Friends, though divided: A Tale of the Civil War

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  THE BATTLE OF WORCESTER.

  The next morning the Scotch army moved after that of Cromwell, which hadfallen back to Dunbar, and took post on the Doon hill facing him there.Cromwell's army occupied a peninsula, having on their face a brookrunning along a deep, narrow little valley. The Scotch position on thehill was an exceedingly strong one, and had they remained thereCromwell's army must have been driven to surrender. Cromwell himselfwrote on that night, "The enemy hath blocked up our way at the pass atCopperspath, through which we cannot pass without almost a miracle. Helieth so upon the hills that we knoweth not how to come that way withoutmuch difficulty, and our lying here daily consumeth our men, who fallsick beyond imagination."

  The Scotch had, in fact, the game in their hands, had they but waited onthe ground they had taken up. The English had, however, an ally in theircamp. The Earl of Argyll strongly urged that an attack should be madeupon the English, and he was supported by the preachers and fanatics,who exclaimed that the Lord had delivered their enemies into theirhands. General Leslie, however, stood firm. The preachers scattered inthe camp and exhorted the soldiers to go down and smite the enemy. Sogreat an enthusiasm did they excite by their promises of victory that inthe afternoon the soldiers, without orders from their general, moveddown the hill toward the enemy. The more regular body of the troopsstood firm, but Leslie, seeing that the preachers had got the mastery,and that his orders were no longer obeyed, ordered these also to moveforward, in hopes that the enthusiasm which had been excited would yetsuffice to win the victory.

  Cromwell saw the fatal mistake which had been committed, and in thenight moved round his troops to his left, and these at daybreak fellupon the Scottish right. The night had been wet, and the Scottish armywere unprovided with tents. Many of their matchlocks had been rendereduseless. At daybreak on the morning of the 3d of September the English,led by General Lambert, fell upon them. The Scotch for a time stoodtheir ground firmly; but the irregular troops, who had by their follyled the army into this plight, gave way before the English pikemen. Thepreachers, who were in vast numbers, set the example of flight. Many ofthe regiments of infantry fought most fiercely, but the battle wasalready lost. The Scotch cavalry were broken by the charge of theIronsides, and in less than an hour from the commencement of thefighting the rout was complete. Three thousand Scotch were killed, andten thousand taken prisoners.

  Harry's regiment was but slightly engaged. It had been one of the lastto march down the hill on the evening before, and Harry and Jacobforesaw the disaster which would happen. "If I were the king," Harrysaid, "I would order every one of these preachers out of camp, and wouldhang those who disobeyed. Then I would march the army on to the hillagain. If they wait there the English must attack us with grievousdisadvantage, or such as cannot get on board their ships must surrender.Charles would really be king then, and could disregard the wrath of themen of the conventicles. Cromwell will attack us to-morrow, and willdefeat us; his trained troops are more than a match for these Scotchmen,who think more of their preachers than of their officers, and whosediscipline is of the slackest."

  "I agree with you entirely," Jacob said. "But in the present mood of thearmy, I believe that half of them would march away if the generaldismissed the preachers."

  The next day, when the fight began, Harry moved forward his regiment tothe support of the Scottish right, but before he came fairly into thefray this had already given away, and Harry, seeing that the day waslost, halted his men, and fell back in good order. Again and again theIronsides charged them. The leveled pikes and heavy musketry fire eachtime beat them off, and they marched from the field almost the only bodywhich kept its formation. Five thousand of the country people among theprisoners Cromwell allowed to depart to their homes. The remainder hesent to Newcastle, where great numbers of them were starved to death bythe cruelty of the governor, Sir Arthur Hazelrig. The remainder weresent as slaves to New England.

  Leslie, with the wreck of his army, fell back to Stirling, whileCharles, with the Scotch authorities, went to Perth. Here the youngking, exasperated beyond endurance at the tyranny of Argyll and thefanatics, escaped from them, and with two or three friends rode fiftymiles north. He was overtaken and brought back to Perth, but the angerof the army was so hot at his treatment that the fanatics werehenceforth obliged to put a curb upon themselves, and a strong king'sparty, as opposed to that of the Covenant, henceforth guided hiscounsels.

  The winter passed quietly. The English troops were unable to stand theinclemency of the climate, and contented themselves with capturingEdinburgh Castle, and other strongholds south of the Forth. Cromwell wascompelled by ill health to return for some months to England. Leslie'sarmy was strongly intrenched round Stirling. In June Cromwell again tookthe field, and moved against Perth, which he captured on the 31st ofJuly. Charles, who had joined his army at Stirling, broke up his campand marched toward England, the road being open to him owing to Cromwelland his army being further north at Perth.

  During the time which had elapsed since the battle of Dunbar no eventshad happened in Harry's life. Remaining quietly in camp, where thetroops, who had been disgusted by the conduct of the fanatics at Dunbar,were now ill disposed toward Argyll and his party, he had little fear ofthe machinations of the earl, who was with the king at Perth.

  Argyll refused to join in the southern march, and the army with whichLeslie entered England numbered only eleven thousand men. As soon as hecrossed the border, Charles was proclaimed king, and proclamations wereissued calling on all loyal subjects to join him.

  The people were, however, weary of civil war. The Royalists had alreadysuffered so heavily that they held back now, and the hatred excited,alike by the devastations of the Scotch army on its former visit toEngland, and by the treachery with which they had then sold the king,deterred men from joining them. A few hundred, indeed, came to hisstandard; but upon the other hand, Lambert and Harrison, with a strongforce, were marching against him, and Cromwell, having left six thousandmen in Scotland, under Monk, was pressing hotly behind with the victorsof Dunbar. On the 22d of August Charles reached Worcester. On the 28thCromwell was close to the town with thirty thousand men.

  "This is the end of it all, Jacob," Harry said that night. "Theyoutnumber us by three to one, and even if equal, they would assuredlybeat us, for the Scotch are dispirited at finding themselves so far fromhome, in a hostile country. Things look desperate. If all is lostto-morrow, do you and William Long and Mike keep close to me. Get ahorse for Mike to-night. You and Long are already mounted. If all islost we must try and make our way to the seacoast, and take boat forFrance or Holland. But first of all we must see to the safety of theking. It is clear that at present England is not ready to return to theformer state of things. We must hope that some day she will weary of theRoundhead rule, and if the king can reach the Continent he must remainthere till England calls him. At present she only wants peace. It isjust nine years now since King Charles' father set up his standard atNottingham. Nine years of wars and troubles! No wonder men are aweary ofit. It is all very well for us, Jacob, who have no wives, neitherfamilies nor occupations, and are without property to lose, but I wondernot that men who have these things are chary of risking them in a causewhich seems destined to failure."

  Upon the 3d of September, 1651, the anniversary of the battle of Dunbar,Cromwell advanced to the attack. Harry's regiment was placed among somehedges around the city, and upon them the brunt of the fight first fell.In spite of the immense numbers brought against them they defendedthemselves with desperate bravery. Some of the Scottish troops came up,and for a time Cromwell's footmen could make but little way. At otherparts, however, the resistance was more feeble, and the Scotch fellrapidly into confusion. Contesting every foot of the way, Harry'sregiment was driven back into the town, where a terrible confusionreigned. Still keeping his men together, he marched to the marketplace.Here he found the king with a considerable body of horse. The greaterpart, however, of the horse had
fled through the town without drawingrein, while the foot were throwing away their arms and flying in alldirections.

  "If all my troops had fought like your regiment, Colonel Furness, weshould have won the day," the king said. "As it is now, it is a hopelessrout. It is useless for your brave fellows to throw away their livesfurther. They will only be cut down vainly, seeing that the rest of myarmy are disbanded. Thank them from me for their services, and bid themseek their homes as best they may and wait for better times. They areEnglish, and will meet with better treatment from the country peoplethan will the Scotch. Then do you join me. I am going to head myhorsemen here in a charge against the Roundhead cavalry, and so givemore time for the army to get away."

  Harry rode up to his troops, now reduced to half their former strength.Leslie and Grahame had both been killed, and William Long was sorelywounded. He gave the men the message from the king, and the bravefellows gave a cheer for King Charles, the last he was to hear for tenyears. Then they marched away in orderly array, with their arms,intending to beat off all who might attack them before nightfall, andthen to break up and scatter, each for himself. William Long had friendsnear Gloucester, and as his wound would prevent him from travelingrapidly with Harry, he took farewell of him, and rode away with theregiment. Harry, with Jacob and Mike, rejoined the king, and they rodetoward the gate by which the Roundhead troops were already entering thetown. The horsemen, however, had but little stomach for the fight, andas the king advanced, in twos and threes they turned their horses'heads and rode off.

  Harry was riding close to the king, and looking round said at length,"It is useless, your majesty. There are not a dozen men with us."

  The king looked round and checked his horse. Besides his personalfriends, Buckingham, Wilmot, and one or two other nobles, scarce a manremained. The king shrugged his shoulders. "Well, gentlemen, as wecannot fight, we must needs run." Then the party turned their horses andgalloped out on the other side of Worcester. The country was coveredwith fugitives. They soon came upon a considerable body of horse, who atonce attached themselves to the party. "These, gentlemen," the kingsaid, "would not fight when I wanted them to, and now that I would fainbe alone, they follow me."

  At last, when darkness came on, the king, with his personal friends andsome sixty others, slipped away down a by-road, and after riding forsome hours came to a house called the White Ladies. Here for a few hoursthey rested. Then a council was held. They had news that on a heath nearwere some three thousand Scotch cavalry. The king's friends urged him tojoin these and endeavor to make his way back into Scotland, but Charleshad already had more than enough of that country, and he was sure thatArgyll and his party would not hesitate to deliver him up to theParliament, as they had done his father before him. He thereforedetermined to disguise himself, and endeavor to escape on foot, takingwith him only a guide. The rest of the party agreed to join the Scotchhorse, and endeavor to reach the border. After a consultation withJacob, Harry determined to follow the example of the king, and to tryand make his way in disguise to a seaport. He did not believe that theScotch cavalry would be able to regain their country, nor even if theydid would his position be improved were he with them. With thedestruction of the Royalist army, Argyll would again become supreme, andHarry doubted not that he would satisfy his old grudge against him. Hewas right in his anticipations. The Scots were a day or two later routedby the English horse, and comparatively few of them ever regained theircountry. Out of the eleven thousand men who fought at Worcester, seventhousand were taken prisoners, including the greater part of theScottish contingent. The English, attracting less hostility andattention from the country people, for the most part reached their homesin safety.

  As soon as the king had ridden off, Harry with Jacob and Mike, startedin another direction. Stopping at a farmhouse, they purchased from themaster three suits of clothes. Harry's was one of the farmer's own, theman being nearly his own size. For Jacob, who was much shorter, a dress,cloak and bonnet of the farmer's wife was procured, and for Mike theclothes of one of the farmer's sons. One of the horses was left here,and a pillion obtained for the other. Putting on these disguises, Harrymounted his horse, with Jacob seated behind him on a pillion, while Mikerode by his side. They started amid the good wishes of the farmer andhis family, who were favorable to the Royalist cause. Harry had cut offhis ringlets, and looked the character of a young farmer of twenty-fouror twenty-five years old well enough, while Jacob had the appearance ofa suitable wife for him. Mike was to pass as his brother.

  In the course of the first day's journey they met several parties ofRoundhead horse, who plied them with questions as to whether they hadseen any parties of fugitives. Making a detour, they rode towardGloucester, not intending to enter that town, where there was aParliamentary garrison, but to cross the river higher up. They stoppedfor the night at a wayside inn, where they heard much talk concerningthe battle, and learned that all the fords were guarded to preventfugitives crossing into Wales, and that none might pass who could notgive a good account of themselves. They heard, too, that on the eveningbefore a proclamation had been made at Gloucester and other townsoffering a reward of a thousand pounds for the capture of Charles, andthreatening all with the penalties of treason who should venture to aidor shelter him; a systematic watch was being set on all the roads.

  They determined to ride again next morning toward Worcester, and toremain in that neighborhood for some days, judging that less inquirywould be made there than elsewhere. This they did, but journeyed veryslowly, and slept a mile or two from Worcester.

  Before reaching their halting-place they took off a shoe from Mike'shorse, and with a nail wounded the frog of the foot, so that the animalwalked lame. Under this pretense they stopped three days, feigning greatannoyance at the delay. They found now that orders had been issued thatnone should journey on the roads save those who had passes, and thesehad to be shown before entering any of the large towns. They thereforeresolved to leave their horses, and to proceed on foot, as they couldthen travel by byways and across the country. There was some debate asto the best guise in which to travel, but it was presently determined togo as Egyptians, as the gypsies were then called. Harry walked intoWorcester, and there, at the shop of a dealer in old clothes, procuredsuch garments as were needed, and at an apothecary's purchased some dyesfor staining the skin.

  The next day, telling the landlord that they should leave the lamehorse with him until their return, they started as before, Mike walkinginstead of riding. They presently left the main road, and finding aconvenient place in a wood, changed their attire. Harry and Mike weredressed in ragged clothes, with bright handkerchiefs round their necks,and others round their heads. Jacob still retained his attire as awoman, with a tattered shawl round his shoulders, and a red handkerchiefover his head. All darkened their faces and hands. They took the saddlefrom the horse, and placed the bundles, containing the clothes they hadtaken off, on his back. Mike took the bridle, Harry and Jacob walkedbeside, and so they continued for some miles along the lonely roads,until they came to a farmhouse. Here they stopped. The farmer came out,and roughly demanded what they wanted. Harry replied that he wanted tosell their horse, and would take a small sum for it.

  "I doubt me," the farmer said, looking at it, "that that horse was nothonestly come by. It suits not your condition. It may well be," he said,"the horse of some officer who was slain at Worcester, and which youhave found roaming in the country."

  "It matters not," Harry said, "where I got it; it is mine now, and maybe yours if you like it, cheap. As you say, its looks agree not withmine, and I desire not to be asked questions. If you will give me thatdonkey I see there, and three pounds, you shall have him."

  The offer was a tempting one, but the farmer beat them down a poundbefore he agreed to it. Then shifting their bundles to the donkey, theycontinued their way. At the next village they purchased a cooking-potand some old stuff for a tent. Cutting some sticks, they encamped thatnight on some wild land hard by, having purchas
ed provisions for theirsupper. Very slowly they traveled south, attracting no attention asthey passed. They avoided all large towns, and purchased such things asthey needed at villages, always camping out on commons and waste places.They could hear no news of the king at any of their halting-places. Thathe had not been taken was certain; also, that he had not reached France,or the news of his coming there would have been known. It was generallysupposed that he was in hiding somewhere in the south, hoping to find anopportunity to take ship to France. Everywhere they heard of the activesearch which was being made for him, and how the houses of all suspectedto be favorable to him were being searched.

  Traveling only a few miles a day, and frequently halting for two orthree days together, the party crossed the Thames above Reading, andjourneyed west into Wiltshire. So they went on until they reached theport of Charmouth, near Lime Regis. Here, as in all the seaport towns,were many soldiers of the Parliament. They did not enter the town, butencamped a short distance outside, Harry alone going in to gather thenews. He found that numerous rumors concerning the king were afloat. Itwas asserted that he had been seen near Bristol, and failing to embarkthere, was supposed to be making his way east along the coast, in hopesof finding a ship. The troops were loud in their expressions ofconfidence that in a few days, if not in a few hours, he would be intheir hands, and that he would be brought to the scaffold, as his fatherhad been.

  Uneasy at the news, Harry wandered about the town, and at nightfallentered a small public house near the port. Calling for some liquor, hesat down, and listened to the talk of the sailors. Presently these left,and soon after they did so three other men entered. One was dressed as afarmer, the other two as serving-men. Harry thought that he noticed aglance of recognition pass between the farmer and the landlord, and asthe latter placed some liquor and a candle on the table before thenewcomers, Harry recognized in the farmer Colonel Wyndham, a Royalistwith whom he was well acquainted. He now looked more closely at the twoserving-men, and recognized in them the king and Lord Wilmot.

  He sauntered across the room as if to get a light for his pipe, andsaid, in low tones:

  "Colonel Wyndham, I am Harry Furness. Is there any way I can serve hismajesty?"

  "Ah! Colonel Furness, I am glad to see you," the king said heartily;"though if you are hunted as shrewdly as I am, your state is a perilousone."

  "The landlord is to be trusted," Colonel Wyndham said. "We had best callhim in. He said nothing before you, deeming you a stranger."

  The landlord was called in, and told Harry was a friend, whereupon hebarred the door and closed the shutters, as if for the night. Thenturning to Colonel Wyndham, whom alone he knew, he said:

  "I am sorry to say that my news is bad, sir. An hour since I went roundto the man who had engaged to take you across to St. Malo, but his wifehas got an inkling of his intentions. She has locked him into his room,and swears that if he attempts to come forth she will give the alarm tothe Parliament troops; for that she will not have herself and herchildren sacrificed by meddlings of his in the affairs of state."