by Griff Hosker
Chapter 16
Lieutenant Hill took us as close as he could get to the beach and the four sailors only had a few hundred yards to row. The sun had set some time earlier and the land surrounding the beach was pitch black. Then one of the sailors who rowed our boat said, “Don’t you worry lads, Mr Hill is a good ‘un. He won’t let you down. We’ll be here when you need us.”
Lieutenant Hill obviously had the loyalty of a crew and that was no small achievement in one so young. Sergeant Sharp and I had been dropped on a hostile shore before now but the other two had not and I saw them draw closer together as the boat, and our friends disappeared into the dark.
“Right lads, follow me.”
We trotted across the sand and up the grassy slope which led to Maida. I had taken a rough bearing from the ship but I assumed we would soon smell the wood fires of the town and the people who lived therein. Maida was the only sizeable town in the area and would be a good indicator of the presence of the French. If they had occupied it then we were in trouble. Once we left the beach then movement was easier. I found a rough track which we followed. Once we reached the solid ground we made good time. The track wound beyond the river towards the ridge ahead.
Suddenly we heard voices and I waved the men behind some wild olive trees beside the road. We huddled close to the ground and listened. They were French voices! They appeared to be approaching from the track to our right. We could not see them for the undergrowth and the dark. I slipped my stiletto out in case it came to a fight.
“Jean, get a move on; you lazy bastard.”
“I hope the next house has more money and jewels. That last one was as poor as a church mouse.”
“Do not keep complaining, Marius. We now have some decent shoes, full bellies and those last women weren’t bad.”
“I’d rather have money and jewels than soft skin. I want to end this war richer than I started it!”
The voices disappeared. From the noise of the feet and the time it took to pass us I guessed that there were six men. I assumed that they were soldiers. One question was answered already; there were French soldiers in the area. Another question, more important, remained: how many were there? If these six were the only ones then it would not be a problem.
I waited until I was certain that they had moved away. Trooper Rae said, “They were French soldiers sir. I saw the uniform and a musket.”
“Right, we have to go carefully now.” As well as my sword and my pistol I also had a stiletto I had taken from a dead bandit in the Apennines some years earlier. I checked now that it was tucked securely into the top of my boot. “I want no noise. If we have to deal with any Frenchmen then use knives or your swords.“
We moved more slowly now that we knew the enemy was closer than we thought. At the back of mind was the worry that these soldiers did not sound to be under anyone’s control. That could be dangerous for everyone. It also meant that they might be alone and that would help us.
We heard the screaming before we saw the house. It was obviously the last, or the first, house in the town. We crouched behind a low wall which ran around some sort of garden and peered at the open door. The windows were also open and we heard screaming from within. There was shouting too and we heard men’s voices. Suddenly there were two shouts of pain and the men’s voices stopped. A woman ran from the house. Two French infantry men ran after her. They thrust her to the ground and one of them began to rape her. I felt Trooper Cartwright begin to rise and I restrained him and shook my head. When the animals had finished they dragged her inert body back inside and slammed shut the door.
I stood and signalled for the men to follow me. It was a harsh reality but the six men were occupied and that would enable us to move quicker. Cesar had said the villa we sought overlooked the town and so I headed up a street which climbed from the rest of the town. There were few houses and they all seemed shut up for the night. I wondered why no one had come out at the sound of the screams and the shouts. It seemed strange. Slightly above us a white wall and behind it a large building. This had to be the villa we sought. The wall was finished to a higher standard than any we had yet seen.
It appeared to be silent but the faint smell of wood smoke suggested occupation. Even more important was the smell of horse manure. Whoever it was had horses. I would happily pay for them but, if I had to, I would steal. I waved Rae and Sharp to go one way around the building while I took Cartwright, around the other.
There appeared to be just one gate, at the front. The wall was high but would not deter someone determined to gain entry. We met the other two at the back of the property. The hill rose steeply from the rear of the shrubs where we sheltered. Sharp pointed, “There are stables around there and there are horses within. I heard them.”
“Good.”
“Sir, why didn’t we help that woman? There were only half a dozen of them.”
“Cartwright, do you think for one moment that I enjoyed just walking off?” He shook his head. “We might have been able to take six men silently, but I doubt it and who knows how many others there were. If we get the chance we will deal with those six but we need to know as much as we can first. Understand?”
Looking contrite he nodded, “Sorry sir.”
I looked at the wall. It looked easy enough to climb. “Rae, Cartwright, give me a boost over the wall. Sharp you follow me.”
I put my feet in their cupped hands and they hoisted me to the top of the wall. I lay flat along it. I could see that this was an overgrown part of the garden. It was a large walled area and the rest looked to be well kept. Lady Luck had brought us to this perfect place to enter unseen.
The house looked to be thirty yards away and the back was in darkness. As Sergeant Sharp joined me at the top of the wall I pointed to the building and then rolled down into the scrub. I slipped down the wall and made my way to the back door. Suddenly there was a shaft of light as it opened. I froze and hoped that the others were hidden. A man’s head appeared. He looked around and then turned back inside. “I can see no one Don Vicente…”
As the door closed I felt a sense of relief wash over me. This was the right place. We had some luck at last. I signalled for Rae to go around the side of the house and watch. I sent Cartwright to the front. With Sergeant Sharp watching my back I was ready to enter. I had not planned on doing this just yet but the presence of the French in the village meant that we needed somewhere to hide. It was a risk but one which we would now have to take.
I tried the handle of the door and it moved easily. Pushing it quietly open I slipped inside. It was the kitchen of the villa and I could see light emanating from rooms deeper in the house. I kept my hands away from my weapons as I moved forwards. I could hear voices to my left. I headed down a cool corridor and the voices grew louder. It was an argument about the noises in the village. One voice was telling someone to stop panicking.
The door where the conversation was taking place was open. I took a breath and stepped in. There were two men; one was the older man who had peered from the doorway and the other was a well dressed and well fed man in a silk robe. They stared at me as I entered. I took in that they had no weapons and I spread my arms to show that I came in peace.
“I am Don Roberto of Sicily and I have been sent by your old friend Don Cesar Alpini.”
There was a pause and then the older man leapt at me in an attempt to punch me. By Italian standards he was tall but I was bigger. I stepped to one side and pushed him slightly so that his momentum made him crash to the floor.
“I have come in peace. There is no need for this. If you want me to leave I will do so.”
The other man snapped, “Antonio, behave yourself.” The big man began to rise. Casting me hateful looks. He looked at me. “How do I know that you come from Don Cesar?”
I showed him my right hand with the ring. He nodded, “However, you could have killed him and taken his ring.”
I smiled. “In which case I could kill you just as easily.” I saw the fe
ar on his face. I held up my hand. “But you are safe. Let me see what other proof could I offer? Ah, I know. Did you ever visit his home?”
“I have been there many times.”
“Then you know that he shared the house with Sir John, the Knight of St.John.” He nodded and looked a little more relaxed about me. “I am the relative of both men.”
He smiled, “You said, ‘shared’; has anything happened to Sir John?”
“It saddens me to tell you that he is dead.”
“I am sorry for your loss and you are welcome. Antonio, get some refreshment for our guest.” Antonio gave me a glare and pushed past me to go to the kitchen. “You must excuse Antonio. He has cared for me for many years. Tell me, you are not Sicilian are you? I can tell from your accent.”
“No, I am half Scottish.”
“I thought so. Then why do you dress yourself with a borrowed title?”
“It is not borrowed. The King and Queen bestowed the honour upon me for a service I performed.”
His face lit up, “You are the one who rescued her Majesty from the French. Even here in this little backwater we heard the tale.” He pumped my hand up and down. “As a loyal Neapolitan can I thank you sir? That is why my servant was worried, he had heard French voices.”
“He is correct. We saw them too. There are at least six of soldiers and they are pleasuring themselves with the women of the town. I have three men outside. They are watching for the French. ”
Just then the front door opened and Rae and Cartwright burst in. “Sorry about this sir but the six Frenchmen we saw are heading up the road. I think they are coming here.”
Antonio came in with his hands aloft followed by Sergeant Sharp who held a pistol to his back. “Sorry sir, he tried to punch me!”
I looked at Don Vicente. “Well? Do we fight or hide?”
“I am an important man I will be safe. You and your men hide in the dining room.” He pointed to a door which led off from the main room. “I will get rid of them.”
We ducked into the room. I did not close the door but left it ajar. “Sorry sir. He caught me unawares.”
“Don’t worry Alan. It will be fine. All of you, get your weapons ready. Don Vicente may have confidence that his position will save him but I am not certain.”
There was a banging at the door which suddenly crashed open. “What is the meaning of this?” I heard a strangled scream and then Don Vicente shouted, “Why have you killed my servant? He...”
There was the sound of a blow and crash and then I heard French voices. “What was he jabbering about?”
“I don’t think he liked what you did to his friend.”
“Couple of old queers. Well lads this looks like our billet. Search the place. We might as well make ourselves comfortable before the other lads get here. Once the officers spot this they will claim it for their own.”
“That means we will only have it for a couple of days.”
“Flat nose, you are a moron! We will have cleared all the good stuff from the village by then and hidden it. We just need a few days. When this war is over we will be rich men. Now search the rooms. I am going upstairs to find the bedrooms. These rich men like to keep their stuff there.”
“What do we do with this one? Slit his throat?”
“Nah we might need him to tell us where the stuff is. Flat Nose, you watch him. The rest of you search the house.”
I tapped Sharp on the shoulder and motioned for him to stand behind the door. I stood on the open side. A French soldier entered. Rae grabbed his gun and I put my hand across his mouth and slit his throat. The warm blood gushed down my hand. We lowered his body to the ground and I peered through the open door. Flat Nose was bent over Don Vicente and was searching him. In one motion I slipped open the door and strode across to the unsuspecting robber. Putting my bloody hand over his mouth I stabbed him up through his ribs. His body juddered and shook and then fell still. I dropped the body to the ground. We lifted Don Vicente on to a chair and made sure he was breathing. He looked to have been hit in the mouth with the butt of a musket. Poor Antonio lay bleeding on the marble floor.
I signalled for Rae and Cartwright to go to the kitchen while I led Sergeant Sharp towards the stairs. I put the stiletto in my left hand and drew my sword. I kept my shoulder to the wall as I climbed the stairs. I kept peering above me for a sight of the enemy. We should be evenly matched now but they had muskets. I assumed they would have bayonets fitted. In a fight they would have the advantage over swords.
We had just reached the landing when there was a shout and a scream from the kitchen. A soldier leapt from a bedroom with a surprised expression on his face and a levelled musket. He saw me and shouted, “Jean!” At the same time he lunged at me with his musket. I turned the bayonet with my stiletto and plunged my blade into his chest. Sharp pulled the body down the stairs and we leapt up to the landing.
The three men all erupted from the bedrooms at the same time. The sergeant raised his musket to fire. I rolled over as the gun cracked smoke and flame. The discharge singed my head. As I rose I stabbed with my sabre and felt it enter his groin and, as I stood, rip him open. He fell to the ground trying to push his entrails back into his body. I turned to face another attacker and found myself looking down the barrel of a musket. There would be no escaping this ball. There was a loud boom and then, miraculously, the musket and the dead soldier fell. Behind him I saw Rae with a smoking pistol.
“Sorry sir. It was my fault that Frog screamed.”
“Thank you Rae and don’t worry. You just saved my life.” All six were dead. “Sergeant Sharp, go down to the town, take Cartwright with you. See if there are any more French around. Rae, you get the bodies out of the villa we will need to dispose of them.”
“We’ll give you a hand.” Sharp and Cartwright carried a body down the stairs. Trooper Rae took the second while I searched the sergeant. He was Sergeant Jean Moreau of the forty second light infantry regiment. He had written orders to secure Maida and find accommodation for the rest of his company under the command of Captain Lapiste. He also had a large number of coins. Sergeant Moreau obviously believed in free enterprise. I pocketed the coins and dragged his body to the front of the villa. Rae had just completed the gory task of removing all the bodies.
“Keep watch and I will see to Don Vicente.”
I grabbed a bowl of water and a cloth. I began to bathe his face. His nose looked to be broken and was out of shape. As he was still unconscious I decided to try to straighten it. I had seen it done before after soldier’s fights. The repaired nose would never be perfect but it would not be so obviously damaged. As I twisted it into shape I felt his body move. I began to dab his face with cold water. The eyes flickered and then burst open.
“Antonio!”
“Dead, I am afraid, Don Vicente.” I pointed to his body.
He tried to rise but I restrained him. “And the animals who did this?”
“They too are dead. Their bodies are outside. My men are checking the rest of the buildings but I think these six were working alone.” He closed his eyes and sank back into his chair. “More French soldiers will be coming. We will need to hide the evidence of the fight.”
“Why?”
“The French will not listen to our story. They will not believe that their men were rapists and robbers. Maida will be put to the sword.”
“You are right and thank you for what you have done. Had you not been here then I would now be dead. Fortune sent you.”
I smiled, “I will tell my cousin Cesar of his new name.”
Don Vicente laughed and then stopped, “Oh that hurt.”
“They broke your nose. I have tried to re-set it but I am no doctor.”
Trooper Rae returned. “The Sarge is back sir. His face is as black as thunder.”
Both soldiers looked angry when they entered. Sergeant Sharp snapped, “Those bastards died too quickly.”
“Calm down Alan, “Tell us what you saw.”
&nb
sp; “We found half a dozen houses where they had been sir. The men had been butchered and the women and kids… well sir, it’s not right what they did.”
“But there were only half a dozen houses which had been entered?”
“Yes sir. It looks like they were working their way up here. All the rest have shut their doors. Even when we said we were friends they wouldn’t open them. The women who survived are all hiding in the house of one of them. A big woman called Emilia. She was looking after them.”
Don Vicente nodded, “She is a good woman. Emilia is the one who delivers the babies in the village. She knows how to care for people. Do not worry, they will all talk to us in the morning.” He was now in control of things. “Well Scotsman, what shall we do?”
I pointed to the blood. “We need that clearing up and then the bodies burning.”
“We have a place at the back where we burn rubbish.” He looked at Antonio. “I think they qualify.”
“Cartwright you clean up in here. Sharp, Rae, we’ll burn the bodies. Put anything that won’t burn in a pile and we’ll find somewhere to get rid of it.”
I went to the body of Antonio but Don Vicente restrained me, “He was my friend. I will see to him.”
By the time morning came the house had been cleaned, Antonio buried and the bodies were a diminishing pile of burning ashes. Don Vicente said, “They will do good now that they are dead. They will fertilise the grapes and olives.”
I pointed to the weapons and metal objects we had saved. “Now, sir. We will have to get rid of these. Have you horses?”
He nodded, “Three of them.”
“Good. Alan you stay here.” I could see his objection written all over his face. “Your Italian is better than these two and Don Vicente will need you.”
I would take the opportunity of adding to our knowledge of the area while disposing of the evidence. I had decided to draw a map now. We knew how long we had to scout this particular area and a piece of written evidence would be more use than a hazy memory. We rode back to the sea and found a cliff where the sea surged against the rocks. We hurled the guns, swords and unburned pieces of uniform as far as we could. They disappeared beneath the blue water