On entering the barrack yard, they found that the regiment had
marched, ten days before, for the frontier, and that Lord Galmoy's
regiment had taken their place. They went at once to his quarters
and told him that, having effected their escape, they had
travelled with all speed to inform the king of the determination
of the English Government to bring the Irish officers to
execution, and to implore him to intervene in their favour.
"I will go with you to Versailles, at once," Lord Galmoy said;
"but, as you have no uniforms, and the king is very strict on
matters of etiquette, three of my officers will lend you their
suits and swords. While they are being fetched, sit down and share
my meal, for doubtless you have not waited to eat on the road."
He then gave the necessary instructions, and half an hour later
the three officers, now in uniform, started with him on horseback
for Versailles. The king had just returned from hunting, and it
was an hour before Lord Galmoy could obtain an audience with him.
He had, on the road, told the others he felt sure that the king,
who was well served by his agents in London, had already heard of
the intention of the English Government, but as to whether he had
sent off a remonstrance he was of course ignorant.
"I shall press the matter strongly upon him, and point out the
deep feeling that will be excited, throughout his Irish and Scotch
troops, if nothing is done to save the prisoners.
"Louis is a politic monarch," he said, "and, knowing our worth and
that of his Scotch soldiers, I think that he will, on my
representations, bestir himself. Wauchop has many times performed
brilliant services, and deserves well of France. However, we shall
see."
When they were admitted to the audience, Lord Galmoy introduced
the three soldiers of O'Brien's regiment as coming that morning to
Paris, having effected their escape from Newgate. As he repeated
their names, the king looked sharply at Desmond.
"Ah, ah!" he said, "so our young ensign is in the thick of
adventures again. These we will hear presently.
"Well, my lord, why have they come here so hurriedly after their
arrival?"
"They came to inform Your Majesty that the English Government have
determined to execute Colonel Francis Wauchop, and the twelve
officers of their regiment who were on board the Salisbury,
captured on the coast of Scotland."
Desmond, who was watching the king's face closely, saw that this
was no news to him, and that he was annoyed by its being now
brought to his notice; for doubtless the fate of a colonel, and a
dozen young officers, was a matter that affected him little; and
that, had the matter not been forced upon him, he would not have
troubled about it, but, when it was too late, would have professed
entire ignorance of the intentions of the English Government.
He only said, however, "It is incredible that there can be an
intention to execute officers in our service, captured upon a
warlike expedition."
"It is but too true, sir. Against Colonel Wauchop they have no
ground for severity. By the convention of Limerick, he and all
other officers were formally permitted to enter Your Majesty's
service; but the young lieutenants have, of course, joined long
since that time, and therefore cannot benefit by the terms of the
convention; and could, with a show of justice, be executed as
English subjects, traitors serving against their country."
"We are afraid that our remonstrance would have but little effect
with the English Government."
Lord Galmoy smiled slightly, for it was notorious that
negotiations had gone on between King James and his councillors,
and several of the members of the English Ministry, Marlborough
himself being more than suspected of having a secret understanding
with the little court at Saint Germain.
He only said, however, "Your Majesty has in your hands the power
of compelling the English Government to alter their determination
in this matter."
"How so, my lord?" the king asked, in much surprise.
"You have, sire, many prisoners, Frenchmen of the reformed
religion, who had entered the service of the Protestant
princes--your enemies--and who were taken in Dutch and Flemish
towns we have captured. These stand in the same relation towards
Your Majesty as the Irish officers towards England. You have,
then, but to inform the government there that, if they in any way
harm the Irish officers and noncommissioned officers in their
hands, you will at once execute a similar number of these French
Protestant officers, whom you have hitherto treated as prisoners
of war. Then, possibly, an exchange might be effected.
"Your Majesty will, I think, pardon me for saying that, unless
steps are taken to save these officers' lives, the matter is
likely to have a very bad effect on the Irish and Scotch
regiments, whose ardour will not be improved by the knowledge that
in case of a reverse they will, if not killed in the field, be
executed as traitors; for nearly half of the men who are now
serving have joined since the formation of the Brigade, and are
not protected by the terms of the Limerick treaty. They are
devoted to Your Majesty's service, and are ready to lay down their
lives freely for the cause of France; but it would not be fair
that they should also run the risk of execution, if they are by
misfortune made prisoners."
"There is much in what you say, Lord Galmoy, and you certainly
point out a way by which these officers can be saved. A messenger
shall start, in an hour's time, with a letter to the English
Government. It shall be delivered at their headquarters in
Flanders by noon tomorrow, with a request that it shall be
forwarded by special messenger to the British minister; and we
will have a proclamation posted in Paris, and in the various camps
of the army, saying that we have warned the English Government
that, unless the officers and men captured off the coast of
Scotland are treated as prisoners of war, we shall retaliate by
treating all French officers taken in foreign service in the same
way; and that we have furthermore offered to exchange an equal
number of such officers and men, in our hands, for those held by
the British Government."
"I thank Your Majesty, most respectfully and heartily, in the name
of all the foreign officers in your service. Even should,
unfortunately, the English Government refuse to pardon or exchange
their prisoners, it will be seen that Your Majesty has done all in
your power to save them, and there will be a general feeling of
reprobation, throughout Europe, at the conduct of the English
Ministry."
"We beg these officers to wait in the anteroom, while we dictate
our despatch and proclamation to our secretary. We would fain
question them as to how they effected their escape from their
prison, and how they have made so speedy a journey here."
Lord Galmoy bowed, and retired with the others.
"We have done well," he said, "better indeed than I had hoped.
Now, having succeeded in saving our countrymen's lives, which I
doubt not would have been otherwise sacrificed, I shall return at
once to Paris, for there is an inspection of my regiment this
afternoon."
"We have been fortunate, indeed," O'Neil said, when Lord Galmoy
had left. "I have no doubt the king had heard that the English
Government had resolved to execute the prisoners, but I question
whether he would have stirred in the matter, had it not been for
Galmoy's representation."
"I am sure, by his manner, that he had received the news before,"
Desmond said, "and, as you say, had not intended to interfere. It
was the suggestion that he might threaten retaliation, and that
the effect of his not moving in the matter would be very bad among
his Irish troops, that decided him to interfere. He may have felt
that any mere protest made by him would have had little effect,
and it is not his nature to expose himself to a rebuff; but,
directly he saw that he had an effective weapon in his hands, he
took the matter up as warmly as we could wish."
In point of fact, the king's threat had the desired effect, and
two months later the imprisoned officers and men were exchanged
for an equal number of Huguenots.
In a quarter of an hour, the three officers were again summoned to
the king's presence. With him was a tall dark officer, of
distinguished mien, whom O'Neil and O'Sullivan both recognized as
the Duke of Berwick, one of the most famous generals of the time.
He had been in command of the French forces in Spain, from which
he had been recalled suddenly, two days before, in order that the
king, who had a great confidence in him, might consult him as to
the general plan of operations, in that country and in the north,
before despatching him to join the army in Flanders. This was
commanded by the Duke of Burgundy and the Duke of Vendome jointly;
and as both were headstrong and obstinate, and by no means agreed
as to the operations to be undertaken, the king had determined to
send Berwick there, in order that he might, by his military genius
and influence, bring matters to a better state between the two
dukes, and arrange with them some definite plan by which the tide
of fortune, which had hitherto gone against the French, might be
arrested.
The king appeared now to be in a good humour.
"And now, young sirs," he said, "I have an hour at leisure, and
would fain hear a true account of your adventures, omitting
nothing.
"I have no doubt, Monsieur Kennedy, that your ready wit had no
small share in the matter."
"With your permission, Sire, I will tell the story," O'Neil said,
"for Mr. Kennedy is not likely to place his own share of the work
in its due prominence."
The king nodded, and O'Neil gave a detailed account of the manner
in which they had made their escape, and succeeded in getting
themselves conveyed across the channel in a vessel in the
Government service, explaining that both affairs were due entirely
to Desmond's initiative and ingenuity. The king listened with
great interest, and even laughed at the story of the capture of
Lord Godolphin.
"You have all three behaved extremely well," he said.
"You, Monsieur Kennedy, have again shown that you possess unusual
shrewdness, as well as daring.
"What think you, Duke, of this young subaltern, who is, we may
tell you, the hero of whom you have doubtless heard, who twice
rescued Mademoiselle de Pointdexter from the hands of her
abductor?"
"I was told the story yesterday, Sire, and was filled with
admiration at the boldness and resource of her rescuer, who was, I
heard, an ensign in O'Brien's regiment; but certainly I did not
expect to find him so young a man. He has, indeed, a fertility of
invention that fills me with surprise. The other officers deserve
praise, for having so willingly followed the leadership of their
junior, and their generosity in assigning to him the whole merit
of their undertaking is highly commendable. It is no easy thing,
Sire, to find in young officers--especially, if I may say so,
among the cadets of good family, who form for the most part the
staff of your generals--men ready to exercise their own discretion
when in difficulties, and to carry out with due diligence the
orders committed to them."
"O'Brien's regiment has marched to the northern frontier. The
vacancies in the ranks of its officers have been filled up from
those of other regiments. I should, with Your Majesty's
permission, be glad to take these three officers on my own staff,
as, leaving Spain privately in accordance with Your Majesty's
orders, I have brought with me only Captain Fromart, my secretary,
and one young aide-de-camp. I should be glad if you would promote
Mr. Kennedy to the rank of lieutenant."
"We quite approve of both requests," the king said graciously;
"and indeed," he added with a smile, "shall not be altogether
sorry to see Lieutenant Kennedy employed outside our kingdom, for,
after making war on his own account with one of our nobles, and
kidnapping the first minister of England, there is no saying what
enterprise he might next undertake. And should he join any of
those who trouble the country with their plots, we should feel
compelled to double our guards, in order to hold ourself secure
from his designs.
"Well, gentlemen, since the Duke of Berwick has appointed you his
aides-de-camp, the least we can do is to see that you are properly
fitted out for the expedition. You have, of course, lost your
uniforms, horses, and money in our service, and it is but just
that we should see to your being refitted. If you will wait in the
anteroom, you shall each receive an order on our treasury for a
hundred louis d'ors."
The three officers bowed deeply in acknowledgment to the king,
and, bowing also to the Duke of Berwick, returned to the anteroom,
where presently one of the royal attendants brought to them the
three orders on the treasury, and also begged them, in the name of
the Duke of Berwick, to wait until his audience with the king
should be over.
They were all highly delighted with the change in their position.
The posts of staff officers were, as the duke had said, considered
to belong almost of right to members of noble families, and it was
seldom that officers of the line could aspire to them.
"Did I not tell you, Kennedy, that your luck would bring good
fortune to us all! And, by the powers, it has done so! Faith, if
anyone had said a month ago that I should by now be on the Duke of
Berwick's staff, I should have laughed in his face, if indeed I
had not quarrelled with him for mocking at me. And now here we
are, with money to buy horses and outfit, and with no more
drilling recruits and attending parades."
"But not an end to work, O'Sullivan," Desmond Kennedy said. "You
won't find much idle time, when you are serving with the duke."
"No. He has the name of being a strict commander, sparing neither
himself nor his soldiers; and I have heard that his staff have a
very hard time of it. However, I am not afraid of hard work, when
it is done on horseback, and there are many more chances of
promotion on the staff than there are in marching regiments. Well,
I don't mind being taken prisoner a dozen times if this is what
comes of it, providing always that you are taken with me, Kennedy,
and are there to help me out of the scrape."
"We should have to have Mike prisoner, too," Desmond laughed, "for
without his help we should be in Newgate at present."
"I don't believe it. I am sure that, even if he hadn't turned up,
you would have managed somehow."
In a short time, the duke came out.
"I am likely to be detained here another week, before I start for
Flanders. That will give you time to procure your outfit of horses
and equipments and arms. You will require two horses each, and
these should be good ones. I doubt whether, if you get proper
outfits, the sum that His Majesty has given you will suffice to
buy two horses. I have, however, in my stables here, plenty of
good animals that have been taken from the enemy, and one will be
given to each of you. Therefore, it will be only necessary for you
to purchase one.
"I am staying here, and should be obliged, when you have taken a
lodging, if you would send me your address. I shall then let you
know where and when you are to join me. Is there anything else
that you would ask me?"
"I would ask, sir, that I might take my servant with me," Desmond
said.
"Certainly; and you can do so without further question. One man,
more or less, will make no difference to O'Brien's regiment, and
it would be a pity that you should not have him with you, for it
is evident that he is at once faithful, and possesses a large
amount of shrewdness."
After thanking the duke for the present of the horses, the three
officers, having drawn their money, left the palace and rode back
to Paris. They went first to the barracks, and returned the horses
and uniforms, with many thanks, to the officers who had lent them;
had an interview with Lord Galmoy, and informed him of their new
appointments.
"You have well won them," he said, "and I wish you every good
fortune. Assuredly, you are more likely to rise under the Duke of
Berwick than as subaltern in the Irish Brigade, though promotion
is not slow there, owing to the vacancies that battle always makes
in their ranks."
They went out and took a lodging together, and then went to a
military tailor, who promised them their undress and full dress
suits in four days. Then they ordered military saddles, bridles,
and equipments.
On the next day, after visiting half the stables in Paris, they
purchased three horses for themselves, and Desmond bought, in
addition, a serviceable animal for Mike, with a cavalry saddle and
accoutrements, and ordered a uniform for him. Each provided
himself with a sword and a brace of pistols.
Mike was greatly pleased when Desmond communicated his promotion
and appointment to him.
"You will look grand, your honour, as a general's aide-de-camp,
with your handsome uniform and your horses and all that, and 'tis
glad I am that we are going to Flanders, for, from all I have
heard from men who have fought in Spain, little pleasure is to be
had in campaigning there. The food is vile, the roads are bad. You
are choked with dust and smothered with heat.
"As to their making you lieutenant, if you had your dues, it would
be a colonel they should have made you, or at any rate a major."
"There is plenty of time, Mike," Desmond laughed. "A nice colonel
I should look, too, leading a thousand men into battle. If I
obtain a majority in another fifteen years, I shall consider
myself lucky."
Desmond did not share Mike's gratification that they were to
campaign with the army of the north, instead of with that in
Spain. However, as he would be fighting against English troops in
either country, he concluded it would not make much difference,
especially as, being an aide-de-camp, he would not himself have to
enter into actual conflict with them.
His friends were heartily glad that their destination was not
Spain, for all had, like Mike, heard much of the hardships
suffered by the troops in that country.
"I know from what you have said, Kennedy, that if you had had your
choice you would have taken Spain, but, putting aside the heat
there, it is but poor work, by all accounts. You are well-nigh
starved, you can't get at your enemy, who knows all the mountains
and the paths over them, is as difficult to catch as one of their
fleas, harasses you while you are on the march, and shirks
fighting as the old one shirks holy water. There has only been one
fight which could be called a battle since the war began; and as
for the sieges, it means that you lose a lot of men, and have
little credit when you take a place, especially as the moment you
go out one way the enemy enter on the other side, and there is all
the work to be done over again."
"I admit that we shall see a great deal more of war in the north,"
Kennedy said, "and Marlborough and Eugene on the other side, and
the Dukes of Berwick and Vendome on ours, are such skilful
commanders that there will be far greater interest in the
operations, than in carrying on what is little more than a
partisan war in Spain."
"Not only that," O'Neil put in, "but there will be a possibility
of getting decent food. While in Spain there are few great towns,
and these a long distance from each other; in Flanders there are
towns every few miles, and you are sure of decent quarters and
good cooking."
"Why, O'Neil, I did not know that you were particular as to your
food," Desmond laughed.
"I can starve as well as another, Kennedy, but when I get good
food and good wine and good lodgings, I own that I prefer it
vastly to the fare that our troops have to put up with, in Spain.
I can see no reason why, because you are going to risk your life
in battle, you should put up with all sorts of miseries and
inconveniences beforehand, if they can be avoided.
"As to fighting against the English, there are English both in
Spain and Flanders, and in both armies they form but a small
proportion of the force, though I grant willingly that they are
the backbone of both armies. If you look at the thing sensibly,
you will see that we have gained no slight advantage by Berwick's
going to Flanders, instead of returning to Spain."
Three days after their preparations were completed, an orderly
brought a note from the Duke of Berwick. It was brief and to the
point.
The rendezvous is at six o'clock tomorrow morning, in front of La
Louvre.
(Signed) Berwick.
All were glad that the summons had come. They had discussed the
future from every point of view, and were already growing
impatient, short as their stay had been in Paris.
Five minutes before the hour, they were at the rendezvous. As the
clock struck, the duke rode up with two officers and an escort of
six troopers. He looked at their accoutrements and horses, and
nodded his head approvingly.
"You will do very well," he said. "I can tell you that the gloss
of your uniforms will not last long, in Flanders."
The other officers were Captain Fromart, who acted as the duke's
secretary, and Lieutenant d'Eyncourt. Mike fell in with the
escort, behind which also rode the body servant of the duke, and
the two cavalry men who were the servants of his officers.
Once beyond the limits of the town, the party broke into a trot.
The duke rode on ahead, evidently in deep thought, and the five
officers followed in a group.
"I see, messieurs," d'Eyncourt said, "that only one of you has
brought a servant with him."
"We only arrived in Paris a week ago," O'Neil said. "Our own
regiment had left, and we did not care to ask for two soldiers
from another regiment, as these might have turned out badly. We
thought it better, therefore, to delay until we joined the army,
and wait till we could obtain a couple of good men from one of the
cavalry regiments there. As it is, Monsieur Kennedy's servant can
look after the three of us, and, I have no doubt, two of the
soldiers of the escort will not object to earn a few livres by
looking after our horses on the way."
"I think you are right," the other said. "If one gets a good man,
a soldier servant is invaluable. If, as is often the case, he is a
bad one, well, one is far better without him. It is curious how
men who have been smart soldiers, when in the ranks, are apt to go
to the bad when they become servants. They have more time on their
hands, are free from most of the parades, have no sentry duty to
perform, and the consequence is that they become slovenly and
careless, and in nine cases out of ten give way to drink at every
opportunity. If Mr. Kennedy's servant is really a good one, you
will be better off, with a third of his services, than you would
be with the whole of that of an ordinary soldier servant.
"You have just returned from England, have you not? The duke told
Captain Fromart that you were among those who were captured in the
Salisbury, but that you had made your escape. He gave no
particulars, for indeed, the duke is not given to much speech. As
a general he is splendid, but it would be more pleasant for his
staff if he were to unbend a little."
"Yes, we managed to give them the slip," O'Neil said, "thanks to
Monsieur Kennedy and his servant. Did you return from Spain with
the general, Captain Fromart?"
"Yes. There was nothing doing at the moment, and he gave us the
option of accompanying him or staying behind. We vastly preferred
the trip, as we considered it, for of course we had no idea that
the duke was about to be sent to Flanders. You hear a good deal of
the climate of Spain. It is said to be lovely. I vow that it is
detestable. The heat, when it is hot, is terrible, and when it is
not hot, there is a bitter wind that chills you to the bone. A
great portion of the country is but half populated, and you can go
a day's march without coming to a village. The roads are
villainous. There is nothing to buy, and it is as much as the
transport can do to get, I will not say enough bread, but a bare
sufficiency to maintain the troops. Moreover, the duke has been
constantly thwarted in his plans by the Spaniards, who are ready
enough to make promises, but never take a single step towards
their fulfilment. The duke's temper is of the shortest, and he has
quarrelled openly with most of the leading Spaniards, and has
threatened, four or five times, to throw up his command and return
to France. He did do so a year ago, but affairs went so badly,
without him, that the cause of France was seriously imperilled by
his absence, and it was at the urgent request of Philip that he
returned; for at that time the English general, Peterborough, was
striking dismay all over the country, and if the duke's advice had
not been taken, all our officers acknowledge that we should
speedily have crossed the Pyrenees."
"And do the population incline towards Philip or the Austrian?"
"As a rule, they incline towards the party which seems likely to
win. They would shout in Madrid as loudly for the Archduke Charles
as for Philip. Catalonia and Valencia are the exceptions. There
the balance of feeling is certainly in favour of the Austrian, but
this is principally because they are afraid of Peterborough, whom
they regard as almost supernatural, and fear he would take
vengeance upon those who deserted his cause. But there is no
accounting for them; cities have held out as stoutly for one
candidate as for the other, without any apparent reason, so far as
we can observe.
"We fight for Philip because he is Louis's grandson, and it is
important in the interest of France to stand closely allied with
his party. But as for the Spaniards with us, I can tell you that
we have but little trust in them."
"But some of them are good, are they not?"
"We do not consider any of them of much account. But then the
Spaniards on the other side are no better. They seem to have lost
all their military virtues, ever since their best troops were
demolished at Rocroi by Conde. That and the destruction of their
fleet by the English, and the drain of their resources both in men
and money, entailed by the long war in Holland, altogether
deprived the people of their martial spirit. The war is to some
extent between the English and us, because, of the allies England,
Holland, and Austria, neither the Austrians nor the Dutch take any
great share in the struggle. The Dutch are wholly engrossed with
the defence of their fens, the Austrians are fully occupied in
Italy and on the Rhine frontier, and it is only the English, who,
fortunately, are not very numerous, who are against us, for the
Portuguese can scarcely be counted in the business, being, if
anything, slower and more stupid than the Spaniards themselves.
"However, at present the prospect is good. Peterborough has gone.
Galway's army has been almost destroyed; though, to do them
justice, the English regiments fought magnificently, and if they
had been seconded by the Portuguese the result might have been
altogether different."
"Then you found Spain much less rich than France?"
"There is no comparison," Captain Fromart said. "It ought to be
fully as rich, but the plains lie almost uncultivated. The people
seem wholly without energy, and the ruling class are always
intriguing, and seem to pay little attention to their estates. You
see but few castles and chateaux, such as are dotted over France.
I do not say that, at the present moment, France can be considered
a prosperous country in material matters. The expenses of the wars
have been enormous, to say nothing of the Court. The people are
ground down by taxation, and the misery in some parts of the
country is extreme; but left to themselves the people will work,
and work hard. Our soil will grow anything, and after twenty years
of peace, France would altogether recover herself."
"And yet the alliance of Spain is considered as of vital
importance to France!"
"Of great importance, certainly. Spain has still soldiers who can
fight well, as they have proved in Italy; and were the levies at
home equally well drilled and disciplined, they would no doubt
turn out good soldiers. But these are, at present, almost
undrilled. They desert in numbers and return to their homes, after
the slightest reverse, and prefer to act as partisans under
leaders of their own choosing. But with Philip once firmly seated
on the throne, with French advisers and officers to assist him,
and a few regiments to serve as a nucleus to his army, Spain could
turn out a force which would be a very valuable addition to the
strength of any European power. With Spain as our ally we can, in
addition to the force that she can put in the field, neglect
altogether our southern frontier, and employ our whole army
elsewhere. With her as an ally of Austria or of England, we should
have to keep an army in the south to guard our borders."
Two days after leaving Paris, the party arrived at Peronne, where
a considerable body of troops were collected, of which, although
an aide-de-camp, Desmond now learned for the first time the duke
was to take the command. No movements of importance had taken
place in the field, and as the force at Peronne still wanted
several regiments, to bring it up to the intended strength, some
weeks passed before it was set in motion.
The four aides-de-camp, however, had a busy time of it. The main
army was stationed in the neighbourhood of Lille, and frequent
communications passed between Berwick and Vendome.
The allies were inactive. Eugene had, early in April, met
Marlborough at the Hague, and had concerted with him the plan for
the campaign. He had then gone to Vienna to bring up reinforcements,
and until these arrived Marlborough hardly felt in a position to take
the offensive, as the French armies were considerably stronger than
his own, and he had not yet been joined by the troops from Hanover.
Except to receive orders, the aides-de-camp saw little of their
commander. He was absorbed in the difficult problems of the war,
and was occasionally absent for two or three days at the camp of
Vendome. He always spoke kindly to them when on duty, but at other
times dispensed altogether with their attendance, and as a rule
took his meals alone.
"You see him at his worst," d'Eyncourt said one day to his new
comrades, "He is a different man when he is in the field. Then he
is full of life and activity, looking into every detail himself,
endeavouring to infuse some of his own energy into others, full of
care for the comfort of his troops, though ready to endure any
hardship himself. Then you see the real man; a noble character,
idolized by the soldiers and loved by us all. You must not judge
him, in the slightest degree, by what he now is. He has a great
deal on his mind, and has, so it is whispered, no small trouble in
keeping the peace between Vendome and Burgundy. The failure, too,
of the expedition to Scotland must have greatly disappointed him,
and I have no doubt he expected to be put at the head of any
French army sent over to place James upon the throne. However, he
may congratulate himself now that he was not with it, for no
honour and no gain has been earned by any concerned in it."
"That certainly is so," Desmond agreed. "It was a mismanaged
affair altogether. To begin with, twenty thousand men should have
been sent instead of six thousand; and in the next place, the
fleet should have assembled at Brest or Bordeaux, for in that
case, although the news of its assembling would assuredly have
reached England, it would not have been known whether it was
intended that the landing should be made in Ireland, Scotland, or
on the English coast, while by gathering at Dunkirk no doubt was
left as to the destination. This was proved by the fact that, when
the English fleet watching the port was driven off by a gale, and
an opportunity was thus given for a start, instead of coming back
again, as we had hoped, only to find that we had left, it sailed
straight for the north, making absolutely certain that we were
bound for Edinburgh."
"Well, we must hope," O'Sullivan said, "that next time the force
will, as you say, be fully twenty thousand men, will include the
Irish Brigade, will be led by Berwick, and will land in Ireland."
At this moment an orderly entered.
"The duke requires your attendance, Lieutenant Kennedy."
Desmond at once went to the duke's apartments.
"You will start at once for Lille, Mr. Kennedy, and will report
yourself to Marshal Vendome. I have arranged with him that one of
my aides-de-camp shall accompany the force that is about to
advance, and shall keep me informed of what is being done. I have
selected you because I know you to be active and shrewd. The
marshal is too much occupied to send me such full reports as I
should wish, and I look to you not only to give me facts, but to
convey to me your impressions of what you see passing around you.
Do not fear to speak plainly. Your communications will be strictly
private, and your views will be thus of far more use to me than
the official expressions of the marshal and his staff.
"You will, of course, take your servant with you, and I have told
off three troopers to accompany you, for the purpose of bringing
your reports to me. There is no probability of a general
engagement at present, and until we obtain some idea of
Marlborough's plans, no extensive operations will be undertaken."
From the manner in which he spoke, Desmond had no doubt that
Berwick himself was in favour of taking the initiative without
delay, but that he had been overruled. It was indeed of importance
to the French that, before advancing, they should secure
possession of the towns of west Flanders, so that the great roads
would all be open to them.
Half an hour after leaving the duke, Desmond was in the saddle,
and, followed by the four soldiers, rode for Vendome's camp.
According to instructions he halted for the night at Arras, and
reached Lille at ten the next morning. He at once presented
himself to the marshal, and handed to him the letter from Berwick,
of which he was the bearer.
The duke glanced through it.
"I have been expecting you, Lieutenant Kennedy, and have arranged
that you shall mess and ride with the junior officers of my staff.
I will order a tent to be erected for you, at once. Should any
portion of my force move without me, I have arranged that you
shall accompany it. You will find many of your compatriots in
camp, for we have five battalions of the Irish Brigade with us,
among them that of O'Brien, to which the Duke of Berwick informed
me you belonged before you were appointed to his staff, having
distinguished yourself markedly on several occasions."
The marechal-de-camp coming in, Vendome placed Desmond in his
charge, requesting him to introduce him to the various officers of
his staff, with whom he would have to mess, and to see that he was
well cared for. He was well received by the young French officers,
all of whom, with scarce an exception, belonged to good families,
and Desmond was not long in discovering that they regarded their
occupation rather as a pleasant and exciting diversion, than as a
matter of duty, and that the greater portion of their time was
devoted to pleasure. They rode, practised with the pistol and
rapier, made excursions into the country, dined, and spent their
evenings as if the army were nonexistent. A few only, and these
were men who had served as officers, took their profession
seriously, and divided among themselves what work had to be done,
the young nobles gladly relinquishing it to them.