by Griff Hosker
I discussed our future with Sharp when we retired to our room. “Well sir, we have the information Colonel Selkirk wanted. The French are coming. Everyone seems to know that. We just head back to Oporto and wait for the ‘Black Prince’.”
“As much as I would like to that is just half the job Alan. We need to know his intentions towards Portugal and that means looking at the troops who are at Ciudad.”
“Type of troops, sir?”
“If there are assault troops there then it means they intend to invade. If they have just garrisoned the fort then they are just protecting the borders.”
He nodded, “It looks like I will have to brush up on my French then.”
“It does indeed. We will only talk in French from tomorrow onwards. That should help you get back into the language.”
Jose had a crudely drawn map for us but, having been a sailor, he had made it functional. I could see where the towns were and what passed for roads. As we set off towards Ciudad Rodrigo I began to feel more hopeful. I had thought that the roads in Italy were bad enough but these would take days for artillery to cross. Bonaparte would struggle to use these roads for an invasion.
Jose had also marked the places where the bandits made a nuisance of themselves. We had brought holsters for the horses and we each had a brace to hand. We also had a third tucked in our belts. We had learned the power of three pistols. The first few hours passed quickly as we chatted in French. The road twisted and turned as it climbed the mountains towards the south. It was a perfect ambush country. If I had had the Light Dragoons with me we could have held up the French for days and slowed an invasion down to a crawl. As it was I knew that soon after the next town, Moimenta da Beira, we would be in bandit country.
Jose had just put a circle for the towns with no idea of the size of the place. They all looked to be the same. Moimenta da Beira was just a large village and, as we rode through, we saw no-one. We were not trying to hide and the villagers would have seen us coming from some way off. Perhaps they feared strangers. It was peculiar to be this close to people and not to see them. The village had a threatening air about it but our horses needed a rest. We stopped at the water trough and watered the tired beasts. It was eerie knowing that everyone was hiding behind closed doors, just watching us. I kept my hand on my pistol.
When we mounted and rode up the road which climbed south and east I felt a sense of relief. The village had made me wary. I could see many places as the road climbed up to a col where we could be ambushed. This was dangerous country. I now worried that we might be the ones who were ambushed. We dismounted. These were not the best of horses and we needed to care for them. As the crest of the road hid the other side I thought this might be the most prudent course to take to avoid being seen in this bandit country. It proved to be another wise decision.
We were a few yards from the top when I heard a woman’s scream and immediately drew my pistol. I handed my reins to Sharp and made my way up through the scrubby undergrowth and rocks which lined the rough mountain road. When I reached the top I crouched behind a large rock. I saw a coach surrounded by seven bandits. There were three dead men laying on the road their blood already puddling. There was a well dressed woman who was crying. She looked to be of an age with my mother. She looked to be in her late forties. She was trying to edge back into the carriage. She looked terrified. The men were searching her bags, discarding shoes and dresses while one was pawing at her. It was most distressing. I took the scene in and then descended.
I told Sharp what I had seen. “We have a choice, Alan, we can find another route and leave a woman to be… well we could leave a woman or we could do something about it and risk our lives.”
He smiled, “I know what you want to do, Captain, and I am not the sort of chap to leave a woman to suffer at the hands of bandits. What do we do?”
I grinned, “Use surprise. We gallop over the top. I think I know who the leader is. We use our three pistols and then our swords. You look after the woman.”
“Righto sir.” He said it in such a matter of fact tone that one would have thought he did this sort of thing every day of the week.
We mounted. After we had primed and cocked all three weapons I turned to Sharp. “Let’s do this!” I rode on the right of the track and Sharp on the left. I knew they would hear the hooves but we were so close to the top of the road that they would have little time to react for the coach was not far down the other side. I had noted that they did not have their weapons in their hands. We had a few moments’ advantage and we had to use them well.
As we burst over the top I saw them look around in surprise. At thirty yards I was deadly accurate with a pistol and I fired at the bandit leader. The huge ball made his face unrecognisable. I took out a second pistol and fired at the bandit who was raising his musket in my direction. The ball hit him in the chest and threw him to the ground. I holstered it and drew the third. I pulled the trigger at a bandit who was running at me with an axe. The pistol misfired. I dropped it and drew my sword. He swung the axe at my horse’s head. I jerked the reins to one side and slashed down with the razor sharp blade. It sliced his head open like a ripe plum.
I heard Sharp’s pistol fire and I turned my horse to see where the others were. Two of them were running away. I could not allow them to escape. Who knew if there were more bandits close by? I urged my horse on. It was not as fast as Badger, my own horse, but it was game and it was faster than the two men.
As I thundered up behind them one turned and raised his musket. I saw him sight at my head. I leaned forward and down. The flash of the musket was just five feet from where my head would have been. I skewered him with the Austrian cavalry sword. I suddenly heard Sharp shout, “Look out sir!”
The last man had turned and was pointing two pistols at me. I threw myself from the horse and rolled to the side. He fired one pistol at me and I felt the ball tug at my sleeve. I was on my feet in an instant and I lunged at him as he brought the pistol up. My blade went into his throat and I felt the barrel of his pistol touch my chest. He rolled backwards and his dying hand lifted the pistol vertically and his finger spasmed on the trigger and the ball sailed into the sky.
The horse, wide eyed and panting, stood just behind me. “Good boy!” I grabbed the reins and stroked his mane while speaking close to his ear. “Good boy, well done.” I did not try to mount him. I led him back to the carriage. I could see that Sharp had disposed of the bodies by pushing them into the ditch which ran next to the rough road. The woman looked to have regained her composure. She had recovered her coat and donned it. I could see that she must have been a handsome woman in her youth. I could see that she was both well dressed and expensively dressed. I knew why the bandits had targeted the coach.
I gave a slight bow. She spoke to me in English. “Thank you, sir. I owe you my life.”
She had a slight accent and I knew she was not English. How had she known that we were? “You are welcome. I am just sorry we could not save your people. I am Roberto d’Alpini.”
“And I am Donna Maria d’Alvarez.” She held out her hand for me to kiss. “And what is an Englishman with an Italian name doing here in this out of the way place?”
“We can talk about that later. Sharp, tie your horse to the back of the carriage and you drive.” I turned to the lady. “Others may come. There is a village just down the hill.”
She shook her head. “That is the village of the bandits. They were about to take me there. I would not have risked the journey save that we saw French troops on the Spanish border and I had to inform the authorities.”
That was a double problem. There were Frenchmen behind us and bandits before us. “Sharp, when we get close to the village whip the horses along and have your pistol ready.”
“Right sir. I had better reload them.”
“Sir, could I have one?”
I looked at the old lady. “You can fire a pistol?”
She smiled, “Do not be taken in by these grey hairs. I c
an handle a pistol. Had I had one handy earlier then they would not have taken us quite so easily.” She reached into the coach and pulled out a tiny lady’s pistol. “I was trying to reach this. At close range it can kill. I am also an accomplished swordswoman too.” I gave her a sceptical look, “Oh do not be fooled by my earlier tears. I wished to play the weak woman for later I would then have used it to my advantage when their guard was down.”
I handed her a reloaded pistol. “I will put the bodies of your people on the roof.”
“Thank you. They died well and I would that they were buried equally well.”
When we had manhandled the bodies on to the roof I mounted my horse. “Ready, Alan?”
“As ready as I will ever be!”
“Then ride. Keep it steady until we are at the edge of the village and then whip the horses.”
“The road is a little rough, sir.”
“I know. Just do your best.” As we rode down the hill I reflected that you could make the best plans in the world but it only took one tiny event to change them. The mission would be a failure. I had no idea if there was a garrison in Spain or an invading army. I just knew that there were Frenchmen and they were on the border.
Now that we knew the village was the home of the bandits then the atmosphere earlier became clearer. They would expect their men to be bringing the loot back for distribution and I did not think that they would allow us to pass unhindered. I rode next to Sharp. The hill was becoming gentler and I felt that we could risk galloping.
“Ready Sharp?”
“I was born ready sir!”
“Then ride like the wind.” I slapped the hindquarters of the leading horse as Alan cracked his whip. They took off. Their earlier fright had made them nervous and we used it to our advantage. Sharp had to have two hands to control the careering carriage. I drew a pistol.
A large man stepped out of a hut with an old blunderbuss. As he raised it I fired and he was flung backwards.
“Watch out!” Donna Maria d’Alvarez shouted and fired her pistol. I turned around and saw the body of a woman with a wicked looking meat cleaver lying dead in the road.
I drew my sword and saluted my saviour. More of the villagers were now rushing from their places of concealment. Had I had a better mount I might have used him aggressively but I dared not risk a fancy manoeuvre with the hired horse. Instead I used my long reach and my sword to keep them at bay. It takes a brave man to approach a whirling sword wielded from the back of a horse. As we neared the northern edge of the village I heard a crack from behind me as Donna Maria d’Alvarez fired her pistol again. I saw a man drop his musket and clutch his arm.
I remembered this part of the road from our ascent and I knew that it twisted behind some rocks. I dropped back, sheathed my sword and drew my last loaded pistol. As the villagers hurtled after us I fired into them and they all ducked into cover. I whipped my horse’s head around and followed the coach as it disappeared behind the rocks.
Sharp did not stop them for a mile or more. By then they were lathered and needed to slow down. “Well done Alan, best to walk them for a while and I will see how our guest is faring.” I looked back up the road and the pursuit appeared to have halted. I saw no one.
I dropped back to the coach and saw that Donna Maria d’Alvarez had a pistol ready. I smiled, “I think we have lost them. Thank you for the shot.”
“I told you that I could shoot.” She put the pistol on the seat next to her. I rode next to the open window so that I could speak with her. “You are a soldier.” She said it in a matter of fact way that allowed for no denial.
“I was. Now I deal in wine.”
She laughed, “And I am a prima ballerina at the Lisbon Opera House! I may be old but I recognise a soldier and I know when orders are being given by an officer.” I did not answer. She smiled, “If it makes it easier for you I am happy that you are a soldier for if that is true then we have a greater chance of escaping.”
“Escaping?” I frowned, “The villagers will not pursue us.”
“I am not worried about the villagers, it is the French I worry about.”
“The French?” I tried to keep the alarm out of my voice. I had thought she said they were just on the border.
She nodded, “I would not be risking a journey through bandit country if the matter were not urgent.” She pointed behind her. “My husband and I were staying with friends high in the mountains when the French cavalry came.” For the first time since the attack I saw emotion on her face. “They killed my husband. Shot him down like a dog. I have no idea what they would have done to me but I think they thought I was a harmless old woman.” She laughed, “The poisoned guards will have told them that I was not. I think they were the vanguard of an army.”
“They will follow you?”
“I believe so especially if they are the advanced guard of an invasion force. We discovered that before they shot my husband.” She shrugged, “He had been a senior officer in the Portuguese army and knew such things.”
“Sharp, we will have some Chasseurs on our tail soon enough. Better get the speed up.”
“But, sir, the horses!” Like me Sharp was a horseman and did not like to abuse such fine animals.
“Don’t kill them but keep them moving.”
I rode back to the window. “When did you leave?”
“This morning before dawn.” I nodded. We had some time then. “Where are we headed to, Englishman?”
“We took a wine barge up from Oporto. I was going to see if we could get one back.”
“I know many people in Peso da Régua. My husband has a wine warehouse there but there is no garrison.”
“Then I will have to think of something else before we get there.”
I knew how quickly Chasseurs could move. They could be less than an hour behind us. It would take us at least another two to three hours to get the slow moving carriage and weary horses across the Douro.
A thought suddenly occurred to me. “My lady, what of the garrison at the border?”
“I fear they were either killed or they were captured. Either way the French are in Portugal.
“Then we will be the first with the news?”
She nodded, “I would assume so.”
“This is your country. If you were invading would you attack along the Douro?”
The same thought must have arrived in the resourceful lady’s mind. “The Tagus would be their route and then directly to Lisbon.”
“Exactly and I believe the royal family are there.” I saw the worry appear on her face.
“I hope there is a ship in Oporto harbour else the French will take our Regent, Prince John and our Queen Maria. She is a dear friend of mine although I have not seen her since her husband died.”
I nodded, “There were a couple in the harbour when we left but that was two days ago. Who knows what may have happened since then.” I hoped that Jonathan was there already if not then my mission would end in failure. I now had a double mission: send the news to England and warn the Braganza royal family.
Chapter 3
The carriage made it to within four miles of the bridge before the rigours of the journey and road destroyed it.. The axle broke along with a wheel. Had we had time we could have repaired it but time was a luxury we could ill afford. I dismounted, “My lady, can you ride?”
“I can.”
“Then mount this one please. Sharp unhitch the horses. I will ride bare back.”
“Sir… I”
“There is no argument Alan, I am the better rider.” Donna Maria d’Alvarez looked comfortable upon the horse. Her voluminous dress had made it easier for her to sit astride the horse and maintain her dignity. I glanced up at the bodies on the carriage roof. “Your men…”
“I know. They will have to rest here if we are to save the royal family.”
Just them I heard hooves in the distance. “The French!” Sharp led a horse to me and I threw my leg over. “Sharp, take the other horses we can
use them in case these tire. Now ride!”
The horses needed nursing and we did not gallop. I kept glancing over my shoulder as we descended to the Douro below. If there had been a garrison we might have held them at the bridge. As it was we had to pray that there was a barge in port and Donna Maria d’Alvarez had enough authority to make it move as soon as we arrived. The road twisted and turned. I hoped that we would keep disappearing from the view of the pursuing French. Once they passed the carriage they would hurry.
I saw the bridge. It was a mile or so ahead. The road had flattened somewhat and I risked looking around again. To my horror I saw the green Chasseurs less than a mile away. They had spread out along the road and it was just the three scouts who were behind us. With the lady for us to protect, they would be enough. I had one pistol with me and it was loaded. A second was with my horse in the holster. Sharp had three and they would be loaded. I rode next to Donna Maria d’Alvarez. “We will try to hold them up. There is a loaded pistol in the holster in case you need it. Try to get a barge and we will join you.”
She nodded. “You are brave men. Do not throw your lives away.”
“Don’t worry, we will not. Sharp, let the spare horses go and join me.”
The horses carried on down the road following the lady. The road had turned a bend and I could no longer see the Chasseurs. “Daw your pistols, Alan. When they come around the bend then shoot them. I have one pistol and my sword.”
“How many are there, sir?”
“Three scouts. I just need to buy the lady some time.”
As he cocked his guns he said. “She is a game ‘un sir.”
“She is that and she has done our job for us. We know that there are probably two armies invading Portugal. They are French armies! The country is lost.”
Just then the three troopers galloped around the corner. They were so intent on catching our party that they had no weapons drawn. I fired my pistol and the leading trooper clutched his shoulder and fell to the ground. Sharp’s ball took a trooper in the head but his second pistol misfired. I drew my sword and galloped up to the last trooper, a Brigadier. He had the waxed moustache so beloved of the light cavalry and he had the scarred face of a veteran. He drew his sword as he charged me.