"A SAIL WAS HOISTED AND THEY RAN OUT MERRILY"
"HE BEGAN TO DRAG HIMSELF ALONG"
"ARTHUR FLUNG HIM BACK ACROSS THE TABLE"
"QUEEN CHRISTINA HELD OUT HER HAND"
"AH!" HE SAID, "SO I HAVE LAID HANDS ON YOU AT LAST"
"LITTLE BY LITTLE ARTHUR'S ADVANCE ACCELERATED"
"A TALL MAN WITH A HARSH, ASCETIC FACE ENTERED"
"THE TWO WEAPONS FLASHED AT THE SAME MOMENT"
*WITH THE BRITISH LEGION*
*CHAPTER I*
*ENLISTED*
"Well, sir, I shall be glad to know what you intend to do next?"
There was no answer to the question, which, after a pause, was repeated
in the same cold tone. "Don't know, uncle," came at last from the lips
of the boy standing before him.
"Nor do I, Arthur. This is the fourth school from which I have been
requested to remove you. When I sent you to Shrewsbury I told you that
it was your last chance, and now here you are back again. Your case
seems hopeless. By the terms of your father's will, which seems to have
been written with a prevision of what you were going to turn out, you
are not to come into your property until you arrive at the age of
twenty-five; though, as his executor, I was authorized to pay from the
incoming rents the cost of your education and clothes, and also a
certain amount for your expenses at the university, and when you took
your degree I was to let you have the sum of one hundred and fifty
pounds per year until you reached the age fixed for your coming into the
bulk of the fortune."
The speaker, Mr. Hallett, was a solicitor in Liverpool with a large
practice, which so occupied him that he was too busy to attend to other
matters. At bottom he was not an unkindly man, but he had but little
time to give to home or family. He had regarded it as a nuisance when
his elder brother died and left him sole trustee and guardian of his
son, then a boy of ten years old. Arthur's father had been an invalid
for some years before he died, and the boy had been allowed to run
almost wild, and spent the greater part of his time in the open air.
Under the tuition of the grooms he had learned to ride well, and was
often away for hours on his pony; he had a daily swim in the river that
ran through the estate, and was absolutely fearless. He had had narrow
escapes of being killed, from falling from trees and walls, and had
fought more than one battle with village boys of his own age.
His father, a weak invalid, scarcely attempted to control him in any
way, although well aware that such training was eminently bad for him;
but he knew that his own life was drawing to a close, and he could not
bear the thought of sending him to school, as his brother had more than
once advised him to do. He did, however, shortly before his death, take
the latter's advice, and drew up a will which he hoped would benefit the
boy, by rendering it impossible for him to come into the property until
he was of an age to steady down.
"I foresee, Robert," the lawyer said, "that my post as guardian will be
no sinecure, and, busy as I am, I feel that I shall not have much time
to look after him personally; still, for your sake, I will do all that I
can for him. It is, of course, impossible for me to keep him in my
house. After the life he has led, it would be equally disagreeable to
him and to my wife, so he must go to a boarding-school."
And so at his brother's death the solicitor made enquiries, and sent the
boy to school at Chester, where he had heard that the discipline was
good. Four months later Arthur turned up, having run away, and almost
at the moment of his arrival there came a letter from the principal,
saying that he declined to receive him back again.
"It is not that there is anything radically wrong about him, but his
disobedience to all the rules of the school is beyond bearing. Flogging
appears to have no effect upon him, and he is altogether incorrigible.
He has high spirits and is perfectly truthful; he is bright and
intelligent. I had intended to tell you at the end of the half-year
that I should be glad if you would take him away, for although I do not
hesitate to use the cane when necessary, I am not a believer in breaking
a boy's spirit; and when I find that even severe discipline is
ineffectual, I prefer to let other hands try what they can do. I
consider that his faults are the result of bad training, or rather, so
far as I can see, of no training at all until he came to me."
At his next school the boy stayed two years. The report was similar to
that from Chester. The boy was not a bad boy, but he was always getting
into mischief and leading others into it. Complaints were continually
being made, by farmers and others, of the breaking down of hedges, the
robbing of orchards, and other delinquencies, in all of which deeds he
appeared to be the leader; and as punishment seemed to have no good
effect the head-master requested Mr. Hallett to remove him.
The next experiment lasted eighteen months, and he was then expelled for
leading a "barring-out" as a protest against an unpopular usher. He had
then been sent to Shrewsbury, from which he had just returned.
"The lad," the head-master wrote, "has a good disposition. He is
intelligent, quick at his books, excellent in all athletic exercises,
honourable and manly; but he is a perpetual source of trouble. He is
always in mischief; he is continually being met out of bounds; he is
constantly in fights--most of them, I am bound to say, incurred on
behalf of smaller boys. His last offence is that he got out of his room
last night, broke the window of one of the masters, who had, he
considered, treated him unfairly, and threw a large number of crackers
into his room. He was detected climbing up to his own window again by
the house master, who, having been awakened by the explosions, had
hastily gone round to the boys' rooms. After this I felt that I could
keep him no longer; discipline must be sustained. At the same time I am
sorry at being compelled to say that he must leave. He is a favourite
in the school, and has very many good qualities; and his faults are the
faults of exuberant spirits and not of a bad disposition."
"Now, to return to my question," continued Mr. Hallett, "what do you
mean to do? You are too old to send to another school, even if one
would take you, which no decent institution would do now that you have
been expelled from four schools in succession, winding up with
Shrewsbury. I have spoken to you so often that I shall certainly not
attempt so thankless a task again. As to your living at my house, it is
out of the question. I am away the whole day; and your aunt tells me
that at the end of your last holidays you were making your two cousins
tomboys, and that although she liked you very much she really did not
feel equal to having you about the house for six weeks at a time. You
cannot complain that I have not been frank with you. I told you, when
you came home from your first school, the provisions of your father's
will, and how matters stood. I suppose you have thought, on your way
from Shrewsbury, as to your future? You were well aware that I was not
the sort of man to go back from what I said. I warned you solemnly,
when you went to Shrewsbury, that it was the last chance I should give
you, and that if you came back again to this place I should wash my
hands of you, except that I should see the terms of the will strictly
carried out.
"Of course, your father little dreamt of such a situation as has arisen,
or he would have made some provision for it; and I shall therefore
strain a point, and make you an allowance equal to the sum your
schooling has cost. According to the wording of the will I am certainly
not empowered to do so, but I do not think that even a judge in the
Court of Chancery would raise any objection. I have ordered your boxes
to be taken to the Falcon Hotel. You will find there a letter from me
addressed to you, enclosing four five-pound notes. The same sum will be
sent to you every two months to any address that you may send to me.
You will, I hope, communicate with me each time you receive your
remittance, acquainting me with what you are doing. I may tell you that
I have determined on this course with some hopes that when you are your
own master you will gain a sufficient sense of responsibility to steady
you. At the end of two years, if you desire to go to the university you
will receive the allowance there which would be suitable for you. I
have thought this matter over very carefully and painfully, Arthur. I
talked it over with your aunt last night. She is deeply grieved, but
she agrees with me that it is as good a plan as can be devised for you.
You cannot go to school again; we cannot have you at home on our hands
for two years."
"Thank you!" the lad said; "I know I have been a frightful trouble to
you, and I am not surprised that I have worn out your patience."
"I wish you to understand, Arthur, that the course has been made easier
to your aunt and myself, because we are convinced that with all your
boyish folly you can be trusted not to do anything to disgrace your
father's name, and that these two years of what I may call probation
will teach you to think for yourself; and at its termination you will be
ready to go to the university to prepare yourself for the life of a
country gentleman which lies before you. If you will let me advise you
at all, I should say that as a beginning you might do worse than put a
knapsack on your back and go for a walking tour of some months through
England, Scotland, and Ireland, after which you might go on to the
Continent for a bit. I don't like to influence your decision, but I know
that you will never be content to stay quiet, and this would be a way of
working off your superfluous energy. Now, lad, we will shake hands. I
am convinced that your experience during the next two years will be of
great value to you, and I ask you to believe that in what we have
decided upon we have had your own good even more than our comfort at
heart."
"I will think it over, uncle," the lad said, his face clearing up
somewhat, "and will write to tell you and my aunt what I am going to do.
I suppose you have no objection to my saying good-bye to my aunt and my
cousins before I go?"
"No objection at all. You have done nothing dishonourable; you have let
your spirits carry you away, and have shown a lamentable contempt for
discipline. These are fault that will cure themselves in time. Come,
by all means, to see your aunt before you go."
Arthur Hallett left his uncle's office in somewhat low spirits. He was
conscious that his uncle's indignation was natural, and that he
thoroughly deserved it. He had had a jolly time, and he was sorry that
it was over; but he was ashamed of the trouble he had given his uncle
and aunt, and quite expected that they would not again receive him. His
only fear had been that his uncle would at once place him with some
clergyman who made a speciality of coaching troublesome boys; and he had
determined that after the liberty and pleasant life at Shrewsbury he
could never put up with that. But upon the way by coach to Liverpool he
had read a placard which had decided him. It ran as follows:--
"Smart young men required for the British Legion now being formed. A
bounty of two pounds and free kit will be given to each applicant
accepted. For all particulars apply at the Recruiting Office, 34 the
Quay, Liverpool."
"That is just the thing for me," he said to himself. "Till I saw that,
I had intended to enlist; but there is no chance of a war, and I expect
I should get into all sorts of mischief in no time. This legion, I
know, is going out to fight in Spain. I read all about it some time ago.
There will be excitement there, and I dare say hard work, and possibly
short rations. However, that will make no odds to me. It will be
something quite new, I should think, and just the life to suit me. At
any rate I will walk down to the quay and hear what they say about it."
Going to the hotel to which his luggage had been sent, he ordered a meal
at once, and then, having eaten it, for he was hungry after his long
journey, he strolled down to the wharf. He was shown into a room where
the recruiting officer was sitting.
"I am thinking of enlisting, sir."
The officer looked at him sharply. "Have you thought what you are
doing?" he said.
"Yes."
"You are not the style of recruit that comes to us. I suppose you have
run away from school?"
"I have been sent away," Arthur said, "because I shoved some fireworks
into one of the masters' rooms. It happened once or twice before, and
my friends are tired of me. I have always been getting into rows, and
they will be glad to be rid of me."
"You look more cut out for an officer than a private. How old are you?"
"I am past sixteen."
"It's young, but we are not particular as to age if a fellow is strong
and active. The pay is rather better than the line here."
"It is not the pay, but the life that I want to see," the lad said. "My
guardian has washed his hands of me for the present. I have neither
father nor mother. I have never had a day's illness, and I fancy that I
am as strong as the majority of your recruits will be. I shall come
into some money when I am of age; and I don't know any way of passing
the time till then that will suit me better than enlisting when there is
some chance of fighting."
"There will be every chance of that," the officer said grimly. "We have
got nearly our number on board a hulk anchored in the river, and shall
sail in two days. I myself go out in command of the party. You give me
your word of honour that you have neither father nor mother who would
raise objections?"
"Yes, sir. I lost my mother when I was two years old, and my father
when I was ten."
"Well, lad, I don't see any reason why I should not take you. We have a
miscellaneous body: a few old soldiers, some broken-down tradesmen, a
few clerks, a dozen or so runaway apprentices, a couple of dozen young
agricultural labourers, and a few young men who have come to grief in
some sort of way. They are a rough lot, but they will soon be licked
into shape. Our colonel started three days ago from Leith, and we shall
join the rest of the regiment somewhere on the Spanish coast. Even I do
not know where it will be until I open my letter of instructions. I may
tell you that if you behave well there is every chance that you will get
a commission in a couple of years. However, I will not swear you in
now. I will give you the night to think over it."
"Very well, sir; but I don't think that I am likely to change my mind."
Leaving the recruiting officer, Arthur spent the afternoon in strolling
about the docks and watching the shipping, always a favourite amusement
of his during the holidays. He had done a good deal of rowing at
Shrewsbury when there was water enough in the river, and had learnt to
sail in the holidays; and until he saw the advertisement for men for the
British Legion he had hesitated whether to enlist or to ship before the
mast. On his way back to the hotel he bought a pamphlet explaining the
causes of the war in Spain, and, sitting down in a corner of the
coffee-room, he read this attentively. It told him but little more than
he already knew, for the war going on in Spain excited considerable
attention and interest.
The little girl Isabella had been recently left fatherless, and was but
a cipher. The affairs of state were in the capable hands of the regent,
her mother Christina. Don Carlos had on his side the northern provinces
of Spain, especially the Basques. These provinces always enjoyed
peculiar privileges, and Don Carlos had secured their allegiance by
swearing to uphold these rights. He had the support also of a large
body of the clergy. The provinces of Aragon and Valencia were pretty
equally divided, and fighting between the two factions was constantly
going on. Madrid and the centre of Spain was for Isabella. The royal
forces were superior in number to those of the Carlists, but the
inequality was corrected by the fact that the Carlist generals were
superior to those of the crown. The Basques were sturdy fighters and
active men, capable of long marches, carrying no baggage with them, and
effecting many surprises when they were believed to be a hundred miles
away. In England and France the Carlists had many sympathizers, but the
bulk of the people in both countries were in favour of the little queen;
and although the British government took no open part in the struggle,
they had permitted the legion, ten thousand strong, under Colonel de
Lacy Evans, to be raised openly and without hindrance for the service of
the Spanish sovereign.
Arthur Hallett went to bed and dreamed many improbable dreams, in which
he greatly distinguished himself; and in the morning went down to the
recruiting office and signed away his liberty for two years.
"Do you want any part of your bounty now?" the officer asked.
"No, sir; I suppose we shall get it before landing?"
"Certainly."
"Do we go in the clothes we stand in?"
"Yes; the uniforms and arms will be supplied to you on landing."
"Must I go on board the hulk now?"
"No; the recruits in general go off as soon as they are sworn in, but as
you have not asked for any part of the bounty there is no occasion for
you to do so."
"Very well, sir; I will not come on board till to-morrow evening. I
have got to get rid of my clothes and portmanteaux."
That afternoon he went up to his aunt's. He told them that he was going
to leave Liverpool; his plans were not settled yet, but he was certainly
going to travel. His aunt and cousins were both greatly affected at his
leaving.
"My dear aunt," he said, "I have nobody to blame but myself, and I have
to thank both you and uncle for the manner in which you have borne with
me; and I believe and hope that when I come back I shall have sobered
down. Uncle said that I might come up and say good-bye to you before I
started, and in a few days you shall hear from me. I shall not burden
myself with much luggage: just a couple of flannel shirts, a couple of
pairs of vests and drawers, stockings, and a spare pair of boots. That
won't make a very heavy kit. My other things I shall sell; they will be
of no good to me. And I shall get a rough shooting-coat instead of this
jacket, for which I am already growing too big. It is all very well at
school, but a shooting-coat with pockets is much handier for walking
in."
His cousins, who were girls of thirteen and fourteen, both cried
bitterly when he said good-bye to them, and his aunt was also in tears.
"If you are ever short of money," she said, "write to me; I will manage
to let you have some."
"I don't think I shall be short, aunt. I shall be able to live very
comfortably on my allowance; if I don't, it will be my own fault. I
have been on walking tours before, you know, and I am sure I can do on
the money."
He went off after staying for an hour.
"That is all done," he said, as he walked down the town. "If the war
goes on for seven or eight years I shall be of age when I come back,
shall have my thousand a year, and shall have sown my wild oats;" and he
laughed. "I have certainly made a mess of it so far. Unless the
Spaniards have changed from what they were twenty years ago, their
promises are not worth the paper they are written upon, and I expect
that we shall often go hungry to bed. Well, I think I can stand it if
anyone can."
The next morning he called on a second-hand clothing dealer, who
examined his clothes. Arthur was obliged to allow that most of these
had seen rough work. However, after great bargaining he got three
pounds, a rough shooting-coat, and a good supply of shirts and
underclothes for the lot, including the portmanteau. He kept his stock
of books, and, packing them up in a box, directed them to be sent four
days later, if he did not come for them, to his uncle's house. He had
already bought the knapsack, and found that he could get all his
remaining belongings into this. At five o'clock he went down to the
quay and was taken out in a boat, with some twelve other recruits, to
the hulk. As he reached the deck he regretted for a moment the step he
had taken. A crowd of recruits is not at the best of times a cheering
spectacle. Here was a miscellaneous crowd of men--many of them drunk,
some lying about sleeping off the effects of the liquor, which had been
the first purchase they had made out of their bounty money.
Others were standing looking vacantly towards the land. Some were
walking up and down restlessly, regretting, now that it was too late,
that they had enlisted. Others were sleeping quietly, well content that
their struggle to maintain life had for the present ended. A few men,
evidently, from their carriage, old campaigners, were gathered together
comparing their experiences, and passing unfavourable comment upon the
rest, while forward were a group of country yokels, to whom everything
was strange. Here and there men with dejected faces--failures in trade,
men for whom fortune had been too strong--paced up and down. A few
young fellows had escaped the general contagion, and were laughing
uproariously and playing boyish tricks upon each other. These thought
more of their freedom from their taskmasters, and pictured for
themselves their fury on finding that they had escaped from their grasp.
A few, for the most part old soldiers, walked up and down with a
military step and carriage. These were glad to be in the ranks
again--glad to feel that they would soon be in uniform again. It was
the sight of these men that reanimated Arthur. These men were soldiers;
they knew war and rejoiced at it, and he pictured that in a short time
this motley group--these drunken specimens, these careworn men--would be
turned into soldiers, their past misfortunes forgotten, with carriage
active and alert, ready to face their enemies.
"They are a rougher lot than I expected," he said to himself; "but many
of them must, like myself, have come to this through their own folly. I
looked for a rough time of it, but scarcely so bad as this."
One of the soldiers, struck by his appearance, stopped in his walk to
speak to him. "Well, young fellow," he said, "you look to me one of the
right sort. Got into a scrape, and run away from home, eh? Well, your
sort often make the best soldiers. What shall you do with your kit?
Well, whatever you do with it, don't let it out of your sight for the
present. If I am not mistaken, there is more than one jail-bird here.
You will be safe enough when we once get under way; but eight or ten
have already jumped overboard and got away, and you can't count on
keeping anything till we are clear out at sea. Look at those boats
round the hulk. Half of them have got friends on board, and are waiting
for the chance of getting them away in spite of the sentries. There are
twenty or thirty of us, all old hands, who will probably be non-coms.
when we are landed.
"At present we are told off on guard, and there are four of us always on
sentry duty. I guess you won't be long before you get stripes too. You
have only to keep yourself steady to get on. We have got half a dozen
officers on board--at least they are called officers, though they know
no more of soldiering than those drunken pigs in the scuppers. That is
where our difficulty will be. We call them the politicals. They are
most of them men Colonel Evans has appointed for services rendered to
him at Westminster. Some of them look as if they would turn out well;
but others are sick of it already, though they have only been two or
three days on board, and are heartily wishing themselves back in their
homes. However, one can't tell at first. They may turn out better than
we expect. What is your name? Mine is James Topping."
"Mine is Arthur Hallett. I am much obliged to you for coming to speak
to me, for I was beginning to get rather down in the mouth."
"You mean at the look of the recruits, I suppose? They are a fair
average set, I think; only one doesn't generally get so many together.
By the time we have been in Spain for a fortnight, they will have a
different look altogether. I wish we had a few more country chaps among
them. But there are not twenty here with full stomachs, except those
who are drunk with beer. They have the making of good soldiers in them,
but just at present they are almost all down in the dumps."
"How much longer are we going to stay here?"
"I believe we tranship to-morrow into the vessel that is to carry us,
and sail next day. I shall be precious glad when we are off. Now, come
along with me and I will name you to a few of the right sort. Bring
your kit along with you. It won't be safe to leave it about."
He went up to a party of four men of his own stamp. "Mates," he said,
"here is a young fellow of the right sort. I wish we had a few more
dozen like him."
"Ay, ay!" another one said, looking approvingly at the active figure and
the pleasant face of the young recruit. "He will make a good soldier,
there is no doubt; one can see that with half an eye. He is well filled
out, too, for a young one. You ought to be in the cabin aft, not here.
And you will be there before long, unless I am mistaken. Don't you
think so, mates?"
There was a chorus of assent.
"I did not join with any idea of getting promotion," Arthur said with a
laugh. "I have come out for the fun of the thing, and I mean to make
the best of it. I expected it would be rough work, and I made up my
mind to stick to it."
"I reckon it will be," one of the men, who was older than the rest,
said. "I joined as a youngster just before Vittoria, and if I had my
choice I would rather campaign in any other country. The Spaniards are
brutes, and there was not one of us that would not have pitched into
them rather than into the French. However, I served my full time and
got my pension; but when I saw that there was a chance of service again
and no questions asked as to age, I was only too glad to put my name
down for it, and was promised my old berth as sergeant-major."
"I should have enlisted for the cavalry," Arthur said, "but they seem
taking recruits only for the infantry."
"I don't suppose they would be able to find horses for cavalry. Well, I
don't know which has the best of it. It is easier to ride than to
march, but you have heavier work, what with patrols and night guard. I
hear that there are shiploads of men going from Leith and Dublin and the
Thames, so I dare say there will be enough of your sort to make up a
squadron if they decide to form a cavalry corps." He drew out a
pocket-book. "I will put you into the 25th mess, in which there is one
vacancy. Your mates are a decent set of young fellows. I picked out
those that I thought would get on well together.
"Are you salted yet?"
"Salted?" Arthur repeated.
"Yes; accustomed to the sea."
"No, but I have done a good deal of sailing, sometimes in rough weather,
and I don't think I shall feel sea-sick."
"Your mess is the last on the right-hand side aft. Supper will be
served in a few minutes, so you can take your kit down there. I don't
think anyone will be likely to touch it there--in the first place,
because it is rather a dark corner, and in the second place, because we
have got sentries posted at each hatchway, and no one is allowed to
bring anything up on deck; so I think you will be safe in leaving
anything there.
"Thank you, sergeant! I will go down at once, and put my kit there and
look round."
"I will bet that he has run away from home," the sergeant said, as
Arthur disappeared down the gangway. "I wish we had got a few more of
that sort. I will put a tick against his name. He is young--not above
seventeen, I should say--but he has the makings of an officer about him.
There is one cavalry officer aft. If I get a chance, I will say a good
word for him. He is just the lad for the cavalry, not too much weight,
active and cheery. He seems to have all his wits about him, which is
more than I can say for most of the officers, as far as I have seen of
them. Still, they will lick into shape presently, though I foresee that
the officers will be our weak point. They may be the right stuff, but
they don't know their duty at all. There is a captain among them who
doesn't know his drill, and one doesn't expect that in a captain. It is
the same with many of the others; they are nearly all raw. However, I
hope that the majors know their duty, and will be able to get them into
shape soon. It was the same with the great war. Whole regiments were
ordered on service who were fresh to it, but they soon learned to take
their place with the best of them. It is astonishing how quickly men
pick up their work when there is an enemy in front of them."
Arthur groped his way below. It was already growing dusk, and only two
or three ports were open. Picking his way along, to avoid tripping over
men lying hopelessly drunk on the floor, he reached the spot that the
sergeant had indicated to him, and placed his kit in the corner. In a
few minutes the men began to pour down, some of them descending to the
deck below. Lamps were lighted and hung up to the beams, and under the
orders of the old soldiers they took their places at the tables.
Arthur was not hungry, as he had had a good meal before coming off, but
sat down and looked round at the five men who were to be his associates
during the voyage. Two of them he put down as clerks. One of these was
a pleasant-faced young fellow who had evidently just thrown up his
situation to take to a life of adventure; the other was thin and pale,
and he guessed him to be a man who had for some reason or other lost his
employment and had enlisted as a last resource; the other three were
respectable men of the small trader class.
The meal, which was the first that had been served since mid-day,
consisted of a bowl of soup each and a large hunch of bread. After the
first spoonful or two they began to talk.
"Well," the young man facing Arthur said, "this is not so bad as being
quite starved, for I came on board just after dinner was served. I
suppose we are going to be together for the voyage. My name is Roper,
Jack Roper. I hated the desk, and so here I am."
"I got into a row at school and am going to see a bit of the world,"
Arthur said. "My name is Arthur Hallett."
"I had a little business, but it was so little that I could not live on
it, so I thought that I would try soldiering. My name is John Perkins."
"I left, gentlemen," another man said, "because I was married. I come
from Manchester. By nature I am a peaceable man, and like quiet. I
could not get either peace or quiet at home, and I don't suppose that I
shall get either here. Still, I would rather put up with anything that
can come than with my life at home. My name is John Humphrey."
"I preferred the risk of being shot to the certainty of being starved,"
the other clerk said. "This basin of pea-soup is the first food I have
tasted for two days. My name is William Hopkins."
"I," said the last man, "am a tragedian. Tragedy did not suffice to
keep me alive; the country did not appreciate me, and I came to the
conclusion that I would be an actor in this tragedy in Spain. My name
is Peter Mowser."
"I hope it is not going to be a tragedy as far as any of us are
concerned," Jack Roper laughed. "I don't expect that we shall have a
great deal of fighting to do."
"I don't know," Arthur said. "The Spaniards did not fight well in the
Peninsula, but I think they will do better against each other. I rather
hope they will, for we shall find it very dull if they don't. I shall
be really obliged if you will take my soup," he went on, speaking to the
half-starved clerk. "I had dinner before I came on board, so I can't
touch this. As you came on board without dining, you must want it.
"I do want it," the other said, gratefully accepting the offer. "They
did not pay me my bounty till I came on board, and I was really faint
from hunger, and it seemed hard to be starving and to have money in my
pocket without a chance of buying anything to eat."
When they had all finished, one of the old soldiers came round. "One of
you by turns will take the plates and spoons of the rest and wash them."
"I will begin," Jack Roper said.
"Well then, you are Number One;" and he numbered them off as they sat.
"You will change after dinner to-morrow. It will be your duty to fetch
the rations from the cook-house and to wash up. Anyone who is badly
sea-sick can defer his turn;" and he passed on to the next table.
The iron legs supporting the table were folded up under it, and the
table itself shut against the side of the ship. They learned that no
one would be allowed to go up, so, sitting in a group, they talked over
the life before them. Arthur was glad to find that Roper would also
enlist in the cavalry if a regiment were formed, he having been brought
up in the country.
"I was a fool," he said, "ever to leave it. My father was a farmer, and
gave me a fair education. I had two elder brothers, and they both
remained on the farm, while I was sent to a desk in Liverpool. I stood
it for two years, and even if I leave my bones in Spain I shall not
regret the change. I should have enlisted long ago in the army, but
things are everywhere quiet now, and I did not see that life in barracks
would be much more lively than a stool in an office."
While they chatted in this way a great noise was going on on both decks.
In spite of the efforts of the old soldiers to keep order, some of the
men shouted and sang. Others, who were just recovering from
drunkenness, sat with their hands to their heads. Quiet men shrank away
into corners. Some parties of jovial fellows produced packs of cards,
and, sitting down under a lantern, sat down to play.
At nine o'clock the lights were extinguished, and the men, wrapping
themselves in blankets that had been served round, lay down, and in half
an hour quiet reigned.
*CHAPTER II*
*IN SPAIN*
At six o'clock all hands were called on deck and ordered to have a wash.
For this, buckets were utilized. A few stripped only to the waist, but
many, among whom were Arthur and Roper, undressed and poured water over
each other, feeling the need of it after the night in the close and
crowded cabin. With the fresh morning all were inclined to take a more
cheerful view of things, and at eight o'clock enjoyed breakfast. Then
they went up on deck again, and those who smoked lit their pipes. As
before, boats came up round the ship, and those which had provisions
were allowed to come alongside, and sell their goods to the men who had
money. Most of those on board had already got rid of their small
advances, but the new-comers had all a few shillings in their pockets,
and freely spent them.
Arthur and his companion each bought two dozen hard-boiled eggs and a
dozen buns. Others bought spirits for a final carousal. A few stood
looking mournfully at the shore. A little farther out were boats
containing friends or relatives, and three or four men at different
times jumped suddenly overboard and struck out for them; then half a
dozen of the non-commissioned officers jumped into a boat lying
alongside and gave chase, and there were fierce battles--the weapons
being oars, pieces of coal, and other missiles. In all cases, however,
they succeeded in bringing the deserters back, and these were at once
ironed and sent below. The officers remained on the poop smoking and
talking. They were all in uniform, but most of them did not attempt to
exercise their new functions. One or two, however, who had served
before, went about among the men, chatting with them, pointing out to
them that they had enlisted of their own free-will, that it was no
manner of use for them to kick against the pricks, and that they would
find things much better when they had shaken down.
One of these came up to Arthur and Roper when they were talking
together. "So you have put your name down for a cavalry corps if one is
raised," he said to them, as he looked at the list of his men; "and I
can see that you will both make good soldiers in a short time. Keep
away from spirits, lads, and don't take much of the native wine, and you
will soon have stripes on your arms. I shall keep my eye on you both,
and push you forward if you deserve it." Having then ticked their names
on his list, he went on.
As they finished their dinner the steamer which had been chartered for
their conveyance to Spain came alongside. The old soldiers formed the
others up in line, and they went on board. Their scanty belongings were
all stowed away, and the officers then came down and inspected them.
The vessel was larger than the hulk, and they were not packed so closely
as before. The ports were open and the deck fresh and airy, and even
the most downcast of the force cheered up.
"They are a curious-looking lot," one of the newly-appointed officers
said to the cavalry captain, glancing contemptuously at the motley group
on deck.
"They will look very different when they get their uniforms," the
cavalry man said sharply, "and are a pretty fair sample. As far as I can
see, I have no reason to grumble at my lot. There are eight or ten
countrymen among them, and as many fellows from the town who, have had
experience in handling horses. One is a particularly smart young
fellow. He is rather young yet, but, unless I am mistaken, will turn
out a capital soldier. He is a gentleman, evidently. I should say that
he had got into some scrape at school or at home, and bolted. He is the
best-dressed man on board, and, if I am not mistaken, he will not be
long in winning his promotion. He is well-bred, whoever he is. I shall
be glad to have him as one of my subalterns. That is the man chatting
with another against the bulwark. The other will turn out a good man
too, but he is not of the same stamp. The sergeant-major spoke to me
about the first this morning when he went through the list with me. I
should say that he was a public-school boy; you can seldom mistake
them."
Next morning the vessel started at daybreak. As soon as they were out
of the river some sail was also got on her.
Late the evening before, Arthur had handed a letter to the recruiting
officer as he went on shore, asking him to post it for him in the
morning:--
"My dear Uncle and Aunt,
"This is written on board the steamer bound with recruits for the
British Legion in Spain. It seems to me that a couple of years'
soldiering will do me more good than merely strolling about the country
with a knapsack on my back. I had made up my mind to enlist in this
force as I came up to Liverpool. It seemed to me by far the best way of
keeping me out of mischief. I shall see a new country and new life, and
no doubt shall have some rough work to go through. I thought it as well
not to mention my intention to you, but I hope that you will not
disapprove of it. They are a miscellaneous lot on board, but a few good
fellows seem to be among them, and I have no doubt that I shall get on
very well. I don't know much about the rights and wrongs of this
quarrel in Spain, but I suppose that, as the Legion is supported by the
government, I am on the right side.
"At any rate, the little queen is a child, and there is more
satisfaction in fighting for her than there would be for a king. We
don't look like fighting men at present, but I suppose we shall brighten
up presently; and as a first step they have served out to each of us a
slop dress, which gives us a uniform sort of appearance, and we
certainly look more respectable than we did yesterday when I came on
board. I expect we shall take to fighting presently. I am making fun
of it, because I suppose it is my nature to do so; but for all that, I
am really very sorry that I have given you so much trouble, and I expect
to be steadier by the time I come back again. I have enlisted for two
years, but if I like the life I shall keep on at it till I come of
age--that is, if I do not get cut off by a bullet. I shall send you
letters when I get the chance, but you must not expect them regularly,
for I fancy we shall have very few opportunities for posting them.
Please give my love to the girls, and say I will bring them home some
Spanish mantillas and things when I come back.
"With much love, I remain,
"Your affectionate Nephew."
The voyage was without incident. The sea was never really rough, but
the greater portion of the men wore desperately ill. Arthur, however,
felt perfectly well, and enjoyed the voyage; laughing and chatting with
the old soldiers, helping the sick as well as he could, and relishing
his food--only Roper and himself being able to partake of the meals. On
the fifth day after starting, the steamer came in sight of land. The
sick men were now beginning to recover, and all came up on deck to look
at it, and cheerfulness succeeded the late depression. At mid-day they
entered the creek upon which stood the town of Santander, and crowded
boats assembled round the ship as she dropped anchor three miles higher
up at the village of Astellero. Before the force landed, muskets and
bayonets were served out, together with belts.
The next day drilling began, or rather was supposed to begin; but as the
men had all got their bounty, and some of them the money for which they
had sold their clothes, most of them spent their time in the wine-shops,
and a large proportion of them were helplessly drunk. Their regular
uniforms had now been served out to them, but it was only this that
showed them to be soldiers. Arthur and his companion were among those
who for the first few days attended drill. They were both put in the
same company; and as their captain was an old officer, and did his best
to get his men into order, they very quickly picked up the rough drill,
which was at present all that could be expected; and before they had
been there a fortnight they were both appointed corporals. By this time
most of the men had spent all their money. The drill therefore became
well attended, and the motley crowd began to have the appearance of
soldiers. Two or three other transports had now come in, and the number
in camp had swollen largely.
Insubordination was punished severely by the unstinted use of the cat,
and this caused the men to appreciate the fact that they were no longer
their own masters. Even the sergeants were able to sentence evil-doers
to four dozen lashes, and as they were always moving about among the
men, these comparatively minor floggings had more influence in sobering
them than the very severe sentences inflicted by the regular
courts-martial. The colonel, Godfrey, was an excellent officer for the
post. He could, when necessary, be very severe, but his manner was
mild, and he avoided punishment unless it was absolutely necessary, in
which case he showed no mercy. He was liked by the men, who generally
spoke of him as "Daddy".
Ten days after landing, a steamer came in to fetch the troops to the
town of Bilbao. Coming near the mouth of the Bilbao river, it was found
dangerous to enter. A heavy swell was running, and a large barque was
at the time going to pieces on the sands. The steamer was therefore
sent back to Castri, twelve miles away. Here the force was landed and
quartered in a convent, and the next day a company of the 9th Regiment
came down to escort them through the mountains, as ammunition had not
yet been served out, and Carlists were known to be in the hills.
The people of this place were civil and friendly, and the men enjoyed
their short stay. At daybreak next morning the troops were roused
early, and soon they were collected outside the town. When they got to
a difficult gorge they were halted for an hour, and the
brigadier-general, Colonel Shaw, told them that the Carlists were in
their neighbourhood, and that they must be perfectly steady and quiet if
fire were opened upon them. However, they met with no enemies, and
after a march of about twenty miles they got to Portugalete, where they
were to stay for some time. The work was hard, the drill continuous.
The natives here were hostile, and several of the men were stabbed in
the streets.
The people throughout Northern Spain were, as a rule, bitterly hostile;
the province was semi-independent, with a republican form of government,
and the peasantry entirely under the control of their grandees and
priests. They cared little about the succession, but a great deal about
their privileges. The government wished to deprive them of some of
these privileges, and to make them contribute a fair share towards the
revenue of the country. Don Carlos, on the other hand, had promised to
support their ancient rights, and for these they were all ready to
fight. He had also a certain following in the southern provinces, for
the ancient law in Spain prevented females from ascending the throne.
Ferdinand had before his death abrogated this law, and appointed as his
successor his little girl Isabella; but Don Carlos, who was the next
male heir, protested against this change of law, and claimed the
sovereignty himself.
To add to the confusion that reigned throughout the country, the
government of the regent was hopelessly corrupt. The ministers had all
their own hangers-on--their generals whom they wished to push forward,
their own avaricious schemes to realize; and the consequence was that,
so far, the Carlists had more than held their own.
The latter were thorough fighters, able to march long distances, and to
strike heavy blows where they were least expected. Their leader,
Zumalacarreguy, had so far baffled Mina, and inflicted heavy losses upon
him. The war was conducted with terrible ferocity, little quarter being
given on either side, although the British government had intervened,
and induced both parties to sign a convention by which they agreed to
conduct the war on more humane principles. Zumalacarreguy had but some
eight thousand men, but was able in case of need to add largely to
these. The queen's party had twenty-three thousand, but of these nine
thousand were locked up in garrison towns. Mina was thwarted by the
ministry of war at Madrid, and hampered by the fact that the Carlists
had spies in every village, who reported the movements of his troops to
the enemy. His cruelty, too, drove numbers of those who would otherwise
have remained neutral, to the Carlist side.
From the day on which he landed at Santander, Arthur had devoted every
spare moment to the study of Spanish, and he found that his Latin helped
him considerably. He had made the acquaintance of an Irish priest, who
was glad to add to his scanty stipend by teaching him Spanish, for which
purpose Arthur had drawn a small sum from his store.
The time passed slowly at Portugalete.
"It is all very well for you, Hallett," Jack Roper said, "to be grinding
away at Spanish, but I don't see that it will do us much good. I know
that you have made up your mind to get a commission as soon as you can.
I should not care about having one even if I could get it. As far as I
can see, the berth of a non-commissioned officer is as comfortable as
that of a colonel. He has no responsibility as long as he does his work
all right, and he has none of the anxiety that the officers experience.
I never was any hand at learning, beyond reading and writing, which were
necessary to me as a clerk. I came out here for the fun of the thing,
and mean to get as much amusement out of it as I can; though I cannot
say that the fun has begun yet. This beastly convent is like an
ice-house, and we don't even get good rations. No wonder the men are
going sick in dozens."
"No; we might do better there certainly. I suppose it will be all right
later on, when we get a little straight. At present there is no doubt
that there is a good deal to be desired."
Even to his chum, Arthur had not mentioned his reserve of twenty-five
pounds. He thought it probable that the time would come when it would
be of great use to him, and he resolved to keep it intact as long as he
could. When not busy at drill, or working at the language, Arthur
maintained his high spirits, and he and his chum took a large share in
keeping the men of their company in a good temper. Ten days after
arriving at Portugalete the regiment moved up to Bilbao with the 10th
Regiment, and both were quartered in a huge convent which had been
abandoned. The view from here was magnificent, rich pasture covering
the lofty hills to their summits.
General Evans had now arrived. He was the beau ideal of a soldier,
handsome, with a dark complexion and black moustache; his face was
thoughtful in repose but bright and animated in movement. Five feet ten
inches in height, and well built, he rode good horses, and always placed
himself at the post of danger. Unfortunately he had too much kindness
of manner and tried to please everyone. As a rule he mitigated
sentences of courts-martial, and objected to the shooting of anyone; but
he suffered his soldiers to die in thousands rather than importune the
Spanish government.
The force now marched to Vittoria, and reached that town without serious
fighting, though they had a little skirmishing by the way. Here they
were fated to remain for some months. The life was monotonous, the town
crowded with troops, the arrangements of all kinds detestably bad.
Sickness began to attack great numbers, owing to the bad food and the
insanitary condition of the quarters assigned to them. The whole Legion
were assembled at Vittoria, and for some weeks, beyond marching out and
back to the town, they had no employment. One day, two months after
their arrival there, the officer who had spoken to Arthur when he first
went on board the ship at Liverpool sent for him.
"Hallett," he said, "I have watched you closely since you joined. Your
conduct has been excellent. I have spoken to the colonel about it, and
he in turn has spoken to General Evans. A number of officers have
already either gone home sick or died, and he has been pleased to grant
you a commission, to which I am sure you will do credit. I will take
you now to the colonel, who will formally acquaint you with the change
in your position, and I am glad to know that you will be appointed to my
company. I hear that you have been working hard at Spanish, and that
you can already get on very fairly with it. This will, of course, be a
great advantage to you, and I recommend you to continue the study until
you can speak the language fluently."
"I am greatly obliged to you, sir," Arthur said. "I can assure you that
I will do my best to deserve your kind recommendation."
"Not at all. You have fairly earned your commission. That you were a
gentleman, I saw at once when I first met you, and noted you down for
promotion when a vacancy should occur. I shall certainly be a gainer by
the transaction, for Mauleverer was practically of no use to me; and I
was not sorry when he went off. Now, if you will come with me to the
colonel, who has himself noticed your smartness and activity, we will
get the formal part of the business over."
Colonel Godfrey was in the room with the majority of his officers.
"I am glad to say, Mr. Hallett," he began, "that General Evans has
bestowed a commission upon you. I am sure you will do credit to it, and
we shall all gladly welcome you among us. A man who has proved himself
so attentive to his duty on every occasion should certainly make a good
officer. You will be attached to Captain Buller's company."
The officers all shook hands with their new comrade, and his own captain
expressed great satisfaction at his promotion, "Although," he said, "I
myself shall be a loser by it."
"By the way," Captain Buller said, "fortunately for you young Barkley
died yesterday, and the best thing that you can do is to take over his
uniform. There are no means of sending it down, and no one will dispute
the possession of it with you. Certainly it will be of no use to his
friends, and you may be sure that during the next twenty-four hours it
would be stolen. I will go with you at once, and order Peter, his
servant, to hand it over to you.
"He had a very good horse too. You may as well take possession of that
also. I will advance you, if you like, five pounds, which you can give
to the paymaster, who will hand it, with his arrears of pay, to the poor
fellow's relatives. It is as well to put the thing on a legitimate
footing."
"Thank you very much, Captain Buller! but I have money enough to pay for
it."
"All the better," the officer said.
The captain went with him and saw that he got the uniform. "I should
think you could not do better than take on the servant. He is a good
man, and, between ourselves, too good for the poor fellow who has gone.
He is an Irishman."