by Griff Hosker
I laid him on the bed and then stood looking down at Sharp who was now white as a sheet. Monique patted my arm. “Go, you look tired too. You know that I will care for him.” She hesitated, “What is his name?”
“Sharp, Alan Sharp.”
She mouthed the word, “Alan… yes that is a good name.”
By the time I had descended, Pierre was there. He had a bottle of wine open and there was cheese and bread on the table. “Come old friend and eat. Then you can tell us the tale.”
“Thank you, I am famished,“ I began to eat.
Pierre and Julian toasted me, “Cheers!”
Pierre lit his pipe. “We heard that the 17th were finished in Egypt. The rumour was that you were all either dead or prisoners. A few soldiers eventually made it back and they said that the whole regiment disappeared in the desert. Is that true?”
“That is fairly accurate but they did not disappear; they were betrayed and slaughtered. Jean and I were the only ones to escape the carnage.”
“Jean too is alive then?”
I shook my head, “No he died of his wounds I buried him and Killer together.”
“Killer died as well? He was a magnificent horse. And those who betrayed them, what of them?”
“I killed the man responsible in a duel but I became a fugitive. I had to flee for my life and I ended up in Sicily where I met the Knight of St.John that we met. Eventually I returned to Scotland.”
Pierre looked intrigued, “You found your family then?”
“I did but it was not a good meeting. I was not made welcome. I had to change my name for I killed some men in England. I am now Robbie Matthews.”
Pierre and Julian both laughed. “So you are wanted in Egypt, wanted in England and now, unless I miss my guess, you are wanted in France.”
I found myself laughing with them. “That about sums it up.”
“So what brings you to this backwater?” I hesitated. Pierre continued, “We are your friends first and last. We fought together. You and I are the last of the 17th. Those bonds are stronger than any other. Besides this Bonaparte is not a republican. He will proclaim himself king one of these days. Albert will be turning in his grave at some of his antics.”
I sighed. “Bonaparte is planning to invade England. I have seen the camps and I have seen the boats. I have been sent to find out how far along his plans are.”
Julian sipped his wine. “So you are a spy.”
There was no point in denying this; I would not lie to friends. “Yes I am a spy.”
He nodded, “Continue.”
“I discovered that he had a plan to use balloons to ferry men across the Channel. I destroyed the balloons and Sharp was wounded in the encounter.”
“And how did you intend to leave France?”
“A sloop will come and pick me up. There is a boat in a couple of nights and then, four nights later, the last boat.”
Pierre tapped his pipe out on the fire. “Well you can stay here until your next boat or the last one.”
“But I am an English spy.”
Pierre gave a grim laugh, “Many Frenchmen will die in the invasion and for what? So that Bonaparte can gain the glory. At least in Malta we were invading an antiquated medieval army. The British are a different kettle of fish. They will fight tooth and nail for their island. No, my friend, I am happy for you to get to England with news which might stop the maniac.” He pointed to Julian, “We both fought to defend France and I would do so again. What I will not do is try to take another man’s land. I like this place. It is my home. We travelled in Italy and Germany but I would not want those lands. Let the Germans and the Italians keep them. And I do not want England.”
“It is a fine country.”
“But how do you eat the slop they serve as food?”
“It is not that bad besides have you ever eaten their food?”
“No, I have heard too many stories about how bad it is.”
“You would like their beer and their inns.”
He stood and stretched, “They cannot compare with ‘The Chasseur’. We are the best inn for miles and we even have visitors from Amiens. Why, even Francois, the lawyer brings his clients here when he wishes to impress them. Julian and Monique are good cooks and I keep fine beer and wine.”
Julian nodded, “He is right and we owe it all to you. Now the inn will be filling up and it might be best if you were scarce. If, as you say, they are hunting you then today and tomorrow will be the most dangerous times.”
“You are right and I do need to sleep.” I clasped them both around the shoulders; they appeared to have shrunk while I had grown. “I want to thank you comrades. I did not think you would let me down and it is good to know that we are all still the same.”
Pierre grinned, “Perhaps there must be something in English food and beer for you are almost a giant now so perhaps we are not all the same.”
I went into Sharp’s room. I saw that he was naked beneath the bed sheets. Monique gave a smile. “It is better to let the air circulate. I will wash these clothes.”
“Thank you Monique. You are kind. How is he?”
“I will not lie it does not look good. There is bruising which makes it hard to see but I think there is redness there and it feels hot to the touch. He too is beginning a fever. It may be the shock and the lack of sleep but we will watch him. I will bring Guiscard’s bed in here and a mattress. I can look after them both.”
I cocked my head, “Guiscard?”
“Yes our son is named after his grandfather.”
“The old man would have liked that and he would have adored you.”
I could not help a yawn. “And now, Robbie, you must sleep. Your room is across the way.”
I had barely undressed and put my head on the pillow before I was asleep. I think I felt safe for the first time since we had arrived in France.
When I awoke it was dark. I suddenly panicked, wondering where I was. Then it all came back to me. I put on my breeches and shirt and went to Sharp’s room. Monique was in a rocking chair feeding Guiscard and she put her finger to her lips and mouthed, “He is sleeping.”
I realised that it must be the middle of the night and I went back to bed. As I lay, this time trying to sleep I worked out that I had not had a night in a bed since before we left for Pomerania. My body demanded sleep and I dutifully obliged.
Chapter 12
The next time I awoke it was morning. The nearby cockerel informed of that as did the sound of movement in the street below. I washed and dressed. Monique was just leaving Sharp’s bedroom when I emerged. Her face told me the story.
“He is no better then?”
“No, I am afraid he is worse. His arm is hot and red. It is infected.” She paused, “He could lose an arm.”
One again I was filled with guilt. We had to do something. Pierre and Julian had a table laden with food and the four of us ate together. Monique told the others what she had told me and their faces showed the same concern. Then Pierre began to smile. “Sir, do you remember when we were in the 17th. What did we do with a bad wound?”
For a moment I could not remember and then it struck me. “Maggots!”
Monique shook her head, “Do you mind? I am eating.”
“No Monique, we put live maggots on the wound and they eat all the diseased parts when there are none left alive then the wound is healed.”
She looked dubious but Pierre said, “It does work.”
“I will let you gentlemen deal with the wriggling little creepy crawlies.”
Pierre leapt up and sought some maggots. There was always something dead along the road and the maggots would soon be feasting. As he left he shouted, “Robbie, we will need a clean bandage.”
Despite Monique’s words she was interested enough to watch as we cut away the bloodied bandages. I could smell the wound and feel the heat. There had been dirt in the wound and I had not cleaned it well enough. When he returned, Pierre packed the maggots around the injured arm
and I began to wrap the bandage tightly until the scarf was completely covered.
“Now we wait and we watch.”
We watched for two days before there was any change. They were two days of a solitary existence for me as I kept out of the way of the customers. Pierre had done a good job of changing the appearance of the horses. He even went so far as to let them graze with a friendly farmer who liked to use the tavern. Although my friend did all that they could to keep me amused and occupied, I hated the boredom and the inactivity. In addition to the ennui I was also worried sick about poor Trooper Sharp who seemed to show no signs of improvement.
Monique kept feeding him soup in his rare moments of consciousness. Even when he was inert she still managed to open his mouth and pour the healthy broth down. I watched her as she did it. She shrugged, “It’s just like Guiscard, only Alan is a little bigger.”
Julian was lucky to have found such a woman. I am sure they must be rare; women who are kind yet can cope with any hardship. It made me think of Sophie. I knew it was highly unlikely that I would ever see her again and, after what I had done to her balloons, I could not expect a good reception. I still wondered what would have happened had she not had that message to go to Paris. Would we have ended the night in each other’s arms and what would have happened after? It was all speculation but I had plenty of time to speculate.
After two days the fever broke and the arm appeared cooler. I was relieved. We all crowded into his room when Monique gave us the news. He tried to sit up but Monique snapped at him like a naughty child. “Do not undo all my good work! Lie down.”
I do not think he understood a single word but the tone was obvious and he lay back down. “How long have I been here sir?”
“About three days.”
He nodded and closed his eyes. Then he must have worked out the times of the sloop and he tried to struggle up. “Sir the rendezvous. We have to get to the…”
I held up my hand. “You are going nowhere until Monique is happy with your improvement. We are not far from the last rendezvous point and we have a few days yet. Get better. We will get home, trooper.”
That evening I joined Julian and Pierre in the bar. There were just a couple of locals present and they were trusted by my friends. Pierre had news. “I have been into Amiens to get some provisions and there are still groups of the Gendarmerie looking for two saboteurs.”
“Do they have a description?”
“They have your name and they know that Sharp is an American. Otherwise the description could apply to most Frenchmen.”
Monique joined us, “My two babies are sleeping.”
We laughed and Julian told her of our plight. She moved away from me and said, “If you shave off your moustache then you will not look like the man who came here and if we do not shave Alan then he will look totally different too. You came in clothes that were burgundy and brown in colour. We dress you in blue and green. Do not wear a hat, instead use a bandana around you head.”
Julian put his arm around her and kissed her. “Gorgeous and clever. I think myself lucky every day and thank God she took pity on a one legged man.”
She ruffled his hair. “There was no pity; I grabbed the best man I had seen in a long time.”
They were wonderful people and I found myself envying them a little. They had few luxuries but a comfortable life. The two men had been invalided out of the army and would never have to suffer for another’s ambition.
The change in Trooper Sharp over the next three days was quite remarkable. When we removed the dead maggots the arm looked much cleaner. On Monique’s advice we removed the stitches and we saw that the flesh had joined itself. Monique had applied creams and ointments to the scar on his face and it, too looked less angry. The beard also helped to disguise it.
Disaster almost struck the day before we were due to leave. Perhaps we were complacent, I don’t know. I had shaved off my moustache and was seated in the bar drinking with Pierre when the soldiers came in. There was a young lieutenant, a sergeant and a private.
The lieutenant looked angry when he walked through the door. He glared at us all. “We are looking for two British spies!”
I was not sure if he expected someone to say where they were but we just looked at each other. Pierre laughed and said, “We haven’t got any.”
The sergeant grinned and then, as the lieutenant shifted his ire to him became stoic. “I have checked with the local officials. It seems that some notables were murdered not far from here some years ago and this inn was implicated.”
It was Julian’s turn to laugh, “I think the inn might also be innocent.”
This time the private stifled a laugh and turned it into a cough. The lieutenant reddened. “I mean that those in this inn were implicated.”
Julian tapped his leg. “I lost this leg serving France. Even if I was a spy I wouldn’t be a very good one would I?”
Pierre tapped his chest, “And I was invalided out after Egypt and I couldn’t even lift a sword now.”
Frustrated the lieutenant glanced at Monique and then his gaze settled upon me. “And you! The one who keeps quiet. Who are you?”
I shrugged and pointed to Pierre. “I served with Pierre here and I too left the Chasseurs after Egypt. I came here to relive old times.” I decided to go on the offensive. “As you can see we are three old soldiers. Where did you serve lieutenant? In which campaign did you serve your country?”
This time the private and the sergeant looked at the lieutenant to see his reaction. He blushed, “Then, as old soldiers you should respect what we are doing for we are searching for enemies of France.”
I nodded, “Then perhaps it is the manner in which you search. If you were more polite and respectful to old soldiers them you might find out the information you seek. We have seen no strangers here. Does that satisfy you?”
He nodded. He then glared at all of us and then stormed out.
The sergeant gave an apologetic shrug. “I am sorry gentlemen. I served in Italy as did the private. Now they promote boys who have yet to shave. We will not return.”
After they had gone we all breathed a collective sigh of relief. Pierre said, “Remind me never to play cards with you Robbie. I thought we would have to kill all three of them.”
“No, Pierre, I only kill those now who try to kill me.”
We would have to travel by day to ensure that we reached Etaples by nine o’clock. That would be dangerous. Pierre solved it. “They are looking for two men. I will come with you and they will not see anything to raise their suspicions. It will also mean that we can talk in French while Trooper Sharp plays the half wit.”
Alan had been taking French lessons from Monique and although his accent marked him as English he could, at least, understand some of what Pierre had said. He joined in the laughter.
We left before dawn. I hugged Monique. “I can never thank you enough.” I took out two of my gold Louis. “Here is one for you two and one for Guiscard when he is older. A present from his Uncle Robbie.”
She nodded. “Will he ever see his Uncle Robbie when he becomes older and can understand more?”
“This war cannot last forever. I will return. I promise.”
The three of us rode towards Amiens and reached the busy town just after eight. The streets were filling up. Many of those on the streets knew Pierre and shouted greetings to him. It meant that the Gendarmerie almost totally ignored us. A cursory glance was all that they gave us and then we were on the road to Abbeville. We managed to get through that town too and we were on the last leg to the coast.
Pierre and I spoke at length of our dead comrades. We were not certain if we would ever meet again and there were things which needed to be said. He wanted to know how each of them had died. It might sound both morbid and macabre to anyone else but I knew why he needed that knowledge. He felt guilty as he had not been there. He had been saved by a pirate’s sword thrust into his back. He would grow old. Tiny, Charles, Albert, Michael an
d all the others would never grow old and it was important that Pierre knew how they met their end.
We smelled the sea and felt the ozone laden breeze long before we saw it. We had ridden steadily and reached the sand dunes by six o’clock. We had made good time.
“You might as well return to the inn.”
“No, old friend. I will see you safely aboard this ship and then I will be happy. You have come a long way from the young boy who was barely shaving; the young lad who put us to shame with his sword and pistol skills, not to mention how you tamed the aptly named Killer. You see, my friend, you were something of a mascot, a lucky charm to the 17th and you are the only survivor. I owe it to our dead comrades to make sure that you get back to England. So long as you live then so do they. They stand like guardian angels at your shoulder.”
And so he waited with us. We ate the picnic Julian had made for us and we watched the sun set in the west. We had brought a lantern for the signal and I kept checking the time on my watch. Ten o’clock came and went. I would like to say that I was not worried but I was terrified. If the sloop went then how would we get back to England? The blockade of ships from both sides meant that it would be impossible. We would have to travel far to the south and that did not bear thinking about.
It was at eleven fifteen when we saw the four flashes. I flashed the lamp four times and then we saw the sails of the sloop as they were lowered. We had tethered the horses and Pierre walked with us to the sea. “I have never seen one of these roast beefs up close, not alive anyway. I think I will talk with one.”
We had just seen the boat begin to be lowered when there was a flash from the south and then the crack of cannon. It was a French Man of war! I saw the dingy being pulled up and the sails lowered as the lieutenant tried to get away from the trap. Five flashes came from the sloop- they were leaving. The pop of his own cannon sounded minuscule in comparison to the thunder from the French ship. The French ship was much bigger- probably a frigate. As much as I wanted him to come back for us I wanted him to escape more and he did. I heard the rip as the cannonballs ripped through his sails but he escaped. We were trapped in France once more.