A DANGEROUS MISSION
Captain Nelson at once took Terence under his charge.
"You certainly look as if you wanted a new uniform," he said. "You must
have had an awfully rough time of it. If only for the sake of policy, we
ought to get you into a new one as soon as possible, for the very sight of
yours would be likely to demoralize the whole division by affording a
painful example of what they might expect on a campaign."
Terence laughed. "I know I look a perfect scarecrow. Do you think that you
can find me something? I really don't know what I should have done if I
had not had my greatcoat, for I could never have ventured to walk through
the street from the little inn where I put up my horse, if I could not
have hidden myself in it."
"I can, fortunately, put you in the right way without difficulty. There is
a man here who has made a business of buying up uniforms. I believe he
sends most of them to England, where they would certainly fetch a good
deal more than he gave for them; but I know that he keeps a stock by him,
for there is a constant demand. The work out in the country here does for
a uniform in no time, and many men who, before marching for the frontier,
parted with all their extra kit for a song, are glad enough to write to
him for a fresh outfit at three times the price he gave them two or three
months before."
"I wonder they don't send their surplus outfit back to England direct,"
Terence said.
"Well, you see, there is the risk of the things being lost or stolen on
the way home, or being ruined by damp before they are wanted again.
Besides, a man thinks there is no saying whether he shall ever want them
again, or how long the war will last, and is glad to take anything he can
get to save himself any further bother about them."
Terence was fortunate in being able to buy an undress uniform, with
facings similar to those of his own regiment, and to lay in a stock of
underclothes at a very much lower price than he could have purchased them
for even at home. Before leaving the shop he put on his new uniform and
left the old one to be thrown away.
"Now," Captain Nelson said, when they left the shop, "it is just our lunch
time. You must come with me and tell us all about your wonderful march and
the fight at the end of it."
"I was going down to see about my horse."
"Oh, that is all right! I sent down an orderly to bring him up to our
stables. There, this is where we mess," he said, stopping before a hotel.
"We find it much more comfortable than having it in a room at
head-quarters. Besides, one gets away from duty here. Of course, the chief
knows where we are, and can send for us if we are wanted; but one gets off
being set to do a lot of office work in the evening, and we find ourselves
much more free and comfortable when we haven't got two or three of the
big-wigs of the staff. So they have a little mess of their own there, and
we have a room kept for ourselves here."
There were more than a dozen officers assembled when the two entered the
room, where a meal was laid; for Captain Nelson had looked into the hotel
for a moment on their way to the tailor's, to tell his companions who
Terence was, and to say that he should bring him in to lunch. They had
told some of their acquaintances. Terence was introduced all round, and as
soon as the first course was taken off the table he was asked many
questions as to the march and battle; and by the time when, an hour later,
the party broke up, they had learned the leading incidents of the
campaign.
"You may guess how anxious we were here," one of them said, "when Moore's
last despatch from Salamanca arrived, saying that he intended to advance,
and stating his reasons. Then there was a long silence; all sorts of
rumours reached us. Some said that, aided by a great Spanish army, he had
overthrown Napoleon, and had entered Madrid; others, again, stated that
his army had been crushed, and he, with the survivors, were prisoners, and
were on their way to the frontier--in fact, we had no certain news until
three days ago, when we heard of the battle, his death, and the
embarkation of the army, and its sailing for England. The last was a
terrible blunder."
"Only a temporary one, I should think," Captain Nelson said. "From Mr.
O'Connor's account of the state of the army, I should think that it is
just as well that they should have gone home to obtain an entirely new
rig-out; there would be no means of fitting them out here. A fortnight
ought to be enough to set them up in all respects, and as we certainly
shall not be able to march for another month--"
"For another three months, you mean, Nelson."
"Well, perhaps for another three months, the delay will not matter
materially."
"It won't matter at all, if the French oblige us by keeping perfectly
quiet, but if Soult menaces Portugal with invasion from the north, Lapisse
from the centre, and Victor from the south, we may have to defend
ourselves here in Lisbon before six weeks are out."
"Personally, I should not be sorry," another said, "if Soult does invade
the north and captures Oporto, hangs the bishop, and all the Junta. It
would be worth ten thousand men to us, for they are continually at
mischief. They do nothing themselves, and thwart all our efforts. They are
worse than the Junta here--if that is possible--and they have excited the
peasants so much against us that they desert in thousands as fast as they
are collected, while the population here hate us, I believe, quite as much
as they hate the French. But why they should do so Heaven knows, when we
have spent more money in Portugal than the whole country contained before
we came here."
After the party had broken up, Captain Nelson took Terence to Mr.
Villiers, who, on reading the general's letter and hearing from Terence
how Romana was situated, at once said that he would hand over to him
20,000 dollars to take to the Spanish general.
"How am I to carry it, sir? It will be of considerable weight, if it is in
silver."
"I will obtain for you four good mules," Mr. Villiers said, "and an escort
of twelve Portuguese cavalry under an officer."
"May I ask, sir, that the money shall be packed in ammunition-boxes, and
that no one except the officer shall know that these contain anything but
ammunition?"
"You have no great faith in Portuguese honesty, Mr. O'Connor."
"As to their honesty as a general thing, sir, I express no opinion,"
Terence said, bluntly; "as to the honesty of their political partisans, I
have not a shadow of belief. Moreover, there is no love lost between them
and the Spaniards, and though possibly money for any of the Portuguese
leaders might be allowed to pass untouched by others--and even of this I
have great doubt--I feel convinced that none of them would allow it to go
out of the country for the use of the Spaniards if they could lay hold of
it by the way."
"Those being your sentiments, sir, I think that it is a pity the duty is
not intrusted to some officer of broader views."
"I doubt whether you would find one, sir; especially if he has, like
myself, been three or four months in the country. I have simply accepted
the duty, and not sought it, and should gladly be relieved of it. General
Romana sent me here with a despatch, and it is my duty, unless General
Cradock chooses another messenger, to carry back the reply, and anything
else with which I may be intrusted. I have for the past three months been
incessantly engaged on arduous and fatiguing duty. I have ridden for the
last nine days by some of the worst roads to be found in any part of the
world, I should say, and have before me the same journey. Besides, if I
receive the general's orders to that effect, I may have to stay with the
Spanish general, and in that case shall, I am sure, be constantly upon the
move, and that among wild mountains. If this treasure is handed over to me
I shall certainly do my best to take it safely and to defend it, if
necessary, with my life; but it is assuredly a duty of which I would
gladly be relieved. But that, sir, it seems to me, is a question solely
for the commander-in-chief."
Mr. Villiers gazed in angry surprise at the young ensign; then thinking,
perhaps, that he would put himself in the wrong, and as his interferences
in military matters with Sir John Cradock had not met with the success he
desired for them, he checked the words that rose to his lips, and said,
shortly: "The convoy will be ready to start from the treasury at daybreak
to-morrow."
"I shall be there--if so commanded by General Cradock."
As soon as they had left the house Captain Nelson burst into shout of
laughter.
"What is it?" Terence asked, in surprise.
"I would not have missed that for twenty pounds, O'Connor; it is the first
bit of real amusement I have had since I landed. To see Villiers--who
regards himself as the greatest man in the country, who not only thinks
that he regulates every political intrigue in Spain and Portugal, but
assumes to give the direction of every military movement also, and tries
to dictate to the general on purely military matters--quietly cheeked by
an ensign, is the best thing I ever saw."
"But he has nothing to do with military matters, has he?"
"No more than that mule-driver there, but he thinks he has; and yet, even
in his own political line, he is the most ill-informed and gullible of
fools, even among the mass of incompetent agents who have done their
utmost to ruin every plan that has been formed. I doubt whether he has
ever been correct in a single statement that he has made, and am quite
sure that every prophecy he has ventured upon has been falsified, every
negotiation he has entered into has failed, and every report sent home to
government is useful only if it is assumed to be wrong in every
particular; and yet the man is so puffed up with pride and arrogance that
he is well-nigh insupportable. The Spaniards have fooled him to the top of
his bent; it has paid them to do so. Through his representations the
ministry at home have distributed millions among them. Arms enough have
been sent to furnish nearly every able-bodied man in Spain, and harm
rather than good has come of it. Still, he is a very great man, and our
generals are obliged to treat him with the greatest civility, and to
pretend to give grave consideration to the plans that, if they emanated
from any other man, would be considered as proofs that he was only fit for
a mad-house. And to see you looking calmly in his face and announcing your
views of the Spanish and Portuguese was delightful." And Captain Nelson
again burst into laughter at the recollection.
Terence joined in the laugh. "I had no intention of offending him," he
said. "Of course I have often heard how he was pressing General Moore to
march into Spain, and promising that he should be met by immense armies
that were eager and ready to drive the French out of that country, and
were only waiting for his coming to set about doing so. I know that the
brigadier and his staff used to talk about what they called Villiers'
phantom armies, but as I only said what everyone says who has been in
Spain, it never struck me that I was likely to give him serious offence."
"And if you had thought so, I don't suppose it would have made any
difference, O'Connor."
"I don't suppose it would," Terence admitted; "and perhaps it will do him
good to hear a straightforward opinion for once."
"It will certainly do him no harm. Now, you had better tell the chief that
you are to have the money. I should think that he will probably send a
trooper with you as your orderly. Certainly, he has no reason to have a
higher opinion of the Portuguese than you have."
"I will go back with you, Captain Nelson; but as you were present, will
you kindly tell the general? I don't like bothering him."
"Certainly, if you wish it."
On arriving at head-quarters Terence sat down in the anteroom and took up
an English paper, as he had heard no home news for the last three months.
Presently Captain Nelson came out from the general's room and beckoned to
him. He followed him in. Four or five officers of rank were with the
general, and all were looking greatly amused when he entered.
"So you have succeeded in obtaining money for Romana," the general said.
"Yes, sir, there was no difficulty about it. Mr. Villiers asked me a few
questions as to the situation on the frontier, and at once said that I
should have £5,000 to take him."
"Captain Nelson tells us that you were unwise enough to express an opinion
as to the honesty of the Portuguese escort that he proposed to send with
you."
"I said what I thought, General, and had no idea that Mr. Villiers would
take it as an offence, as he seemed to."
"Well, he has his own notions on these things, you see," the general said,
dryly, "and they do not exactly coincide with our experience; but then Mr.
Villiers claims to understand these people more thoroughly than we can
do."
Terence was silent for a moment. "I only went by what I have seen, you
know," he said, after a pause, "and certainly had no intention of angering
Mr. Villiers. But it seemed to me that, as I was responsible for taking
this money to Romana, it was my duty to suggest a precaution that appeared
to me necessary."
"Quite right, quite right; and it is just as well, perhaps, that Mr.
Villiers should occasionally hear the opinions of officers of the army
frankly expressed. Certainly, I think that the precaution you suggested
was a wise one, and if Mr. Villiers does not do so, I will see that it is
carried out.
"I have asked Captain Nelson to go with you, taking the treasure, to the
barracks and see that the money is taken out of the cases and repacked in
ammunition-boxes. It would be unwise in the extreme to tempt the cupidity
of any wandering parties that you might fall in with by the sight of
treasure-cases. Your suggestion quite justifies the opinion that I had
formed of you from the brief narrative that you gave me of the battle of
Corunna. For the present, gentlemen, I have appointed Mr. O'Connor as an
extra aide-de-camp on my staff. He served in that capacity with
Brigadier-general Fane from the time that the troops marched from here,
which is in itself a guarantee that he must, in the opinion of that
general, be thoroughly fit for the work.
"I think, Mr. O'Connor, that, going as you will as an officer on my staff,
it is best that you should be accompanied by a couple of troopers, and I
have just spoken to Colonel Gibbons, who will detach two of his best men
for that service. In addition to your being in charge of the treasure, you
will also carry a despatch from myself to General Romana, with suggestions
as to his co-operation in harassing the advance of the French. I will not
detain you further now. Don't forget the dinner hour."
A large party sat down to table. There were the officers Terence had seen
there in the afternoon, and several colonels and heads of departments of
the army, and Terence, although not shy by nature, felt a good deal
embarrassed when, as soon as the meal was concluded, several maps were, by
the general's orders, placed upon the table, and he was asked to give as
full an account as he was able of the events that had happened from the
time General Moore marched with his army from Salamanca, and so cut
himself off from all communication.
It was well that Terence had paid great attention to the conversations
between General Fane and the officers of the brigade staff, had studied
the maps, and had made himself, as far as he could, master of the details
of the movements of the various divisions, and had gathered from Fane's
remarks fair knowledge of General Moore's objects and intentions.
Therefore, when he had overcome his first embarrassment, he was able to
give a clear and lucid account of the campaign, and of the difficulties
that Moore had encountered and overcome in the course of his retreat. The
officers followed his account upon the maps, asked occasional questions,
and showed great interest in his description of the battle.
When he had done, Sir John Cradock said: "I am sure, gentlemen, that you
all agree with me that Mr. O'Connor has given us a singularly clear and
lucid account of the operations of the army, and that it is most
creditable that so young an officer should have posted himself up so
thoroughly, not only in the details of the work of his own brigade, but in
the general plans of the campaign and the movements of the various
divisions of the army."
There were also hearty compliments from all the officers as they rose from
the table.
"I doubt, indeed, Sir John," one of them said, "whether we should ever
have got so clear an account as that he has given from the official
despatches. I own that I, for one, have never fully understood what seemed
a hopeless incursion into the enemy's country, and I cannot too much
admire the daring of its conception. As to the success which has attended
it, there can be no doubt, for it completely paralysed the march of the
French armies, and has given ample time to the southern provinces of Spain
to place themselves in a position of defence. If they have not taken
advantage of the breathing time so given them, it is their fault, and in
no way detracts from the chivalrous enterprise of Moore."
"No, indeed," Sir John agreed; "the conception was truly an heroic one,
and one that required no less self-sacrifice than daring. There are few
generals who would venture on an advance when certain that it must be
followed by a retreat, and that at best he could but hope to escape from a
terrible disaster. It is true that he gained a victory which, under the
circumstances, was a most glorious one, but this was the effect of
accident rather than design. Had the fleet been in Corunna when he
arrived, he would have embarked at once, and in that case he would have
been attacked with ferocity by politicians at home, and would have been
accused of sacrificing a portion of his army on an enterprise that
everyone could have seen was ordained to be a failure before it
commenced."
"Did you know General Fane personally before you were appointed to his
staff?"
"No, General; he commanded the brigade of which my regiment formed part,
and of course I knew him by sight, but I had never had the honour of
exchanging a word with him."
"Then, may I ask why you were appointed to his staff, Mr. O'Connor?"
Terence hesitated. There was nothing he disliked more than talking of what
he himself had done. "It was a sort of accident, General."
"How an accident, Mr. O'Connor? Your conduct must have attracted his
attention in some way."
"It was an accident, sir," Terence said, reluctantly, "that General Fane
happened to be on board Sir Arthur Wellesley's ship at Vigo when my
colonel went there to make a report of some circumstances that occurred on
the voyage."
"Well, what were these circumstances?" the general asked. "You have shown
us that you have the details of a campaign at your finger ends, surely you
must be able to tell what those circumstances were that so interested
General Fane that he selected you to fill a vacancy on his staff."
Terence felt that there was no escape, and related as briefly as he could
the account of the engagement with the two privateers, and of their narrow
escape from being captured by a French frigate.
"That is a capital account, Mr. O'Connor," Sir John Cradock said, smiling,
as he brought it to a conclusion. "But, so far, I fail to see your
particular share in the matter."
"My share was very small, sir."
"I think I can fill up the facts that Mr. O'Connor's modesty has prevented
him from stating," one of the officers said.
"It happened that before we sailed from Ireland six weeks ago, an officer
of the Mayo Fusiliers, who had been invalided home in consequence of a
wound, dined at our mess, and he told the story very much as Mr. O'Connor
has told it, but he added the details that Mr. O'Connor has omitted.
Restated that really the escape of the wing of the regiment was entirely
due to an ensign who had recently joined--a son of one of the captains of
the regiment. He said that, in the first place, when the cannon were found
to be so honeycombed with rust that it would have been madness to attempt
to fire them, this young officer suggested that they should be bound round
with rope just like the handle of a cricket bat. This suggestion was
adopted, and they were therefore able to pour in the broadside that
crippled the lugger and brought her sails down, leaving her helpless under
the musketry fire of the troops. In the second place, when the ship was
being pounded by the other privateer without being able to make any reply,
and must shortly have either sunk or surrendered, this young officer
suggested to one of the captains that the lugger, lying helpless
alongside, should be boarded, and her guns turned on the brig, a
suggestion that led not only to the saving of the ship, but the capture of
the brig itself.
"Lastly, when the French frigate hove in sight, the troops were
transferred to the two prizes, and were about to make off, in which case
one of them would almost certainly have been captured. He suggested that
they should hoist French colours, and that both should be set to work to
transfer some of the stores from the ship to the privateers. This
suggestion was adopted, with the result that on the frigate approaching,
and seeing, as was supposed, two French privateers engaged in rifling a
prize, she continued on her way without troubling herself further about
them. Sir Arthur Wellesley issued a most laudatory notice of Mr.
O'Connor's conduct in general orders."
Most of those present remembered seeing the order, now that it was
mentioned, and the general, turning to Terence, who was colouring scarlet
with embarrassment and confusion, said, kindly:
"You see, we have got at it after all, Mr. O'Connor. I am glad that it
came from another source, for I do not suppose that we should have got all
the facts from you, even by cross-questioning. You may think, and I have
no doubt that you do think, that you received more credit than you
deserved for what you consider were merely ideas that struck you at the
moment; but such is not my opinion, nor that, I am sure, of the other
officers present. The story which we have just heard of you, and the
account that you have given of the campaign, afford great promise, I may
almost say a certainty, of your attaining, if you are spared, high
eminence in your profession.
"Your narrative showed that you are painstaking, accurate, and
intelligent. The facts that we have just heard prove you to be
exceptionally quick in conceiving ideas, cool in action, and able to think
of the right thing at the right time--all qualities that are requisite for
a great commander. I warmly congratulate you, that at the very
commencement of your career you should have had the opportunity afforded
you for showing that you possess these qualities, and of gaining the warm
approbation of men very much older than yourself, and all of wide
experience in their profession. I am sorry now that you are starting
to-morrow on what I cannot but consider a useless, as well as a somewhat
dangerous, undertaking. I should have been glad to have utilized your
services at once, and only hope that you will erelong rejoin us."
So saying, he rose. The hour was late, for Terence's description of the
campaign and battle had necessarily been a very long one, and the party at
once broke up, all the officers present shaking the lad warmly by the
hand.
"You are a lucky fellow, O'Connor," Captain Nelson said, as he accompanied
him to his room, in which a second bed had been set up for the young
ensign's accommodation. "You will certainly get on after this. There were
a dozen colonels and two generals of brigade among the party, and I fancy
that there is not one of them that will not bear you in mind and say a
good word for you, if opportunity occurs, and Sir John himself is sure to
push you on. I should say that not an officer of your rank in the army has
such good chances, and you look such a lad, too. You did not show it so
much when you first arrived; of course you were fagged and travel-stained
then, but now I should not take you for more than seventeen. Indeed, I
suppose you are not, as you only joined the service six months ago."
"No; I am not more than seventeen," Terence said, quietly, not thinking it
necessary to state that he wanted a good many months yet to that age, for
to do so would provoke questions as to how he obtained his commission
before he was sixteen. "But, you see, I have had a good many advantages. I
was brought up in barracks, and I suppose that sharpens one's wits a bit.
When I was quite a young boy I used to be a good deal with the junior
officers; of course, that made me older in my ideas than I should have
been if I had always associated with boys of my own age. Still, it has
been all luck, and though Sir John was kind enough to speak very warmly
about it, I really can't see that I have done anything out of the way."
"Luck comes to a good many fellows, O'Connor, but it is not every one who
has the quickness to make the most of the opportunity. You may say that
they are only ideas; but you see you had three valuable ideas, and none of
your brother officers had them, and you cannot deny that your brains
worked more quickly than those of the others.
"Well, we may as well turn in at once, as we have all got to be up before
daylight. I am very glad that Sir John has given you a couple of troopers.
It will make you feel a good deal more comfortable anyhow, even if you
don't get into any adventure where their aid may be of vital importance."
"It will indeed; alone I should have very little influence with the
Portuguese guard. These might be perfectly honest themselves, but they
might not be at all disposed to risk their lives by offering any
opposition to any band that might demand the ammunition they would believe
were in the cases. I was twice stopped by bands of scantily armed peasants
on my way down, and although they released me on seeing the letter that I
carried to the general, it was evident that they felt but little good-will
towards us, and had I had anything about me worth taking, my chance of
reaching Lisbon would have been small."
"The Junta of Oporto has spared no pains in spreading all sorts of
atrocious lies against us ever since the escort of the French prisoners
interfered to save them from the fury of the populace, though perhaps the
peasants in this part of the country still feel grateful to us for having
delivered them from the exactions of the French.
"In the north, where no French soldier has set foot, they have been taught
to regard us as enemies to be dreaded as much as the French. Up to the
present time all the orders for the raising of levies have been
disregarded north of the Douro, and though great quantities of arms have
been sent up to Oporto, I doubt whether a single musket has been
distributed by the Junta. That fellow Friere, the general of what they
call their army, is as bad as any of them. I hope that if Soult comes down
through the passes he will teach the fellow and his patrons a wholesome
lesson."
"And do you think that the troops here will march north to defend Oporto?"
"I should hardly think that there is a chance of it. Were our force to do
so, Lisbon would be at the mercy of Victor and of the army corps at
Salamanca. Cuesta is, what he calls, watching Victor. He is one of the
most obstinate and pigheaded of all the generals. Victor will crush him
without difficulty, and could be at Lisbon long before we could get back
from Oporto. No, Lisbon is the key of the situation; there are very strong
positions on the range of hills between the river and the sea at Torres
Vedras, which could be held against greatly superior forces. The town
itself is protected by strong forts, which have been greatly strengthened
since we came. The men-of-war can come up to the town, aid in its defence,
and bring reinforcements; and provisions can be landed at all times.
"The loss of Lisbon would be a death-blow to Portuguese independence, and
you may be sure that the ministry at home would eagerly seize the
opportunity of abandoning the struggle here altogether. Do you know that
at the present moment, while urging Sir John Cradock to take the offensive
with only 15,000 men against the whole army of France in the Peninsula,
they have had the folly to send a splendid expedition of from thirty to
forty thousand good troops to Holland, where they will be powerless to do
any good, while their presence here would be simply invaluable. Well, we
will not enter upon that subject to-night; the folly and the incapacity of
Mr. Canning and his crew is a subject that, once begun, would keep one
talking until morning."