British Light Dragoon (Napoleonic Horseman Book 3)

by Griff Hosker

  All the man said was, “’Pon my word.”

  The scene was repeated in all of the rooms. “Sergeant, take charge here, when they are all out make sure they can carry what they take and then bring them down to the next floor.”

  “Sir.” He grinned. “Is this what you and Sharpie did before sir? Where he got his scar?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Next time you go take me sir. This is good crack.”

  Downstairs there was a little more noise and Percy was struggling to keep them quiet. I shouted, “Quiet!” They all fell silent. “Ladies and gentlemen it will be extremely difficult to get you all safely back to England. If anyone wishes to stay as a guest of Bonaparte please return to your rooms. If not, then shut up and do exactly as I say!” No-one moved. “Good, then you all want to come. You have to carry what you take and we have to walk four miles or so to the sea and the beach. Look at what you carry and decide.”

  They all began to examine their luggage. “When they are all ready bring them down to the main hall.”

  “How did you do that Robbie?”Lieutenant Austen was shaking his head.

  I shrugged, “I treated them all like recruits who know nothing. They are the spoiled rich, Percy, they aren’t used to this. Shout at them a bit.”

  Jones nodded, “He’s right sir. They probably need help to wipe their own arse and all.”

  I left them and descended to the main hall. It was silent. I began to worry where Lieutenant Commander Teer was. I decided that I would get this first group out and then worry about the rest. I went out of the main entrance. It was eerily quiet. I drew my sword I sensed that there was someone out there. Silently I took out my stiletto. Suddenly a bayonet flashed at my face from my left. I barely had time to deflect it with my stiletto. I stabbed upwards with my sword and the soldier fell to the ground with a surprised expression on his face. The second man was more cunning. He stabbed lower. I flicked my sword around and deflected the blade but it still sliced savagely into my thigh and I felt the warm trickle of blood. The moon had come out and it flashed on the blood on his bayonet. He almost shrieked with joy and pulled the musket back for the coup de grace. I lunged forward with my stiletto and ripped out his throat.

  I grabbed the neck cloth he was wearing and tied it tightly around the top of my leg. The bleeding slowed but it still hurt. There appeared to be no others. I slipped back inside and saw that all of the prisoners had been brought down. The commandant was still naked and Jones’ dagger still pricked his portly back. I leapt at him and put my sword on the tip of his nose.

  “You lying fat bastard! There were two guards outside that you forgot about! Are there any others, answer me quickly or so help me I will geld you here and now.”

  He stuttered, “I forgot those two, please forgive me.”

  The young woman he had been raping came forwards. “You need all your men. Let me watch him.”

  I saw that she was right. I picked up the sword from the unconscious guard and gave it to her. She stuck the point in the small of the whale’s back. “Jones, go and find the others and tell them that we are leaving.” He nodded and ran off. The commandant looked less than pleased to be at the mercy of his young victim. “Percy, lead them off. Take them to the barn and wait there. Tell the guards at the gate to wait until I reach them. Seymour, give him a hand.”

  The civilians were all whispering, the noise would be heard once we left the building.”Anyone who talks at all, stays here in France. We are in grave danger and I will tolerate no disobedience.” I deliberately looked at some of the older men in turn and each one nodded.

  Once they had all gone the place seemed quiet. I looked at the keys which I still had in my hand. I went to the front door and tried the keys in turn. One fitted. I waited to see if the others returned. I began to count in my head. I would give them a hundred. I had reached fifty when Jones appeared. He was out of breath. “They are coming sir. They had a bit of trouble.”

  “Right Jones, get to the barn, the others are there. Tell them to be ready to move when we arrive.”

  Lieutenant Teer, Sergeant Sharp and the other prisoners arrived a few minutes later. They were half carrying one of the sailors. “Sorry Robbie, Harris here was a bit slow. We had to kill one. “

  “Never mind that now; the rest are at the barn. Get them there and wait for me.”

  As soon as they had left I locked the front door. It would not slow up any pursuit but there would be a delay and I was buying minutes. I hurled the keys into the brazier. The three guards were relieved to see me. “Ditch the hats but keep the muskets. Let’s go.”

  The rescued civilians at the barn were now even more fearful. I ignored them. “My men and I will get to the main road and hold it. Count to fifty and then follow. No matter what happens get them back to the beach.”

  “Will do, Robbie.” The naval officer suddenly saw that I was wounded, “You are hurt.”

  “I’ll survive.” I turned to my men. Get the muskets from those sailors and follow me.”

  We ran down the road. Perhaps it was Teer’s words or reaction setting in, I don’t know but my leg began to hurt like all hell was breaking loose. I would have to loosen the tourniquet soon. At the end of the road I sent Seymour to watch the other side.

  “Right lads we are going to have to wait here and hold off anyone who decides to follow us. We only have five shots for each of the muskets so use them wisely. Keep hidden.” As they took up positions I released the tourniquet. The warm blood both hurt and was a relief.

  Sharp looked shocked. “Sir, you are wounded.”

  “I have had worse wounds before. Just keep a good watch eh Alan?”

  “Yes sir.”

  It seemed to me that the noise of the one hundred and fifty civilians sounded like thunder but I suspect they were not. Even so I was pleased when they all turned the corner and walked down the road. I know they thought they were moving quickly but they were not and I could see the discarded luggage littering the road. It was like a trail for the French to follow. An idea struck me. “Percy, get the men to collect that discarded luggage and make a barrier across the road. It will slow down any pursuit.”

  “Yes Robbie.” He turned, “This is fun you know.”

  He did not know how close we were to death. If the French caught us we would be shot. The trick was not to let that thought enter your consciousness, therein lay madness.

  The barrier ended up, by the time we collected everything which had been discarded, a pile stretching across the road about five feet high. A horse could clear it easily but a man might stumble as he tried and all we needed was to buy time. I saw the first rays of the sun peeping through the streets behind me. The town would soon be waking up. Food would be delivered to the monastery. The people who worked there during the day or who had slept through the escape would be readying themselves for work. Some of those who lay trussed like chickens would be waking up. We couldn’t leave until I was sure I had given them enough time. I prayed that the transports were waiting off the beach.

  Our luck ran out when a column of soldiers marched from the town. I assume they were heading for the monastery. Perhaps they were the relief guards. I will never know. My men were all hidden but there were only ten of us. I could trust them all not to fire until ordered. I drew my two pistols and waited. The column reached the barricade and a conversation ensued. They were perplexed. The idiot in charge decided to merely climb over the barrier. It cost him his life. As the first eight soldiers in the French infantry column stepped over the barricade I yelled, “Fire”.

  They were caught unawares. I did not need to shout reload. My well drilled men just did. A pall of smoke enveloped the scene and I could hear the moaning of dying and wounded men. I waited until we had fired five shots. The muskets were now empty and we had bought enough time. The sun was beginning to lighten the streets even more.

  “Fall back!” I saw eight men move past me and I felt relieved. We had suffered no casualtie
s. Perhaps I had been in the same position too long, I do not know, but my wounded leg gave way beneath me. One of the soldiers, more eager than the rest, had run across to our position. As I lay there like a helpless baby he raised his bayonet tipped musket to skewer me.

  There was a flash of a pistol and the man’s face disappeared. “Not so fast, sunshine.” Seymour stood over me with Sharp by his side.

  “Come along sir. It wouldn’t do to leave you behind now would it?”

  The two of them helped me to my feet and supported me. I found I could use my leg a little. “I am all right now. Let’s go.” They ran and I hobbled down the road with musket balls whizzing like mosquitoes around our heads. I saw that Percy and the men had formed a thin line. They made a gap for us.

  “Keep going, Captain Matthews. We will slow them.” Their seven pistols all cracked and then they were running next to us.

  I saw the farm which marked the distance to our turn across the dunes. “Cut across the dunes. Run diagonally! We can slow them down. They will think we are lost!”

  I noticed that, as I laboured across the dunes, my men all stayed close by me. Now that it was lighter I could see the dark stain which marked my wound. I knew that we were almost safe. Once we crested the next dune we would be able to see the sea.

  To my horror, as I struggled to the top I saw a sea devoid of any ship save the ‘Black Prince’. The civilians were milling around the beach with Lieutenant Commander Teer’s men looking like sheep dogs.

  “Percy, stay here with the men and form a skirmish line.”

  “What if there are too many?”

  “Just keep them back right!” I knew I was being short with him but he needed to be more assertive and decisive. I half ran and half limped towards the sailors.

  Jonathan made his way to meet me half way. “What do we do Robbie? There are no transports.”

  “You need to get back on board your ship and bring her closer in. Ferry the civilians out in the longboat and any other boats you have.”

  “My ship can’t take them all.”

  “I know but once the sloop is full we can put the rest in the boats and tow them!”

  He nodded and grinned. “That will work.” He glanced down at my leg. “How’s leg?”

  “What a stupid bloody question. It hurts like hell. Now give me all your pistols, powder and ball.”

  “Hooky, take the men’s guns and ammunition with the captain and then get back here.”

  The two of us ran back to the dunes where I heard the popping of pistols. “Just drop them there and then get those people off!”

  “Yes sir!”

  “Here lads, another pistol each. Where are they, Percy?”

  He pointed to the east. I could see a line of hats bobbing above the sand about a hundred yards away. “Stop firing at them. You are wasting ammunition. Load the pistols and wait. Sharp, you put yourself on the right and Seymour on the left. Let me know if they try to out flank us.”

  I began to load the extra pistol I had just obtained. I found that my hands were shaking. I needed to calm down. The whole expedition was turning into a disaster. Percy rolled next to me. “I’m sorry that I am so wet Robbie.”

  “You aren’t but you need to think for yourself and not wait for me to take all the decisions. I don’t have the answers; if I did we wouldn’t be in this mess would we? I just make stuff up as I go along.”

  “But it always works out.”

  I laughed and spread my arm around. “This is working out?” I pointed to the sea. “If Jonathan can get them off the beach then we will have succeeded.”

  “And us?”

  “Until they turn the key on that prison cell or say ‘ready, aim, fire’ then we have a chance to get out of this… somehow.”

  He smiled, “And that is good enough for me.”

  I heard Jones’ voice. “Sir, they are coming again.”

  “Stand to! Wait until they are forty yards away, no more and when you fire keep firing and reloading. Keep low down, they may think we have gone. When I say fall back make your way back forty yards.”

  The chorus of assent was reassuring.

  They had spread out and I saw a blue line some thirty men wide. They came along with muskets and bayonets in a determined fashion. I suppose they had worked out how poorly armed we were. They kept disappearing from view as they dipped into hollows and then rising as they crested the tops of the dunes. I had worked out which dune was forty yards away and as soon as I saw a soldier begin to appear I readied myself. When the skyline filled with blue I yelled, “Fire!”

  A few men went down and they thought we had emptied our guns. I heard the officer yell charge and then our ten pistols all cracked again. Sharp and I had three pistols and there were two more shots after that. The blue line fell back leaving huddles of bodies littering the dunes.

  I rolled on to my back to reload. I saw that there were fewer people on the beach and that the ‘Black Prince’ was much closer in. I had just reloaded when Sharp shouted. “Cavalry sir! About a mile away!”

  “Fall back to the next position! Keep low so that they don’t see us move.”

  Cavalry were a different matter to infantry. They could cover the ground quickly and negate our pistols. The game had changed. We would have to try to fool them by moving position. I sank into the sand and reloaded my last pistol. Looking over the dunes I saw that the blue line was longer. They had been reinforced. Of course, there would be a camp of soldiers destined for the invasion close to here. Then I saw the Chasseurs. They were moving quickly and would give the infantry courage. The blue line suddenly roared and ran to the dunes where we had been. I yelled, “Fire!” The surprised infantry were knocked from the dunes and took shelter behind the protection of the sand.

  The cavalry were even closer. The sea was four hundred yards away and I could see that almost all of the civilians were off the beach. Just twenty remained.

  “Right lads! Back to the boats. “Run!”

  They needed no urging. We all knew what cavalry could do to infantry caught in the open. That day we were the infantry. My leg was really hurting and I had to grit my teeth to force my legs to move. I could feel blood trickling down my leg. I saw that I was falling behind the others. It could not be helped. I still had two guns unfired and, as I heard the hooves and the whoop of the horsemen I prepared to turn. The last of the civilians was being loaded aboard a small rowing boat and the surf was less than a hundred yards away.

  I turned, just in time to see that three horsemen had outstripped the rest and they were thirty yards from me. I fired both pistols at the same time and then, throwing the pistols at the third I dived and rolled to my right. I felt a hoof scrape over my back. I quickly stood and drew my sword. Two Chasseurs lay dead or wounded but the third was wheeling his horse around and charging towards me. He leaned forwards, eager to spear me with his sabre. The French sabre is not meant for stabbing; it is better for slashing and my sword was longer. I stood and waited. I lunged forwards and flicked the end of his sabre away. I pushed hard and my sword went through his leg and pierced his horse. The horse reared in pain and threw the man to the ground. I ran to retrieve my sword and as I did so saw the rest of the Chasseurs. They were fifty yards away and the sea was a hundred from me. They would catch me before I reached it. I turned anyway and ran as fast as my injured leg would allow me. I could see the sloop ahead and then I saw four pricks of light. They were firing. I threw myself to the ground as four cannonballs whizzed just above my head.

  I lay on the ground, dazed by the concussion of the shots and then felt four arms pick me up and haul me towards the sea. “That was bloody stupid sir, brave but stupid.”

  “Thank you Sergeant Seymour and for once I agree with you.”

  The cavalry kept a respectful distance as the guns of the ‘Black Prince’ sent enough balls towards them to prevent any heroics. Percy stood waiting for me on the beach. The civilians had all been taken off but the sloop looked low in the water
and all of the boats appeared to be full. “Well, Captain Matthews. It looks like something of a stalemate. We cannot get off for the boats are full and the French cannot reach us because of the cannon.”

  “True Captain Austen, but if you notice the tide is receding and the ’Black Prince’, will have to move off shore.”

  “Damn the Navy! Where are the transports!”

  “It will do no good to berate them. We cannot do anything about that, can we? We know not what problems they might have encountered. Be happy knowing that we have completed our mission as ordered and the civilians are safe.” A thought struck me. “By the by, what happened to the commandant?” Until then I had forgotten the fat naked rapist.

  Percy pointed to the white, bloated body which floated in the surf. “The young lady decided he had served his purpose and she killed him. She seemed quite determined.” He lowered his voice. “It seems he was fond of raping young women. She was not the first.”

  “But still, Percy; it takes a strong mind to stick a sword in someone.” I hoped that she would not be haunted later by her deed.

  “Ey up sir,” Seymour’s voice drew my eyes from the dead commandant. “It looks like they have decided to bring up their own artillery. And these aren’t little pop guns either.”

  I saw that he was right. A French twelve pounder had been brought up. She would pound the sloop and the small boats to pieces. Unless Jonathan sailed he would be left with matchwood.

  “Sir, Lieutenant Commander Teer says he will have to pull out now sir.” The young lieutenant in the small boat bobbed up and down with the eight crewmen. I recognised them as the ones who had been in the monastery with us.

  “I know. Thank the commander for his valiant efforts.”

  “But sir, you can’t stay.”

  I laughed. “I know that but until we learn to walk on water we will have to remain on the beach.”

  “No sir,” He threw ten coils of rope towards us, “grab the ropes and wade out. When you are deep enough the men will row us out of range and Prince will tow us.”