CHAPTER XXXVIII
EVERYBODY'S MASTER
The peril of England was now growing fast; all the faster from being inthe dark. The real design of the enemy escaped the penetration evenof Nelson, and our Government showed more anxiety about their greatadversary landing on the coast of Egypt than on that of England. Navalmen laughed at his flat-bottomed boats, and declared that one frigatecould sink a hundred of them; whereas it is probable that two of them,with their powerful guns and level fire, would have sunk any frigate wethen possessed. But the crafty and far-seeing foe did not mean to allowany frigate, or line-of-battle ship, the chance of enquiring how thatmight be.
His true scheme, as everybody now knows well, was to send the Englishfleet upon a wild-goose chase, whether to Egypt, the west coast ofIreland, or the West Indies, as the case might be; and then, by a rapidconcentration of his ships, to obtain command of the English Channel,if only for twenty-four hours at a time. Twenty-four hours of clearancefrom our cruisers would have seen a hundred thousand men landed on ourcoast, throwing up entrenchments, and covering the landing of anotherhundred thousand, coming close upon their heels. Who would have facedthem? A few good regiments, badly found, and perhaps worse led, and amob of militia and raw volunteers, the reward of whose courage would becarnage.
But as a chip smells like the tree, and a hair like the dog it belongsto, so Springhaven was a very fair sample of the England whereof (in itsown opinion) it formed a most important part. Contempt for the body ofa man leads rashly to an under-estimate of his mind; and one of thegreatest men that ever grew on earth--if greatness can be withoutgoodness--was held in low account because not of high inches, andlaughed at as "little Boney."
However, there were, as there always are, thousands of sensibleEnglishmen then; and rogues had not yet made a wreck of grandInstitutions to scramble for what should wash up. Abuses existed, asthey always must; but the greatest abuse of all (the destruction ofevery good usage) was undreamed of yet. And the right man was even nowapproaching to the rescue, the greatest Prime-Minister of any age orcountry.
Unwitting perhaps of the fine time afforded by the feeble delays ofMr. Addington, and absorbed in the tissue of plot and counterplotnow thickening fast in Paris--the arch-plotter in all of them beinghimself--the First Consul had slackened awhile his hot haste to set footupon the shore of England. His bottomless ambition for the moment hada top, and that top was the crown of France; and as soon as he had gotthat on his head, the head would have no rest until the crown was thatof Europe.
But before any crown could be put on at all, the tender hearts ofFrenchmen must be touched by the appearance of great danger--the dangerwhich is of all the greatest, that to their nearest and dearest selves.A bloody farce was in preparation, noble lives were to be perjured away,and above all, the only great rival in the hearts of soldiers must beturned out of France. This foul job worked--as foul Radical jobs donow--for the good of England. If the French invasion had come to pass,as it was fully meant to do, in the month of February, 1804, perhaps itshistory must have been written in French, for us to understand it.
So, at any rate, thought Caryl Carne, who knew the resources of eitherside, and the difference between a fine army and a mob. He felt quitesure that his mother's country would conquer his father's without muchtrouble, and he knew that his horn would be exalted in the land, when hehad guided the conqueror into it. Sure enough then he would recover hisancestral property with interest and be able to punish his enemies well,and reward his friends if they deserved it. Thinking of these things,and believing that his own preparations would soon be finished, heleft Widow Shanks to proclaim his merits, while under the bold and ableconduct of Captain Renaud Charron he ran the gauntlet of the Englishfleet, and was put ashore southward of Cape Grisnez. Here is a longreach of dreary exposure, facing the west unprofitably, with a shallowslope of brown sand, and a scour of tide, and no pleasant moorings.Jotted as the coast was all along (whereon dry batteries grinneddefiance, or sands just awash smiled treachery) with shallow transports,gun-boats, prames, scows, bilanders, brigs, and schooners, row-galleys,luggers, and every sort of craft that has a mast, or gets on withoutone, and even a few good ships of war pondering malice in the saferroadsteads, yet here the sweep of the west wind, and the long rollfrom the ocean following, kept a league or two, northward of the mightydefences of Boulogne, inviolate by the petty enmities of man. Along theslight curve of the coast might be seen, beyond Ambleteuse and Wimereux,the vast extent of the French flotilla, ranged in three divisions,before the great lunette of the central camp, and hills jotted withtents thick as limpets on a rock.
Carne (whose dealings were quite unknown to all of the Frenchauthorities save one, and that the supreme one) was come by appointmentto meet his commander in a quiet and secluded spot. It was earlyFebruary now, and although the day was waning, and the wind, which wasdrawing to the north of west, delivered a cold blow from the sea, yetthe breath of Spring was in the air already, and the beat of her pulsecame through the ground. Almost any man, except those two concertingto shed blood and spread fire, would have looked about a little at thepleasure of the earth, and felt a touch of happiness in the goodness ofthe sky.
Caryl Carne waited in the shelter of a tree, scarcely deserving to becalled a tree, except for its stiff tenacity. All the branches weredriven by the western gales, and scourged flat in one direction--that inwhich they best could hold together, and try to believe that their lifewas their own. Like the wings of a sea bird striving with a tempest,all the sprays were frayed alike, and all the twigs hackled with theself-same pile. Whoever observes a tree like this should stop to wonderhow ever it managed to make itself any sort of trunk at all, and howit was persuaded to go up just high enough to lose the chance of evercoming down again. But Carne cared for nothing of this sort, and heededvery little that did not concern himself. All he thought of was how hemight persuade his master to try the great issue at once.
While he leaned heavily against the tree, with his long sea-cloakflapping round his legs, two horsemen struck out of the Ambleteuse road,and came at hand-gallop towards him. The foremost, who rode with shortstirrups, and sat his horse as if he despised him, was the foremost manof the world just now, and for ten years yet to come.
Carne ran forward to show himself, and the master of France dismounted.He always looked best upon horseback, as short men generally do, if theyride well; and his face (which helped to make his fortune) appearedeven more commanding at a little distance. An astonishing face, in itssculptured beauty, set aspect, and stern haughtiness, calm with thepower of transcendant mind, and a will that never met its equal. EvenCarne, void of much imagination, and contemptuous of all the humancharacter he shared, was the slave of that face when in its presence,and could never meet steadily those piercing eyes. And yet, to the studyof a neutral dog, or a man of abstract science, the face was as bad asit was beautiful.
Napoleon--as he was soon to be called by a cringing world--smiledaffably, and offered his firm white hand, which Carne barely touched,and bent over with deference. Then the foaming horse was sent away incharge of the attendant trooper, and the master began to take shortquick steps, to and fro, in front of the weather-beaten tree; for tostand still was not in his nature. Carne, being beckoned to keep at hisside, lost a good deal of what he had meant to say, from the trouble hefound in timing his wonted stride to the brisk pace of the other.
"You have done well--on the whole very well," said Napoleon, whose voicewas deep, yet clear and distinct as the sound of a bell. "You havekept me well informed; you are not suspected; you are enlarging yourknowledge of the enemy and of his resources; every day you become morecapable of conducting us to the safe landing. For what, then, thishurry, this demand to see me, this exposing of yourself to the risk ofcapture?"
Carne was about to answer; but the speaker, who undershot the thoughtsof others before they were shaped--as the shuttle of the lightningunderweaves a cloud--raised his hand to stop him, and went on:
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p; "Because you suppose that all is ripe. Because you believe that the slowbeasts of islanders will strengthen their defences more by delay thanwe shall strengthen our attack. Because you are afraid of incurringsuspicion, if you continue to prepare. And most of all, my friend,because you are impatient to secure the end of a long enterprise. But,Captain, it must be longer yet. It is not for you, but for me, tofix the time. Behold me! I am come from a grand review. We have againrehearsed the embarkation. We have again put two thousand horses onboard. The horses did it well; but not the men. They are as brave aseagles, but as clumsy as the ostrich, and as fond of the sand withoutwater. They will all be sea-sick. It is in their countenances, thoughmany have been practised in the mouths of rivers. Those infamous Englishwill not permit us to proceed far enough from our native land to acquirewhat they call the legs of the sea. If our braves are sea-sick, how canthey work the cannon, or even navigate well for the accursed island?They must have time. They must undergo more waves, and a system of dietbefore embarkation. Return, my trusted Captain, and continue yourmost esteemed services for three months. I have written these newinstructions for you. You may trust me to remember this addition to yourgood works."
Carne's heart fell, and his face was gloomy, though he did his bestto hide it. So well he knew the arrogance and fierce self-will of hiscommanding officer that he durst not put his own opposite view of thecase directly before him. This arrogance grew with the growth of hispower; so that in many important matters Napoleon lost the true state ofthe case through the terror felt by his subordinates. So great was themastery of his presence that Carne felt himself guilty of impertinencein carrying his head above the level of the General's plume, and stoopedunconsciously--as hundreds of tall men are said to have done--to lessenthis anomaly of Nature.
"All shall be done to your orders, my General," he replied,submissively. "For my own position I have no fear. I might remain therefrom year to year without any suspicion arising, so stupid are thepeople all around, and so well is my name known among them. The onlyperil is in the landing of stores, and I think we should desist fromthat. A few people have been wondering about that, though hitherto wehave been most fortunate. They have set it down so far to smugglingoperations, with which in that tyrannical land all the lower orderssympathise. But it would be wiser to desist awhile, unless you, myGeneral, have anything of moment which you still desire to send in."
"What sort of fellow is that Sheeseman?" asked Napoleon, with hiswonderful memory of details. "Is he more to be confided in as a rogue oras a fool?"
"As both, sir; but more especially as a rogue, though he has thecompunctions of a fool sometimes. But he is as entirely under my thumb,as I am under that of my Commander."
"That is very good," answered the First Consul, smiling with the senseof his own power; "and at an hour's notice, with fifty chosen men landedfrom the London Trader--ah, I love that name; it is appropriate--youcould spike all the guns of that pretentious little battery, and lockthe Commander of the Coast-Defence in one of his own cellars. Is it notso, my good Captain? Answer me not. That is enough. One question more,and you may return. Are you certain of the pilotage of the proud youngfisherman who knows every grain of sand along his native shore? Surelyyou can bribe him, if he hesitates at all, or hold a pistol at his earas he steers the leading prame into the bay! Charron would be the manfor that. Between you and Charron, there should be no mistake."
"He requires to be handled with much delicacy. He has no idea yet whathe is meant to do. And if I understand his nature, neither bribes norfear would move him. He is stubborn as a Breton, and of that simplecharacter."
"One can always befool a Breton; but I hate that race," said Napoleon."If he cannot be made useful, tie a round shot to him, throw himoverheard, and get a gentler native."
"Alas, I fear that we cannot indulge in that pleasure," said Carne, witha smile of regret. "It cost me a large outlay of skill to catch him, andthe natives of that place are all equally stubborn. But I have a planfor making him do our work without being at all aware of it. Is it yourwish, my General, that I should now describe that plan?"
"Not now," replied Napoleon, pulling out a watch of English make, "butin your next letter. I start for Paris in an hour's time. You will hearof things soon which will add very greatly to the weight and success ofthis grand enterprise. We shall have perfidious Albion caught in her ownnoose, as you shall see. You have not heard of one Captain Wright,and the landing-place at Biville. We will have our little Bivilleat Springhaven. There will be too many of us to swing up by a rope.Courage, my friend! The future is with you. Our regiments are castingdice for the fairest English counties. But your native county isreserved for you. You shall possess the whole of it--I swear it bythe god of war--and command the Southern army. Be brave, be wise, bevigilant, and above all things be patient."
The great man held up his hand, as a sign that he wanted his horse, andthen offered it to Caryl Carne, who touched it lightly with his lips,and bent one knee. "My Emperor!" he said, "my Emperor!"
"Wait until the proper time," said Napoleon, gravely, and yet wellpleased. "You are not the first, and you will not be the last. Observediscretion. Farewell, my friend!"
In another minute he was gone, and the place looked empty without him.Carne stood gloomily watching the horsemen as their figures grew smallin the distance, the large man behind pounding heavily away, like anEnglish dragoon, on the scanty sod, of no importance to anybody--unlesshe had a wife or children--the little man in front (with the white plumewaving, and the well-bred horse going easily), the one whose body wouldaffect more bodies, and certainly send more souls out of them, thanany other born upon this earth as yet, and--we hope--as long as ever itendureth.
Caryl Carne cared not a jot about that. He was anything but aphilanthropist; his weaknesses, if he had any, were not dispersive, butthoroughly concentric. He gathered his long cloak round his body,and went to the highest spot within his reach, about a mile from thewatch-tower at Cape Grisnez, and thence he had a fine view of the vastinvasive fleet and the vaster host behind it.
An Englishman who loved his Country would have turned sick at heart andfaint of spirit at the sight before him. The foe was gathered togetherthere to eat us up on every side, to get us into his net and rend us,to tear us asunder as a lamb is torn when its mother has dropped it inflight from the wolves. For forty square miles there was not an acrewithout a score of tents upon it, or else of huts thrown up with slabsof wood to keep the powder dry, and the steel and iron bright and sharpto go into the vitals of England. Mighty docks had been scooped out bywarlike hands, and shone with ships crowded with guns and alive withmen. And all along the shore for leagues, wherever any shelter lay, andgreat batteries protected them, hundreds of other ships tore at theirmoorings, to dash across the smooth narrow line, and blacken with fireand redden with blood the white cliffs of the land they loathed.
And what was there to stop them? The steam of the multitude rose inthe air, and the clang of armour filled it. Numbers irresistible, andrelentless power urged them. At the beck of the hand that had called thehorse, the grey sea would have been black with ships, and the pale waveswould have been red with fire. Carne looked at the water way touchedwith silver by the soft descent of the winter sun, and upon it, so faras his gaze could reach, there were but a dozen little objects moving,puny creatures in the distance--mice in front of a lion's den. And muchas he hated with his tainted heart the land of his father, the landof his birth, some reluctant pride arose that he was by right anEnglishman.
"It is the dread of the English seaman, it is the fame of Nelson, it isthe habit of being beaten when England meets them upon the sea--nothingelse keeps this mighty host like a set of trembling captives here, whenthey might launch forth irresistibly. And what is a great deal worse,it will keep me still in my ruined dungeons, a spy, an intriguer, anunderstrapper, when I am fit to be one of the foremost. What a fool I amso to be cowed and enslaved, by a man no better endowed than myself withanything, except self-confid
ence! I should have looked over his head,and told him that I had had enough of it, and if he would not takeadvantage of my toils, I would toil for him no longer. Why, he nevereven thanked me, that I can remember, and my pay is no more thanCharron's! And a pretty strict account I have to render of everyRepublican coin he sends. He will have his own head on them withinsix months, unless he is assassinated. His manners are not those of agentleman. While I was speaking to him, he actually turned his back uponme, and cleared his throat! Every one hates him as much as fears him, ofall who are in the rank of gentlemen. How would it pay me to throw himover, denounce my own doings, excuse them as those of a Frenchman and aFrench officer, and bow the knee to Farmer George? Truly if it were notfor my mother, who has sacrificed her life for me, I would take thatcourse, and have done with it. Such all-important news would compelthem to replace me in the property of my forefathers; and if neighbourslooked coldly on me at first, I could very soon conquer that nonsense. Ishould marry little Dolly, of course, and that would go half-way towardsdoing it. I hate that country, but I might come to like it, if enough ofit belonged to me. Aha! What would my mother say, if she dreamed thatI could have such ideas? And the whole of my life belongs to her. Well,let me get back to my ruins first. It would never do to be captured bya British frigate. We had a narrow shave of it last time. And there willbe a vile great moon to-night."
With these reflections--which were upon the whole more to his creditthan the wonted web of thought--Carne with his long stride struck intoa path towards the beach where his boat was waiting. Although he knewwhere to find several officers who had once been his comrades, he kepthimself gladly to his loneliness; less perhaps by reason of Napoleon'sorders than from the growing charm which Solitude has for all who beginto understand her.
Springhaven: A Tale of the Great War Page 38