by Griff Hosker
When everyone had dispersed Colonel Selkirk approached me. He nodded towards an empty part of the camp where we could talk in private.
"You could go and see the Emperor yourself, Robbie. He still likes you. After all he let you go when he could have had you killed. You might be able to persuade him to give himself up."
I shook my head. "He is now like a cornered rat and he is more likely to lash out at anyone. I have a feeling that Pajol is not the only one who has had words with him. For the first time in a long time he can no longer just make decisions. He has to persuade people to do his bidding. He prefers to order. He will not like this. We can only hope that he has more desertions and then we have the chance to grab him."
I saw the disappointment on the Colonel's face, "I thought that we might end it sooner rather than later."
I laughed, "Tired of sleeping on the ground eh, Colonel?"
"You and the others are used to it. This life is not for me."
"When this is over will you retire too?"
He shook his head, "No, I shall go back to my cubby hole. There are always enemies. I shall continue to fight them."
Chapter 18
We continued to watch for a crack in the defences of Malmaison. Over the next two days we took it turns to monitor the comings and goings of the occupants of Bonaparte's last refuge. So long as the large doors which led to the interior remained closed and the Chasseurs remained on guard then we knew that the Emperor had not left.
It was late on the afternoon of the final day in June when we heard the fusillade. We were close enough to the house to know that there was a battle going on there.
"Fetch your carbines. Sergeant, leave two men to watch the camp. I want every horse saddling in case we have to leave in a hurry. Colonel, you had better stay here with the two Guards. Find us a route to the coast. It may come in handy"
I thought he might argue but then he looked at the young troopers eagerly preparing for war and he knew that he would only be a hindrance. "I can help them to saddle the horses, at least."
It took us just six minutes to run down the familiar trails to reach the road. When we emerged from the forest we saw that it was the Prussians who had found the Emperor and were attacking the house. The front of the house was wreathed in the smoke of muskets and pistols. We could hear the clash of steel on steel and the cries of those who were struck. I saw horses and guessed that this was a small troop such as we.
"Lieutenant, form a skirmish line. Try to avoid actually killing any of our allies but I want none of your troopers hurt."
"You heard the Major!"
Sergeant Gargery growled, "And any man as gets himself killed will have me to answer to!"
"Sergeant deal with the horse holders!"
There were four horse holders and they were busy watching the house. All four were clubbed unconscious to the ground. "Disarm them and send their horses away."
The horses' rumps were slapped and the horses raced along the street. They would reach the river and stop to drink. It was in the nature of the beast.
I waved my sword and led the troopers towards the front of the house. They fanned out on either side of me. The two Chasseurs who guarded the door lay dead along with four dead and wounded Prussians. One of the wounded Prussians looked up at me and asked, "Who are you?"
I answered in German, "Friends!" It was a lie but I was beyond worrying about the morality of lies. He lay back looking relieved.
There was a cacophony of noise from inside the house. The doors leading to the interior yard were open. Again the yard was littered with the dead and those who were not long for this world. We raced through and out to the rear of the house. There was a battle going on. The Prussians had their backs to us. Ahead I could see that the French had mounted their horses. I heard a French command . It was the charge.
"Take cover!"
The troopers ducked and hid behind anything which would protect them. The lancers charged the Prussians. There were only a handful but they knew their business. I risked standing. The charge had cleared the smoke and, to my dismay I saw blue uniforms surrounding the carriage of the Emperor as they left by the rear exit. The Chasseurs who remained formed a rearguard and they were gone.
I turned to the Lieutenant, "Back to the horses. The Emperor has fled. There is little point in staying here. We must follow!"
I saw his mouth open with a question and then he thought better of it. "Sir! Right lads, Move!"
The troopers ran out. The last lancer was being hauled from his horse and butchered as I turned. The distraction allowed me to slip into the house unseen. I had to see if there were any maps or documents which might indicate where Bonaparte was heading.
I ran into the house stepping over the bodies of four slaughtered servants. The Prussians had been ruthless. There were signs of a struggle in the rooms but no papers. I ran upstairs. I found the room the Emperor had used. I recognised the writing case and the spartan, functional travelling desk. This was where he had been working. There was a map and Rochefort was circled. I grabbed the map. I saw another map and this one was of America. The other papers I also stuffed into my jacket. I knew where he was going. I had what I came for and I turned.
"Where are you going?" The voice came from a Prussian officer, although he was speaking French. He had a sword in his hand. "Did your Emperor forget something?" He took me for one of Bonaparte's men. "Tell me where he is going and you may live. Or I could just kill you and take the map from your hand."
I drew my sword and answered, with a flourish, "You will have to rip it from my dead fingers."
He smiled, "That will not be a problem. Your famed red lancers all died and a clerk, even one with an Austrian sword, will not be a problem."
I had to end this quickly. I had no idea how many other Prussians remained in the house. I could not afford to delay. Already Bonaparte had a head start. Each moment I wasted took him further from us. It was the Prussian officer's confidence which was his undoing. In his mind the Prussian was already standing over my dead body and reading the map. He lunged at me and I flicked the tip away and then slashed to my left. The edge ripped across his arm and I saw blood.
"That was either lucky or you are not a clerk." He frowned and doubt crossed his face.
I remained silent and I feinted towards his injured arm. He brought his own sword across to riposte me. His sabre struck empty air and my longer, Austrian sword sliced across his side. Once more I drew blood and I saw fear cross his face. He began to swing wildly at me and I heard shouts from downstairs. I did the unexpected. I dived inside one of his wild swings and punched him with the hilt of my sword. His eyes glazed over and he fell in a heap.
I stood behind the door and shouted, in German, "Get the horses! I have the map!"
I was answered, "Yes sir!"
I stepped out of the room and headed down the stairs. Not all of the Prussians had obeyed their orders. Two remained and were coming up the stairs. Fortunately neither had drawn weapons. My shout had made them relax. I ran down the stairs and punched with my sword hilt at the trooper to my right. The soldier to my left tried to draw his sword and I shoulder charged him. He tumbled over the side of the staircase and I was past him. He lay in a crumpled heap in the hall way.
I ran out of the front door, aware that I could be pursued. I turned and, drawing a pistol, fired into the hall. I wanted them to be wary of me. Then I ran. There were only a few of the Prussian Hussars remaining and they were seeking their horses. A single civilian running down the street was not a threat. I managed, somehow, to escape unseen.
I saw anxious faces when I reached the others. Lieutenant Howards said, "Are you hurt, sir?"
"Me? No"
"There is blood!"
I laughed. "Then it is not mine." I mounted Pierre. Holding the map triumphantly I shouted. "He is heading to Rochefort. We must get there before he has time to board a ship. He is heading for America."
"Is this a gamble, Robbie?"
&nbs
p; I held up the maps again before thrusting them into my saddlebags. "The maps tell all. He left by the rear gate. We have no way of knowing which road he might take. We have no choice. We have to get ahead of him." I shrugged, "It is my decision, Colonel."
He nodded, "Your instincts are normally impeccable. Let us ride and get this finished."
We rode until dark. There was little point in killing our horses. I also knew that, so long as Bonaparte rode in his carriage, we would be faster. In the old days he would have had relays of horses to enable him to travel huge distances without stopping. In those days he could ride whole squadrons of escorts into the ground. That was no longer the case. He was leaving incognito and discretion was all. As we lay beneath the trees we speculated on what the Emperor would do.
"He will have allies along the roads. I have no doubt that he would have used scouts to prepare his way. He will be protected when he rests and that will be infrequently
"Aye, Robbie but how many men will he have left?"
"I think, sir, that there will not be many. The Major and I saw many dead Imperial Guard.
"Lieutenant do not underestimate the Chasseurs. You do not join the Imperial Guard, you are selected. Their troopers are the sergeants of other regiments, Every guardsman out ranks every other soldier. They are fiercely loyal and will happily give their lives for Bonaparte. You saw the Lancers and how they sacrificed themselves for him?"
"Yes sir, and I remember the Old Guard at Waterloo." The young lieutenant shook his head, "What a waste. Why would a man give his life like that? It was a pointless gesture."
"Not quite how they would view it. They were fanatics. They stopped our pursuit of their Emperor so that he would be able to raise another army and return to glory."
"Except there was no glory and no new army."
"They didn't know that. When I was in Paris there were many old soldiers who were unhappy about all talk of peace."
"Then it is a damned good thing that we are going to stick him on a little rock in the middle of the Atlantic. We don't need him raising his standard again."
"Amen to that Colonel. I am keen to get back to Sicily."
"You mean you do not wish to carry on being an officer, sir?"
"I know that you lost many friends as well as your brother at Waterloo. Imagine that but tenfold. That is how many of my friends I have lost. When I sleep at night I am haunted by their deaths over and over again. I am just grateful that none of your troopers have been either hurt or injured. I could not bear to have them join the cohorts in my nightmares."
The Colonel stretched as he prepared to sleep, "And that is why you are unusual, Robbie. Most officers do not worry about the deaths of others. Goodnight, although I suspect we will be on the road again in a very short time." He had not become used to the ardours of camping.
We rode almost a hundred miles. It was far too many. I was worried about the horses. Apart from the few restful days at Malmaison these animals had been kept on the go for almost four weeks. Consequently we stopped just outside Vendome. We had thirty more miles to Tours but I was not certain what we would meet there. We might have pushed on, there was still light, but I was worried about this vital crossing of the River Cher.
Typically Colonel Selkirk was all for pushing on. The Lieutenant sided with me. "I think that the Major is right, sir. It would be foolish to ride these animals into the ground."
"But Bonaparte is within our grasp! We can't lose him now all for a few horses."
I saw the look of shock on Howard's face and I shook my head. "And we will not. He can go no faster than us. If he attempts to do so then his horses will die and thanks to his war there are precious few remounts left. Besides, Colonel, I worry about Tours. We have to get across the Cher and we have no idea who is holding that town. Are they Royalist sympathisers or part of the Corps Bonaparte sent to quell opposition hereabouts? I want our horses as fresh as they can be when we reach that bridge. We must be prepared for anything."
I also knew that the troopers needed a rest. A tired man was a liability. He could make errors of judgement which could cost lives. I went to the sergeant and the lieutenant to check the horse lines and so that I could give them instructions, out of earshot of the colonel.
"Tomorrow may be difficult. I have come to know you and your men. You are quick to learn and we shall need that attribute before this is over. The further we get from Paris the less we can predict the situation. I will be ahead of you tomorrow. I shall be alone save for Jones, the bugler. He is a good man I believe?"
Sergeant Gargery nodded, "He is, sir. I would have him back me in a tricky situation."
"Good. I want you to assign two of your troopers to watch over the colonel. He is no longer young and it is many years since he had to do anything as strenuous as this. He will need protection."
"You think there could be trouble tomorrow, sir?"
"I think we have been extremely lucky so far. We need to get across that bridge. It is the last barrier before the coast. Once we are over the Cher then we can make good time to Rochefort. We still have the River Loire to cross but Tours controls the Cher. If the bugler sounds 'charge' then you will need to draw your sabres and ride as though the devil himself was behind you. If I sound 'forward' then it will be safe and we just cross as though we were in Hyde Park!"
"I'll have a word with the chaps tonight sir and I will assign two troopers."
"Thank you, sergeant."
"Thank you, sir. It is good to be taken into your confidence."
He strode off leaving me with the lieutenant. "He is right you know, sir. I have noticed that your style of command is totally different to my brother's. Oh don't get me wrong; he was a damned fine officer and a great leader but he just expected all of us to follow him regardless of the situation. We didn't know what was in his head. Well you saw that when he charged the square."
"The difference is, Johnny, that I came through the ranks. I was the shit shoveller who became a sergeant and then an officer. It gives me a different perspective." As I left him I saw him reflecting upon my words.
Tours had once been a hugely important town but that was before the revolution. Now it was a backwater. The castle dominated the town but it was the bridge which I worried about. I saw that the tricolour was still flying above the castle. That was a disturbing sign. "Jones, keep your bugle handy and listen for my command. Until I give it I will be speaking French. So do not worry about that. I am going to try to trick any French we might encounter."
"Yes sir. I'll be listening."
There were not only National Guardsmen at the bridge there was a barrier. As we approached the officer ordered his men behind the barrier. There were just eight of them but they had muskets levelled at us. I noticed that they had not fitted their bayonets.
"Halt. What is your business?"
"I am Major Boucher of the 6th Hussars and I have a message to deliver to La Rochelle."
"Where is your authorisation?"
I stared at him. "I can see that you were not at Quatre Bras. Nor were you with us when we charged the roast beefs at Mont St. Jean." I pointed to Jones. "We are on important business, now raise this barrier."
He looked a little less confident. He noticed the rest of the troop approaching in the distance. It seemed to confirm my identity. "You could be anyone!"
"I am on the Emperor's business."
I knew I had made a mistake when his hand went to his sword and he shouted triumphantly. "He said nothing when he passed through this morning but he warned us about Prussians! Kill them!"
I drew and cocked my pistol as I shouted, "Sound the charge!"
My pistol discharging onto the officer's face drowned out the strident sound of the bugle. I urged Pierre forward and drew a second pistol. "Move the barrier, Jones. I'll deal with these!"
I fired my second pistol and hit a National Guardsman in the shoulder. Drawing my sword I rode at the remaining soldiers. Had they had bayonets fitted then I should have been dead.
As it was I saw them raise their muskets to fire at me and I was able to duck. These were not experienced soldiers and they fired high as I had expected them to. The musket always kicks up when you fire and you need to aim lower to guarantee a hit. Once they had discharged their weapons they were as good as defenceless. The barrier was hurled into the river and I spurred Pierre on whilst waving my sword at them. They jumped, to a man, into the Cher. I heard the hooves of the troop's horses as they clattered over the cobbles..
"Straight over. Well done, Jones!"
Sergeant Gargery's voice called out. "Ride, Major Matthews, we will cover you."
I joined the troop as we thundered over the bridge. There were half a dozen Guardsmen at the other end but they discharged their muskets prematurely and were then forced from the bridge by Lieutenant Howard and his troopers who were eager to emulate my deeds. We did not halt until we were three miles outside of Tours. While the horses rested I held a meeting with the sergeant, the colonel and the lieutenant.
"Boney is ahead of us!"
"Damn it Matthews! I warned you! He has escaped us!"
"No he has not. We now know where he is. We can steal a march on him."
"How?"
He will have to cross the River Vienne at Chinon. He is in a carriage. We can cut through the forest south of Azay-le-Rideau. We can ford the river and get ahead of him. This time we know for certain where he will be."
The colonel seemed mollified while Lieutenant Howard shook his head, "I can see why the Duke wanted you for this, sir. You know this area like the back of your hand."
"No, lieutenant but I can read a map and that helps."
We camped just to the south of the forest which adjoined the river. I did not want to risk fording the river at night. I had done it many times but I was not certain about either the colonel or the troopers.