by J. P. Bowie
“That should keep them busy for a while,” Jamie said, laughing, as he and Tanaka plunged into the cover of the trees and thick brush. A shot rang out, taking the bark off a tree above Tanaka’s head. “They’ve seen us. Run like the very devil’s at our heels!”
Although the babble of soldiers shouting could still be heard, no more shots were fired and no one appeared to be following them. Jamie reckoned that the officers had pulled the men back to deal with their more pressing dilemmas…blazing tents and how to get the cannons out of the gully.
Chapter Three
When they reconnected with Captain Garland in the early dawn hours, he received their news with great peals of laughter. “Oh, how I wish I’d been with you,” he finally managed to tell them. “I’ll have the men move out immediately so we can take advantage of the French’s misfortune. They might decide to leave the cannons behind, which will give the troops at Fort Bligh a better chance of victory, and if we can take the enemy by surprise, all the better.”
He shook their hands, admiration in his eyes, and Jamie believed that the captain would have promoted them on the spot if they’d been part of his army.
“Lieutenant Barrows,” he called to one of his officers.
”Sir!” The man gave a smart salute.
“Muster the men. We’ll move out in a half-hour. Let them know there is a great possibility we’ll see some action against the French very shortly.”
“Yes, sir.” Barrows went to find the bugler and a few minutes later the strains of Reveille was heard throughout the camp.
Garland clapped both Jamie and Tanaka on their shoulders. “Well done, lads. My thanks. Get yourselves something to eat and drink before the mess sergeant closes up shop.” He strode away, shouting for his officers to meet him in his tent.
“Well.” Jamie gave Tanaka a wry smile. “Something to eat and drink first seems like a plan, does it not?”
* * * *
The march through the forest toward the French encampment was well known to Nashoba and the other Choctaw scouts. Garland’s regiment made good time and it was obvious that the French were still in disarray when the English troops came upon them.
The fire Jamie and Tanaka had set must have taken longer to extinguish, as the stench of smoke was still heavy in the air. They could hear shouted commands, the whinnying of horses and the sound of strained curses from near the riverbed. Nashoba and Tanaka went forward first to investigate and came back to report that the French were attempting to drag the cannons out of the gully. Apparently, they were not having much success even with the aid of two horses they had hitched with ropes to the big guns.
Jamie watched with disgust as one soldier whipped the horse under his charge, yelling at it to pull harder. The fool struck the horse’s hindquarters with the butt of his rifle, causing the animal to snort in pain and fury and rear upward, its hooves flailing in the air. The rope snapped and the cannon rolled back into the gully. As the horse ran off into the woods, the soldiers yelled and cursed at one another.
“We’ll take them first while they’re in disarray…” Garland ordered his men to surround the troops by the dry river bed. The startled French soldiers were quickly subdued and relieved of all arms. Jamie strode up to the man who had been beating the horse and laid him out with a punch to his jaw. The rest were herded into a group to be guarded until the English had secured the encampment. The second step was not so easily achieved.
Jamie reckoned that one of the sentries must have seen a flash of red from an English uniform. A shout of “Alarme!” went up and immediately the encampment swarmed with armed soldiers ready to face any kind of attack.
“Damnation,” Garland muttered beside Jamie then quietly gave Nashoba an order in such fluent Choctaw that Jamie glanced at the captain with surprise. Nashoba touched Tanaka’s arm and the two made off into the forest followed by the other Choctaw scouts. Jamie was torn between going after them or staying with Garland’s men. After a moment’s hesitation, he stayed with Garland. Tanaka had shown him many skills, but he didn’t think he was as yet up to the amazing ways the Choctaw had to disguise their presence and take their enemies completely unawares. Nevertheless, he was not happy at being separated from his lover when they were about to go into battle.
“Nashoba will afford us a diversion,” Garland whispered then signaled that they should move forward. A rifle shot rang out and the tree bark above Jamie’s head splintered off. “They’ve seen us. Spread out men, fire at will.” Garland lurched forward, keeping low, Jamie at his heels. All hell broke loose as the English soldiers opened fire and the French charged. A foolish move, Jamie thought, as without a doubt the trees would hamper the charge, while giving Garland’s men cover.
He was proven right when two French soldiers blundered toward him and the captain, cursing when they tripped over hidden roots and had to struggle through undergrowth. They were easy pickings for Garland’s bayonet and Jamie’s hatchet. All around them, men were engaged in hand-to-hand combat and although the French made some headway at first, they were soon forced back and had to either run or throw down their weapons.
Garland ordered the advance, pushing the prisoners before them. Jamie was happy to see Tanaka in the middle of the Choctaw that surrounded what was left of the French army along with two officers.
“Who is in command here?”
An officer stepped forward. “I am Colonel Louis Leforge. To whom am I surrendering my command?”
“Captain Mathew Garland. My scouts reported your presence in the vicinity. May I ask your intentions?”
Jamie found it hard to control the derisive snort he wanted to give as his opinion of what he considered nonsense. God, so bloody polite. A minute ago they were ready to kill each other… His gaze found Tanaka’s and they exchanged wry smiles.
Leforge’s face remained expressionless although his cheeks flushed slightly. “We have orders to take Fort Bligh.”
“Orders, I’m afraid, you will not carry out,” Garland said. He looked around the encampment with a quizzical stare. “Are you sure you could have taken Fort Bligh with this lot? Your men seem worn-out…their uniforms in need of repair.”
Leforge stiffened. “We had to fight a fire last night and our cannons were sabotaged.”
“Unfortunate.” Garland smiled. “Well, you will have no use for cannons now, eh, Colonel? Order your men to stack their weapons, and their boots, in two piles.”
“Their boots? Surely you don’t mean…”
“Indeed that is what I mean. I am not in a position to take prisoners, Colonel Leforge. You would all simply slow us down and we are needed at the fort to help in its defense. I have word that another regiment is on its way headed for Fort Bligh, so speed is of the essence. You and your men can join them at the Fork River which is where my scouts tell me they are presently bivouacked.”
“But to march without boots will be a hardship for the men!”
“And for you, too, Colonel. But when the alternative is that I have you all shot, perhaps you will welcome the hardship gladly. Now give the order, and let’s not waste any more time.”
Leforge’s face flushed and he narrowed his eyes at Garland. “You seek to humiliate me, Captain Garland. Perhaps one day, our positions will be reversed and you will beg that I do not exact revenge.”
Garland sighed. “All things are possible, I suppose, but right now, I would prefer it if you’d be on your way.”
Jamie grinned as he watched the French soldiers pull off their boots and throw them into a pile. Looks of hatred were cast at the English soldiers who made no effort to disguise their hilarity at the enemy’s misfortune.
So the captain’s courtesy doesna’ extend to letting the enemy off lightly. “You havena’ made a friend of yon colonel,” he remarked.
Garland shrugged. “If my orders had been to establish a friendship with him, I would have done so. My orders were to stop them getting to Fort Bligh and, with your help for which I am grateful, I have done
so. It doesn’t hurt to know they will be slow in reaching the other regiments. Stocking feet on thorny ground…not at all compatible.” He paused and frowned. “Now I have to make sure that once we reach the fort we find it defensible. Just between you and me, word has it that the commander, one Colonel John Fowler, has taken to the drink. I am hoping it is a false rumor, but I must be prepared to assume command should it be obvious that he is not fit for duty.”
“Are you acquainted with the colonel?”
“No, I am not, which might make it easier should it come to asking him to stand down.”
Garland turned his attention to the French who were now stumbling out of the encampment on their way to hopefully meet up with the other regiments at Fork River. After one final glare at Garland and his men, Leforge disappeared into the forest.
“Well, that’s that. Corporal Aubrey…” He summoned a young officer to his side. “Have some of the men set fire to those boots and gather up the weapons. The horses can carry them. And, Aubrey, make sure the fire is extinguished properly afterward.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We’ll be on our way in about an hour, MacDonald.” The young captain gave Jamie an appraising look. “I could use both you and Tanaka if you feel so inclined to join us?”
“Aye, I think we will. To be honest I was getting a wee bit bored with the lack of action for the last couple of months. Can I ask you something?”
Garland cast him a wary look. “Perhaps…”
Jamie laughed. “Nothing personal, o’course. It’s just that you’re commanding a big force and from what I understand a regiment is usually commanded by a colonel or major and…”
“And I’m just a lowly captain?” Garland’s lips were pursed in amusement.
“Well, I didna’ say lowly, now, did I?” Jamie said defensively. “As a matter o’ fact, from what I’ve seen you are an able commander and have the respect of your men.”
“Thank you for that.” Garland’s expression changed to one of sadness. “We were led by Colonel George Bruce when we started out on this mission. He was killed in a skirmish with the French a month ago…a terrible blow for us all. I was next in command, so…” He shrugged expressively. “I sent his body back to Fort Sumner with a request for further orders. Fortunately, the men rallied around me and as I have not received any orders to the contrary, I shall do my best to make sure Fort Bligh is in safe keeping, one way or the other.”
Jamie nodded. “Tanaka and I will be happy to aid ye in that ambition.”
“Thank you, MacDonald. Now, I’d best see to the men. Our losses were light, but I like to assure myself that the wounded are being well looked after.”
Once again, the young captain had impressed Jamie with his obvious professionalism, and beyond that his caring for his men’s welfare. Never had Jamie imagined feeling respect for an English officer, but there it was. He respected Captain Matthew Garland for the able soldier he was, and in addition, for the good man he’d proven himself to be.
* * * *
They reached Fort Bligh the following day and were greeted with cheers from the soldiers and settlers alike. An overweight, florid-faced officer who Jamie reckoned to be the colonel strode out to meet them. Garland saluted smartly, while the colonel, if it was him, looked as if he was swatting away a fly when he returned the gesture.
Is he drunk? Jamie wondered. The officer seemed to have trouble standing up straight, weaving slightly from side to side. Aye, he’s drunk, the idiot. Behind him someone tittered when the man whom Jamie was sure now was the colonel staggered as he turned and escorted Garland into his quarters. Lieutenant Barrows, after conferring with one of the fort’s officers, yelled out some orders and the men started setting up the bivouac tents off to one side of the parade ground.
He sought out Tanaka and found him with Nashoba and the other Choctaw scouts. They didn’t look happy and Tanaka explained to him orders had been given that they had to camp outside the fort because the colonel objected to ‘savages’ being near the women settlers.
“Hogwash,” Jamie exclaimed. “I’ll hae a word wi’ Captain Garland. He’ll not stand for it, I’m sure.”
“Matthew is not in a position to argue with Colonel Fowler, Jamie,” Nashoba told him. “He must obey orders as must we all.”
“Well, we’ll see about that when he’s done talking with that drunkard.”
Everyone’s attention was drawn to at the colonel’s quarters when the door was violently flung open and Garland stormed out. He marched directly to where several officers were in conversation. Some of them stepped away from one another on seeing a furious captain bearing down on them.
“Gentlemen!” Garland’s voice carried across the length of the fort’s grounds. “For how long have you allowed this to continue?”
“What’s that, sir?” a young officer asked querulously.
“That drunken fool who holds the fate of this fort and all of your lives in his hands just informed me that he has no need for our assistance as he put it. That he and his soldiers are sufficient to repel the French regiments that are, as we speak, headed this way, determined to take Fort Bligh.” He searched the faces of the officers before him. “Are you of like minds, because I can assure you, if I withdraw my men, you will be in no position to defend this fort and the settlers who depend upon you for their safety.”
Garland’s outburst had drawn a crowd of both soldiers and settlers. Jamie took Tanaka’s arm and together they hurried over to hear more of the confrontation.
Lieutenant Barrows, standing at Garland’s side, confirmed what the captain had said. “We gave them what for, lads, but there’s a deal more of ’em to contend with.”
“And yet your colonel thinks he has enough men here to withstand an attack without our help,” Garland snapped. “Are all of you under the same delusion?”
Fowler’s men shuffled their feet and look away nervously from Garland’s intense stare. Finally one spoke up. “Lieutenant Andrews, sir. The colonel’s not well…”
“He’s drunk and he’s going to get you all killed if you leave him in command.”
“Captain Garland!”
Everyone turned to stare at the colonel as he staggered toward them, his face red with fury, his steps decidedly unsteady.
“How dare you, sir! I heard what you just told my men. I consider that mutinous and I will have you shot if you do not leave Fort Bligh immediately.”
Those of Garland’s men close enough to hear what the colonel had said raised their voices in protest, but Garland stilled them as he turned to face the colonel.
“Colonel Fowler, you seem to forget that I am under orders to come to your aid against the French. This isn’t a game I thought I’d play just for the hell of it. There are at least three regiments of French soldiers heading this way prepared to take this fort, yet you with what, a hundred or so men, brave men I am sure and able bodied, but against such odds the fort will fall in no time. Use your head, man, and put your hubris to one side for the sake of your troops and the men women and children under your care!”
“You impertinent pup!” Fowler slapped Garland across his face. “You will leave Fort Bligh this instant or I will have you, and all your men, arrested and tried for treason.”
Jamie restrained himself from coming to the captain’s aid. It wasn’t his fight after all, and Garland didn’t appear to be put off his stride as he stared the colonel down. He was glad though when Lieutenant Andrews stepped forward.
“The captain’s right, sir. We can’t defend the fort against such odds. We—”
“Silence!” Fowler raised his hand to strike the man, but Garland caught him by the wrist to stop him.
“You are out of control, Colonel Fowler, and I demand that you step down at once and hand over the command of Fort Bligh to me!”
“Insolent swine,” Fowler seethed, spittle flying from his lips as he wrenched himself from the captain’s grasp. He staggered as he tried to reach for Garland. “You are nothi
ng but a jumped up—” He got no further as he was flanked on both sides by soldiers obeying a signaled command from Lieutenant Andrews. “This is treason, mutiny,” Fowler screamed. “I will have you all shot!”
“Your orders, sir?” Andrews asked Garland.
“Find him a cell and keep him under guard for the time being. Let us see how he fares in the morning when he’s sober.” Garland surveyed the crowd that had gathered around him. “I am Captain Matthew Garland of the King’s Royal Rifles,” he said, raising his voice enough to be heard by all. “I and my men are here to help repulse the French army that is headed this way. This unfortunate scene you were witness to will not affect our orders. I am sure that when Colonel Fowler is more like himself, he will see the sense of not sending us away, when we will be sorely needed here.”
“I think you’re a godsend, Captain,” one of the settlers said. “That old fool is blind to what’s going on around him.”
“Maybe so,” Garland remarked. “I will withhold judgment until tomorrow when I shall speak with him again. Until then, all of you please go about your business while the men ready the fort for the upcoming attack.” As the crowd dispersed, Garland directed his officers, Jamie, Tanaka and Nashoba to attend him.
“You did well, Captain,” Jamie said, “not to lose your temper in the face of such atrocious behavior from a man who should know better.”
“Drink makes a person lose his mind sometimes.” Garland turned to Lieutenant Andrews. “Is he often like this?”
The lieutenant nodded. “I’m afraid so, sir. Although you managed to see him at his worst, he has struck out at the men before.”
“Even when sober?”
“He’s never sober, sir,” a junior officer said. “He’s been like this for months. It’s amazing that he hasn’t been relieved of duty before now.”
“There have been rumors. I was hoping they were false.” Garland shrugged. “Well, enough of that, we have work to do, gentlemen. Nashoba will take the scouts out to determine how much time we have before the French attack. Lieutenant Andrews and I will survey the walls for any weak spots and make sure they are shored up. Lieutenant Barrows, you’ll supervise the bivouac for our men. All right, dismissed for the time being. Meet me in the colonel’s office at sunset.”