Maurice Tiernay, Soldier of Fortune

by Charles James Lever

  CHAPTER XLVIII. A VILLAGE 'SYNDICUS'

  I SAT up all night listening to the soldiers' stories of war andcampaigning. Some had served with Soult's army in the Asturias; somemade part of Davout's corps in the north of Europe; one had justreturned from Friedland, and amused us with describing the celebratedconference at Tilsit, where he had been a sentinel on the river-side,and presented arms to the two emperors as they passed. It will seemstrange, but it is a fact, that this slight incident attracted towardshim a greater share of his comrades' admiration than was accorded tothose who had seen half the battlefields of modern war.

  He described the dress, the air, the general bearing of the emperors,remarking that although Alexander was taller, and handsomer, and evenmore soldierlike than our own emperor, there was a something ofcalm dignity and conscious majesty in Napoleon that made him appearimmeasurably the superior. Alexander wore the uniform of the Russianguard, one of the most splendid it is possible to conceive. The onlything simple about him was his sword, which was a plain sabre with atarnished gilt scabbard, and a very dirty sword-knot; and yet everymoment he used to look down at it and handle it with great apparentadmiration; 'and well might he,' added the soldier--'Napoleon had givenit to him but the day before.'

  To listen even to such meagre details as these was to light up again inmy heart the fire that was only smouldering, and that no life of peasantlabour or obscurity could ever extinguish. My companions quickly saw theinterest I took in their narratives, and certainly did their utmost tofeed the passion--now with some sketch of a Spanish marauding party,as full of adventure as a romance; now with a description of northernwarfare, where artillery thundered on the ice, and men fought behindintrenchments of deep snow.

  From the North Sea to the Adriatic, all Europe was now in arms. Greatarmies were marching in every direction--some along the deep valley ofthe Danube, others from the rich plains of Poland and Silesia; some werepassing the Alps into Italy, and some again were pouring down for theTyrol 'Jochs,' to defend the rocky passes of their native land againstthe invader. Patriotism and glory, the spirit of chivalry and conquest,all were abroad, and his must indeed have been a cold heart which couldfind within it no response to the stirring sounds around. To theintense feeling of shame which I at first felt at my own life of obscureinactivity, there now succeeded a feverish desire to be somewhere anddo something to dispel this worse than lethargy. I had not resolutionto tell my comrades that I had served--I felt reluctant to speak ofa career so abortive and unsuccessful; and yet I blushed at thehalf-pitying expressions they bestowed upon my life of ingloriousadventure.

  'You risk life and limb here in these pine forests, and hazard existencefor a bear or a chamois goat,' cried one, 'and half the peril in realwar would perhaps make you a _chef d escadron_ or even a general.'

  'Ay,' said another, 'we serve in an army where crowns are militarydistinctions, and the epaulette is only the first step to a kingdom.'

  'True,' broke in a third, 'Napoleon has changed the whole world,and made soldiering the only trade worth following. Massena was adrummer-boy within my own memory, and see him now! Ney was not bornto great wealth and honours. Junot never could learn his trade as acobbler, and for want of better has become a general of division.'

  'Yes; and,' said I, following out the theme, 'under that wooden roofyonder, through that little diamond-paned window the vine is trainedacross, a greater than any of the last three first saw the light. It wasthere Kleber, the conqueror of Egypt, was born.'

  'Honour to the brave dead!' said the soldiers from their places aroundthe fire, and carrying their hands to the salute. 'We'll fire a salvo tohim to-morrow before we set out!' said the corporal. 'And so Kleberwas born there!' said he, resuming his place, and staring with admiringinterest at the dark outline of the old house, as it stood out againstthe starry and cloudless sky.

  It was somewhat of a delicate task for me to prevent my companionsoffering their tribute of respect, but which the old peasant would havereceived with little gratitude, seeing that he had never yet forgiventhe country nor the service for the loss of his son. With somemanagement I accomplished this duty, however, promising my services atthe same time to be their guide through the Bregenzerwald, and not topart with them till I had seen them safely into Bavaria.

  Had it not been for my thorough acquaintance with the Tyroler dialect,and all the usages of Tyrol life, their march would have been oneof great peril, for already the old hatred against their Bavarianoppressors was beginning to stir the land, and Austrian agents weretraversing the mountain districts in every direction, to call forth thatpatriotic ardour which, ill-requited as it has been, has more than oncecome to the rescue of Austria.

  So sudden had been the outbreak of this war, and so little aware werethe peasantry of the frontier of either its object or aim, that wefrequently passed recruits for both armies on their way to headquarterson the same day--honest Bavarians, who were trudging along the road withpack on their shoulders, and not knowing, nor indeed much caring, onwhich side they were to combat. My French comrades scorned to reportthemselves to any German officer, and pushed on vigorously in the hopeof meeting with a French regiment. I had now conducted my little partyto Immenstadt, at the foot of the Bavarian Alps, and, having completedmy compact, was about to bid them good-bye.

  We were seated around our bivouac fire for the last time, as we deemedit, and pledging each other in a parting glass, when suddenly ourattention was attracted to a bright red tongue of flame that suddenlydarted up from one of the Alpine summits above our head. Another andanother followed, till at length every mountain-peak for miles and milesaway displayed a great signal-fire! Little knew we that behind thatgiant range of mountains, from the icy crags of the Glockner, and fromthe snowy summit of the Orteler itself, similar fires were summoning allTyrol to the combat, while every valley resounded with the war-cry of'God and the Emperor!' We were still in busy conjecture what all thismight portend, when a small party of mounted men rode past us at atrot. They carried carbines slung over their peasant frocks, and showedunmistakably enough that they were some newly-raised and scarcelydisciplined force. After proceeding about a hundred yards beyond us,they halted, and drew up across the road, unslinging their pieces as ifto prepare for action.

  'Look at those fellows, yonder,' said the old corporal, as he puffedhis pipe calmly and deliberately; 'they mean mischief, or I 'm muchmistaken. Speak to them, Tiernay; you know their jargon.'

  I accordingly arose and advanced towards them, touching my hat in saluteas I went forward. They did not give me much time, however, to opennegotiations, for scarcely had I uttered a word, when bang went ashot close beside me; another followed; and then a whole volley wasdischarged, but with such haste and ill direction that not a ball struckme. Before I could take advantage of this piece of good fortune to renewmy advances, a bullet whizzed by my head, and down went the left-handhorse of the file, at first on his knees, and then, with a wild plungeinto the air, he fell, stone-dead, on the road, the rider beneath him.As for the rest, throwing off carbines, and cartouch-boxes, they sprangfrom their horses, and took to the mountains with a speed that showedhow far more they were at home amidst rocks and heather than when seatedon the saddle. My comrades lost no time in coming up; but while three ofthem kept the fugitives in sight, covering them all the time with theirmuskets, the others secured the cattle, as in amazement and terror theystood around the dead horse.

  Although the peasant had received no other injuries than a heavy falland his own fears inflicted, he was overcome with terror, and so certainof death that he would do nothing but mumble his prayers, totally deafto all the efforts I made to restore his courage. 'That comes of puttinga man out of his natural bent,' said the old corporal. 'On his nativemountains, and with his rifle, that fellow would be brave enough; butmaking a dragoon of him is like turning a Cossack into a foot-soldier.One thing is clear enough, we've no time to throw away here; thesepeasants will soon alarm the village in our rear, so that we had bettermount a
nd press forward.'

  'But in what direction?' cried another; 'who knows if we shall not berushing into worse danger?'

  'Tiernay must look to that,' interposed a third. 'It's clear he can'tleave us now; his retreat is cut off, at all events.'

  'That's the very point I was thinking of, lads,' said I. 'Thebeacon-fires show that "the Tyrol is up"; and safely as I have journeyedhither, I know well I dare not venture to retrace my road; I 'd be shotin the first Dorf I entered. On one condition, then, I'll join you; andshort of that, however, I'll take my own path, come what may of it.'

  'What's the condition, then?' cried three or four together.

  'That you give me the full and absolute command of this party, andpledge your honour, as French soldiers, to obey me in everything, tillthe day we arrive at the headquarters of a French corps.'

  'What, obey a Pekin! take the _mot d'ordre_ from a civilian that neverhandled a firelock!' shouted three or four in derision.

  'I have served, and with distinction, too, my lads,' said I calmly; 'andif I have not handled a firelock, it is because I wielded a sabre, as anofficer of hussars. It is not here, nor now, that I am going to tellwhy I wear the epaulette no longer. I'll render account of that to mysuperiors and yours! If you reject my offer (and I don't press you toaccept it), let us at least part good friends. As for me, I can takecare of myself.' As I said this, I slung over my shoulder the cross-beltand carbine of one of the fugitives, and selecting a strongly built,short-legged black horse as my mount, I adjusted the saddle, and sprangon his back.

  'That was done like an old hussar, anyhow,' said a soldier, who hadbeen a cavalry man, 'and I 'll follow you, whatever the rest may do.' Hemounted as he spoke, and saluted as if on duty. Slight as the incidentwas, its effect was magical. Old habits of discipline revived at thefirst signal of obedience, and the corporal having made his men fall in,came up to my side for orders.

  'Select the best of these horses,' said I, 'and let us press forwardat once. We are about eighteen miles from the village of Wangheim; byhalting a short distance outside of it, I can enter alone, and learnsomething about the state of the country, and the nearest French post.The cattle are all fresh, and we can easily reach the village beforedaybreak.'

  Three of my little 'command' were tolerable horsemen, two of them havingserved in the artillery train, and the third being the dragoon I havealluded to. I accordingly threw out a couple of these as an advancedpicket, keeping the last as my aide-de-camp at my side. The remainderformed the rear, with orders, if attacked, to dismount at once, and fireover the saddle, leaving myself and the others to manoeuvre as cavalry.This was the only way to give confidence to those soldiers, who in theranks would have marched up to a battery, but on horseback were totallydevoid of self-reliance. Meanwhile I imparted such instructions inequitation as I could, my own old experience as a riding-master wellenabling me to select the most necessary and least difficult of ahorseman's duties. Except the old corporal, all were very creditablepupils; but he, possibly deeming it a point of honour not to discredithis old career, rejected everything like teaching, and openly protestedthat, save to run away from a victorious enemy, or follow a beaten one,he saw no use in cavalry.

  Nothing could be in better temper, however, nor more amicable than ourdiscourses on this head; and as I let drop, from time to time, littlehints of my services on the Rhine and in Italy, I gradually perceivedthat I grew higher in the esteem of my companions, so that ere we rode adozen miles together, their confidence in me became complete.

  In return for all their anecdotes of 'blood and field,' I told themseveral stories of my own life, and, at least, convinced them that ifthey had not chanced upon the very luckiest of mankind, they had, atleast, fallen upon one who had seen enough of casualties not to beeasily baffled, and who felt in every difficulty a self-confidence thatno amount of discomfiture could ever entirely obliterate. No soldiercan vie with a Frenchman in tempering respect with familiarity; sothat while preserving towards me all the freedom of the comrade, theyrecognised in every detail of duty the necessity of prompt obedience,and followed every command I gave with implicit submission.

  It was thus we rode along, till in the distance I saw the spire of avillage church, and recognised what I knew to be Dorf Wangheim. It wasyet an hour before sunrise, and all was tranquil around. I gave the wordto trot, and after about forty minutes' sharp riding, we gained a smallpine wood, which skirted the village. Here I dismounted my party, andprepared to make my entry alone into the Dorf, carefully arranging mycostume for that purpose, sticking a large bouquet of wild flowers in myhat, and assuming as much as I could of the Tyrol look and lounge in mygait. I shortened my stirrups, also, to a most awkward and inconvenientlength, and gripped my reins into a heap in my hand.

  It was thus I rode into Wangheim, saluting the people as I passed up thestreet, and with the short dry greeting of 'Tag,' and a nod as brief,playing Tyroler to the top of my bent. The 'Syndicus,' or the ruler ofthe village, lived in a good-sized house in the 'Platz,' which, beingmarket-day, was crowded with people, although the articles for saleappeared to include little variety, almost every one leading a calf by astraw rope, the rest of the population contenting themselves with a wildturkey, or sometimes two, which, held under the arms, added the mostsingular element to the general concert of human voices around. Littlestalls for rustic jewellery and artificial flowers, the latter in greatrequest, ran along the sides of the square, with here and there a boothwhere skins and furs were displayed--more, however, as it appeared, togive pleasure to a group of sturdy Jagers, who stood around, recognisingthe track of their own bullets, than from any hope of sale. In fact, thebusiness of the day was dull, and an experienced eye would have seen ata glance that turkeys were 'heavy,' and calves 'looking down.' No wonderthat it should be so, the interest of the scene being concentrated on alittle knot of some twenty youths, who, with tickets containing a numberin their hats, stood before the syndic's door. They were fine-looking,stalwart, straight fellows, and became admirably the manly costumeof their native mountains; but their countenances were not without anexpression of sadness, the reflection, as I soon saw, of the sadderfaces around them. For so they stood, mothers, sisters, and sweethearts,their tearful eyes turned on the little band. It puzzled me not alittle at first to see these evidences of a conscription in a land wherehitherto the population had answered the call to arms by a levy _enmasse_, while the air of depression and sadness seemed also strange inthose who gloried in the excitement of war. The first few sentences Ioverheard revealed the mystery. Wangheim was Bavarian; although strictlya Tyrol village, and Austrian Tyrol, too, it had been included withinthe Bavarian frontier, and the orders had arrived from Munich at theSyndicate to furnish a certain number of men by a certain day. This wasterrible tidings; for although they did not as yet know that the warwas against Austria, they had heard that the troops were for foreignservice, and not for the defence of home and country, the only causewhich a Tyroler deems worthy of battle. As I listened, I gatheredthat the most complete ignorance prevailed as to the service or thedestination to which they were intended. The Bavarians had merely issuedtheir mandates to the various villages of the border, and neither sentemissaries nor officers to carry them out. Having seen how the 'landlay,' I pushed my way through the crowd, into the hall of the Syndicate,and by dint of a strong will and stout shoulder, at length gained theaudience-chamber, where, seated behind an elevated bench, the great manwas dispensing justice. I advanced boldly, and demanded an immediateaudience in private, stating that my business was most pressing, and notadmitting of delay. The syndic consulted for a second or two with hisclerk, and retired, beckoning me to follow.

  'You're not a Tyroler,' said he to me, the moment we were alone.

  'That is easy to see, Herr Syndicus,' replied I. 'I'm an officer ofthe staff, in disguise, sent to make a hasty inspection of the frontiervillages, and report upon the state of feeling that prevails amongstthem, and how they stand affected towards the cause of Bavaria.'
>
  'And what have you found, sir?' said he, with native caution; fora Bavarian Tyroler has the quality in a perfection that neither aScotchman nor a Russian can pretend to.

  'That you are all Austrian at heart,' said I, determined to dash athim with a frankness that I knew he could not resist. 'There's nota Bavarian amongst you. I have made the whole tour of theVorarlberg--through the Bregenzer-wald, down the valley of the Lech, byImmenstadt, and Wangheim--and it's all the same. I have heard nothingbut the old cry of "Gott und der Kaiser!"'

  'Indeed!' said he, with an accent beautifully balanced between sorrowand astonishment.

  'Even the men in authority, the syndics, like yourself, have franklytold me how difficult it is to preserve allegiance to a Government bywhom they have been so harshly treated. 'I'm sure I have the "grainquestion," as they call it, and the "Freiwechsel" with South Tyrol,off by heart,' said I, laughing. 'However, my business lies in anotherquarter. I have seen enough to show me that save the outcasts from homeand family, that class so rare in the Tyrol, that men call adventurers,we need look for no willing recruits here; and you'll stare when I saythat I 'm glad of it--heartily glad of it.'

  The syndic did, indeed, stare, but he never ventured a word in reply.

  'I'll tell you why, then, Herr Syndicus. With a man like yourself onecan afford to be open-hearted. Wangheim, Luttrich, Kempenfeld, and allthe other villages at the foot of these mountains, were never other thanAustrian. Diplomatists and map-makers coloured them pale blue, butthey were black and yellow underneath; and what's more to the purpose,Austrian they must become again. When the real object of this war isknown, all Tyrol will declare for the House of Hapsburg. We begin toperceive this ourselves, and to dread the misfortunes and calamitiesthat must fall upon you and the other frontier towns by this dividedallegiance; for when you have sent off your available youth to theBavarians, down will come Austria to revenge itself upon your undefendedtowns and villages.'

  The syndic apparently had thought of all these things exactly with thesame conclusions, for he shook his head gravely, and uttered a low,faint sigh.

  'I'm so convinced of what I tell you,' said I, 'that no sooner have Iconducted to headquarters the force I have under my command----'

  'You have a force, then, actually under your orders?' cried he,starting.

  'The advanced guard is picketed in yonder pine wood, if you haveany curiosity to inspect them; you'll find them a little disorderly,perhaps, like all newly-raised levies, but I hope not discreditableallies for the great army.'

  The syndic protested his sense of the favour, but begged to take alltheir good qualities on trust.

  I then went on to assure him that I should recommend the Government topermit the range of frontier towns to preserve a complete neutrality;by scarcely any possibility could the war come to their doors; and thatthere was neither sound policy nor humanity in sending them to seek itelsewhere. I will not stop to recount all the arguments I employed toenforce my opinions, nor how learnedly I discussed every questionof European politics. The syndic was amazed at the vast range of myacquirements, and could not help confessing it.

  My interview ended by persuading him not to send on his levies of mentill he had received further instructions from Munich; to supply myadvanced guards with the rations and allowances intended for the others;and lastly, to advance me the sum of one hundred and seventy crownthalers, on the express pledge that the main body of my 'marauders,'as I took opportunity to style them, should take the road by Kempen andDurcheim, and not touch on the village of Wangheim at all.

  When discussing this last point, I declared to the syndic that he wasdepriving himself of a very imposing sight; that the men, whatever mightbe said of them in point of character, were a fine-looking, daring setof rascals, neither respecting laws nor fearing punishment, and that ourband, for a newly-formed one, was by no means contemptible. He resistedall these seducing prospects, and counted down his dollars with the airof a man who felt he had made a good bargain. I gave him a receipt inall form, and signed Maurice Tiernay at the foot of it as stoutly asthough I had the _Grand Livre de France_ at my back.

  Let not the reader rashly condemn me for this fault, nor still morerashly conclude that I acted with a heartless and unprincipled spiritin this transaction. I own that a species of Jesuistry suggested thescheme, and that while providing for the exigencies of my own comrades,I satisfied my conscience by rendering a good service in return. Thecourse of war, as I suspected it would, did sweep past this portionof the Bavarian Tyrol without inflicting any heavy loss. Such of thepeasantry as joined the army fought under Austrian banners, and Wangheimand the other border villages had not to pay the bloody penalty of adivided allegiance. I may add, too, for conscience' sake, that whiletravelling this way many years after, I stopped a day at Wangheim topoint out its picturesque scenery to a fair friend who accompanied me.The village inn was kept by an old, venerable-looking man, who alsodischarged the functions of _Vorsteher_--the title Syndicus wasabolished. He was, although a little cold and reserved at first, verycommunicative after a while, and full of stories of the old campaignsof France and Austria; amongst which he related one of a certain set ofFrench freebooters that once passed through Wangheim, the captain havingactually breakfasted with himself, and persuaded him to advance a loanof nigh two hundred thalers on the faith of the Bavarian Government.

  'He was a good-looking, dashing sort of fellow,' said he, 'that couldsing French love-songs to the piano and jodle _Tyroler Lieder_ for thewomen. My daughter took a great fancy to him, and wore his sword-knotfor many a day after, till we found that he had cheated and betrayed us.Even then, however, I don't think she gave him up, though she didnot speak of him as before. This is the fellow's writing,' added he,producing a much-worn and much-crumpled scrap of paper from his oldpocket-book, 'and there's his name. I have never been able to make outclearly whether it was Thierray or Iierray.'

  'I know something about him,' said I, 'and, with your permission, willkeep the document and pay the debt. Your daughter is alive still?'

  'Ay, and married, too, at Bruck, ten miles from this.'

  'Well, if she has thrown away the old sword-knot, tell her to acceptthis one in memory of the French captain, who was not, at least, anungrateful rogue'; and I detached from my sabre the rich gold tassel andcord which I wore as a general officer.

  This little incident I may be pardoned for interpolating from a portionof my life of which I do not intend to speak further, as with the careerof the Soldier of Fortune I mean to close these memoirs of MauriceTiernay.