The ladies protested and the two soldiers apologised for bringing such bloodthirsty topics before their ears.
“What of you, brother?” Daniel smiled politely, enquiring whether there was a wife in the offing.
“I am to be wed in some three months, Daniel. Mistress Williams, of Salisbury, eldest daughter to the Bishop and possessed of an inheritance from her grandmother, who had lands in her own right. She brings more than three square miles of grazing and no little of arable down in the valleys between the downs. She will add much to the viscountcy, I believe.”
Daniel agreed that it sounded to be a prudent match. It was clear to him that there was little of affections involved – the heir had sold his position to a high bidder. In some ways, a very wise match.
“And for thee, David?”
His second brother shook his head.
“My income does not lend itself to a wife, Daniel. I am content to be steward to the family lands.”
“It is that or be off to the wars, brother. I would advise you to arm a few of the hinds and have them ready to protect the house and family. There will be deserters and villains under arms and willing to loot the weak and defenceless – wherever there is war there is carrion seeking to profit from it.”
Lord Carew had not considered that possibility; now he thought Daniel’s words wise.
“Could you sell me a dozen of pistols and blades, my son? It will not be easy to purchase them in Salisbury.”
“Consider it done, sir. And not against cash! I will send a waggon across when I leave.”
The older man gave his thanks.
“I must inform you that Mary expects to wed this year, to a son of the Land in Wiltshire. Elizabeth remains at home and Rachel is as yet young to leave us.”
It sounded as if Mary had taken the son of a squire, a man with a respectable competence but not one of the aristocracy. Micah thought that Rachel was no more than seventeen, hardly of an age to wed.
“What of you, Captain Slater? Have you a lady waiting at home for you?”
Micah shook his head.
“No, my lord. I have no home to offer any young female. I have managed to set up my sisters in Stamford and believe they are sufficiently looked after, but I have nothing to go back to myself. When the war ends, I shall have to look for a living, in fact – will be in no case to keep a family.”
Lord Carew said no more.
They left within the hour, Daniel needing to return to the regiment, saying that it could not be left without its most senior officers for more than a very few hours.
“Solders will find mischief without an eye to watch them, sir.”
Micah returned with a waggon containing twenty of pistols and a dozen of short swords, all they had spare. Both men had agreed that there was no sense to giving long blades to untrained farm labourers. They had added a keg of powder and another of ball.
“They can find their own spare flints on chalk lands such as these, Micah.”
David Carew greeted the waggon, was polite in his thanks.
“What would you say, Captain? One pistol apiece or two?”
“Select your men, sir, and discover who can shoot straight. You may find no more than four or five who can point a pistol. Do not waste them in the hands of the inadequate. Any man who has handled a brush hook can swing or stab with a short sword. You will wish, of course, to be sure of the loyalty of those you arm.”
Mr Carew was inclined to be indignant. He could not imagine that any one of his people could display anything other than love for the family.
Rachel appeared and demanded to know whether she might be allowed a pistol of her own. David was urgent with her that she should give up so unreasonable a demand.
“Pistols are not correct for young ladies, sister! Will not you agree, Captain Slater?”
Micah grinned; he had little liking for Mr Carew, found him stuffy and not especially bright.
“Not entirely, sir. The horse pistol is a heavy weapon – but it can be fired two-handed. Many men choose to rest their pistol on a windowsill if firing from inside a house. I am of the opinion that any young lady should be permitted to defend herself if the occasion arises. Add to that, there is no small pleasure in shooting straight at a target. Was the decision mine, sir, then I would give Miss Carew her own pistol.”
My lord had arrived and stood unseen behind them, listening quietly. He intervened now.
“I agree, but not a horse pistol, daughter. I have a pair of lighter flintlocks of my own and I shall give thee their use, my dear. Come with me now and I shall roust them out.”
Micah left, quietly entertained. He told Daniel of his sowing the seeds of dissension in his family.
“David has always been a straight-backed sort of fellow, Red Man. He is one always to find a reason why anything should not be done rather than to welcome any change. An honest and dull plodder, my middle brother. There is little harm in him, and not much else. Samuel has a value for him and will ensure he is looked after all his life. I doubt he will ever leave the estate; I was amazed that he had so much as considered riding for the King. On that topic, the soldiers of the King, that is, you will be pleased to hear that Colonel Oldbury has begged audience of me. Come with me now and we shall deal with him.”
As they expected, the Colonel had spent the day in deep consideration of his plight. He did not wish to be sent to Larkhill, he said. He would tender his parole, as would his officers, in ordinary form, pledging himself to stand neutral in the fighting during this particular war.
Daniel accepted his word, though demanding it in writing.
“It is late in the day now, Colonel. In the morning, I shall have you conveyed to Salisbury where, I doubt not, you can make your own arrangements. Do explain carefully to your young men that if they are ever taken under arms by Parliamentary forces, then upon being known they will be hanged out of hand, without trial or appeal.”
Colonel Oldbury promised to explain fully the ramifications of their promise; he much hoped they would not so much as consider breaking their word.
“They are gentlemen, sir. That should be sufficient for them.”
The pair conferred again over breakfast.
“A short while and they will be gone, Red Man.”
“Good riddance to them, sir.”
“I agree. There is nothing in the Colonel’s parole to prevent him urging others to serve the King or arranging to send a regiment against us, if he can locate one. I much hope he may do so. I did not like to hear of the footmen recruiting here on the Plain. If they are sent to hunt us down, we can destroy them and remove their menace from behind our backs. You said that my father has given Rachel a pair of pistols? She was always a bold little girl – I think I like her better than the rest of my family.”
“She is certainly a lively young lady, sir, and most attractive withal.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
“More so than the baker’s daughter, Red Man?”
Micah flushed, unable to answer that question easily.
“A young man may often not know his own mind in the company of an attractive girl. I doubt I shall be back to London ever, sir. As for your sister – she is a pretty lady, and far above me. My comment was made in passing, one might say. Nothing more than admiration from a far distance.”
Daniel was inclined to believe that was right and proper. His sister should be admired – but no more than that by a man who had no way of keeping her comfortably and who in any case was of neither birth nor breeding. He had a respect for Micah, and some considerable liking, but that did not make him fit to keep company with his sister.
“As the head of the house of Slater, you must consider the dynasty, Red Man!”
“I suspect your father spoke with his tongue in his cheek, sir. My family is not and never will be of the great in the land.”
“I am sure you are right, Red Man – but you will always be among those much respected, the backbone of the country.”
&
nbsp; It was possible, Micah conceded, but he could not see a future for himself. He was a strong right arm, for the while. When the wars ended, he would be irrelevant, his sole skill no longer valued.
“Not to worry, sir! What comes first this morning?”
“Oh… I think we send the honourable Colonel Oldbury into Salisbury, in a cart. We shall publicly deposit him in the square outside the cathedral, quite possibly in no more than his drawers, his three surviving young men beside him.”
“We should also announce that he has given his parole, sir. Humiliate him sufficiently that he will make immediate contact with the King’s forces, do you suggest?”
“Precisely, Red Man! Let him be so angered that he will call for our heads, urging the single, fresh recruited regiment of foot out in hot pursuit of us.”
“And we shall make good and sure that they catch us. Hopefully before they can call on other troops to outnumber us. Even if there is a second regiment to hand, I much doubt that they will match our lads. March slowly and with an eye on the country, do you think, sir?”
“Selecting our ground as we go. I think so. Marching along a valley so that the King’s people seem to have the advantage of the high ground. In reality, we shall have one flank anchored on a river and have a good chance to find woods or wetland on the other. That worked very well in the Germanies once that I recall. I was with a regiment of pikes and shot, much like ours but without our troop of horse, and we brought a pair of regiments of dragoons down on us. The ground forced them tighter and tighter together as they charged us until they became an almost immovable mass, the pikes pushing into them while the shot volleyed from just out of their reach. Butchery! An elegant morning’s work!”
Micah was entertained by the choice of words; he accepted that the soldier’s elegance was not that of the ballroom but was not sure he should applaud butchery with unrestrained delight.
“Let us hope we can match it, sir. I should use the troop for scouting, do you think?”
Daniel agreed that to be wise.
They waved the waggon farewell as the prisoners were conveyed to their freedom in Salisbury, the city located easily by the tall spire visible for many miles cross the Plain.
Colonel Oldbury was outraged. He was made a laughingstock, dropped outside the cathedral stark naked, hands clutched in front of himself to preserve his modesty. He would have kicked young Cornet Holmes who had chosen to insult and threaten the sergeant in charge of the cart bringing them into the city but could not do so without exposing himself to the market day crowds who had come to point and chortle at his plight.
Sergeant Driver had listened stolidly to the boy’s tirade, had not even acknowledged his words apart from laughing at his threats. When they reached the cathedral he had stopped the cart and bundled the officers out of it, his men holding them while he personally whipped their drawers down and ambled away, waving them as a trophy.
“Hang me if you wants, my little lordship! I reckon you’ve got a bigger crowd than will watch me!”
The Parliamentary soldiers drove off, the crowd opening for the cart and the file of musketeers marching behind. There were a few cheers, the majority simply standing aside, wanting no part in the business. Laughing at the bare-arsed gentry was one thing; joining either side was another for most of the townsfolk. They were, naturally, more inclined to be sympathetic to Parliament now for giving the best free show in living memory – they would chuckle about Old Colonel Barebum for years in the pubs.
The clergy in the cathedral observed the disgraceful goings on and closed the doors, wanting no part in it. Colonel Oldbury was left exposed for a good twenty minutes before the mayor sent the town clerk and his assistant with dressing gowns to the rescue. The pair had to force their way through the cheering crowds who did not want their amusement curtailed, who could still think of mocking insults to shout.
Colonel Oldbury spent the morning writing demands for revenge on his persecutors and sending them off to the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire; to the Western Army; to the Devizes Regiment of Foot in its current camp near Chippenham, on the other side of the Plain, and to every supporter of the King he could think of. He called them to rendezvous at Upavon before apologising that he could not join them for having given his parole, under threat of death but still binding on his honour. He then called Cornet Holmes and apostrophised him as a bloody fool and the cause of all his miseries and dismissed him from his presence, penniless, half-dressed and twenty miles from his home; he felt a little better after that.
Sergeant Driver reported his doings and presented four smelly sets of drawers as evidence of them, was sent away to dispose of his trophies, leaving Daniel and Micah roaring with laughter.
“That should bring the hosts of the righteous down upon us, Red Man.”
“Two days, I would think as the earliest they could assemble, sir. More like three, thinking on it. Follow the river north onto this ‘Plain’, do you call it?”
“Big and almost empty apart from sheep. A very convenient battleground as a result. Follow the River Avon north makes best sense. Water to hand and a dozen of villages and hamlets where we could buy mutton and possibly vegetables; not a lot else at this season of the year. Geese, might be. I like goose. Make our way towards Upavon and then choose what to do next. We really should make a loop back towards Winchester and then returning to Guildford, according to our original orders, which we have interpreted according to conditions in the field.”
“What does that mean, sir?”
“We fancied poking our noses out to see what could be found Salisbury way. While I report victory and a pacified countryside, London will not know one town from another and will not wish to find out.”
“So be it. March in the morning, sir?”
“In good order, Red Man. Your troop to the fore and to fall back on the main body on contacting an enemy.”
The Downs swept to either side, not especially high, rolling and grass covered and open. There were trees and people in the valleys, particularly that of the Avon, a small river but the only one for miles and supporting fields and water meadows and cress beds as well as less valuable marshes with osiers and willows for basket making. The track wound a little above the valley bottom on the eastern side, sheltered by woodland for much of its length. The hamlets were three or four miles apart, seemed prosperous to Micah’s eyes.
“Many of the villagers work up woollens, Red Man. Spinning is big along the valley and there are handlooms as well. Most houses have a money income as well as the produce of their fields.”
“Not many recruits here, sir.”
“Few, I must imagine. The young men have work and every pair of hands is valuable. They can buy in flour for the winter rather than grow their own wheat. They will keep half a dozen children busy carding and spinning and weaving or working osier baskets, as well as those who will look after the sheep. There are no idle hands along the valley, and no useless mouths to be sent off as a soldier. Few horses – the fields too valuable to go to their pasture.”
“Short of winter firing, I would think, sir.”
Daniel nodded. Timber would be brought in from some distance and there was the occasional peat working, or so he had been told.
“Not seen it myself, Red Man, but I have been told it is so. How will you set the men if they come at us?”
“The valley sides are mostly too steep for horse to come from the flank and the river is just wide enough and sufficiently deep that they will not cross except at a bridge. Few of them, bridges, as well, and all old and stone and narrow so that two horses might cross side by side and no more. There are a few dry dales that come down to join the main valley, but not many and they have no more than footpaths in them. Except in the larger villages, they can come at us only from the front.”
“True for the next few miles until we come towards Upavon and the effective end of the valley.”
“Then it seems that we must anchor our left on the river or marsh, depending
on the ground, and our right on the hillside where horse cannot outflank us. Given open ground, I would be inclined to set the pikes in six main blocks, all to the fore, perhaps twenty men abreast and three deep. The shot, again three lines, but in seven blocks interspersed and with two full companies of shot held back in reserve and to go where they might be needed. My troop of horse to sit immediately behind the centre and to wait the opportunity to charge forward and break the foe when he first begins to fall back from our line. All this to assume there are no guns.”
Daniel nodded.
“No reason to suppose there will be artillery, Red Man. Should there be, we refuse battle and fall back to ground of our choosing – which will be one of the villages where we shall hold and fight street to street, the guns far less able to do us harm.”
“Little other practical answer, sir. We might try to advance our horse and attack the guns from the flank if they are left exposed, but that chance seems slight to me.”
“And me. No, best to assume they will be mostly foot with a vanguard of horse. The pikes to hold and the muskets to kill them. What do you propose for the advance?”
“Foot are better utilised to hold in defence. Pikes are unwieldy and can press forward only slowly and muskets are slow to reload and must be sheltered by pikes after they fire or hold strictly to three lines firing at carefully paced intervals. We hold against their attack and then hammer them with better disciplined musketry until they break and allow our horse to cut them up. Only when they are running can we really set the foot to charge. We need more of horse, dragoons with pistols and carbines as well as swords, to destroy the enemy.”
“Agreed, Red Man. Without as many horse as we have muskets, which is for the best, twice as many as pikes, can we hope to do more than break up the enemy. There can be no great killings without horse. The regiments we may face are newly recruited, will probably disperse to their homes at a defeat. We must hope so, for we cannot expect to destroy them except we are lucky with the ground. Force them against a bend in the river, where they cannot run, and we may take or kill many; not otherwise.”
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