faces of the crowd. He looked at the house again. The whole street
was wrapped in a crimson mist; the falling streams of water which
the firemen still continued to direct on the blaze were hissing
impotently, and seemed only to feed the fire. In the crowd that
watched there was hardly a sound; one could almost hear men's hearts
beating as they waited for the conclusion of the tragedy which
they knew to be inevitable. But further down the street, where it
was not understood that human life was at stake in the midst of
this spectacle, rose the sounds of girls laughing, men quarrelling
and fighting, whistling, oaths, and merriment. Caps were flying
about, and the mass was jostling and swaying to and fro, as before
Newgate on a Monday morning.
"Do you mean to say," asked Elliot, after a moment, "that the poor
old lady is up there and nobody is going to save her?"
"What's the use?" answered the man. "If you think it possible,
better try for yourself." But this reply was not heard, for the
young stableman had already begun to push his way forward to the
group of firemen that stood watching the conflagration in despair.
He was a man of extraordinary strength, and now with a set purpose
to inspire him still further, he scattered the crowd to right and
left, elbowing, pushing, and thrusting, until he stood before the
firemen and repeated his question.
He met with the same answer. "It was impossible," they said.
Everything had been done that could be, and now there was nothing
but to wait for the end.
"But it is a question of human life," he objected.
In reply they merely pointed to the flame-points now running along
every yard of woodwork still left in the building.
Elliot caught a ladder from their hands and, running forward with
it, planted it firmly against the house. He had to choose his place
carefully, as almost every one of the windows above was belching
out an angry blaze.
"Which is the window where they were last seen?" he asked.
The firemen pointed. The crowd at length finding that a brave man
was going to risk his life, raised a cheer as they caught sight of
him, and standing on tiptoe, peered over each other's shoulders to
get a better view of the work that was forward.
"Now then," said Elliot, "don't try to stop the flames, for that
is useless, but keep the water playing on the ladder all the time."
He slipped off his shoes, and amid another cheer from the crowd,
dashed up it as quick as thought. The window to which the fireman
had pointed was clear of flames. On gaining it, Elliot sprang on
to the sill and jumped down into the room.
It was lighted brilliantly enough by the glow from the street, and
through the dense smoke that was already beginning to fill it he
saw two figures.
Both were women, and for a moment the gallant man doubted that he
had come in time; for so still and motionless were they that it
seemed as if the smoke must have already stifled them, and left them
in these startling attitudes. One--a very old lady--was kneeling
by the bedside, her head bent forward in despair, her hands flung
out over the counterpane. The other--a tall, heavy-looking woman--was
standing bolt upright by the window. Neither spoke nor stirred,
and the kneeling woman did not even raise her head at the noise
of his entrance; the other, with eyes utterly expressionless and
awful, supported herself with one hand against the wall, and gazed
at him speechlessly. Awestruck by this sight, Elliot had to pause
a moment before he found his speech.
"Which is Lady Dover?" he cried at last.
The kneeling woman lifted her head, saw him, and with a cry, or
rather a smothered exclamation of hope, got upon her feet and ran
forward to him. He hurried her to the window. She obeyed him in
silence, for it was clear that terror had robbed her tongue of all
articulate speech. He clambered out, turned on the topmost rung,
and flinging an arm round her waist, was lifting her out, when the
other figure stepped forward and set a hand on his shoulder. The
look on this woman's face was now terrible. Something seemed working
in her throat and the muscles of her face: it was her despair
struggling with her paralysed senses for speech.
"Me too," she at length managed to mutter hoarsely; but the sound
when it came was, as Elliot afterwards declared, like nothing in
heaven or earth.
"If life is left in me, I will come back for you," he cried.
But his heart failed him when he saw the distance he should have
to go, and still more when he noted her size. For the ladder was
slippery from the water which the firemen kept throwing upon it, and
which alone saved it from catching on fire. Moreover, the clouds
of smoke in the room had thickened considerably since his entrance,
and it could not be many minutes now before the floor gave way, or
the roof crashed in, or both. He had felt his feet scorched through
his stockings, when he set foot on the boards.
Down in the street the crowd had increased enormously; gentlemen from
the clubs, waiters and loungers from a distance had all gathered
to look. As Elliot descended the ladder with his burden a frantic
storm of cheering broke forth--for every soul present understood
the splendid action that had just been performed; and the crush
around the foot of the ladder of those who pressed forward to
express their admiration was terrific.
But they knew, of course, nothing of the stout lady still left in
the bedroom; and when Elliot, heedless of the cheers and hand-shakes that
met him, flung Lady Dover into the arms of the nearest bystander,
and turned again towards the ladder, they were utterly at a loss
to understand what he could be about.
But he kept his word, A dead hush fell again upon the spectators,
as once more the brave man dashed up the ladder, upon which the
firemen had ceased now to play. Half-way up he turned.
"Keep on at the pumps!" he called; and then again was up to
the window and looked in. The lady had still preserved her former
attitude, though leaning now further back against the wall and
panting for breath in the stifling smoke. He put his hand out to
her.
"Catch hold of my neck and hold tightly round it," he said.
But again she was speechless and helpless. Her eyes lit up as she
saw him, but beyond this she hardly seemed to understand his words.
Elliot groaned, and finding, after another trial, that she did not
comprehend, boldly reached in and grasped her round the waist.
She was heavier even than he had imagined, and for one fearful
moment, as he stood poised on the topmost rung, he thought that
all was over. It seemed impossible that they should ever reach the
ground except by tumbling off the ladder. By a superhuman effort,
however, he managed to drag her out, and then clasping her waist
with one arm, whilst with the other he held on like grim death, he
hung breathless for a moment, and then began slowly to descend.
Up to this point there had been no sound in the street below. But
now, as the watchers saw his feet moving down the ladder, their
enthusiasm broke out in one deep sigh, followed by yells and shouts
of admiration. As the young stableman slowly descended, and finally,
by God's mercy, reached the ground with his burden, these feelings
broke all bounds. Men rushed round him; guineas were poured by the
handful into his pockets; and when these and his hands were full,
the gold was even stuffed into his mouth.
But, in the midst of this excitement, a sudden crash caused the
spectators to look upwards again. It was the roof of the house
that had fallen in, only a minute after Elliot had set his foot
upon the ground.
The lady whom he had saved by this second brave ascent was a relative
of Lady Dover, by name Mile, von Hompesch. It is pleasant to hear
that her preserver was rewarded by the family of Lady Dover, who
bestowed a pension upon him. At a later period he was in the service
of the first Lord Braybrooke, and this narrative was preserved by
a member of the family who had often heard Elliot relate it. Like
all brave men, he never spoke vaingloriously of his exploit; but
always professed great gratitude for his reward, which seemed to
him considerably higher than his deserts.
HOW NAPOLEON REWARDED HIS MEN
By Lieutenant-General Baron de Marbot
After crossing the Traun, burning the bridge at Mauthhausen, and
passing the Enns, Napoleon's army advanced to Mölk, without knowing
what had become of General Hiller. Some spies assured us that the
archduke had crossed the Danube and joined him, and that we should
on the morrow meet the whole Austrian army, strongly posted in
front of Saint-Pölten. In that case, we must make ready to fight
a great battle; but if it were otherwise, we had to march quickly
on Vienna in order to get there before the enemy could reach it by
the other bank. For want of positive information the emperor was
very undecided. The question to be solved was, Had General Hiller
crossed the Danube, or was he still in front of us, masked by a
swarm of light cavalry, which, always flying, never let us get near
enough to take a prisoner from whom one might get some enlightenment?
Still knowing nothing for certain, we reached, on May 7, the pretty
little town of Mölk, standing on the bank of the Danube, and overhung
by an immense rock, on the summit of which rises a Benedictine
convent, said to be the finest and richest in Christendom. From the
rooms of the monastery a wide view is obtained over both banks of
the Danube. There the emperor and many marshals, including Lannes,
took up their quarters, while our staff lodged with the parish
priest. Much rain had fallen during the week, and it had not ceased
for twenty-four hours and still was falling, so that the Danube and
its tributaries were over their banks. That night, as my comrades
and I, delighted at being sheltered from the bad weather, were
having a merry supper with the parson, a jolly fellow, who gave us
an excellent meal, the aide-de-camp on duty with the marshal came
to tell me that I was wanted, and must go up to the convent that
moment. I was so comfortable where I was that I found it annoying
to have to leave a good supper and good quarters to go and get wet
again, but I had to obey.
All the passages and lower rooms of the monastery were full of
soldiers. On reaching the dwelling-rooms, I saw that I had been
sent for about some serious matter, for generals, chamberlains,
orderly officers, said to me repeatedly, "The emperor has sent for
you." Some added, "It is probably to give you your commission as
major." This I did not believe, for I did not think I was yet of
sufficient importance to the sovereign for him to send for me at
such an hour to give me my commission with his own hands. I was shown
into a vast and handsome gallery, with a balcony looking over the
Danube; there I found the emperor at dinner with several marshals
and the abbot of the convent, who has the title of bishop. On
seeing me, the emperor left the table, and went toward the balcony,
followed by Lannes. I heard him say in a low tone, "The execution
of this plan is almost impossible; it would be sending a brave
officer for no purpose to almost certain death." "He will go, sir,"
replied the marshal; "I am certain he will go: at any rate we can
but propose it to him."
Then, taking me by the hand, the marshal opened the window of the
balcony over the Danube. The river at this moment, trebled in volume
by the strong flood, was nearly a league wide; it was lashed by a
fierce wind, and we could hear the waves roaring. It was pitch-dark,
and the rain fell in torrents, but we could see on the other side
a long line of bivouac fires. Napoleon, Marshal Lannes, and I being
alone on the balcony, the marshal said, "On the other side of the
river you see an Austrian camp. Now, the emperor is keenly desirous
to know whether General Hiller's corps is there, or still on this
bank. In order to make sure he wants a stout-hearted man, bold enough
to cross the Danube, and bring away some soldier of the enemy's,
and I have assured him that you will go." Then Napoleon said to me,
"Take notice that I am not giving you an order; I am only expressing
a wish. I am aware that the enterprise is as dangerous as it can
be, and you can decline it without any fear of displeasing me. Go,
and think it over for a few moments in the next room; come back
and tell us frankly your decision."
I admit that when I heard Marshal Lannes's proposal I had broken
out all over in a cold sweat; but at the same moment, a feeling
which I cannot define, but in which a love of glory and of my
country was mingled, perhaps, with a noble pride, raised my ardor
to the highest point, and I said to myself, "The emperor has here
an army of 150,000 devoted warriors, besides 25,000 men of his guard,
all selected from the bravest. He is surrounded with aides-de-camp
and orderly officers, and yet when an expedition is on foot, requiring
intelligence no less than boldness, it is I whom the emperor and
Marshal Lannes choose." "I will go, sir," I cried, without hesitation.
"I will go; and if I perish, I leave my mother to your Majesty's
care." The emperor pulled my ear to mark his satisfaction; the
marshal shook my hand--"I was quite right to tell your Majesty that
he would go. There's what you may call a brave soldier."
My expedition being thus decided on, I had to think about the
means of executing it. The emperor called General Bertrand, his
aide-de-camp, General Dorsenne, of the guard, and the commandant of
the imperial headquarters, and ordered them to put at my disposal
whatever I might require. At my request an infantry picket went
into the town to find the burgomaster, the leader of the boatmen,
and five of his best hands. A corporal and five grenadiers of the
old guard who could all speak German, and had still to earn their
decoration, were also summoned, and voluntarily agreed to go with
me. The emperor had them brought in first, and promised that on
their return they should receive the Cross at once. The brave men
replied by a "Vive l'Empereur!" and went to get ready. As for the
five boatmen, on its being explained to them through the interpreter
that they had to take a boat across the Danube, they fell on their
knees and began to weep. The leader declared that they might just
as well be shot at once as sent to certain death. The expedition was
absolutely impossible, not only from the strength of the current,
but because the tributaries had brought into the Danube a great
quantity of fir trees recently cut down in the mountains, which
could not be avoided in the dark, and would certainly come against
the boat and sink it. Besides, how could one land on the opposite
bank among willows which would scuttle the boat, and with a flood
of unknown extent? The leader concluded, then, that the operation
was physically impossible. In vain did the emperor tempt them
with an offer of 6,000 francs per man; even this could not persuade
them, though, as they said, they were poor boatmen with families,
and this sum would be a fortune to them. But, as I have already
said, some lives must be sacrificed to save those of the greater
number, and the knowledge of this makes commanders sometimes
pitiless. The emperor was inflexible, and the grenadiers received
orders to take the poor men, whether they would or not, and we went
down to the town.
The corporal who had been assigned to me was an intelligent man.
Taking him for my interpreter, I charged him as we went along to
tell the leader of the boatmen that as he had to come along with
us, he had better in his own interest show us his best boat, and
point out everything that we should require for her fitting. The
poor man obeyed; so we got an excellent vessel, and we took all
that we wanted from the others. We had two anchors, but as I did
not think we should be able to make use of them, I had sewn to the
end of each cable a piece of canvas with a large stone wrapped in
it. I had seen in the south of France the fishermen use an apparatus of
this kind to hold their boats by throwing the cord over the willows
at the water's edge. I put on a cap, the grenadiers took their forage
caps, we had provisions, ropes, axes, saws, a ladder--everything,
in short, which I could think of to take.
Our preparations ended, I was going to give the signal to start,
when the five boatmen implored me with tears to let the soldiers
escort them to their houses, to take perhaps the last farewell of
their wives and children; but, fearing that a tender scene of this
kind would further reduce their small stock of courage, I refused.
Then the leader said, "Well, as we have only a short time to live,
allow us five minutes to commend our souls to God, and do you do
the same, for you also are going to your death." They all fell on
their knees, the grenadiers and I following their example, which
seemed to please the worthy people much. When their prayer was
over, I gave each man a glass of wine, and we pushed out into the
stream.
I had bidden the grenadiers follow in silence all the orders of
the syndic, or leader, who was steering; the current was too strong
for us to cross over straight from Mölk: we went up, therefore,
along the bank under sail for more than a league, and although the
wind and the waves made the boat jump, this part was accomplished
without accident. But when the time came to take to our oars and
row out from the land, the mast, on being lowered, fell over to
one side, and the sail, dragging in the water, offered a strong
resistance to the current and nearly capsized us. The master ordered
the ropes to be cut and the masts to be sent overboard: but the
boatmen, losing their heads, began to pray without stirring. Then
the corporal, drawing his sword, said, "You can pray and work too;
obey at once, or I will kill you." Compelled to choose between
possible and certain death, the poor fellows took up their hatchets,
and with the help of the grenadiers, the mast was promptly cut away
and sent floating. It was high time, for hardly were we free from
this dangerous burden when we felt a fearful shock. A pine-stem
borne down by the stream had struck the boat. We all shuddered, but
luckily the planks were not driven in this time. Would the boat,
however, resist more shocks of this kind? We could not see the
stems, and only knew that they were near by the heavier tumble of
the waves. Several touched us, but no serious accident resulted.
Meantime the current bore us along, and as our oars could make very
little way against it to give us the necessary slant, I feared for
a moment that it would sweep us below the enemy's camp, and that
my expedition would fail. By dint of hard rowing, however, we had
got three-quarters of the way over, when I saw an immense black
mass looming over the water. Then a sharp scratching was heard,
branches caught us in the face, and the boat stopped. To our questions
the owner replied that we were on an island covered with willows
and had succeeded in passing the obstacle, we found the stream much
less furious than in the middle of the river, and finally reached
the left bank in front of the Austrian camp. This shore was bordered
with very thick trees, which, overhanging the bank like a dome, made
the approach difficult, no doubt, but at the same time concealed our
boat from the camp. The whole shore was lighted up by the bivouac
fires, while we remained in the shadow thrown by the branches of
the willows. I let the boat float downward, looking for a suitable
landing-place. Presently I perceived that a sloping path had been
made down the bank by the enemy to allow the men and horses to get
to the water. The corporal adroitly threw into the willows one of
the stones that I had made ready, the cord caught in a tree, and
the boat brought up against the land a foot or two from the slope.
It must have been just about midnight. The Austrians, having the
swollen Danube between them and the French, felt themselves so
secure that, except the sentry, the whole camp was asleep.
It is usual in war for the guns and the sentinels always to face
toward the enemy, however far off he may be. A battery placed
in advance of the camp was therefore turned toward the river, and
sentries were walking on the top of the bank. The trees prevented
them from seeing the extreme edge, while from the boat I could see
through the branches a great part of the bivouac. So far my mission
had been more successful than I had ventured to hope, but in order
to make the success complete I had to bring away a prisoner, and
to execute such an operation fifty paces away from several thousand
enemies, whom a single cry would rouse, seemed very difficult.
Still, I had to do something. I made the five sailors lie down
at the bottom of the boat under guard of two grenadiers, another
grenadier I posted at the bow of the boat, which was close to the
bank, and myself disembarked, sword in hand, followed by the corporal
and two grenadiers. The boat was a few feet from dry land; we had
to walk in the water, but at last we were on the slope. We went up,
and I was making ready to rush on the nearest sentry, disarm him,
gag him, and drag him off to the boat, when the ring of metal and
the sound of singing in a low voice fell on my ears. A man, carrying
a great tin pail, was coming to draw water, humming a song as he
went; we quickly went down again to the river to hide under the
branches, and as the Austrian stooped to fill his pail, my grenadiers
seized him by the throat, put a handkerchief full of wet sand
over his mouth, and placing their sword-points against his body,
threatened him with death if he resisted or uttered a sound.
Utterly bewildered, the man obeyed, and let us take him to the boat;
we hoisted him into the hands of the grenadiers posted there, who
made him lie down beside the sailors. While this Austrian was lying
captured, I saw by his clothes that he was not, strictly speaking,
a soldier, but an officer's servant. I should have preferred to
catch a combatant who could have given me more precise information;
but I was going to content myself with this capture for want of a
better, when I saw, at the top of the slope, two soldiers carrying a
caldron between them on a pole. They were only a few paces off. It
was impossible for us to re-embark without being seen. I therefore
signed to my grenadiers to hide themselves again, and as soon as
the two Austrians stooped to fill their vessel, powerful arms seized
them from behind and plunged their heads under water. We had to
stupefy them a little, since they had their swords, and I feared
that they might resist. Then they were picked up in turn, their
mouths covered with a handkerchief full of sand, and sword-points
against their breasts constrained them to follow us. They were shipped
as the servant had been, and my men and I got on board again.