by G. A. Henty
Chapter 16: Captured.
"I have a job for you, Mike."
"What is it, your honour?"
"I want you to take off all the marks of a field officer from myclothes. I am going to be a captain again."
Mike looked with surprise at his master.
"Well, your honour, it is ungrateful bastes they must be. Sure Ithought that the least they could do was to make you a full major,though if they had made you a colonel, it would be no more thanyou deserve."
"I was offered the majority, Mike, but I declined it. It would beabsurd, at my age, to have such a rank, and I should be ashamed tolook officers of our brigade, who have done nigh twenty years ofgood service and are still only captains, in the face. I wouldmuch rather remain as I am."
"Well, it may be you are right, sir, but it is disappointed I am,entirely."
"You will get over it, Mike," Desmond laughed.
"That may be," Mike said doubtfully, "but I should have feltmighty proud of being a colonel's servant."
"I don't suppose you will ever be that, Mike. You know that, afterthe last war was over, several of the Irish regiments weredisbanded, and no doubt it will be the same when this war isfinished, so you could not count upon seeing me a colonel, at anyrate not for another twenty years."
"Ah, your honour, I hope we shall be back in old Ireland yearsbefore that!"
"I hope so, too, Mike. I have only been out here for two years,and yet I am beginning to feel that I should like a quieter life.No doubt the loss of my hand has something to do with that, but Iwould give up, willingly, all chance of ever becoming a colonel,if I could but settle down in the old country, though I fear thereis very little chance of that."
"But sure there may be fighting there, too, your honour," Mikesaid; "and if King James goes across the water, there is sure tobe divarsion that way."
"I hope not, Mike. It is not that I do not feel as loyal as everto the cause of the Stuarts, but if they cannot come to their ownwithout Ireland being again deluged with blood, I would ratherthey would stay away. Twice Ireland has suffered for the Stuarts:first, when Cromwell came over, carrying fire and sword throughthe land, and divided half the country among his followers; next,when Dutch William did the same. I am loyal to the Stuarts, as Isaid, but I am still more loyal to Ireland, and would rather thatKing James remained all his life at Saint Germain, than that thosescenes should ever come again."
"That's true for you, sir; and when I come to think of it, Ishould be just as easy and comfortable in a snug little cot inKillarney, which is my county, whether King James or Queen Annewas ruling it in England."
"Quite so, Mike; and if I had, as you say, a snug little cot to goto, and an income to live comfortably in it, and no fear of beinghauled off to prison and hanged for joining the brigade, I shouldnot be sorry to settle down.
"We start back for Badajos tomorrow morning."
"Faith, your honour, it has been so hard getting away from there,that I should not have thought you wished to put your foot insidethe place again. You might not be so lucky in getting off, nexttime."
"We are going in a different way, Mike. Colonel Crofton's regimentof Irish dragoons is going with us, and a French infantry regimentfrom Toledo."
"Then I am well content to go back, your honour, and I hope weshall see that murthering governor hung."
"I think you have a good chance of seeing that, Mike, if he hasnot taken himself off before we arrive there; which I think he ispretty sure to do, directly he hears we have got through safely;for he will know that, as soon as my report is handed in, he is alost man."
"Bad cess to him! At any rate, I hope I shall light upon him someday, sir, and pay him out for sending those fellows to kill you atnight, and to hinder us in the hills. As to his cheating theSpaniards, that is their business, and they can reckon with himfor it; but I should like to pay our debt myself."
"I don't suppose there is much chance of your having anopportunity of doing that."
"Then why are we going back, your honour?"
"To carry out my original orders, Mike--survey the roads, andpasses, and bridges. The duke cannot rely upon Spanish testimonyin these matters, and it is most important that we shouldascertain, accurately, how good are the roads by which he wouldadvance with the army into Portugal, or where best to oppose theenemy if they cross the Guadiana."
"I am glad to hear you say so, sir, for I was afraid that we weregoing to have a long stay here again, and I would rather be onhorseback, riding all over the country, than walking up and downthese streets till my feet fairly ache."
"That is my opinion, too, Mike. We have had a good many rides withdespatches, but between times it is stupid work, hanging about thegeneral's quarters waiting for orders."
The next morning, Desmond joined Colonel Crofton's regiment as itwas on the point of starting from the barracks. It was in theservice of Spain, and had taken a brilliant part in severalengagements. Desmond was acquainted with the colonel and hisofficers.
"Good morning, Kennedy!" Crofton said, as he rode up and salutedhim. "I had a note from the Duke of Orleans, last night, sayingyou were going on special service, and would travel with us as faras Badajos. King Philip sent for me, later on, and himself gave meinstructions, besides handing me the written orders. It seems youhave discovered that the governor is mixed up, with a lot ofcontractors, in swindling the state by supplying earth instead ofpowder and flour."
"So far as the governor goes, Colonel, there is no absolute proof.I have not the smallest doubt that he was the prime mover in thematter, and that the commissaries only received a small portion ofthe bribes paid to him. It is hardly possible that every one ofthem should have betrayed his trust, unless sure of the governor'sprotection. I cannot prove that he had all these men shot in orderto silence them, employed men to assassinate Colonel Mendez, orset men to murder me in my hotel and afterwards to intercept us incrossing the sierra. Still, I have no shadow of doubt in my mindthat it was so.
"However, I do not think you will find him at Badajos. No doubt,as soon as he heard I had got safely down into the valley of theTagus, he made off. There is just a possibility that thecontractors, knowing that their lives will be forfeited by thediscovery of the frauds, might at once have sent in supplies ofpowder, flour, and other things, to take the place of the casksand sacks of earth; in which case he would probably deny the truthof my statement altogether, and declare that I had simply inventedit in order to do credit to myself. But I hardly think thatpossible. In the first place, there are the soldiers both of myescort and of Colonel Mendez, who assisted in the work ofexamination; besides which more than half the commissaries escapedwhile this was taking place, and, on an offer of pardon, would nodoubt gladly come forward and give evidence, especially as theexecution of their comrades will have shown them that the governoris determined to throw them over."
"Yes; I don't suppose we shall find the arch-scoundrel there,unless, indeed, he can rely upon the support of his garrison; inwhich case he may have ridden to Portugal, offering to surrenderthe place at once to them, and will close his gates against us."
"I don't think there is any chance of that, Colonel. In the shorttime during which I was there, I was able to see that the troopswere deeply discontented. They were almost in rags, and thelandlord of the inn told me that they were kept on the scantiestrations, and those of a very inferior kind. So I do not think, fora moment, he could trust them to act against a royal force."
Desmond's anticipation proved to be correct. As they descendedinto the valley of the Guadiana, they met an officer of thegarrison, who was bearing a despatch from the senior militaryofficer, saying that the governor and his family had suddenly leftwithout issuing any orders, and, as he had taken all his portableproperty with him, it was supposed that he did not intend toreturn. Under these circumstances he wrote to ask for orders.
Colonel Crofton sent him back with instructions, to the colonelcommanding the troops, that he was coming with a regiment ofdragoons and one of
infantry, and had full authority from the kingto take all measures that seemed to him desirable. Accordingly,when they arrived at Badajos they were met, at the gate, by thecolonel commanding the troops, and a party of his officers.
"I have the king's authority," Colonel Crofton said to him, "toact as temporary governor until another may be appointed. I do notknow whether you are aware of the circumstances that led to theflight of Don Juan de Munos?"
"No, sir, we have heard nothing. Rumours were current, among themen, that some strange discoveries were made when the stores wereexamined, but beyond that I know nothing. In fact, at the time,the assassination of Colonel Mendez of the artillery created suchan excitement that nothing else was spoken of."
"Well, Colonel, if you will accompany me to the governor's house,I will enter into the matter fully with you. You may well believethat it is serious, as I have been despatched here with myregiment, and with one of French infantry, for both of whomquarters must be found at once."
"There is plenty of room, sir. The barracks will contain tenthousand men, and at present we have but four thousand here."
"Then I beg, Colonel, that instead of coming at once to myquarters, you will tell off officers to conduct the troops to themost convenient of the buildings now empty. After that, I shall beglad to see you and the commanding officers of the otherregiments.
"You will, of course, take up your quarters at the governor'shouse, Captain Kennedy," he went on, as he rode forward. "As youare going to be employed in surveying duties, you will naturallybe a good deal away. But your presence here will be absolutelynecessary, as a witness against any of these rascally contractorswe can lay our hands on."
When the four colonels arrived, after seeing that the troops werehoused, Colonel Crofton obtained from them the names and addressesof the various contractors; and, half an hour later, parties ofthe cavalry regiment in garrison were despatched, under officers,with orders to arrest and bring them into Badajos. During themeal, Colonel Crofton explained to the four colonels the discoveryof the frauds, which naturally excited the greatest indignationamong them. He then requested them and Desmond to accompany him tothe stores. This they did, after sending to the barracks for aparty of fifty men for fatigue duty.
The gaps made during Desmond's explorations had been carefullyfilled up again, but upon fresh openings being made, his reportswere fully borne out. Some hours were spent at the centralmagazine, and orders given that the other magazines should beopened and examined on the following day.
Desmond did not join in this search, but started early, with Mike,to carry out his own mission. He had been furnished with reports,sent in by the provincial and local juntas, as to the state of theroads, but, as he had expected, he soon found these to be grosslyinaccurate. The roads marked as excellent, and fit for the passageof artillery and trains, were found to be mere bridle roads.Others, marked as highroads, were almost impassable lanes. Thebridges across the streams were, for the most part, in such a badcondition as to be unsafe for a country cart and, until repaired,impossible for the passage of artillery.
He carefully noted all the points at which work was required torender them in any degree practicable for the passage of troops,and reported fully to Colonel Crofton. The latter, who wasprovided with full authority, despatched the greater portion ofhis troops, with a large number of peasants, with materials tofill up the deep ruts, repair the bridges, and make the roads, asfar as possible, fit for the passage of an army.
In ten days, Desmond had surveyed all the roads down both thevalley of the Guadiana and that of the Tagus, and had sent off hisreport to Madrid, together with his observations as to the pointsat which a defensive position could, in his opinion, be best takenup. Having done this, he prepared to undertake the second part ofhis mission, and to investigate the roads on the Portuguese sideof the frontier.
"Now we shall have to keep our eyes open, Mike," he said. "So faras we have heard, there are no bodies of the enemy's troopsanywhere in this neighbourhood, but there is a bitter enmitybetween the Spanish and Portuguese, and we shall be liable to beattacked by the peasants."
"Are we to ride in our uniforms, your honour?"
"Certainly we are, Mike. If we are captured in uniform, we shouldbe dealt with as prisoners of war and have a right to fairtreatment. If we are taken in disguise, we shall be shot asspies."
"Faith, your honour, the alternative is not a pleasant one. If wego as civilians, we may be shot as spies; if we go in uniform, wemay be murdered by the peasants."
"That is so, Mike. But, you see, we are not likely to fall intothe hands of the peasants. We are both well mounted, and thepeasants will be on foot, and a great proportion of them unarmed;so that, beyond the chance of being hit by a ball, the risk is notgreat."
Accordingly, on the following day they rode out, and for nearly aweek examined the lines of route across the frontier. Theyfollowed the roads between the foot of the mountains and thefrontier, as far as Portalegre, but avoided the towns of CampoMayor and Arronches; crossed the hills, and struck upwards by thebank of the Zarina to Frontiera, and thence west as far as Lavre.They met with no interference by such peasants as they saw workingin the fields, or by those in the small villages through whichthey passed, these supposing the uniforms to be those of Englishor Dutch officers.
They found that the roads were fully as bad as those of Spain, andwould present great difficulty to any army with artillery and along train of waggons. In one of the places they heard from apeasant, with whom they conversed, that there was another passover the mountains from Elvas. Of course, the man spoke inPortuguese, but the language sufficiently resembled Spanish forDesmond to understand its meaning.
"We must investigate that road, Mike, for, if it is practicable,it would be the most direct for an army coming from Lisbon. Ofcourse, we shall have to make a wide circle round Elvas, as thereis sure to be a strong garrison there, and any soldiers ridingabout the country would be certain to know that our uniform wasFrench. When we have done that road, we shall have finished ourwork."
Accordingly, they passed round the fortress at a distance, andpresently came upon the road. It showed signs of having latelybeen repaired, in some parts, but these were so badly done thatthey increased rather than diminished the difficulties itpresented to the passage of troops. They had ridden some tenmiles, and were already among the mountains, when they dismountedto rest their horses and to eat the food they carried with them.
Suddenly, looking down the road behind them, they saw a squadronof cavalry coming along.
"This is awkward, Mike. There is nothing for it, now, but to rideon, and when we have reached the foot of the mountains on theother side, strike across country until we come upon the roadrunning direct to Badajos. They are a good two miles behind us, sowe need not blow our horses."
Mounting, they proceeded at a trot up the road. As far as theycould see, the cavalry behind them did not quicken their pace,which showed that they were on some ordinary duty and not, asDesmond at first supposed, in pursuit of them, some peasanthaving, perhaps, taken word that an officer and soldier in strangeuniform had been seen riding round the town. They therefore tookmatters quietly, and indeed, sometimes the road was so steep thatit would have been impossible for the horses to go beyond a quickwalk.
Suddenly, on reaching the crest of the rise, they saw, at adistance of a hundred yards ahead of them, a party of officers,followed by an escort of dragoons.
"We are caught this time, Mike!" Desmond exclaimed. "Escape isimpossible. I will ride straight up and surrender. Fortunatelythey are English uniforms, so we are certain to get fairtreatment, which we could not be sure of, had they beenPortuguese."
So saying, he rode forward at a trot. The party had drawn rein athis approach, and he rode up to one who was evidently a generalofficer.
"Sir, I surrender as a prisoner of war. My name is Kennedy, and Iam a captain on the staff of the Duke of Orleans."
"And what are you doing here, sir?"
"I am surve
ying the road, General, by which the allied army islikely to advance. Our information on that score is verydefective, and I believe the duke wishes to ascertain, from myreport, the state of the roads by which the advance would mostprobably be made."
The general's question had been in French, and he replied in thesame language.
"You do not bear a French name, sir," the general said.
"No, sir, I am an Irishman," Kennedy replied, in English. "Ibelonged, before I received a staff appointment, to one of theregiments of the Irish Brigade."
"You are a daring fellow, thus to venture so far across thefrontier."
"I simply obeyed my orders, sir; and, had I been ordered toreconnoitre Lisbon, I should have attempted to do so."
"Well, sir, I shall have an opportunity of talking to you, lateron. I, as you see, am engaged in precisely the same work as youare; namely, in ascertaining, for myself, the state of the roadsacross these mountains."
"Then, General," Desmond said, with a smile, "I should say thatyour investigations are hardly satisfactory."
The general also smiled.
"Not so much so as I could wish," he said. "And now, may I askwhy, seeing that you are well mounted, you did not turn and ridefor it, when you first perceived us?"
"The reason is simple, General. A squadron of cavalry were comingup behind me, and there was evidently no possibility of escape."
"No doubt they were sent out to meet me. Well, sir, if you willgive me your word not to attempt to escape, you can retain yoursword, and ride with us."
"I give my parole, sir, with many thanks for your courtesy."
"And now, Captain Kennedy," the other went on, "it is probablethat you have, about you, the result of your investigations alongthese roads, which I must request you to hand to me; as it may beas useful, to me, as it would have been to the Duke of Orleans,and may save me a good deal of trouble."
Desmond took out the notebook in which he had, each day, jotteddown the result of his observations, with suggestions as to thepoints where repairs were most needed. He had each night, on hisreturn to Badajos, written up his reports from these, intending,when he had completed the work, to take it himself to Madrid.
The general glanced through the notebook.
"You have done your work very thoroughly, Captain Kennedy, andhave rendered me considerable service. Now, we will move forwardagain. Please follow with my aides-de-camp."
These were two pleasant young men, who were glad of a talk with anofficer from the other side.
"How long have you been riding about here, if it is fair to putthe question?" one said.
As the notebook contained all the particulars of his journeys onthat side of the frontier, Desmond replied at once:
"Eight days, I think. I have been up the road to Portalegre, andby that to Lavre; and if I had not, unfortunately, accidentallyheard of this road over the mountains, I should now be on my wayto Madrid; but luck has been against me."
"Promotion must be very rapid in your army," the otheraide-de-camp said, "or you would hardly be a captain already."
"I was fortunate enough to attract the notice of the King ofFrance, and the Duke of Berwick, on various occasions, and whenone has such a piece of good fortune as that, promotion is rapid."
"It is lucky for you that you fell into the hands of the Earl ofGalway, instead of into those of the Portuguese generals, whowould probably, in spite of your uniform, have made short work ofyou."
"I did not know that the general was the Earl of Galway," Desmondsaid. "Certainly, it was lucky that I fell into his hands. Indeed,if I had not seen the English uniforms, I should have turned andcharged the squadron behind us; preferring very much to be killedfighting, than to be hanged or shot like a dog."
In a few minutes they met the squadron of cavalry, who had, as thegeneral supposed, been sent out by the Governor of Elvas to meethim. Half of these now took their place in front, and theremainder, drawing aside to let the party pass, fell in behind.Mike had, without orders, fallen in with the earl's escort; andmore than once Desmond heard his laugh, as he chatted with thetroopers. On arriving at Elvas, the general directed hisaides-de-camp to obtain a room, for Desmond, in the house in whichthey were quartered; and as no one attended to him, Mike undertookhis usual duties as his servant.
The next morning, one of the aides-de-camp came in, and said:
"The general wishes to speak to you, Captain Kennedy."
On entering the general's apartment, the earl asked him to take aseat.
"I could not see you yesterday evening," he began, "as I was learningfrom the Governor the state of the stores here. I should like to havea talk with you. May I ask you, in the first place, how you have soearly attained the rank of captain? My aide-de-camp tells me that yousaid you had attracted the notice of the King of France. It must havebeen by some singular action, and as I have an hour to spare, beforeI ride out, I shall be glad if you can tell me some particulars aboutyourself; unless, indeed, they are of a private nature."
"Not at all, sir. The story is generally known to members of thecourt at Versailles, and indeed to all Paris;" and he then relatedto the earl the story of his release of Anne de Pointdexter fromher imprisonment, the journey to the south, the attack on theparty by the Vicomte de Tulle, and her second rescue from him.
"Thank you, sir," the general said, when he had concluded. "I amnot surprised that, after so romantic an adventure, the King ofFrance took notice of an officer who had shown such courage andintelligence. You see, sir, that you and I are, to a certainextent, in a similar position. From motives of religion,principally, you Irish have left your country, and are fightingfor a foreign monarch. I, as you are doubtless aware, belong to aFrench Huguenot family, and, being forced to leave France by thesevere edicts, entered the service of Holland, and followed thefortunes of King William, and am now fighting against the troopsof the country of my birth. In other respects, there is asimilarity. We have both lost a hand in the service of our adoptedcountries; I at the siege of Badajos, and you at--?"
"Oudenarde, sir."
"I have been thinking it over," the general went on. "I might, ofcourse, send you to Lisbon as a prisoner, but one extra prisonerwould not largely benefit my government. You have not been takenin action. Your papers have saved me an immense deal of trouble,for we are no more able to rely upon the information given by thePortuguese than, I should think, the Duke of Orleans can upon thatof the Spaniards.
"Therefore, sir, I think that, in the present case, I can make anexception to the rule. In an hour I shall mount and ride down theroad to Badajos, and I shall there restore your liberty to you,and permit you to recross the frontier. It would be a thousandpities that so young and gallant an officer should waste, perhaps,some years of his life in an English prison, for the number ofprisoners taken in Flanders is so great that it is impossible forthe French to find officers to exchange for them. You willunderstand that, dealing with allies so jealous and susceptible asthe Portuguese, I can hardly take the step of releasing you, as itwould be at once rumoured that I had been in communication with aFrench officer, doubtless from some sinister motive.
"I think, Captain Kennedy, that it would be as well," he said witha smile, "that you should withdraw your parole, and do so beforewe start, in the presence of the officers of my staff. Of course,you must be placed under a very strict guard, and although so nearthe frontier, you will find it very difficult to escape. Still,such things are managed."
"I thank you most deeply, sir," Desmond said, understanding thetone in which the earl spoke, "and I shall ever retain a deepfeeling of gratitude for your generosity."
When the party assembled, in readiness to mount, Desmond walked upto the earl, and said in a tone that could be heard by theofficers round:
"Sir, I have changed my mind, and beg to be allowed to withdraw myparole."
"You are at liberty to do so, Captain Kennedy; but nevertheless Ishall take you with us today. I shall not, of course, ask you togive any information as to m
atters on the other side of thefrontier, but there are points on which you could inform me,without detriment to your friends."
"That I shall be happy to do, sir."
The earl called up four troopers.
"You will place this officer and his servant between you," hesaid, "and keep a vigilant lookout upon their movements."
Desmond had not even told Mike of the conversation with the earl,thinking it better that he should remain in ignorance that thisescape was connived at by an English general, and his follower wastherefore greatly astonished when he heard that his master hadwithdrawn his parole, and that they were henceforth to be strictlyguarded. The party rode until they reached a rise from which theycould obtain a view of Badajos, and of the country extending farup the valley of the Guadiana. The ground in front of them slopedgradually.
The earl took his place with two or three officers of his staff,fifty yards in front of the rest, and, dismounting, examinedBadajos with his telescope. Then he asked one of his aides-de-campto bring Captain Kennedy to him.
"You may as well bring his servant, too," he added. "No doubt heknows the country as well as his master does, and may not be sounwilling to answer questions."
The order was carried out, and Desmond and Mike rode up with theaide-de-camp, followed closely by the four troopers. The earl atonce began to question Desmond as to the names of the villagesvisible up the valley. He had remounted now, but his staff, whohad dismounted when he did, remained on their feet, as it wasevident that he had no intention of moving forward for some time.
While they were speaking, the earl, accompanied by Desmond, rodeforward some twenty yards, as if to obtain a better view. Mike hadfollowed him, but the four troopers remained behind the group ofofficers, having no orders to follow the general so closely.
"This is good ground for galloping, Captain Kennedy," the earlsaid quietly. "You are within two miles of Badajos."
"Thank you deeply, sir.
"Now, Mike, ride for it!" and, spurring his horse, he dashed offat a headlong gallop.
There was a shout of surprise, the officers of the staff ran totheir horses, which were being held by the orderlies, and the fourtroopers at once galloped forward, snatching their carbines fromthe slings.
"Do not fire," the earl shouted as they passed. "Take them alive."
As the officers came up, the general signalled to them to stop.
"Don't go farther, gentlemen," he said. "The troopers willdoubtless overtake them; but for aught we know, there may be aSpanish force in the village just on the other side of thefrontier, and, instead of capturing two prisoners, you might betaken or shot yourself; and I am not disposed to lose any of mystaff, just as we are about to commence operations in earnest."
Desmond looked back. He saw that only the four dragoons werefollowing.
"They will not overtake us, Mike," he said, "our horses arecertainly better than theirs."
Indeed, they had increased their lead fast. A few minutes later,they heard a trumpet call in their rear, and their pursuers atonce checked their horses, and rode back in answer to the recall.
"Tare an' ages," Mike exclaimed, "but that was nately managed. Whowould have thought that they would have let us give them the slipso easily!"
"Well, Mike--but this you must never mention to a soul--the earlgave us this chance of escape, I believe. He had, you know, a longtalk with me, and said that they had so many French officerscaptured in Flanders, that one more or less would make littledifference. He had asked about my adventures, and seemed muchinterested in them, and remarked that our positions were somewhatsimilar, both being exiles on account of our religion, and soserving in foreign armies against our own countrymen. At any rate,it was on his suggestion that I withdrew my parole not to attemptto escape."
"Then he is a rale gintleman, sir, and mighty obliged I feel tohim, for I have had enough of English prisons, though indeed, itwas only three or four days that I stopped at Harwich."
The party on the hill had watched the pursuit, until the earlsaid:
"Well, gentlemen, I fancy he has slipped from our hands. I admitthat I am hardly sorry, for he was a very fine young fellow, andit would have been a pity for him to be spending, perhaps someyears of the best part of his life, in prison.
"Captain Chetwynde, will you order the trumpeter to sound therecall? They are leaving our men behind fast. It is no use losingfour troopers as well as two prisoners."
More than one quiet smile was exchanged between the Englishofficers, for, from the tone in which the earl spoke, they had nodoubt that he was by no means sorry at Desmond's escape, and thatpossibly he had even taken him forward with him to afford him achance of making it. They had, indeed, been a little surprisedthat, when Desmond withdrew his parole, the earl had not orderedhim into strict confinement, instead of taking him with him on hisreconnaissance.
The pursuit over, Desmond rode on at a canter to Badajos, andreported to Colonel Crofton that he had been taken prisoner, buthad managed to effect his escape, as he was but carelesslyguarded.
"I shall now, sir, return to Madrid. I have completed the work Iwas told to carry out, and shall finish writing up my report thisafternoon, and start tomorrow morning."
"I congratulate you on your escape. The Portuguese are not veryparticular, and might, as likely as not, have paid small regard tothe fact that you were in uniform."
"Fortunately, sir, it was not by them that I was captured, but bya small party of English dragoons, who were, I fancy, like myself,investigating the state of the roads."
Desmond had not been called upon to give evidence before thecommission of enquiry, it being found that all the contractors hadleft their homes, a week before the troops arrived at Badajos,taking all portable property with them. Some had apparently goneto Andalusia, while others had made for Catalonia. All hadunquestionably made a considerable sum of money by their frauds,and would take good care not to fall into the hands of the French.
"They will never be able to return here," Desmond remarked toColonel Crofton.
The latter smiled.
"You do not know these people yet, Captain Kennedy, or you wouldnot say so. Some of these fellows are certainly among the richestmen in the province, and we may be quite sure that, in a veryshort time, when the affair has blown over, they will, partly byinfluence and more by bribery, obtain from the central junta anorder that no proceedings shall be taken against them. Anythingcan be done with money in Spain. There are many upright andhonourable Spaniards, but very few of them take any part in publicaffairs, and would not associate with such men as those who are inthe ascendant in all the provincial juntas, and even in thecentral body in Madrid.
"In France there is distress enough, and no doubt the men who farmthe taxes are no more scrupulous than they are in Spain, but thereis not the same general corruption, and the French nobility,haughty and despotic to their tenants as they may be, are notcorrupt, and would scorn to take a bribe. Now that there is aFrench king on the throne here, there may be, when matters havesettled down, some improvement; but it will be a long time,indeed, before the nation can be regenerated, and even the kingwill soon find that, if he is to reign peaceably, he must notinterfere too violently with methods that are so common that theyhave come to be accepted as inevitable, even by the people whosuffer by them.
"I can assure you that I, myself, have been many times approachedby men who supply forage and other things to the regiment, andwhen I have indignantly refused to entertain any proposalswhatever, they have not been at all abashed, but have said boldlythat it was the general custom. I do not believe they thought anythe better of me for refusing even to listen to their offers, butregarded me as a sort of Don Quixote, with ridiculouslyexaggerated ideas of honour."
On the morning following his return to Badajos, Desmond started on hisway to Madrid. Although this time he had no apprehension whatever of aplanned attack, he thought it safer and better to travel north fromBadajos, and skirt the foot of the sierras until he reached the banksof t
he Tagus, where there was a strong garrison in each of the towns,and the country was, in consequence, free from the incursions of bandsfrom the hills. The journey passed without an incident, and on reachingMadrid and presenting his report, he received high commendation fromthe Duke of Orleans, and spent a long day with the general's staff,explaining his report, and going into details as to the nature of theroads, the repairs necessary, and the positions which were, in hisopinion, most suitable for battle.
On the following day, the members of the staff were all summonedto meet him by the Duke of Orleans, who informed them that he hadreceived a sudden summons to return to Paris, and that Marshal deBay would, in his absence, be in command of the French troops. Theannouncement came as a great surprise to Desmond, but was notunexpected by the other officers.
During the winter, the King of France had been engaged in effortsto bring about a general peace, and had offered terms that showedhe was ready to make any sacrifices to procure it. The allies, onthe contrary, were bent upon continuing the war. The victory ofOudenarde, the capture of Lille, Namur, and other fortresses,opened the way to Paris, and knowing the general distress thatprevailed in France, they raised their demands higher and higher,as they perceived the anxiety of Louis for peace.
One of the obstacles to this was the situation in Spain, and it wasreported that Louis was ready to yield on this point also, and notonly to consent to the cession of the Spanish dominion in Spain,but to his grandson Philip surrendering the crown to the ArchdukeCharles; and that, ere long, the French troops would be withdrawnaltogether. While, during the month that had elapsed since Desmondfirst left Madrid, these rumours had increased in strength, it wasknown that couriers were constantly passing to and fro, betweenMadrid and Versailles, with private communications between Louis andPhilip; and there was great excitement, in Madrid, at the rumour ofthis desertion of their king by France.
The rumours were indeed correct. The king had informed Philipthat, great as was the affection he bore for him, the state ofFrance, which was necessarily his chief care, would compel him,ere long, to recall his troops from Spain. Philip had entreatedhim not to desert him, and declared that, in any case, he wouldremain in Spain, confiding in the support of the people who hadselected him as their monarch. At present, however, thecommunications were proceeding, and nothing definite had beenarranged.
The whole of the staff were to remain with Marshal de Bay, in thesame position as they had held under the duke, and, except for thedeparture of the prince, matters went on as before.