The policy of the great cardinal had for its objects the aggrandizement
of France, as well as the weakening of the power of Austria. So long as
the struggle between the Protestant princes and the Swedes against the
Imperialists had been maintained with equal successes on both sides, he
had been well content to see Germany watering its soil with the blood of
its people. Nearly a third of the population had been swept away during
the terrible war. Many hundreds of towns and villages had already
disappeared, while large tracts of country lay uncultivated, and
whichever party won a victory France gained by it. Her interest,
however, lay with the Protestant confederation. So long as Germany was
cut up into a number of small principalities, divided by religion and
political animosity, she could count for little against a foreign enemy.
France had for centuries suffered from the same cause. The families
of Lorraine, Bouillon, Enghien, Burgundy, the Guises, Longueville, the
Counts of Armagnac, and other powerful vassals of France, paid but a
nominal allegiance to the crown, and were really independent princes.
Louis XI had done much to break their power. Richelieu continued the
work, and under him France for the first time became consolidated into
a whole. Had he lived, the work would doubtless have been completed, but
his death and that of the king postponed the work for years. The long
regency, controlled by a minister possessing none of the courage and
firmness of Richelieu, and personally obnoxious alike to the nobles and
to the population of Paris, again threw the power into the hands of
the great nobles, plunged France into civil strife, and the wars of the
Fronde, like those of the Roses in England, so weakened the nobles that
the crown under Louis XIV became absolutely dominant.
Had Austria succeeded in crushing the Protestant princes, that empire,
with all Germany under her control, would have become a power greatly
superior in strength and population to France. It was principally to
prevent this result that Richelieu after the battle of Nordlingen threw
himself into the struggle, but his aim was also to carry the frontier of
France up to the Rhine. Here the territories of the Dukes of Lorraine,
and Bouillon Prince of Sedan, not only cut France off from the Rhine and
the Moselle, but opened a door by which she could at any time be invaded
from Germany. The Dukes of Lorraine had always borne themselves as
independent princes, giving, indeed, a nominal allegiance to France, but
as often allying themselves with German princes as with her. The Duc de
Bouillon, on the north of Lorraine, and the Duke of Savoy, farther
to the south, also regarded themselves as independent. The former, as
Huguenots, had a strong leaning towards the Protestant Hollanders, and
both were ready to furnish asylums to French nobles who had incurred the
wrath of their kings or ministers.
The Duc de Bouillon, father of Turenne, had fought bravely on the side
of Henry of Navarre through the wars of the League. He died when the
viscount was but ten years of age, and, his elder brother being but six
years older, his mother became regent of the little state. After having
greatly weakened the strength of the Huguenot nobles by the siege and
capture of La Rochelle, which had long been the stronghold and bulwark
of that religion, Richelieu obtained from the duchess a treaty by which
she engaged to remain always attached to the interests of France, while
the king undertook to protect the house of Bouillon. The Duke of Savoy
was next compelled to hand over to France the town and province of
Pignerol, and Richelieu then turned his attention to Lorraine. The
reigning duke had entered into an alliance with Austria, and the
invasion of his territory was therefore the first step by which France
entered into the terrible struggle known as the Thirty Years' War.
The duke had given Richelieu an excuse for hostilities. He had married
his cousin, the nearest heir to the dukedom, but he treated her so badly
that she fled to France and begged the protection of Louis XIII. This he
gave her, a French army was at once set in motion against Lorraine, and
it was in this struggle that Turenne had first fought under the French
flag. He had always evinced the strongest predilection for the life of a
soldier, and when he reached the age of fourteen, Richelieu being at the
time engaged in breaking the power of the Huguenots and in the siege of
La Rochelle, the boy's mother sent him to his uncle Maurice of Nassau,
who at the death of his father had become the leader of the Dutch
people. He was treated by his uncle in exactly the same way as other
gentlemen volunteers, carried a musket, and performed all the duties of
a private soldier.
Six months later Prince Maurice died, and his brother, Henry Frederick,
succeeded him in the government of the United Provinces. He at once
promoted his nephew, and the latter speedily rose to the rank of captain
of infantry. Here he was indefatigable in his duties, and unlike most
young men of good family, who left the internal economy and discipline
of their companies to subordinate officers, Turenne saw to everything
himself. He drilled and instructed his soldiers, insisted not only upon
strict military discipline, but on good manners and conduct in every
particular. He won their respect and affection by his personal kindness,
and denied himself almost the necessities of life in order to be able
to add to their comforts. In the wars in the Netherlands there were few
pitched battles, and the operations consisted almost entirely of the
sieges of fortified towns or of measures for their relief.
In all these Turenne took much more than his full share, paying
attention not only to his own duties but to all that was being done,
spending his whole time in the batteries and the trenches, and in
learning all that was possible of war carried on under such conditions.
In the winter, operations were always suspended, and Turenne spent his
time in Paris, where his manner and conduct won for him the favour of
all with who he came in contact. He had been severely brought up under
a Calvinist tutor; his habits were simple, his tastes quiet and almost
ascetic, and he cared little for the amusements of the brilliant and
corrupt court. When the war with Lorraine broke out, Turenne at once
sought for employment with the French army.
He recognized that there was comparatively little to be done in the war
of sieges in Holland, and longed to enter a wider field. His request was
gladly granted, for the presence of the Duc de Bouillon's brother in the
French army was in itself some guarantee of the duke's fidelity to
his engagements with France, and Turenne was at once appointed to the
colonelcy of a regiment. He devoted himself as assiduously to his work
as he had done in Holland, and it was not long before his regiment
gained the reputation of being the best disciplined in the king's
service. He took part in a short expedition in 1630, but there was on
that occasion no fighting, and he first saw real service under Marshal
de la Force in 1634. After the siege of La Motte, the success of which
was due to the storming of the breach by Turenne and his regiment, and
for which exploit he was promoted to the rank of Marechal de Camp,
a rank equivalent to that of major general, he took part in several
sieges, until Lorraine was completely conquered and its duke driven to
abdicate and retire to Austria.
The battle of Nordlingen showed Richelieu that if France did not
resolutely enter into the conflict the Austrians would become absolute
masters of all Germany. He at once signed a treaty with the Swedes,
agreeing to grant them large subsidies to carry on the war. By a similar
treaty he promised subsidies and the province of Alsace to the Duke of
Saxe-Weimar. He entered into an arrangement with the Dutch, who were to
aid France to conquer Flanders, which was to be divided between the two
powers; while the Dukes of Savoy, Parma, and Mantua agreed to undertake,
in alliance with France, the invasion of Milan, and to receive in return
a portion of the territory won from Spain. At the same time France
declared war against Spain. It was to the army commanded by Cardinal
de la Valette, which was to act with that of Saxe-Weimar against the
Imperialists, that Turenne was attached.
The campaign began unfavourably. The impetuosity of Saxe-Weimar, who
hoped to recover his own principality, induced Valette to cross the
Rhine; but he was forced to retire in all haste, and the army suffered
terribly in the retreat. Turenne was in command of the advanced
guard, and his courage and activity alone saved the army from complete
destruction--seizing upon defiles, overthrowing the enemy who barred
the passages, and enabling the army to recross the Rhine with numbers
diminished only by sickness, fatigue, and hunger. At the siege of
Saverne, Turenne led the French troops to the attack after three
repulses, and succeeded in gaining a footing in the town, but received
himself a very severe wound in the arm with a musket ball. During the
following year several towns were captured but no decisive operations
took place.
In 1638, the Duke of Saxe-Weimar gained some great successes, defeated
the Imperialists with heavy loss at Rheinfelden, and besieged Breisach,
the key of southern Germany. The Imperialist army marched to relieve
the place, but reinforcements were sent from France under the command
of Turenne and Longueville. Three battles were fought and the Austrians
driven off. After an assault by Turenne, Breisach capitulated, and
all Alsace had now fallen into the hands of Saxe-Weimar. Having been
promised Alsace he refused, as Richelieu desired, to hand over Breisach
to France; but on the death of the duke in the following year, Richelieu
bought over his lieutenants, the French flag waved over the towns of
Alsace, and the Upper Rhine became the French frontier. Turenne returned
to court, where he was received with enthusiasm, and was a short time
afterwards ordered to Italy to assist De la Valette, who had been faring
but badly there.
Matters had not gone there as Richelieu had calculated. The Duke of
Savoy remained true to his engagement with France, but he died in
October, 1637. The Spaniards had captured Vercelli, and the emperor had
bestowed the regency of the duchy on the Cardinal of Savoy and on Prince
Thomas, brother-in-law of the duchess. These, supported by the Duke of
Modena and the Governor of Milan, the Marquess of Leganez, declared that
they were determined to protect the people against the French and to
deliver the young duke from French domination. The duchess implored help
from France, and la Valette advanced to her aid.
While in Paris, Turenne had obtained from the cardinal permission to
raise a regiment of dragoons and also that a company of dragoons should
be attached to each regiment of cavalry. These troops were not intended
to fight on horseback, but were, in fact, mounted infantry, an arm
which, after being in disuse for many years, has lately been recognized
as a very valuable one, possessing as it does the mobility of cavalry
with the fighting power of infantry. It was at the head of this regiment
that the general started for Italy. The position of affairs in Savoy was
dark indeed, for the whole of Piedmont had risen against the duchess.
Many considerable towns had been captured by the Spanish, others,
including the city of Turin, had opened their gates to them, and with
the exception of Susa, Carignano, Chivasso, Casale, and the citadel
of Turin, the whole country was lost to her. The French forces were,
however, too weak to take the offensive, and the ill health of La
Valette deprived him of his former energy and rendered him unwilling
to undertake any offensive movement. Nevertheless, Turenne's counsels
infused a new spirit into the army, and indeed the news that the young
general, whose name was already known throughout Europe, had arrived,
and the belief that his coming would be followed by that of large
reinforcements from France, at once reanimated the remaining supporters
of the duchess and dispirited the Piedmontese, who began to fear that
they had been too hasty in siding with Spain.
But if, for the time, Turenne was not in a position to act in the field,
he began at once to take steps to prepare to meet the coming storm.
Early in October La Valette died. The general opinion was that Turenne
would have succeeded to the command, but his brother the Duc de Bouillon
had broken with Richelieu and joined the party opposed to him. When in
Paris, the duke had been on terms of intimate friendship with the
Count of Soissons and had invited him to stay with him at Sedan. The
invitation had been declined, but the count, having been implicated in a
plot against Richelieu, had been obliged to fly and had taken refuge at
Sedan, where he had been most warmly received by the duke. Richelieu had
at first invited, and then in the name of the king commanded, Bouillon
to expel his guest. This the duke absolutely refused to do, and becoming
deeply offended at the manner in which he was pressed, joined the party
opposed to Richelieu.
It was for this reason that the cardinal decided not to appoint Turenne
to the command, knowing the warm affection that existed between the
brothers, and fearing that Turenne might be influenced by Bouillon, and
might, beloved as he was by the soldiers, lead many of the troops away
from their allegiance were he to join the party opposed to him. He
therefore appointed the Count d'Harcourt to the command. He had proved
himself a brilliant officer on many occasions, and Turenne did not
feel in any way aggrieved at his being placed over him. He made a rapid
journey to Paris to arrange with the cardinal and d'Harcourt the general
plan of the campaign, and was now setting out again to make preparations
for it.
Hector Campbell enjoyed the journey greatly. His duties were nominal;
and the party always halted at towns, where the troops were billeted
upon the inhabitants, and the viscount and his suite entertained by
the authorities. After crossing the Alps, however, by the pass of Mount
Cenis, and arriving at Susa, his work began in earnest. Turenne himself
was almost entirely occupied in consultations with the duchess; his
three aides-de-camp, however, were kept hard at work carrying messages
to the governors of towns that still adhered to the duchess, with orders
for the strengthening of the defences and for the collection of stores
and provisions in case of siege. Each was provided with three horses,
and almost lived in the saddle.
“You seem to be tireless, Campbell,” de Lisle said, when it one day
happened that all three were together at headquarters. “I feel as if I
had not a whole bone in my body; as I have not had a whole night in bed
for the last six days, I can hardly keep my eyes open, while you, who
have been doing as much as we have, are going about as actively as if
you had had nothing to do for a week.”
“I have the advantage of riding so much lighter than you do,” Hector
said; “weight tells both on horse and rider, and when the horse is tired
his pace soon adds to the weariness of his rider. If we had had to do
this work when we first left Paris, I have no doubt that I should have
felt it, but the journey here has been a fine preparation. Another thing
is, that every morning I take a dip in the first mountain stream I come
to, and that does one almost as much good as a night's sleep.”
De Lisle shivered. “It may do good, Campbell, but I would not jump into
one of these icy streams for anything. It makes one shudder to think of
it.”
“I always had a swim in the Seine every morning when it was not closed
by ice,” Hector said. “I was told that there was nothing braced one up
and made one so hardy as that; and I certainly found that even in the
coldest weather I never felt the need of a cloak.”
“Well, I don't deny that it may be a good custom, and if all Scotchmen
do it, it may account for their hardiness; but I like comfort when I can
get it.”
“But it is not comfort to be always in the saddle, and to feel so sleepy
that you fancy that at any moment you may fall off. Even if a dip in
snow water is, to those unaccustomed to it, somewhat sharp, it is better
than having to struggle against sleep for hours.”
“Well, possibly I may try the experiment some day when I feel that I
must either lie down by the roadside and sleep or take a dip, but until
I feel like breaking down altogether I shall postpone the experiment.”
Turenne several times spoke approvingly to Hector. On one occasion,
when the lad presented himself on being told that an aide-de-camp was
required to carry a message, Turenne said to him: “But it is not your
turn, Campbell; de Lisle and Chavigny both returned some hours ago,
while it is not an hour since you came in.”
“They are both asleep, general,” Campbell said; “they have been
thirty-six hours in the saddle.”
“But you have been more than that, Campbell?”
“But I do not feel it, sir,” he said. “I am perfectly fresh and ready to
go on. I was a little tired when I came in, but I have taken a swim in
the river, and am now at your service.”
Turenne hesitated. “You see, sir,” Hector went on, “being of light
weight the horse does not feel it as he does that of a heavier man, his
pace continues light and elastic, and his spirit good, and that makes
all the difference to the fatigue of his rider. After two days' rest my
horses are perfectly ready for another long day's work, while those of
Chavigny and de Lisle start heavily, not having recovered from their
fatigue.”
“Very well, you can go then, Campbell. I am pleased with your spirit,
and also with your thoughtfulness for your companions, who, although
strong young men, do not seem to have your power of endurance. I find,
too, that you always carry out your instructions with intelligence, and
that your reports on matters touching which I have sent you to inquire
are always clear and full. It may be that ere long I may find employment
for you in which courage as well as intelligence is required. There is
but one drawback, namely, that you do not speak Italian. I know that
there are few officers in our service who do so; but it would be so much
the more valuable were you able to master it.”
“I had intended to study the language, general, as soon as I got here,
but have had no time to begin it.”
“That you certainly have not,” Turenne said with a smile.
“Do you think that it would be of any use, sir, if I were to take a
Savoyard servant? I find that many of them who come from places near the
frontier speak French as well as their own language.”
“That would be useful, certainly; but you would have to be careful in
your choice, and see that you get one whose sympathies are with the
duchess; not only for your own safety, but because a chance word heard
here, or an order given and conveyed to the Spaniards, might involve the
loss of a battle.”
“I see that, general, and will be very careful.”
Hector had formed the acquaintance of several young officers attached to
the household of the duchess, and on the day following his return from
his mission he was supping with a party of four of them when he said:
“Can one of you gentlemen recommend a servant to me? He must be able
to talk French as well as Italian. He must be active and intelligent. I
should like him to be handy and accustomed to camp service, though this
is not so important, for I want him as an interpreter before anything
else. I should like him to be a lightweight, so as to be able to ride
with me. He must be accustomed to fatigue, and he must have courage, for
some of the journeys on which I may be sent will not be without danger,
and of course he must be of the duchess's party.”
“And I suppose,” one of the young men said, “that this Admirable
Crichton of whom you are in search must be sober, honest, and truthful.
Are you particular whether he is Huguenot or Catholic?”
“As to the last, not a bit. I should like him to be as sober as soldiers
in general are, and if he confined himself to taking his wine when I did
not require him, it would not be very important, provided that he is
not talkative when in liquor. As to his honesty, he would have no great
temptation so far as I am concerned, but I certainly should not wish
to lose him by his being strung up by the provost marshal for robbing
citizens. As to his truthfulness, providing he did not lie to me, it is
a point on which I should not be particular.”
There was a general laugh.
“And as to his age?” the officer asked.
“If I could find all the qualifications that I require, I should not be
particular about that; but I think that for choice I would take a lad of
from sixteen to twenty.”
“In that case I fancy that I know a lad who might suit you,” one of the
other officers said. “He is a brother of my groom, and I may own that he
has been of no little trouble to him. The boy is an orphan, and having
no other friends so far as I know, he has attached himself to his
brother, and for the past two years, wherever he has gone Paolo has gone
too. He earns a little money by doing odd jobs--running messages, and so
on, helps his brother to clean the horses; and with an occasional crown
from me, and what he earns otherwise, it cannot be said that he costs
his brother anything in money; but in other respects he is always
getting him into trouble, for he is a very imp of mischief. Two or three
times his brother has obtained places for him, but he always comes back
at the end of a week, and sometimes sooner, with bitter complaints from
his master that he has set the household in a turmoil with his tricks
and ill conduct. Many a thrashing has he had, but they do him no good.”
The others laughed.
“There is no doubt that Paolo is a perfect young imp,” one of them said,
“but he is as sharp as a needle. I have no doubt that if he could be
tamed he would make a most useful lad. As it is, I certainly would not
recommend anyone who cares for his peace of mind to have anything to do
with him.”
“I will see him anyhow,” Hector said. “I think that I would rather have
a sharp boy than a man. Being but a boy myself, I could appreciate and
put up with more in the way of mischief than a man could.”
“I will tell my groom to bring him round to your quarters in the
morning,” the officer said; “but mind, I in no way recommend your taking
him. You won't keep him a week if you do.”
The next morning Hector's orderly told him that a man desired to speak
to him.
“Has he a boy with him?”
“Yes, lieutenant.”
“Bring them in here, then.”
In a minute a man entered, followed by a boy. The former was a good
looking young Savoyard of some four- or five-and-twenty years; the
latter was a lad of about the same height as Hector but somewhat older.
He had black hair which fell over his forehead down to his eyebrows. His
face bore an expression of extreme humility, which, however, was marred
by the merry twinkle of his dark eyes.
“My master has bid me bring my brother with me, Lieutenant Campbell,”
the man said, “and I have done so, but I fear greatly that he will
hardly suit you as a servant. I have obtained a dozen places for him,
but he is always sent back at the end of three or four days, and I told
him last time that I would never say a word in his recommendation again,
for that it only gets me into trouble with the gentlemen.”
“Well, that is honest,” Hector said with a smile. “However, I will
ask him a few questions. Now, Paolo, in the first place, could you be
faithful?”
“I could be faithful to a master I loved,” he said.
“In the second place, are you honest?”
“He is honest,” the man said, “I will say that for him.”
“Are you truthful?”
“I am as truthful as other people,” the boy said.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, sir, that if I were asked a straightforward question I would
give a straightforward answer, unless it were wiser not to do so. I
would tell the truth to my master, but I do not consider it necessary
always to do so to others. For instance, sir, if you were my master, and
questions were asked about you, there might be times when it would not
be convenient for you that I should mention where you had gone, or what
you were doing.”
“That is so,” Hector said with a laugh. “The important thing for me to
know is, would you always tell me the truth?”
“I think that I could promise to do that, sir, or at least to be very
near the truth.”
“You understand horses?”
“I do, sir.”
“And you can ride?”
“Yes, sir, I can ride and run too. In a long day's journey I should get
to the end on foot nearly as fast as you would on horseback.”
“He can make himself useful on a campaign,” the brother said. “He has
been with my master and myself in the field for the last three years,
and knows his work well if he chooses to do it.”
“The principal point with me is that which I first asked him about,
can he be faithful? I may have to ride on dangerous missions for the
general. I may have to enter an enemy's town to obtain information.
There is another thing, being of the general's staff, and sometimes
quartered in the same house with him and chatting freely with his other
aides-de-camp, secrets might be picked up by a sharp pair of ears that
if repeated would do grievous harm to the cause of the duchess, as you
can well understand. Now, the question, Paolo, is, can you be absolutely
trusted; can you, as to all matters you may hear, be as one who is deaf
and dumb?”
“I could, sir,” the boy said earnestly. “I am all for the duchess, and
I hate the Spaniards. I once was found out in a bit of mischief in the
palace, and should have been whipped for it and turned out of the town,
but the duchess herself said that I was only a boy and forgave me, and I
would do anything for her. I would indeed, sir, and I swear that I would
be always honest and truthful with you. I should like you as a master.
You don't speak to me as if I were dirt under your feet, and I am sure
by your voice that you would be kind. Try me, sir; my brother will tell
you that I have never said as much before to anyone to whom he has taken
me, for indeed I never meant to stay with them, preferring my liberty,
rough though my fare may sometimes be.”
“I will try you, Paolo. I believe that you are in earnest, and that
I can trust you; but mind, there must be no monkey tricks here. The
general must not be disturbed by the antics of a servant boy. You are
likely, in my service, to have as much excitement and adventure as you
can wish for, and you must behave yourself, for if you do not do so
you will be lucky if you escape with a flogging and being turned out of
camp. I am younger than you are, and am just as fond of a piece of fun,
but I know when it is good to enjoy one's self and when one must put
aside boyish pranks. I have my duties to perform, and do them to the
best of my power, and shall expect you to do the same.”
“I will, sir,” the boy said respectfully. “I will give you no cause to
complain of me, at least no wilful cause.”
“Then that is settled. Here,” he said to the boy's brother, “are five
pistoles; see that he is decently clad so as to make a fair appearance
by my side. When he is so, let him return here. It were best that he
should come this evening, for it is likely that I shall be away on duty
tomorrow.”
“He shall be here, sir,” he said, “and I thank you heartily for engaging
him; and I do think that he means this time to behave himself.”
“I do mean it,” the boy said. “You shall have no reason to complain of
me, sir.”
Shortly afterwards Hector met the officer who had spoken of the boy.
“Well, have you thought anything more of young ne'er-do-well?”
“I have engaged him.”
“You have, after the warning I gave you? Well, I hope you will not have
reason to repent it.”
“I do not think that I shall. I can quite believe that he is a
mischievous young varlet, he shows it in his face; but I am sure that he
is shrewd, and I believe that he will be faithful. At any rate I think
that we took to each other, and that he has made up his mind to try for
once to stay in a place. He really seemed in earnest about it, and if
he keeps to his promises I think that he will be just the sort of lad to
suit me.”
“Well, we shall see,” the officer said; “but if he turns out badly,
please remember that I warned you against him.”
“And if he turns out well,” Hector said with a laugh, “I shall not fail
also to remind you of your prognostications.”
That evening when Hector returned to his room after he had finished his
meal, he found Paolo waiting outside his door. His appearance had so
changed that he would not have known him. His hair had been cut short
in the front and left long behind, as was the custom of the day, hanging
down on to his collar. He was neat and tidy. He wore a dark blue doublet
reaching to the hips, with a buff leather belt, in which was stuck a
dagger. His leggings, fitting tightly down to the ankles, were of dark
maroon cloth, and he wore short boots of tanned leather. A plain white
collar, some four inches deep, was worn turned down over the neck of the
doublet, and a yellow cloth cap, with a dark cock's feather, was stuck
on one side of his head. In his hand he held a bundle containing a
leather jerkin and breeches of the same material, and a pair of buff
leather riding boots that would reach to the knee.
“Your brother has laid out the money well, Paolo,” Hector said, as he
opened the door and led the way into his room. “I do not think that I
should have known you.”
“I am quite sure that I should not have known myself, master, if I had
looked into a horse trough and seen my reflection. It will be a long
time before I shall be able to persuade myself that these clothes are
my own, and that I really am an officer's lackey. Now, master, you must
teach me my duties, of which I know nought when in a house like this,
though I know well enough what they are when you are in the field.”
“They are few enough at present, Paolo. Monsieur de Turenne's stablemen
look after the horses of his staff. When I do not dine with him, I and
my two friends, M. de Lisle and M. de Chavigny, dine and sup together
at an inn. There is my room to keep tidy, my bed to make, my armour and
arms to be polished, and my clothes to be brushed. Hitherto, my orderly
has done these things, but it will now be your duty. As I do not eat in
my rooms, it is clear that there is no food for you, and when we are in
towns I shall give you money to pay for your meals at a cabaret.”
“I hope, master, that you will soon find something more useful for me
to do, for, in truth, I fear that with so much time on my hands I shall
find it sorely difficult to comport myself as is due to your lackey.”
“Do not fear, I have little doubt that you will soon find work enough
and to spare, and indeed you will often ride with me.”
Some few days later, the other two aides-de-camp being away, the
viscount requested Hector to accompany him on a tour of inspection that
might last two or three days. He was accompanied by his orderly and
three other troopers, behind who rode two of his own lackeys with
baskets of provisions. With them rode Paolo, Hector having asked the
general if he should take him with him.
“You may as well do so, Campbell, it will accustom him to his work. What
made you choose so young a servant?” he asked, as he rode off.
“He is a year older than I am, though perhaps not so tall. He is the
brother of a man in the employment of Monsieur de Vevey. He has been
through the last two campaigns. I find him very intelligent. He obeys
my orders promptly, and as he is heart and soul in the cause of the
duchess, I feel sure of his fidelity, especially as he has had a hard
time of it up to now, and is, I think, grateful to me for taking him.
He speaks French very well, and might certainly be of great use to me
in any enterprise that your lordship might be good enough to entrust
me with. Being about the same age, I think that we might perhaps go
together unquestioned where a man would be unable to pass.”
The viscount rode on for some minutes without speaking. “There is
something in what you say, Campbell, and after this journey is over I
may be able to employ you in that way when it is necessary to obtain
information I can get in no other manner. Has he ridden with you
before?”
“Yes, sir, he has ridden behind me each time that I have been away since
I engaged him. When I say behind me, he starts behind me, but when out
of town I call him up beside me, and we talk, or rather try to talk,
in Italian--or rather I should say in Piedmontese, for he tells me that
each district of Italy has its own dialect, and that the natives of one
can scarce understand the other. I have bought a book printed here and a
dictionary, and of an evening when I have no duties to perform he comes
into my room, and translates sentence by sentence as I read it to him. I
learn it by heart, and hope that ere long I shall be able to make myself
understood in it.”
“You do well--very well,” the viscount said. “If all my young officers
were to do the same, instead of spending the evening and half the night
in drinking and gambling, things would go on much more smoothly, and
there would not be so many blunders in carrying out my orders. You will
greatly add to your usefulness by acquiring a knowledge of the language,
and it would certainly enable you to carry out with far less danger such
commissions as those you were just speaking of; for you might be asked a
question, and if it were replied to by your lackey, suspicions would be
at once aroused. You have ridden along this road before?”
“Several times, sir.”
“Have you noted the features of the country--I mean from a military
point of view?”
“I have nothing else to do as I ride along, sir. As I go I notice where
an ambuscade might be laid, either by ourselves or an enemy, where we
might expect to be opposed on our march forward, or where a rear guard
might check an enemy were we retiring before him.”
“Good! the fate of a battle depends in nine cases out of ten upon a
knowledge of the ground, and in quickness in utilizing that knowledge.
Our journey today is only taken for that purpose. I want to see for
myself the country across which we shall at first operate, to inspect
the various routes by which we might advance, or through which, if we
find the enemy in too great a force to be encountered, we should be
obliged to retire. As we go you shall point out to me the observations
that you have made, and I shall be able to judge whether the spots are
well chosen for the purpose.”