The Bravest of the Brave — or, with Peterborough in Spain

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XII: IRREGULAR WARFARE

  From the moment that the news of the loss of Barcelona had reachedMadrid, Philip of Anjou had labored strenuously to collect a forcesufficient to overwhelm his enemies. He had, moreover, written urgentlyto Louis XIV for assistance, and although France was at the momentobliged to make strenuous efforts to show a front to Marlborough and hisallies, who had already at Blenheim inflicted a disastrous defeatupon her, Louis responded to the appeal. Formidable French armies wereassembled at Saragossa and Roussillon, while a fleet of twelve ships ofthe line, under the command of the Count of Toulouse, sailed to blockadeBarcelona, and the Duke of Berwick, one of the ablest generals of theday, was sent to head the southern army.

  In January the French army of Catalonia, under Marshal Tesse, reachedSaragossa, where the arrogance and brutality of the marshal soon exciteda storm of hatred among the Aragonese. The towns resisted desperatelythe entry of the French troops; assassinations of officers and men werematters of daily occurrence, and the savage reprisals adopted by themarshal, instead of subduing, excited the Spaniards to still fiercerresistance. But savage and cruel as was the marshal, he was in no hasteto meet the enemy in the field, and Philip, who was with him, had thegreatest difficulty in getting him to move forward.

  It was in the last week of February that the news reached the Earl ofPeterborough that Marshal Tesse had left Saragossa, and was marchingtoward Lerida. This was two days after the unsuccessful attempt tosurprise the enemy's camp near Alcira; and, menaced as Valencia was by aforce greatly superior to his own, he could not leave the city, which inhis absence would speedily have succumbed to the attack of Las Torres.He walked quickly up and down his room for some minutes and then said:

  "Captain Stilwell, I cannot leave here myself, but I will send youto the Marquis of Cifuentes. You have shown the greatest activity andenergy with me, and I do not doubt that you will do equally well whenacting independently. I will give you a letter to the marquis, sayingthat you are one of my most trusted and valued officers, and begging himto avail himself to the fullest of your energy and skill. I shalltell him that at present I am tied here, but that when the enemy reachBarcelona, I shall at all hazards march hence and take post in theirrear and do what I can to prevent their carrying on the siege. In themean time I beg him to throw every obstacle in the way of their advance,to hold every pass to the last, to hang on their rear, attack baggagetrains, and cut off stragglers. He cannot hope to defeat Tesse, but hemay wear out and dispirit his men by constant attacks. You speak Spanishfluently enough now, and will be able to advise and suggest. Remember,every day that Tesse is delayed gives so much time to the king to putBarcelona in a state of defense. With my little force I cannot do mucheven when I come. The sole hope of Barcelona is to hold out until afleet arrives from England. If the king would take my advice I willguarantee that he shall be crowned in Madrid in two months; but thosepig headed Germans who surround him set him against every proposition Imake. You had better start tonight as soon as it gets dark, and take amounted guide with you who knows the country thoroughly.

  "It will be a change for you, from the pleasures of Valencia to aguerrilla warfare in the mountains in this inclement season, Stilwell,"Graham said as they left the general. "I don't think I should care aboutyour mission. I own I have enjoyed myself in Valencia, and I have lostmy heart a dozen times since we arrived."

  "I have not lost mine at all," Jack said laughing, "and I am sick of allthese balls and festivities. I was not brought up to it, you know, andrough as the work may be I shall prefer it to a long stay here."

  "Yes," Graham agreed, "I should not care for a long stay, but you may bequite certain the earl will not remain inactive here many weeks. He iswaiting to see how things go, and the moment the game is fairly openedyou may be sure he will be on the move."

  "Yes, I don't suppose you will be very long after me," Jack said;"still, I am not sorry to go."

  At seven o'clock in the evening Jack set out, taking with him twodragoons as orderlies, the earl having suggested that he should do so.

  "Always do a thing yourself if it is possible, Captain Stilwell; butthere are times when you must be doing something else, and it is as wellto have some one that you can rely upon; besides, the orderlies willgive you additional importance in the eyes of the peasants. Most of themen have picked up some Spanish, but you had better pick out two of myorderlies who are best up in it."

  Jack had spent the afternoon in making a round of calls at the houseswhere he had been entertained, and after the exchange of adieus,ceremonial speeches, and compliments, he was heartily glad when thegates closed behind him and he set out on his journey. As the roaddid not pass anywhere near the Spanish camp there was little fear ofinterruption in the way. The guide led them by little frequented tracksacross the hills, and by morning they were far on their road.

  They were frequently obliged to make detours to avoid towns and villagesfavorable to King Philip. Why one town or village should take one side,and the next the other, was inexplicable to Jack, but it was so, andthroughout the country this singular anomaly existed. It could beaccounted for by a variety of causes. A popular mayor or a powerfullanded proprietor, whose sympathies were strong with one side or theother, would probably be followed by the townspeople or peasants. Theinfluence of the priests, too, was great, and this also was divided.However it was, the fact remained that, as with Villa Real and Nules,neighboring towns were frequently enthusiastically in favor of oppositeparties. As Jack had seen all the dispatches and letters which pouredin to the earl, he knew what were the circumstances which prevailed inevery town and village. He knew to what residences of large proprietorshe could ride up with an assurance of welcome, and those which must becarefully avoided.

  In some parts of the journey, where the general feeling was hostile,Jack adopted the tactics of his general, riding boldly into the villagewith his two dragoons clattering behind him, summoning the head menbefore him, and peremptorily ordering that provisions and forage shouldbe got together for the five hundred horsemen who might be expected tocome in half an hour. The terror caused by Peterborough's raids wasso great that the mere sight of the English uniform was sufficient toinsure obedience, and without any adventure of importance Jack and hiscompanions rode on, until, on the third day after leaving Valencia,they approached Lerida. Groups of armed peasants hurrying in the samedirection were now overtaken. These saluted Jack with shouts of welcome,and he learned that, on the previous day, Marshal Tesse with his armyhad crossed from Arragon into Catalonia, and that the alarm bells hadbeen rung throughout the district.

  From the peasants Jack learned where the Count of Cifuentes would befound. It was in a village among the hills, to the left of the lineby which the enemy were advancing. It was toward this place that thepeasants were hastening. Jack had frequently met the count at the siegeof Barcelona, and had taken a strong liking for the gallant and dashingSpanish nobleman. The village was crowded with peasants armed with allsorts of weapons--rough, hardy, resolute men, determined to defend theircountry to the last against the invaders. A shout of satisfaction aroseas Jack and his two troopers rode in, and at the sound the count himselfappeared at the door of the principal house in the village.

  "Ah, Senor Stilwell," he said, "this in an unexpected pleasure. Ithought that you were with the earl in Valencia."

  "So I have been, count, but he has sent me hither with a dispatch foryou, and, as you will see by its contents, places me for awhile at yourdisposal."

  "I am pleased indeed to hear it," the count said; "but pray, senor--"

  "Captain, count," Jack said with a smile, "for to such rank the earl hasbeen pleased to promote me as a recognition for such services as I wasable to perform in his campaign against Valencia."

  "Ah," the count said, "you earned it well. Every man in that wonderfulforce deserved promotion. It was an almost miraculous adventure, andrecalled the feats of the Cid. Truly the days of chivalry are notpassed; your great earl has proved the contrary
."

  They had now entered the house, and, after pouring out a cup of winefor Jack after the fatigue of his ride, the count opened the dispatch ofwhich Jack was the bearer.

  "It is well." he said when he had read it. "As you see for yourself I amalready preparing to carry out the first part, for the alarm bells havebeen ringing out from every church tower in this part of Catalonia, andin another twenty-four hours I expect six thousand peasants will beout. But, as the earl says, I have no hope with such levies as these ofoffering any effectual opposition to the advance of the enemy.

  "The Miquelets cannot stand against disciplined troops. They haveno confidence in themselves, and a thousand Frenchmen could rout sixthousand of them; but as irregulars they can be trusted to fight. Youshall give me the advantage of your experience and wide knowledge, andwe will dispute every pass, cut off their convoys, and harass them. Iwarrant that they will have to move as a body, for it will go hard withany party who may be detached from the rest."

  "I fear, count, you must not rely in any way upon my knowledge," Jacksaid. "I am a very young officer, though I have had the good fortune tobe promoted to the rank of captain."

  "Age goes for nothing in this warfare," the count said. "The man ofseventy and the boy of fifteen who can aim straight from behind a rockare equally welcome. It is not a deep knowledge of military science thatwill be of any use to us here. What is wanted is a quick eye, a keenspirit, and courage. These I know that you have, or you would never havewon the approbation of the Earl of Peterborough, who is, of all men,the best judge on such matters. Now I will order supper to be got readysoon, as it must, I am sure, be long since you had food. While it isbeing prepared I will, with your permission, go out and inspect thenew arrivals. Fortunately, ten days ago, foreseeing that Tesse wouldprobably advance by this line, I sent several wagon loads of provisionsto this village, and a store of ammunition."

  Jack accompanied the count into the street of the village. The latterwent about among the peasants with a kindly word of welcome to each,giving them the cheering news that though the great English general wasoccupied in Valencia, he had promised that, when the time came, he wouldcome with all haste to the defense of Barcelona, and in the mean timehe had sent an officer of his own staff to assist him to lead the nobleCatalans in the defense of their country. On the steps of the church thepriest, with half a dozen willing assistants, was distributing food fromthe wagons to the peasants.

  "Don't open the ammunition wagon tonight," the count said. "The men mustnot take as much as they like, but the ammunition must be served outregularly, for a Catalan will never believe that he has too much powder,and if left alone the first comers would load themselves with it, andthe supply would run short before all are provided."

  The count then entered the church, where a party of men were occupiedin putting down a thick layer of straw. Here as many as could find roomwere to sleep, the others sheltering in the houses and barns, for thenights were still very cold among the hills. Having seen that all wasgoing on well, the count returned to his quarters, where a room had beenassigned to Jack's two dragoons, and the sound of loud laughter fromwithin showed that they were making themselves at home with the inmates.

  A well cooked repast was soon on the table, and to this Jack and hishost did full justice.

  "This wine is excellent; surely it does not grow on these hills!"

  "No," the count said, laughing. "I am ready to run the risk of beingkilled, but I do not want to be poisoned, so I sent up a score or twoof flasks from my own cellars. The vineyards of Cifuentes are reckonedamong the first in this part of Spain. And now," he said, when they hadfinished and the table had been cleared, "we will take a look at the mapand talk over our plans. The enemy leave Lerida tomorrow. I have alreadyordered that the whole country along their line of march shall bewasted, that all stores of corn, wine, and forage which cannot becarried off shall be destroyed, and that every horse and every headof cattle shall be driven away. I have also ordered the wells to bepoisoned."

  Jack looked grave. "I own that I don't like that," he said.

  "I do not like it myself," the count replied; "but if an enemy invadesyour country you must oppose him by all means. Water is one of thenecessaries of life, and as one can't carry off the wells one mustrender them useless; but I don't wish to kill in this way, and havegiven strict orders that in every case where poison is used, a placard,with a notice that it has been done, shall be affixed to the wells."

  "In that case," Jack said, "I quite approve of what you have done,count; the wells then simply cease to exist as sources of supply."

  "I wish I could poison all the running streams too," the count said;"but unfortunately they are beyond us, and there are so many littlestreams caused by the melting snow on the hills that I fear we shall notbe able greatly to straiten the enemy. At daybreak tomorrow I will mountwith you, and we will ride some twenty miles along the road and selectthe spots where a sturdy resistance can best be made. By the time we getback here most of the peasants who are coming will have assembled. Thesewe will form into bands, some to hold the passes and to dispute theadvance, others to hang upon the skirts and annoy them incessantly, someto close in behind, cut off wagons that break down or lag by the way,and to prevent, if possible, any convoys from the rear from joiningthem."

  This programme was carried out. Several spots were settled on where anirregular force could oppose a stout resistance to trained troops, andpoints were fixed upon where breastworks should be thrown up, wallsutilized, and houses loopholed and placed in a state of defense.

  It was late in the afternoon before they rode again into the village.The gathering of peasants was now very largely increased, and extendedover the fields for some distance round the place. The count at oncegave orders that all should form up in regular order according to thevillages from which they came. When this was done he divided them intofour groups.

  The first, two thousand strong, was intended to hold the passes; twoothers, each one thousand strong, were to operate upon the flanks of theenemy; and a fourth, of the same strength, to act in its rear.

  "Now, Captain Stilwell," he said, "will you take the command ofwhichever of these bodies you choose?"

  "I thank you, count, for the offer," Jack said, "but I will take nocommand whatever. In the first place, your Catalans would very stronglyobject to being led by a foreigner, especially by one so young andunknown as myself. In the second place, I would rather, with yourpermission, remain by your side. You will naturally command the forcethat opposes the direct attack, and, as the bulk of the fightingwill fall on them, I should prefer being there. I will act as yourlieutenant."

  "Well, since you choose it, perhaps it is best so," the count said."These peasants fight best their own way. They are given to suddenretreats, but they rally quickly and return again to the fight, and theywill probably fight better under their own local leaders than under astranger. You will see they have no idea of fighting in a body; the menof each village will fight together and act independently of the rest.Many of them, you see, are headed by priests, not a few of whom havebrought rifles with them. These will generally lead their own villagers,and their authority is far greater than that which any layman couldobtain over them. I must appoint a leader to each body to direct theirgeneral movements; the village chiefs will do the rest."

  While the count had been absent several other gentlemen of good familyhad arrived in the village, some marching in with the peasants on theirestates. Three of these were appointed to lead the three bands destinedfor the flank and rear attacks. The next three hours were devoted to thedistribution of provisions and ammunition, each man taking four days'supply of the former, and receiving sufficient powder and bullets forforty rounds of the latter. All were ordered to be in readiness to marchtwo hours before daybreak.

  The count then retired to his quarters, and there pointed out on the mapto the three divisional leaders the spots where he intended to make astand, and gave them instructions as to their respective sha
res of theoperations. Their orders were very general. They were to post their menon the side hills, and as much behind cover as possible, to keep up agalling fire at the column, occasionally to show in threatening massesas if about to charge down, so as to cause as much alarm and confusionas possible, and, should at any point the nature of the ground favorit, they were to dash down upon the baggage train and to hamstring thehorses, smash the wheels, and create as much damage as they could, andto fall back upon the approach of a strong body of the enemy. Those inthe rear were to press closely up so as to necessitate a strong forcebeing kept there to oppose them. But their principal duties were to holdthe passes, and to prevent any convoys, unless very strongly guarded,from reaching the enemy from his base at Saragossa.

  After these instructions had been given supper was spread, and somefifteen or twenty of the principal persons who had joined were invitedby the count, and a pleasant evening was spent.

  It was interesting to Jack to observe the difference between thisgathering and that which had taken place in the Earl of Peterborough'squarters on the evening before the attack on San Matteo. There, althoughmany considered that the prospects of success on the following day wereslight indeed, all was merriment and mirth. The whole party were in thehighest spirits, and the brilliant wit of the earl, and his recklessspirit of fun, had kept the party in continual laughter.

  The tone on the contrary at the present gathering was quiet and almoststiff. These grave Catalan nobles, fresh from their country estates,contrasted strongly with the more lively and joyous inhabitants ofValencia. Each addressed the other with ceremony, and listened withgrave attention to the remarks of each speaker in turn.

  During the whole evening nothing approaching to a joke was made, therewas scarcely a smile upon the countenance of any present; and yet thetone of courtliness and deference to the opinions of each other, thegrave politeness, the pride with which each spoke of his country, theirenthusiasm in the cause, and the hatred with which they spoke of theenemy, impressed Jack very favorably; and though, as he said to himselfwhen thinking it over, the evening had certainly not been a lively one,it had by no means been unpleasant.

  Two hours before daybreak the bell of the church gave the signal. Asthe men had only to rise to their feet, shake themselves, take up theirarms, and sling their bags of provisions round their necks, it was but afew minutes before they were formed up in order. The count saw the threedivisions file off silently in the darkness, and then, placing himselfat the head of the main body, led the way toward the spot which he andJack had selected for opposing the march of Tesse's invading column.

  Daylight was just breaking when they reached it, and the count orderedthe men to pile their arms and at once to set to work. The road, whichhad been winding along in a valley, here mounted a sharp rise, on thevery brow of which stood a hamlet of some twenty houses. It had alreadybeen deserted by the inhabitants, and the houses were taken possessionof by the workers. Those facing the brow of the hill were loopholed,as were the walls along the same line. Men were set to work to build agreat barricade across the road, and to run breastworks of stones rightand left from the points where the walls ended along the brow. Otherparties loopholed the houses and walls of the village, and formedanother barricade across the road at the other end. With two thousandmen at work these tasks were soon carried out; and the count then ledthe men down the hill, whose face was covered with loose stones, and setthem to work piling these in lines one above another.

  At ten o'clock in the morning the work was complete. The count toldthe men off by parties, each of which were to hold one of the lines ofstones; each party was, as the French charged, to retire up the hill andjoin that at the line above, so that their resistance would become moreand more obstinate till the village itself was reached. Here a stand wasto be made as long as possible. If the column advanced only by the road,every house was to be held; if they spread out in line so as to overlapthe village on both sides, a rapid retreat was to be made when thebugler by the count's side gave the signal.

  The men sat down to breakfast in their allotted places, quiet, grave,and stern; and again the contrast with the laughter and high spiritswhich prevail among English soldiers, when fighting is expected, struckJack very forcibly.

  "They would make grand soldiers if properly trained, these grave,earnest looking men," he said to himself. "They look as if they couldendure any amount of fatigue and hardship; and although they don't takethings in the same cheerful light our men do, no one can doubt theircourage. I can quite understand now the fact that the Spanish infantrywas once considered the finest in Europe. If they only had leaders anddiscipline Spain would not want any foreign aid; her own people would bemore than a match for any army the French could send across the northernfrontier."

  The meal was scarcely finished when, at the end of the valley, somethree miles away, a cloud of dust was seen to rise with the sparkle ofthe sun on arms and accouterments.

  "There are Tesse's cavalry!" the count exclaimed. "Another half hourwill cause a transformation in this quiet valley."

  The head of the column came on but slowly, the cavalry regiment formingit accommodating their pace to that of the infantry and baggage wagonsin the rear. Slowly they moved on, until the bottom of the valleyappeared covered with a moving mass extending from the end, threemiles away, to within half a mile of the foot of the hill on which theSpaniards were posted. Suddenly from the hillsides on the left puffs ofsmoke darted out, and instantly a similar fire was opened on the right.

  "They are at work at last," Jack exclaimed as the rattle of musketrysounded loud and continuous. "I wondered when they were going to begin."

  "I told them to let the column pass nearly to the head of the valleybefore they opened fire," the count said. "Had they begun soon after theenemy entered the valley, they would have left all their baggage behindunder a guard, and the infantry would have been free to attack the hillsat once. Now they are all crowded up in the valley--horse, foot, andbaggage. The wounded horses will become unmanageable, and there is sureto be confusion, though perhaps not panic. See, they are answering ourfire! They might as well save their powder, for they are only throwingaway ammunition by firing away at the hillside."

  This indeed was the case; for Jack, although in the course of themorning he had frequently watched the hillside for signs of the otherparties, had not made out the slightest movement, so completely were themen hidden behind rocks and bushes.

  Strong bodies of infantry were thrown out by Tesse on both flanks,and these began to climb the hills, keeping up a heavy fire at theirconcealed foe, while the main column continued its way.

  Not a shot was fired by the Spanish until the head of the column waswithin a hundred yards of the foot of the rise, and then from the wholeface of the hill a heavy fire was opened. The enemy recoiled, and for atime there was great confusion near the head of the column; an officerof high rank dashed up, and the troops formed out into a line across thewhole width of the valley and then moved forward steadily; so heavy weretheir losses, however, that they presently came to a standstill. Butreinforcements coming up, they again pressed forward, firing as theywent.

  Not until they were within twenty yards did the Miquelets lining thelower wall of rocks leave their post, and, covered by the smoke, gainwith little loss the line next above them. Slowly the enemy won theirway uphill, suffering heavily as they did so, and continually beingreinforced from the rear. At the last wall the peasants, gathered nowtogether, maintained a long resistance; and it was not until fully fourthousand of the enemy were brought up that the position was seriouslythreatened. Then their leader, seeing that they would sustain very heavyloss if the enemy carried the wall by assault, ordered his trumpeter tosound the retreat. It was at once obeyed, and by the time the French hadcrossed the wall the peasants had already passed out at the other end ofthe village.

  As the French cavalry had not been able to pass the lower walls therewas no pursuit. The peasants rallied after a rapid flight of a mile.Their
loss had been small, while that of the French had been veryconsiderable; and the marshal halted his troops round the village forthe day.

  The result of the fighting added to the resolution of the peasants,and as soon as the French continued their route the next morning thefighting began again. It was a repetition of that of the preceding day.The enemy had to contest every foot of the ground, and were exposed toa galling fire along the whole line of their march. Many times they madedesperate efforts to drive the peasants from the hillsides; sometimesthey were beaten back with heavy loss, and when they succeeded it wasonly to find the positions they attacked deserted and their activedefenders already beyond musket fire. At night they had no respite; theenemy swarmed round their camp, shot down the sentries, and attackedwith such boldness that the marshal was obliged to keep a large numberof his men constantly under arms.

  At last, worn out by fatigue and fighting, the weary army emerged fromthe hills into the wide valleys, where their cavalry were able to act,and the ground no longer offered favorable positions of defense tothe peasantry. Seeing the uselessness of further attacks, the Count ofCifuentes drew off his peasants; and Tesse marched on to Barcelona andeffected a junction with the troops from Roussillon under the Duke deNoailles, who had come down by the way of Gerona. The town was at onceinvested on the land side; while the Count of Toulouse, with thirtyFrench ships, blockaded it from the sea.