by G. A. Henty
Chapter 11: On the Frontier.
On entering the barrack yard, they found that the regiment hadmarched, ten days before, for the frontier, and that Lord Galmoy'sregiment had taken their place. They went at once to his quartersand told him that, having effected their escape, they hadtravelled with all speed to inform the king of the determinationof the English Government to bring the Irish officers toexecution, and to implore him to intervene in their favour.
"I will go with you to Versailles, at once," Lord Galmoy said;"but, as you have no uniforms, and the king is very strict onmatters of etiquette, three of my officers will lend you theirsuits and swords. While they are being fetched, sit down and sharemy meal, for doubtless you have not waited to eat on the road."
He then gave the necessary instructions, and half an hour laterthe three officers, now in uniform, started with him on horsebackfor Versailles. The king had just returned from hunting, and itwas an hour before Lord Galmoy could obtain an audience with him.He had, on the road, told the others he felt sure that the king,who was well served by his agents in London, had already heard ofthe intention of the English Government, but as to whether he hadsent off a remonstrance he was of course ignorant.
"I shall press the matter strongly upon him, and point out thedeep feeling that will be excited, throughout his Irish and Scotchtroops, if nothing is done to save the prisoners.
"Louis is a politic monarch," he said, "and, knowing our worth andthat of his Scotch soldiers, I think that he will, on myrepresentations, bestir himself. Wauchop has many times performedbrilliant services, and deserves well of France. However, we shallsee."
When they were admitted to the audience, Lord Galmoy introducedthe three soldiers of O'Brien's regiment as coming that morning toParis, having effected their escape from Newgate. As he repeatedtheir names, the king looked sharply at Desmond.
"Ah, ah!" he said, "so our young ensign is in the thick ofadventures again. These we will hear presently.
"Well, my lord, why have they come here so hurriedly after theirarrival?"
"They came to inform Your Majesty that the English Government havedetermined to execute Colonel Francis Wauchop, and the twelveofficers of their regiment who were on board the Salisbury,captured on the coast of Scotland."
Desmond, who was watching the king's face closely, saw that thiswas no news to him, and that he was annoyed by its being nowbrought to his notice; for doubtless the fate of a colonel, and adozen young officers, was a matter that affected him little; andthat, had the matter not been forced upon him, he would not havetroubled about it, but, when it was too late, would have professedentire ignorance of the intentions of the English Government.
He only said, however, "It is incredible that there can be anintention to execute officers in our service, captured upon awarlike expedition."
"It is but too true, sir. Against Colonel Wauchop they have noground for severity. By the convention of Limerick, he and allother officers were formally permitted to enter Your Majesty'sservice; but the young lieutenants have, of course, joined longsince that time, and therefore cannot benefit by the terms of theconvention; and could, with a show of justice, be executed asEnglish subjects, traitors serving against their country."
"We are afraid that our remonstrance would have but little effectwith the English Government."
Lord Galmoy smiled slightly, for it was notorious thatnegotiations had gone on between King James and his councillors,and several of the members of the English Ministry, Marlboroughhimself being more than suspected of having a secret understandingwith the little court at Saint Germain.
He only said, however, "Your Majesty has in your hands the powerof compelling the English Government to alter their determinationin this matter."
"How so, my lord?" the king asked, in much surprise.
"You have, sire, many prisoners, Frenchmen of the reformedreligion, who had entered the service of the Protestantprinces--your enemies--and who were taken in Dutch and Flemishtowns we have captured. These stand in the same relation towardsYour Majesty as the Irish officers towards England. You have,then, but to inform the government there that, if they in any wayharm the Irish officers and noncommissioned officers in theirhands, you will at once execute a similar number of these FrenchProtestant officers, whom you have hitherto treated as prisonersof war. Then, possibly, an exchange might be effected.
"Your Majesty will, I think, pardon me for saying that, unlesssteps are taken to save these officers' lives, the matter islikely to have a very bad effect on the Irish and Scotchregiments, whose ardour will not be improved by the knowledge thatin case of a reverse they will, if not killed in the field, beexecuted as traitors; for nearly half of the men who are nowserving have joined since the formation of the Brigade, and arenot protected by the terms of the Limerick treaty. They aredevoted to Your Majesty's service, and are ready to lay down theirlives freely for the cause of France; but it would not be fairthat they should also run the risk of execution, if they are bymisfortune made prisoners."
"There is much in what you say, Lord Galmoy, and you certainlypoint out a way by which these officers can be saved. A messengershall start, in an hour's time, with a letter to the EnglishGovernment. It shall be delivered at their headquarters inFlanders by noon tomorrow, with a request that it shall beforwarded by special messenger to the British minister; and wewill have a proclamation posted in Paris, and in the various campsof the army, saying that we have warned the English Governmentthat, unless the officers and men captured off the coast ofScotland are treated as prisoners of war, we shall retaliate bytreating all French officers taken in foreign service in the sameway; and that we have furthermore offered to exchange an equalnumber of such officers and men, in our hands, for those held bythe British Government."
"I thank Your Majesty, most respectfully and heartily, in the nameof all the foreign officers in your service. Even should,unfortunately, the English Government refuse to pardon or exchangetheir prisoners, it will be seen that Your Majesty has done all inyour power to save them, and there will be a general feeling ofreprobation, throughout Europe, at the conduct of the EnglishMinistry."
"We beg these officers to wait in the anteroom, while we dictateour despatch and proclamation to our secretary. We would fainquestion them as to how they effected their escape from theirprison, and how they have made so speedy a journey here."
Lord Galmoy bowed, and retired with the others.
"We have done well," he said, "better indeed than I had hoped.Now, having succeeded in saving our countrymen's lives, which Idoubt not would have been otherwise sacrificed, I shall return atonce to Paris, for there is an inspection of my regiment thisafternoon."
"We have been fortunate, indeed," O'Neil said, when Lord Galmoyhad left. "I have no doubt the king had heard that the EnglishGovernment had resolved to execute the prisoners, but I questionwhether he would have stirred in the matter, had it not been forGalmoy's representation."
"I am sure, by his manner, that he had received the news before,"Desmond said, "and, as you say, had not intended to interfere. Itwas the suggestion that he might threaten retaliation, and thatthe effect of his not moving in the matter would be very bad amonghis Irish troops, that decided him to interfere. He may have feltthat any mere protest made by him would have had little effect,and it is not his nature to expose himself to a rebuff; but,directly he saw that he had an effective weapon in his hands, hetook the matter up as warmly as we could wish."
In point of fact, the king's threat had the desired effect, andtwo months later the imprisoned officers and men were exchangedfor an equal number of Huguenots.
In a quarter of an hour, the three officers were again summoned tothe king's presence. With him was a tall dark officer, ofdistinguished mien, whom O'Neil and O'Sullivan both recognized asthe Duke of Berwick, one of the most famous generals of the time.He had been in command of the French forces in Spain, from whichhe had been recalled suddenly, two days before, in order that theking, who had a great confidence in
him, might consult him as tothe general plan of operations, in that country and in the north,before despatching him to join the army in Flanders. This wascommanded by the Duke of Burgundy and the Duke of Vendome jointly;and as both were headstrong and obstinate, and by no means agreedas to the operations to be undertaken, the king had determined tosend Berwick there, in order that he might, by his military geniusand influence, bring matters to a better state between the twodukes, and arrange with them some definite plan by which the tideof fortune, which had hitherto gone against the French, might bearrested.
The king appeared now to be in a good humour.
"And now, young sirs," he said, "I have an hour at leisure, andwould fain hear a true account of your adventures, omittingnothing.
"I have no doubt, Monsieur Kennedy, that your ready wit had nosmall share in the matter."
"With your permission, Sire, I will tell the story," O'Neil said,"for Mr. Kennedy is not likely to place his own share of the workin its due prominence."
The king nodded, and O'Neil gave a detailed account of the mannerin which they had made their escape, and succeeded in gettingthemselves conveyed across the channel in a vessel in theGovernment service, explaining that both affairs were due entirelyto Desmond's initiative and ingenuity. The king listened withgreat interest, and even laughed at the story of the capture ofLord Godolphin.
"You have all three behaved extremely well," he said.
"You, Monsieur Kennedy, have again shown that you possess unusualshrewdness, as well as daring.
"What think you, Duke, of this young subaltern, who is, we maytell you, the hero of whom you have doubtless heard, who twicerescued Mademoiselle de Pointdexter from the hands of herabductor?"
"I was told the story yesterday, Sire, and was filled withadmiration at the boldness and resource of her rescuer, who was, Iheard, an ensign in O'Brien's regiment; but certainly I did notexpect to find him so young a man. He has, indeed, a fertility ofinvention that fills me with surprise. The other officers deservepraise, for having so willingly followed the leadership of theirjunior, and their generosity in assigning to him the whole meritof their undertaking is highly commendable. It is no easy thing,Sire, to find in young officers--especially, if I may say so,among the cadets of good family, who form for the most part thestaff of your generals--men ready to exercise their own discretionwhen in difficulties, and to carry out with due diligence theorders committed to them."
"O'Brien's regiment has marched to the northern frontier. Thevacancies in the ranks of its officers have been filled up fromthose of other regiments. I should, with Your Majesty'spermission, be glad to take these three officers on my own staff,as, leaving Spain privately in accordance with Your Majesty'sorders, I have brought with me only Captain Fromart, my secretary,and one young aide-de-camp. I should be glad if you would promoteMr. Kennedy to the rank of lieutenant."
"We quite approve of both requests," the king said graciously;"and indeed," he added with a smile, "shall not be altogethersorry to see Lieutenant Kennedy employed outside our kingdom, for,after making war on his own account with one of our nobles, andkidnapping the first minister of England, there is no saying whatenterprise he might next undertake. And should he join any ofthose who trouble the country with their plots, we should feelcompelled to double our guards, in order to hold ourself securefrom his designs.
"Well, gentlemen, since the Duke of Berwick has appointed you hisaides-de-camp, the least we can do is to see that you are properlyfitted out for the expedition. You have, of course, lost youruniforms, horses, and money in our service, and it is but justthat we should see to your being refitted. If you will wait in theanteroom, you shall each receive an order on our treasury for ahundred louis d'ors."
The three officers bowed deeply in acknowledgment to the king,and, bowing also to the Duke of Berwick, returned to the anteroom,where presently one of the royal attendants brought to them thethree orders on the treasury, and also begged them, in the name ofthe Duke of Berwick, to wait until his audience with the kingshould be over.
They were all highly delighted with the change in their position.The posts of staff officers were, as the duke had said, consideredto belong almost of right to members of noble families, and it wasseldom that officers of the line could aspire to them.
"Did I not tell you, Kennedy, that your luck would bring goodfortune to us all! And, by the powers, it has done so! Faith, ifanyone had said a month ago that I should by now be on the Duke ofBerwick's staff, I should have laughed in his face, if indeed Ihad not quarrelled with him for mocking at me. And now here weare, with money to buy horses and outfit, and with no moredrilling recruits and attending parades."
"But not an end to work, O'Sullivan," Desmond Kennedy said. "Youwon't find much idle time, when you are serving with the duke."
"No. He has the name of being a strict commander, sparing neitherhimself nor his soldiers; and I have heard that his staff have avery hard time of it. However, I am not afraid of hard work, whenit is done on horseback, and there are many more chances ofpromotion on the staff than there are in marching regiments. Well,I don't mind being taken prisoner a dozen times if this is whatcomes of it, providing always that you are taken with me, Kennedy,and are there to help me out of the scrape."
"We should have to have Mike prisoner, too," Desmond laughed, "forwithout his help we should be in Newgate at present."
"I don't believe it. I am sure that, even if he hadn't turned up,you would have managed somehow."
In a short time, the duke came out.
"I am likely to be detained here another week, before I start forFlanders. That will give you time to procure your outfit of horsesand equipments and arms. You will require two horses each, andthese should be good ones. I doubt whether, if you get properoutfits, the sum that His Majesty has given you will suffice tobuy two horses. I have, however, in my stables here, plenty ofgood animals that have been taken from the enemy, and one will begiven to each of you. Therefore, it will be only necessary for youto purchase one.
"I am staying here, and should be obliged, when you have taken alodging, if you would send me your address. I shall then let youknow where and when you are to join me. Is there anything elsethat you would ask me?"
"I would ask, sir, that I might take my servant with me," Desmondsaid.
"Certainly; and you can do so without further question. One man,more or less, will make no difference to O'Brien's regiment, andit would be a pity that you should not have him with you, for itis evident that he is at once faithful, and possesses a largeamount of shrewdness."
After thanking the duke for the present of the horses, the threeofficers, having drawn their money, left the palace and rode backto Paris. They went first to the barracks, and returned the horsesand uniforms, with many thanks, to the officers who had lent them;had an interview with Lord Galmoy, and informed him of their newappointments.
"You have well won them," he said, "and I wish you every goodfortune. Assuredly, you are more likely to rise under the Duke ofBerwick than as subaltern in the Irish Brigade, though promotionis not slow there, owing to the vacancies that battle always makesin their ranks."
They went out and took a lodging together, and then went to amilitary tailor, who promised them their undress and full dresssuits in four days. Then they ordered military saddles, bridles,and equipments.
On the next day, after visiting half the stables in Paris, theypurchased three horses for themselves, and Desmond bought, inaddition, a serviceable animal for Mike, with a cavalry saddle andaccoutrements, and ordered a uniform for him. Each providedhimself with a sword and a brace of pistols.
Mike was greatly pleased when Desmond communicated his promotionand appointment to him.
"You will look grand, your honour, as a general's aide-de-camp,with your handsome uniform and your horses and all that, and 'tisglad I am that we are going to Flanders, for, from all I haveheard from men who have fought in Spain, little pleasure is to behad in campaigning there. The food is vile, the roads a
re bad. Youare choked with dust and smothered with heat.
"As to their making you lieutenant, if you had your dues, it wouldbe a colonel they should have made you, or at any rate a major."
"There is plenty of time, Mike," Desmond laughed. "A nice colonelI should look, too, leading a thousand men into battle. If Iobtain a majority in another fifteen years, I shall considermyself lucky."
Desmond did not share Mike's gratification that they were tocampaign with the army of the north, instead of with that inSpain. However, as he would be fighting against English troops ineither country, he concluded it would not make much difference,especially as, being an aide-de-camp, he would not himself have toenter into actual conflict with them.
His friends were heartily glad that their destination was notSpain, for all had, like Mike, heard much of the hardshipssuffered by the troops in that country.
"I know from what you have said, Kennedy, that if you had had yourchoice you would have taken Spain, but, putting aside the heatthere, it is but poor work, by all accounts. You are well-nighstarved, you can't get at your enemy, who knows all the mountainsand the paths over them, is as difficult to catch as one of theirfleas, harasses you while you are on the march, and shirksfighting as the old one shirks holy water. There has only been onefight which could be called a battle since the war began; and asfor the sieges, it means that you lose a lot of men, and havelittle credit when you take a place, especially as the moment yougo out one way the enemy enter on the other side, and there is allthe work to be done over again."
"I admit that we shall see a great deal more of war in the north,"Kennedy said, "and Marlborough and Eugene on the other side, andthe Dukes of Berwick and Vendome on ours, are such skilfulcommanders that there will be far greater interest in theoperations, than in carrying on what is little more than apartisan war in Spain."
"Not only that," O'Neil put in, "but there will be a possibilityof getting decent food. While in Spain there are few great towns,and these a long distance from each other; in Flanders there aretowns every few miles, and you are sure of decent quarters andgood cooking."
"Why, O'Neil, I did not know that you were particular as to yourfood," Desmond laughed.
"I can starve as well as another, Kennedy, but when I get goodfood and good wine and good lodgings, I own that I prefer itvastly to the fare that our troops have to put up with, in Spain.I can see no reason why, because you are going to risk your lifein battle, you should put up with all sorts of miseries andinconveniences beforehand, if they can be avoided.
"As to fighting against the English, there are English both inSpain and Flanders, and in both armies they form but a smallproportion of the force, though I grant willingly that they arethe backbone of both armies. If you look at the thing sensibly,you will see that we have gained no slight advantage by Berwick'sgoing to Flanders, instead of returning to Spain."
Three days after their preparations were completed, an orderlybrought a note from the Duke of Berwick. It was brief and to thepoint.
The rendezvous is at six o'clock tomorrow morning, in front of LaLouvre.
(Signed) Berwick.
All were glad that the summons had come. They had discussed thefuture from every point of view, and were already growingimpatient, short as their stay had been in Paris.
Five minutes before the hour, they were at the rendezvous. As theclock struck, the duke rode up with two officers and an escort ofsix troopers. He looked at their accoutrements and horses, andnodded his head approvingly.
"You will do very well," he said. "I can tell you that the glossof your uniforms will not last long, in Flanders."
The other officers were Captain Fromart, who acted as the duke'ssecretary, and Lieutenant d'Eyncourt. Mike fell in with theescort, behind which also rode the body servant of the duke, andthe two cavalry men who were the servants of his officers.
Once beyond the limits of the town, the party broke into a trot.The duke rode on ahead, evidently in deep thought, and the fiveofficers followed in a group.
"I see, messieurs," d'Eyncourt said, "that only one of you hasbrought a servant with him."
"We only arrived in Paris a week ago," O'Neil said. "Our ownregiment had left, and we did not care to ask for two soldiersfrom another regiment, as these might have turned out badly. Wethought it better, therefore, to delay until we joined the army,and wait till we could obtain a couple of good men from one of thecavalry regiments there. As it is, Monsieur Kennedy's servant canlook after the three of us, and, I have no doubt, two of thesoldiers of the escort will not object to earn a few livres bylooking after our horses on the way."
"I think you are right," the other said. "If one gets a good man,a soldier servant is invaluable. If, as is often the case, he is abad one, well, one is far better without him. It is curious howmen who have been smart soldiers, when in the ranks, are apt to goto the bad when they become servants. They have more time on theirhands, are free from most of the parades, have no sentry duty toperform, and the consequence is that they become slovenly andcareless, and in nine cases out of ten give way to drink at everyopportunity. If Mr. Kennedy's servant is really a good one, youwill be better off, with a third of his services, than you wouldbe with the whole of that of an ordinary soldier servant.
"You have just returned from England, have you not? The duke toldCaptain Fromart that you were among those who were captured in theSalisbury, but that you had made your escape. He gave noparticulars, for indeed, the duke is not given to much speech. Asa general he is splendid, but it would be more pleasant for hisstaff if he were to unbend a little."
"Yes, we managed to give them the slip," O'Neil said, "thanks toMonsieur Kennedy and his servant. Did you return from Spain withthe general, Captain Fromart?"
"Yes. There was nothing doing at the moment, and he gave us theoption of accompanying him or staying behind. We vastly preferredthe trip, as we considered it, for of course we had no idea thatthe duke was about to be sent to Flanders. You hear a good deal ofthe climate of Spain. It is said to be lovely. I vow that it isdetestable. The heat, when it is hot, is terrible, and when it isnot hot, there is a bitter wind that chills you to the bone. Agreat portion of the country is but half populated, and you can goa day's march without coming to a village. The roads arevillainous. There is nothing to buy, and it is as much as thetransport can do to get, I will not say enough bread, but a baresufficiency to maintain the troops. Moreover, the duke has beenconstantly thwarted in his plans by the Spaniards, who are readyenough to make promises, but never take a single step towardstheir fulfilment. The duke's temper is of the shortest, and he hasquarrelled openly with most of the leading Spaniards, and hasthreatened, four or five times, to throw up his command and returnto France. He did do so a year ago, but affairs went so badly,without him, that the cause of France was seriously imperilled byhis absence, and it was at the urgent request of Philip that hereturned; for at that time the English general, Peterborough, wasstriking dismay all over the country, and if the duke's advice hadnot been taken, all our officers acknowledge that we shouldspeedily have crossed the Pyrenees."
"And do the population incline towards Philip or the Austrian?"
"As a rule, they incline towards the party which seems likely towin. They would shout in Madrid as loudly for the Archduke Charlesas for Philip. Catalonia and Valencia are the exceptions. Therethe balance of feeling is certainly in favour of the Austrian, butthis is principally because they are afraid of Peterborough, whomthey regard as almost supernatural, and fear he would takevengeance upon those who deserted his cause. But there is noaccounting for them; cities have held out as stoutly for onecandidate as for the other, without any apparent reason, so far aswe can observe.
"We fight for Philip because he is Louis's grandson, and it isimportant in the interest of France to stand closely allied withhis party. But as for the Spaniards with us, I can tell you thatwe have but little trust in them."
"But some of them are good, are they not?"
"We do not consider a
ny of them of much account. But then theSpaniards on the other side are no better. They seem to have lostall their military virtues, ever since their best troops weredemolished at Rocroi by Conde. That and the destruction of theirfleet by the English, and the drain of their resources both in menand money, entailed by the long war in Holland, altogetherdeprived the people of their martial spirit. The war is to someextent between the English and us, because, of the allies England,Holland, and Austria, neither the Austrians nor the Dutch take anygreat share in the struggle. The Dutch are wholly engrossed withthe defence of their fens, the Austrians are fully occupied inItaly and on the Rhine frontier, and it is only the English, who,fortunately, are not very numerous, who are against us, for thePortuguese can scarcely be counted in the business, being, ifanything, slower and more stupid than the Spaniards themselves.
"However, at present the prospect is good. Peterborough has gone.Galway's army has been almost destroyed; though, to do themjustice, the English regiments fought magnificently, and if theyhad been seconded by the Portuguese the result might have beenaltogether different."
"Then you found Spain much less rich than France?"
"There is no comparison," Captain Fromart said. "It ought to befully as rich, but the plains lie almost uncultivated. The peopleseem wholly without energy, and the ruling class are alwaysintriguing, and seem to pay little attention to their estates. Yousee but few castles and chateaux, such as are dotted over France.I do not say that, at the present moment, France can be considereda prosperous country in material matters. The expenses of the warshave been enormous, to say nothing of the Court. The people areground down by taxation, and the misery in some parts of thecountry is extreme; but left to themselves the people will work,and work hard. Our soil will grow anything, and after twenty yearsof peace, France would altogether recover herself."
"And yet the alliance of Spain is considered as of vitalimportance to France!"
"Of great importance, certainly. Spain has still soldiers who canfight well, as they have proved in Italy; and were the levies athome equally well drilled and disciplined, they would no doubtturn out good soldiers. But these are, at present, almostundrilled. They desert in numbers and return to their homes, afterthe slightest reverse, and prefer to act as partisans underleaders of their own choosing. But with Philip once firmly seatedon the throne, with French advisers and officers to assist him,and a few regiments to serve as a nucleus to his army, Spain couldturn out a force which would be a very valuable addition to thestrength of any European power. With Spain as our ally we can, inaddition to the force that she can put in the field, neglectaltogether our southern frontier, and employ our whole armyelsewhere. With her as an ally of Austria or of England, we shouldhave to keep an army in the south to guard our borders."
Two days after leaving Paris, the party arrived at Peronne, wherea considerable body of troops were collected, of which, althoughan aide-de-camp, Desmond now learned for the first time the dukewas to take the command. No movements of importance had takenplace in the field, and as the force at Peronne still wantedseveral regiments, to bring it up to the intended strength, someweeks passed before it was set in motion.
The four aides-de-camp, however, had a busy time of it. The mainarmy was stationed in the neighbourhood of Lille, and frequentcommunications passed between Berwick and Vendome.
The allies were inactive. Eugene had, early in April, metMarlborough at the Hague, and had concerted with him the plan forthe campaign. He had then gone to Vienna to bring up reinforcements,and until these arrived Marlborough hardly felt in a position to takethe offensive, as the French armies were considerably stronger thanhis own, and he had not yet been joined by the troops from Hanover.
Except to receive orders, the aides-de-camp saw little of theircommander. He was absorbed in the difficult problems of the war,and was occasionally absent for two or three days at the camp ofVendome. He always spoke kindly to them when on duty, but at othertimes dispensed altogether with their attendance, and as a ruletook his meals alone.
"You see him at his worst," d'Eyncourt said one day to his newcomrades, "He is a different man when he is in the field. Then heis full of life and activity, looking into every detail himself,endeavouring to infuse some of his own energy into others, full ofcare for the comfort of his troops, though ready to endure anyhardship himself. Then you see the real man; a noble character,idolized by the soldiers and loved by us all. You must not judgehim, in the slightest degree, by what he now is. He has a greatdeal on his mind, and has, so it is whispered, no small trouble inkeeping the peace between Vendome and Burgundy. The failure, too,of the expedition to Scotland must have greatly disappointed him,and I have no doubt he expected to be put at the head of anyFrench army sent over to place James upon the throne. However, hemay congratulate himself now that he was not with it, for nohonour and no gain has been earned by any concerned in it."
"That certainly is so," Desmond agreed. "It was a mismanagedaffair altogether. To begin with, twenty thousand men should havebeen sent instead of six thousand; and in the next place, thefleet should have assembled at Brest or Bordeaux, for in thatcase, although the news of its assembling would assuredly havereached England, it would not have been known whether it wasintended that the landing should be made in Ireland, Scotland, oron the English coast, while by gathering at Dunkirk no doubt wasleft as to the destination. This was proved by the fact that, whenthe English fleet watching the port was driven off by a gale, andan opportunity was thus given for a start, instead of coming backagain, as we had hoped, only to find that we had left, it sailedstraight for the north, making absolutely certain that we werebound for Edinburgh."
"Well, we must hope," O'Sullivan said, "that next time the forcewill, as you say, be fully twenty thousand men, will include theIrish Brigade, will be led by Berwick, and will land in Ireland."
At this moment an orderly entered.
"The duke requires your attendance, Lieutenant Kennedy."
Desmond at once went to the duke's apartments.
"You will start at once for Lille, Mr. Kennedy, and will reportyourself to Marshal Vendome. I have arranged with him that one ofmy aides-de-camp shall accompany the force that is about toadvance, and shall keep me informed of what is being done. I haveselected you because I know you to be active and shrewd. Themarshal is too much occupied to send me such full reports as Ishould wish, and I look to you not only to give me facts, but toconvey to me your impressions of what you see passing around you.Do not fear to speak plainly. Your communications will be strictlyprivate, and your views will be thus of far more use to me thanthe official expressions of the marshal and his staff.
"You will, of course, take your servant with you, and I have toldoff three troopers to accompany you, for the purpose of bringingyour reports to me. There is no probability of a generalengagement at present, and until we obtain some idea ofMarlborough's plans, no extensive operations will be undertaken."
From the manner in which he spoke, Desmond had no doubt thatBerwick himself was in favour of taking the initiative withoutdelay, but that he had been overruled. It was indeed of importanceto the French that, before advancing, they should securepossession of the towns of west Flanders, so that the great roadswould all be open to them.
Half an hour after leaving the duke, Desmond was in the saddle,and, followed by the four soldiers, rode for Vendome's camp.According to instructions he halted for the night at Arras, andreached Lille at ten the next morning. He at once presentedhimself to the marshal, and handed to him the letter from Berwick,of which he was the bearer.
The duke glanced through it.
"I have been expecting you, Lieutenant Kennedy, and have arrangedthat you shall mess and ride with the junior officers of my staff.I will order a tent to be erected for you, at once. Should anyportion of my force move without me, I have arranged that youshall accompany it. You will find many of your compatriots incamp, for we have five battalions of the Irish Brigade with us,among them that of O'Brien, to which the Duke
of Berwick informedme you belonged before you were appointed to his staff, havingdistinguished yourself markedly on several occasions."
The marechal-de-camp coming in, Vendome placed Desmond in hischarge, requesting him to introduce him to the various officers ofhis staff, with whom he would have to mess, and to see that he waswell cared for. He was well received by the young French officers,all of whom, with scarce an exception, belonged to good families,and Desmond was not long in discovering that they regarded theiroccupation rather as a pleasant and exciting diversion, than as amatter of duty, and that the greater portion of their time wasdevoted to pleasure. They rode, practised with the pistol andrapier, made excursions into the country, dined, and spent theirevenings as if the army were nonexistent. A few only, and thesewere men who had served as officers, took their professionseriously, and divided among themselves what work had to be done,the young nobles gladly relinquishing it to them.