Napoleon's Guard

by Griff Hosker

  “He slipped on the deck.”

  “Ah.” She looked up at me. “Your French is very good for an Italian.”

  “That is because I am French. I was born in Breteuil.”

  “Up near Lille? Yes I know it. And how do you end up on an Italian ship?”

  “A long story Madame.” She gave me a shrewd look and then hurried on.

  We reached the barracks and the National Guardsman who had raced ahead was there with a lieutenant. He looked barely old enough to shave. His voice was high pitched and squeaky. “I am sorry but our doctor is for the soldiers and not for foreigners.”

  “It is a child!”

  “I am sorry Madame Latour but I have my orders.”

  I had the measure of this young man, “I am sorry lieutenant, are you saying that your orders said that if a child came here with a broken leg then you were to turn him away? That does not sound like an order which came from the Committee.”

  As soon as I said that magic word he paled and began to doubt himself. “No, but the orders are clear. Civilians are not allowed inside.”

  “I see, and is the doctor allowed outside?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then why not ask him to come out here and then you will have done your duty.”

  I saw the relief on his face as he realised that he could pass the problem onto someone else. “Well just wait here.”

  I shook my head, “That’s right Jamie, don’t go running off!”

  Madame Latour’s laugh sent the red faced officer running back through the gate much to the amusement of the two sentries. The doctor, a major, returned really quickly and he took one look at Jamie and said to the two sentries, “Get this man into the hospital now.” He glared at the lieutenant. “Buffoon.” He looked at me and said, “You come with me. You do speak French do you not?”

  “Of course.”

  “Good.”

  I was pleased to see that the hospital was clean and mercifully empty. “Put him down there and then return to your duties.” He noticed that Madame Latour was still with us and he smiled.”You two, wash your hands and you can assist.”

  After we had dried out hands I saw that he had cut Jamie’s trousers off. He checked that we had cleaned the wound and he nodded. “Did you knock him out with brandy?”

  “We did sir. It seemed best. The boy was in distress.”

  “And you did the right thing. Madame Latour if you would hold the boy’s shoulders and you?”

  “Robert.”

  He suddenly looked at me carefully and nodded. “Well Robert you hold his good leg.” When we were ready he pushed down on the two bones which protruded until they were back in the leg. I felt Jamie’s other leg move but he did not wake. The doctor then checked to see that the ends of the bones were touching and he quickly sewed the skin up. Then he carefully wrapped a bandage tightly around the wound.”Do not let go yet. This is the most crucial part of the operation.” He left the room and returned with something I recognised. It was a pair of musketoon ramrods.

  He looked at me, “I am going to place these on his injured leg. I will then bandage the leg. Keep it still.” He was a good doctor and soon the leg was encased in a bandage.” There,” He looked at me, “you will need to take him to a doctor as soon as you land in England. This is just to get him through the next few days.”

  There was little point in lying. “How did you know?”

  He laughed, “You might be flying an Italian flag but your ship is called ‘The Witch of Endor’ besides, Captain Macgregor, I recognised you.”

  I stared at him in surprise. Madame Latour also seemed intrigued. “What?”

  “I was at the battle of Rivoli.” He pointed at my scarred face. “You may have a beard but you are unmistakeable. Do not worry. You and your men saved my regiment that day. I am indebted to you.” He stopped and asked, “Why did you leave the regiment?”

  I said flatly and simply, “They all died in Egypt. I am the last of the 17th Chasseurs.”

  He looked genuinely sad, “Then I am sorry for your loss. I would hurry for they have sent to La Rochelle for a ship.”

  “Thank you sir.”

  When we reached the street there was a crowd gathered. Madame Latour said proudly, “We have saved his leg. This doctor is a saint.” She winked at me. The crowd gathered around the doctor and Jonas and I hurried along the wall. When we reached the boat Madame Latour pecked my cheek and said, “I would have liked to hear your story but the doctor is right. My husband is keen to ingratiate himself with the authorities. They will be here soon.”

  “Thank you Madame. I will tell Jamie of your kindness when he recovers.” As we stepped on to the deck I shouted, “Get under way Captain Dinsdale. The French Navy is heading here even as we speak!”

  “Clear the lines! Hoist the mainsail!” He glanced at the stretcher. “And the lad?”

  “He’ll be fine. Thanks for waiting, captain.”

  “I had to you may be the joint owner of my next ship!”

  Chapter 15

  With Jamie safely below deck and being cared for by the cook every other sailor was trying to get every knot of speed we could out of the old ‘Witch’. I stared aft. I knew that whoever was chasing us would come from that direction. It was now a game of cat and mouse. We had the whole ocean to choose but they would outnumber, out gun and outrun us. It would be down to the captain’s cunning and his skill as a seaman.

  “The problem is that we have to pass the main base at Brest. They have a coastal signalling system and if it is working then they could be waiting for us.”

  “What interest could they have in us?”

  He gave a wry smile, “We have a cargo! We have a ship. What more could they want?” I must have looked disappointed. “It was a brave thing that you did. We are all fond of Jamie. He is an orphan. I will escape these Frenchmen. No offence meant but they have no imagination.” He turned to the Second Mate. “I want no lights showing at all. Tell the cook to put out the galley fires. I want the best eyes in the ship at the top of the mainmast.”

  I looked at the sky to the east; it was already darkening although the sun had not yet set in the west. If we could race into the night then we stood a chance of escaping. “Sail Ho!”

  “Where away?”

  “To the south.”

  Captain Dinsdale rubbed his hands. “Well that solves one problem. We know where they are coming from.” He glanced down at the charts. “Noirmoutier that is where we will head.”

  Jonas said, “Noirmoutier? That is a narrow little channel and they have no light there.”

  “I am guessing that they will have sent a frigate after us. They have a deeper draught than the ‘Witch’ I have sailed through it before. We will take it under full sail.”

  “Full sail? But if we are only slightly off line we will strike the rocks.”

  “True but it is high tide and a full moon tonight. It is a gamble but then isn’t all life a gamble. If we take the channel we will gain at least three hours on them. We can head for the island of Houat and miss Quiberon by twenty miles.”

  Jonas shrugged. “You are the skipper and it is your ship. I’ll make sure we have extra lookouts at the bows.”

  “Where would you like me captain?”

  He smiled, “I think you have done enough for this day. Watch a master at work.”

  It was a joy to watch someone as skilled as Matthew Dinsdale. He took the wheel himself and just listened to the shouts of the lookouts, watched the sky and sniffed the air. It was as though he felt his way up the coast. The sails of the frigate soon came closer as night fell. There was no hiding from her and she fired her bow chasers to make us stop. At over two miles range there was no way that they could hit us but we watched the cannonballs bounce alarmingly close to our course. The captain seemed unconcerned especially after we sighted the Isle of Noirmoutier ahead. I could not see where the channel was. If you had asked me I would have said that it was a solid piece of land but the captai
n seemed confident.

  I heard the lookout cry, “Breakers to larboard!”

  The captain made the slightest movement with his hand and the ship moved slightly to starboard. Then we heard, “Breakers to starboard!” and I expected him to move the wheel again but he did not. The cry was repeated and still he did not move. I wondered if he had heard the cry. When the shout came, “Rocks to starboard he did move the wheel and he moved it some way. We seemed to dart through the tidal race and then we were through the channel.

  I stared behind at the frigate. Their captain was obviously no hero and I saw the sails flutter in confusion as they took in sail and tried to turn to larboard. The ship luffed and almost came to a standstill. The crew cheered as we sailed up the eastern side of the island. It would take the frigate some time to get under way again and we had taken the short route. He might still catch us but it would not be before morning. I was now more confident that the wily English captain would escape the trap.

  Dawn found us in the treacherous waters off Ushant. Captain Dinsdale was dodging between the shallow islands and rocks. It was a nerve wracking time. The frigate had to stand off well to the south of us. She had seen us just after we had rounded the cape at Plogoff. She was gaining on us but the captain could take his little ship over shallower water than the deeper draught of the man of war would permit. I could see that the captain was tired but he was determined to see it through. The frigate captain knew that we had to emerge into the open sea at some point and then he would catch us. All he had to do was to keep us in sight.

  Jonas went up to him. “Do you want me to spell you for a while?”

  “No, Jonas, the game is nearly up. Unless I am mistaken we shall find the Ushant squadron just ahead and if we do then our little French friend is going to find things become very hot.”

  As soon as the frigate rounded Ushant I saw her put stun sails on as she hurtled northwards to catch us. Captain Dinsdale took us deliberately close to the coast and the frigate took the bait. She beat to the west intending to drive in and cut us off. Suddenly we heard the boom and crack of cannon from over the horizon. The waters around the frigate boiled and fizzed like water on a pan of fat. Too late did she decide that discretion was the better part of valour and attempt to turn. It was in vain the English greyhounds were upon her and we watched as two British frigates took the Frenchman as a prize.

  The captain handed the wheel to Jonas. “If you head due north we should find Sir Edward Pellew and the rest of the Ushant squadron.”

  An hour later we did see the huge two and three deckers of the fleet watching Brest. A sloop raced alongside us and a young captain asked us what had happened. Captain Dinsdale just said that we had had problems off the coast of the Vendee and the frigate had pursued us.

  “Well I think that the lads on those frigates will stand you a drink captain. They will make a pretty penny out of the prize money.”

  “Glad to be of service and thank them for their timely intervention.”

  If I thought that life would be dull after the chase I could not have been more wrong. The leg from Ushant to the English Channel was far rougher than I could ever have imagined. We seemed to be tossed about like a cork on huge waves. An additional problem was that we had more ships to contend with. There were more merchant ships, fishing boats and, of course, the Channel Fleet which seemed to totally disregard the merchantmen going about their business. Once we reached the Thames Estuary then the rough water abated but the number of ships increased.

  Captain Dinsdale looked exhausted and I knew he had not slept much over the past few days. “Well Captain Dinsdale, we are almost at journey’s end. Where will we land our cargo?”

  “We will land at the wharf at East Cheap. That is as far upriver as we can go. The agent has an office in the Strand and I will get Jonas to take you there. And now I will get back to navigating this crowded waterway.”

  He was right. I had never seen as many ships in my life. There appeared to be some pattern to the movement but the ferries which rowed across the river seemed to ignore the much larger ships and their crews hurled abuse at everyone who sailed up and down that watery thoroughfare. I suspect it was ever thus in all the major cities. The traffic slowed us down so that we were barely under way. I heard Jonas chuckle. “Well at least there is a berth. Our short cut saved us time and we have arrived on a high tide and before any others.”

  The captain nudged the ship next to the wooden wharf and the men tied up as quickly as they could. I could see the obvious relief on the captain’s face as the ship was secured. “Now sir if you would go to the agent with Jonas I will see the robbing bastards in the Customs House. They would take the coins from a dead man’s body.” He looked at my clothes. “I would change your clothes too young sir. They have a poor view of vagrants in the city.”

  I looked down at my dirty, bloodstained clothes. He was correct. I now had to become a young gentleman once more. Jonas was waiting patiently for me when I returned. I had my sword strapped to my side. He nodded approvingly. “That’s better sir. Now you look like a proper gentleman. Follow me.”

  We descended the gangplank to a cacophony of noise. Hawkers begged us to hire them to unload the cargo. We were offered women and boys for our pleasure. We were told of the best hostelries. In short everyone was keen to be of service. Jonas had little time for them. “Get away you robbing parasites. We have no need of your services.” They did not take offence at the insults and began to clamour around the captain when he descended the gangplank.

  I heard a splash and turned around to see the captain looking down into the Thames and the crowd laughing at someone in the water. “When I say push off then do it! Next time I’ll use my fist and not the back of my hand.”

  Jonas laughed, “Come along sir. It isn’t far.” The office of Lambert and Fowler was above a coffee house just off the Strand. It was a busy and congested street. The carriages and wagons did not take prisoners and you crossed the street at your own peril. We climbed the dingy steps to a small office where a clerk looked up. I was at a loss; I had never been here. Jonas looked at me and nodded. “We are from the ‘Witch of Endor’ and we have some letters for the agent. This is the new representative of the family, Captain Robert Macgregor.” I shot him a look of puzzlement and he winked.

  The clerk sniffed and said, “I will inform Mr Lambert. Please be so good as to wait here.”

  “Jonas, I am only a captain in the French Army.”

  “They don’t know that and they are impressed by titles. They won’t ask captain of what, they will just accept it.”

  A few moments later we were ushered into the cramped office. It was hard to see how anything was done; there appeared to be no order and there was not a single inch of space anywhere on the desk. Mr Lambert took some papers and placed them on the desk; they tottered alarmingly but remained where they had been placed.

  “Sit gentlemen. My clerk says you have a missive for me?”

  I handed him the two letters from Count Alpini. I looked at Mr Lambert. He looked as though he came from a good family but his clothes and the room looked as though he had fallen on hard times. I was aware that I needed to investigate him. He read one and handed it back to me. “You will need this Captain Macgregor.” He then read the second one. After he had finished he beamed, leaned forwards and held out his hand. “My name is Henry Lambert and I am delighted to meet a member of the Alpini family.” He appraised me. “You neither look nor sound Italian.”

  I was now in a country with which I had been at war and I had to be devious and secretive. “I know.”

  Jonas covered his smile with his hand and the agent looked non-plussed. “Oh. And how may we be of service?”

  “Firstly I require passage up the east coast of England. Can you arrange that?”

  “I can easily get you a berth on a collier going to Newcastle.”

  I glanced at Jonas who nodded, “That will be satisfactory. I would like to leave as soon as possible. Seco
ndly I need a report for my family about the sales so far this year and the prediction for the future.”

  He looked uncomfortable, “For the future? A report? I do not understand.”

  “I intend to visit Mr Fortnum’s shop and see what price is being charged for our dried fruits, lemons and wines. If I discover that they are being charged at a much higher rate than we are receiving for them then we might seek a better agent who is able to make a better bargain with our customers.”

  He really looked disturbed. “I cannot be responsible for how much profit the shop makes.”

  “No, I realise that and I will speak to the staff to discover just how much profit they are making. I have a feeling that peace will be breaking out soon and that will have an effect on the profits will it not?”

  “Er yes.”

  “Good. I will return tomorrow when I hope that you will have my report and have arranged my passage north.”

  “Of course.”

  As we left Jonas said, “Well you put the wind up him and no mistake. There is more to you than meets the eye.”

  “I would hope so. It is the reason I have survived so long. Could we find this Fortnum and Mason shop then?”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem sir. I think I know where it is and if not I can ask.” He pointed down the Strand. “It is in Piccadilly.”

  The shop was certainly doing a good business and they had liveried doormen to open the door to the customers. They looked askance at Jonas who said, “I will wait outside sir.”

  “You will do no such thing. We are together.” I glared at the doorman who relented and opened the door. We stepped in and entered an exotic bazaar with goods from the four corners of the world. I saw the wines as soon as I entered and I wandered over.

  A young well dressed man approached me. “Yes sir, can I be of service?”

  “I think you can. I am looking for some Sicilian wines do you have any?”

  He smirked and giggled almost effeminately, “Oh sir, you have come to the right place. We are the only emporium to sell Sicilian wines and we have a fine range.” He gestured at the racks behind him and I saw the wines my kinsman had produced. “I have to warn you though sir. They are not cheap.”