The Cornet of Horse: A Tale of Marlborough's Wars

by G. A. Henty

  Chapter 26: The Siege of Tournai.

  In a few minutes they were alongside the lugger.

  "Maitre Nicolay! Maitre Nicolay!" the marquis shouted.

  "Holloa!" and a head showed up the companion.

  On seeing who it was, the speaker emerged.

  "It is you, Maitre Perrot."

  "Have you your cargo on board?"

  "Every barrel," said the skipper. "We sail tomorrow morning."

  "I will give you two hundred and fifty louis if you will sail inten minutes, and as much more if you land us safely in England."

  "Really?"

  "Really."

  "It is a bargain. Holloa! Pierre! Etienne!"

  Two lads ran up from below.

  "Run to the wine shops on the quay, fetch the crew. Just whisper intheir ears. Say I am casting off, that no man must wait to saygoodbye to his wife, and that each down in five minutes will haveas many louis, and that in ten I sail, if with only half the crew.Run! Run!"

  The two boys set off at full speed.

  "I fear ten minutes will be impossible, Maitre Perrot; but all thatcan be done, shall. Is ten absolutely necessary?"

  "Twenty may do, Maitre Nicolay; but if we are not off by that time,we shall not be able to go at all."

  "You are pursued?"

  "Yes. In half an hour at latest a troop of soldiers will be hereafter us."

  Maitre Nicolay looked at the sky.

  "There is wind enough when we once get well beyond the town; butunless we get a good start they will overtake us in boats. Is it astate affair, Maitre Perrot? For I own to you I don't like runningmy head against the state."

  "I will tell you frankly, captain. I am the Marquis de Pignerolles.This is my daughter. The king wants her to marry a man she does notlike, and I am running away with her, to save her from being shutup in a convent till she agrees."

  "And this one?" Maitre Nicolay said, pointing to Rupert.

  "That is the gentleman whom both I and my daughter like better thanthe king's choice."

  "That is all right," Maitre Nicolay said. "There is no hangingmatter in that. But look, sir; if you should be late, and they comeup with us in boats, or warn the forts at the entrance, mind, wecannot fight; you must send us all below, with your swords andpistols, you see, and batten us down, so that we shan't beresponsible, else I could never show my face in a French portagain.

  "Ah! Here come four of the men; yes, and two more after them. Thatis good.

  "Now," he said, when the men came up, "not a question, not a word.There is money, but it has to be earned. Now set to work. Loosenthe sails, and get all ready for casting off."

  In a quarter of an hour from the moment the party had reached theBelle Jeanne eight men had arrived, and although these were buthalf her crew, the captain, who had been throwing himself heart andsoul in the work, declared that he would wait for no more. The lastrope was thrown off, and the lugger dropped out into the stream.

  It was running rapidly out; and as the wind caught the sails, theBelle Jeanne began to move, standing down towards the sea.

  During the time the lugger had been prepared for sea the passengershad remained below, so as not to attract the attention of thelittle crowd of sailors whom the sudden departure had assembled onthe quay. But they now came up on deck. Scarcely were they in themiddle of the stream, and the sails had fairly gathered way on her,when Rupert exclaimed, "There they are!" as a party of horsemanrode down on to the quay, now nearly a quarter of a mile away.

  Then a faint shout came across the water, followed by a musketshot, the ball splashing in the water a little way astern. The menlooked at each other and at their captain.

  "Look here, lads, I will tell you the truth about this matter; andI know that, as men of La Vendee, you will agree with me. Thisgentleman who crossed with us before is a noble, and the king wantsthis lady, his daughter, to marry a man she does not like. Thefather agrees with her; and he and her fiance, this gentleman here,have run away with her, to prevent her being locked up. Now we arebound, as true Vendeans, to assist them; and besides, they aregoing to pay handsomely. Each of you will get ten louis if we landthem safe in England.

  "But you know we cannot resist the law; so we must let thesegentlemen, with their swords and pistols, drive us below, do yousee? And then we shan't be responsible if the 'Jeanne' does notheave to when ordered.

  "Now let us make a bit of a scuffle; and will you fire a shot ortwo, gentlemen? They will be watching us with glasses from theshore, and will see that we make a fight for it."

  The sailors entered into the spirit of the thing, and a mock fighttook place. The marquis and Rupert flashed their swords and firedtheir pistols, the crew being driven below, and the hatch put onabove them.

  The fugitives had time to look around. Two boats laden withsoldiers had put out, and were rowing after them. The marquis tookthe helm.

  "The wind is freshening, and I think it will be a gale beforemorning, Rupert; but they are gaining upon us. I fear they willovertake us."

  "I don't think they will get on board if they do, sir," Rupertsaid. "Had not Adele better sit down on deck under shelter of thebulwarks? For they keep on firing, and a chance shot might hither."

  "It is no more likely to hit me than papa or you, Rupert."

  "No more likely, my dear," her father said; "but we must run therisk, and you need not. Besides, if we are anxious about you, weshall not be so well able to attend to what we have to do."

  Adele sat down by the bulwark, but presently said:

  "If they come up close, papa, I might take the helm, if you show mewhich way to hold it. I could do it sitting down on deck, and youcould help Rupert keep them off."

  "Your proposal is a very good one, Adele, and it pleases me much tosee you so cool and steady."

  The bullets were now whistling past the lugger, sometimes strikingher sails, sometimes with a sharp tap hitting her hull or mast.

  "We may as well sit down out of sight till the time comes forfighting, Rupert," the marquis said. "Our standing up does no good,and only frightens this little girl."

  The firing ceased when they sat down, as it was clearly a waste ofpowder and ball continuing. Rupert from time to time looked overthe stern.

  "The first boat is not more than fifty yards behind, the otherthirty or forty behind it. They gain on us very slowly, but I thinkthey will catch us."

  "Then we must do our best, Rupert. We have each our pistols, and Ithink we might begin to fire at the rowers."

  "The pistols are not much good at that distance, sir. My idea is tolet them come alongside; then I will heave that cask of water downinto the boat, and there will be an end of it."

  "That water cask!" the marquis said. "That is an eighteen galloncask. It is as much as we can lift it, much less heave it throughthe air."

  "I can do it, never fear," Rupert said. "You forget my exercises atLoches, and as a miller's man.

  "My only fear," he said in a low voice, "is that they may shoot meas I come to the side with it. For that reason we had better beginto fire. I don't want to kill any of them, but just to draw theirfire. Then, just as they come alongside put a cap and a cloak onthat stick, and raise them suddenly. Any who are still loaded aresure to fire the instant it appears."

  The marquis nodded, and they began to fire over the stern, justraising their heads, and instantly lowering them. The boats againbegan to fire heavily. Not a man in the boats was hit, for neitherof those in the lugger took aim. The men cheered, and rowedlustily, and soon the boat was within ten yards of the lugger,coming up to board at the side. Rupert went to the water barrel,and rolled it to the bulwarks at the point towards which the boatwas making. The marquis stooped behind the bulwarks, a few pacesdistant, with the dummy.

  "Now!" Rupert said, stooping over the barrel, as the boat made adash at the side.

  The marquis lifted the dummy, and five or six muskets weresimultaneously discharged. Then a cry of amazement and horrorarose, as Rupert, with the barrel poised above
his head, rearedhimself above the bulwarks. He bent back to gain impetus, and thenhurled the barrel into the boat as she came within a yard of theside of the lugger.

  There was a wild shout, a crash of timber, and in an instant theshattered boat was level with the water, and the men were holdingon, or swimming for their lives. A minute later the other boat wason the spot, and the men were at work picking up their comrades. Bythe time all were in, she was only an inch or two out of the water,and there was only room for two men to pull; and the last thingthose on board the lugger saw of her in the gathering darkness, shewas slowly making her way towards shore.

  Now that all immediate danger was at an end, the marquis took thetiller, and Rupert lifted the hatchway.

  "The captain and two of the crew may come on deck if they promiseto behave well," he said.

  There was a shout of laughter, and all the sailors pressed up,eager to know how the pursuit had been shaken off. When Rupert toldthem simply that he had tossed one of the water barrels into one ofthe boats and staved it, the men refused to believe him; and it wasnot until he took one of the carronades, weighing some five hundredweight, from its carriage, and lifted it above his head as if tohurl it overboard, that their doubts were changed into astonishment.

  "I suppose our danger is not over, captain?" the marquis asked.

  "No, we have the forts at the mouth of the river to pass, but weshall be there before it is light. They will send off a horsemanwhen they get back to the town, but they will not be there for sometime, and the wind is rising fast. I hope we shall be throughbefore they get news of what has taken place. In any case, at thespeed we shall be going through the water in another hour or two,no rowboat could stop us."

  "I think, Captain Nicolay, it would be as well for you to keep onlyas many men as you absolutely want on deck, so that you can say weonly allowed two or three up, and kept watch over you with loadedpistols."

  "It would be better, perhaps," Maitre Nicolay said. "There is sureto be a nice row about it, and it is always as well to have as fewlies as possible to tell.

  "Perhaps mademoiselle will like to go below. My cabin is ready forher, and I have told the boy to get supper for us all."

  The captain's prediction about the rising wind was correct, and inanother hour the Belle Jeanne was tearing down the river at a rateof speed which, had the road from Nantes to the forts been nolonger than that by water, would have rendered the chance of anyhorseman arriving before it slight indeed; but the river waswinding, and although they calculated that they had gained an hourand a half start, Captain Nicolay acknowledged that it would be aclose thing. Long ere the forts were reached Adele was fast asleepbelow, while her father and Rupert paced the deck anxiously.

  The night was not a dark one. The moon shone out at times brightand clear between the hurrying clouds.

  "There are the forts," Maitre Nicolay said. "The prospect ishopeful, for I do not see a light."

  The hands were all ordered below as they neared the forts, MaitreNicolay himself taking the helm.

  All was dark and silent as they approached, and as La Belle Jeanneswept past them like a shadow, and all was still, a sigh of reliefburst from the marquis and Rupert. Five minutes later the windbrought down the sound of a drum, a rocket soared into the air, anda minute or two later lights appeared in every embrasure of theforts on both sides.

  "It has been a near thing," the marquis said; "we have only won byfive minutes."

  Three minutes later came a flash, followed by the roar of a gun,and almost at the same moment a shot struck the water, fifty yardsahead of them on their beam.

  "We are nearly a mile away already," the captain said. "It is fiftyto one against their crippling us by this light, though they mayknock some holes in our sails, and perhaps splinter our timbers alittle.

  "Ah! Just what I thought, here come the chasse marees," and hepointed to two vessels which had lain close under the shadow of theforts, and which were now hoisting sail.

  "It is lucky that they are in there, instead of cruising outside,as usual. I suppose they saw the gale coming, and ran in for aquiet night."

  The forts were now hard at work, and the balls fell thickly around.One or two went through the sails, but none touched her hull orspars, and in another ten minutes she was so far away that theforts ceased firing.

  By this time, however, the chasse marees were under full sail, andwere rapidly following in pursuit. La Belle Jeanne had, however, astart of fully a mile and a half.

  "How do those craft sail with yours?" Rupert asked.

  "In ordinary weather the 'Jeanne' could beat them, though they arefast boats; but they are heavier than we are, and can carry theirsail longer; besides, our being underhanded is against us. It willbe a close race, monsieur. It will be too rough when we are fairlyout for them to use their guns. But the best thing that can happenfor us is that there may be an English cruiser not far off. I musthave the hands up, and take in some sail; she will go just as fast,for she has too much on to be doing her best now we are in the opensea.

  "Now, gentlemen, I advise you to lie down for an hour or two. Iwill call you if they gain much upon us."

  It was morning before the voyagers awoke, and made their way ondeck. They looked round, but no sail was in sight, only an expanseof foaming sea and driving cloud. The captain was on deck.

  "I suspect they have given it up and run back," he said; "and nofools either. It is not weather for anyone to be out who has achoice in the matter. But the 'Jeanne' is a good sea boat, and hasbeen out in worse weather than this. Not but that it is a big gale,but it is from the north, and the land shelters us a bit. If itkeeps on like this, I shall lie-to a few hours. The sea will betremendous when we get beyond Ushant."

  For three days the gale blew furiously, and the "Jeanne" lay-to.Then the storm broke, and the wind veered round to the south, andLa Belle Jeanne flew along on her way towards England.

  It was at a point on the Hampshire coast, near Lymington, that shewas to run her cargo; and on the fifth day after leaving the rivershe was within sight of land. They lowered their sails, and lay afew miles off land until nightfall, and then ran in again. Twolights on the shore, one above the other, told that the coast wasclear; and the boats were quickly lowered. The marquis, who hadcome well provided with gold to meet all emergencies, handed overto Maitre Nicolay fifty pounds over the sum agreed on, and in a fewminutes the travellers set foot on shore.

  Six days later, a post chaise brought them to the door ofWindthorpe Chace, where Madame Holliday and the colonel stood onthe steps to welcome Rupert's future wife. The very day after theirreturn, Rupert mooted to the marquis the subject of an earlymarriage, but the latter said at once:

  "I must first take a place for Adele to be married from.Mademoiselle Adele de Pignerolles must not be married like thedaughter of a little bourgeois. Moreover, Rupert, it is alreadynear the end of the year. In three months you will be setting outto join your regiment again. It would be cruel to Adele for you tomarry her before the war is over, or until you at any rate havedone with soldiering. You tell me that you have gone throughenough, and that the next campaign shall be your last. At any rateyou can obtain a year's leave after nine years of campaigning. Sobe it. When you return at the end of next year's campaign you shallfind all ready, and I will answer for it that Adele will not keepyou waiting. It is but a fortnight since you were affianced to eachother. You can well wait the year."

  And so it was arranged, for Rupert himself saw that it would becruel to expose Adele to the risk of being made a widow after a fewweeks only of married life.

  The winter passed very quietly and happily. The marquis was alwaystalking of taking a house, but Adele joined her voice with those ofthe others in saying that it would be cruel indeed for him to takeher away from the Chace until it was time for Rupert to start forthe war again.

  In the middle of March he received orders to join his regiment, aslarge numbers of recruits had been sent out, and every officer wasrequired at his post.
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  During the winter of 1708, Marlborough had laboured strenuously toobtain a peace which would satisfy all parties. Louis offered greatconcessions, which the duke urged strongly should be accepted; butthe English and Dutch wanted terms so severe and humiliating thatLouis would not accept them, and both sides prepared for a greatfinal struggle.

  The King of France addressed an appeal to his people, telling themthat he had offered to make the greatest possible sacrifices toobtain peace for them, but that the enemy demanded terms whichwould place France at their mercy. He therefore appealed to theirpatriotism to come forward to save the country. The peopleresponded readily to the summons, and Marshal Villars took thefield in the spring with 110,000 men, a force just equal to that ofthe allies.

  The French had taken up a position of such extraordinary strength,that it was hopeless for the allies to attempt to attack. His leftwing was covered by the stream of Roubaix; his centre by the marshof Cambriu; his right by the canal between Douai and Lille; andthis naturally strong position had been so strengthened byartificial inundations, ditches, abattis, and earthworks, as to bepractically impregnable.

  Marlborough and Eugene made, however, as if they would attack, andVillars called to him as many men as could be spared from thegarrisons round. The allies then by a sudden night march arrivedbefore Tournai, and at once commenced its investment. Tournai wasan immensely strong town, but its garrison was weak. The heavyartillery was brought up from Ghent, and on the 6th of July theapproaches were commenced; and on the 29th of that month, thegovernor, finding that the allies were gradually winning fort afterfort, and that Villars made no movement to relieve him, surrenderedthe town, and retired into the citadel, which was then besieged.

  This was one of the most terrible sieges ever undertaken, for notonly were the fortifications enormously strong, but beneath eachbastion and outwork, and far extending beyond them, an immensenumber of galleries had been driven for mines. At all timessoldiers, even the bravest, have found it difficult to withstandthe panic brought about by the explosion of mines, and by thatunderground warfare in which bravery and strength were alikeunavailing, and where the bravest as well as the most cowardly wereliable at any moment to be blown into the air, or smotheredunderground. The dangers of this service, at all times great; wereimmensely aggravated by the extraordinary pains taken by those whohad constructed the fortifications to prepare for subterraneanwarfare by the construction of galleries.

  The miners frequently met underground, breaking into each other'sgalleries. Sometimes the troops, mistaking friend for foe, foughtwith each other. Sometimes whole companies entered mines by mistakeat the very moment that they were primed for explosion. They wereoften drowned, suffocated with smoke, or buried alive. Sometimesscores were blown into the air.

  It was not surprising that even the hearts of the allied troopswere appalled at the new and extraordinary dangers which they hadto face at the siege of Tournai; and the bravest were indeedexposed to the greatest danger. The first to mount a breach, toeffect a lodgment in an outwork, to enter a newly discovered mine,was sure to perish. First there was a low rumbling noise, then theearth heaved, and whole companies were scattered with a frightfulexplosion.

  On the 5th of August, a sally made by the besieged was bravelyrepulsed, and the besiegers, pressing closely upon them, effected alodgment; but immediately a mine was sprung, and 150 men blown intothe air.

  On the 20th, the besieged blew down a wall which overhung a sap,and two officers and thirty-four soldiers were killed.

  On the 23rd a mine sixty feet long and twenty feet broad wasdiscovered, just as a whole battalion of Hanoverian troops hadtaken up their place above it. All were congratulating themselveson the narrow escape, when a mine placed below that they haddiscovered exploded, burying all in the upper mine in the ruins.

  On the 25th, 300 men posted in a large mine which had beendiscovered, were similarly destroyed by the explosion of anothermine below it; and the same night 100 men posted in the ditch werekilled by a wall being blown out upon them.

  In resisting the attack upon one side of the fortress only,thirty-eight mines were sprung in twenty-six days, almost every onewith fatal effect. It is no detriment to the courage of the troopsto say, that they shrank appalled before such sudden and terrible amode of warfare, and Marlborough and Eugene in person visited thetrenches and braved the dangers in order to encourage the men.

  At last, on the 3rd of September, the garrison, reduced to 3000men, surrendered; and were permitted to march out with the honoursof war, and to return to France on the promise not to serve again.

  This siege cost the allies 5000 men.