were nearly all young soldiers, unaccustomed to gunpowder, they behaved with a degree of steadiness worthy of their corps. snowe in the meanwhile, with his party, which had extended to the right, was ordered to close on either flank, to support the centre, when the principal attack was made, and where the enemy, still pressing in, galled us with a peppering that was rapidly thinning the ranks, and made our situation by no means either cool or comfortable. with admirable presence of mind, coote directed his men to take advantage of every means of cover the place afforded; and, encouraging them by his own example, they kept their ground under a galling and destructive fire, from an enemy whom they were unable to answer or even to see. at this trying moment, while in the act of cheering his little band, and urging them to behave with firmness and courage, a musket ball struck him in the heart, and reeling back a few paces, he fell, and instantly expired. his fall did not, however, dispirit his followers, on the contrary it excited an indignant feeling, which prompted them to redouble their exertions in order to avenge his death. arthur gethin coote was a native of the south of ireland, and had served in the th regiment for some years.--he was a military looking man, strong, and well built, having dark features, and sharp penetrating eyes.--he was somewhat stately in deportment, but withal a daring soldier, steady and collected in the hour of danger. the command devolving on lieutenant mark rudkin, (captain snowe being detached to some woods on the right,) he gave orders to retire. the piquets extending right and left immediately fell back, under a shower of bullets, from the enemy's light troops, who continued forcing on in spite of all opposition. we gave them in return the full benefit of our small shot, as we occasionally drew up, covered by the vine hedges and olive trees, that lay within our path; and in this manner, alternately firing and retreating, so as to keep the foe aloof, we gained our situation in the line. before twelve o'clock, the contending forces were hard at work. dark and accumulating masses of the enemy were advancing on every side; for, resolving that this should be a decisive combat, and that he would drive us back by the road on which we came, and perhaps into the sea, junot brought into the field every man that he could muster. such being his determination, it is no wonder that he pushed his warriors into our very teeth. they, too, if we might judge from the coolness with which they travelled up to the muzzles of our guns, seemed to think that they had nothing whatever to do, but to cut us into mince-meat, and devour us all by way of an early dinner. to the left of vimeiro was a chain of lofty hills, extending for a considerable way to the eastward. upon these the main body of the british force was arrayed, and here the contest was fought with desperation. the enemy, at last, after many a hard struggle to gain the position, was completely routed, leaving a vast number of his killed and wounded on the sides of the precipice, as well as in the hollows and ravines at its base. the st highland light infantry was greatly distinguished on those heights, and, with the other corps of sir ronald ferguson's brigade, charged the assailants repeatedly from the ground. they were then commanded by that fine officer, the late sir dennis pack, and fully maintained the high station which they had always held in the military records of their country. among their wounded was poor george clarke, their piper, who was struck by a musket ball, while cheering up his comrades in the charge. unable to proceed, the intrepid clarke still continued to play in animated strains the favourite national music, and with a noble spirit remained upon the spot, under a heavy fire, until, having fully accomplished the object of their mission, his regiment came back victorious to the station on the hill.[ ] [ ] clarke received a handsome pension, and was justly rewarded, by the highland society, with an appropriate silver medal. the th regiment, commanded by colonel george townsend walker, stood as firm as a rock, while a strong division under general laborde continued to advance, at a rapid step, from the deep woods in our front, covered by a legion of tirailleurs, who quickened their pace as they neared our line. walker now ordered his men to prepare for close attack, and he watched with eagle eye the favorable moment for pouncing on the enemy. when the latter, in a compact mass, arrived sufficiently up the hill, now bristled with bayonets, the black cuffs poured in a well directed volley upon the dense array. then, cheering loudly, and led on by its gallant chief, the whole regiment rushed forward to the charge, penetrated the formidable columns, and carried all before it. the confusion into which the panic-struck frenchmen were thrown it would be difficult to express. no longer able to withstand the british steel, laborde and his invincibles made a headlong retreat, and never looked behind them till they reached the forest and vineyards in the rear. as far as the eye could reach over the well planted valley, and across the open country lying beyond the forest, the fugitives were running in wild disorder, their white sheep-skin knapsacks discernible among woods far distant. there were, however, many resolute fellows, who, in retiring, took cover behind the hedgerows, saluting us with parting volleys, which did considerable execution amongst our advancing troops. at length, even this remnant of the vanquished foe, dispersed and broken in piece-meal, betook themselves to flight in every quarter of the field. the ground was thickly strewed with muskets, side arms, bayonets, accoutrements, and well-filled knapsacks, all of which had been hastily flung away as dangerous incumbrances. several of the packs contained various articles of plunder, including plate in many shapes and forms, which they had robbed from the unfortunate portuguese. books of songs, romances, and other commodities of a similar kind, were scattered about in all directions; and many a tender billet-doux lay open to the profane gaze and the laughing comments of the vulgar multitude. it was amusing, after all was over, to see the strange medley of curiosities, that had, doubtless with much pains, been collected by those who lately owned them; and it was with no very nice feelings that a general inspection of the rarities took place, as soon as the defeated army had left the field. while we were pursuing our opponents, the th light dragoons, led on by colonel taylor, galloped furiously past us, in order to put a finishing stroke to the business, by completing any thing that the infantry might have left undone. the horsemen, unsupported, charging the enemy with impetuosity, and rashly going too far, were involved in a difficulty of which, in their eagerness to overtake the stragglers, they had never thought; for, getting entangled among the trees and vineyards, they could do but little service, and suffered a loss of nearly half their number: their brave commander being also one of those who fell in that desperate onset. the rd regiment was very much cut up, being, while employed in skirmishing, considerably exposed. i noticed at least a subdivision of their men lying killed in a deep gulley or trench, as they fell over each other, from a raking discharge of round or grape shot. the th lost a great proportion of rank and file, which chiefly arose from the fire of the french light troops, while covering their column, and during their retreat. major charles hill was wounded, and captain a. g. coote and lieutenant i. n. wilson were among the slain. upon the bleak surface of the hill, from which the regiment had charged laborde, we bivouacked that night, and reposed our weary limbs. although the air was cold, and our situation comfortless, yet, from extreme fatigue, we rested perhaps more soundly than the pampered alderman on his downy couch. a windmill on the summit afforded excellent quarters for the colonel and his personal staff, while the other officers, less fortunate, crouched together, shivering outside its base. the th took a standard pole and box, which were borne by a serjeant between the colours, as a trophy, during the succeeding campaigns. the french, instead of colours, display a small brass eagle, screwed to a square box of the same metal, both of which are attached to a pole or staff. this eagle is seldom exhibited in the heat of action, the staff being carried as a rallying point, in the same way, and for the same object as our banners. the army remained on its ground during the nd, no measures being taken to follow up the victory that was gained. this inaction arose from sir harry burrard having arrived on the field before the termination of the battle, _assumed_ the command, and given orders that no further hostile movement should take place. an armistice was now concluded, and the french troops withdrew into lisbon, where they lay encamped in one of the principal squares. here they remained, by virtue of the convention of cintra, until their final embarkation for france, accompanied by their renowned chieftain the celebrated duke of abrantes, and bearing away plunder enough to load a ship, and their arms to meet us at some future day, on some other battle-field.[ ] [ ] it is a singular fact, that one of those regiments of junot's army, (the nd light infantry), was engaged with the th at the battle of corunna, having lost no time in returning to their old trade of basket making. chapter iv. on the rd of august we commenced our march to lisbon. as we passed through the towns and villages that lay in our course, the enthusiasm and delight evinced by the portuguese, on seeing the english army, was unbounded. joyful congratulations, and the exulting language of welcome, greeted us as we triumphantly moved along; and, wherever we appeared, the most cordial reception awaited us. in the soldiers of britain they beheld friends and allies, who had come to deliver their country from the bondage of napoleon, as well as of french subordinate tyranny and oppression. on this account, the sentiments they entertained towards us, were those of heartfelt gratitude. those feelings were expressed with vehemence and fervour, not merely by a class or a faction, but by all ranks and ages among the people, who saluted us with loud and deafening huzzas, and with cries of "viva los ingleses--viva, viva,--viva los officiales! viva muytos annos!" while, as we marched beneath their crowded windows, a shower of garlands, flowers, olive branches, laurels, and other harmless missiles, fell profusely upon us. entering lisbon from the north, the th, th, th, and th regiments halted upon an elevated space of ground, called the campo st. anna, where we lay undisturbed for some days. the inhabitants around entertained the officers in a most liberal manner, their anxious care being to anticipate all our wants and wishes. in the full enjoyment of the variety and amusement of the capital our time passed rapidly away. temptations and enticements were not wanting to allure us from the encampment, and pleasure in many shapes appeared on every side. the opera was well attended by those who ventured at a late hour through the long narrow streets and passages; but the pedestrian found this by no means an agreeable excursion, for it is the custom here to throw out from the windows sundry fluids, not of the most savoury nature, and while the generous inmate shrieks out, "take care below!" he, at the same instant, by way of a salute, pours the contents of his pail or bucket on the pate of the luckless passenger. the french soldiers, who occupied the praça de rocio, frequently insulted the british officers who were returning from the theatre. having to pass their camp one night, in company with a friend, both of us were challenged by the sentries, who, not waiting our reply, despatched a bullet to detain us. this caused us to quicken our pace without delay, lest they should think proper to send a second messenger of the same kind, which might put an effectual stop to our further progress. with their officers, however, we were on good terms; and, while holding conversation with them, at the coffee-houses, where we met, on the subject of our late proceedings, we found them generally pleasant, intelligent men. as long as the french remained, our duties were severe; we being, on their account, kept pretty much on the alert. i must confess, however, that mounting guard upon the convent of san vincento was not the most harassing of those duties; for the priests, and other holy characters lodged therein, were a jolly, convivial set of fellows, and regaled us handsomely upon the best of dainties, plying their guests with oceans of capital wine, which the well-fed clerigos extracted from the nethermost chambers of their venerable abode. the intruders, bag and baggage, having finally embarked upon the tagus, a considerable portion of the garrison of lisbon was directed to proceed to monte santo, a favourable situation on the road to cintra, and about four miles from the city. we reached that place on the th of september, and remained encamped there for a month. at this period, colonel walker being promoted, the command of our regiment devolved on major charles napier, who had recently arrived from the nd battalion in order to relieve major hill, wounded at vimeiro. the honorable major stanhope and ensign david leslie also joined about the same time. orders having been issued for us to march through portugal, for the purpose of joining general sir john moore, at salamanca, the th regiment set out from monte santo on the th of october, at o'clock in the morning. the weather was dark, with heavy rain, which fell on us most unmercifully until we got to lisbon. we travelled by the main road to abrantes, along the right bank of the tagus, and, halting at sacavem, arrived on the following day at villa franca. the inhabitants, on our route, were most hospitable; receiving us with a heartiness of welcome to which we had been unaccustomed in other lands. on the th we got into azambuja: the road was passable enough, though in some parts rough and hilly, winding along the course of the river, which rolled between deep and thickly wooded banks. continuing, on the st, through the same description of country, we entered santarem, after a pleasant though somewhat sultry march. the city of santarem consists of several narrow, dark, and ill-paved streets, the houses paltry looking, and badly built, having heavy sombre windows, grated with massive iron bars, like those of their prisons. balconies, with painted railings thrown across, relieve in some degree this melancholy aspect, but the dingy hues, added to the meanness of the streets, give the place an air of poverty and wretchedness. on our reaching the house where we were billetted, the landlord, with his worse or scolding half, ushered us into a comfortless apartment; where, in a dark corner, stood a miserable bed, which seemed to have had other occupants than human beings. on our exclaiming against this uninviting dormitory, the old crone, grumbling inwardly, conducted us to another chamber, where the domestics, and different members of the family, were busily engaged in a deadly war against the numerous population of each others heads. starting from their interesting employment, they left us quietly in possession of the room where lay two mattresses on the unswept floor; on these we were to repose, not without the prospect of a sharp attack from the fugitives of that army with which our portuguese hosts had been so hotly engaged. yet, in spite of circumstances of this kind, the life of a soldier on service, taking all things together, is the finest in the world. while he moves on, a roving adventurer, care, pain and trouble are banished from his mind; and though he is at times on short commons, and often driven to his wits' end, he but seldom repines. his sufferings give him a greater relish for the enjoyment of any good things that may be forthcoming, or any windfall that fortune may throw in his way. once fairly on the road, it is astonishing how rapidly the hours glide away. the formalities of parade or drill marching are now at an end, and every one indulges in that mode of perambulation which best suits him. when the commanding officer is not one of your strict disciplinarians, the regimental juniors congregate together in groups, some in front, some in rear; while the men, though keeping their sections, travel in open ranks, filling the entire space of ground over which the route extends. at the head of the column, is to be seen a host of seniors, or old hands, among whom the laugh and joke prevail; and there many a long-winded veteran inflicts upon the ears of his patient auditors a narrative as endless as the road. ever and anon the second major falls back, and, in order to shew his consequence and zeal, especially if a general with his staff should chance to be passing, he calls out, in a most important tone, "gentlemen, get into your places!" "keep on the flanks!" and other friendly admonitions. as soon as he is convinced, by the approving looks of the great man with the long feather and epaulettes, that his vigilance has been duly noticed, he gallops off to his old station, and the gentlemen betake themselves again to theirs, till another appearance of the chief, when the stray sheep are again called back to the flock. by the by, i know of nothing else that these second majors have to do, unless it be to act the part of moveable pivots for dressing up the line, (in which they are generally very fussy), or in whipping-in the young subalterns, whom they endeavour to keep in order. the surgeon, who is often a very hearty fellow, with better things than boluses and pill boxes in his panniers--together with the adjutant, and his brethren of the staff, attract around them, in the rear, a batch of thoroughly pleasant men, who keep up such a volley of jest and drollery, as frequently to beguile the weariness of the longest march. thanks to their amusing powers, we have often found ourselves at the gates of the town, or on the camp ground, without being aware that we had travelled any distance. at intervals of one or two hours, each day, the troops are halted for a few minutes' rest. then, all, as if by magic wand, are quickly squatted, and haversack being called for, the whole of them, like hungry cormorants at their prey, are soon engaged in one grand scene of mastication. some perform a solo on the shank-bone of a well picked ham; others display their talents on the drumstick of a half-starved fowl; while the majority gnaw their way through the skinny junk of an old tough bullock. the vultures and other birds of evil omen are, meanwhile, hovering in mid air, ready to pounce upon the remnants of the feast when we are gone. at the well-known sound of pipes, or bugle, the warriors are again (to use a parliamentary phrase) on their legs, stretching them out with renewed vigour. among the soldiers there is likewise much of drollery and mirth, nothing makes much difference with them--it matters not whether trumps turn up or not; whether the chance be a battle, or a good billet, they are still the same, and trudge along devoid of care. give them their allowance, and a little rest, and they require no more. day after day i have listened to their jokes and stories, and been highly entertained by their originality and humour. in the nd division, a pack of hounds accompanied the troops, and, whenever a favourable opportunity occurred, they were let loose, and an excellent _view halloo_ was frequently afforded, to the great delight of the sporting characters in our line. the commissary, with his long and short horned regiment, marched at a convenient distance, attended by their executioners; while the train of bullock carts, laden with provender and other stores, brings up the rear. the heavy, dull, monotonous drone, arising from the friction of the cartwheels, is heard for miles, while the jingling of the bells, with which the mules are garnished, produces a concert that rings in the head of the hearer for days and nights together, answering all the purpose of an itinerant serenade. but we must break off from this digression; for it is time to resume our march towards salamanca. we quitted santarem on the third of november, and soon got into a pleasant road, winding along the banks of the tagus, through a dark forest of olive trees, the branches of which overhung our path, and formed a refreshing shade. marching over the summit of a barren height, we reached the zezere, a small but rapid stream, which here falls into the tagus. this river we crossed by a bridge of boats, and halted at punhete, on the opposite side, where we occupied some crazy buildings, which were deserted by the inhabitants. through a tract by no means interesting we then held our course, on the th, and arrived at neisa. the ill-fed, half-clothed, and meagre portuguese, unused to the inundation of so many soldiers, were stupified or panic struck, flying like savage animals on our approach. the weather was harsh, and the wind, moaning through the open casements, penetrated into every hole and corner of their dwellings. little comforted by repose, our march was still continued, until we entered a range of bleak and rugged mountains, at the base of which is situated the well-known pass of villa velha, which takes its name from an adjacent village, and intercepts the communication on the great road into spain. here the tagus, again opening to our view, is contracted into a very narrow space, and rushes with violence between the impending rocks; on either hand the steep and lofty precipices being cleft, as if by an earthquake, form an almost impassable barrier to the progress of an army. a pontoon bridge had been thrown across, but this was destroyed by the french, whose troops were last upon the route, and we were therefore forced to hire three small row-boats, from the portuguese, by which the regiment was conveyed to the opposite bank, after being long detained, owing to the rapidity of the current, impeding all our efforts to get on. our route traversing the boundaries of portugal, was, in many places, overgrown with brushwood, and crossed at intervals, by rivulets. huge stones and roots of trees lay scattered here and there. the wearied soldiers toiled with difficulty along, under the most tempestuous weather, the inclemency of which was severely felt in those alpine regions, where the cold was so excessive as to require the hardest bodily exercise to withstand its influence. in order to keep the men alive, the band and drums were frequently put in requisition, which had a marvellous effect; and our commander, major napier, occasionally ordered some well-known national quickstep, when, in a moment, as if by magic, those who were tired and jaded sprung up, endued as it were with additional life and vigour, and, giving the knapsack a cast upon the shoulder, stepped out once more with fresh spirit. the music, as we approached the towns, had the twofold purpose of pleasing the inhabitants and cheering on the troops. even the lame and weakly, although weighed down by the heavy burthen which they carried, exerted their remaining strength to make a bold appearance. on the line of march, for many a tedious league, did the officers use every means to animate their men, by giving them an example of patient endurance under every suffering. the field officers and staff alone, were allowed to ride at that time; the other ranks, although from previous habits less able than even the privates to bear fatigue, had no alternative but to trudge it with their companies from day to day. the young recruits and drummers felt the hardship most, and often upon the journey has major napier given his charger to one of them, or to any poor fellow who could not well get on, while with a musket, or sometimes a brace of them, on his shoulder, he walked before the regiment. thus, by his considerate kindness for the men, he was securing to himself that respect and estimation in which they always held him, as well as actuating them to perform their duty in a manner worthy of one who, whether in quarters or in the field, never spared himself whenever an opportunity offered to promote their comfort. the poverty of the oppressed and ill-used natives, wherever our course lay, was lamentable; the french, according to their regular system, carried famine and desolation in their train; paying for nothing, they drew their supplies by force of arms, and their marauding foragers overran the surrounding districts, forcing the peasantry, as well as those who lived in towns, to pay the expenses of their barbarous invasion. in consequence of the ravages committed on the people, there was nothing in their markets, or their shops, "a beggarly account of empty boxes;" and the lean and sallow proprietors were proofs sufficient of the unhappy state in which their land was placed. they were so terrified, that it was difficult to prevail on them to sell even what they could spare.--upon demanding what we could obtain from them, the reply at all times was, "no hai nada aqui," or, "we have nothing here." seeing us rather incredulous, and on being again requested, they would persist in the refusal, with a shrug of the shoulders, and passing the fore finger twice across the nose, crying out, "nada, nada;" but, when the finger was three times moved quickly over the nasal organ, with the scream of "nada, nada, nada," the affair was finally settled, and there was no further appeal from this hopeless gesticulation. even when by great good luck, there was something to be had, there was still an obstacle in the way. in those days we were often puzzled by the language, and in trying to make ourselves understood, were forced to resort to a great variety of expedients. when our broken and disjointed phrases failed, we were driven to the use of signs and hieroglyphics; suiting the action to the word, we explained our wants by distorting the limbs and body into strange figures, symbolical of the article required. officers and men were alike in this dilemma; and fortunate was the lucky genius who could jabber, though in a most indifferent way, for he was sure to get to windward of his less favoured comrades. the market-place was a stage, upon which many a brainless youth, with much more gold upon his jacket than ever his pocket carried, shewed off his slender stock of portuguese, and palmed himself upon the natives as a person of the utmost consequence. others expressed their wishes in a sort of gibberish, formed out of scraps of english, german, french and latin, but without a syllable of the language wanted. the soldiers used a most extraordinary dialect, compounded of irish, gaelic, and the mother tongue, interlarded with a good supply of oaths, by which to impress the subject on the head-piece of the patient countrymen, who underwent their curses, rage, and sometimes worse, when the cry of "no intendes" was uttered by them. as to signs and gestures, they were as varied as the movements of a posture-master or even punchinello. when pork or any thing pertaining to the hog, was wanted, grunting in imitation of that animal, was the means employed. the desire for eggs was signified by cackling like a hen; was a mule or jackass required, the hands were stuck up on each side above the head, to denote the length of ears, or an awful braying was put forth, enough to call the brotherhood about the performer; tobacco or snuff was demanded by a sneeze, followed, in many cases, by a tweak upon the organ in which the filthy powder was to be deposited; and milk was procured by imitating the extraction of that useful fluid from the cow. in short, for every thing there was a corresponding signal, a code of which would have formed an excellent appendage to a soldier's kit. we arrived at guarda in the midst of storm and rain, half drowned and miserable. well do i remember the bitterness of the day, while toiling up the steep ascent that led us to the gates of that old town. seeing our deplorable trim, the owner of the dwelling where we were billetted acted with true christian humanity; he had dry clothes in readiness, together with large wood fires, hot wine, and cordials; and, by his benevolent care, we were restored to the full enjoyment of those comforts which he so generously bestowed; i have very seldom, if ever, met with such an instance of disinterested and genuine hospitality. we now passed the frontier of portugal into spain, and halted for a night at ciudad rodrigo. on approaching the city, we were horrified by the sight of lofty gibbets, four of which were planted on the entrances, having appended to each the quarters of some unfortunate malefactor, whose limbs were blackening in the sun. these sickening emblems of their cruelty impressed us with no very good opinion of the people with whom we were about to hold friendly intercourse; and their conduct on this night was quite in character with their gibbets. a more atrocious set of men we never had the honour of being acquainted with; and so much did they appear in favour of our enemies, that we were convinced they would gladly have delivered us into their hands, if it had been in their power to do so. an officer of the th unfortunately got involved in a dispute, and, while passing through one of their dark and narrow streets, was barbarously assassinated by an unknown hand. the troops being obliged to march next morning, at an early hour, it was impossible to discover by whom the murder was committed; and, indeed, we were then so circumstanced, with respect to the spanish people, that we could not closely investigate the affair. ample vengeance, however, fell upon this city when the french got in; and in the assault and capture of the place, in , plunder and destruction was its fate: on our return to portugal, it presented to our view a heap of burned and desolated ruins. the part of the country through which we now marched appeared one vast plain of immeasurable extent. the heavy rains were succeeded by a gentle fall of snow; and the surface of the ground was crisped by a light pleasant frost, rendering the highway perfectly hard, smooth, and level, and most agreeable to our pedestrian feelings. about p.m. on the th of november, the turrets, domes, and spires, of the justly celebrated city of salamanca were discernible, above the sandy heights by which they are encompassed. crossing the tormes, by means of a long antique bridge, we ascended the street leading into the great square, the windows and balconies of which were filled with the delighted people; while the countless multitudes around gave utterance to the most sincere and warm expressions of welcome, highly gratifying to us, after the murderous reception which had been given to our troops by the treacherous renegades of rodrigo. well pleased to find ourselves at last, after our long and harassing journey, within the gates of this interesting and ancient seat of learning, we could not refrain from giving vent to the gladness by which we were inspired, and joined our voices with those of the spaniards, in cheering heartily as we approached. having secured the billets, i proceeded, along with my friend moore, to the house allotted for our habitation, which was situated in a narrow and rather lonely street, adjoining the walls of the great cathedral, the projecting and massive turrets of which hung with solemn majesty over our humble dwelling. the patron, who was one of the officiating ministers of this church, was a man of most important exterior, with a countenance expressive of the full enjoyment of every comfort. in this respect, however, we could not aver that he was selfish; for, upon our admittance within his holy abode, our worthy host left no means untried by which to manifest the ardour of his feelings, and the high regard in which he held the english soldiers. from his well-stored pantry he plied us with every luxury: without much bashfulness or hesitation, we helped ourselves to the dainty fare, and, joined by the generous padre, we filled out large potations of his sparkling wines, in a manner that would have done credit to the most zealous bon vivant. our venerable divine was a true disciple of that school, of which his rotundity of figure, and rosy, shining visage, were "confirmations strong as proofs of holy writ." in salamanca we found every preparation going forward for the advance of the army, and sir john moore waiting for the division under general hope, then on its march through the south of portugal by the alentejo. in the meantime, we enjoyed ourselves very much, in the variety arising from the presence of so large a portion of the troops assembled here. the officers of our regiments were no less highly gratified than we were, by the affability and kindness of the people, who exerted themselves to make our residence among them as happy as we could possibly desire. lieutenant hugh birchall, of the light company, discovered an old acquaintance, from his native town in ireland, in the person of a spanish priest; who had, a few years since, come to this place, for the purpose of finishing his classical education, and obtaining a higher polish than the bogs of his native country could afford, preparatory to his entering on the holy office. the reverend divine, who eventually became a member of the clerical establishment here, introduced us to his brothers of the cloth, who, though they treated all with hospitality, directed their attention more particularly to the hibernians, whom, considering as _bon christianos_, they entertained with all the warmth of brotherly affection. father patrick, as the irishman was called, maintained the character of his country for the convivial virtues, and he proved an excellent cicerone to all the lions of this very respectable city. chapter v. lieutenant general sir john hope's division having arrived at head quarters, the whole of the allied forces, under sir john moore, marched out of salamanca on the th of december, . the snow was lying deep on the ground; and, although the atmosphere was clear and bracing, yet the wintry and desolate appearance of all around was rather discouraging, as we faced the northern blast, coming down most wrathfully upon us, from the wild mountains of biscay and navarre. after passing through toro, and other good towns, we at length halted at sahagun, a small place, in front of which our advanced guards were posted. here we lay encamped until the th, on the morning of which day the whole army was on the move, and the memorable retreat to corunna was commenced. the troops entered upon the high road leading into galicia, followed by , french soldiers, commanded by the renowned conqueror, napoleon bonaparte, in person. the operations of this part of the campaign have been made well known by the public records; avoiding all detail, i shall, therefore, confine myself to those circumstances that happened within my own knowledge, or that may have occurred in the regiment with which i served. lord william bentinck's brigade, in the st division, was composed of the th, or king's own, colonel wynch:-- nd, royal highlanders, colonel sterling:-- th, queen's own, major napier. the division was commanded by general sir david baird, a man with a look of military daring, and as brave as a lion. by his presence and example, the troops, (whom he never quitted,) were encouraged to proceed with order and regularity, notwithstanding the sufferings they underwent, under the painful circumstances of a retreat; and it was not until mind and body had lost all spirit and energy, that disorder or want of discipline shewed itself among the ranks. exposed, as they were, to the most unparalleled inclemency of weather, they submitted, without a murmur, to a continuance of hard and trying service, enough to bear down the strongest constitution. to describe minutely the whole of the privations and miseries which they encountered, would far exceed the powers of any human being: no one can possibly conceive the full extent of what the soldiers were compelled to undergo, in the course of this unfortunate campaign. the passage of the esla, a wide and rapid torrent, was an enterprise attended with considerable loss and danger. on arriving at the margin of the river, there seemed hardly a hope of being able to get across, with so much violence did the current roll: and, uncertain as we were of the part most fordable, it was a perilous attempt for those who undertook to make the trial. there was, however, no alternative; to the other side we were to go, at any risk, for, the enemy pressing closely at our heels, the slightest delay would have produced fatal results. we therefore dashed at it, and nobly did the men perform their duty. agreeable as the cool, refreshing stream may be in mild regions, it was by no means a very delightful task to wade past one's middle, or rather up to the neck, through the raging waters, upon a bleak and cheerless day in december. there was no use whatever in making any preparation, or in disrobing for the bath; in fact, there was no time, but with all our harness on, we were compelled to make the best way we could in the chilling promenade. luckily a spot was found, by which the advance was sent across, and the infantry, following their leaders, struggled along, bearing their arms and ammunition above the head. after much difficulty, plunging and buffetting the angry flood, the whole at length succeeded in gaining the opposite bank; from whence, having "shaken off the watery dew-drops," and ranged ourselves in some sort of order for another stretch, we pushed away by the main road leading into the mountains. the advantage of lofty stature was highly conspicuous in this affair, for the man of towering height strutted above the wave, with no small pride on his extent of longitude; while the poor, insignificant fellow of lilliputian build, looked pitifully up at his more fortunate companion, bemoaning his diminutive size, as the muddy fluid either washed his pericranium, or flowed in copious volumes down his unwilling throat. as for those ill-fated damsels, our faithful attendants through storm and sunshine, it had been far better for them that they had never left their home; for, by their desire to follow the drum, they entailed upon themselves a world of trouble, and miseries enough to drain their patience to the lowest ebb. here i gladly record the valuable services of those poor women, who, devoted to their husbands and children, underwent a series of bitter suffering almost beyond human endurance. toiling with their regiments through thick and thin, they never failed in their duties, and proved, in camp as well as in quarters, the most active and persevering in giving aid and useful service, whenever it might be required. patient under every thing, they were always at hand, foraging, cooking, and rendering all kinds of assistance; while the men, borne down by hard fatigue, were often unable to help themselves. in fact, without the labours of the fair sex, we should not have been able to get on; and i shall ever respect the heroine, who has completed the range of her accomplishments, by having served with honour a campaign or two. by forced marches, night and day, we at last arrived at lugo, a large town on the road to corunna; and in its vicinity, the army was drawn up in order of battle. we fully expected, from the confident manner in which the french troops were brought into the position in our front, that an opportunity would now be afforded of giving them a warming in this cold weather. after waiting, however, for nearly two days, they declined the honour of our services; and their columns closing up, in numbers far superior to that of our force, it was deemed advisable to withdraw from the field, when there was no advantage to be gained by maintaining our ground. in consequence of the rapid pace at which we moved, the commissariat was altogether unavailable; and, depending on the remnant of four days provisions, our lantern jaws were getting impatient for active service; for, however briskly the nether limbs might be engaged, it was quite evident that our jaws were idle, and would never prosper by their indolence. in this matter there was no respect of persons; pockets full of cash were of no particular use, nothing was to be obtained for love or money. desolation and its accompanying train of horrors were our companions, and general starvation, with his two aid-de-camps, hunger and thirst, with all the rest of his personal staff, were constantly at our elbow. sauntering into lugo one day, i chanced to drop into a crazy building, the roof of which had been torn up for fire wood. there, in a dark corner, somewhat resembling a dog kennel, and where some straw had just been scattered, i espied a group of militants, busily employed about something, but about what i could not well determine. upon closer inspection, however, it appeared that these heroes, most of whom rejoiced in the title of colonels or majors, were in conclave about the discussion (not of a tactical movement), but of an ill-looking fowl, that seemed from his lanky sides as if "sharp misery had worn him to the bones," or as if he had died a natural death some length of time past.--it was nevertheless a dainty morsel to them, and they were gallantly tearing it limb from limb, and gnawing the meagre skeleton, at the time i entered. i departed from a place where the craving intruder was not a welcome guest, and joined the camp, to feed on visions of the past, and ruminate on better things to come. the greatest suffering we endured was want of sleep. in our nocturnal wanderings, those who were exhausted and overcome with fatigue, (and few were not,) supported themselves between the men; and, each leaning on his neighbour, dozing wearily along, would every now and then waken up by a sudden bump, or push, against the knapsack of the man in front; thus, alternately bumping and dozing, we travelled with a staggering pace through the dreary and wintry road. those who were made of weather-proof and tough materials kept their places in the ranks, while others, of more feeble frame and constitution, unable to withstand the terrible effect of cold and drifting snow, of famine and want of rest, sunk to the earth, upon the bleak and barren mountain, where they speedily perished, or fell into the hands of the enemy. heavily burthened as the men were with ammunition, there was but a small proportion of them who were able to maintain their situation in the ranks. lieutenant mccarthy, of our regiment, an excellent old officer and intrepid soldier, was among those who suffered most from excessive fatigue. he kept up as long as he had the power, but being somewhat worn out by hard service, he was indifferently calculated to weather out the rough work of this retreat. faint and half frozen, he fell in the snow, and giving himself up to despair, lay for a considerable period in an insensible condition. meanwhile some of his companions, having missed poor mac from his accustomed place, quickly retraced their steps, and found him almost lifeless on the cold earth. by giving him a few drops of rum, they in some degree restored him to his senses, and raising his drooping head, they helped him forward to the next halting place, from whence he struggled on to corunna, where he was severely wounded in the subsequent battle. it was about this time that general anstruther died, in consequence of privations and exposure to the dreadful weather. the weather, for the greater part of our march, was unusually desperate; the mountains, by which we were surrounded, were covered with deep snow, and over the dreary waste the wind in piercing blasts swept violently, driving the hail and sleet in our faces, so as to render it a most difficult matter to get along. at intervals, rain poured down with such tremendous force, that our open and straggling columns were compelled to halt, and close up into a solid body, in order that only the exterior of the mass might be exposed to the pelting fury of the storm. to clear away the snow from the spot on which we halted was our first employment, at the termination of each day's journey; and a most delightful frigid bedchamber was modeled out, the damp ground our couch, with the canopy of heaven for a curtain; the furniture was completed by the fragment of a rock, turning the softest side of which upwards, to make it serve for a pillow, our slumbers, during the few short moments allowed for repose, were sound though unrefreshing. occasionally crowding in groups around a huge fire, when wood could be obtained, (which was not always the case), we gathered in without much ceremony, with our feet towards the blazing faggots, and stretched ourselves out, somewhat after the manner of wild animals, patiently awaiting the unwelcome summons that was to start us from our cold and cheerless lair. it was truly melancholy to behold this dismal picture of the exterminating consequences of war. the ravages unavoidably committed by the troops were excessive. the weather and season of the year caused it to be almost impossible to procure timber for fuel, otherwise than by destroying the miserable hovels, that lay dispersed among the hollows and ravines of these wild regions. the frame-work of doors and windows, as well as that of the roof, were put in requisition, the extreme emergency of the case demanding such resources, without which the army must have been inevitably lost. sir david baird was most indefatigable in his exertions, riding with the column, passing along both flanks,[ ] urging on the weary troops, at the same time keeping them in their ranks, and, by his orders and presence, enforcing upon the officers the necessity of attending minutely to every point of duty. where the roads were broken up by the rapid mountain streams, he took post near the stepping-stones, laid by former travellers across the brooks, compelling all without exception to pass on through the water, however deep it might be, in order that no delay or impediment should obstruct the movements of the army.--he was equally vigilant to frustrate any attempt to plunder, and, in many cases, he made the officer stand at the door of the wine house, to stop the admission of those men, who might fall out with that intention upon the line of march. a more intrepid soldier i have never seen. of powerful stature, with a bold stern aspect, he bore in his sunburnt countenance the indication of a mind equally strong and vigorous as his body, and wherever he was stationed, military discipline was carried on with a degree of strictness, worthy alone of such a warlike and determined man. [ ] while sir david baird and his satellites were bustling about from one flank to another, driving every one through the water without mercy, several of the knowing hands devised sundry schemes to cross the chasm dryshod; some would take a run for it, and with a hop, step and a jump get safe past the rubicon; others, in the vain attempt, were baulked half way, and, splashing on, encountered the frigid element. but, to the men, it was the best sport imaginable, to see some mighty precise and finical dandy, who, as unwilling as a cat to wet his feet, was most cautiously picking his steps, completely discomfited by the coming up of sir david in a rage, who, reprimanding him in no very gentle tones, would send the poor shivering exquisite to perambulate the stream, to the no small chagrin of our hero, and to the delight of the whole brigade. the equestrians and gentlemen of the staff were, in general, not over compassionate; but, chuckling up in their comfortable saddles, joined in the general outcry of merriment, and in their capacity of whippers in resumed their occupation. while going through the small town of villa franca, which is seated in the midst of a chain of mountains, a dépôt of clothing and provisions was thrown open, and the contents thereof flung out quickly to the troops, who, having no time to halt, were puzzled as to how those things were to be disposed of. shoes were eagerly grasped at, the men trying them on as they hastily passed along. there was no fastidious picking and choosing here, nor were we over nice as to the shape and quality of the article; whether they were the handy-work of hoby or of humbler origin was never enquired about. such as they were they proved to many a boon most welcome. yet some discomfort arose from them in several instances. here might be seen a man pinched and tottering along, making such wry faces as though he were undergoing a course of torture; while not far from him shuffled along another, in shoes, or rather churns, that were capacious enough for the feet of the irish giant. it was painful to behold the anxiety of the poor fellows to get some relief to their hunger; and when the pieces of salt beef and pork were thrown to them, by the commissary from the storehouse gates, they were seized upon with the same avidity with which john bull would pounce upon plum-pudding or fat bacon; how these delicacies were to be cooked, was a difficult question to be resolved. speared on points of swords, or transfixed with bayonet, pike, or other weapon, the exquisite morsels of junk were borne aloft triumphant to the first halting place. few of them, however, found their way to the end of the day's march; for the men, fearing that time would not permit the dressing of the tempting viands, pitched most of them to the crows and vultures, resorting to the more accustomed and feasible luxuries of tommy (bread) and rum. flour was likewise doled out to them in scanty pittance; but no means of culinary operation being at hand, the pulverized allowance was scattered to the winds, the luckless warriors being left to feast upon their own melancholy thoughts, or take their dinners with duke humphrey. a few of the more cunning among the oldest stagers mixed up a sort of tough consistence of this same flour, with a solution of snow in dirty water, and with the aid of a flat smooth stone, by way of table, manufactured a composition, something in form and substance not unlike a nine pound shot, and which might be converted to the same use. this bit of delicate pastry, which was called a doughboy, was sometimes crammed into the haversack for future provender, and the unfortunate genius who could not manage to bake the treasured lump, devoured it ravenously in its moist and tender state. the hard sea-biscuit, soaked in rum, was a much more agreeable article of food, and it was more convenient and more readily attained than any thing else. during occasional halts, and when we could snatch a few moments from the hands of old father time, we contrived to get some water boiled, and, o happy man! that could succeed in procuring a decoction of the chinese plant: still more fortunate was he who had even a brief space allowed, to enjoy the refreshing beverage, for often, while in the act of introducing the burning fluid to our impatient mouths, the old adage of 'the cup and the lip,' was verified to our cost, the aforesaid cup with its contents being hastily thrown away, after scalding our hungry as well as angry chops; the french, in a most officious manner, choosing, like paul pry, to intrude at that particular period upon our tantalizing and forbidden cheer. passing nogales, constantine, and other places on the route, we traversed the mountain road that wound in zigzags along the barren sides of the precipice; the wilderness by which we were surrounded having a most dreary aspect. from the promontory between villa franca and the latter village the money chests were overturned, and the doubloons and dollars were scattered among the rocks, from whence they rolled into the dark abyss below, forming a precious cascade of gold and silver, enough to tantalize the craving rapacity of a jew. many of the wanderers from the ranks got their purses lined, and it was said, that, in the attempts to gather up the cash, some fell down the steep, and were dashed to pieces in the chasms, by which the heights were intersected. the paymaster's trade was, in those days, quite a sinecure; with his hands thrust into his empty pockets, he was a gentleman at large, whose pay-day was a dead letter, and whose muster-roll was getting into a very reduced compass. it was a pitiable sight, at this period, to behold the forlorn condition of the women and the children. those who could not get upon baggage waggons, trudged along with painful steps, scarcely able to bear up the weight by which they were encumbered. many sank during the bitter night famished, way-worn, and in the snow, with infants at their breasts, or in their arms, and in this situation were found lifeless and frozen on the following morning. others took refuge from the storm on the dismantled ammunition carts, that lay about the road, and, trying to get shelter there, perished with their children on this frail tenement as they crouched in groups together. the whole exhibition was one of appalling wretchedness, that would harrow up the feelings even of those who had long been familiar with lamentable scenes. the entire _materiel_ of the army became a total wreck, from which comparatively small were the numbers that escaped, and but few were able to keep up with their colours upon the line of march. our clothes were worn to rags, the jacket being no better than "a thing of shreds and patches," metamorphosed from red to a sort of muddy claret colour; and as for shoes, o, what a falling off was there! with sole and body in a state of separation, the partnership was about to be dissolved.--they could not be said to have held out to the last, for as they approached their end, they were something like the irishman's brogues, that were happily supplied with holes to let the water out as fast as it rushed in, and gave our feet the advantage of an excellent portable bath. the other garments were in good keeping; unmentionables, of every shade and colour, were inexpressibly worn out, and pieced in a manner that would have qualified the wearer to perform the part of harlequin. the whole attire was surmounted by a nondescript article, vulgarly called a cocked hat, which, glazed with a substance that had once had a polish, formed a good reservoir for rain, its angular point answering the purpose of a waterspout, while the flap hanging over the dorsal region, like that of a london coal heaver, imparted to the owner, a look of a most dubious character. our personal charms could not by any means be made the subject of admiration, not even the best of us could vie with adonis on that head; on the contrary, we might have rivalled the living skeleton, and many an ambitious tyro, who at home was pampered and well fed, was now attenuated into the lathy form of a spectre, and would not on any account have presumed to offer himself as a candidate for the civic chair. of exercise and early rising we had an abundance, and as those things are said to be conducive to health, we ought to have been the most vigorous of the human race. to the sad deterioration of costume which i have described, there was, however, one brilliant exception. it was displayed by an officer of ours, lieutenant *****, who entertained us much by the way in which he managed matters. in the worst of times, when the rain and wind fell desperately on us during the retreat, and all were, as i have already said, covered with mud and dirt, and drenched from head to foot, with nothing beautiful to be seen about us, this lovely youth, a _diamond_ of the first _water_, the very quintessence of an exquisite, seemed on all occasions as if emerged from the limits of a bandbox. his raiment and general attire fresh from the mint, he must at least, like king richard, have had "a score or two of tailors" to adorn his person. whether it was that he was purified by the frequent showers, or from what other source he derived his amiable appearance, i know not, but it is certain that we were completely puzzled by the magic of his toilet; and had beau brummel ever ventured on the field of mars he would have resigned his claim, as prince of dandies, to our hero. i knew of only one man in the service who could approach him, and that was a well known captain of the th. ***** retired soon after from the army, and cannot fail like his prototype of old, the famous nash, wherever he may flourish, (if in this world), to be the leader of the ton, and the observed of all observers. towards the beginning of january, ( ) it was reported that the shipping, for our conveyance to england, had arrived in the bay of corunna, and it therefore became a matter of doubt whether or not we should have a field-day with our pursuers, before the time of embarkation. with the utmost energy that men could display, the enemy, however, anxious not to lose the opportunity of obtaining, as he imagined, a certain triumph, put forth his strength to reach the coast as early as he could, and consequently our rear guard, consisting of the light division, was not allowed a moment's rest. followed by great superiority of numbers, the natural difficulty of the ground, combined with astonishing exertions, alone enabled them to check the foe. their vigilance and valour were fully put to the proof, and never did men acquit themselves better on such an arduous duty than did these soldiers. whenever we gained the summit of a hill, all eyes were on the watch to catch a glimpse of the long looked out for ships. one height after another was ascended, but still nothing was in sight; before us lay, in wearisome perspective, the same tedious road, that seemed as though it were never to have an end. it was a wide, well-beaten track, the distances from corunna being marked in leagues upon huge granite pillars, or, hibernically speaking, _milestones_. the inscription upon them being oftentimes illegible or defaced, we asked some wandering peasant, who might perchance appear, the space we had to travel; but we could hardly ever get a correct reply, for though the stupid fellow told us that we had not more than half a league to go, we generally found it more than two leagues; sometimes the brainless oaf screamed _poquito mais_ (a little bit more), this _little bit_ turning out at least a league, or upwards, of very honest measure. it was provoking to be thus baffled and disappointed, but there was no remedy, and the jaded itinerants kept travelling onwards, in the same dull route. at length the long wished for bay was spread out before us; but alas! no fleet was there! the spirits of all from the height of joy as suddenly fell below zero, and the misery of hope deferred was now to be endured. the soldiers, however, soon brightened up, when told that there would still be time sufficient to give the french a drubbing; and this idea made every man spring out with a fresh supply of ardour that carried them right through. chapter vi. on the th of january the st brigade, under general lord william bentinck, marched into corunna. proceeding along the main street, by the harbour side, the th was halted in front of a large convent, near the citadel, where in a short time the regiment was quartered. after such a protracted course of hard service, and ceaseless marching, the quietness of even a temporary rest was a luxury most highly valued; although we knew not at what moment we might be called again into the field. while we were stationed here, the great magazine of powder, situated about three miles off, was blown into the air, with such an awful explosion, that the sound thereof reached the distant mountains, and shook, as if by some volcanic agency, the buildings of the town. we were not prepared for the event, which took place at an early hour, and while a few of us were seated around our canteens at breakfast, in one of the convent rooms. suddenly a violent concussion was felt, and then a thundering noise was heard, that made the ancient fabric reel, and tremble on its base, and rattled the tiles and shingle of the spacious roof about our ears. we were amazed, i may almost say horror-struck, beyond expression, and a number of confused ideas rapidly crossed our minds; some declared it was an earthquake, others, that the enemy's cannon were battering at the walls; no one guessed at the real cause. in a state of consternation, expecting that a second peal would annihilate our tenement, and bury us in its ruins, we made a rush for the doorway, where we met the adjutant, who explained to us the whole affair; and this turmoil of fire and gunpowder died away in smoke. on the th, our brigade marched out of corunna, and going about two miles from the gates, was drawn up in position upon the extremity of a chain of heights, extending in a semicircular form towards the north. this movement was made in consequence of the decision of sir john moore to give the enemy battle; for, the transports not having come round from vigo, (into which port they had been blown by contrary winds), he determined to make one grand effort, and maintain the honour of the british army. it would thus be seen that, however irregular his troops had been, upon a difficult march, they were well prepared to meet the foe; and that their high character for steadiness, as well as courage, would never fail when called upon in the hour of danger; proving at the same time, that in the cause of england, "every man would do his duty." sir john moore himself, almost worn out by constant anxiety, arising from various unforeseen causes, was yet endued with mental force as strong as ever; and, abundant in resources, he never lost that coolness and self-possession which availed him so much. possessing great humanity, he felt deeply for the dreadful sufferings of his men, and in his exertions to alleviate them he was unremitting. many times have i seen him go about the lines, from one encampment to another, wrapped up in his military cloak, without parade or ostentation, in order that he might personally inspect the condition of the troops, and as far as in his power lay afford them relief, and add to their comforts. his position, as chief of the army, was one of much difficulty; and his energies were so greatly paralysed by the interference of professing friends, and the false intelligence of his real enemies, that it appears miraculous how he ever brought the forces through. his great perseverance, intrepid spirit, and warlike talent, enabled him to overcome those trials which would have broken down another man. let those who have calumniated his name be for ever silent, when they reflect on that devotedness of conduct, by which, in the moment of peril, he preserved untarnished the fame of britain's sons, falling himself nobly for their glory, and by their side, in the hour of victory. the brigade was formed on the crest of the hill, with uneven ground in front, between which and the enemy's position lay a deep and broken ravine, interspersed with vines and brushwood, and traversed in various directions by numerous enclosures and narrow lanes, inclining towards the head of the precipice. midway between the place where the th stood and the opposite hill was situated the village of elvina, consisting of a few poor straggling hovels, with a chapel in the centre, and surrounded with fragments of rock, stone walls, hedges, and close winding passages. the whole french army, under marshal soult, occupied a parallel range to that upon which ours was posted, more elevated and considerably more extensive. the troops, being stationed in the alignment pointed out, commenced the usual operations of the camp, and were, from right to left, in high spirits at the prospect of giving the french an airing, in return for their marked attention towards us, for the last three weeks, and by way of making some amends for all the trouble we must have caused them. for some days back, it had been perceived that immense bodies were assembling, and the heights upon which they halted were literally darkened by their increasing columns. the continual beating of their drums, (without which their men can never stir), the noisy words of command, and the din of their ammunition waggons, with the rolling of their gun-carriages, rung perpetually in our ears from the moment that we arrived upon the field. the french, on every occasion, make an excessive display, with much of loud and empty sound, and at all times, in action, they put forth such frantic and discordant yells, and raise so much useless clamour, that the report of cannon is often scarcely greater. the morning of the th opened with the usual routine of duty, the same exciting work presented itself, the contending parties with eager attention observing each other's manoeuvres.--the weather was cloudy; but towards noon the sun shone out, and it continued fine during the rest of this eventful day. an extraordinary stir and commotion was noticed, about p.m. in the enemy's camp, after both armies had dined. from the opposite lines, numerous light troops were seen advancing in the direction of our piquets, which had been previously reinforced, and this movement was followed by a general attack upon the entire chain of outposts. our soldiers, deploying into line, occupied their allotted station.--being the junior corps, the th was in the centre of the brigade, flanked by the king's own, and nd highlanders; in company with such men, the black cuffs could not fail, and they were proud, and justly too, of being enrolled with those fine regiments. sir john moore was quickly on the spot, and with the experienced mind of an old and skilful warrior, he gave the necessary orders to the several officers of his army holding command. the staff were then dispersed, and flying in all directions with those orders to the various divisions, the whole of which in a very short space of time were standing to their arms. it was about o'clock when the light troops advanced in multitudes against our line; rapidly descending the hill they opened a brisk discharge from their rifles upon our piquets, that lined the enclosures throughout the wide extent of the ravine. it was very polite of the frenchmen to allow us time to get our dinners, although it will appear that they had not finished their own repast; however, to make up for this mistake, we helped them to a desert of forced meat balls, which, composed as they were of indigestible materials, formed a considerable portion of this day's bill of fare.--as soon as matters began to wear a serious aspect, the locks and flints were examined, caps tied on, and other preparatory measures taken for the deadly strife. for the purpose of covering his forward movements, a heavy cannonade was poured down by the enemy from a masked battery on the elevated ridge. by this plunging fire our ranks were much thinned, and the round shot, booming on every side, scattered about the splinters, sand, and stones, that fell in showers upon our heads.--pending the operations, a general assault was made upon our left, from whence the music of artillery sounded loud and incessant. perceiving, by the strong fire, that a french corps was pushing through the hollows, evidently with the view of turning our right flank, colonel wynch, of the th, threw back some companies of that regiment, forming an obtuse angle with the line; which effectually prevented the enemy from making any further efforts in that quarter. while this was going on, a regiment of guards was brought up in reserve, and posted at the rear of our brigade. the piquets being now thrown back, from the weight of fire, our men were ordered to advance to their support. major napier, in front of the th, gave the word, cheering as he led boldly forward. passing the enclosure, and clearing all before them in superior style, they entered the village of elvina, which was instantly carried at the point of the bayonet, and pressing still onwards, under an awful blaze, they made for the summit of the heights. meanwhile, the light infantry, an inflexible and stubborn band, with captain harrison at their head, furiously charged across the broken ground, and bearing away all opposition, took lodgment in the rocks above. the hamlet being at length surrounded, its occupants rushed pell-mell into every hole and corner they could find. a number of these heroes, having ensconced themselves within the chapel, began to amuse themselves by firing from the windows, roof, and belfry, at the soldiers. observing their murderous design, captain william clunes with cool and determined bravery marched his company to attack them, and having, with all due ceremony, introduced his grenadiers to their acquaintance, the powerful fellows would instantly have demolished the chapel, in order to eject the congregation therein assembled, had they not been hindered by their leader, who, with the greatest sang froid imaginable, took his stand by the portal of the edifice, and, grasping an indian cane of stout dimensions, threatened destruction to the inmates, if they did not discontinue their ball practice and surrender, to a man. astounded by the stentor-like tone in which this _notice_ to _quit_ was uttered by the huge northern, the garrison resolved at all hazards to evacuate the premises, and, accordingly, with a desperate rush, they sallied out amongst the flankers. many were slain upon the spot, or taken, clunes and his party collecting a pretty fair specimen of their afternoon's work. if the ludicrous could have been thought of at such a moment, the strange and extraordinary scene was enough to excite the mirthful faculties of a philosopher. the contrast between the tall and stalwart grenadier and the diminutive frenchmen was truly ridiculous; and the manner in which this gigantic son of mars turned out the warriors of napoleon, without once drawing a sword, and while shot was flying as thick as hail, was a sight well remembered by those who were present on that day.[ ] [ ] clunes was many years in the th, having been present with them in all their campaigns up to this period. he was one of the finest looking grenadiers in the british army; tall in stature, muscular in frame, with a countenance expressive of the cool and determined soldier. his bravery at corunna called forth the approbation of the commander-in-chief, by whom he was immediately promoted to a majority in the th. after serving in that regiment for a considerable lapse of time, he sold out, and returned to his native country. he did not long survive, to enjoy the quiet of domestic life. his death was much regretted by the few remaining veterans of the th, who had been his companions in the field, and his name stands high in the records of that corps. our battalion companies fought like lions, and pouring rapidly through the village upset the kettles and cooking apparatus, which were in full work throughout the streets. the savoury stews, broths and fricassees, were put _hors de combat_, and small was the number of the meagre combatants who returned to claim a portion of the half dressed fare. having succeeded in forcing every barrier, and cutting our way through the enemy at every point, the main body of the regiment pressed on to the higher ground; "forward, forward to the hill!" was now the cry. clambering up the steep and craggy ascent, emboldened by the example of their officers, the soldiers were mowed down unmercifully by continuous volleys from the crest of the mountain, almost threatening to annihilate our ranks. the assailants were not far distant at this time from the brow of the impending rock, which, bristling with bayonets, seemed to frown in defiance upon the enterprise. but, although the dangerous attempt to crown the eminence appeared to resemble a forlorn hope, major napier, with determined boldness, resolved to carry, by a coup-de-main, the enemy's strong hold; waving, therefore, his sabre in the air, he loudly called upon his men to follow.--his enthusiastic spirit had urged him on, beyond the foremost of the soldiers, when he fell, severely wounded, and, before we could approach to rescue him, he was borne off speedily to the enemy's lines.[ ] [ ] soult behaved in a noble and disinterested manner towards major napier. as soon as it was discovered that his prisoner was wounded, he ordered that he should be conveyed within the lines, and receive the attendance of the most skilful surgeon in the camp. he likewise gave directions, that he should be provided with every comfort that it was possible to obtain. to complete the measure of his liberality and kindness, he allowed the major, as soon as he was perfectly restored to health, to return to england, on parole, in order that an exchange might be effected with a field officer of the french army. this act was of itself enough to stamp the character of the marshal, and was worthy of a general, than whom one more talented or brave never fought the battles of his country. about this period, the right centre, forcing through the enclosures and lanes beyond the village, was exposed to a raking fire, and in consequence was most severely handled, several officers and men being killed.--among the former was the honorable major stanhope, who received a musket ball in the chest, and expired without a struggle. he was a man of dignified appearance, reserved in his deportment, but withal a zealous officer. having joined the regiment at the outset of this campaign, his career was brief, though splendid. the same round of musketry that caused the death of stanhope, proved fatal to both the officers of the colours, ensigns moore and stewart; the former survived but to arrive in england, the latter never spoke. they were promising young men, and much regretted by every member of the corps. among the slain were also lieutenant john napper wilson, of the light company. poor moore, my esteemed friend and companion, had all along a presentiment of his fate; and talked of it as an event inevitably to happen in the first battle. this sad foreboding, from which i could not rally him, never for a moment preyed upon his mind, which was always cheerful and contented.[ ] [ ] moore died at haslar hospital, gosport, after lingering for several weeks. the ball having penetrated his lungs, there was no possible hope of his recovery. his father was a clergyman in the north of ireland, who had lost other sons in the service of his country. ensign stewart was a quiet and amiable lad, nephew to colonel stewart of the nd battalion. his death was instantaneous, the regimental colour, which he carried, immediately fell across his body, and was picked up by serjeant mckie, who had scarcely delivered his charge to the officer, ordered for that purpose, when he himself received a mortal wound. wilson, (who was before wounded at vimeiro,) was an irishman, and had been some years in the regiment. at the moment when these officers fell, we were passing, thickly crowded, through a lane enclosed with loose stone walls, and the fire, to which we were sadly exposed, raked us most unmercifully. the colours, with the officers around them, formed a conspicuous mark, against which, with deadly aim, a fatal shower of bullets was discharged. it was such hot work, that a man would be inclined to give himself a _shake_ or two, after all was over, in order to ascertain whether his head was on his shoulders. our ammunition being expended, seventy rounds per man having been already fired, and all our efforts being unavailing against such fearful odds, orders were given for us to retire; and, on being relieved by the guards, the troops of the st brigade fell back, the shattered remnant of the th resuming its place upon the hill, from which it had at the outset advanced. the remainder of the day and great part of the night was employed in preparations to embark; the huts were, however, occupied, the fires were kept burning, and every thing arranged so as to prevent the french from thinking that we intended to decamp without beat of drum. soon after nightfall, and when the clash of arms was no longer heard, an interment of the dead took place, and many a poor fellow, who had a few hours before been full of life and strength, was now deposited in his narrow bed. the remains of major stanhope were lowered to the grave by his brother officers and comrades, with their sashes. he had worn this day a suit of new uniform, and a pair of bright silver epaulets, in which, with his military cloak around him, upon the same hour as his lamented chief, he was consigned to an honorable tomb. while we were engaged in the performance of this melancholy duty, the honorable captain stanhope of the guards, aid-de-camp to sir john moore, rode up, directed by the torch light, to the mournful group. it was the first intimation which he received of his brave relation's fate. dismounting, and overcome with grief, he took a last farewell, and having obtained his ring, together with a lock of hair, he tore himself hastily away from the heart-rending scene. it was about o'clock when the troops moved off, in perfect silence and good order. a strong piquet was left to keep the fires alive, and watch the enemy's operations. preparing for a renewed attack upon our army on the following day, the french camp throughout the night was in a state of tumult and noisy bustle. the outposts were not allowed much rest, being serenaded with the din of hammering up their platforms for the cannon, and sounding the note of preparation for the approaching tug of war. little did marshal soult know that the bird had flown; for while he was busy in the midst of all this clamour, the british army was marching to corunna, and by daylight was completely embarked. the soldiers left upon the hill, under the command of captain clunes, were withdrawn about an hour before the clear light of day, on the morning of the th; and taking, not reluctantly, a last farewell of the encampment, proceeded to the point of embarkation. the lowness of the tide not admitting the boats to get near to the shore, the men were compelled to wade above the middle into the water previous to entering them; hence, so far as regarded this portion of the army, napoleon's insolent and oft repeated threats, of driving the english into the sea, were undoubtedly realized. missing their prey, which thus so cunningly slipped from their grasp, the french were mortified in no small degree. fighting jack[ ], for once outwitted, revenged himself by ordering his bulldogs to the water side, where, being unable to proceed further, he had nothing else to do, but "grin horribly a ghastly smile," and shew his teeth. by way of a coup-de-grace, or parting gift, however, he gave us a royal salvo, which presented to his well-tried antagonists, (who were now on board), some very striking proofs of his affection, in the very tangible shape of twenty-four pounders. but we were now beyond his reach, and he might therefore as well have saved his powder and shot, which, with all their noise, did us little injury, and only excited our laughter. [ ] this was the nickname given to soult by the soldiers. the piquets were embarked in the mary, which was at anchor so near the beach, that for want of something better to do in the way of a little morning sport, the marshal made use of our old tub of a transport as a target, and practised so freely on it, with his heavy missives, that it was quite time for it to sheer off. observing this uncivil conduct, the sea-captain, pale and terrified, with all the horror of a panic-struck man, cried out, "i'll lose my ship! i'm ruined!" and running frantic to the bows, he seized upon an axe, and cut the cable. his vessel being thus allowed to swing round, she became unmanageable, and as it was blowing a gale of wind at the time, the unfortunate mary was driven upon the rocks. the passengers and crew were saved. the troops, who thus narrowly escaped, were received by the thomas brig, and the th regiment was taken on board the ville de paris of guns. in the hurry of departing from the mary, no one thought of going below deck for any of his baggage; to escape without delay from the battered vessel was the only object of our ambition; nor, indeed, could a visit to the cabin be safely attempted. some, who were on deck with their bald pates uncovered, took flight without their beavers; thankful, as the round shots flew across the ship, to decamp with a whole skin. while we were scrambling into the boats, a ponderous box of dollars, the property of captain gaff, of the th, slipped from a sailor's hands; and as it splashed into the water, poor gaff stood petrified with horror, and when it vanished from sight, he looked as if he would have plunged after it, to rescue the precious treasure. on the morning of the th of january the fleet got under way; and, after a favourable though boisterous passage, it arrived in england on the rd. we were disembarked at haslar, and marched from thence to gosport, where we remained till the th of february, when we proceeded on our journey to brabone lees, in kent. chapter vii. on the th of february , after a long and rather harassing march, the st battalion of the th arrived at braborne lees in kent, where the nd had been stationed for some time. both having assembled and reunited, old friends and companions in arms meeting once more, a general scene of festivity took place; the young hands entertaining their more fortunate brethren, lately returned from the field of honour, joyous living and good cheer was the order of the day, and it might be added that conviviality was the regulation for the night. the th and th light infantry being in the same barracks contributed in no small extent to those revelries, and each in succession most liberally displaying the generous hospitalities of the table, this round of dissipation was continued until a route was announced to us, for both battalions of the th to march forthwith; the st for ramsgate, and the nd for the town of ashford, four miles distant. having obtained my lieutenancy previous to our return, and being consequently effective in the nd, i joined and marched with them. before proceeding further i must say a word or two about those friends we left behind.--the th, commanded by lieutenant colonel cuyler, was a very smart regiment; and the officers a gay set of light bobs, full of life and glee. i never saw a finer party of young men; longing for military enterprise, they cared not in what quarter of the world it might be offered. to see those happy fellows seated round their mess table, mingled with the th, their delighted guests, it would have been impossible to imagine that they were so soon to be disunited; however so it was, and great was the pity that such was to be their lot; they were in a short time after separated, and dispersed in various directions, being removed to other regiments and other destinations. more than a quarter of a century has since elapsed, in the course of which period i have met with a few of them, others have left the stage of life or retired from the service, while but small indeed is the remnant of that gallant band, who once belonged to a regiment which has distinguished itself in many a battle field, and than which there is not a better in the british army. the th was commanded by lieutenant colonel johnston. the officers, more steady, perhaps, from being more experienced, than their brother flankers, were a remarkably pleasant set of men, many of whom bore the appearance of having seen some hard service. we found ashford a very dull and uninteresting place, the good people of which, not being particularly fond of military gentlemen, left us very much to ourselves, to cogitate as we might in our country quarters. we made this out pretty well, however, with our regimental society; and, having also some female campaigners, we carried on the war happily enough, notwithstanding the churlish deportment of our civilized neighbours. the ashfordians, though they looked shy upon us as a body, could, nevertheless, condescend to notice such of our young men as boasted a drop of noble blood, or were graced by the possession of some ancient name. a well-stocked purse was, moreover, a good introduction to their mahogany; and the fortunate hero, whose shoulders gloried in a _pair_ of epaulets, or upon whose heels the spurs might dangle, had a most excellent chance of finding favour in their aristocratic sight. the humble subs, contented with their barrack-room parties, were perhaps gainers by the arrangement; for, although they could not boast of so much tinsel or cold display, there was among them much more social manners and generous liberality, while good fellowship and unaffected mirth presided at their less splendid though far more cheerful board. in the barracks of ashford, our companions militant were the st highlanders, and the warwickshire militia, both of which were in capital order for any duty; the latter in particular, commanded by colonel s.e. steward, was a noble body of men, exemplary alike in appearance and discipline. so that any regiment of the line might consider it an honour to receive volunteers from such a corps. the st, under colonel douglas, has always upheld the distinguished character for which these northern warriors have been famed. in the early part of the succeeding month of may, the second battalion received their route for reading street, in kent, where we got into quarters after a few days hard marching. the temporary barracks which we occupied were situated in the centre of a highly improved country, about three miles from the small town of tenterden. the weather being delightful at this pleasant season, and our duty not being extremely severe, the time passed in a manner quite in unison with our wishes, and without any greater degree of suffering than what occasionally arose from the hardship incident to a night campaign, upon a bacchanalian expedition. as the invitations to the feast were but "few and far between," the dangers to be encountered on this service were by no means numerous or important. deprived by our retired circumstances of any extensive intercourse with the "gay and lively throng," we were getting somewhat rusticated, and might in time have become very quiet and harmless animals, had we been permitted so to remain. but our retirement was much too easy a mode of existence for gentlemen of the sword, and all our dreams of luxury and peace were soon disturbed, by a sudden order from the higher powers, for several of our officers and non-commissioned officers to proceed with the utmost rapidity to the isle of wight, in order to join a battalion of detachments, which was then forming at albany barracks, and which was destined to compose a portion of the expedition under the earl of chatham. being included in the number allotted for this service, i accompanied the following officers, who commenced their march for portsmouth, on sunday the th of june, : captain henry montgomery, captain edward atkins, lieutenant william turner, lieutenant richard jones, and lieutenant james thomas. with high glee, and an elastic tone of spirits, we entered upon our journey, equipped and fitted out in a most singular manner, for, such was the speed demanded on this pressing occasion, that every kind of conveyance, inclusive of coach, caravan, gig, and fish cart, was put in requisition for the more hasty removal of our martial band. although there was something bordering on the ludicrous in the mode of our turn out, we cut, nevertheless, a most formidable and imposing figure. with scarcely any breathing time, we pursued our hurried course, the wonder-struck natives of the towns and hamlets through which we passed staring and gazing upon us, with open mouths, while with joyous looks we dashed along, as though his satanic majesty himself was at our heels. the officers were in and outside of coaches, as the case might be, while the serjeants, corporals and drummers, mounted on vehicles of more humble pretensions, exhibited their pikes, fusils, and other weapons, stuck out of windows, doors and various similar openings. this strange and whimsical cavalcade was not unlike a moveable battering train, or a troop of warriors in ancient times, and bore no manner of resemblance to a party of modern heroes travelling genteelly, though not leisurely, on the king's highway. on arriving at newport, in the isle of wight, we soon became acquainted with the several officers who were summoned on the same duty, and who belonged to different regiments remaining in england. the battalion of embodied detachments, which was composed of men from the dépôts of those corps on foreign service, amounted to at least a thousand bayonets, and when completed for the field was a most effective and powerful body of soldiers.--with regard to costume, it was rather motley in appearance, from the many coloured facings displayed throughout the line; and the officers wearing the plain round hat, with a small feather stuck on one side like a marine, served to render still more apparent the diversity of style and fashion exhibited in our variegated ranks. lieutenant colonel the honorable basil cochrane, our commandant, was a bold determined officer, and strict disciplinarian. he belonged to the th, in which he afterwards served in the peninsular war, and having a natural genius for a military life, he, like his brother of nautical celebrity, was conspicuous on many occasions, during that hard-fought contest. the arrangements being concluded, our medley battalion marched to west cowes, where it embarked, on the th of july, on board of the weymouth, armed en flute, captain trounce, and on the following day we sailed to spithead, where, the troops being much crowded, some of them were removed to the clarence transport[ ]. we steered for the downs under convoy, on the th of the same month. on the st, the whole fleet set sail with a fair wind, and beautifully clear weather, standing away to the northward, in the direction of the dutch coast.[ ] [ ] the night before we sailed from cowes, a melancholy event took place; lieutenant orr, of the th regiment, a fine spirited young man, was drowned by some accident along side the ship, as she lay at anchor. [ ] _the undermentioned officers served with the battalion of embodied detachments on the expedition to walcheren._ commanding lieut. col. the hon. basil cochrane, th regt, _dead_. major john wardlaw, from th regiment. major gomm, from th foot. major alexander petre, from th regiment. [a]captain william bains, from th regiment, _killed_. captain thompson, from th regiment, _dead_. captain henry balguy, from th regiment. captain nathaniel farewell, from th regiment. captain chaloner, from th regiment. captain henry montgomery, from th regiment, _dead_. captain edward adkin, from th regiment. captain cooksey, from th regiment, _dead_. captain forbes, from th regiment. captain mcpherson, from th regiment. lieutenant mcqueen, from th regiment. lieutenant munro, from th regiment. adjutant cameron, from th regiment, _dead_. lieutenant orr, from th regiment, _drowned_. lieutenant turner, from th regiment. lieutenant patterson, from th regiment. lieutenant jones, from th regiment. lieutenant thomas, from th regiment. ensign bair, from rd regiment. ensign buck, from rd regiment. lieutenant tarletou, from th regiment. lieutenant addison, from th regiment. lieutenant jennings, from th regiment. lieutenant pinkney, from th regiment. lieutenant bone, from th regiment. ensign tunstal, from th regiment. ensign finlayson, from nd regiment. ensign clarke, from nd regiment. ensign beauclerk, from rd regiment. [a] killed on his return while gallantly assisting in the defence of guernsey packet, which was attacked by a french privateer. on the st of august the troops commenced their debarkation, and the battalion of detachments landed near the village of camp vere in the island of walcheren, without any opposition. the french having taken post with their main body in the strongly fortified town of flushing, were resolved to defend the place to the last extremity; the necessary preparations were therefore made for the attack of that celebrated fortress. being in sir thomas picton's division, we were among the number of those allotted for that duty, as well as for service in the trenches, we marched accordingly to the ground laid out for us before the works. constant occupation having rendered it impossible to keep a journal of the siege, and having no dependence upon memory, which in general proves a treacherous friend, i must abstain from any detail, and confine my remarks to a mere outline of those affairs in which our regiment was more immediately concerned. i may, however, be allowed briefly to remark, that the stirring events of this brief campaign were productive of wonderful excitement among us; and that the bombardment of the citadel and town, and the incidents that occurred on the night preceding the surrender, were of such awful grandeur as to baffle the most descriptive powers. on the morning after its fall, flushing presented a thoroughly ruinous and desolate appearance, from the terrible effects of shot, shells and congreve rockets. almost every building had experienced their destructive power. those which stood on ground a little raised, or high above the ramparts, together with the public edifices and towers of the churches, were completely demolished. a great portion of the town was reduced to ashes by the conflagrations arising from the flaming rockets, which, penetrating whatever they came in contact with, carried fire and ruin in their train. the wretched and despairing inhabitants, forced by the ceaseless cannonade to take refuge in their subterraneous chambers, were even there exposed to the falling shells; for these, and other projectiles, descending with amazing velocity, and piercing every floor, finished their career by an explosion, no less fatal to the building than to the unfortunate people it contained. it was a fearful and melancholy sight, to contemplate the scene, and was well calculated to fill the mind with sentiments of a most depressing nature. the shattered and riddled dwellings, apparently reeling on their base, and cast nearly off their perpendicular, seemed almost ready to come down with a tremendous crash. the half burnt and dilapidated remains of the more important fabrics, scorched by the fire, and blackened with smoke, lay heaped in dusky and spectral masses, truly monumental of their direful fate. the deserted and gloomy streets, lanes, and alleys, were overspread with the fragments of the battered walls, accumulated rubbish, and dead bodies. the stagnant, foul and muddy canals, (by which the place is intersected), were covered with dark weeds, and on them floated the putrid remains of various animals, tainting with their pernicious odour the overheated and oppressive atmosphere. at every step we encountered the haggard, woebegone and famished aspect of starving creatures, emerging from their dreary cells, or thinly scattered here and there, whose funereal countenances might have led one to fancy that they had lately escaped from the cold and cheerless tomb. these horrible sights, with many more such, enough to harrow up the soul, glared around us on all sides, throughout the limits of this unhappy place, upon which misfortune may well be said to have set her seal. the troops of the besieging army were drawn up, while the french garrison passing in review, marched out with the honours of war. this ceremony being ended, and the enemy having evacuated the fortress, we entered the gates, and took up our abode in the miserable and comfortless quarters allotted for our reception. the heat of the weather was suffocating; and quite sufficient of itself to produce the sickness which broke out among our soldiers. indeed the causes already alluded to in a little time induced a fever, or something bearing more resemblance to a plague, which led to a scene of dismay and horror, far exceeding that in which the besieged had been involved. contagion and disease, with all their attendant woes, quickly spread their baneful influence throgout our ranks. the poisonous exhalations, and marsh miasmata from the loathsome waters of the canals, combined with the fervid and contaminated air, generated and extended that deadly endemic, to which so many of our troops engaged in this campaign became the victims. men and officers were attacked in the most sudden and violent manner, while on parade in good health, and were led away under the fatal illness from which they were soon released by the hand of death. so destructive were the ravages of this frightful pestilence that, before many days had elapsed, our numbers were much diminished, and scarcely enough of men could be found to perform the duties of the place. the hospitals were filled, and the convalescents were reduced to so low a state, that it was a considerable time before they were fit for any service. leaving a subject upon which it is painful longer to dwell, it may be observed that affairs in a short time were restored to order, and the inhabitants, who remained, having ventured from their hiding places, and resumed their dwellings, and usual occupations, endeavoured as far as in their power to extend their kindness towards us. this was all they had to offer; and, while sympathizing with them, we could not but lament, that so great a portion of unmitigated suffering should have become their lot, but such is the fortune of war. while our battalion was at flushing the officers frequently visited the town of middleburgh, the capital of the island, and pleasantly situated in its centre. it is a clean and very beautiful place, surrounded by gardens and richly improved pleasure grounds, among which are interspersed many handsome buildings and cottages, laid out with a degree of taste and neatness, seldom to be found beyond the boundaries of england. with regard to the town it is perfection itself, free from every nuisance; the houses are well built, the streets wide and regularly paved. within doors, the love for ornamental work, combined with elegance, was forcibly evinced; the painting, gilding, and other embellishments, were most conspicuous, the walls being lined, either with the coloured delft tiles or, in those of a higher class, encased with damask, silk, or velvet. pier-glasses and mirrors, with costly frames, chandeliers, and pictures, enlivened their rooms, the furniture of which corresponded well with these expensive decorations. to heighten the smart appearance of their streets, the newly painted shops were shewn off to the best advantage; and, in those containing plate, or metal ware, the goods, polished and burnished up most highly, as they lay exposed for sale, were dazzling to the eye, as well as tempting to the purse of the admiring passenger. at that time, one of their annual fairs, continuing for a fortnight, was going on: this being the grand centre of attraction, the dutchmen and their frows, with the youthful damsels, were in numerous attendance, and seemed quite unconcerned, as if no calamity had happened to their principal sea-port. this circumstance furnished an additional proof of the proverbial apathy of these plodding islanders. they have here a few most extraordinary customs, among which may be ranked the mode of fitting up their sleeping establishment. on entering my chamber, at the hotel in middleburgh, escorted by the fair though rotund fille de chambre, i perceived that the counterpane and blankets were absent without leave. on demanding of my rosy guide the cause of this, and explaining that, although the night was warm, i conceived this by much too cool a manner of slumbering, she replied by pointing, with an arch and significant smile, to a mountain of feathers. then, by raising one corner of the ponderous bale, she gave me to understand that my weary limbs were to repose between two of these enormous beds; after which she departed with a heavy step, leaving me to ruminate upon the best mode of proceeding. as i did not possess any of the heat-defying qualities of the incombustible monsieur chabert, i chose the lesser of two evils, and decided upon occupying the outside place, on which i accordingly took up my station. on the th of september the corps of detachments embarked at flushing, and the fleet setting sail from the island of walcheren, with a fair wind, arrived at portsmouth on the th, where the troops were landed. our battalion marched to porchester castle, from whence, after remaining a short time, the several drafts of which it was composed proceeded to albany barracks in the isle of wight, for the purpose of reassembling at their respective dépôts. having joined my regiment at ospringe, in kent, i received leave of absence, and, passing the winter in the enjoyment of irish hospitality, returned at the expiration of four months to the regiment, which was then quartered at silver hill barracks, in sussex. here i found all my old companions pleasantly situated, and spending their time in a very social and agreeable manner, while carrying on the war in their country quarters. as the hum-drum round of daily occupation in barracks admits of no variety, it would be a waste of my reader's time and patience to enter into particulars of our peace campaigns. a little excitement and change of things was, however, soon brought about, by the unexpected arrival of our st battalion, lately employed on lord chatham's expedition; which, under the command of major charles hill, marched from hastings on the nd of june. they were stationed here until the th of august, when they got the route for lewes, from whence they departed, a second time to join the army in spain. the nd was ordered to east bourne, where they arrived on the th of november, . in the temporary sheds, erected on the sandy beach near that town, we had excellent accommodation, and having, moreover, a good commandant, we had nothing whatever to complain of. the st regiment, under lieutenant col. milling, and the flint rifles, were stationed here, and their officers being a jovial, pleasant set of fellows, our rooms presented many a display of merriment and glee, during the brief space of our companionship. chapter viii. on the nd of may, , an order came from the horse guards for a detachment to join the st battalion, then on its march from lisbon to the frontiers of portugal. the following officers were of our party:--brevet major moncrieff, captain benjamin rowe, captain william henderson, lieutenant geo. bartley, lieutenant william crofton, ensign alexander hay, assistant surgeon browne. all were in high spirits at the prospect of going to the peninsular army; and in this state of mind we embarked at portsmouth on the th of the same month, on board of h.m.s. romulus, commanded by lord balgonie. his lordship was a northern, and a fine athletic figure. he was fond of gymnastics, and joined the officers in their trips on shore, for the purpose of enjoying any exercise in that way, for which they might be inclined. being a great cricketer, he also formed a party to engage in that active sport. with a man of this description to command the ship, it may easily be imagined that our time on board was happily spent, and i may say with truth, that we all regretted the hour of separation from the romulus. we put into falmouth, on the st, owing to contrary winds, and the officers were permitted to go on shore, where our enjoyment was soon interrupted by a change of wind, which springing up favourably our little convoy once more unfurled their sails; and taking a farewell glance at the white cliffs of england, we soon found ourselves again buffetting the rough sea and restless waves of biscay. after a prosperous voyage of ten days, we entered the tagus; and on the th of june the troops disembarked at lisbon. they marched from thence on the nd of july, on their route to the main body of the allied army. at the end of a long and most fatiguing journey, we got into abrantes on the th, where we found considerable delay in obtaining quarters. after waiting in the streets for more than two hours, under a burning sun, and starving with hunger, we were supplied with billets upon houses totally destitute of furniture, which, together with the wretched state of the inhabitants, formed but an indifferent commencement to our campaign. we halted at this town during the ensuing day, and employed our time in exploring the various bearings of the place. the houses are badly built and old-fashioned, and, on the whole, abrantes seems altogether destitute of those comforts which, from its aspect at first sight, one might be led to expect. we resumed our march on the th, and, crossing the tagus by a long wooden bridge, passed on without interruption, save by that which the forests on our way presented. the road was in general sandy, and full of stones, and as the sun got up we found the heat and dust intolerable; owing to these impediments, we did not reach our destined quarters until o'clock, when we entered garvao, miles from abrantes. the french, whose progress on the north of the tagus was marked with cruelty and desolation, did not, fortunately for the people in the alentejo, extend their wanderings in that direction; this place, therefore, as well as many others, had escaped the ravages of an enemy so destructive, and been hitherto exempt from the miseries inflicted on a country that has become the seat of war. our detachment started from garvao at o'clock in the morning of the th, an early hour it must be admitted, but at this season the intensity of the heat precludes the possibility of marching at any other; we found it, besides, far more agreeable to make a moonlight journey when the air was cool and refreshing. we were in gafete on the th, where i was lodged at the domicile of louis corteja, a wealthy farmer. the family of the worthy don consisted of his wife, a plodding garrulous dame, and two lively daughters, together with a brace of female attendants. serenissima rosa, the eldest, was very pretty, but not gifted with the nimble-tongued accomplishments of her mother, on the contrary, she was rather stupid and forbidding in her manners; the other sister, maria, although scantily furnished with beauty of form or feature, was, nevertheless, pleasing and agreeable; nature thus keeping an equal balance between them. on a hard mattress, upon a still harder floor, (both of which had long been occupied by a colony of bugs,) i endured a sleepless night, and looked out impatiently for the return of day. we were woefully tormented in this manner on our route; for the french, wherever they appeared, carried millions of the noxious vermin in their train, leaving a bountiful legacy to their successors, and thus increasing tenfold the dirt and misery of their habitations. on the th we entered portalegre. our road, though passable, extended over a deserted region, planted thinly with chestnut and olive trees, with pines at intervals. portalegre is large, populous and well built: although not regularly fortified, it is capable, from the strong ground in its neighbourhood, with the aid of some works on the adjacent heights, of making much resistance, and might be rendered formidable to an enemy by some degree of skill combined with labour, and by exertions that the portuguese will never make. the approach leading through the north-west gate is extremely steep and difficult, causing to the men and baggage animals great fatigue. the remnant of an ancient wall affords no defence whatever; and the large and ruinous arched passages serve but to give some evidence of its former importance. the public buildings are numerous. the grand cathedral in the praça de st. paulo, is the most remarkable; not only for the splendour of its interior, but also for the magnificent style of architecture exhibited in the whole of the fabric. the houses are generally good, and similar to those of the other principal places through the country; but they have a cold and miserably unfurnished appearance within; they are, however, well calculated for a warm climate, having spacious and lofty rooms, with unglazed windows, at all times open, and their tiled floors being occasionally sprinkled with fresh water, an additional coolness is produced, acceptable to the parched and thirsty inmates. during our stay at portalegre i could see nothing of, and consequently could form no opinion as to the merits of, the fair damsels of the place, so closely were they all immured, so hermetically sealed up, within the dark recesses of their habitations. thanks to the watchful eyes of the argus-looking duennas, under whom they were held in durance vile, we were not gratified by even a hasty glance, and thus we were utterly deprived of a pleasure, which would have afforded some consolation for the miseries and fatigues endured in the course of our rough and wearisome service. these fair and bewitching prisoners (for such i must suppose them to be,) were by no means willing inhabitants of their dismal chambers; for as we afterwards learned, they left no scheme untried to outwit their ancient keepers, and making many an amorous survey from between their rusty gratings, would gladly have been emancipated by any of those heroes who paced beneath the windows, and by whom the various tricks and manoeuvres of the black eyed signoritas were not altogether unperceived. early on the morning of the th of july we marched from portalegre, and passing through the villages of azunar and st. alaya, arrived on the following day at the heights of torre de moro, on the sides of which the th in brigade with the st and nd lay encamped. after unloading our mules, and making other arrangements, we found ourselves comfortably lodged in huts, composed of branches from the spreading oak, which grows luxuriantly on those hills; our bed was formed of rushes from the banks of the caja, a limpid stream winding along the boundaries of the wood. the wigwam, although not furnished with a marble slab, possessed the convenience of a stone table, and a chair of the same durable material. in one corner, suspended from a twig, the haversack, well supplied with dry biscuit, was dangling, and in another the flask of rum or wine, while the paniers, or canteen, amply stored with sundry articles of provender with which to comfort the weary frame, completed the appurtenances of the humble shed, and were sufficient for the wants of the warrior ensconced therein. on the aforesaid bed, of low pretensions, covered by the camlet cloak or blanket, with the leathern portmanteau for a pillow, the tired campaigner enjoyed repose as soundly as though he were provided with all the "appliances and means to boot" to be found within a palace. having broken up from the lines of torre de moro, we proceeded to elvas and campo mayor, on the frontiers, and from thence into the fertile district of the alentejo, where, cantoned at borba and villa viçiosa, we were ordered to remain during the extreme hot weather of this season. we arrived at borba on the nd of july, and were speedily established in most excellent quarters, our men were chiefly lodged in an old franciscan convent, and the officers billetted throughout the town. my billet was on the house of a rich 'padre,' who supplied generously all my wants. borba, or villa bourba, is a considerable place, though styled by the natives but a village, and is distant from elvas five leagues, and one from villa viçiosa, where the other brigades of the nd division were quartered. it is situated in the midst of a fruitful and highly improved valley, and in the heart of a beautiful country, encompassed by hills, the summits and declivities of which were clothed with richly variegated and almost impenetrable woods, the scenery around being truly magnificent. in the immediate neighbourhood are splendid groves of orange, lemon and fig trees, besides numerous gardens, producing every description of the most tempting and luscious fruits, natural to this delightful climate. the simple yet healthful manner in which the inhabitants lived, was evident from the abundance of those gardens, stocked profusely as they were with all the necessaries of subsistence, which a people who exist chiefly on vegetable diet could require. the most extensive and charming of those gardens is that of don juan de almeida, who, being in the brazils, has left the care of it to an old steward, from whom our officers had permission to ramble throughout its pleasant walks, whenever we might feel disposed that way: often have we enjoyed ourselves during the sultry hours, while perambulating those delicious grounds, beneath the verdant festoons, hanging from branch to branch, so closely interwoven that scarcely might a single ray of noonday sun penetrate the leafy canopy. at intervals, terminating the avenues, were white marble seats and alcoves, together with bowers, composed of shrubs and evergreens, while interspersed throughout this fairy land were numerous curiously wrought fountains, the cool waters of which were received into smooth and highly polished marble reservoirs. sundry carved figures, on pedestals, representing their ancient kings, were scattered among the sylvan groves, seeming, as it were, to gaze with admiration on the beauties of nature and art by which they were surrounded. the houses of borba are well built, and adapted in every way to repel the summer heat and winter cold; their floors are neatly tiled, and the doors and framework composed of solid oak. there are usually three or four extensive apartments, opening off each other, with a kitchen backwards. by means of large folding doors, thrown open in hot weather, a constant circulation of fresh air passes through the building. in winter, the blast is excluded from their rooms by curtains appended to the doors; and, although they have no fireplaces, the deficiency is well made up, by means of the brasseiro, a large circular cauldron well filled with burning charcoal, around which the portuguese dames get in congress, discussing the affairs of the nation, while they enjoy the genial temperature diffused by the heated but rather suffocating embers. many religious buildings are to be found here; and among them the most remarkable is the nunnery of st. clara; a stupendous mass of masonry, affording, with its chapel and other appendages of monastic style, a good specimen of these saintly prisons. enclosing this grave of all that is fair and lovely, is a wall above twenty feet in height, which gives the concern a fortified appearance, and renders escape impossible. the only mode of ingress is by means of a huge pair of folding doors, which in general are kept securely fastened by locks of ponderous dimensions. from the court yard the passage leads, by a long flight of stone steps, to the visiting rooms, to which strangers and friends of the imprisoned are admitted. in the centre of the thick and solid wall of this apartment is an opening about six feet square, furnished with a substantial iron grating, separating the aforesaid room from another, in which the lady abbess with her nuns may condescend to appear. the visitors being permitted the freedom of familiar converse, a round of chattering and gossip soon commences, the gaiety of which, by no means corresponding with vows of retirement from the world, would rather imply, on the part of the novices, a desire to participate once more in its lately forsaken joys and pleasures. the capuchin convent is a venerable looking pile, standing in the midst of a thick wood, near the town. although dark and solitary with regard to aspect and situation, within its walls is collected as jolly a set of monks and friars as ever met together, who living, or rather merely existing, in a state of lazy indolence, are supported by the deluded multitude, and supplied most plentifully with an abundance of good things. on visiting this tomb of fish, flesh, and fowl, soon after my arrival here, i found that the friars had concluded their o'clock repast, and were preparing to take their usual _siesta_ in the galleries, while the mendicants and pauper monks, below, were feasting on the remnants of the banquet left by the reverend fathers. from a spacious vaulted chamber i descended, by a narrow passage of stone steps, into the kitchen or refectory, where presented to view were many indications of the luxurious and sensual manner in which those holy men mortify their living members. within a fireplace of immense capacity lay the expiring embers of the fagots used in cooking their repast, and around were numerous stoves and ovens, the walls being garnished with a multitude of culinary apparatus, and other articles for household service. in the calderio, and kettles, were still the smoking remains of mutton, beef, and vegetables, together with an endless variety of savoury food, well flavoured with oil and garlick, the perfumes from which, though not by any means agreeable to me, were snuffed up by numerous hinds and paysanos, grinning with delight, as they peeped through the door on the tempting provender, while they stood in the grand hall of the convent. these half-starved varlets, together with a horde of begging friars, with ropes tied round their bodies, (that in many of them would have been more appropriate ornaments for their necks), were called into the kitchen, by an old barefooted monk, habited in a cloak and cowl, who did the duty of head cook to the fraternity. with an air of importance, and no sparing hand, he served out to them potsfull of the compound; the poor wretches received the dole in cork vessels, and made a hearty meal, devouring it ravenously, while they squatted like so many hungry turks at the porch of the establishment. on the first of september, , we broke up from our cantonments at borba, and commenced our march for portalegre. under a burning sun, and parched with thirst and heat, we arrived at monteforte in the evening; and on the following day once more entered portalegre, where we took up our quarters near a large open space called the praça de rocio. the sufferings of the men were extreme during this route, for, loaded as they were, each with three days provisions, and sixty rounds of ball cartridge, together with a well filled knapsack, they were almost overcome; and on arriving at the termination of this journey were scarcely able to proceed to their allotted billets. many went into the hospital, and for a considerable time the regiment did not recover from the effects of that unusually long and harassing march. the officers, most of whom walked, were likewise foundered, and the sick report was for several weeks after filled with their names. ensign alexander hay, a very promising young man, who had joined at torre de moro, with the detachment last come out, was attacked by fever, in consequence of drinking incautiously of cold water while under the influence of excessive heat, and he died in a few days, sincerely regretted by his companions and brother soldiers. our stay at portalegre was unmarked by any extraordinary event. the miserable quarters in which the th was condemned to pass the winter months, were rather calculated to diminish our zeal for military life, while on the other hand, their attractions being so slight, our ardour to embark in some active business was rather encreased than otherwise. we had not, indeed, been exactly placed so as to encounter all the inclemency of the weather, but we had indisputably undergone a tolerably rough seasoning while stationed there. my quarters were at the house of donna elvira, an ancient maiden, who had counted at least fifty winters, her forbidding aspect might lead one to presume that no small portion of the murky gloom of those winters had been imparted to her visage, which frowned in a darkened scowl upon her ill-fated guest. a dilapidated hovel was the tenement of this famed sybil, and scanty indeed was the accommodation afforded within its shattered walls; like those in the suburbs of all portuguese towns, it was fraught with poverty; and, as if to harmonize more with its dingy patrona, all the appendages contained therein were of broken, filthy, and crumbling materials. i was introduced by the aforesaid hostess into a chamber of sadness, without the vestige of any thing in the shape of furniture to garnish its interior; with the exception of two broken chairs, and a rickety table, as venerable as their proprietor, tottering upon three legs, gnawed into holes by vermin, hordes of which had long maintained undisturbed possession of the premises. after throwing an old colchao upon a floor unswept for ages, the presiding genius of the place departed slowly, muttering from her toothless jaws sundry uncouth sounds, which had very much the tone of maledictions. chapter ix. orders from lord wellington having arrived, general hill was directed to proceed with his division towards merida and caceres, in hopes of being able to surprise and intercept a corps of the french army, under general girard, as well as to re-open the communication between la pena's spanish troops and those of castanos. the nd division marched accordingly, on the nd of october, from portalegre and the out quarters. the st brigade, consisting of the th, st, and nd, under major general howard, was on the alarm post at an early hour; and by daylight we were pretty far on our route in the direction previously ordered. when the clouds and mist had cleared away, the ancient castle of alegrete, placed on the summit of a barren chain of mountains was discernible. to our left extended a long range of heights, in some parts clothed with wood, and in others with verdant pasture, the brightness of which gave the prospect a lively effect. the road was broken and uneven, and, in general, so bad, that our baggage animals could scarcely make their way. towards noon the heaviest rain we had ever experienced set in, increasing as we pushed onwards against the storm, pelting most furiously, and blown into our faces through the clefts and openings of the mountain sides close to which we travelled. we were thoroughly wet to the skin, benumbed by the intense coldness of the cutting blast, and well nigh deprived of life and motion. however, supporting each other with hopes of better times, we jogged on amidst the ceaseless war of hail, wind and rain. we halted at the village of codiceira, just within the spanish frontier, where a few of us darted into one of the best looking habitations we could see. there, after taking up without ceremony a good position in the chimney corner, and before a blazing pile of fagots, we got rid of our well drenched garments; in exchange for which, cloaks and mantillas were supplied by the hands of a benevolent old dame, whose exertions to administer comfort to our exhausted frames deserve to be recorded in the annals of her country. while we are enjoying the comforts of this snug place of refuge, i will take the opportunity of saying a few words as to certain persons who seemed to think that we had no title to such a luxury. the dragoons sometimes acted towards the infantry in rather a cavalier manner, and appeared to treat them as if they were quite an inferior order of beings. whether it was because they had the honour of being a little more elevated from the ground, or that to their visage were appended the whisker and mustachio, and they talked their mother tongue in a lisping style, it would be difficult to determine. it is at all events pretty certain, that many of them, recently imported from the purlieus of st. james's, assumed a great variety of airs and graces, unbecoming in the field, however beautiful they might have seemed in bond street, and which the rough and dirty work of war and fighting failed to do away with. i can never forget the conduct of one of their noble sprigs, whose regiment happened to arrive at the town when we were halted. it was a poor place after a hard march, under bad weather and very heavy rain, but we were glad to obtain any sort of shelter in the wretched village. we had scarcely entered, when our ears were saluted with the noise of cavalry, coming down the street, and in a short space we had a sample of dragooning, such as it would be vain to look for even among the cherokees. three or four of us were seated round the wide fireplace of a spanish hearth, after taking off our well drenched jackets and accoutrements, and were enjoying the benefit of a fine blazing pile of fire, the very counterpart of that i have just described, and our servants were preparing for the culinary operations, when a loud hammering was heard at the door of the hovel, accompanied by the clanking of carbines, sabres, sabredashes, and other warlike appurtenances. at the same moment, in burst a tall, raw-boned trooper, (armed cap-a-pied, with a countenance well furnished with a most abundant crop, in which the crows might have built their nest,) followed by two others, carrying sundry hampers belonging to their masters. the intruder, who proved to be the officer commanding, gazed with awful stare upon the lodgers already in the house, and drawing himself up, as if, like sampson, he were about to raise the building on his shoulders, called, or rather growled out, in the tone of an angry mastiff, while he curled the points of his black mustachios, "these quarters are not too good for a col--o--nel of dra--goons--eh!" and suiting the action to the word, he flung his implements of war on a table close at hand, with a degree of violence that shook our frail tenement to its base. his claims to supremacy being intimated to us, we gathered up our traps, and bundled out indignantly, looking round, with no very gracious glances, at the statue in whose possession we quietly left the premises, to go in search of another billet. there was a want of courtesy and good feeling here, not in any way consistent with high bearing, and these, with many other traits of character, produced a jealousy between us, so that no very cordial intimacy could take place; nor was there much love wasted on either side. engaged in one common cause, in duty on the same field together, all those ideas of superiority should have been forgotten, and those heroes with spurs of at least half a yard in length, should have packed up all their high opinions and fine notions, and sent them to the stores in england, there to be made use of at some future period. such commodities never do for service, nor will they harmonize with camp or bivouac. they may pass current at home, where the pride of wealth, gold lace, and dress, go far to raise a man in public estimation; but lying in a wet ditch, or stretched by the side of a tree upon the ground, with a tattered cloak for covering, they are of little value. in that situation, a good blanket, and a well filled haversack, are worth all the lace, fringe, feathers, and aiguillettes in the british army. about this time i remember an officer joined our camp from england, with a canteen profusely stocked, as well as a good kit. he was moreover a well dressed young man, apparently fresh from the hands of dodd, of st. james's street, equipped in garments that seemed as if they were pasted on his body, besides a grey frock coat, lined throughout with silk, and adorned with frogs and tassels in abundance. such a set of poor unfortunate gypsies as we were must have been doubtless held in little estimation by our hero, who viewed with scorn our dingy costume, tarnished and tattered in so vile a manner that even a jew broker or an irish beggarman would have scarcely picked them up. we had however each of us a good blanket, (and some had two) that was designed a double debt to pay-- "by night a coverlet, a saddle cloth by day." johnny newcome, well scented, had a good stock of odours and essences for service in the field; and instead of beef or rum, his hampers were amply stored with otto of roses, macassar oil, and other articles of sweet perfume. he glanced with horror at our ugly trim, but when he beheld the saddle cloth, he laughed outright, and called us, "blanket merchants." it was then cold and wintry weather, the rain occasionally came down in torrents, so that when the night set in, we found our friendly coverlet a most timely aid. the green-horn, who was certainly one of his majesty's hard bargains, eyed us most wistfully askance, and, shivering in his stays and broadcloth, envied the old stagers while he tried to crouch from the rain and nipping air under any shelter he could find. one of our fellows, an admirable wag, peeped out from beneath his fleecy counterpane, and observing the plight of master superfine, who lay ensconced behind the stump of an old tree, he hallooed, and bellowed out so that the whole camp might hear him, "halloo, old boy! how do you like the blanket merchants now?" the field was in an uproar at the joke, and the unfortunate recruit having no desire for war's alarms, of which he had seen quite enough to damp his fiery spirit, took himself away soon after, and the blanketeers never had the pleasure of seeing his pretty face again. having despatched these gentlemen, we will now pursue our march, in search of general girard. early in the morning, on the rd of october, the troops were assembled, and about day-light, it being clear and fine, we were on the road to albuquerque. at a considerable distance, the celebrated castle appeared towering above the hills that constitute a branch of those which extend from the sierra de arronches, in portugal, into the heart of spanish estrimadura. having gained the heights, we entered the town at its base by a narrow causeway, paved with large stones. albuquerque, which gave the title of duke to a patriot general, is a populous, and good sized place, enclosed by lofty turreted walls. similar to others throughout the country, the houses are flat-roofed, and the streets narrow, close and dirty. marching again on the th we passed through the thick woods bounding the sierra, our route lying over a wide and level plain. it was late in the afternoon when we halted in a valley of broom, interspersed with cork and chestnut trees, beneath the spreading branches of which we took shelter for the night, and, wrapped up in warm cloaks and blankets, around huge bundles of burning cork, solaced our weary limbs after the labours of the day. the only habitation that we saw upon the desolate road, was a sort of posada, a large tenement, standing on the brow of a steep hill, called la caza de la castilana. we continued during the whole of the following day, on the same line and at a late hour halted on the top of a high and bleak promontory, exposed to the rain, and all the miseries of a dismal bivouac; but so completely were we jaded, that we enjoyed good sleep without the aid of rocking; our chamber was sheltered from the northern blast by large bushes of thick broom. travelling for the remainder of the night, we arrived on the morning of the th at malpartida, a small straggling village, in the midst of barren grounds, with a most abundant crop of stones. the inhabitants appeared to be decent and well clad; the women were good-looking, with ruddy cheeks, and the full glow of health. a number of buxom wenches, with stout rotundity of limbs, were seated at the door of their humble mansions on our approach; most of whom were employed in knitting, and seemed, by the eager glance of their keen black eyes, to enjoy the novel dress and martial bearing of our soldiers. these fair ones were clothed in many colours, their bodies in jackets of brown cloth, and petticoats to match, of sparing length, thereby exposing to the rude and vulgar gaze of man their well formed pedestals. those were encased in blue stockings with red clocks, and, to complete this part of their attire, well polished shoes with brass clasps were appendages of which they were not a little vain. the mantilla of blue or yellow, gracefully thrown across the shoulders, and a profusion of rich dark hair, neatly tied with various ribbons, imparted to the figure an air of peculiar liveliness and interest. we started from malpartida betimes on the th. the rain again poured down on us with violence, and throughout the day there was but little intermission. we rested in a field, near the village of san antonio, under a most inclement and desperate night, without the means of cover, or any refuge from the weather. fires were not permitted, lest the enemy should discover our movements, and, as it was intended to come upon them unawares, we travelled without the slightest noise, the most rigid silence being preserved in all our movements. before daylight we were drawn up in the neighbourhood of arroyo del molino. this place lies on the borders of a wide forest, extending along the base of the sierra de montanches, and was scarcely visible above the trees, the church-spire alone pointing out its retired and lonely situation, beneath the adjacent hills. as the mist, by which the distant sierra was mantled, gradually withdrew, we discovered that the french troops were, at that hour, quietly enough lodged in the town. little dreaming of the near vicinity of such unwelcome visitors, they were in the full enjoyment of their slumbers; and, as they had made no arrangement to guard against surprise, our unlooked for arrival threw them into the utmost consternation. the st brigade halted on some rising ground, on the road leading to the village, into which the st light infantry was promptly despatched to pay their respects, as well as to assist monsieur in the adjustment of his toilet. advancing cautiously in double quick time towards the streets, without noise or sound of bugle, the light bobs soon gained possession of all the principal outlets, and although the alarm given by the enemy's pickets flew like lightning throughout the cantonments, their cavalry alone, (many of whom were pulling up their saddle girths), succeeded in making a good retreat before our men appeared. their infantry, however, after starting from their beds, out of which they had with so little ceremony been roused, hastened with all speed towards the wood, and having extended themselves along its boundaries, a close and well directed fire was immediately opened on both sides; but the st in a little time pressing in rapidly, followed by the th and nd, the frenchmen gave way in all directions. retiring across the plain, into the depth of the forest, they flung away knapsacks, accoutrements, and other trappings, by which they were encumbered, making, as they vanished among the trees, such very good use of their legs, that we found it no easy matter to keep them within hail, or within the range of those missiles that were despatched to bring them to. while those performances were going forward, the rd brigade, together with some cavalry, made a rapid flank movement on the merida road. in consequence of this, the fugitives became hemmed in, between our troops and the mountain ridge, on the left. making a last and desperate effort, they tried to scramble up the rugged face of the precipice, but failing in their exertions, the principal number of their veterans fell into our hands, their leader girard, with a few of his ill-fated companions alone escaping across the steep and nearly impassable heights. among the officers of rank who became prisoners was the prince d'aremberg. the whole of their guns, baggage, and commissariat, were left on the field. a more complete coup-de-main was not made during the war; it was executed in a manner honourable alike to the military skill and the courage of our justly respected chief of division, general hill, by whose talent and steady perseverance the brilliant achievement was planned, and carried to a successful termination, in spite of the obstacles opposed by a long march in the most inclement weather. the object of the expedition was attained in the fullest manner, and the consequences were most important to the prosperity of the succeeding campaign. the firing on all sides having ceased, and the prisoners being collected under sufficient escort, preparatory to their final exit from the coast, our brigade proceeded in open column along the plain, on emerging from which we entered the high road to merida, on the guadiana, passing on to the right of the lofty sierra. in the woods about five leagues further we encamped, and on the following day, the th of october, we marched into the old town of merida, when on the th we halted. this ancient town had been completely plundered, and thrown into a state of ruin and desolation, by the frequent visits of the invaders. the celebrated buildings, which for ages had stood secure from the ravages of any other hand than that of time, were now either partially dismantled, burned, or destroyed. the remains of a roman amphitheatre, and those of the triumphal arch, built by the emperor trajan, are still, however, in good preservation, and together with the numerous vestiges of ancient structure are well deserving the attention of the antiquary. the convents, nunneries, and other religious edifices, were converted into barracks and stables for the french army, and therefore exhibited nothing but naked walls, blackened and scorched by the fires made therein. the only place of worship that escaped the general wreck was the grand cathedral in the plaza, which being a large unsightly pile, built without taste or uniformity, is not particularly ornamental to the town. beyond the outskirts, are the ruins of an aqueduct, which bears upon its venerable front evidence sufficient of past respectability, and, though many centuries have rolled away since it was erected, several of its arches are still in a perfect state. on the road to truxillo a new aqueduct has been built, which is not so light or well finished as the old one. the bridge across the guadiana is remarkable for its great length and solidity; it has seventy-four arches, a great number of which are over a low marsh, on the banks of the river, dry in the summer months. the extent between each extremity is about eight-hundred yards. there are watch towers and seats along the battlements, and the whole structure, composed of a greyish stone, is well cemented, and seems formed to stand for as many more ages as it has already stood. passing through montijo and talavera de la real, we arrived on the st of november at campo mayor, in portugal, where we found good quarters and civil inhabitants. the town is fortified, and is distant three leagues from elvas, and three from badajos. campo mayor was attacked and taken about a year before by the french, who afterwards gave it up as a situation unworthy of the garrison necessary to defend it. the houses are generally solid and well built, most of them had, however, been plundered and stripped of their interior workmanship and furniture, by their late visitors.--the streets are narrow, dirty, and ill-paved, but there are a number of respectable and well supplied shops. the market is good, and was well stocked with the abundant produce of the fertile country by which it is surrounded. campo mayor was at one time one of the richest and most considerable towns in the alentejo; but since the period at which this part of portugal became the immediate seat of war, and the french and british troops alternately came into possession of the place, it has suffered greatly; a number of its principal houses and public buildings having been burned, and its castle, citadel, and works, much injured by both armies. there is a curious charnel house in the main street, the walls of which are composed entirely of human skulls, laid and cemented together in regular layers. the establishment has a most horrid appearance, as beheld through the bars of a small grating, and is rendered still more dismal by the pale glimmering light thrown around by a lamp suspended from the arched roof of the death-like sepulchre. the inhabitants of campo mayor evinced much joy on our arrival; our late successes encouraged them to receive us with the warmest welcome, which they testified by every possible demonstration of merriment and festivity. chapter x. we remained at campo mayor until the th of november, and from thence marched to portalegre and albuquerque, at which latter town we took up our quarters on the th of march, . the intervening period, spent at our old station in portalegre, affording no event worthy of record, i pass on to describe some matters relative to our new cantonments, particularly as those from which we had so lately departed, and where we had remained for many a dreary month, have already been noticed quite as well as they deserve. the house in which i had the honour of being entertained with "_good dry lodging_," was built after the same plan as those usually tenanted by the lower orders, throughout this part of spain; its interior premises consisting of a large paved space at the entrance, from which the ascent to a black-looking chamber, doing the duty of a kitchen, was by means of an irregular flight of stone steps. the dingy apartment, scantily furnished, was enlightened, or rather the darkness of it made visible, by a small casement without glass; and the premises were so badly roofed that numerous chinks through the loose and broken tiles served to render unnecessary the use of a chimney, the smoke easily finding egress through them. fortunately the climate here is generally mild, and hence the admission of fresh air is often desirable. the ground floor, besides the hall or space already mentioned, exhibited on one side a small room, containing the sleeping apparatus, and on the other an opening, by a huge door, into the dormitory of the quadrupeds, adjacent to which were sundry holes and corners, for wood, forage, and lumber at discretion. from albuquerque we again departed, and after various marchings and countermarchings, we were at last conducted to dom benito, where we arrived on the nd of march, having previously halted for a few days at almendralejo. dom benito is a large town, with a population of about five-thousand souls, and is situated in the heart of a most productive country. i was billetted on the house of don diego ramirez, whose family consisted of four fat good looking damsels, two children, and his spouse, a garrulous matron, who was very officious on this occasion. i was ushered into a handsome and well furnished chamber, where i was immediately introduced to my worthy patron, a fine jolly old don; we seated ourselves round an ample brasseiro, well stored with charcoal, and were soon engaged in noisy prattle and gossip, with a fluency worthy of the most experienced adepts in the science. according to custom, sundry good-humoured wenches attended at the sideboard, pouring out the limped fluid to those who were inclined to qualify for the temperance society. supper being introduced, don diego presided in the style of a true major domo. the feast consisted of a large dish of sallad and oil, with other ingredients; sweet meats in abundance supplied the place of more nutritious food; while, by way of interlude, sausages and garlick appeared, by which our olfactory nerves were agreeably regaled. these were followed by other varieties in the kickshaw line, and, in order to promote the hilarity of our carousals, wine of generous quality was freely served. the young senoras, too, were by no means shy of helping themselves to bumpers of that enlivening beverage, filled out in glasses of dimensions similar to our english tumblers. one of the damsels, named margaritta, entertained the company with a few pleasant songs on the guitar, accompanied by the voice of her sister francisca, while dolores, a pretty little girl with black eyes, danced a bolero, twirling the castanets in a most bewitching style, to the delight and admiration of the joyous circle. the spaniards seem, at all times, to have a soul for music, and chiefly do they love the plaintive strain, as sung by the peasant girls in their enchanting manner. they are extremely fond of the scotch bagpipe, and when the highland corps appeared among them, all ranks and ages run to their doors and windows to listen with rapture to their piper sandy, while he played along the streets. before the siege of badajos commenced, the nd division was ordered to march in the direction of that garrison, for the purpose of forming a part of the corps of observation, destined to counteract any interruption to our plans, which might be threatened by the duke of dalmatia, who at this time lay with his army in the neighbourhood of seville, in andalusia. the divisions of generals hill and graham were accordingly encamped in the woods before talavera de la real, three leagues from badajos, and on the left bank of the guadiana. the fate of badajos being decided, that fortress having been taken by storm, on the night of the th of april , the nd division remained in bivouac for some days, during which time, accompanied by a brother officer, i obtained permission to visit the scene of action. passing through talavera de la real, we travelled all day, by the level road along the plain, and near the margin of the river. it was late before we arrived near the outworks. the evening was remarkably fine after the preceding close and sultry day; as the air was calm and serene, the most awful stillness prevailed around, undisturbed save by the occasional croaking of frogs, and a murmuring sound from the battlements, on which the footsteps of the sentinel could almost be heard. in the neighbourhood of the castle, likewise, all was still. the walls, so lately filled with combatants, frowned in dusky masses amidst the gloom. the darkness at length became so great, that it was not without some trouble that we managed to grope our way; we could make but a slow progress among the ruinous _materiel_ of the siege, in consequence of our getting entangled in the dismantled batteries, ditches, trenches, gun-carriages, and many other things scattered about wherever we ventured to proceed. the solitude of the desert now reigned in a place where many a gallant fellow had so recently fallen. while we were pressing onward, we perceived a glimmering from the entrance of a tent, and finding that lieutenant reid, of the engineers, was the inhabitant, we asked permission to rest under his canvass until daylight; a request which he freely granted. we pursued our course next morning through the different approaches, and with difficulty gained the drawbridge, from whence, after having taken a hasty survey of the works, as well as the ground by which the columns of assault had made their first advance, we continued over the glacis and covered way towards the main breach. here there was sufficient to account for the dreadful slaughter that took place; for so precipitous was the ascent that, in the open day, without the slightest hinderance, the task of clambering up its front was by no means easy of performance. the work of storming this formidable breach was gallantly attempted by the th and light divisions, which marched boldly up the steep, but, owing to the numerous destructive means employed against them by the enemy, few were allowed to attain the summit of the dangerous pass. a fire, close, and exterminating, was opened upon the troops, and various other deadly missiles were showered incessantly upon the solid advancing mass, which was rendered distinctly visible by the glare of fire-balls and rockets. bodies of the slain lay heaped about the ditch, sad and direful proofs of the fearful struggle on that well-remembered night. having succeeded, by means of scrambling, though not without a fall or two, in arriving at the top, our further movement was impeded by several defenses, the principal of which was a wicked looking chevaux de frise, manufactured in a skilful way, being a stout cylindrical block of timber, bristled with sharp pointed sword blades. its extremities were mortised into the stonework of the parapet, by thick iron staples. this infernal machine was flanked by various cuts or hollows, scooped out of the revêtement, on either side, from whence well directed volleys of musketry were discharged, enfilading the whole range of approach, and proving most fatal to our men. still further, in support of them, were deep and impassable entrenchments, covered by loop holed walls, lined during the assault with valiant soldiers under the command of phillippon himself. when british valour failed against such obstacles it will easily be believed that they must have been formidable indeed. according to the statements made by those who witnessed the events that occurred on the surrender of the fortress, "the pillage and destruction that ensued, together with the riot and marauding, were such as to entail indelible disgrace upon the men who were concerned. a superficial outline is the most that could be given of the confusion that prevailed throughout the place. on all sides drunkenness and tumult appeared amidst the badly lighted streets, while soldiers, and followers of the camp, together with hordes of reckless villains, revelling in plunder, were mingled in parties, shouting and hallooing with clamourous tongues. such of the ill-fated and miserable inhabitants, who had escaped the perils of the siege, were running to and fro, seeking for protection from the brutal attacks of an infuriated and savage multitude. women and children were huddled together in groups, wildly staring, as they crouched into holes and corners, and cried loudly in despair for that assistance which it was impossible to render."[ ] [ ] from an eye witness. by many winding passages we made our way to the castle, the lofty walls of which were so bravely stormed by the heroic major ridge of the th and his handful of resolute followers. nothing short of a miracle appears to have caused the success of these men; for the rampart, which they were forced to scale by means of ladders much too short, was not only of tremendous height, but guarded at every point and embrasure by the most experienced veterans of the french army. the enterprise was indeed one of the most daring that ever was undertaken, and the execution of it evinced, in a remarkable manner, the coolness and bravery of those who were engaged.[ ] [ ] ensign canch, of the th grenadiers, was the officer called on by ridge to support him. canch nobly answered the summons, and survived, but his gallant major was slain. before we departed from the place, we called to see a brother officer, lieut. mccarthy, who, while serving as engineer, was severely wounded in the assault.[ ] having enlivened the poor fellow by our visit, we bade farewell to badajos, and with feelings excited in no small degree by the effect of all that we had witnessed, we set forth from the gates of that fortress in rather a sorrowful tone of mind. in this wood we retraced our path along the banks of the guadiana, and found the regiment encamped in the woods where we had left them posted. [ ] mccarthy's conduct on this occasion is recorded in the life of the late sir thomas picton, who commanded the rd division. "arrived in the ditch, the leading engineer, lieut. mccarthy, th regt. who had volunteered his services, found that the ladders had been laid upon the paling of the ditch. this brave officer finding that these palings had not yet been removed, and that they formed a considerable barrier to the advance of the men, cried out--'down with the palings!' and immediately applying his own hands to effect this, with the assistance of a few others, he succeeded in forcing them down. through this gap rushed picton, followed by his men, but so thick was the fire upon this point, that death seemed inevitable."--life of picton, vol. ii., p. . mccarthy's injury was a compound fracture of the thigh. chapter xi. the troops broke up from the neighbourhood of the guadiana about the th of april, and, after remaining at almendralejo and other places, without the occurrence of any thing strange or interesting, the st brigade of the nd division arrived at truxillo, in spain, on the th of may. orders having been given for the brigade to march, and possess itself of the forts and pass of almaraz, on the tagus, we moved off, on the th, to accomplish the object of the expedition. our route was long and wearisome, extending throughout the following night. by daybreak, on the morning of the th, we found ourselves on the declivity of a range of steep and craggy mountains, the broken and precipitous sides of which we had been ascending for some hours before, by a narrow pathway among the rocks, all trace of its windings being almost lost amidst the wilderness of heath and broom. the night was bleak and chilling, while we were thus endeavouring to explore the passage, that lay in the direction of the river, upon the banks of which the forts were situated. in consequence of the main road being commanded by the castle of miravete, our further progress in that line was arrested, and we proceeded, by a similar path to that which we had already travelled, into a still more wild and desolate region. with much toil and labour, we pursued our dark and lonesome way, in some parts hardly better than a sheepwalk, which did not seem to have ever been trodden by human footsteps. the sierra upon which we had the felicity of being perched had somewhat of an alpine character--huge grey rocks and broken and desert hills forming throughout a dreary and inhospitable prospect. the silence of the barren waste was interrupted only by the footsteps of our troops, and the moaning sound of the wind, mingled with the screaming of sundry birds of prey, which seemed to reproach their intruders for breaking in upon their haunts, where for ages their race had lived secure from the ruthless violence of man. on this mountain ridge we remained during the th, getting all in readiness for the delicate piece of work which was cut out for us. pickets and guards were thrown out upon the most commanding points, secured by whose vigilance we made all the requisite arrangements for the intended assault. we moved off the alarm-post about nightfall on the th, and continued our way across the mountain ridge in a direction unmarked by any distinguishable track. it was at first intended to surprise the forts before daylight. the difficult nature of the road rendered it, however, impossible to effect this object, and we had, in consequence, no alternative but to march boldly on. having gained the open country, we were halted under cover of some rising ground, sloping downwards to the fort. here we waited for the rear of the column to move up, as well as for the signal to advance; and having had some breathing time, we were soon in readiness for the word. the morning was clear and pleasant, and it continued fine throughout the day. the th regiment, commanded by colonel charles stewart, flanked by five companies of the st, was ordered to storm fort napoleon; while the nd, with the remainder of the st, were to force the tete du pont, and the works on the opposite banks of the river. the anxious moment at length arrived, when lord hill riding up to the th, with a coolness worthy of that distinguished man, gave orders for the assault. the word to advance was instantly hailed by the troops, while at the same time they made a rapid and steady movement to the front, and pressed onward towards the summit of the hill. the moment our caps appeared we were saluted with a volley of round shot, canister and small arms; by way of sample, or as an earnest of the reception we might expect. nothing daunted, however, by this very rough treatment, our little columns still rushed on, though under such a galling shower, and the whole of the _glacis_ was speedily covered by our men. the assault was directed on three faces of the battery; the right wing of the th being led on by colonel stewart, and the left by major harrison, the remaining column was commanded by major cother, of the st. the moment was critical in the extreme, for at least thirteen pieces of cannon were playing away on us, while driving along in double quick time, the grape shot rattling among our bayonets, dealt out death and destruction through our already diminished ranks, the soldiers falling in numbers right and left. "onward! forward to the ditch!" was now called out, as the storming party rapidly advanced, and with desperate resolution all hurried, under an incessant raking fire, to the foot of the ramparts. having attained the ground work of the ditch, and established a firm lodgment therein, it soon became pretty clear, that, however strong our fire-eating habits might be, we should find this spot by far too warm a berth for any very protracted residence, and we therefore commenced the most prompt and vigorous measures to escalade the walls; but, the ladders being unfortunately rather short, our efforts were for some time fruitless. by this mischance considerable havoc was occasioned; for while we were endeavouring to raise the ladders, the french grenadiers, whose great bearskin caps and whiskered faces ornamented the breastwork overhead, hurled down upon us with ruthless vengeance an infinite variety of missiles. anxious to dislodge such ugly customers, they were in no wise particular as to what they made use of for the purpose; rolling down fragments of rock, stones of huge dimensions, round shot, glass bottles, and many other articles in the small way, so that had our pates been composed of adamantine stuff they could scarcely have resisted an _avalanche_ so direful. in this situation, numbers of the men were killed or wounded, and when some of the most daring attempted to climb, they were either dispatched or tumbled over before they reached the summit. the highest angle of the wall, on the northeast side, was furiously attacked by the th battalion company, whose leader, captain robert chandler,[ ] with a noble spirit, was first to ascend at this point. waving his sword as he stood on the topmost rail of the ladder, he called on his men to push forward closely; and he then jumped on the ledge of the parapet; but while cheering on his gallant followers he was blown to atoms, his shattered remains lying extended on the slope of the rampart when the troops got in. [ ] chandler was a brave soldier, and a very active officer, and had served for some years as adjutant in the st regiment. it was by merit alone that he obtained his company in the th. he fell justly lamented by all his companions in arms. through the humane interference of lord hill, a liberal pension was granted to his destitute widow and two children. whilst the left wing was thus contending against superior numbers, and knocking their heads literally upon stone walls, the grenadiers made forcible entrance on the right of the fort; carrying all before them. the frenchmen were soon panic-struck, and by a general and simultaneous rush made for the opposite sally port; while the troops on the other flank, taking part in the performance, were completely routed and fled across the drawbridge, to the tune of _sauve qui peut_. prisoners to the amount of two hundred fell into our hands, and these fierce veterans, who had grinned so horribly upon us with their black and whiskered jaws, while they entertained us in the ditch, were now downcast and woebegone, on finding this unlooked-for termination to the drama. clarimont, their gallant chief, the governor of the fort, refused to surrender to our men, and being resolved to sell his life as dearly as he could, he placed his back against the round tower in the centre of the work, where with his sabre, he chopped away right and left, cutting down any rash desperado who ventured to approach his weapon. at length sergeant checker, of the th lt. company, a fine soldier, exasperated by the stubborn obstinacy of the frenchman, put an end to his existence with his halbert; giving to the valiant governor the fate which, in his despair, he so resolutely courted. the brave clairmont was buried at merida, with military honours, his remains being attended by the whole garrison, and the officers in command there.[ ] [ ] checker afterwards regretted that his hand should have given the fatal blow to so gallant an enemy. in consequence of his singular merits he became sergeant major of the regiment, and fell a victim to the yellow fever, in jamaica. many instances of signal bravery were displayed by our troops in storming fort napoleon. no one was more conspicuous on this occasion than sergeant major lewis, of the th, who was so desperately wounded that he died in a few hours after the fort was taken. the tete du pont, in like manner, fell before the bayonets of the st and nd. the gordon highlanders, being rather fond of introducing the cold steel upon all occasions, made free to give their opponents a specimen of their abilities in that line, and so completely did they settle the business, that we were scarcely lodged in fort napoleon, when they were at the water side in full possession of their defences. those of the enemy who had succeeded in escaping from us and crossing, let go the ropes on the opposite bank, leaving some of the boats to float at discretion down the stream, thus cutting off their fugitives, many of whom having crowded on the bridge found their career suddenly arrested, and fell into the rapid torrent, or into the clutches of the northerns which was quite as bad. the pontoons being quickly put to rights, the passage of the tagus was soon accomplished, and the scotchmen dashing forward fort ragusa was seized without ceremony; the luckless garrison, together with the stragglers from fort napoleon, literally taking french leave, fled manfully and with astonishing speed on the high road to almaraz.[ ] [ ] the commandant of fort ragusa was shot at talavera de la reyna. the works were all immediately dismantled, and a train of gunpowder was laid to blow up the fort, in doing which some mismanagement arose from a cause unknown, which was productive of a fatal accident. after the fuse had been lighted, lieut. thril, of the german artillery, rashly entered to examine the train, when the whole concern blew up with a most tremendous explosion, scattering the body of the unfortunate thiele in fragments to the four winds. the forlorn hope was at first led on by lieut. w. john hemsworth of the th; but that officer being severely wounded in the head on the glacis, the command was given to lieut. patrick plunket, of the grenadiers, who escaped unhurt, and is now captain in the th regiment. the whole storming party may be said to have been a forlorn hope, for all were equally exposed to danger, all entering nearly at the same time. from the nature of the perilous enterprise our loss in officers and men was necessarily great. among those who were badly wounded was captain robt. fitzgerald sandys who, after suffering for a considerable period, sunk at last a victim to its effects--sandys was an irishman, and very deservedly esteemed; he had served in the light company during all the past campaigns, and i know of no man who was more sincerely regretted on any account. while advancing in command of his skirmishers to cover the approach of the assailants, captain lewis grant of the st was killed; he was an active intelligent young officer, and was spoken of very highly by his own regiment. an affecting interview took place after the surrender of the fort, between two brothers, laurence and patrick egan, who were so strongly attached that they were never content on separate duties--the eldest, laurence, or larry as his comrades called him, being a batman, was consequently ordered to remain in charge of the baggage of his company, on the march of the regiment. prompted by a noble feeling, as well as an ardent desire to be near his brother, this spirited young soldier begged so earnestly for leave to join and meet the enemy with his own companions, that he was at length permitted to do so. the brothers behaved gallantly on the occasion, and maintained the character of irishmen. patrick was mortally wounded during the escalade, being one of the first to mount the ladder. lying on the rampart in a most painful state, he lingered out for some hours. poor larry, in the joy of his heart on our success, ran to find out his brother, whom he soon discovered extended in the agonies of death! a more touching or affecting scene could not be witnessed, and, though it was in humble life, it was moving to the hearts of all around. many who had long been callous to the horrors of a battle-field, and familiarized to the work of slaughter, could have wept over the deep sorrows of those truly brave and affectionate brothers. the mournful larry never regained his spirits, and fell in one of the subsequent engagements. they were both excellent soldiers, having a good claim to this feeble record of their worth. thus, within a short space of forty minutes from the first onset, after a sharp contest, in which the th regiment alone had a hundred and fifty officers and men put _hors de combat_, was this brilliant affair brought to a triumphant close. of the wounded but few recovered, so severe were the injuries which they sustained. the british might justly be proud of the exploit, as it is confessed, even by french historians, that "the forts were susceptible of a long defence."[ ] [ ] total british loss in the affair; _killed_-- captain, lieutenant, sergeant and rank and file. _wounded_-- captains, lieutenants, ensigns, sergeants, drummer and rank and file. on the examination of the stores after the capture, we were highly pleased to find that the french had left us a valuable legacy.--their magazines were well stocked, not only with powder and ball, but with an ample supply of provender, sufficient to rejoice the hearts of any half-starved warriors; the quality, moreover, of these materials being such as to gratify the palate of the most fastidious gourmand. to a set of fellows in our sorry plight this was no very unpleasing windfall, and fighting being allowed at all times to be very hungry work, we proceeded, with appetites sharpened like our swords, on the work of demolition; the lean and starving bullocks allotted for our use being at the same time happy at the prospect of a respite from the sentence of being cut up for rations by the remorseless knife. assembled on the esplanade, so lately the arena of our exploits, fragments of the dainty fare were dispensed with liberal hand, under the inspection of the quarter-master; and with a relish, that might have put a town councillor to the blush, we dispatched the _vivres_ with as little ceremony as we had shown to the original proprietors of the same; nor were we by any means over nice, as to the mode in which our pic-nic repast was served or garnished. collected together in knots and parties, with the green sward for our table-cloth, forgetful of the past, and careless about the future, we feasted most sumptuously, drinking to our foes in their own generous wine, and wishing that, in future campaigns, our adventures might be terminated in an equally agreeable and fortunate manner. chapter xii. we marched on the morning of the th of may, , and on the st entered our old quarters at truxillo. the journey was fatiguing, but, as we returned by the main road, our sufferings were not by any means so great as they were on the former occasion. truxillo is large and populous, and appears from the remains of its ancient buildings, castles, churches, and walls, to have once been a place of considerable note, and one of the principal towns in this part of spain. from the hill, on which it stands, there is a commanding view, even to the mountains of miravete. the square is spacious and uniform, the houses built in the moorish style, their upper compartments projecting, so as to form a range of handsome piazzas underneath, where all the most respectable shops are situated. the windows above, opening to the plaza, are furnished with handsomely ornamented verandas and balconies, in front of which are appended solid iron bars. the fair senoras occasionally display their charms at those windows, during the cooler hours, decked out in holyday robes and gaiest attire, imparting a brilliancy of effect to their balconies which it would be impossible for the most costly works of art to rival. on the south side of the square, the attention of the stranger is attracted to the splendid fabric, erected by the celebrated pizarro, to commemorate the successes of his victorious arms in the western hemisphere. it is large and solid, and of such ample dimensions that a regiment of french soldiers found space to lodge therein. on the surface of the flat roof are several marble figures, designed, it is said, to represent the peruvian princes and warriors who submitted to the spanish chief, in his wars against their nation. they remain, however, monumental of the barbarous cruelties exercised towards a harmless people, by a merciless tyrant, who is to this day undeservedly held up to admiration in his native country. the principal amusements of this place are the bull-fights. soon after our arrival there was one of those performances took place in the plaza de torres, to celebrate our late exploits. it was a miserable attempt to represent those exhibitions as they were in former days. two or three unfortunate bulls were driven, or rather tormented, into a circle formed in the square; they were then goaded by a multitude of men and boys, until the animals became almost frantic; their tormentors, throwing up hats, caps, cloaks, and sticks, while hooting and yelling forth the most abominable noises. although this afforded _us_ but little sport, it was a means of collecting a large assemblage of spectators, from all parts of the town and country, and the houses around the square were filled; the doors and balconies, as well as the roofs, being crowded with the delighted amateurs. numerous fair damsels were among them, dressed out in gaudy colours, attended by their duennas, to witness the barbarous entertainment. amidst the cries, yells, and shouting of the peasants in the ring, one of the bulls, infuriated and lashed into rage, not only by his persecutors in human form, but also by some ferocious mastiffs, would occasionally make a desperate rush in upon the mob of ruffians, and violently running down a fellow more daring than the others, would toss him up with his horns several yards in the air, to the inexpressible delight and admiration of the surrounding audience, who expressed their savage joy in loud and deafening acclamations; clapping their hands, and waving handkerchiefs and fans, by way of approbation of the inhuman spectacle. at intervals, the peasants paired off in the fandango, or bolero, with some fair sweetheart, putting themselves through the most ridiculous antics, while accompanied by the music of an old cracked guitar, or broken-winded clarionet, performed on by some wretched artist. truxillo must have been in the days of yore a formidable place; rendered so, not only by its elevated site, but also by the nature of its defences, and a high wall, which in ancient times completely encompassed it, of which the gates alone remain. the country immediately around it is open, presenting but little appearance of any sort of verdure, but in the direction of almaraz, there are thick and extensive forests, of oak and other trees. on the th of june we marched to fuentes del maestro, where i got into capital quarters, at the house of don diego dias, which, though it had been occupied by french dragoons, the don made tolerably habitable, furnishing a good bed, in an old barrack of a room. it had formerly been the residence of a nobleman, but the constant thoroughfare of the french had long since caused its owner to quit the country, leaving at the mercy of the plundering crew his property and his dwelling. the wreck and havoc which were made upon his furniture, and the interior of the mansion, fully justified the fears of its original possessor. on the st of september, we again resumed our journey towards the interior; and, marching some hours before daylight, we arrived when it became clear, at la hava. our road, for the most part, lay over a country thinly planted with olive trees, but producing numerous fruitful vines. on approaching la hava, the distant spires of don benito became discernible, and, on passing two leagues further, appeared the mountain of marcella, upon the highest part of which stands the castle and village of marcella. the former is an old fortified ruin, having a round tower in the centre, and the latter a poor miserable place, consisting of a few wretched hovels crowded together. like all the small towns, in this part of spain, we found la hava a collection of insignificant habitations, thrown into a group, without order or regularity, as if the place had suddenly dropped from the clouds; the chapel, as usual, in the centre, being the most prominent object in this confused assemblage of nondescript dwellings. we entered don benito on the th of september, and, as we had been formerly quartered there, the inhabitants were kind and hospitable. in this instance, as well as in every other, when we had occasion to make the observation, the spaniards proved themselves a generous and friendly people, evincing in every possible way, and by every mark of good-will, the pleasure they experienced not only in seeing strangers but on the return of those whom they had known before, and who had at other times enjoyed their hospitality. i was quartered at the house of don pedro montenegro, a fat portly gentleman, who, with his family, exerted themselves to make my residence within their walls as agreeable as i could desire. during our stay the ceremony of a spanish wedding was performed in my quarters, which, though not affording much that was calculated to enliven the company assembled, was characteristic of the people, and their motives for entering into the holy state. alonzo, the happy bridegroom, was a rosy cheeked comely boy of sixteen. his friends proposed him as a suitable match for senora maria teresa, the daughter of my landlord, for the purpose of preventing his being liable to be called off to serve in the armies--married men being then exempt from the contributions required to fill up the ranks, all the youthful fellows in the neighbourhood espoused themselves in order to avoid the junta's levies; so that many contracted an union at a very early age, or when mere children, for fear of the war.--our hero did not appear to be much interested about the matter; young and simple, as he was, the passion of love was quite a stranger to his breast. his intended maricita, a fine girl of eighteen, was however of no such temperament, for having arrived at years of discretion she was better educated in all those sort of things, and consequently made herself as engaging as possible in the eyes of her juvenile bridegroom.--they were seldom together before their marriage; courtship seemed to be laid aside as a superfluous piece of business, and the whole affair of matrimony, being previously settled by the wiseacres of their families, the poor devoted victims had nothing to do but just get on as they were commanded. the friends and acquaintances, consisting of a bevy of old and young of both sexes, together with a moderate share of clerigos, being assembled, alonzo made his _entrée_ clothed in a _capote_, of materials warm enough to raise a flame within his frigid breast, if there was even an expiring ember there. his hair was tied up with ribbons, and a sash completed his attire. the fair bride, attended by her sister catalina, soon came after, dressed in sable robes, that being the costume worn at all times on these occasions. the reverend priest followed, and without delay began to make his preparations for riveting the chain, by reading out of a huge black book, by the light of a long wax taper. having muttered for some minutes, in a hollow tone scarcely audible, he joined their hands, then poured forth his last benediction, and so this important ceremony was concluded. after the venerable father had bestowed his blessing on the guests around, all immediately resumed their places, on low forms and chairs on either side of the room. the patrona, together with her assistant deities, retired to an adjoining alcoba, where they commenced serving out refreshments, of all varieties, upon large plates: these were handed about by a couple of jolly, good-looking padres, who, as they offered them to the lovely senoritas, showed no small degree of gallantry, passing off compliments and soft words, highly acceptable to their willing ears. poor alonzo, meanwhile, sat like patience, and, though not smiling at grief, yet he looked very much as if he would rather be at home with his mother, than be brought to cut such a figure in the mummery. the bride, every now and then, modestly hid her face and blushes from the vulgar gaze, under a long black veil of the finest lace. chocolate and cakes were handed round, and the damsels pocketed the fragments, which they purloined without any remorse of conscience. about nine o'clock the company began to separate, and this most stupid of all stupid weddings was finished by a general salutation on all sides, and by alonzo, amidst the smiles and winks of the envious spinsters, going off quietly to his father's, while his cara sposa remained at home in single blessedness, to dream of happiness yet to come. while we remained at don benito, the natives vied with each other in their efforts to afford as much enjoyment as possible to their guests. balls and other festivities were among the many sources by which they endeavoured to amuse us. the assemblies were usually held in the spacious apartment of a large building, the residence of a marquis, and situated in the grand square. the fair and lively daughters of my host were regular attendants at the ball-room, and were escorted thither by a tall black looking man, who, in his official capacity of chaperon, on this and other occasions, took the damsels under his wing, and as he proceeded along collected a reinforcement of old and young; his party, by the time of their arrival, having accumulated to a motley crowd of votaries, including domestics and a train of followers: many of them under pretence of being brothers, friends or relations, intruded uninvited, pushing after the ladies without ceremony, to the no small annoyance of the respectable portion of the company. the women on those occasions make but few preparatory arrangements. after having merely plaited up the hair, or thrown a mantilla loosely across the neck and shoulders, and adorned the feet with a pair of white or yellow shoes, they sally forth in the same dress which they have worn during the day. we departed from don benito on the th of september, and passing over the plains of medellin, forded the guadiana about a league above the bridge. on the th we reached villa mercia. it was so very early when we got into the neighbourhood of this place, a place so wretched that we could scarcely get even a drop of water. the troops halted on the open ground some distance from the village. the vestige of a single plant or tree was not to be seen on any side, and the dry stubble-fields yielded us no means of obtaining the comfort of a fire. our chances for a breakfast were therefore but slight. after marching for the greater part of a very cold night, we all looked blue enough at daybreak, eyeing wistfully the country round for something to build our hopes upon; but alas! the interminable waste was to us as much a desert as the barren sands of africa. when the arms were piled the men threw off their packs, and seating themselves thereon, commenced a voyage of discovery in their haversacks, rummaging every hole and corner for sundry fragments, the residue of four days provender. the officers with hollow cheeks and cadaverous aspect, having gone to bed, (or rather to mach,) supperless, and being without the slightest chance of muffins or hot rolls, were ruminating on the evil day on which they went a soldiering. in the midst of this, some of the knowing hands, while prowling about the camp, for a few sticks wherewithal to boil a kettle, beheld an old, crazy and dismantled bullock-cart, (on the retired list) lying quietly on the field. as soon as the prize was seen, a general rush succeeded, and, like a pack of hounds pouncing on an unfortunate fox, they flew at the ill-fated remnant of the waggon, and without waiting to dissect, _secundem artem_, the subject before them, they tore it limb from limb, and the broken fragments were carried off in triumph by the ravenous crew. soon there arose a thin curling smoke in various quarters, awfully distant from each other, and those lucky favourites of fortune, who got a splinter of the aforesaid vehicle, were quickly gladdened by a flame; meanwhile, the tin, wherein the congo was infused, hung dangling on a ramrod, suspended by two bayonets stuck cunningly in the earth. the poor wretch, with a visage of at least a span in length, who failed in his attempts to share in the spoil of the waggon, scraped up the stubble, which, damp with heavy dew, baffled all his labour, and he was at last obliged, with his culinary vessel in one hand, and his canister in the other, to wander from right to left, in order to beg a portion of some friendly blaze. renewing our march on the following day, we continued on the road until a late hour.--the face of the country, as far as the eye could reach, was an extended waste, devoid of any thing in the shape of tillage; the plain, wide and boundless, interspersed with scattered rocks, with occasional patches of heath and broom, was quite as wild as any lover of romance could wish. after some hours travelling over this dreary road, its sameness was at length relieved by a view of the sierra de santa-cruz, the highest pinnacle of which rises in the form of a pyramid, and has a most remarkable-looking old castle, situated upon a lofty cliff near its western side. the main road from villa mercia directed us, after many turnings, to the base of those heights. among the rocks even to the highest peak, the sheep and goats were browsing, and at intervals we observed the shepherds with their dogs, in places where it would seem impossible that any human being could obtain a footing. in the grassy marshes below were large herds of oxen and other cattle grazing.--we had an opportunity of having a nearer view of these shepherds, who descended from the steep acclivities, and we were astonished beyond measure at their ferocious aspect and savage garb; one could not help comparing them, as they stood, with those of old, as described by ancient writers, when in simple dress, with crook and pipe, the rustics tending their flocks in arcadian fields, charmed by soft and rural notes the lovely damsels of the woods and plains. the spanish guardian of the flock, from his warlike costume, his dark and bearded visage, seemed better adapted for a ruffian robber of the forest, or the ranks of a guerrilla chief, than a gentle warbler of simple love songs. these peasants were cloathed with coarse materials; their inner garments were protected from the weather by pieces of sheep skin rudely joined, and they were armed with a dirk and an old fusil. on the th of september we departed from guerindote, our route leading over the spacious plain that extended to the tagus. upon the green borders of that river we at length arrived, and before us, in the midst of splendid scenery, lay the far-famed city of toledo. the inhabitants, on first beholding our approach, assembled in multitudes on the road, near the outskirts, where we had already halted. they pressed on to welcome us, while with loud huzzas and shouting they rent the air. we entered by the principal gate, and marched up to the plaza mayor, amidst joyous salutations, and the ringing of innumerable bells. the balconies around were literally crammed with a brilliant show of beauty, waving flags, handkerchiefs and ribbons; their delight on seeing the english soldiers, was expressed with unaffected gladness, and could we judge by this display of feeling, we might have flattered ourselves with at least having the people of this city for our friends. toledo, from its situation on a semicircular chain of rugged heights, has a broken and irregular aspect; and, as the steep sides of the eminence descend precipitously to the tagus, many of the buildings seem as it were impending over the banks of that river, which nearly surrounds the city walls. across the stream are two solid bridges, each having one arch of considerable span, and of dimensions correspondent to the magnitude of the passage. the brief period of our stay permitted not of any minute inspection of various objects, well deserving the traveller's notice. we could therefore take but a hasty survey; and in passing through the city, it was impossible to avoid admiring the beauty of many buildings, the names of which we knew not, nor had time to enquire. having proceeded down the calle del caromen, a long and handsome street, we found ourselves close to the grand cathedral, the finest perhaps in the kingdom. the utmost force of language could but faintly convey any idea of the magnificence of that building; the grandeur of which far exceeded any thing we had hitherto beheld in this country, and was worthy of being honored by a far more minute inspection than we had time to bestow on it. the roof is supported by lofty pillars and fluted columns of marble, and composition in imitation thereof. the floor is composed of the same stone, dark, and highly polished. approaching towards the centre aisle, we encountered a ragged looking cicerone, who volunteered to conduct us to the vault within which lay in state the anatomy of st. ursula, a lady whose memory is highly reverenced by the people of spain. we descended by a narrow flight of stone steps, led on by the aforesaid genius, who, chuckling within himself at the idea of relieving the curious ingleses of their loose cash, yet seeming wondrous grave, brought us in a few moments to the door of the sepulchre. the skeleton of her ladyship lay very comfortably in a glass case, and lest the venerable saint might feel rather solitary in this abode, a lamp was suspended from the vaulted roof of her bedchamber, to enliven her gloomy residence, as well as to enable the visitors to examine her crumbling bones. having rewarded the guide, we renewed our search for the numerous objects within this extraordinary and sacred pile, and while we were thus engaged we met the secretary, who introduced us to his apartments, where we were much gratified by the sight of some rich and beautiful paintings, by which the walls were ornamented. among the exhibitions of art, which hung within the court yard, those of the capture of toledo, by the spaniards from the moors, and the grand procession of charles the th were by far the finest in the cathedral. they were all executed by that inimitable artist francisco bayue. having seen every thing worthy of observation within, we passed through the main entrance, and commenced the ascent of a flight of steps leading to the belfry; at the top of which having safely landed we beheld the famous bell, said to be the largest in europe. it is suspended from a massive beam, and its weight, as marked on the side, is arobas of lb. each. the height of the spire, as far as the belfry, is about two hundred feet, and we counted a hundred and ninety four steps, while climbing to this part of the tower. the senoras of toledo are low in stature; but being possessed of as large a share of beauty as those of any other part of spain, and full of animation, they are all that can be wished as far as personal charms are concerned. and, indeed, to do them every justice, i must say they received us with a warm and hearty kindness, that was long, yes, very long remembered. when they assemble on the _passeo_, they dress in every respect as they do for public worship, clothed in fine robes of the richest black silk or velvet, trimmed with lace, their persons decorated with various brilliant ornaments, and the hair tastefully braided up with combs of costly workmanship. a beautiful transparent veil, thrown gracefully over the figure, partially enfolds those charms it is intended to adorn. females of the lower class wear thick and substantial garments of black or brown cloth, of measurement so ample, that no opinion can be formed as to the dimensions of their shape. the men of rank generally dress in black, with chapeau, buckles, sword, and waistbelt. the working people and peasants wore the cloth jacket, botas, and montero cap, with a profusion of tassels and buttons. instead of shoes they wear sandals, made of strong brown leather, laced round the foot and instep; these, together with the botas, (or leathern gaiters), shew to great advantage their round and well turned limbs. we departed from toledo on the th of september, at an early hour in the morning, very much regretting that we had so short a time to see every thing worthy of notice in that delightful place. our route lay through a richly planted vale, watered by the tagus, with whose rapid current we were in company for the whole of this day's march. towards evening the troops were encamped upon a most inviting spot; the ground upon which our alignment was taken up being the fresh and verdant banks of the river, and around our bivouac, on every side, were gardens and green plantations, filled with a great variety of shrubs and flowers in their autumnal tints. with the soft leaves of these, (now thickly fallen), for a bed, we enjoyed that rest, after a toilsome journey, which "the weary traveller never seeks in vain." in the forenoon of the st of october, the column was again on the main road leading to aranjuez, and parallel with the course of the river. when we were within two leagues of our destined quarters, we entered a noble avenue of tall trees, their branches forming a long continued archway overhead, and protecting us from a scorching sun. the camino real was planted in double rows, in so direct a line, that the endless vista in perspective was, to our impatient optics, any thing but agreeable; and whatever little stock of patience remained within our keeping, was pretty well exhausted by the time we gained the end of our morning's tramp. at last, about o'clock, we got into our cantonments; bugles, drums, and pipes rattling through the streets, enough, (at least in one sense,) to bring the very stones about our ears. without any unnecessary delay, we were permitted to make ourselves perfectly at home, in mansions devoid of either comfort or means of entertainment; emblems they truly were of splendid misery. the ruthless hand of french campaigning had converted this once interesting place into a comparative wilderness; the habitations had not only been pillaged, but the furniture burned or destroyed, and every vestige of their former grandeur swept away, by the cruel ravages of this devastating warfare, leaving us to dispute with rats, and other vermin, for possession of their desolate abodes. aranjuez, which is seven leagues from madrid, seven from toledo, and nineteen from segovia, has long been the residence of the spanish court; and, even in its fallen state, there is still sufficient to denote its past splendour. in spite of the ruin to which it has been exposed, it has the stamp of noble bearing, and, previous to the invasion, must have been one of the most beautiful towns in the spanish dominions. the royal palace, on the banks of the tagus, is worthy of being the residence of princes, and contains a number of costly and magnificent paintings. the queen's palace, or the casa de labrador, the charming summer retreat of her majesty, is fitted up with simplicity and elegance combined, and, being replete with every comfort and luxury suited for a queen, it may well be termed a paradise in miniature. the walls are covered with richly embroidered tapestry, and the finest needlework, executed on silk and velvet, of exquisite workmanship. around the palaces and buildings for the nobility and members of the court, are numerous gardens, groves, and plantations, in the walks through which we rambled with much delight, as often as our duties might permit. the few inhabitants remaining here assembled on the promenade, to enjoy our military music, while a sprinkling of pretty blackeyed senoritas rendered the place more highly interesting. chapter xiii. a brother officer now joined with me in forming the plan of an excursion to madrid. we had long been anxious to examine that celebrated capital, and were therefore desirous not to miss the opportunity afforded by our near vicinity to that city, which, in all human probability, might never occur again during the period of our natural lives. we asked and obtained leave accordingly, and started, on the evening of the th of october, like a brace of knights errant, upon our eventful journey. the weather was fine for that season of the year, and circumstances appearing favourable to our pilgrimage we considered it advisable to proceed at a late hour, rather than wait for the following day, inasmuch as, in our uncertain mode of life, we knew not what a day might bring forth. we presumed upon our own skill to find out the way, and, trusting to that, took neither guide nor other attendant in our train, but sallied forth, mounted on a couple of hardy mules, and scantily provided with any thing pertaining to inward comfort. pacing along the camino de la reyna, a long extended avenue, we arrived, as it began to get dark, at the queen's bridge, a solid structure on the tagus, whence proceeding as we imagined on the direct road to madrid, we jogged on heartily without apprehension as to the course we followed. the night became still more obscure and cold, and threatened rain. in the meanwhile we pursued the direction diametrically opposite to that we should have done; turning away from the main road, and leaving our animals to make choice of any particular route they might in their sagacity prefer. for some time we progressed, in a state of uncertainty as to what point of the compass we were steering towards, till at length, passing through a wide gate very invitingly open before us, we were brought to a full stop, on a wild common, destitute of any track, or vestige of even a pathway. in this awkward dilemma we were completely at a nonplus, repenting sincerely of having set forth at so late an hour upon our quixotic expedition. to go forward at all hazards was our only remedy. the situation was by no means an enviable one, on a dark night in october, shivering on a desolate waste, with a cheerless journey staring us in the face, or a cheerless bed on the cold earth. to add to our discomfort, we had the prospect of being exposed to the inclemency of most severe weather. it might be truly said that our experience was likely to be dearly purchased.--after an hour's fruitless exertion to get out of the labyrinth in which we had involved ourselves, we at last heard the barking of some dogs, and immediately advanced towards the quarter from which the sound proceeded, and were in no small degree gratified at finding we were close to a village. we rapped most lustily at the door of the first house we came to, and hailing the landlord, implored him to take compassion on two weary travellers, and give us lodging until daylight. our call was quickly answered by a surly voice from within, demanding our reason for disturbing his highness at that improper hour; at the same time telling, or rather bawling out, in tones denoting that we were most unwelcome visitors, the disagreeable intelligence, that we were far from the high road, and should not be able to find it during the night.--the spaniard, however, directed us to some farm houses for more intelligence, and, glad to get from this inhospitable don, who treated us as though we had been house breakers, we again began to explore the unknown region, looking out most wistfully for something by way of a clue, to obtain the object of our search. fortunately we perceived, after much marching and countermarching, a light twinkling through the gloom and mist around us; and, struggling along over hedge, ditch, and drain, our faithful quadrupeds carried us safely to the entrance of a poor hamlet called villa conejo. here the peasants were all comfortably wrapped up in their beds. with some difficulty, however, by dint of both threats and bribes, we succeeded in procuring a guide, who buckling on his garments, and taking up a formidable staff, trudged before us with boldness equal to the renowned sancho panza himself. we were assured of getting into the right direction before morning, and, therefore, as the time of our absence was very limited, we hesitated not to push onward, notwithstanding the lateness of the hour, in preference to quartering in the village, where, for any thing we knew to the contrary, the people might think proper to be _quartering_ us in another way, not quite so agreeable to our taste, before they suffered us to depart. in this mountainous district, the inhabitants of remote valleys are, in many cases, either brigands themselves, or closely allied to such; hence the necessity of being on the _qui vive_, and our fears were fully justified by the fierce and bandit looking aspect of those dark fellows who made their appearance on our arrival. with sinister looks and angry scowls, they glanced at us in a manner that made us rejoice to get away, chusing rather to encounter the howling winds than the treachery of those suspicious gentlemen. having no particular desire to feel the sharp edge of their knives, that peeped from beneath their girdles, we wisely pursued our journey in quest of new adventures, and prepared for any rough work which might be in reserve. led on by our gallant pioneer, we once more faced the storm, and, groping forward amidst the darkness, we pushed our way through the intricate and trackless waste. our trusty mules, following the footsteps of the guide, carried us safely over the ground, proving how much we owed to those poor animals for the service they afforded. about midnight we passed the moorland, and arrived at a miserable village, consisting of a few wretched hovels, scarcely offering the privilege of shelter from the violence of the blast. into one of these we gained admittance, and, after some little parley with the landlord, we were honoured with permission to stretch our wearied limbs on a flinty bed, manufactured from rough materials, and thrown upon a floor that had long been unswept by brush or broom. our whiskered aid-de-camp, having consigned us to the protection of the patron, gathered himself up within the ample folds of his cloak, and rolled into the chimney corner, where his nasal machinery was set agoing, and soon produced an overture sufficient to banish sleep from the most drowsy eyelids. about o'clock, we rose from our comfortless mattress, and, without any unnecessary delay in the adjustment of the toilet, resumed our journey northwards. on the first appearance of daylight, we descended from the mountain path, and arrived near the little village of bayone, situated on the right bank of the river guarena. after passing through the small towns of cienposuelo and valdemoro, we at length gained the extremity of the avenue or approach from aranjuez, and here, for the first time, we beheld the towers and elevated buildings of madrid. crossing the manzanares by the puente de toledo, we entered the calle de toledo, a steep narrow street, which conducted us to the grand square, from whence going into a small central space, called le plaza de porte del sol, we brought up at the doors of a tavern, under the sign of la fonda françois. here we enjoyed an excellent breakfast; our hostess, a garrulous dame, knew well how to charge for the demands made upon her larder, by appetites sharpened on the touch-stone of eight leagues; and, judging from our meagre aspect, that our performances as trenchermen would be of no despicable order, she determined that her pocket at least should be no loser by our morning's ride. the alcalde with his satellites and myrmidons gave us considerable trouble, teasing us with numerous questions, as well as a strict cross-examination with regard to our object in coming here; and i verily believe that, had we not been dressed in british uniform, they would have furnished us with lodgings in a building not quite in accordance with our ideas of freedom, or suitable to our state of mind.--they, however, in a most ungracious manner, gave us billets on the house of a wealthy spaniard, living in the calle del san antonio, which is a handsome street leading from the grand square. in these quarters we enjoyed the comforts of a civilized life, for a short term after the wandering and vagrant system of the bivouac, or encampment; and we made good use of the interval allowed in viewing the _lions_ of this extraordinary place, and in exploring every hole and corner that was likely to contain anything marvellous or worthy of observation. manifold accounts have been given by sundry tourists respecting madrid; in order therefore to avoid all useless repetition, i shall merely glance at a few matters, which may, perchance, have escaped the notice of these curiosity hunters. our patron, don pedro gonzalez, was a civil and obliging personage; but as we had good reason to know that he was in the french interest, we suspected that his conduct was not sincere, and we were the more confirmed in this opinion, from the very marked attention paid by him to a certain madame, of vivacious manners, named durand. the worthy don being a bachelor, appearances favoured the rumour, that an intimacy of a more binding nature was likely to take place between them; or, in other words, the love-stricken pedro was about to become a benedict. to be on good terms with mademoiselle was therefore equivalent to the same happy circumstances with regard to our host, who, accordingly, gave every facility to our exertions in gaining admittance to public places; and was, on various opportunities, highly useful to his guests. the conversation and agreeable disposition of the gay frenchwoman served to dissipate any melancholy thoughts that might have haunted us. without being decidedly handsome, she had a very good set of features, and was of such a pleasant temperament, that, although she was arrived at a reflecting age, her society was courted by many admiring swains, to the no small annoyance of the gallant lothario himself, whose chief motive, in acting the part of our cicerone, was, that he might withdraw the officiales ingleses from any temptation that might be presented to our susceptible hearts, by the wily blandishments and ensnaring charms of his lovely _dulcinea_. the principal places of amusement open at this time were the opera house, in the calle de principe, and the theatre denominated el collegio de la cruz. what a college might have to do with the name of theatre, i could not imagine, unless it were that the loose and dissipated habits of collegians in general favored those entertainments, or that the members of the learned institutions at madrid were the chief patrons of the stage. the house was opened at an early hour, and filled by a respectable though motley audience. among the singular customs of spain is that of placing the ladies and gentlemen at a most awful distance from each other; a custom which in our minds would have been more honoured in the breach than in the observance; and if we might be permitted to judge from the bewitching glances of their sparkling eyes, the fair senoritas would have had no sort of objection to a repeal of such an unnatural _disunion_. had the performances been ever so delightful, they must of necessity, have proved "flat, stale and unprofitable," to the senses of gentlemen, banished as we were by such an abominable regulation from all intercourse or communion with that portion of the assembled audience in which was comprised all that was lovely and beautiful in nature's fair creation. the lunetta (or pit,) resembled a den or arena of wild men of the woods--such were the characters inclosed therein untamed by female influence.--the noisy crew maintained such a loud and boisterous turmoil, that it was impossible to hear one word that was uttered on the stage, and the scene enacted in the pit or lunetta was something not unlike the performances in a bear garden. the balcos (or boxes,) fronting the stage, were occupied by the ladies, who, decked out in costly attire, manoeuvred their fans with such activity, that they might have literally been said to have answered all the purpose of the eastern _punka_;[ ] a cool and refreshing air being thus circulated throughout the crowded building. the house was but dimly illumined by some dirty lamps, scantily furnished with oil. the music was tolerably good, although somewhat marred by the rude accompaniment from our friends in the lunetta. the play went off with vociferous applause, though the performers knew scarcely a word of their parts--but, owing to the noise, pantomime answered just as well. the prompter, an ugly caitiff, with black bushy whiskers, and a woolly head encased within a greasy velvet cap, was stuck up before the footlights, with half his body above the level of the stage, as if about to emerge from the bowels of the earth, like some dæmon from the nether region, while he, with angry looks and threatening gesture, endeavoured to hammer into the impenetrable skulls of the stupid actors the words intended for their delivery. [ ] the punka, used in india, is an enormous kind of fan, suspended in a room, and moved by ropes, to cool the air. about o'clock the entertainment was concluded; and we returned to our lodgings escorted by a crowd of ragged boys, carrying flambeaux to light us home. the theatre de la cruz, though smaller than that of del principe, is ornamented with better taste, and is on the whole a handsome building. in both the performers are tolerable, and the dancing in the little theatre is beautiful beyond description. the expense of admission amounts to nearly the same as in england. there were no other places of amusement open during our stay. assemblies and private concerts were held in various parts of the city; but since the war with france all public balls and concerts have been discontinued. the famous bull-fights, deemed the most enlightened exhibitions of modern times by the natives, were held on mondays and fridays in the plaza mayor, or plaza de torres. notwithstanding the unsettled state of things the inhabitants of madrid seem to enjoy life to the fullest extent, and in the constant pursuit of gaiety endeavour to dispel that gloom which would otherwise pervade their city, and in which those of any other capital would be involved. they appeared to act with the same indifference and unconcern, when the french or british were in possession, and of those two nations i believe the majority of them preferred the former, which, if one may judge from the natural levity and liveliness of their disposition, proceeded not only from their love of show, but from similarity of manners, taste and habits. with the spanish fair in particular the french were the greater favourites, having, by their gallantry and politeness, during their long residence, won golden opinions, and gained a place in their confidence and esteem. after visiting the royal palace, (a description of which i dare not enter into, because the time for observation was much too short, we proceeded to an edifice called la china, a fortified place, and where the celebrated porcelain and china ware had been manufactured. a train of gunpowder having been laid, preparatory to blowing up the works, no person was admitted within, nor do i think there was any particular inducement to press for entrance.--from a general glance at its exterior, there appeared nothing to recommend it, for either beauty or grandeur of effect. it is a plain building, of white stone, situated on an eminence beyond the retiro, commanding the principal part of the city and its environs. the palace of the retiro was not worth seeing, being merely a ruinous square of low buildings, lately converted into a barrack, and having within its limits a large and spacious court yard. it was palisaded and strongly defended by works, which were considerably strengthened by the french. close to the entrance, is the palace of godoy, prince of the peace, which faces the prado, the great public alameda of madrid. the fabric, notwithstanding its limited scale, is furnished in a most costly and splendid style, and contained a large collection of rare and beautiful paintings. in point of magnificence it is equal, if not superior, to the casa de campo, a country residence for the royal family, near the manzanares. after seeing the royal museum, (which, like all other museums, is well filled with objects deserving the attention of the curious,) we visited the armoury, (near the gate of saint barbara) stiled here el real parque d'artilleria, where valuable specimens of ancient armour, and many plans and models, were exhibited. some thousand stand of arms were piled in harmless quietude, and arranged with order and regularity. king joseph and his retinue thought proper to make free with the carriages and other means of conveyance of the people of madrid, with which they drove off, leaving the owners to trudge about in a more humble manner than they had hitherto been used to. the fair senoras were thus reluctantly compelled to tramp the pavé, exposing their graceful and fascinating persons to the rude gaze of a vulgar multitude. on arriving at the extremity of the calle de alcala, we found ourselves on that delightful mall called the prado, already mentioned, which is an avenue about half a mile in length; it is planted on each side with uniform rows of various trees, whose branches are interwoven through the greater part of the year. this promenade is kept in the highest order, and between the double line of trees are gravel walks, enclosed by shrubs and evergreens. at each end is a fountain of the finest polished marble, the sculpture of which is executed in the most beautiful manner. here the royal family, as well as the nobility and gentry, assemble for the passeo at the fashionable hours; to the lower classes the walk is open at all periods. they are an active and bustling people here, the various occupations going on with a degree of spirit not easily accounted for in these troublesome times. the number of poor, however, is very great; many dying in the streets of starvation. we met several persons, male and female, who had formerly been possessed of wealth and distinction, endeavouring to obtain a livelihood by selling, in a private way, different articles of their dress and household furniture. others, particularly women, whose looks bespoke their having lived in better days, were reduced to the miserable situation of vending pamphlets or small wares, or keeping stalls, or even hawking salt fish or vegetables through the city. madrid was walled in ancient times; no vestige, however, now remains of any such defences, it is completely open and exposed. we now prepared for our departure to aranjuez; and, therefore, for any further information about madrid, i must direct the reader's attention to the recent works on spain and its capital, wherein will be found, in detail, the best accounts of all that is worthy the traveller's notice. i cannot, however, avoid saying something of the mode of access to their dwellings, which, from the difficulty caused by this mode, might almost have been called forbidden ground. the houses of madrid are solid, and furnished as usual with balconies and prison-like windows, and are sometimes of great magnitude; those of the alcade, and the governor don inacio cortabunio, forming one side of a tolerably long street. within the entrance of the great door is usually a small rectangular passage, from whence the ascent to the upper part of the building is gained by a narrow flight of stone steps. on arriving at the extremity of the hall or passage just mentioned, a strongly bolted door, which shuts in the staircase, forbids your further approach; but, after considerable delay, you discover a small bellcord, which you pull, and then another trial of your patience takes place, and you remain still cooling your heels, at the end of a cold dark place, not unlike a cavern. your solitude is at length disturbed by the sepulchral tone of an old weather-beaten sybil, who, peering with an ugly, wizened, and vinegar countenance through a wicket or small crevice overhead, screams out, with shrill and angry voice, "qui quiere!" while, at the same time, doubtful of your rank or character, she scans with the hideous glances of an evil eye the bearings of your person. when you have satisfied her on this head, she, much against the grain, raises the unwilling latch by means of a greasy rope. when the massive portal, creaking on its rusty hinges, is pushed open, not without much force, and you find yourself upon the gloomy steps to grope as best you can to the upper regions, your advances are still impeded, either by the threats of the garrulous antique, or by the barking of some furious cerberus, a fit companion for his sister guardian of the dwelling. when you are known, and become familiar, the mode of admittance is by no means a work of so much difficulty, nor is the frosty visaged argus so jealous of access. chapter xiv. we arrived at aranjuez on the th of october, after an absence of four days; three of which were spent as agreeably as we could have wished, and in the full enjoyment of every variety afforded by a city well deserving a longer visit, and one which though it is less generally known, is more interesting in every point of view, than many that are more frequently resorted to. on the rd of october the troops were again in full march, on the high road to madrid, halting at various intermediate stations. we passed that city, on the th of the same month, and, tantalized as we were by our close proximity to its gates, we continued onward in the direction of the pass of guadarama, it being the object of our chief to follow hard upon the french army, (which was then bending northward, in rapid strides,) and allow them no rest, night or day, until we brought them to a decisive combat. our road, as we approached the mountains, lay over a fertile country; the view on every side presenting a vast extent of arable and tillage land. towards evening, after a long and painful journey, we halted at the court-yard of the escurial. this famous palace, built by philip the second of spain, is consecrated to st. lawrence, and is formed after the pattern of a gridiron, upon which very useful culinary article the saint is supposed to have undergone the operation of being broiled. the building stands on one of the heights at the base of the lofty chain of the guadarama, and is a huge and spacious pile, enclosing four distinct court yards, the whole surrounded by an extensive range of buildings, allotted to the domestic establishment of the royal household. the grand entrance faces the mountain, the barren sides of which offer but a confined and uninteresting prospect. from the windows of the principal apartments, looking to the south, (which are said to be as numerous as the days in the year,) a view embracing all that fine extent of country round madrid, and along the manzanares, may, however, be enjoyed, which fully compensates for the dull uniformity on the other quarters. some idea may be formed of the enormous amplitude of the structure, when it is considered that general hill's division, including the portuguese troops, were lodged within the walls, and found sufficient room in the galleries, court-yards, and outer-halls, without entering any of the private chambers. our brigade marched up the great staircase, with ample space to move along in sections. it was a splendid cantonment, and worthy a better fate than that of being converted into a barrack and cooking place for a few thousand hungry soldiers. the rooms, into which the officers obtained admittance, were spacious and lofty, those appropriated to the members of the court being ornamented and furnished in a costly manner. the lateness of our arrival, as well as the shortness of our stay, prevented our seeing the mausoleum; in which the royal family of spain has been entombed for ages past. it is considered one of the greatest curiosities in europe, and is beneath the grand chapel of the palace. the grand front has three separate entrances, and above the dome surmounting the central gate, the figure of st. lawrence, together with the gridiron, stand upon a pedestal, and underneath are the arms of spain. on the st of november we moved on towards the crest of the guadarama, our route being along the summit of the hills, forming the lower branches of the sierra, the ascent of which we took more than two hours to accomplish; many times on the way being obliged to halt, in order to gain breath for a further stretch. it was a work of considerable fatigue to both men and animals, and on arriving at the extreme point we were fairly exhausted by the effect of our morning's walk. nature has here placed a formidable barrier between the provinces of old and new castile. this road, which is the only one across the mountain, is difficult of access, the rocks on either side being steep, rugged, and in some parts perpendicular, rising high above the causeway. close to where we halted stands a pedestal of granite, on which is placed the figure of a lion crouched, holding between his paws two balls, intended, as denoted by the inscription underneath, to represent the provinces below. in the centre of the pedestal is inserted a square slab of marble, on which is inscribed, in large characters, "fernando vii, pater patriæ," followed by a long account of the cause for which the monument was erected, but in letters so small, and so much defaced, that it is a matter of some difficulty to decipher the mysterious tale. being again formed into something like marching order, we proceeded downward with a lively pace, leaving the plains of new castile behind, and bidding a long and last farewell to that part of spain, which had been for years gone by the theatre of our varied and ofttimes not very peaceful occupation. on our descent from the sierra, we continued along the main road to valladolid, and after having cantoned at several intermediate stages, arrived on the th at alba de tormes, a small town, one day's march from salamanca, and commanding the passage of the tormes, over which, at this place, there was a solid stone bridge. we were soon actively employed getting all the old walls and defences into good condition, and, after waiting behind them for a few days, expecting an attack from a large body of the french army, (who had sent some round shot about our ears), we again crossed the river, taking care to destroy the bridges, the moment that the last of our men were over. the enemy, who had threatened in so formidable a way, sheered off to his left, making for the road to ciudad rodrigo, in order to interrupt our progress in that line, with the view of eventually cutting off our communication with the frontiers of portugal. the whole of the british forces, meanwhile, passed on towards the aripiles, those remarkable heights, where the great contest of salamanca was fought in the preceding year. here battle was again offered to the french, who declined the pleasure of our kind invitation, and wisely deeming prudence to be the better part of valour, continued their manoeuvres to impede our march on portugal, and succeeded in getting possession of almost all the approaches in that direction. on the th, our troops were rapidly pushed forward, in order to counteract their plans, and, by forced marches, we got the lead, the foremost columns being far advanced on the road to rodrigo in the course of that day. it was a neck and neck concern, and nothing but the superior generalship of lord wellington could have brought us through the difficulty. the rain poured down in torrents, as we entered the woods, through which the various routes penetrated, and the most inclement weather that ever was experienced set in on the commencement of this unfortunate march. wind and hail in all their varieties beat unmercifully upon us, and the elements in fearful agitation combined to assail us on every side, while the roads, broken up by the violence of the storm, were rendered almost impassable, producing thereby the utmost delay in the transport of our supplies. to increase our sufferings, the personal baggage had been sent on some days in advance, so that we had no covering whatever but the garments that we wore, which were now waxing quite deplorable; and as for subsistence, our only resource was the miserable contents of a lank and scanty haversack, wherein were jumbled up together, in a sort of medley, the various remnants of ration leather, (falsely called beef), and mouldy biscuit, hard and jaw breaking, of which the maggots contended for a share.--it was enough to horrify the poor chop-fallen wanderer, who trudged along most dismally, cold, drenched, and woebegone. were i to relate but one tenth of the sufferings we endured, in what is known as the retreat of salamanca, civilians would stare, and say that i dealt largely in the marvellous, or was drawing a long bow; but, start not, ye fireside and ye featherbed gentry, when i inform you, that many times have we arisen from our damp, and comfortless berth on the cold ground, with no prospect of a breakfast, but that which we derived from a meal of acorns, and often have we munched at these in lieu of more savoury food; chewing (by way of dessert), the bitter cud of disappointment and vexation. at the termination of each day's march, down came the branches of the forest, and loudly clashed the bill hook and the axe, to put in requisition materials for the long wished-for fire, to establish which was a labour of no trifling nature, for the timber, throughly saturated with rain, lay in smoking heaps, long after the light had been communicated, while we with haggard looks stood collected round the smouldering pile. the flames at length got up, all due advantage was taken of this blessing, and no sirloin was ever more industriously turned by the hand of anxious cook than were our precious bodies, both front and rear alternately, with the vain hope of getting dry, and some degree of heat wherewith to cheer our wearied bones. in the midst of all our extremities there was still something to excite the mind; while camping out among the oak trees, numerous droves of wild pigs ran to and fro, as we invaded their dominions, and in their flight many were fired at and shot by the famished soldiers, who were ignorant, when committing the depredation, of its being a crime which would cause the displeasure of our chief.--some were performing the achievement of hunting down the grunters, while others displayed their skill in the culinary art, after the chase was over. the unfortunate swinish multitude afforded some delicate tit bits, and the greasy provender was bolted in solid pieces by the half-starved men. before we came to break in on their retirement, the poor animals were revelling in luxury on the acorns, by which they chiefly fed, but as our troops approached their haunts they set up a grand concert, resounding through the woods, the most audible tone of which was a firm thorough bass. the hog is by no means the most despicable of the brute creation, for have we not had the learned pig, and the pig-faced lady, who thought it no disgrace to bear a likeness to the useful beast. we have moreover good reason to know that the quadruped has proved a subject of deep meditation to more than one biped. there was a certain wiseacre, who lived not quite a hundred miles from chester, of ample paunch, and who not only loved his port, but his port loved him; for it shone in rosy blossoms on his well bronzed visage; in fact, his person bore no bad resemblance to a well filled bottle. he was a great admirer and disciple of kitchener, mrs. glass, and others of the same stamp. having one day a party at his house, he, by way of entertaining them, led them through his grounds, and, after that, to the various buildings for his cattle. "but now," says the happy man, as they approached the piggery, rubbing, at the same time, his hands with joy, "you will see something on which you may feast your eyes;" and, on giving the signal, a regiment of fat hogs were marched out of their quarters, and passed in review before the delighted guests. one of the gentlemen remarked what amazingly fine animals they were. "yes," says their host, "i thought you would say so! i flatter myself," (here his eyes sparkled in triumph,) "there are not such prime ones in england; they ought to be so,--i feed them well,--_i have made them my constant study all my life_." what an intellectual scholar! there was the feast of reason with a vengeance; fat pork, tusks, bristles and all. what a study!--o ye classics, ye national educationists, ye broughamites,--hide your diminished heads! here's a college course for ye; aye, and one that may be studied by john bull with joy and pride; for, instead of wasting the midnight oil, he may consult his larder, and contemplate, with a rapturous sensation, the essays of bacon, and hog's-tales, while poring over the whole range of his swinish library. but, enough! we must recommence our march. the gentlemen with the blue coats not chusing to measure swords with us, we lingered not upon the road, but, moving on the agueda, arrived at the village of robledo on the th. here we were comparatively in luxury for a season; the severity of our recent journey, added to the miseries of night exposure under such dreadful weather, rendered doubly welcome the comfort of a roof; and the kitchen fire of even an humble dwelling restored us once more from our torpid state to spirit and animation. to each of the officers was allotted a tolerably good sized cabin, furnished plentifully with straw, in which, to our dismay, we found a numerous tribe of nimble footed gentry, which have already been more than once mentioned. we broke up from those cantonments, and, steering our course over a long mountainous ridge, we entered the town of coria, on the th of november. this place is situated on a steep hill, at the base of which flows the small river alagon, and is at no great distance from the portuguese frontier. the country around is well planted with the olive and the vine, of the latter in particular there was then a great abundance, of the finest description, from which the most delicious wine is made. in company with another officer, i was billetted on the house of an ancient widow, who was the most perfect shrew i ever beheld. it must have been a happy day for her unfortunate spouse, that witnessed his departure from the stormy vicinity of his termagant rib, to the more peaceful mansions of the defunct. the heaviness of the weather, subsequent to our arrival, caused us to pass rather a dreary time, made still more sad by the death-like tolling of the cathedral bells, eternally sounding in our ears. the place is well stocked with a great variety of priests, monks, friars, and other ecclesiastics, forming a worshipful host, with ill-favoured countenances. although their looks are meagre, their corpulent rotundity of shape proves that to mortify the body forms no part whatever of their doctrine, and that an abundance of fat things, together with a liberal supply of the vinous fluid, are by no means inconsistent with their holy calling. it is also said of them, that the worldly discussion of those affairs is much more frequently the subject of their meditation, than the comparatively irksome duty of either _prayer_ or _fasting_. the best and most luscious wine, not only here, but in all parts of spain, is denominated, in justice to the better taste of those divines, "_priests' wine_," and is more highly valued than any other. the alcalde, the corporation, and the myrmidons pertaining thereto, were a mean-looking, ill-dressed set of fellows. the former is chosen annually from the middle classes; in some instances his worship has figured in the trade of pig-driver, butcher, or other employment of that nature. we saw but few inhabitants of distinction here; the families of the poorer order were numerous, generally ill-looking, and badly clothed. the females, in particular, we remarked, as not being "cast in nature's finest mould;" in fact, to tell the honest truth, i must say, that we never beheld a more ugly and forbidding race of damsels. on this account, they were certainly right to hide themselves. indeed, we seldom had an opportunity of gazing at their lovely persons; as, unless at those times when they tottered, (as they always seemed to do) to chapel, they remained chiefly within doors, enjoying the genial warmth of the brasseiro, in preference to exposing their delicate frames to the effect of the chilling blast. the usual mildness of the climate, as well as the summer heat, congenial to the spanish fair, renders them more sensible of cold, and less capable of enduring the rudeness of december winds and frost. the transition from the close atmosphere of their dwellings to the bleak and humid air within their churches is often the means of imparting to the senoras a pale and ghastly look, their dark and sallow aspect assuming a death-like tinge, which, combined with their usually spectral form, would indicate to the observer, that the wire drawn figures on the marble flags of the chapel were speedily to occupy a tenement of small dimensions beneath the stones upon which they knelt. a short time subsequent to our arrival at coria, colonel charles stewart, of the th, died of fever, brought on by excessive fatigue, after an illness, of about ten days. his constitution was undermined, not only by the effect of past service in india, but by that in which he was engaged in spain. the harassing marches we had undergone since we passed the tormes overcame his already impaired health, and he may be literally said to have fallen a victim to his unwearied exertions on that retreat. by all who could appreciate the value of high military feeling and strict discipline, colonel stewart was justly regretted. zealous and well informed on every point of duty, he knew how to estimate those qualities in others, while he held a tight rein over the careless and inattentive. such characters as composed the belem[ ] rangers he never could approve of, and at all times he set his face against a certain set of men, who were very fine fellows when strutting upon parade at home, but were so careful of their own dear persons, that they kept at a most respectful distance from the field when there was any rough work going forward. [ ] this troop of heroes was composed of men and officers with facings of all the colours in the rainbow, and with every variety of garb. among them were those who could not fight, as well as those who would not; and i am sorry to say, that of the latter there was a large proportion. some, ashamed of being enrolled upon its list, remained but a short time with the corps; others, vegetating in all the delights of peace and quietness, with zealous attachment to the rangers, put off the evil hour as long as possible. being fond of dainties, they kept within the smell of lisbon, with its oil and garlick, the perfume of which they snuffed up with ecstasy. as for being exposed to fire, they coveted no more than sufficed for their cigars; the smoke from thence was smoke enough for them. figuring away with the portuguese senoras, they were formidable cavaliers, and as their gallantry was all expended on those fair objects, they had none to spare for warlike purposes. they were fond of duty about the castle of belem, nor had they any particular fancy to go to a distance from the tagus. the bivouac was their horror; they eschewed the miseries of a camp; and, with regard to marching, from the caffés to the operas and back again, was, in their ideas, just as much fatigue as any gentleman ought to suffer; therefore, to call them rangers was a sad misnomer. in order to neutralize the evil, and prevent the corps from getting rather strong, officers were placed at abrantes, castel branco, and other intermediate stations, who performed the duty of whippers in. those in general were tight hands, and if there was an officer of rank, who bore the character of being a bitter pill, he was sure to get the post, so that the poor crest-fallen aspirants for promotion in the belemites had no chance, but were checked in their career; and unless they could duly prove that they were curtailed in natural dimensions, by the loss of legs or arms, or had suffered other more desperate mutilations, they were forced to troop it back again, with their faces to the army. it latterly became so difficult a matter to pass these barriers, that several preferred, though riddled through with balls, to rough it in the camp, rather than run the gauntlet past these commandants. the worthy members of the corps above alluded to had no extraordinary relish for intelligence from the front, and when accounts came down of desperate fighting, or a hint was thrown out, that some of them might be wanted, it created a wondrous stir among them; their military ardour was cooled in a marvellous way, and whatever stock of courage they could boast of, oozed out, (as it did with bob acres), through their fingers' ends. at home what capital officers they made, swarming in to join with prompt alacrity (when the war was over,) and with much bravado talking of their past campaigns, and lording it over the juniors! how they did puff and blow, in country quarters, on trooping off the guard, and looking wondrous big, as they exercised their little brief authority! the remains of colonel stewart were followed to the tomb by all the troops in the garrison, and were interred in the terrace of the grand cathedral here. brigadier general wilson, late colonel of the th also died here, he was an old officer and deservedly regretted. chapter xv. it was on a fine clear morning, on the th of january, , that we departed from coria. after marching for some hours, we passed the boundaries of a thick olive forest, about a mile beyond which appeared the large village of monte hermosa, so closely surrounded with trees, that the chapel spire and tiled roofs of the houses were the only discernible objects. owing to the wildness and retirement of the situation, most of the hamlets in the forest and among the hills, are the haunts of numerous banditti, who infest the district for many leagues round. these bands of lawless men are composed chiefly of deserters from the spanish army, joined by outcast peasants, who forming into parties resort to those heights on any sudden alarm, where concealed in caves among the rocks they lie secure from all pursuit. armed with carbines, knives and pistols, they sally forth from their lurking-places by night, and not only plunder but frequently assassinate the unwary travellers in a most barbarous and cruel manner. on the th of january i set out on a journey to placentia, four leagues from monte hermosa. being advised to travel in company with the country people, (who generally formed a numerous party,) on account of the suspicious characters above alluded to, i joined the cavalcade, and we all proceeded together. we crossed the alagon by means of a ponderous flat-bottomed machine, answering the purpose of a ferry-boat, in which was also conveyed the mules, asses and baggage; being safely landed on the opposite bank we trotted forward at a brisk and lively pace, through the open and varied country. having among our party a number of good-humoured buxom wenches we got on very pleasantly, for these sprightly damsels kept up such a round of merriment and noisy clatter, with occasional singing, that dullness and care with their attendant train of imps were forced to trudge it by another route, since they could get no quarter with us. the rustics, accustomed to exercise and hard labour, kept up with us, while they tramped heartily along on foot, and the women in particular, being clean-limbed, light heeled, well made and healthy, carried on with all sail ahead, to the no small surprise and admiration of their companions and fellow-travellers. after passing through a poor and hungry-looking village, we entered the wide and dark forest of carcaboso, where the road, hitherto level, became broken and mountainous. as we approached placentia the prospect had no redeeming feature; all was desolate and bare, and, with the exception of a few peasants here and there, as wild as the rocks upon which they stood, nothing in the shape of a living creature was visible. we descended a rough and winding path-way, (for it claimed no better name,) towards an ancient bridge by which we crossed the jerte, and were quickly in the streets of the old town of placentia.[ ] [ ] it was in this town that a melancholy circumstance took place on the parade of the rd regiment, or old buffs. lieutenant annesley, of the grenadiers, was inspecting his company, when one of the soldiers, watching his opportunity, took his musket, and levelling it at the officer, shot him through the heart. annesley was a long time in the buffs, in which he was much esteemed, and he was a remarkably good-looking young man, from the south of ireland. the soldier who had a pique against the lieutenant, for some alleged ill-treatment, was a very different character, and one of those discontented sort of fellows common in every regiment; one who is usually termed by his companions a lawyer. he was shot soon after at placentia, pursuant to the sentence of a general court martial. on the receipt of my billet at the casa consistorial, i walked thither, and found a cordial reception at the house of francisco barona, where, being regaled in a most excellent way, i had cause to rejoice at being quartered upon so generous a host. the worthy don was in the vale of years, and above seventy; but though infirm he had all the sprightliness of youth, and was a most agreeable and intelligent old gentleman. his third wife, who soon made her appearance, was not more than twenty, a smart and gaily dressed senora; and the expression of her penetrating eyes afforded sufficient evidence that, as far as she was concerned, full consent might be obtained to dissolve the partnership between january and may, in order that a union more congenial to her wishes might speedily be formed. a young spanish officer called frequently during my abode here, and from the state of affairs he appeared to be the fortunate lothario, who was destined to perform a conspicuous part in the new treaty of alliance. most sweetly did this son of mars smile on the charming leonora, who on her part, while the unsuspicious don was fast asleep, and amusing the lovers with a nasal chaunt, discharged not a few amorous glances, intended to intangle still further the tender heart of her admiring swain. on the th i pursued my journey homeward, accompanied, as before, by a numerous host of natives, returning to their several places of abode. as the night came on we again entered the forest, the travellers both horse and foot getting into close column, in order that they might be prepared to encounter any straggling party of banditti, by which these woods are sometimes infested. while day-light continued, jovial fun and peals of laughter resounded on every side; but on the approach of darkness, the merriment and cheerful song gradually died away, and the hitherto joyous spirits were damped by the knowledge of having such troublesome neighbours in the vicinity. the old hands told many a frightful tale of murders and robberies which had been committed, serving to make the anxious listener alive to fears which were considerably increased by the frequent appearance of certain wooden crosses, erected on the spot where some unfortunate victim had been slain. the young and inexperienced, as well as those among the crowd who had not met with any dangerous adventure, looked eagerly around amidst the gloom with watchful eyes. full of excitement and apprehension, they conjured up an ambuscade at every clump of trees; a desperado, or assassin, armed to the teeth, seemed to arise before the affrighted vision at every turning of the road; until, at length, by the time we were nearly clear through the lone and thickly-planted district, they were nearly at their wits' end, and were quite convinced that they had narrowly escaped a pilgrimage to the other world. we fortunately gained the alagon just as the ferry-boat was preparing to leave the bank, and, about ten o'clock, got safe into the village, after all our hair-breadth chances, without having had an interview with the outlawed wanderers, who had acted wisely in keeping at an awful distance, and not hazarding an attack upon our well-armed and formidable party. the peasantry of monte hermosa are a quiet industrious race, the men are robust, black-looking fellows; their clothing is of brown cloth, over which is thrown a sort of leather covering, with an aperture for the head, worn to save the garments while occupied in the employment of wood-cutting. the women, in consequence of the ample folds of their numerous cloth coats, are wondrously capacious in the middle and lower regions, and display as prominent a rotundity as the hottentot venus. had _circular sterns_ been then fashionable in our navy, sir robert seppings might have selected excellent models from among the females of monte hermosa. the inhabitants, old and young, usually assembled after sunset in front of their houses, for the purpose of amusing themselves in a variety of ways. their music is that of the bandeiro, a clumsy instrument, somewhat resembling a tambourine, though of a square form; it is generally played on by some ill-favoured sybil, who, beating the parchment with her skinny palm, produces a dull monotonous sound. when this is accompanied by a brace of similar hideous gorgons, catterwauling in doleful strains, the concert thus produced is not of such a very tender nature as "to soften rocks or bend the knotted oak," but a heavy hum-drum piece of discord, not unlike a funeral howl, each stanza being finished with a tedious drone by way of chorus, which has a strong relationship to the scotch bag-pipes, and serves the purpose of a narcotic upon the admiring spectators. to this delightful harmony do the rustics trip, not on "the light fantastic toe," but with a pavior's tread, slowly moving their limbs; the stupid, sleepy and inanimate clodpoles waving at the same time their hands from side to side, in a pendulous manner, and seeming ready to fall into the arms of their equally lifeless partner. chapter xvi. without the slightest degree of reluctance we departed from monte hermosa, on a beautiful morning, (the th inst.) our road extended over that wild desert track which stretches towards the sierra de placentia, and proved throughout extremely bad and rugged. about twelve o'clock, after a march of two leagues and a half we got into santivanez, and passing through that village, (which is a poor and miserable place,) we proceeded to aggal, half a league further. here we halted for the remainder of the day. the following morning we resumed our journey, and travelled through some romantic scenery. about a mile from the village of gihon, we came to a remarkable old bridge, having but one arch, of immense span, its abutments being supported by the solid rocks, between whose steep and rugged sides flowed one of the tributary streams of the alagon. the situation of this extraordinary bridge, combined with the wildness of the neighbouring country, produced on our minds an effect as impressive as it was delightful. while crossing this dangerous pass, and looking down upon the torrent that rushed furiously beneath, a terrific chasm presented itself, of at least a hundred feet in depth; and, in consequence of the slight elevation of the battlements, it required some degree of caution to avoid an awful somerset into the dark abyss. the road, after we had safely cleared the stream, continued along the face of a craggy precipice, and at length brought us to a thick forest of oak and elm trees. we halted at a pretty village called la sacita where we had good quarters; mine were at the dwelling of a respectable tiller of the ground, named bernardo lopez, who not only gave me a hearty welcome to his abode, but regaled me with the best of every thing that his means could afford. his better half, our worthy patrona, had spent the day at a distant town, and as in her way home she had to pass through a lawless track, the anxiety of her family for her safe return was extreme; maricita, in particular, (the youngest daughter,) was quite unhappy on the subject, and the tears ran quickly down her very pretty and intelligent face.--the mother however soon came to the door, to the no small delight of the expectant party, and joy once more resumed its accustomed place at the social hearth of this contented family. the fire was replenished with an additional supply of fagots, and a plentiful store of plain though wholesome food was laid upon the table; in the mean time, a tribe of labouring hinds and foresters joined the group, and taking up a position in the chimney corner, made a furious attack, like hungry wolves, upon the sausages with which their platters were abundantly supplied. on the conclusion of their repast, the fair damsels of bernardo beguiled the lazy hours with sundry cheerful ditties; but from the liberal use of garlick, onions, and other delicious things by which their breath was perfumed, the _air_ of those songs, at least in one sense, was anything but ambrosial, however affecting might be the words. we proceeded on our journey towards the mountains on the following day, and entered some very romantic scenery, unequalled in beauty, as well as grandeur of effect, by any through which we had hitherto travelled. when within a league of the puerto de banos, the promontory closes into a narrow pass, where a strong and almost impenetrable defile presents itself, and where a handful of resolute men could maintain the post against superior numbers. we entered the village of banos, where we lodged that night, and marched on the succeeding day to bejar. after winding round the heights beyond puerto de banos, and about one league further, we perceived the town of bejar, which, from its elevated site on a craggy range of hills, forms a most conspicuous feature in the surrounding scenery. the road became narrow as we approached the town, conducting in a circuitous direction along the sides of the rocky precipice, having gained the ascent of which we arrived at the gates by o'clock, and proceeded through a long street to the plaza. the balconies on each side were lined with a pretty fair display of spanish beauty, from whose sparkling black eyes we were assailed in every quarter. they all appeared ready to leap down from the keeping of their duennas, and were so overjoyed at the sight of the first english soldiers that ever entered within their walls, that they continued one ceaseless cry of "vive los ingleses, viva, viva," at the same time waving handkerchiefs, flags, and streamers, as we passed along. it was easy to account for the joyful reception which we got from the inhabitants. the french were in their immediate neighbourhood, the inhabitants of the town momentarily dreaded a visit, and therefore hailed us as sent to protect them from the plundering hands of the invaders. bejar is situated on the crest of a barren and rocky chain of heights, branching from the mountains of candelario. it is as large as placentia, but differently planned, being composed of one extensive range of houses, enclosed by walls, now falling into ruin, yet still denoting that the place must have been of some importance, to have required the aid of defences such as these were, in former times. the approach is by means of a road or pathway, difficult and bad, in consequence of the broken and irregular nature of the ground, and there are five entrances by arched gateways, leading from salamanca, alba, and other places. the houses are generally solid and well-built, forming a contrast with the streets, which are narrow, mean-looking, and most indifferently paved. the th, which since the death of colonel stewart, was commanded by lieutenant colonel i. b. harrison, formed the garrison here, and the st light infantry, under colonel cadogan, and the nd under colonel cameron, were stationed at banos, and the neighbourhood. in the usual routine of friendly intercourse with the natives, we experienced a good deal of what might be termed a gay sort of life; the intervals, however, and they were tolerably long, were filled up with duty enough to satisfy the most fastidious martinet, the adjutant or sergeant major, with their satellites, being perpetually at our skirts, at all hours, with some newly concocted order for our edification. the french troops, under foy, being close at hand, watching a favorable opportunity to pounce upon us when off our guard, it was quite requisite that we should be on the alert, and keep our eyes about us; idle time was, therefore, a very rare commodity, so that between pickets, outlying and inlying, parades, and other matters of an equally pleasing description, there was not any very great room left to enjoy that society which, in a most inviting way, offered its varied charms for our gratification. by reason of the miserable state of the old defences of the town, that were tumbling about our ears, it became highly necessary to guard other openings than those which the gates presented, and, accordingly, our working parties were busy night and day, in repairing, with loose stones and clay, the several chasms and breaches made by time, that yawned in the ancient and crumbling walls. here, and at all the other weaker points, were well armed parties stationed, and it was by no means so agreeable a lounge as that of bondstreet, or pall mall, to be pacing up and down, like a hungry tiger in his cage, behind those tottering stockades, ever and anon peering above the top, to look out for squalls, or watch the motions of our vigilant opponents. it was truly no joke, or rather it was a cool one, to remain thus shivering in every limb, from the damp and frosty air of a wintry morning. the whole regiment, with the exception of the lame and lazy, was planted at their alarm post, one hour before daylight, and at the rendezvous did they remain, in awful stillness, hardly wide awake, patiently to abide the moment of dismissal, which usually came when the first glimmering of dawn was seen in the horizon, or when a white horse was visible within a mile. with faces exposed to the gentle influence of a sharp norwester, and suffering a purgatorial trial, while straining our organs of vision to get a peep at the aforesaid quadruped, we might have waited till this hour, or even to the day of doom, for no such animal appeared. however, on the full assurance that our quondam neighbours had no desire to favour us with their company at that particular period, we were again despatched from the well known rendezvous, and, hastening to our quarters, we once more unharnessed, and lost no time in bundling into the warm nest from which we had so lately started. among the varieties of our cantonment, assemblies were got up by those of the officers who never failed to levy war against melancholy or the spleen. dancing was therefore the grand attraction, and the votaries of that science were amply gratified. to the lively music of our band, the charming senoritas figured away, in all the seducing attitudes of the bolero and the waltz. in conformity with their absurd and to us hateful usage, the fair damsels on their appearance filed off right and left, in due order, and ranged themselves along the benches with a military precision, worthy of a better cause, taking their seats at such a distance that they seemed resolved, not even in the ball-room, "to trust their soft minutes with betraying man." it was soon manifest, however, that they had not abjured the other sex, for a volley of amorous glances was darted at the forlorn and deserted males, who, taking consolation in noisy converse with each other, were soon lost amid the smoke of their offensive cigars. with voices naturally sharp and loud, the spanish dons continued a palaver, that seemed as though it came through a speaking trumpet, and a babylonish jargon arose on all sides, equalled only in the noisy purlieus of a bull-ring, while, in the mean time, when they chanced to notice any thing particularly striking or amusing in the dance, their delight and admiration were proclaimed by deafening shouts and vociferous yells. then, again, they might be heard crying out for various changes in the figure, such as bolero! bolero! fandango! seguidillo! contradanza! each bellowing for that which pleased his own fancy, to the utter discomfiture of those who would have preferred the quiet pleasures of a less stormy region. fortunately, however, for us, the brawlers were seized with a gambling mania, and a rush was immediately made by them to the folding doors of an adjoining chamber, where a table was ready, covered with dollars and doubloons. the sight of these glittering lures caused the heroes to rejoice, and attracted thereby, they crowded to the room where the blind goddess presided, leaving the party in the other to the full enjoyment of their harmless mirth, for the remainder of the night. the ladies were highly gratified at the departure of the noisy crew, for, being vain of their graceful shapes and figures in the dance, they were happy to show them off to advantage, and to exhibit in the waltz, which, owing to the crowd, they were before unable to accomplish. previous to the vanishing of the gamesters, great was the jostling, pushing about, and trampling of toes, amidst the hooting and noise of the spectators. the palace of the duke of ossuna, near the square, has been in its day a noble and spacious mansion. situated on the most elevated part of the ridge, its conspicuous appearance and lofty towers impart an air of respectability to the town, that could not be derived from any other object. the solid masonry of the outer walls, together with the massive staircase and iron balustrade, which time alone can destroy, remain in good preservation; but the interior, as well as the ornamental work, are utterly in ruins, and the mutilated shell is now the only monument of its original splendour. round each of the windows, and the parapet of the tower, the stonework is curiously wrought in the form of a chain; and the bastion encircling each tower, together with the courtyard battlements, formed a defence in ancient times that must have added considerably to the strength and importance of the building. there is scarcely a day in the whole year which is not dedicated to some favourite saint, and, when the day arrives, each inhabitant, whose name is that of his saint, considers it necessary to celebrate the great event by feasting all his friends and neighbours. st. joseph was the protecting holy man of my landlord in bejar, on which occasion he gave a grand entertainment to all his acquaintance far and near. the ceremony began in the morning when the family arose, and continued throughout the day. the visitors, who came to offer their gratulations and respects to my worthy host and hostess, were received in the large reception chamber occupied by don pepe (joseph), and were served with cakes, chocolate, and liqueurs, handed on plated or silver salvers. numbers came to pay their devoirs until the hour of dinner, twelve o'clock, when a glorious scene of gormandizing set in, which continued for some hours. the banquet was of a most sumptuous nature, and consisted chiefly (being lent time), of fish, eggs, vegetables, and many other articles in that line, cooked up into an endless variety of forms and dishes, such as omelets, olla-podridas, pucheros, and others, which it would be tedious to enumerate. fruit and wines were likewise dispensed in abundance, the former entering first; so that the dessert was served before the first course. to all these edibles the company did every justice, laying in with such good effect, that it would seem as if they were storing themselves with provender for a long campaign. after the siesta, which commenced at three o'clock, the remainder of the time was spent in loud conversation, in smoking, and drinking cold water. the supper, where a vigorously renewed attack was made by those hungry souls, was the last act of this gluttonous display, after which those who could accomplish it rolled away to their respective dwellings. during the week preceding lent, a sort of carnival goes on throughout the town, for the entertainment of the people, who having a long fast before them give a loose rein to their carnal appetites, and such an exhibition of buffoonery takes place, that a stranger would imagine that every fool in fernando's wide dominions had congregated here on the occasion. it is properly called el tiempo del _trucco_, (or time for play,) men, women, and children joining in the ridiculous farce, running to and fro through the streets like maniacs, with their faces blackened, or with masks, cutting all manner of capers, and playing every variety of antics and practical jokes upon each other. the chief amusement of the mob consists in fastening on rags, bits of paper, onion skins, and other ornaments, to decorate the sternmost parts of the luckless wight to whom the honourable badges are appended. in order to complete the resemblance to the monkey race, a tail is sometimes added, giving them thereby a title to claim affinity also with their brothers of the long eared tribe. the delighted multitude, calling out "rabo, rabo," throw pails of water from the windows on the addle pate of the unfortunate pedestrian in the street, and at the same time, logs of wood tied to ropes are suddenly let fall from the balconies, to startle the passing horse or mule, so that the equestrian is soon laid sprawling on the pavement. the gazing crowd is thrown into raptures, while they grin and shout at the wry faces made by the luckless object of their mirth. this display of tom-foolery was carried on to the last moment allowed by their reverend pastors. besides the rabo, they had another trick of casting about on every side a sort of weed called _pillujo_, which stuck to the clothes like flour, powdering the garments in such a manner that the streets appeared as if a fall of snow had lately taken place. in this festival the alcalde himself, as well as other jacks in office, took an active part. his worship, at the head of a regiment of mountebanks, rigged out in a motley sort of costume, went skipping and dancing along, while he led the noisy crew of tag-rag-and-bobtail to collect money for the support of these absurd performances. my landlord, don pepe, was a worthy sort of a fellow, and gave me a good deal of information regarding the town; his brother, a member of the tribe of clerigos, was also a fine hearty don, who had no objection to a spree; whether in canonicals or not, he was particularly fond of cards, and he frequently employed the intervals between his religious duties on the sabbath in a rubber or two with others of his fraternity, who seemed much more expert in that way than in their exercise before their congregations.--gambling is their favourite pastime, and they enjoy it more on sundays than they do on any other day. the chief employment here is carding and cleaning wool for the cloth manufactories. the females are constantly occupied in this business, assembled in groups at their doors and windows, picking the wool and getting it ready for the loom. the men appear to be an idle, good for nothing race, lounging about the squares, or basking in the sun with their constant companion the cigar; here, or, when the weather is bad, round the brasseiro, they congregate in knots, holding disputations on the politics of the day, a subject that is everlastingly on their tapis. in the evening the aristocracy of the place hold their tertullias, which is a meeting where dame temperance presides. collecting a pretty good number at the caza of some comfortable hidalgo, they carry on the old trade of gaming to some extent, the dons who do not play seating themselves with the senoras, a lively conversation is maintained, in which those damsels are by no means idle; nor do they in this, or any other sort of joint stock company, prove themselves to be sleeping partners. at those tertullias there is no refreshing beverage stronger than the chrystal fluid, to wash down confectionary, or bolas (cakes), which are handed round on such occasions. the french, whose head quarters were at salamanca, twelve leagues from bejar, had for some time previous to our arrival threatened to pillage this town and levy contributions on the inhabitants; but the british troops appearing, their plan was then disconcerted.--finding, however, that one regiment alone was to compose the garrison, their former intentions were revived, and they accordingly prepared to make an immediate attack upon the place. the information we gained on this subject (as already noticed) was the means of keeping us on the alert, so that we were quite ready to give them a warm reception, whenever they might feel disposed to pay their long promised visit. on the night of the th, when we were assembled with the civilians at their public ballroom, and were engaged in all the charming mazes of the dance, the harmony of our entertainment was interrupted by the appearance, _mal a-propos_, of one of the staff officials, armed _cap a pie_, and with lengthened visage. with matters of importance written on his brow, this harbinger of warlike tidings, looking like a descendant of him who "drew priam's curtains in the dead of night," informed us that the enemy was rapidly advancing on the town, and that we must proceed, forthwith, to our respective stations at the wall. nothing could exceed the general confusion that immediately prevailed. merriment and joyous glee were in a moment transformed to hurry and vexation. waltzes and boleros vanished like a dream, their place being taken by long faces and grim despair. the fair and lovely senoritas, who just now were all smiles, laughter and good-humour, became, in the twinkling of an eye, downcast, forlorn and woebegone. like so many terrified rabbits, hunted from the warren, they ran screaming breathless and bonnetless in all directions, they knew not whither. the brilliant assemblage was soon dispersed, the scene being changed, as if by magic, into darkness, solitude and gloom. meanwhile, we, whose trade was bloodshed, war and battery, proceeded to our natural occupation, and, being already accoutred for the field, were quickly at the rendezvous, prepared for a little morning sport with the veterans in our front. at an early hour general foy, at the head of two thousand men, and a squadron of cavalry, was observed marching with hasty strides along the salamanca road; and when it was clear day-light, their advanced guard, consisting of light troops, made a vigorous attack upon a strong picket of the th, commanded by captain benjamin rowe, which had been posted at a farm house on the road. formidable by his numerical strength, the enemy pushed on regardless of all opposition, while the riflemen, stealing warily behind the rocks and broken ground, and concealed from our view by the surrounding mist and fog, penetrated almost to the very walls. with determined obstinacy the picket kept its station, disputing every inch, until at length, overpowered by superior numbers, it was compelled to fall back on the reserve, posted near the town. well armed parties of our men were drawn up at all the most exposed and assailable positions, and the utmost vigilance was required on their part to guard against surprise; the defences being so much extended, from their embracing the whole circuit of the scattered suburbs, that, had the french general made a bold and persevering assault, he must at least have gained access to the principal entrance of the place. to this point foy pushed forward with a considerable body of his troops, who, flushed by the success of their first onset, moved daringly forward, to force their way even to the principal street, and made a furious charge upon the party stationed at the gate. this small resolute band, detached from the main picket, was commanded by lieutenant william deighton, of the th grenadiers, who ranging his men across the passage, over which the archway was projected, resolved to defend to the utmost extremity the post at which he was stationed. like a warrior of olden time this gallant soldier, of colossal build and stature, (for he was more than six feet high,) seemed as though he were himself able to check the further progress of the foe. his orders for the firing to commence, was answered by a peal so well directed, and with such deadly aim, as made the frenchmen waver and fall back. a repetition of this warm salutation was answered by a sharp and rattling volley from the rifles of the frenchmen; with bravery worthy of a better cause, the assailants still pressed on, closing after the soldiers under rowe, until they arrived within thirty or forty paces of the walls. their spirit was, however, at length effectually damped by a repeated and destructive fire from our men, which sent them about like nine-pins, handling them so roughly, and finishing the morning's work by such an unmerciful _coup de grace_, that they could no longer hold their own. having no power to rally, or withstand the treatment they met with, they collected the remnant of their scattered force, and forming into column, filed off with deliberate steps along the road, on which, puffed up by full assurance of success, they had so recently travelled. they were soon after joined by the remainder of the troops under foy, who, seeing that all further efforts would be in vain, marched off to his former quarters, chagrined in no small degree at his defeat, and no doubt regretting that he had ventured to attack a garrison composed of such tough materials. the joy of the inhabitants of bejar, on the departure of the enemy, could be only equalled by their gratitude; and, during the remainder of our stay among them, we were treated with a degree of kindness and hospitality, exceeding if possible all that we had hitherto experienced at their hands. encouraged by these warmhearted people, as well as by the smiles of beauty, we could not have felt any duty too severe, that might have been a means of protecting them from the rude embraces of frenchmen, and from the plunder and destruction of their town and families. chapter xvii. on the th of april, , we marched from bejar; i need not add that it was to the mutual regret of all parties; and, proceeding on the road leading to the puerto de banos, were cantoned that same night at the village of banos near the pass. in the early part of may, the several divisions of the english army broke up from their winter quarters, and, directing their course towards the northern provinces of spain, commenced the last of the peninsular campaigns, namely, that celebrated one of , during which the french were altogether expelled from the country, and the british standard was planted triumphantly on the pyrenees. on the th, the nd division, under lord hill, moved forward. it was composed of the following regiments, the th, th, st, th, th, th, th, th, st and nd. marching by successive routes, in the course of which, through the beautiful valley of the ebro, we met with no extraordinary event to intercept our progress, we arrived, about the middle of june, on the plains of vittoria. at an early hour on the st of the month, the st brigade, consisting of the th, st and, nd regiments passed through the town of la puebla, and halted at its extremity on the main road; where, in consequence of intelligence received that morning, orders were given for the troops to hold themselves in readiness to meet the enemy in the course of the day. renewed life and animation possessed our men, on the assurance that an opportunity was at hand for giving the adverse party a specimen of their military skill, and likewise of escorting them safely across the pyrenees. so unexpected, however, was the prospect of an immediate and warlike interview, that for some time the news was considered to be one of those false reports that are so often known to wing their flight about the line of march. but the tidings were soon confirmed by ocular demonstration; for on our rounding the head of a lofty promontory, that overhung an angle of the road, the french army was exposed to view, ready cut and dry, drawn up in order of battle, before vittoria. their several columns, formed in dark masses, contrasted with the green verdure of the surrounding fields, produced an effect resembling that of a closely planted forest, extending over the country in front of that town. we had been travelling, for many days past, on short allowance, which, although it put us into excellent condition for a race, was by no means so favourable for a forward movement in the battle-field; moreover, there was nothing whatever forthcoming in the shape of provender, but, on the contrary, we ourselves were in a fair way of becoming food for gunpowder. to deteriorate still more our solitary situation, the commissary was not to be found; for, unfortunately, he either would not or could not keep up with us; and the consequence was, that we had no means of supply, a few loaves of dingy bread, sparingly served out, being the sole contents of our miserable breakfast. it was therefore evident that starvation as well as broken heads was to be the order of the day, and, should we escape the latter of these evils, the only chance to avoid the former was to rummage the first haversack we could find, for the contents of which the owner would most probably have no further occasion. in this rueful state of things we again started, moving towards a chain of high mountains that bounded the western side of the valley. having gained the termination of the level road, and arrived at the base of those heights, the brigade was again halted to obtain a little breathing time, as well as to take a look at the ammunition, examine the flints, and other preliminary measures usual in such cases. during these proceedings, the st, commanded by colonel cadogan, pushed forward in double quick time; ascending the steep and rugged side of the hill, they penetrated through the wood by which it was covered, and, opening a brisk running fire right and left, dislodged the enemy's tirailleurs from every corner of their strong position. while advancing on this enterprise, the highlanders suffered considerable loss, from the cool and deliberate aim of the french rifles; and their brave colonel received a mortal wound. being immediately conveyed to the summit of the eminence, he was informed of the successful career of our troops, and of the good conduct of his own followers, and soon after, with mild composure and tranquillity of mind, he resigned his gallant spirit without a murmur. cadogan, although a young man, was a most intelligent and experienced officer, and greatly valued by his noble relative wellington, who placed so much confidence in his skill, and formed so high an opinion of his military talents, that on every occasion of importance he was entrusted with command. the th and nd regiments, under the orders of colonel cameron of the latter, followed the example of the st, and marched onward by the steep circuitous route which that corps had traversed; and, after some delay as well as difficulty in clearing through the heath and brushwood that overspread the pathway, succeeded at length in attaining the highest part of the eminence, from whence, after forming into column, they continued to advance along the edge of the precipice. on this elevation, raised far above the plain on which the hostile armies were contending, we had almost a bird's eye view of the whole field of action, spread out, as it were, like a map beneath our feet. the reverberation of the artillery among the rocks, by which we were surrounded, the echo of the continued rolling of musketry, the confused noise and din of the battle's turmoil, the varied bright and polished arms, accoutrements, and trappings of the combatants, as they shone resplendent in the rays of a brilliant sun,--the rapid movements of the cavalry to and fro,--the manoeuvring of the infantry, together with an endless variety of circumstances connected with the pomp of war, formed on the whole a scene of awful grandeur, unrivalled by any thing that the imagination of man could fancy. the enemy, meanwhile, made considerable resistance, while slowly retiring from hill to hill, and his light troops, taking advantage of every means of cover, tormented us exceedingly, and picked off a number of our best men and officers. the st continued in advance, and crossed that part of the mountain which was scooped out on one side into a deep ravine or hollow, where, gaining the extreme point of a high and broken promontory, they took firm lodgment in a position, the rocks almost seeming to be formed by the hand of nature into a fortress of great strength. in this situation they were observed by a numerous party of the french, who were posted near them, on some commanding ground, and whom, from their dress and appearance, they mistook for spanish troops. finding this would do for a very good _ruse de guerre_, the treacherous deceit was kept up, and, as soon as the highlanders had assembled within range, the enemy opened a raking and murderous volley upon their ranks; and so desperately did they maintain this fire, that, in a little time, the gallant st was almost cut to pieces without being able to return a single shot. being compelled to retire across the ravine, the remainder of the regiment fell back on the brigade. on our march across this ground, an incident occurred which made a deep impression on the minds of those who happened to be present at the time. across the pathway, and on either side, men and officers were lying, and one of the latter was extended on his face among the heath and brushwood, so close to where we passed, that major malcolm mackenzie of the th, prompted as it were by intuition, suddenly dismounted to ascertain who was the individual. stooping to observe the features, that were partly concealed by the long broom, he started back with grief and consternation, on perceiving that the young soldier, who had thus fallen an early victim, was his brother, lieutenant colin mackenzie of the same regiment. the gallant major, thus taken by surprise, was so much affected by the event that it was a considerable time before he recovered from the melancholy shock. he was himself killed in france, in the course of a few months, after having run an honourable career throughout the whole of the peninsular war. they were both sons of captain h. mackenzie, the paymaster of the regiment, who was highly esteemed and respected by the st, in which he had served many years. the whole line moving forward along the ridge, the entire extent of which by this time was carried, our troops followed the retiring enemy with steady perseverance, until all opposition having ceased throughout the field, a general halt took place, and the firing was discontinued. the fugitives, in straggling bodies, fled precipitately towards the woods, through which the road to salvatierra leads; their numbers being every moment swelled, and their confusion rendered irretrievable, by fresh accessions from vittoria and other quarters, myriads of the routed foe covered the distant country as far as the eye could reach, their route being traceable by a continuous and lengthened train of baggage, guns, and wounded, as well as by the interminable multitude of followers, that are always to be found upon the skirts of a beaten, or in fact of any other, army. of prisoners taken the number was consequently great, and the whole of the baggage and artillery fell into our hands together with most of the wounded.[ ] [ ] while employed in some hot work upon the hill, i observed an instance of "taking things coolly," even in the midst of fire, which is worthy of noticing here. one of our captains, a brave, intrepid soldier from the other side of the tweed, (who had been so often in the smoke that he seemed only in his proper element when the balls were whizzing past his grisly locks, and the music of great guns was sounding in his ears,) happened to get a crack in the arm, of so violent a nature as to fracture the bone. regardless of the wound, while the blood was streaming fast, he looked down sorrowfully on the damage effected on his precious garment, the object of his tenderest care, which had so often been wheeled to the right about, that with respect to it, the old adage of "one good turn deserves another" was virtually attended to, and, after eyeing wistfully the awful breach, with greater horror than he would the breach of badajos, or any other he was about to storm, he cast an angry glance towards that quarter from whence the missile was sent, and exclaimed, in none of the softest tones, as though he wished the whole french army might hear his voice, "dom the fellows, they've spoiled my cott!" we bivouacked in the woods to the north of vittoria that night, in a condition quite enough to cool the military ardour of the most ambitious warriors; reduced to the borders of utter famine, and harassed by continued exertion. the successful issue of this day's operations acted, however, as a balm for all our troubles, and although it furnished not our humble board, was nevertheless a means of encouragement, which served to banish the desponding thoughts that, under other circumstances, might have weighed us down. the casualties in the st brigade were not of great extent, compared with those of others in the field. our business was chiefly on the heights; we were therefore not so much exposed to the fire of cannon as those who were engaged upon the plain. the light troops bore the heat and burthen of the day, getting the hardest knocks, while the battalions acting in support and in reserve, were much more gently dealt with. chapter xviii. on the nd of june, we pursued our journey on the road by which the fragments of jourdan's army had retreated, and, passing through salvatierra and other towns, we arrived before pampeluna, early in july. soon after this we entered the valley of bastan, situated on the boundaries of the lower pyrenees. while we were advancing towards the pyrenees, a most tremendous storm burst upon the column, as it was marching over the crest of a lofty ridge. the thunder rolled in fearful peals, and the forked lightning, attracted by the polished fire-arms and bayonet points, flashed about our heads in an awful manner, threatening destruction to the troops. lieut. masterman of the th was struck by the electric fluid, with such fatal violence that his death was instantaneous; his features scorched and blackened, and his body burnt almost to a cinder, presented a frightful spectacle as he lay extended on the road. here commenced that system of manoeuvring on the enemy's flanks, by which, day after day, we forced him to retire from the commanding ground where he had been posted. instead of running directly into the lion's mouth, we paid our respects in a more cautious manner. the light troops were dispatched, and, taking a widely extended circuit right and left, closed in upon the wings of the adverse party, threatening their communication with the rear. the french, instead of making any resistance in these wild and thickly wooded glens, adopted a more prudent line of conduct, and, not having any particular appetite for cold steel, scampered off to the next range of heights at the moment when we expected to have had a brush, leaving us, by way of a legacy, their half extinguished fires, their broken huts, and all the rubbish of a deserted camp. agreeable to this novel mode of tactics, which was the standing, or rather the chasing, order of the day, our divisions proceeded onward, the advanced guard of each leading into a difficult country, the roads winding through vast chasms and narrow defiles, by which the lower branches of the pyrenean chain are intersected. as we approached the more lofty range, we passed through lanz, erruita, elisonda, and other clean and well inhabited places, our route still penetrating through deep ravines, and bending with the sinuous current of the upper bidassoa river, by which the verdant fields and pasture lands are fertilized. the whole extent of the vale of bastan presents, on every side, the most beautiful scenery that can be imagined. the green and richly cultivated meadows, as contrasted with the naked and inaccessible heights by which they are surrounded, produce an effect that renders the appearance of the landscape at once impressive and delightful. the lover of nature in its varied and romantic forms might here enjoy a prospect, of which it would be impossible by words to convey even a limited idea. on the th of july, , the st brigade of the nd division, marched into elisonda, and, proceeding forward for about a league, halted on the brow of an elevated ridge, from the summit of which the ground descended in a slope, thinly covered with woods, to the extremity of our position. the st and nd were encamped on the main passes of the mountain, to the left of the bayonne road; and the th was bivouacked among some trees, about a mile to the right of the corps. the enemy at this period having been driven from all the roads leading across the pyrenees, came to a stand on a range of strong hills, commanding the principal approaches into france. marshal soult, their general in chief, disappointed and mortified at thus being defeated and expelled from the peninsula, determined to make one last and desperate effort to regain a footing in that country; he therefore made preparations for a grand attack upon our lines, and put his threat in execution on the th of the month. the heights, in every direction, were covered by the french encampments, in which we could discern large bodies of their troops assembling. about this time, while we were in the enjoyment of our bivouac and the invigorating influence of the mountain air, an amusing scene took place in the lines of the th. in the middle of one of the dark nights, during our station on the hill, a dreadful storm came on, upsetting huts, wigwams, and all the paraphernalia of our camp. during the commotion, the mules and other baggage animals, terrified by the howling of the wind, broke loose from their moorings, took flight in every direction, and getting entangled among the tent cords they cast us all adrift. bewildered amidst the gloom, and dreaming of war's alarms, it seemed as though the french were in among us, or that a caravan of wild beasts was set at liberty. such bellowing, screams and shouting from right to left, at once resounded throughout the hill, that the storm was quiet in comparison. drums and bugles giving the alarm, accompanied by the braying of a hundred jack-asses, with the clamorous tongues of men, women and dogs, combined to produce an opera, or rather, a tragi-comedy, of so ludicrous a nature as was never witnessed on the pyrenees before.--in a state of demi-nudity, (finding that no tangible enemy was in the field,) each returned to the wreck of his shattered dormitory, where, endeavouring to crouch beneath the well-drenched canvass, or the more wretched shelter of the trees, we lay in torpid misery, waiting patiently the return of day. the morning of the th of july was ushered in by a bright sun, and other favourable appearances, denoting the continuance of fine weather. about noon intelligence came that the enemy was advancing in strong force upon the pickets; in a few minutes the whole of our line was formed, and the th, st and nd drew up on the highest part of the ridge.--from thence were perceived large bodies, covered by a host of light troops, rapidly driving in our outposts. the pickets, together with the th regiment, under the command of colonel fenwick, of that corps, immediately occupied some elevated rocks, on the right of our position. soult, observing with his experienced eye that this important post was not sufficiently strengthened, sent a number of his men to dislodge our soldiers from the spot.--after a sharp and sanguinary contest, (colonel fenwick being severely wounded,) our troops descended from the hill, and fell back with considerable loss upon the brigade. by this time the french in solid masses were gaining fast the steep sides of the mountain, preceded by a swarm of riflemen, clambering the ascent like wild cats, and rushing on with incredible gallantry towards the summit, in order to gain a lodgment there. having accomplished this, and the whole extent of our line being under the range of fire, we were exposed to a most destructive shower; the balls whistling past our ears, like hail stones driven in a storm, tumbled our men in every direction. resistance now was unavailing against such odds, and, although an incessant peal of musketry was opened on the enemy, our situation was no longer tenable, and we retired upon the next height, leaving many killed and wounded on the ground.[ ] [ ] colonel fenwick was, on his return to england, appointed governor of pendennis castle, where he died a few years since from the consequences of his wound. our right wing suffered greatly on this occasion, most of the grenadiers were cut off, and their leader, captain william ambrose, was mortally wounded in the groin; among the slain was likewise lieutenant william deighton, of the same company, a native of cumberland, who so gallantly defended his post at the gates of bejar, and whose conduct at all times was that of a cool and intrepid soldier. ensigns williams and white were also killed--the former carried the king's colours, which falling with him, another officer, who observed the circumstance, conveyed them to a place of safety; williams was a young officer who volunteered with men from the warwickshire militia, and had scarcely recovered from a wound received at vittoria--white had been for many years our quarter master sergeant, and in consequence of his merit, he had lately been promoted in the regiment; he was a man advanced in life, and an excellent worthy character, esteemed by us all. the conduct of lieutenant charles brown of the light company was conspicuous; seeing the frenchmen pressing closely in, he was determined to lend a hand in giving them a check, in a manner which he could not accomplish with the feeble weapon which he wielded; he therefore seized a musket, (plenty of which were scattered about), and extending himself upon a bank of earth, let fly with such deliberate aim, that many of the frenchmen were effectually stopped in their career. brown was an excellent shot, and enjoyed the thing amazingly, appearing quite in his element, going about his work as methodically as if he were shooting partridges or wild ducks, shewing a degree of skill worthy of the most practised amateur. this was the only instance of the kind that ever came within my observation, and can be justified only by the strong desire a sportsman, (for he was a zealous son of nimrod), had to indulge his ruling passion; for officers, in general, have too much to attend to, while in action, and therefore could not, were they so inclined, indulge their fancy in that way. the lieutenant joined us from the east middlesex militia, from which he brought a number of volunteers. he was an active good-looking fellow, and a most agreeable companion. he was afterwards severely wounded, and retired on half-pay to enjoy a pension which he very deservedly obtained. having once more to abandon our position, the th and th fell back upon that on which the nd was drawn up. o'callaghan, amidst the din of arms, calling to his soldiers with the tones of a stentor, "steady th ordinary time!" these corps actually retired with the most deliberate pace, as if upon parade. the highlanders, under cameron, stood firm, and maintained their post with determined bravery until their ammunition was expended, when, borne down by legions, the remnant of these devoted northerns withdrew to the contiguous hill.--their colonel, having had two horses shot under him, and being twice severely wounded, was forced to quit the field.[ ] captain bevan, of the nd grenadiers, was wounded at the same time, as well as many other officers of that corps. [ ] colonel cameron commanded the nd, throughout the whole peninsular war, with honor to himself and to his regiment. he fell nobly, at quatre bras, in the centre of a square which was formed to repel a strong body of french cavalry. when the th was again formed on the hill to which they had retired, they were supported by the th, with the hon. colonel o'callaghan at their head. both these corps poured in a tremendous volley from right and left, while o'callaghan, a stern hibernian, by his own example, stimulated his men to personal acts of valour. the enemy, meanwhile, nothing daunted by this destructive fire, pushed forward with renewed exertion, urged on by the spirited exhortations and conduct of their officers. the latter with signal courage took the lead, and waved caps or cloaks with one hand, while with the other they brandished their sabres in the air, shouting out--"vive l'empereur! en avant! mes enfans!" thus gallantly headed and additionally animated, drums beating and trumpets sounding, the columns rushed on with wild and desperate fury. while the th was acting in support of the nd, colonel charles hill of the former was struck in the groin by a spent ball; and had scarcely recovered from the shock, when another hit him on the forehead, which caused him at once to fall, to all appearance mortally wounded, and with deep concern his soldiers beheld him carried off the field; the command devolving on major thomas dundass campbell. the increasing masses of the enemy bore down all before them; and the th and nd, the latter then commanded by major mitchell, retiring from hill to hill, defending with obstinate resistance every inch of ground, halted about five o'clock in the evening on the brow of a lofty and precipitous rock, the highest point of the lower pyrenees, and to the left of the pass of maya. the st, whose encampment we had crossed, suffered considerably while covering this movement, and was at length compelled to join the rest of the brigade. elated by the issue of their formidable attacks, our adversaries persevered in the arduous struggle, to gain the passes, and, although at the expense of considerable numbers, still kept possession of every piece of ground by which those passes were commanded. their riflemen, with unparalleled boldness ferreting their way within less than pistol shot of where we stood, by a rambling fire did very great execution throughout our already diminished ranks. with such precision did those experienced artists do their duty that very many of our companions were killed or wounded on this height. a party of the officers of the th, who were collected in a knot, discussing the affairs of the eventful day, were quickly seen by those marksmen, who, from behind the rocks, dispatched with deadly aim a few rifle missiles, each with its billet; and the balls were so faithful to their errand that the congress was soon dissolved, some of the members being sent to "that bourne from which no traveller returns," and the remainder wounded. among those who fell on this occasion, was lieutenant hugh birchall of the th battalion company, which he had commanded for some time. having fallen ill, he was in his bed at elisonda, when the battle commenced, and hearing the noise of musketry, he thought that something was going forward in the lines, in which he ought to bear a part. with a mind endued with strength superior to that of his weakly frame, he arose from the couch of sickness, and calling all the vigour that he could muster to his aid, tottered with feeble pace to the field of action, arriving at a late hour upon the hill. exhausted, pale, and like one risen from the dead, he resumed his former place, and scarcely had he joined the group assembled in the front, when, by a fatal bullet, this spirited young man was numbered with the slain. in crossing the place where the st had been encamped, a party of the enemy pitched a tent belonging to that corps, and, forming in a ring about this trophy, made the hills echo with their shouts of triumph. the nd and other regiments coming up at that period soon obliged them to change the notes of their song, and put an effectual damper on their pastime. the brigade of general barnes and some german troops, arriving opportunely to support the nd, made a desperate charge upon them, and following up this bold attack drove them completely across the pass, and back to the ground where they had been posted.--no further efforts were made on their part to renew the contest.--had there been sufficient time the th division would have totally expelled them from the mountains, but daylight failing brought to a conclusion one of the most sanguinary and hard fought battles recorded in the annals of the peninsular war. the th lost a considerable number of men in this action; and the following officers were among the killed and wounded: _killed_--captain wm. ambrose, lieutenant w. deighton, grenadiers, ensign williams, ensign white: _wounded_--lieutenant colonel c. hill,[ ] captain charles grant, light company; roger north, lieutenants mcdonald, patterson, nowlan and jones; ensigns collins and bateman. [ ] it was at first supposed that colonel hill was killed, and he was returned on that list, but after a most singular recovery, he was able to join the regiment previous to their embarkation for england. captain grant had his leg amputated, but continued in full pay. lieutenant mcdonald was afterwards killed at aire, in france. in consequence of the right of the line at roncesvalles having been carried by a superior force, and also by reason of the loss sustained, the nd and th divisions, cooperating with the rest of the army, retired on the night of the th, and morning of the th of july, and after passing along the road that leads through the valley of bastan, they formed on the hills in front of erruita. here the british made a determined stand, beat the enemy back, and followed up the blow with so much vigour that he was completely routed, driven through all the passes, and forced once more to take refuge in his own country. chapter xix. the writer of this narrative being wounded, he joined the long train of maimed and mutilated aspirants for honour and glory, who wended their way slowly and with painful steps to the city of vittoria, where the principal hospital stations for the army were established. the cavalcade was not of that description which will excite any pleasurable emotions in the mind; those of despondency were the most prevailing, which the departure from our brother soldiers was not in any degree calculated to diminish. however, this being all the "fortune of war," we jogged along patiently, some on mules, others on waggons, and not a few on the humble jackass, forming on the whole a procession of so motley and varied a character that, by the time we reached our journey's end, we were not unlike sir john falstaff's recruits, with whom he was ashamed to enter coventry. we cut a most interesting appearance, some with heads tied up, and some with limbs, as we made our entré at a funereal pace, exhausted and chopfallen, loaded with as plentiful a supply of _fame_ as the most zealous amateur could desire. nothing could exceed the anxiety depicted in the countenances of those who had been in vittoria, since the battle there. so many vague reports had been circulated with regard to the army, that they were unacquainted with the true state of things, and hastened to meet the travellers, as they approached the town, and with deeply interested looks enquired the fate of their brave companions in the field. accompanied by our friends, who kindly sympathized with us, each of us repaired to his proper quarters. mine were at the house of a respectable looking man, who, though a spaniard, proved by his manner and conduct that in his heart he was a frenchman. to his spouse, a dame not unworthy of so treacherous a helpmate, our application for any means of comfort or accommodation was of no avail, and beyond the luxury of a hard mattress, upon a harder floor, with bare walls to look at, neither i, nor any of the luckless cavaliers that were billetted under the roof of these inhospitable people, could obtain any thing whatever. los franceses were the favourites; and as for the english, our patron would have rejoiced at their expulsion from the country. doubtless, this partisan held a different style of language, when he was informed, that his very particular friends were completely ousted from every part of spain. in a front room of this mansion, the occupant was lieut. alexander h. pattison of the th regiment, who was severely wounded at vittoria, and whose society and conversation contributed greatly to relieve the tedium of our solitary lodging. pattison was above seven years eldest lieutenant in the th, and became, in the course of time, lieut. colonel of the nd west india regiment, in the command of which he died at the bahamas. captain gough, of the th, was quartered in the next house, where we passed some pleasant days, while comparing notes on the subject of our late adventures. poor gough i never saw again. he was a passenger from america, (where his regiment was quartered), in the union packet, which was shipwrecked off the coast of ireland, and was among those who unfortunately perished. vittoria is a well built and populous city, with regular streets, and a handsome square. the country around is abundant in all the productions of so fine a climate, and did not seem to have experienced any of those evils incident to war. the inhabitants in general treated the british officers with civility, but many were inwardly our enemies. some time after our arrival, however, they thought it better policy to affect a degree of reverence for us, and make wondrous professions, of the sincerity of which we had certain doubts. it was during our stay here, that the honorable captain gore, of the th regiment, was put to death by a party sent to force an entrance into his quarters, in order to convey from thence a lovely and interesting damsel, whom that officer had taken under his protection. of this tragical event there has been so many different versions, that, if i were to relate the particulars as reported at the time, the account would probably vary from others that were published. i shall therefore forbear from any detail of the painful and melancholy narrative. the gallant captain was certainly imprudent in resisting the spanish authorities. knowing as he did the prejudices of the country, the results of the ill-fated attachment might have easily been foreseen; for, thus to get involved so seriously with a fair senorita could not fail to exasperate and excite the vengeance of her family.--the unfortunate affair was truly to be deplored on every account. gore was a fine promising young man, and his inamorata (since entombed within a convent), was beautiful. the good people of vittoria enjoyed themselves, while we remained, as much as any other set of mortals in this transitory state of being. apparently indifferent as to what might become of their politics, they assembled, during the cool and refreshing hours of evening, in groups around the doors, making merry among each other with lively chattering, and peals of laughter, that flew, in a sort of running fire, from one end of the city to the other. about this time, the celebration of a grand festival, in honour of one of their numerous saints, was going forward. during its continuance, the place was in a state of noisy uproar, and the people were infected with a sort of dancing mania, enough to gladden the heart of st. vitus himself. we were insufferably tormented with the unmerciful squealing of fifes, and upon the parchment they were perpetually drumming in our ears. between the hours of feasting, the towns-people, of all ranks and ages, sallied from their dwellings; old and young, rich and poor, were on the pavé, from the child in leading strings, to the wrinkled hag of eighty, all afflicted with the mania. on a signal for a general ballet, and the music striking up, the crazy multitude, electrified in every limb, commenced an exhibition of gymnastics unequalled by the most skilful artist, sufficient to make even an anchorite grin and stare. it was quite amusing to see the aged spinster, whose charms were faded by the hand of time, with pinioned elbows, tripping it with an antiquated beau; the withered grandame hobbling on her feeble pins to some venerable don; and the smirking lass with amorous eye, and attitudes enticing, figuring away with a gallant cavaleiro. it was, in short, a most ridiculous display of asses in human form. the shakers of america, or the dancing dervishes of turkey, were in comparison tame. pushing, jostling, screaming, and ogling, seemed to be all the mode throughout the motley crowd, so that were a stranger suddenly to make his appearance, he would fancy that the inmates of some lunatic asylum had been liberated, and were playing off their antics through the town. ever and anon, some would retire within their doors, but other fools supplied their place, and in single ranks arrayed on either side the street, like those drawn up in a country dance, they exhibited in a style that vestris might have wondered at. there was a curious medley of mirth and sadness throughout the city, which to the sufferer and the invalid was but a mockery of his woes. quietness and peace would have been far more grateful than such ill-timed, unwelcome and vociferous revels. early in september, , accompanied by lieutenant rhodes, of the th regiment, i set out from vittoria, on the route to bilboa, for the purpose of embarking for england. proceeding towards the northern provinces, we arrived at tolosa on the following day, where we remained one night. the landlord of the posada at which we brought up, was a very humorous character, and also an extremely odd fish; but he was one who had an eye to business, taking good care of the main chance, for, hearing of the success of the british arms, and that some of the troops were likely to pass that way, he fitted up his hotel in good style, and went to such expense, that it would have been a pity had he been disappointed. with regard to the exterior of his premises, he was determined to make a display of his loyalty, and therefore put up the sign of fernando settimo, whose ugly countenance was no great attraction to the traveller. by his conversation, in a sort of mongrel anglo-spanish dialect, one would suppose that he was a veritable patriot, and that he reverenced the english. the inscription on his signboard, however, seemed to put a different face on the matter; for by his own shewing it would appear that upon the thick skull of this worthy the organ of destructiveness was strongly marked, or, in other words, that he was neither more nor less than a cannibal. the passenger, therefore, might well start with horror, on perusing the aforesaid notice, which by the arrangement of the painter, ran thus: "francisco perez, estalagem for eating gentlemen lodged within." poor francisco was evidently not in the school-master's line of march; for in his attempt at an english sign, by not minding his own _stops_, he publicly forewarned all who might be journeying that way, that _their stops_ in this world should not be of long duration. giving nevertheless this honest spaniard full credit for all his promises of civility, and having no particular dread of being hashed up into minced meat, or an olla-podrida, we lodged ourselves in his hostelry, happy, after a long and fatiguing march, to get a place of rest, even under such inauspicious circumstances. we arrived at bilboa in a few days, having had rather a pleasant though protracted journey. rhodes being a good travelling companion, we got on smoothly enough, with a certain independence of character very much to be envied; for as we were entirely out of the range of adjutants, orderly books, and other such unfashionable concerns, we felt like gentlemen at large, with light hearts, and, not being overburdened with cash, with still lighter pockets. as to our worldly goods and chattels, we might apply to ourselves jack's favourite ditty. "a handkerchief held all the treasure i had, which over my shoulder i threw," &c. we found at bilboa much kindness and hospitality, and were lodged in quarters that a prime minister might have envied. like other large communities, the place had a lively and social aspect, which appearance was considerably improved by fresh importations of john newcomes from england, in search of laurels and broken pates, as well as hard goers from the army, with their brows already crowned, but minus in the usual complement of legs and arms. the weather proved unfavourable, and prevented our seeing the lions of the place, but, as those are not generally numerous or curious in the spanish towns, our loss was nothing to grieve about, nor do i think that, had we seen them, the description would have been either amusing or edifying. on the th of september, we entered the small sea-port of passages, having, in our route from bilboa, lodged in several good looking places. after concluding every arrangement with regard to our affairs, we embarked on the th of october, in a small brig, bound for plymouth, taking final leave of a country where, for so long a period, we had been engaged in all varieties of campaigning, and where, amidst the toils and dangers of our wandering life, we experienced some happy days, with so much of unmingled pleasure, that, although we were proceeding homeward to our beloved native land, more of sadness than of joy was felt when parting from the shore. before we got out into the open sea, we sailed through an intricate and narrow passage, which seemed, as it were, a natural fissure of tremendous depth, violently rent asunder, by earthquake or volcanic agency, through the steep and precipitous mountain ridge by which this part of the coast is bound. the scenery, in the midst of the close and dangerous channel, was of a desolate character. there was no apparent means of egress from the dark and gloomy chasm, walled in on either side by huge rocks, rising far above the topmast head, and the hazardous attempt to steer a vessel through in stormy weather, would prove fatal to those who might rashly undertake the perilous navigation. our voyage across the bay of biscay was unattended with any thing remarkable or uncommon, and was in every way as favourable as could be wished. in about five days we landed at plymouth, rejoicing at the idea of being once more on the shores of britain. chapter xx. although i was unfortunately deprived of knowing by personal observation the movements of the th, i have, however, good authority for stating an outline of their proceedings. fighting their way as usual, they were present in everything that was going on during the ensuing campaign, and, after lending a hand in drumming the enemy out of the pyrenees, they carried the british colours into france, where they performed a very distinguished part, at the passage of the nive and the adour. they were also shortly engaged at orthes, tarbes, aire, and other places; in short, whenever there was anything to be done in this line of business, the old boys were sure to be in the thick of it. while they were advancing to the attack, at aire, the pickets were in front, skirmishing with the french light troops, covered by a deep ditch, or breast-work, above which the instant one of our party attempted to shew his head, he was without ceremony popped off. this sort of wholesale slaying was too much of a good thing, and kindled up the wrath of lieutenant duncan mcdonald, a fiery little north-briton, who, getting rather impatient and fidgety, called on his men to follow him, in order to have a dash at those fellows, who were thus making their comrades food for crows. as he was jumping across the top of the ditch into the field, and before a single man had time to join him, he was struck by a rifle ball, and fell dead upon the spot. the soldiers, immediately rushing forward, took ample vengeance for the loss we had sustained, and charged the marksmen with such effect that they took to flight in all directions, evacuating entirely the town and neighbourhood. in the absence of colonel hill, brevet lieutenant colonel harrison commanded the th, and on every occasion the gallantry of this officer was conspicuous, and it is remarkable, that in the midst of all that fighting he never received the slightest wound. brevet major w. a. gordon, th, was entrusted with the command of the advance battalions in forcing the passage of the nive, and for his bravery and intrepid conduct on that service he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. among those who fell dangerously wounded on the advance to bayonne, was captain robert verney lovett;--he died in england, in consequence of the injury he received, and being a man of social and convivial qualities he was much regretted. the following officers of the th were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners, from the battles in the pyrenees to the termination of the war in france: _killed_--lieutenant and adjutant william myles; lieutenant and adjutant duncan mcdonald--_wounded_--captain h. custance, captain r. v. lovett; lieutenant r. keddle; ensign sawkings--_missing_ --lieutenant general bartley--_prisoner_ lieutenant general power.[ ] [ ] myles was wounded in the ancle, but died soon after of locked jaw; he was an active and zealous officer, and a quiet inoffensive man. duncan mcdonald was killed at aire. keddle died in enniskillen. power on half-pay. custance is now lieutenant colonel, commanding the th regiment. sawkins, leg amputated. lovett died in england. bartley, pay master th, in new south wales. in the course of these campaigns, i had many opportunities of estimating the comparative merits of english, scotch and irish soldiers, of which there has been a good deal said, and on which there is so much difference of opinion, that it seems difficult to arrive at any truth upon the subject. military men alone can form any idea of what those soldiers can accomplish. for my part, i believe, that in one essential point, that is, with regard to courage, there is not the slightest shade of difference; at least i never could observe any, the men of each nation showing themselves possessed of a pretty equal share of the commodity in question, or what is usually called mettle. it is merely as to temper and disposition, in particular situations, that they may sometimes vary. simply speaking, were it necessary to employ a body of troops upon a service where they might be much exposed to fire, or which required a great degree of cool and steady firmness to effect the object of their chief, while at the same time they were to be engaged with an obstinate foe, and that for a continuance, i should certainly select the englishman, who performs his duty well, because he knows of nothing but obedience. there is, in general, no particularly actuating principal in him but this. with reference to his friends and country, john bull hardly ever thinks upon the subject; he is not a very meditative animal, but pursues his straight forward course without flinching, and with a zealous desire to acquire the good opinion of his officers immediately around him, whose example he will follow even to the breach. in quarters there are none more easily managed, and as for good order and cleanliness of person, they surpass the soldiers of every country. they likewise display much of personal vigour, being strong, athletic and well-formed, so that when a charge is to be made, the bayonet in their hands becomes a most dangerous weapon, the effect of which has been severely felt by their enemies in every corner of the globe. were i at liberty to choose a party upon whose steadiness in camp and quarters, and upon whose fidelity to orders, i might depend, and who, from love of country, take pride in the most implicit obedience to their officers, even while suffering all the miseries of hard service, cold and famine, commend me to the scotch. their esprit de corps, and faithful attachment to their chiefs and clans, is proverbial, and form the actuating powers of influence with them, prompting them to follow their leaders, even "to the cannon's mouth," while the pibroch is ringing in their ears. talk to a highlander of his heaths and mountains, and remind him of his honour, his blood gets up, and he will burn with ardour to signalize himself for the honour of his people. to learn the character of the scotch regiments, look to the page of history. now for the hibernian--come along, my lads,! hurrah!--they may well be called rough and ready fellows; not over solicitous about personal appearance, they use no unnecessary delay about the toilet, and are therefore always at hand, and prepared for a start, at any moment or on any duty, when their services may be wanted. is there a fort to be stormed, or a castle wall to be escaladed, then, they are the boys for your work. only let them have a little word of encouragement, accompanied, (if you like), with a small drop "just to keep the could out of their stomachs," by way of priming, and they will assault a battery bristled with cannon. as for behaviour in quarters, they are now and then a little unruly to be sure, for pat, when he gets a taste of the creature, is rather a pugnacious being. the irishmen are, however, firm soldiers in the field, and nothing can match them in the bivouac, where their fertile genius comes into play; while the veterans of other corps are gazing about them, they have got their huts made, their wood cut, and may be seen scampering all over the country, in search of all the good things that may be had for love or money-- "pat is the fellow that lives on his pay, and spends half a crown out of sixpence a-day." the rd division, (sir thomas picton's), was called the fighting division. it was chiefly composed of irishmen. this is quite as much as if volumes were written on the subject. look to the th at barrosa, the th at badajos, the th and th every where. more need not be said. the german troops are superior to any i ever met with for strict attention to duty. they are determined, brave, and cool in the hour of battle; and, should they be entrusted with the outposts, the camp may sleep in safety, and in full assurance of being vigilantly watched.--hardy and inflexible, they conform under any state of things to their commanders, at whose will they move with the regularity of a piece of mechanism. there was a company of the th rifles attached to our brigade, who were all germans. they were commanded by captain philip blassiere, a singularly active and zealous officer. throughout the whole period of our warfare he never was absent from his station. with unwearied perseverance he braved the hardest weather and the roughest service; his athletic frame and iron constitution enabling him to withstand it all, holding out with stubborn tenacity while hundreds gave way around him. undergoing all hardships in common with his men, he walked by their side, partook of the same fare, and shared not only with them the dangerous trade of fighting, but all the miseries of cold and famine with their attendant train of horrors. he was foremost on all occasions, where shot and shell abounded, and was at the rendezvous before a man of the brigade was assembled; and long before the march commenced, there was blassiere ready with his germans for any thing that might be wanted. the external appearance of this man was well calculated to excite surprise, and corresponded with his character for self-denial. his wardrobe was of the most scanty nature; the jacket and other parts of his attire, the original colour of which could not be distinguished by the most microscopic eye, were worn out, patched, and threadbare, and were pieced in various places; and the whole of his costume seemed at least for the last seven years to have retained its original situation on the person of its owner. thus accoutred he trudged along, indifferent about the elements; as fast as he got wet, he got dry again, for he never changed his clothes. his muscular neck was enclosed by a hard leather stock and brass clasp to match, and all his trappings were of the same coarse materials as those worn by his men. the haversack, manufactured of rough canvass, sometimes proved a treacherous friend, for through many rents and breaches, made by the hand of time, the mouldy and crumbling biscuit found its way, leaving but the fragments of his bare allowance. the blue canteen, well clasped with iron hoops, afforded him a source of comfort; its contents being to him a certain panacea for all evils. with habits somewhat eccentric, he was never known to indulge in any thing beyond the rations; and having no desire for the society of others, he discussed his frugal meal in solitude, avoiding even the luxury of a tent. his good humoured though weatherbeaten countenance was the index of his mind, which was cheerful and contented. after buffetting all the storms, roughing it through thick and thin, and standing out the pelting of many a shower of bullets, this gallant veteran fell at last in battle when the army entered france. chapter xxi. intelligence being received that peace was concluded, the second division of the army embarked at bordeaux, and, sailing from the garonne, arrived in england early in . the th was ordered to cork, and, after marching through various parts of the emerald isle, they were sent to the north of it, where with the head quarters in aughnacloy, they remained for the winter of the same year. early in the spring of , the regiment was removed to enniskillen.[ ] here we were treated with the most liberal hospitality, not only by the inhabitants of the town, but by those of the surrounding neighbourhood, who generously received and entertained the officers, during the whole time of our residence there. the nd battalion of the th, and some troops of the th dragoon guards, together with the staff of the fermanagh militia, composed the garrison, the whole in charge of major general stephen mahon. [ ] lieutenant robert keddle, of the th, died in this place, from the effects of a severe wound, which he received in france. he was interred with military honours, and a stone with a suitable inscription was placed over his remains. bonaparte's return from elba was the signal for renewed warlike preparations; hence every possible means were resorted to for the augmentation of the british army. the troops in enniskillen commenced beating up with active zeal, and our regiment having on its return from france been reduced to a mere skeleton, was compelled to use redoubled exertions in order to complete its numbers. the whole of the noncommissioned officers, with the band, and drums at their head, marched daily through the streets, tempting by most alluring baits those young fellows, who, struck with military ardour, were gazing and listening with wonder at all the fine speeches of the serjeant[ ]. of the raw material there was abundant food for powder, and so many of the hibernian youths were out of work that our battalion was soon filled up, and in the course of the summer we were quite prepared for any service. [ ] the beating-up was a most enlivening affair; the horns and kettle-drums, together with the noise of various other instruments, made such a rattling through the town as kept the good people thereof wide awake, calling to the windows on every occasion a precious bevy of fair and blooming damsels, ready themselves to take on with any gallant gay lothario, who might feel inclined to serve a campaign or two with them, in the field of venus instead of that of mars. from enniskillen the regiment marched to londonderry, where they remained during the winters of and .--while they were stationed in the garrison they were treated with the utmost kindness by the people, who testified on all occasions the high respect in which they held the military profession; and those officers now alive who were at that period quartered there, can bear testimony to this record of the attention and generosity displayed by the inhabitants of that loyal and interesting city. several detachments from the regiment were cantoned in various parts of the country, where they had but miserable accommodation. the officers thus situated led rather a solitary life, varied occasionally by the still-hunting expeditions, a species of service attended with much fatigue. often have we travelled for miles over deserted tracts, and, after long continued wanderings, come perchance upon some spot where the illicit manufactory was in active work, and where every scheme and stratagem was used to avoid detection. seized upon without resistance, the unfortunate people were paralysed with terror, and were captured together with their whiskey. many were the wailings and sorrowful cries of these miserable creatures, thus dispossessed of all they were worth in the world; and it was pitiable to hear their wives and children in despair imploring for mercy, while the relentless hand of law held their husbands and fathers within its grasp. it is much to be deplored that the king's troops should be employed in a duty of such a revolting nature, which brings them into hostile contact with the poor inhabitants of their own country; it is certainly no very agreeable, and it might be added, honourable employment, for any officer to be a gauger's whipper-in, or for his party to be the advanced guard of an excise officer, or deputy assistant carriers of potteen whiskey. we found it a most irksome, harassing and unpleasant service, the very recollection of which, even at this distance of time, is enough to make one shudder. whenever the approaching military were observed from the top of a distant hill, where scouts were posted to look out for the enemy, a signal was made to the dealers in the contraband, who were busily employed at their lawless calling, in a poor and roofless hut, situated in a remote corner of the mountain glen. from hill to hill the well known signal spread like wild-fire, and long before the soldiers reached the spot, the chief performers were off, having previously destroyed or removed the whole apparatus of their trade, leaving not a vestige of whiskey or machinery behind. the loud shouting and hallooing of the terrified fugitives, while the gaugers thirsting for their prey gave chase, resounded among the heights. knowing every pathway they soon outran the cunning excisemen, and by the best of generalship left them to measure back their steps, bewailing their ill fate, in thus losing their prize, that was almost within their clutches. in order to fill up the intervals between these excursions, seeking for outlawed characters, hunting for robbers and highwaymen, or any other honest calling in that line, was the employment of the military. the duty of the officer was no sinecure; nor could he ever enjoy the quiet pillow, so frequent were the demands upon his time. while the th was in derry, mr. butler, of grouse hall, in the county of donegal, was cruelly assassinated in front of his own hall door, by a noted villain named magennis, who fired at him with deliberate aim, from a plantation before the house. magennis, who had been engaged in other murders, bore a dreadful character, and in such horror was he held, that on hearing of the commission of this last diabolical act, that every well disposed and loyal person was willing to lend a hand in his capture, and an immense reward was offered for his apprehension. the troops of course were employed in this affair, and were out at all hours in pursuit of the outlaw, without success. for months he thus eluded the vigilance of the civil and military powers, outwitting them in their plans, and bidding defiance to their efforts to take (as he thought) his invulnerable body. disguised in various costumes, he fled from place to place, as best might suit his purpose, perpetually changing his abode, from the remote villages to the mountains, and lying at times concealed in deep recesses of the wildest glen or rocky cavern, where assisted by his friends, (for, strange to say, this wicked man had friends!) he lay in privacy secure by day, while by night he prowled about the neighbourhood of his favorite haunts. he was familiar with all the most inaccessible and unfrequented spots throughout the country, and with the trackless waste he was well acquainted. being constantly on the watch, he was far distant from his pursuers at the very time they supposed him within their grasp. as soon as the soldiers appeared in sight, this daring robber, standing on a promontory, or ledge of rocks, and waving his hat in the air with loud shouts of defiance, would challenge the men to fire. at the next moment he would spring from the precipice, and mounting a hardy galloway, scour off in triumph to another hill; thus rendering useless all exertion to take him, and shewing the difficulty of making any man a prisoner in a country where the laws are not sufficiently respected, and where the vilest malefactor is screened and sheltered from their power by the populace, in whose neighbourhood the crimes have been committed. among those stationed at outquarters in ennisshowen was lieutenant john winder plunkett, of the th, who commanded a party in that district[ ]. this officer, finding that the labours of his men for the apprehension of magennis were in vain, and that it was a folly any longer to persist in the fruitless chase, consulted with the magistrates, who agreed with him in thinking that it would be better to proceed by way of stratagem. a few trustworthy fellows were accordingly despatched in disguise, conducted by faithful guides, who searched in various corners, with the view of taking the murderer by surprise. in consequence, however, of treachery, or false intelligence, even their exertions failed, and it was feared that he would at last escape, and thus avoid the punishment due to his enormous crimes. [ ] lieutenant i. w. plunkett had served with honor to himself during greater part of the peninsular war, but being reduced with the supernumerary lieutenants of the th, he memorialized to be placed again on full pay. in consequence of his good conduct on former occasions, as well as in the capture of magennis, he was, through the interest of sir robert peel, appointed to the th, or royal borderers; with which regiment, he served some years in the west indies, and died of fever in demerara, in , after becoming senior of his rank, deservedly regretted, not only by the th, but by all his old companions of the th. plunkett himself at length volunteered to make the dangerous attempt of seizing on the person of the lawless villain; and, as soon as he could get some clue, by which to ascertain his lurking place, he was resolved to proceed upon the enterprise. an opportunity was now at hand for carrying the plan into effect; for, one morning, while the lieutenant was considering about the matter, a countryman disguised appeared suddenly in his room, and assured him, that, if due protection were afforded, he would conduct him to the place where magennis was to sleep on the following night. rejoiced at this welcome information, the officer at once closed with the man's proposal, and told him he would be ready to attend him in the morning. at the appointed hour, the party was assembled, and, having to travel over a bleak and mountainous range of hills, the roads on which were intricate and bad, they did not arrive till midnight at the village, on the skirts of which they halted. the night was dark as pitch, the stillness of the grave prevailed throughout, and not even the smallest gleam of light was seen among the wretched group of dwellings. every thing so far was favourable, and lest any treacherous design should lurk within the peasant's breast, our worthy cicerone was strictly guarded, and a loaded musket placed in the vicinity of his head. "come now, my lads," whispered the irishman, "move on in silence, you'll soon be at the spot;" on which they followed him on tiptoe; not even the barking of a dog was heard, to interrupt them. in a state of breathless caution they passed the cabins, from the window of one of which an ugly beldame peeped out her wizened face, and seeing the men, she quickly hobbled to the door; but the hag was in a moment seized, and told, in no very gentle terms, that if her ladyship made the slightest noise, her life would be the forfeit. this admonition caused old curiosity to quake so with fear, that her final exit would have speedily taken place had she remained in durance vile much longer. a man or two being left as body guards to her highness, the remainder moved on quietly down the street, when the guide, pointing to a poor and desolate hovel on the road, said, in a low voice, "the object of your search lies there." measures were immediately taken to dispose the men in such a way about the cabin that no one could escape; sentries were placed at doors and windows, the soldiers were prepared with loaded arms to prevent a rescue, and nothing was left undone to secure their prey. on being informed of the room in which the guilty bandit lay concealed, plunkett, a man of tried courage and great personal strength, quickly forced the outer door, and clearing all impediments he rushed onward through the passage, with a pistol loaded to the muzzle, made a rapid push into a small apartment, and perceived the outlaw extended on the bed; to spring like a hungry tiger on his prey, and put his weapon to the fellow's head, was the work of an instant. magennis, armed to the teeth, and having for bedfellows a blunderbuss and brace of pistols, started up with horror, looking wildly and in fierce anger round, while he made a violent struggle to disentangle himself from the iron grip of plunkett. the noise of these proceedings being the signal, the men without burst into the scene of action, when the ruffian, after making one last despairing effort to fire at the lieutenant, and seeing that further resistance would be vain, surrendered to the party, delivering up his weapons to their brave commander. so completely was the villain taken off his guard, that he appeared almost paralysed with terror. well aware that of mercy for his crimes there was none in store, he submitted with dogged looks to the men about him. astonished at the courage of his captor, he addressed him thus--"sir, what rank are you in the th,"--"i am a lieutenant," returned the officer. "ah!" said magennis, you ought to be general plunkett, for having taken me." the prisoner being pinioned, they marched him from the village, and, on the following day, he was safely deposited in the county goal. thus was this notorious criminal taken in his bed, through the intrepid conduct of one individual, after the ineffectual efforts of many well-armed men. he was executed at lifford, in a few months after. the unfortunate man, who acted as guide to the captors, was, in a short time, barbarously murdered by his countrymen. chapter xxii. being ordered to join the regiment in the west indies, i proceeded for that purpose from albany barracks, in the isle of wight, to cowes, the st of november, .--on the morning of the nd, the troops intended for the same destination embarked on board of the john rickards, a fine ship, the captain of which, john ward, was an excellent seaman, as well as a kind and amiable character. the detachments were composed of men belonging to the royal artillery, and th, th and nd regiments; all commanded by major henry pierce, r.a.-- in consequence of the unfavourable state of the wind, the ship remained at anchor in the roads. the officers employed this interval in making further preparations, as well as in amusing themselves in the best way they could, some in wandering along the sandy beach, others in sauntering about the streets, and not a few in rambling through the country in various directions, exploring the beauties of the island. on the morning of the th, the wind coming round to n.e., signal was immediately made, when with hasty steps we all repaired to the boats lying at the sea-beach, ready to convey us on board. in a little time the embarkation was completed, and about noon we were under way, standing down channel with a lively breeze, and a fine clear day. the bustle and commotion, incident to the beginning of a long passage, the stowing away of animated and inanimate lumber, with a train of other preparatory measures, were attended with the confusion and noise that generally takes place on such occasions, and it was not until we had got pretty well out to sea that matters subsided into something like good order and regularity. the cabin was not much better than those narrow prisons usually are in the west india merchantmen, but afforded tolerable head room to those who were not descended from a race of giants. the berths, or cupboard looking dens, intended to do the duty of sleeping places, on either side, were hammered up in a very rude style, without regard to comfort or convenience, presenting nothing whatever to allure to peaceful slumber the unfortunate being who was doomed to be incarcerated in them. their odour was not exactly of a kind to rival that of the rose; such as they were, however, we had no alternative; a hammock suspended from the ceiling of the cabin would of two evils have been by far the least. the officers were all a cheerful and good tempered set of men, each resolved to contribute his mite to the general stock of harmony; and thus assist to lessen the miseries that form unavoidably part and parcel of a shipboard life. politely speaking, the fair ladies ought to have been first alluded to. those whom we were so fortunate as to have for our companions, were well disposed to lend their aid in promoting whatever might tend to relieve the tiresome voyage. we could not therefore fail of being as happy as mortals could expect, under all the circumstances. while passing the needles, the pilot took his leave, burthened with numerous epistles and billet doux, to wives and sweethearts. we gave many a longing lingering look to his weather-beaten skiff, as it glided swiftly to the shore, viewing it as the last connecting link of that chain which bound us to old england; but now alas! to be severed, while we remained under mournful feelings, which the bright aspect of surrounding things could hardly dissipate. it was beautiful to behold, on that sunny day, the prospect on either side, whether we looked to the green hills of the isle of wight, or on the rich and varied scenery along the coasts of hants and dorset. sailing at the rate of six or seven knots, we rapidly bounded through the water, and, bearing away to the south-east, in a few hours we cleared the english channel. by this time we began to experience certain very uncomfortable qualms, felt more or less by landsmen and sailors on their first invasion of the ocean. gay and jocund looks were speedily changed into those of a more sickly character, the unpitied and unpitying malady, as the sea got rough, spreading its influence around. as for the griffins, or young adventurers, they vanished in silence to the lower regions, betaking themselves to their proper dens, where they lay perdue, meditating on their hapless fate; and, in a situation bordering on despair, were indifferent as to whether they went to the bottom of the deep, or were dismissed from the world by a shorter road. it is wonderful how soon the ardour of even the most ambitious hero is cooled by a bout of sea-sickness; the frame and spirit are paralysed, and all the energies of mind and body are lying prostrate, and he cares not a farthing for himself, or any human being. the worst of it is, no one has compassion on the wretched victim, and though he may seem absolutely in a dying state, the healthy and older hands only laugh or grin at his distress; shaking their contented sides, while they cruelly prescribe for the unhappy patient a fat mutton chop, or a wedge of greasy bacon. for the smallest spot of solid earth upon which to set one's foot, even though it were in a barren wilderness, the wealth of india would with gladness be exchanged, and, in bitterness of heart, the meanest reptile that ever crawled upon the surface of dry land becomes an object of envy. our gallant bark still ploughed her way through the restless and sparkling waters, bearing the faint and the light-hearted, the joyful together with the sad, onward to the warm and renovating atmosphere of southern regions. even when our calamities were at their worst, there was always something to keep us from sinking into total despondency. among other resources against care and ennui, there was the amusing society of a gentleman, named charles, our worthy surgeon, a stout, broad shouldered milesian. he was the drollest fellow imaginable, of such infinite humour that he not only was the means of banishing the blue devils from those who were in health, but of raising the spirits of the sick and down-cast. in short he was a genius that could keep the table in a roar. we could not by any means get on without the doctor, who, by his comicalities and racy mirth, has restored more patients than hundreds of his drenching brotherhood have done, by all their quackery, nostrums, pills and boluses. this jolly son of esculapius had all the ready wit and quaint originality of his countrymen. by his songs, anecdotes and stories, the tedium of many a wintry night upon the deck was pleasantly beguiled. these were indeed sufficient to dispel the grievous thoughts of even the most miserable ascetic that ever pined away his days in cell or hermitage. poor charles ended his career in jamaica, where he fell a victim to the yellow fever, and his brother officers were thus deprived of a social companion, and society of a good-natured and estimable member. biscay, with all its stormy attributes, now stared us wildly in the face, and shortly we were rolling on its waves, with nothing to relieve the prospect. we, fortunately, escaped this time any very tempestuous weather, being reminded only now and then, by sundry awful lurches, (to the total overthrow of tables and contents), that we were still in blustrous latitudes, and that we could not hope to cross this noted bay without some little tossing, and a brush or two from one of those gales for which it has so long been famed. ground and lofty tumbling, as well as other gymnastics, sufficient to educate the novice for a trial of skill in that branch of science, holding on by ropes, a somerset or two, intermingled with a game at all fours, were consequently, in their turn, the most general occupations of the landsmen; while, at the dinner table, the farce that was occasionally exhibited was quite as good as anything that mathews could perform, and could not fail to excite the risible faculties of a stoic. when quietly seated round the festive board, during a lull, or while the sea was calm, there was nothing but "eat, drink, and be merry;" but, presently, comes on the old work of pitching and rolling. by one tremendous lurch, the company are thrown upon their beam-ends, all make a grasp at the table, which is followed by a pull at the cloth; then comes on the tug of war,--chairs, stools, benches, give way from their moorings, in consequence of the violent shock, accompanied by a column of plates, dishes, mugs, and glasses, with a long train of crockery, and our stock of eatables, all are mingled up together, and scattered about in every direction. a platter of potatoes is flung into the lap of the unlucky genius who has been endeavouring to rescue a leg of mutton; a piece of salt junk is delivered up in exchange for some pickled pork; and thrice happy the wight, who, in trying to save his own bacon, gains possession of a huge ham that flies most lovingly to his arms. soup and gravy are distributed in profuse showers upon the sprawling gastronomes, who with open mouths engulf the savoury fluid, and ruefully glancing upwards, survey with wistful eyes the precious morsels, flying to and fro in mid air, to tantalize their hungry maws, rendering more keen the bitter misfortune which has thus so cruelly deprived them of cherished joys, now dissipated like the morning dew. meanwhile the ill-fated masticators, so lately floored, not daring to let go the ring bolts and table legs which they most affectionately clasp, lie scrambling with all the appendages of bed and board coming in awful contact with their devoted heads; too happy, if perchance, amid the fearful chaos, they can be permitted to gnaw the tough and stringy junk, or enter into discussion with a flinty biscuit, seasoned by a ravenous appetite, the sauce a la mode with all campaigners of ancient and modern times. so much for a dinner at sea. the drama brought forward while in the enjoyment of the beverage that "cheers but not inebriates," was much of the same character, whenever our good ship thought proper to recommence her antics, and comfort, like riches, "made unto herself wings and flew away," leaving her shipmates to weather it out in the best manner they were able during the period of her absence. after doubling cape finisterre the weather became remarkably fine, and we began to experience the genial influence of a milder atmosphere. about the th of december, we approached the latitude of madeira; the nights were beautiful and light, the stars also appearing with a brilliancy we had not before observed. while the winter in england was setting in with all its accustomed severity, we were throwing off our warm clothing, and getting the awnings and wind sails in readiness to guard against the effect of extreme heat. on the th, at daylight, land was seen from the mast head, which upon close inspection proved to be that of the above island, bearing s.e. by s., and distant about twenty miles. the wind being contrary, we made but little way, beating off and on, sometimes becalmed, with the sails flapping idly about the masts and yards. in this wearisome situation, without any thing whatever to vary the dull sameness, we were glad to embrace the first opportunity that might present itself of making an attack upon our neighbours of the deep. the idlers, therefore, began to try their hand at a little amusement in that line. the appearance of some turtle, floating on the surface of the water, induced captain ward to lower the jolly boat, into which ensign ross and three expert sailors immediately leaped, pushing off at once with the intention of breaking in upon the slumbers of these drowsy animals, and, if possible, of introducing one or two of them to the acquaintance of the gentlemen on board. arriving at the spot where the fish were basking in the sun, they made an ineffectual effort to get one of them into their hands; and, soon after, they were seen tugging away lustily at the oar, on their return to the ship. they had unfortunately neglected to stop the hole by means of which the boat was to be drained, the water had gradually entered before they had perceived the error, and the boat was filling rapidly. there was no time to be lost; with every nerve and sinew the anxious crew leaned firmly to their work; but, being in a swamping state, they moved slowly through the water. by a miracle at last they gained their vessel, up the sides of which the exhausted men were hardly able to clamber. it was with difficulty they got on deck, thankful that they had so narrowly escaped a watery grave. while we were off madeira captain ward was desirous of complying with the wishes of the officers, by landing them, but the violent surf on the beach being likely to endanger us in the attempt, and the wind being light and baffling, it was found impossible to accomplish the desired object. on the th of december we discovered the island of palma, bearing s.w. the famous peak of teneriffe was likewise observable. in a few days, we got within the influence of the trade winds, blowing regularly throughout the year, between n.e. and n.w. the deck now became agreeably cool, in consequence of the awning being spread, and our rate of sailing being generally six, seven, or eight knots, with a fine steady breeze, under every stitch of canvass we could bear, we generally ran from a hundred and fifty to two hundred miles in the twenty four hours. the only remarkable event that happened on the passage took place about this time, which nearly proved fatal to one of the men. a soldier of the nd being accused of theft, and fearing the shame and punishment that might ensue, formed the desperate resolution of throwing himself overboard. he accordingly jumped from the main shrouds into the sea, and, not being able to swim, he dropped fast astern. the ship, which was going at the rate of six knots, was hove to, and the jolly boat was immediately lowered, into which three of the crew threw themselves, and pulled in the direction pointed out by those on board. in consequence of a heavy swell, they could not succeed in finding the proper course, and every possible means of saving the poor fellow would have failed, had not providence enabled him to float, until the boat was at last brought to his side, when they picked him up at about three hundred yards from the vessel, into which he was hauled in a state of complete exhaustion from fatigue and terror, after being more than twenty minutes in the water. the nights in those latitudes were truly splendid, the brightness and clear silvery light of the moon, (now in the full), far outshining the usual appearance of that luminary in the temperate zone. the weather continued delightful, and for many days the sails remained unchanged, the seaman's life being almost a sinecure. protected from the intense heat, by the shade which the awnings afforded, our proceedings, whether for amusement or otherwise, were all conducted on the deck. the soldiers, sailors, and women, assembled there after sunset, as well as on the gangways, in order that they might, during the cool refreshing hours, have a little bit of sport in the way of dancing. reels and hornpipes were the most prevailing favourites, and, to the music of a fife and bag-pipes, they tripped it on the plank with no small degree of spirit. in these the scottish lasses displayed a very good share of cleverness, and it was quite amusing to behold with what vanity as well as delight not a few of these merry northerns footed it away, with all their heart and soul, untiring and untired, to the tune of the cameronian rant. the tars enjoyed the fun, and seemed completely in their element while figuring off in the passeul, or reeling it with the ladies. one of these damsels, in particular, a comely and laughter-loving wench, from the banks of the clyde, known by the appellation of dumbarton mary, was in truth the picture of good humour. with rosy cheeks, and a brace of dark eyes, she had rather an interesting appearance, when in her tartan dress, and with stockingless feet, she gave them a specimen of the highland fling. singing was also going forward, not only on the forecastle but on the poop, where our worthy medico had a knot of pleasant fellows seated round him, listening to the ditties by which he entertained them. long yarns were spun, and every thing was put in requisition, so that the night was pretty well curtailed, when unwillingly each withdrew to dream of the day's adventure. to celebrate the invasion of father neptune's empire, or, in common parlance, crossing the line, preparations were actively made on all hands, and the usual as well as oft repeated ceremony was duly performed. this ridiculous mummery began at an early hour, and continued, with its noises, uproar, and buffoonery, to a late period of the day; drunkenness and excessive rioting reigned throughout the vessel;--sailors and soldiers were in one general state of disorder and intoxication. the custom, though of long standing, appears to have no other tendency than that of producing tumult and confusion amongst the crew, and is one of those absurdities that ought long ago to have been abolished. in consequence of these unmeaning and dangerous proceedings, a private of the royal artillery, named wailey, was found dead in his berth, on the following morning. upon examination of his body by the surgeon, it appeared that the unfortunate man drank to such excess of strong rum, that, having lain down and covered himself, he soon got suffocated, from the powerful effects of the liquor. he afforded an unhappy instance of the fatal consequences of intemperance, as well as of the evil that arises from that abominable practice to which he prematurely fell a victim. on the rd of january, , after being thirty six days at sea, intelligence of _land in sight_ was joyfully heard by all on board, and towards noon, the small island of deseada, in the caribbean sea, was plainly discernible on our larboard quarter, bearing w.s.w., and distant about twenty five miles. every one arose and got on deck as quick as possible, in order to feast their eyes upon this most agreeable and welcome prospect. directly ahead further appearances of land presented themselves, and guadaloupe soon became distinct; the lofty mountain of la souffriere rising abruptly above the foreground, the nearest point of which was not more than four miles off. in the course of the forenoon we came in sight of his majesty's frigate, tribune, captain willoughby, which had been for some months cruizing about in this latitude. our gallant ship bore up for the frigate, which had made a previous signal for that purpose, and on arriving close the troops and seamen gave her three hearty cheers. the tars who manned the yards of the tribune returned the salute by a peal of loud huzzas, while their band, at the same time, in most excellent style played "rule britannia." our sails were filled, and once more steering on our course, the frigate bore away in a superior manner, giving us as we parted, "the girl i left behind me." from the th to the th we lay becalmed off cape tiberon, the south-east point of st. domingo, and on the evening of the latter day a fine breeze springing up, we made so good a run in the night time, as to bring up our loss, and, as we went at the rate of from eight to nine knots, st. domingo was far astern by day light. at a very early hour we were hailed by the cry of land in sight, and presently the blue mountains of jamaica were distinctly visible on the lee bow. rejoiced at these good tidings we continued on the deck, anxiously looking out, with the hope of being safely moored in the course of the evening; these hopes were fortunately realized, for the wind being steady, and blowing in our favour, we soon gained the east end of the island. about ten a.m. we arrived off port morant, and, scudding along under all the canvass we could carry, cleared yellah's point by two o'clock. nothing could be finer than the appearance of the island. as we closed in towards the coast the most splendid and romantic scenery opened to the eye, as we passed each headland, while the rich and varied country, bordering on the mountains, enlivened by the luxuriant cane fields, together with innumerable trees and wide plantations, formed on the whole a prospect of exceeding beauty. by five p.m. we made port royal, and soon after dropped anchor in the harbour. the pilot we had taken on board was now to his very great joy discharged. he had no great relish for the blowing he had got, and seemed miserable while he was in the chilly regions of our vessel. all the time that we were panting and puffing from the heat, and trying to get into every hole and corner from the sun, our sable commodore said "it was berry cold day", and shivering in every limb, like a navigator at the pole, crouched in from a breeze that felt as though it were coming from a furnace. when blacky first put his foot upon the gangway he looked about him with an air of some authority, and standing by the helm assumed no little consequence. it was nearly sunset when the anchor was let go, which operation was no sooner performed than some boats came along side, bearing certain officials, who in their exercise of pretended duty, or curiosity, commenced prying about with rather an important air; among them were idlers and loungers not a few, who, with the usual preface of "i hope i don't intrude", began rummaging all about the ship, poking into every hole and corner for stale newspapers, old magazines, or any other chance provender for their inquisitive appetites. nothing escaped the notice of those gentry, who with open mouthed avidity poured forth a whole volley of questions, about affairs in general, in that country from whence we came. having fully satisfied their minds that there was no more to be explored, the intermeddlers vanished, previously helping themselves quite coolly to any little matters that were thrown about, of course of no use in the world to the late owners. by this time there was scarcely any twilight, darkness suddenly coming over the face of every object, while at the same time impenetrable mist overspread the wide and placid harbour; as there was not the slightest breath of wind, the land breeze not yet being felt, a most oppressive heat and closeness produced on the new comers a suffocating effect, that made them not in the least desirous of resuming their berths below. chapter xxiii. some of the officers, of whom i was one, went ashore at port royal, to enjoy an hour or two's recreation, and to stretch their legs, a luxury which it may well be imagined was most acceptable to them, after being cooped up within the narrow precincts of a few planks nailed together, and with only the interminable marine view as a relief to the mind. we entered a tavern, in the lower part of the town, where we indulged in a copious draught, known by the name of porter cup, an excellent and refreshing beverage, made of madeira wine, port, and other ingredients, and which i commend to the notice of any traveller who may hereafter travel that way. this tavern was kept by a facetious and eccentric character, well known by the appellation of johnny feron, a sort of french adventurer. his house was generally well frequented by strangers, who, during the period that they remain within his care, he, by means of an exorbitant bill, relieves of the troublesome burthen of any loose cash by which they may be overloaded. the house of this wily frenchman was crammed full from top to bottom of soldiers and sailors, carousing, smoking and revelling. the galleries were occupied by a noisy crew, who with loud and obstreperous mirth made the slender fabric ring. upstairs and down, the landlord with his train of dusky waiters were running to and fro, so many were the calls for the attendance of these worthies; the tongues of the bells chimed in with that of their master, while a garrulous jargon was kept up, that made us gladly take leave of this pandemonium for the more tranquil regions of the ship; we therefore hastened to the beach, where a boat was in readiness to convey us on board. the hotel, (which from the number of its customers was entitled to that designation,) was a light and flimsy tenement, and, like other buildings throughout the island, was but a mere piece of framework, lathed or boarded in, and having verandas and jalousies, painted in various gaudy colours. in consequence of the prevalence of storms and hurricanes, the elevation in these cases is never beyond the first floor, from whence project a range of galleries, supported by the pillars of the colonnade below. the whole arrangement of the slender edifice is such, that any inconvenience arising from the heat and other effects of such a climate is but slightly felt. the town of port royal, (situated, as is well known, on that remarkable strip of sand that forms the eastern barrier of kingston harbour) has had many awful visitations, being so often destroyed by earthquakes, and as often rebuilt upon the ruins, that it is fit only for those who, being tired of their lives, would venture on the chances of a new and summary mode of making their final exit. however, the importance of the station as a naval depôt, as well as that of the works commanding the entrance of the bay, have outweighed all other considerations, and have induced the government at home to keep so strong a garrison there, that the remnant of a town is yet preserved, although from past experience one might expect that desolation and tottering walls would be its only monument. the long narrow bank, which is terminated at its point by a strong battery, is barren and unfruitful, presenting not the least vestige of cultivation, or other object pleasing to the eye, with the exception of some straggling cocos, standing like sentinels at the water's edge, and the scattered tumble-down looking houses, with many indications of decay, forming a sort of close irregular street, of which, taverns, gaming houses, and other receptacles of vice, are the most prominent features. on the following morning, at day-break, we jumped upon deck, with all the eagerness and impatience of a bevy of gaol birds on emancipation from their prison house. rowing across that wide and beautiful bay, we hauled to, along side of the wharf at kingston, where, on landing, the several fellow travellers separated, each for the quarters to which he was bound. accompanied by ensign william ross, of the th, i proceeded direct through the principal street to the house of mr. smith, a respectable merchant, under whose hospitable roof many officers of the garrison found a cordial welcome. our friend was enjoying himself under the cool shade of his veranda, where he received us in an open and generous manner, and, arriving just in time for breakfast at the usual hour of six, we partook of an excellent repast, to which our morning excursion on the water enabled us to do sufficient justice. the habitation of our worthy host was a pretty fair sample of those throughout the town, and, although not large, was commodious, and furnished in a style adapted to the climate; matting of split cane, or straw, instead of carpets, the chairs of cane, and every other article to correspond. within the piazzas, on the ground-floor, were the store and offices, and, opening from the galleries above, were the several domestic chambers. without delaying to explore the geography of kingston, we started about eleven for the barracks at up park camp, in a sort of gig or cabriolet peculiar to the island, and arrived about twelve o'clock.--here we found the th stationed, under the command of lieut colonel john bacon harrison, to whom having duly reported, we were handed over to the apartments allotted for our reception. the troops then in jamaica were the th colonel harrison; th colonel d. walker; st colonel ryal; and the nd colonel ----; the th and nd, the latest comers, whose ranks diminished by the sickness of the last year were almost reduced to skeletons, were little better than the shadow of what they were at the time of landing. of the old th but few remained.--completed before they sailed, to the full establishment, by a fine set of young men from the north of ireland, they departed from that country in the highest state of order and equipment for this island, where they had not been stationed for many months when the most sickly season set in that for many years had been remembered. full of strength, and the vigour of youth, the new soldiers soon became the victims of disease; indulging immoderately perhaps in the pernicious rum, and ignorant of its baneful effects, they lay prostrate in dreadful numbers beneath the dreadful pestilence. so great a sacrifice of human life had not taken place in all our hardest battles combined together, and the oldest inhabitants here tried in vain to recollect a more severe and afflictive dispensation.--with regard to the officers, from the colonel to the youngest ensign, including staff, the greater number were carried away.[ ] [ ] from the year to , the th and nd lost men, which is at the rate of per year each regiment, in the eight years. the rd and st, from to , (eight years,) lost men, or about a year, each. the th, from to , (six years,) lost , or men a year. the nd and th, lost from to , (three years,) , or men a year, each regiment. in jamaica the most unhealthy months in the year are august and november, and the most healthy are may and june; in the former months the mortality is four times as great as in the latter months. dividing the year into two equal parts, the "healthy season" may be considered as extending from february to july, the "unhealthy season" from august to january. the deaths in these two seasons are as ten to twenty-seven. the seasoning, or period of severe mortality, generally occurs in the latter half of the year in which a regiment arrives. among the th, the fever broke out in july . the nd highlanders did not arrive until the early part of the summer in that year, and were therefore badly seasoned. being a long time companions in the same brigade, the meeting between these corps was consequently joyous, and in order to celebrate the happy event they dined together in the camp. sobriety of course was not a member of the party; and, as might well be expected, the hospital was not without its portion of the company on the ensuing day. predisposed as the men in general were by former habits, as well as by frequent exposure to the nightly dews, the malady broke out with violence unparalleled among both regiments; from that period it raged throughout the island, sweeping all before it, and even among the civilians the mortality was unbounded. in some localities the ravages were far more dreadful than in others; up park camp, spanish town, fort augusta, and stony hill were among the fatal number, and at a small place on kingston harbour, called greenwich, no human being could exist. in a fort erected there, upon a low and swampy piece of ground, a party of artillery had been posted, the whole of whom soon died; another was sent, but they followed their companions; and so rapidly did each in succession fall under the pernicious exhalations arising from this deadly spot that it was, at length, abandoned altogether. on the list of those who perished was colonel charles hill of the th, who, after beholding with grief the loss of nearly all his officers, was himself attacked while stationed at fort augusta. his mind and body were thoroughly exhausted, and the sufferings he underwent were, in themselves, enough to bear down a stronger man, but when the fatal illness came, he was indeed badly able to withstand its violent effects. alone as it were in the midst of pestilence and death, his fortitude was well nigh overcome by the affliction he was doomed to suffer, in following to the silent tomb, one after another, his friends and faithful companions in arms. it was, indeed, a trial too hard for the firmest mind to bear, and affected this estimable man so much, that, afterwards, he never held up his head. few were then remaining to pay the last and mournful tribute to his memory, but those few, with heartfelt sorrow, witnessed his interment, where so many of his soldiers had previously been laid. to perpetuate the worth of the excellent and gallant officer, a monument was erected, in the church at kingston, where, although upon the marble was inscribed abundant testimony of his fame, an inscription far less perishable is deeply engraven on the hearts of _all_ who had ever been under his command. colonel hill was above forty years in the th, serving with them in every clime, and during every time of peril. possessed of independence, he might long since have retired to the enjoyment of private life, but no,--the regiment was his home, the officers and soldiers were his family; with them he passed the flower of his life, with them he passed to an honorable tomb. an earnest desire for the welfare of his country, together with an ardent zeal in the service of his king, were the actuating motives by which he was influenced to the latest hour of his existence. up park camp is beautifully situated on an extensive piece of level ground, at the base of the liguana mountains, enclosed by the prickly pear, and a great variety of flowering shrubs. the verdant plain is interspersed with numerous rich and valuable trees, whose luxuriant foliage has a brilliant and enlivening effect. the spacious esplanade, upon which the barracks stand, is ornamented and embellished with all the taste displayed in the park of some noble mansion, while the magnificent hills, in the back ground, clothed to their summits with impenetrable wood, serve to heighten the grandeur of a scenery that stands unsurpassed by any thing to be met with in this habitable globe. notwithstanding the assemblage of lovely objects, which are presented on the face of this bright landscape, and however it may be a paradise in appearance, all its advantages are neutralized by its pernicious climate, and the camp, after all, is but a gilded mausoleum. it is likewise morally impossible to enjoy existence in a place where so many annoyances must hourly be encountered, not only from the excessive heat, but from innumerable tormenting insects, and crawling things, that banish all repose, and interfere with every comfort which one might otherwise enjoy. the report of a heavy piece of ordnance called us up at day break, and the performances commenced by the parade taking place soon after. during the breakfast hours, the spacious green, (then brown with heat,) before our quarters, presented some amusement to the gentlemen at the windows; for sundry maidens, with complexions that would rival day and martin, flocked about the settlement, vending their different wares, consisting of tawdry ornaments for the soldiers' wives, and fruits of luscious quality to tempt the officers.--passing off their jokes and pleasantries, the sable fair-ones, (to use an irishism), puffed up their goods, while they patiently endured the fire of a volley of oranges, which was discharged from the galleries at their lovely heads. from eleven till twelve the second breakfast, answering to the eastern tiffin, was ready in the mess-room, where a banquet was spread out that would have tickled the palate of a nabob.--the remainder of the day till sunset was one unvarying round of dulness. sometimes, however, strange as it may seem, the active game of cricket was engaged in, when, under a broiling sun, with jackets off, the characters in the sport seemed using their best efforts to end all their troubles by finding a speedy mode of exit. evening parade, at five, was the rallying point for a grand turn out; warlike evolutions, and the military music, in strains harmonious, attracted the fair and languid belles of kingston. these fascinating daughters of eve, while in graceful attitudes they lounged in curricle, or landau, cast many a bewitching look upon the gallant heroes thus honoured with their presence. the rolling of the well known drum, at six, announced the hour of dinner, and round the board were soon collected the hungry candidates, for fame before the trenches, (quere, trenchers)? the happy votaries at the shrine of epicurus were duly arranged in order of battle, and with aldermanic science acted their parts, to the no small havoc of the quickly vanishing fare. were it possible to exercise the reasoning powers in this abominable furnace there was sufficient means of so doing; for a well stocked library of chosen books afforded a source of enjoyment, that, in any other situation would have been invaluable. but with the thermometer at ° in the shade, and bright sol nearly vertical, the faculties of the mind were almost paralysed, and as for the body, it was kiln dried with a vengeance. although the months of december and january are considered more temperate than any other throughout the year, the heat when we arrived was intolerable; and as for going out of doors in the middle of the day, it was in truth a melting concern. the sun being at its greatest power between nine o'clock and two in the afternoon, (the interval between the land and sea breeze,) during that time no one in his common senses would venture abroad. the most agreeable portion of the twenty four hours is about sunrise, when the oppressive effects of the sultry atmosphere are tempered by the fresh and balmy air of morning. the evenings, likewise, are pleasant and refreshing, and it is then that exercise and driving about are much enjoyed. the heavy dews at night are highly injurious, and an exposure to their influence is dangerous, if not fatal, particularly to the stranger, or newcomer, who, not being seasoned to all the vicissitudes of these torrid regions, becomes an unguarded victim to his inexperience. one of the greatest evils attendant on a residence here is the constant thirst, arising from the extreme aridity of the climate, and the violent action of the solar rays upon the human frame and constitution. the appetite is therefore in general slight, but the inclination to drink is excessive. hence it is, that sangaree, swizzle, and other mixtures, not exactly in accordance with the rules and laws of the temperance society, are continually in requisition, and find their willing votaries at every hour. an old hard-going veteran, who had been tanned and roasted to a cinder, on being asked for his opinion of the country, replied, like a true salamander, "o! 'tis the finest place in the world, because one is always thirsty, and there is always plenty to drink." the bacchanalian remark was true; for madeira, rum and brandy, flow in copious streams from a fountain, whose source is never exhausted. from the table these liquids, with their accompaniments, are seldom, on any occasion, absent; and the custom of quaffing the intoxicating beverage, in draughts unlimited, is general throughout the length and breadth of all these sun-burnt islands. the rains seldom fall, but when they do, it is in right earnest, descending with so much violence, that they have some resemblance to a second deluge, of which our puny showers at home can give no adequate idea. to be overtaken in one of them is an adventure of no common peril, and unless the traveller succeeds in a precipitate flight to some adjacent place of shelter, he is in a moment drenched as thoroughly as if he were dragged across a horse-pond. an attack of fever is the certain consequence of getting wet, and remaining in that condition for the shortest time. lieutenant richardson of the th, an officer who had been much on service, going to stony hill, where he was quartered, was suddenly caught by a downpour, which fell so unmercifully that in a minute or two he was completely soaked. having no place of refuge from the storm, he rode on quickly towards the mountain, at the foot of which there was a small tavern where the lieutenant hastily alighted, and, without making any change in his apparel, he drank freely of some rum and water. the weather clearing up, he was anxious to arrive at his barracks before sunset, and therefore proceeded without much delay upon his journey, at the end of which he found himself quite dry. the effects of his imprudent conduct were soon evident, for the fatal malady got possession of his frame, and his life was terminated on the following day. while the fever was at its height among the troops, mrs. ross, wife to surgeon baily ross of the th, an amiable young woman, interesting both in manner and appearance, embarked in one of the traders bound for england; but scarcely had she left the island when a violent tempest drove back the ship, and cast her on the rocks to the eastward of port royal, where she went to pieces and became a total wreck. the passengers, however, with great difficulty, and after extreme sufferings, at length succeeded in getting safe ashore, to which, although with loss of all their baggage, they were thankful that they had escaped with their lives. poor mrs. ross, alone and unprotected, was ill prepared to meet the sudden and unexpected blow, and with her companions in misfortune, bereft of every thing but the clothes she wore, she returned again to kingston. anxiety of mind, together with the hardships that she must have undergone, were too much for so delicate a frame, and before she could obtain another passage, she was seized with fever, and all her trials and sufferings were shortly ended. the sad event called forth the grief of those who had known the worth of this kind and gentle lady, who, in the bloom of youth, was thus cut down, like a fair and lovely flower, when her bright hopes of returning to her friends and country were about to be realized. kingston is a good sized town, situated on an inclined plane, sloping to the water side, where all the principal warehouses and the markets stand. the streets are regularly planned, intersecting each other at right angles, abounding in shops (or stores), well filled with all the varieties of european manufactures. the appearance of the town, in general, has something of a dull and sombre character, in consequence of the finery and other things being hidden within the stores, in the windows of which there is little or no display;--the market, however is a lively place where the chattering and good-humour of the negro girls attract the observation of the stranger more than the rich and delicious fruit they carry in their baskets. the hotels and boarding-houses were most expensive, their respective proprietors taking good care to make the unfortunate traveller or tourist disgorge most woefully.--the bill was usually in accordance with the inverse ratio of the conscience; of which latter commodity there being little or none, the length of the former, may easily be guessed at.--in fact one could not open one's mouth under a dollar, even if it were but a glass of porter, and the residence of a night made a wide breach in a month's pay, or caused a doubloon to look exceedingly foolish on the ensuing morning. between black waiters, black chamber-maids, and the whole establishment of sable beauties, the work of fleecing was vigorously carried on, until the unlucky griffin was cajoled and shorn of his last penny. from all that we could learn respecting the fair sex in kingston, or of jamaica at large, they were interesting and pretty; at least so much might be said of those who favoured us with their company on the parade at up park camp, while we passed in review before them. accustomed as they are to a life of listless indolence and luxurious ease, they use but little exertion of mind or body throughout the day, and the enervating influence of the climate promotes a languishing effect in the manner, as well as in their attitudes, that is really very attractive. beyond the limits of their well-shaded saloons, or closely screened balconies, they hardly ever move; there, gracefully reclined on couch or sofa, the lovely nymphs dream away the lazy hours; decked out in purest white, with ornaments most brilliant, they simper, smile, or perchance, by great exertions, may enter into converse, with some admiring youths, with whom it would be sacrilege to laugh. dancing is their favourite amusement, and one which they enjoy with all their life and soul, considering their usual half torpid habits, this is a circumstance not easily accounted for, but so it is. their energies seem to be all reserved for this their chief delight, and, during those hours when all around are wrapped in sleep, these happy fair ones linger in the ball-room, until aurora, peeping through the jalousies, reminds them that their charms may suffer by comparison with her rosy beams. the pallid hue, which they soon acquire, is made still more like the lily by these nightly revels, while the total want of healthy exercise in the fresh and open air tends to perfect the fragile ensemble of a west india belle. the male bipeds of the community must not be overlooked, lest they might be haunted by the green-eyed monster. the planters, or those engaged in trade, together with the whole professional tribe, had their pens, (or country houses,) and in some sequestered dell or glade the modest mansion rises. here they retired, after the heat and bustle of the day, to feast and ruminate upon the best of living. kingston was like a city of the plague from twelve at noon till six the following morning. transacting their affairs in cooler hours, by sunset all were on the move, and, like the land crabs, journeyed in a body to the mountain districts, the money-changers driving to their rural homes, or to the military parade. the burning heat of the town, although so near the water, is insufferable, and the creoles, however enured to it, feel its full effect.--they sink into drowsiness and apathy, lounging on the galleries, or before their shops, (i beg their pardon, _stores_ i ought to say,) with their pedestals stuck up against the walls, or on the backs of chairs, and they keep up such an oscillating movement that a new comer would suppose they were making an experiment to discover the perpetual motion; on being addressed they lazily drawl out the words as if it were painful to articulate. spanish town, to which there is a good road from kingston, is situated on the unhealthy banks of the cobre, and is perhaps one of the hottest ovens under the sun. its chief importance is derived from the circumstance of the government house being there, and of its being the head quarters of a regiment. the nd highlanders were stationed in the barracks at that time. chapter xxiv. early in february, at kingston, i embarked in the brig vittoria, captain ferrier, and, soon after, the vessel dropped down to the anchorage at port royal. just before we got under way, a transport arrived from england, having on board a detachment for the garrison, consisting of drafts from the th and th depôts, under the command of captain mason of the former corps; the other officers were lieut. crofton and assistant surgeon young of the th and lieut. skinner of the th. wishing them all happiness, i returned to my own ship, which immediately put to sea. on the th we were off the island of cuba, and passed the grand caymans at midnight. the weather was fine and the wind blowing fresh from the eastward. we made cape antonio, the western extremity of cuba, and in the course of the day stood away to the northward, in order to clear the colorado shoals on the n.w. of the cape. while sailing through the gulf of mexico, the sun was extremely hot, and very little wind stirring. we caught two small sharks with the line and hook, and having some slices fried for dinner, found them very tough, as well as strong and unsavoury to the taste. a fine pleasant breeze springing up, we steered in shore, making the northern coast of cuba, and about noon, the day being remarkably clear, the hills of that island were distinctly seen at the distance of twenty miles. the wind becoming easterly on the th, we continued beating about the mexican sea, and between the southern extremity of the north american coast and the east end of cuba. towards evening we were off the havannah, and in view of the fortress and castle of the moro, protecting the entrance into the harbour. assisted by a strong current we passed a considerable distance to the eastward of the havannah, and, as the current was running three and four knots, aided by a smart s.e. breeze, we hoped to clear the florida passage in a few days. before we got within the influence of the gulf stream, we were hailed by a strange sail to leeward, which fired a few shots to bring us to. she immediately sent a boat, manned with some desperate looking villains, for the purpose of rummaging the ship. having obtained all that they required, among which was a portion of our fresh stock, the suspicious visitor bore away to the westward. she proved to be an independent cruizer, named the confidante of buenos ayres, and was one of the insurgent privateers by which those seas were infested. fortunately, a heavy swell and threatening change of wind coming on, were the means of causing the pirate to sheer off suddenly, otherwise, we might not have escaped on such easy terms from his clutches. with a fine spanking breeze at s.e. we were rapidly sailing through the gulf; the weather continued moderate, and the sea tolerably smooth. on the th we entered the narrowest part of the straits, about sixteen miles from the shores of the bahamas. february the th and th, clearing the gulf, we launched into the great western ocean, and underwent a series of desperate weather, attended with squalls and rain. the wind being right astern, our little brig was in the utmost danger of getting pooped by the heavy rolling sea, which was driving us along. the dead lights were stove in as fast as they were secured, and the decks were washed from stem to stern. in this way, at the rate of between eight and ten knots, we were scudding under close-reefed topsails. on the th and th, there was no improvement whatever in the state of things, although the wind was still blowing in a favorable direction. we were at this time in the latitude of charleston, north carolina. matters continued much in the same state till the th, when, at midnight, the dark and stormy appearances of the sky gave indubitable indications of an approaching hurricane from the northwest. at three in the morning, while running at six knots, the ship suddenly broached to, the foretopsail was torn off the yard arm, and, soon after, the main topsail and jib were literally rent like brown paper, flying in ribbons about the masts. the whistling noise through the rigging, together with the rattling of blocks and sheets, was really dismal, and the gale kept encreasing with such fury as had never been witnessed by the oldest mariner on board. the sun had set, on the preceding evening, with all those direful omens which are the well known forerunners of bad weather, while the black and lowering clouds, banked up in wild and broken masses, foretold its continuance. daylight, so anxiously looked out for, disclosed to our view the horrors by which we were surrounded. the tempest had by this time gained a degree of violence that can be conceived only by such as have voyaged in those latitudes, and at its mercy our poor weather-beaten ship, labouring and struggling against its fury, was allowed, (or rather forced), to drift considerably off her course, in consequence of the helm being dismantled and unmanageable. with elastic bound she rose on the top of each successive wave, then fell as nobly into the furrows, seeming as if despair had given her strength, while the waters with dreadful noise rushed past her quivering sides, and with their accumulated weight occasionally broke upon the decks, sweeping off bulwarks, boats, and every timber on the gangways; while all her masts, yards and spars aloft, bent and strained beneath the fearful blast that howled in dismal gusts around. the sea, agitated into white and boiling foam, was running mountains high, and its angry surface presented a most desolate and wintry aspect. throughout this day the hurricane raged without the slightest intermission, every now and then a ponderous billow, coming with the force of a battering-ram upon her broadside, made the little sea-boat tremble to her very keel. she soon began to leak in all her seams, and the crew, harassed and fatigued, relieved each other by turns, while lashed to the pumps they worked incessantly. all but the seamen were down below, none daring to venture from those regions even for a moment. pent up within the dark and gloomy limits of the cabin, we remained in awful durance, scarcely giving utterance to a word; our silence occasionally disturbed by a waterfall, tumbling through the sky-light, or companion hatchway, and leaving the steerage and cabin floor in a perfect deluge. such a day of misery was never passed; and the captain, who had been under many a stiff norwester, confessed that a gale like this he had not before encountered. the sun set with the same forbidding aspect as on the day preceding, and the night began without the slightest prospect of a change;--every one seemed to be in a state of hopeless despair, and were it not for that buoyancy of spirit, which is natural to man under every circumstance, none would have been capable of the least exertion. the darkness in which we were involved rendered our situation more deplorable than ever, and without any thing whatever to cheer or comfort us, the most painful forebodings weighed down upon all on board. the mate, mr. grant, however, a hearty good-humoured sailor, a man inured to danger in every form, kept us alive; encouraging the drooping passengers and crew, he never for an instant gave way to useless repining, but exerted himself as far as he could do under circumstances so trying. "with plenty of searoom, and a good ship," he said, "there was nothing to apprehend;" and his example did more to inspire the men with energy to work than any other means could possibly have accomplished. a little before midnight the utmost climax of the tempest seemed to have arrived, and it was hoped a change would soon take place. grant, after drinking a glass of grog, and wrapping a pilot's frock about him, went on deck, for the purpose of looking out for something favourable; and we impatiently waited his return, as the harbinger of good tidings. for a considerable time, we heard nothing but the ceaseless thunder of the wind and waves. at length, captain ferrier, fearing that something must have happened to detain the mate, called out for him, from the top of the companion ladder, but no answer was received; the call was repeated throughout the ship, still no reply. ferrier now perceived that the capstan head, dripstone, and tafferel rail were cleared away, since he was on deck before, and he soon guessed the fate of his unfortunate officer. grant was last seen by a man at the pumps, holding on by the capstan; but in a moment one of the tremendous seas broke over the ship, with an overwhelming force, and washed the ill-fated seaman into the deep, together with the solid timber upon which he leaned. all danger seemed for the present set aside, in our regrets for this worthy shipmate. he was a most skilful and zealous man, always at his post, engaged in every active business of the vessel, and unwearied in his duty in the hour of danger. immediately after the occurrence of this melancholy accident, the captain, on glancing round the horizon, observed symptoms of an abatement of the gale; the wild commotion of the elements seemed to be gradually subsiding, and the weather-wise mariner expressed his opinion that, in a few hours, the wind would become so moderate as to enable him to steer his proper course. this welcome information was fully realized, for, even before it was expected, this change took place. suddenly relieved from inevitable shipwreck, the crew began to work with fresh alacrity, and the tattered remnant of our sails was speedily put in order for instant use; so that by good exertion, crippled as she was, the ship moved slowly onward, and after sunrise, on the st of march, was making tolerable way, before a steady breeze and a comparatively smooth sea; dashing up the spray from beneath her bows, with a noise that sounded like the sweetest music in our ears. our party assembled at the breakfast table in high glee and spirits; a state of mind far different from that in which we had been for several days. our late probation of abstinence had reduced us to a very slender compass, we therefore, set to with a goût that could not be imparted by messrs. harvey or burgess, and the coarse though solid fare was rapidly devoured; the attacks were boldly made, and the enemy, in the shape of bare bones and empty platters and cups was quickly put to flight. three beside the captain made up the number of our company in the cabin, one of whom, an old scotch gentleman, who had made his fortune in the plantations, was retiring in the evening of his days, to spend his money in his own country. he had been the greatest part of his life in jamaica, and seemed to have lost all recollection of the period when he first left home; suffering under infirmity of body, and from the effect of climate, he was reduced to a very indifferent state of health. the other passenger was a gentleman, whose intellect was rather out of order; in fact, when he was put on board the vittoria at port royal, he was quite deranged, being held in charge of two men, who with difficulty prevented him from jumping into the sea. however, he cooled a little afterwards, although, during the whole voyage, he displayed many wild symptoms. while the hurricane lasted he kept close to his berth, and was in such a dreadful state of terror, that he did nothing but call out every moment that we were going down, and he fancied the violent concussion of the waves against the ship to be no other than our contact with the bottom of the ocean, at which he supposed we had arrived. nothing whatever, but extreme longing for gain, could have induced any one in his common senses to admit such an unruly character into the ship, at all events without the very necessary appendage of a straight waistcoat. the poor man himself, however, was much to be pitied, for he was the victim of many serious trials. the vessel in which he sailed for the west indies, a few years back, took fire, while lying becalmed off cape tiberon, and was burnt to the water's edge. he narrowly escaped destruction, being obliged to leap overboard, and with others was rescued from the devouring element. the fright caused by the awful situation in which he had been placed, affected his mind at the time, but not so as materially to affect his reasoning powers; he had wisdom enough left to seek for comfort with a blooming partner, a planter's daughter; which circumstance, it was said, rather increased than diminished the malady.--this fair lady died, and to prove his estimation of the married state, he took to his arms a second helpmate, with whom he resided at an estate called vere. misfortune still pursued the unhappy man; the last companion of his woes and joys followed her predecessor to the tomb, and the mourning widower, who was no admirer of the creed of malthus or miss martineau, was left to go a third time, like another coelebs, in search of a wife. if to have been burned out of a ship, and enjoyed the felicity of having had two wives, with the chances of getting his head again into the noose were not enough in all conscience to qualify a man for bedlam, it would be a difficult matter to find out what could effect that desirable object. such was the case of our friend, of uxorious memory and to the disasters of his campaigns, we were perhaps indebted for the pleasure of his society on the passage home. the dark and threatening aspect of the weather, for the rest of the voyage, gave us no reason to doubt that the equinoxial gales would support their usual character, and that boreas would attend us to our destined harbour. continuing our course across the great atlantic, we got into soundings about the eighteenth of march, and were off the s.w. coast of ireland, but the atmosphere being thick and hazy, the land was not discernible. keeping the lead in active operation, we slowly though cautiously approached the channel. the weather cleared up on the st, when with a fine breeze from the s.w. we gained the lizard, at an early hour, and having made a capital run past the eddystone and needles, were compelled to heave to, off the s. foreland, in consequence of a dense fog. signals were made for a pilot, which were answered by a rough looking member of that tribe pulling up, and boarding us. the night set in dark, but the moon shining out towards twelve o'clock, we stood away for the downs, illumined by her light; and came to anchor about three in the morning of the nd of march , after a stormy passage of seven weeks and two days. on our getting moored, some deal boats crowded round the ship, and their crews made the most extravagant demands for their services. impatient to set foot on shore, after being so long caged up in my floating prison, i gladly embraced the opportunity, and agreeing to give the rapacious fellows a guinea for a two miles pleasuring on a wintry morning, my goods and chattels were gathered from the hold, and being tumbled into a boat, were soon followed by their master. we then shoved off, and i bade adieu to the shattered brig, and strange as it may appear, not without some feelings of regret, rowing for about an hour against a head wind and strong tide, we hurried through the surf and brought to on the sandy beach of deal, and with joy unspeakable, i once more found myself on the shores of happy england. the end. bury st. edmund's: printed by t. c. newby, angel hill.