Chapter 12: Oudenarde._In the Irish Brigade: A Tale of War in Flanders and Spain

Desmond did not remain long at the marshal's camp, but accompanied

expeditions that were sent to Bruges, Ghent, and Ypres. The

inhabitants of these towns had, for some time, been in communication

with the marshal. They were hostile to the English, and had a standing

feud, of many years' duration, with the Dutch.

As soon, therefore, as the French columns approached, they opened

their gates. The weak garrisons that had been placed there,

finding themselves unable to at once control the population and

defend the walls, evacuated the town before the French arrived.

Beyond writing confidential reports to Berwick, Desmond had had

little to do, and spent most of his time with his own regiment, by

whom he was heartily welcomed, and with the other Irish battalions

encamped near them. He and the other officers captured in the

Salisbury had been given up as lost by their comrades; and the

appearance of Desmond, in his staff uniform, was the first

intimation they had received of his escape, of which he had more

than once to give a detailed account.

In doing this, he made no mention of the seizure of Lord

Godolphin. He knew that the minister was anxious that this should

not get abroad, and, as he had behaved fairly to them, Desmond

considered that he ought to remain silent on the subject; and

merely said that, on their arrival at Rye, they had made an

arrangement with a man who was in the habit of conveying persons

secretly, to or from France, to take them across the channel.

"You amaze me more and more, Kennedy," the colonel said. "Six

months ago, when you joined, you seemed to me little more than a

boy, and yet you have been through adventures that demanded the

brain and courage of a veteran. We missed you all much; but I hope

we shall soon get the others back again, for I had news the other

day, from Paris, that arrangements for their exchange were going

on, and no doubt they will rejoin as soon as they land.

"There is little chance of you, O'Neil and O'Sullivan coming back

to the regiment; but, at any rate, as Berwick's force is sure to

join ours, as soon as operations begin in earnest, we shall often

see you."

It was the end of June before the main army advanced. Desmond had

returned to Peronne after the capture of the three Flemish towns,

and was warmly praised by Berwick for the manner in which he had

carried out the work entrusted to him. On the 6th of July, he

received orders to accompany the duke.

"There is bad news," Captain Fromart said, entering the room where

the four aides-de-camp were together. "You know the marshal had

commenced the siege of Oudenarde. We have news now that the enemy

has suddenly advanced towards him, and he has been obliged to

raise the siege, and fall back across the Scheldt. The troops are

to go forward at once. The duke will ride on, with all speed, in

accordance with Vendome's urgent request. All four of you are to

go on with him. I shall accompany the force here.

"There is no time to be lost. The duke's horse is to be at the

door in a quarter of an hour, and it will not please him to be

kept waiting. You had better leave your spare horses, for the

present. I have already warned the escort."

It was a short notice, but by the time named the four

aides-de-camp were in their saddles, as were their soldier

servants, for by this time Desmond's two friends had obtained

servants from a dragoon regiment. They were but just in time, for

they had scarcely mounted when the duke came out, sprang into his

saddle, and went off at a canter.

The distance was some fifty miles. They stopped once for two

hours, to refresh themselves and their horses, and rode into

Vendome's camp soon after nightfall. A large tent had been already

erected for Berwick's use, close to that of the marshal; and

another, close by, for the use of the officers who might come with

him.

A quarter of an hour later, a soldier entered the aides-de-camp's

tent, with a large tray.

"The Duke of Berwick bids me say, gentlemen, that he is supping

with the marshal, who has sent these dishes to you from his own

table."

"Please to give our thanks to the Duke of Vendome, for his

kindness," Desmond said; but when the soldier had left the tent,

he went on, "I have no doubt that this is the result of a

suggestion on the part of Berwick, and greatly obliged to him we

must feel. We had just been saying that we supposed we should get

nothing to eat till tomorrow morning, while here is a supper

worthy of the marshal, and four flasks of wine, which I doubt not

are good."

It was ten o'clock before the duke returned to his tent, when he

at once sent for his aides-de-camp.

"There will be nothing more for you to do, tonight, gentlemen.

Sleep soundly, for we shall have a hard day's work tomorrow. We

are to cross the Scheldt again at daybreak. The enemy are on the

other side of the Dender, and the next day a pitched battle will

probably be fought. You may be surprised that we do not wait until

my forces arrive, but we have heard that Eugene's reinforcements

are within two days' march of Marlborough, and, as they are more

numerous than those I command, it has been decided to accept

battle at once. Good night."

"The general is in a good temper," d'Eyncourt said, as they

reentered their tent. "I expect that his views have been adopted,

and that there was a warm discussion over them."

This was indeed the case. The Duke of Burgundy, an obstinate man

without any knowledge of war, had been in favour of pushing

forward, crossing the Lys as well as the Scheldt, and attacking

the allies as soon as they met them. Vendome, on the other hand,

was of opinion that the army which was now collected near Ghent

had better advance against Oudenarde, which might be carried by a

coup de main before Marlborough could come to its assistance,

which he might be some days in doing, seeing that he was in

command of a mixed force, composed of Dutch, Danes, Hanoverians,

Prussians, and British. Burgundy then maintained that they should

retire, and fight near Ypres, where they would be close to the

frontier, and could retire upon Lille in case matters went against

them. Berwick, however, at last managed to persuade him to agree

to Vendome's plan, as the capture of Oudenarde was a matter of the

utmost importance, and it would be as easy to fall back thence to

Lille as it would be from Ypres.

This Burgundy had sullenly assented to, and the next morning the

army marched to the position fixed upon. This was on steeply

rising ground, with the river Norken running at its foot. Beyond

this were two other eminences, on each of which stood a windmill.

That on the west was called the windmill of Oycke, and that on the

adjoining hill the windmill of Royegham, the latter flanking the

main position. Oudenarde being found to be strongly garrisoned, it

was decided, in spite of the opposition of Burgundy, to cross the

Scheldt at Gavre, and then to give battle to the allies between

that river and the Dender.

Marlborough had, however, been joined by Prince Eugene, who had,

like Berwick, hurried on in advance of his army, and the two great

generals decided, instead of attacking the French by the road from

Brussels, to sweep round across the Scheldt at Oudenarde, and by

other bridges across the river, and so to place themselves between

Vendome and France.

A portion of the French army was already in movement, when the

news came that the allies were fast coming up. Early the next

morning their advance guard, composed of twelve battalions of

infantry and the whole of the cavalry, reached the Scheldt; and,

having thrown bridges over the river, crossed, and soon came in

contact with the French advance guard, under Biron. There was some

severe fighting, in which neither party gained any great

advantage, the French maintaining possession of the village of

Eynes.

While this conflict was going on, Marlborough and Eugene, with the

main body, had reached the river, and were engaged in crossing it;

and Vendome determined to attack them while carrying out the

operation. He was, as usual, opposed by Burgundy, who wished to

continue the march to Ghent. Marshal Vendome pointed out that, in

a country so broken and interspersed with hedges, an army

possessing the greatest strength--for the French numbered

eighty-five thousand, while Marlborough had but eighty thousand

under him--would lose the advantage of that superiority; and, upon

Berwick strongly siding with the marshal, Burgundy was forced to

give way.

The discussion lasted some time, enabling the allies to pass

bodies of troops across the river, where they were formed up at a

village a few hundred yards north of Oudenarde; and immediately

Marlborough felt strong enough to risk an attack, orders were sent

to Cadogan, who commanded the advance guard, to drive the enemy

out of Eynes.

Four English battalions attacked the seven French battalions in

the village, while the cavalry crossed higher up, and came down on

the back of the village. Three of the French battalions were

surrounded and made prisoners, while the other four were

dispersed.

It was now evident, even to Burgundy, that an action could not be

avoided, but again an angry dispute took place. Vendome would have

stood on the defensive, with the river Norken to be crossed before

he could be attacked. He was, however, overruled by Burgundy, who

had nominally chief command. Marlborough took advantage of the

delay, and posted his troops in front of the castle of Bevere, and

sent the twelve battalions at Eynes to reinforce his left, against

which he saw the main attack of the French would be directed. He

then lined all the hedges with infantry, and stationed twenty

British battalions, under Argyle, in reserve.

Crossing the Norken, the French fell upon the Dutch and

Hanoverians, who constituted the left wing, and who, though

fighting obstinately, were driven back. Marlborough moved from the

centre with twenty battalions to reinforce them, and despatched

Eugene to command on the right.

A desperate fight now took place. On both flanks, the ground was

broken by enclosures with deep wet ditches, bridges, woods, and

small villages; and the cavalry were unable to act on such ground.

The infantry on both sides fought with extreme resolution; every

hedge, ditch, bridge, and house being defended to the last.

Seldom, indeed, in modern warfare, has so obstinate and terrible a

fight taken place. Frequently the combatants were mingled

together, and fought with bayonets and the butt ends of their

muskets.

Gradually, however, the Dutch and the Hanoverian battalions won

their way forward, and drove the French back to the village of

Diepenbeck, where the latter successfully maintained themselves.

Marlborough then ordered General Overkirk to move round and seize

the hill at Oycke, which, although it flanked the enemy's

position, was not held by them.

This he did, with twenty Dutch and Danish battalions, who had only

just crossed the river. He then pressed on and seized the mill of

Royegham, thus cutting the communication between the French at

Diepenbeck and the troops that still remained on the plateau

beyond the Norken. Eugene then swung round his right, and,

pressing forward, surrounded the French on that side, so

completely enveloping them that his men and those of Overkirk each

believed the other to be French--for darkness had now fallen--and

fought for some time before the mistake was discovered.

As, in such a country, it was impossible to move troops in regular

formation in the darkness, Marlborough gave orders for the troops

to halt in the positions they held. Had the light lasted two hours

longer, the whole of the French army would have been slain or

captured; but, under cover of darkness, the greater portion made

their way through the intervals of the allied troops. Many fled to

Ghent, while thousands made for the French frontier. Vendome lost

in killed and wounded six thousand men, and nine thousand

prisoners, and his total loss exceeded twenty thousand; while the

allies lost five thousand, of whom the great majority were Dutch,

Danes, and Germans.

The French troops on the plateau withdrew, under the direction of

Vendome, in good order; and before morning a large number of

fugitives had rallied. Marlborough sent forty squadrons of horse

in pursuit of them, but the French showed so firm an attitude that

the cavalry were unable to seriously interfere with their retreat.

Berwick had remained, during the day, near the marshal; and had

placed his aides-de-camp at his disposal, for the difficulty of

the ground, and the distance from the plateau of the various

points at which the troops were engaged, rendered communication

much slower than it otherwise would have been, and Desmond and his

companions were frequently sent off with orders.

It was the first time Desmond had been under fire, and the effect

of the roar of musketry, the whizzing of bullets, and the shouts

of the combatants, gave him a much stronger feeling of discomfort

than he had expected. The roar of cannon was not added to the

other sounds, for the guns of the day were clumsy and difficult to

move; and, owing to the rapid marches and countermarches of both

armies, the greater portion of the artillery had been left behind,

and only a few guns were on the field, and these, in so close and

confined a country, were of little use.

Desmond felt now that he would far rather be fighting in the thick

of it, with O'Brien's regiment, than making his way alone along

the lanes, impeded constantly by columns advancing to the front,

while he was met by a stream of wounded men making their way to

the rear.

At first, all was exultation among the troops, for as the

Hanoverians and Dutch were forced to give way before the assault

of the main body of the French, shouts of victory rose; and it was

confidently believed that they would, this day, avenge the two

great victories Marlborough and Eugene had gained over them.

Having delivered his orders to the officer in command, Desmond

rode back. Vendome and Berwick had both dismounted, and were

standing together, with a few of their staff, at the edge of the

plateau, examining the field with their telescopes.

"I have delivered your message, sir," he said, riding up and

saluting. "The general bade me tell you all was going well. The

enemy were falling back, and will soon be in full flight."

"Very well, Mr. Kennedy. By this time, he will have found out that

he was a little too sanguine."

The fire had, indeed, for the past few minutes broken out with

augmented fury. Marlborough had arrived at the threatened point,

and had placed himself at the head of the Dutch and Hanoverians,

and, animated by his presence, these had not only ceased to fall

back, but were in turn advancing.

"The battle is not won yet, Kennedy," O'Sullivan, who had returned

a few minutes before from the front, said, as he joined him. "On

our left we are being driven back, for a large force has

reinforced the enemy there, and unless our main column defeats the

allied left, and pushes them into Oudenarde, we shall have night

coming on before we have finished; and, as our cavalry cannot act

in these cramped fields, Marlborough will be able to draw off

without any great loss."

For an hour, there was no change. Then Berwick, looking round,

beckoned to Desmond.

"Mr. Kennedy," he said, "a strong force of the enemy moved, half

an hour ago, towards their left. I have lost sight of them, owing

to the high hedges and trees, but it does not seem to me that they

can have joined in the battle. Our troops are strongly posted at

Diepenbeck, and should be able to maintain themselves there

against the whole allied army; but the enemy cannot see our

dispositions, and would surely have pushed forward and made a

desperate assault on the village, had they been joined by the

strong force I saw moving in that direction.

"It may be that this force has been held in reserve, in case our

line should be reinforced, and again advance. Marlborough may be

content to hold his own on his left, while Prince Eugene, who, we

have heard, commands on their right, turns our flank on that side.

"I wish you to ascertain, if possible, what this force is doing,

and where it is posted. If you ride across to the mill, on the

eminence behind Diepenbeck, you may be able to get sight of them;

or, if the smoke renders it impossible to discover matters from

that point, ride on to the farther hill, and, descending there on

the enemy's left, you will be able to make your way close enough

to ascertain what is going on. You are well mounted, and need not

greatly fear capture, for they would hardly care to divert a party

of cavalry in pursuit of a single officer. Still, it is as well

not to push your horse too hard on your way out, for you may

possibly need all his strength."

A minute later, Desmond was cantering his horse down the declivity

to the Norken. Crossing by the bridge near Mullen, he turned to

the right and rode up the hill of Royegham. Here a strong brigade,

composed of cavalry and infantry, under General Grimaldi, was

stationed. Desmond rode up to him.

"The Duke of Berwick has sent me to ascertain, sir, the position

of a strong body of the enemy's troops, whom he observed marching

from the river towards our right. May I ask if you have noticed

them?"

"We saw them move away, after crossing the river, but have not

seen them since. I should fancy they are engaged in front of

Diepenbeck; but the ground is so undulating, and the view so

obscured by smoke, that we have not caught sight of them since

they issued from Oudenarde--indeed, the hill behind Diepenbeck

prevents our seeing down into the low land beyond."

"I will ride on there, sir," Desmond said. "Certainly a better

view can be obtained than from this side."

A canter of a mile took him to the summit of the hill at whose

foot Diepenbeck stood. He could see the masses of French troops,

gathered in and in front of the village; but beyond that a veil of

smoke covered the country, and entirely obscured the contending

parties, whose position could only be guessed by the incessant

rattle of their musketry fire.

Turning again, he rode down the dip that separated the hill from

that of Oycke. He had just gained the crest, when he saw a large

force marching rapidly towards the mill. Seeing at once the

serious nature of the movement, he turned and galloped, at full

speed, to the point where the generals were still watching the

progress of the fight.

"I could learn nothing of the force you spoke of from General

Grimaldi at Royegham, nor on the heights above Diepenbeck; but,

riding towards Oycke, I saw them advancing at full speed towards

the windmill, at which they had already almost arrived."

An exclamation of anger broke from the duke.

"This is what comes," he muttered, "of placing a fool in command

of the army."

Turning away, he at once communicated the news to Vendome, who

stamped his foot furiously on the ground.

"Just when victory was in our grasp," he said, and turned his

glass towards Oycke, which was some four miles distant.

"I can make them out now," he said. "There is a black mass issuing

from the village of Oycke, and ascending the hill in the direction

of Royegham. It is too late to reinforce Grimaldi there. They will

be upon him before we can cross the Norken. But, at any rate, we

must send a brigade down to Henhelm, where, with Grimaldi's men,

they can try to keep open the road from Diepenbeck."

Ten minutes later they could hear, by a sudden outburst of fire,

that Grimaldi was engaged. The sun had already set, but Berwick

was able to make out, with his glass, that the left was giving way

before the attack of Eugene, and that the twenty battalions under

Argyle, which had hitherto remained inactive, were advancing by

the main road leading, through Mullen, to the plateau on which

they stood.

"The day is lost," Berwick said bitterly. "The troops at

Diepenbeck are completely cut off. Darkness alone can save them

from annihilation. And to think that, if it had not been for

Burgundy, we could have maintained ourselves here against double

the force of the allies! So long as the system of giving the

command of armies to royal incapables continues, we cannot hope

for success."

Vendome lost no time in issuing orders. The troops still on the

plateau were brought forward, whence their fire would command its

approaches. Aides-de-camp were sent in all directions, to order

the generals of divisions to draw off at once, and to make their

way up to the plateau; and Berwick's four aides-de-camp were told

to make their way, if possible, by different routes to Diepenbeck,

and to give orders for the troops there to maintain themselves, at

all costs, until darkness had completely fallen; and then to make

their way as best they could to the plateau; if that was

impossible, to march for either Ghent or Lille.

"The service is a desperate one, gentlemen," Berwick said, as he

turned to give the orders to his officers, "but it is necessary,

for if the force remain there until morning, they are all

irretrievably lost. It is getting dark already, and you may,

therefore, hope to pass unnoticed between the intervals of the

enemy. If you get there safely, do not try to return at once, but,

like the rest, endeavour to make off during the night."

Without waiting for orders, Mike followed his master. Going down,

they met the remnants of Biron's division flying in disorder. They

separated at the bridge of Mullen, and, with a word of adieu to

his comrades, Desmond turned to the right, and rode for

Groenvelde.

Suddenly, a volley of musketry was fired from the hill to the

right. Desmond staggered for a moment in the saddle, and the

bridle fell from his left hand. Mike was by his side in a moment.

"Where are you hurt, master?"

"In the left wrist, I fancy. By the way the hand hangs down, it

must have smashed both bones. However, there is no time to wait,

now. It is a matter of life and death to get to Diepenbeck."

"One moment, your honour. Let me put your hand into the breast of

your coatee; then, if you keep your elbow tight against your body,

it will keep it steady."

Although Mike carried out his suggestion as gently as he could,

Desmond almost fainted with pain.

"Take a drop of brandy from your flask, master. It won't take half

a minute, and then we will be off."

They continued their journey. The rattle of musketry, ahead of

them, showed that the combat had already commenced close by;

between either the advancing troops of Argyle, or those who had

crossed the hill of Royegham; and Grimaldi's brigade, which was

probably endeavouring to hold them in check, until the troops at

Diepenbeck came back.

It was already too dark to distinguish the uniforms, except at a

distance of a few yards. Dashing on, he saw a dark mass

ahead--three officers rode out.

"Who are you, sir?" they shouted.

"I am carrying a report from the general," he replied, in English,

and without drawing rein dashed on, passing within twenty yards of

the column, and reached Diepenbeck without further interruption.

In the centre of the village, the French general was sitting on

his horse, surrounded by his staff. The combat beyond raged as

furiously as before. Desmond rode up, and saluted.

"I am the bearer of orders from Marshal Vendome, sir," he said.

"He bid me tell you that a large force of the enemy has crossed

the hills of Oycke and Royegham, and is already in your rear, the

enemy's right overlapping your left; while the whole British

reserve is pressing forward, and will ere long effect a junction

with both these forces. Your retreat, therefore, is entirely cut

off. The orders are that you shall maintain yourself here as long

as possible, as in the darkness and confusion, it is unlikely that

the allies can attack you from the rear before morning.

"The marshal himself holds the plateau, and will continue to do

so. You are to make your way tonight, if possible, in battalions

and in good order, through the intervals between the various

divisions of the enemy; or, if that is not possible, singly. All

are to endeavour to join him on the plateau. Those who cannot do

this are to make for Ghent or Lille."

"Your order scarcely comes as a surprise, sir," the general said

bitterly. "We have heard firing in our rear for some time, and we

were afraid that things had gone badly with us, after all."

He at once gave orders that the troops behind the village were to

take up a position to resist any attack made in that direction.

Desmond dismounted, as did Mike, and the latter took the two

horses, fastened them to a tree, and then, with Desmond's scarf,

bound his arm firmly against his side.

"We have made a mess of it entirely, your honour," he said, "and

have got a terrible bating. Sure we were lucky in getting here.

Faith, I thought we were caught when you were hailed."

"It was a narrow escape, Mike; and if they had waited till I had

got a little nearer, and had seen my uniform, I must have

surrendered."

"It seems to me that we are like rats in a trap, Mr. Kennedy."

"Something like it, Mike; but it is hard if we can't get through

them, in the dark."

"That we will do, sure enough," Mike said confidently; "but which

way should we go?"

"That I can't tell you. You see, they are in strength in front,

Marlborough and Eugene are on the left and partly behind us, and

the troops you saw come across the hills are somewhere in the

rear. If it were daylight, not a man of us would escape; but as it

is, it will be hard if we cannot make our way through.

"What I am thinking about chiefly, at present, is the safety of

O'Sullivan, O'Neil, and d'Eyncourt. They ought to have been here

as soon as we were. They may either have lost their way in the

darkness, or fallen into the hands of the enemy. However, I shall

not give them up for another half hour."

The firing was now abating, and presently died away completely;

except for a few scattered shots, showing that the allies had been

halted where they stood, and were no longer pressing forward.

Another hour passed, and Desmond's comrades were still absent.

In the meantime, the general had called together the colonels of

the several regiments, had explained the situation to them, and

repeated Vendome's orders. The news came like a thunderbolt upon

them, for the din of firing round the village had completely

deadened all distant sound, and they were wholly unaware of what

was passing in other parts of the field.

"I must leave the matter to your individual discretion," the

general said. "Those of you who think your men can be relied on,

can try to escape and join the marshal in a body. Those who have

not that confidence in their regiments--and indeed some of these

have been almost annihilated--had best tell them to scatter. Those

who remain here will assuredly be made prisoners in the morning.

"It is possible that that may be the better plan, for it is better

to surrender than to be cut to pieces. I therefore leave the

matter entirely in your hands. I myself shall remain here. We have

done all that men can do in the way of fighting, and, as I was

told to hold this place till the last, I shall remain at my post."

Desmond was present when this conversation took place.

"We will wait another hour, Mike," he said, as he rejoined his

follower. "We may be sure that the greater part of the enemy's

troops will be asleep by that time. They must have made a

tremendous march, for the news last night was that they were

twenty miles away; and they have been fighting twelve hours. After

such work as that, the men will drop down to sleep as soon as they

have halted."

"Shall we go on horse or on foot, your honour?"

"I think the best plan will be to lead our horses, Mike, across

this country. It would seem natural to do so, and once through

them, we could then gallop round and join the troops on the

plateau."

"I should say, sir, that if I were to steal out to where they have

been fighting for the last six hours, I might get a couple of

uniforms to put over our own. They will be lying thick enough

there, poor chaps. If we had them on, we might pass through any

troops we might meet, as we both speak English."

"That is a good idea, Mike, if you can carry it out."

"Sure I can do that, and without difficulty, your honour. I expect

the enemy have drawn back a little, so as to be in some sort of

order if we were to fall upon them in the night; and I know that

all our men have been recalled. I will fasten the horses to this

tree, and perhaps your honour will keep an eye on them."

"I will stay with them, Mike."

The soldier at once made off. The village was now crowded with

troops. All order was at an end, and the regiments were

considerably mixed up. The officers went among them, saying that

an attempt was going to be made to pass through the enemy, and

join the force on the plateau. They pointed out that there was at

least as much hope in being able to do so as in making off singly.

Many of the soldiers, not having themselves suffered defeat,

responded to the call; and several bodies, four or five hundred

strong, marched out into the darkness. The majority, however,

decided to shift for themselves, and stole away in threes and

fours. Of those that remained, some broke into the village wine

and beer shops and drank to stupefaction; while others, exhausted

by the efforts of the day, threw themselves down and slept.

Mike was away half an hour.

"I have got an officer's cloak for you, and a helmet with

feathers. I think he must have been a staff officer, who was

killed while delivering his orders. I have got a soldier's

overcoat and shako for myself."

"Capital, Mike! Now I think that we can venture, and we will go

the shortest way. We might very well lose ourselves among these

hills, if we were to try to make a circuit."

Having put the Dutch uniforms over their own, they set out, taking

the way to the left until they came to the main road by which the

British reserve had advanced. Then they mounted their horses.

"It is no use trying to make our way through the broken ground,

Mike. There is another road that goes through Huerne. We will

strike that, and must so get round on the right of the enemy. Even

if we come upon them, we are not likely to excite suspicion, as we

shall be on a road leading from Oudenarde.

"I was noticing that road from the height. It runs into this

again, near Mullen, and the enemy are not likely to have posted

themselves so near to the river."

They rode on through Huerne. The village was full of wounded. No

one paid them any attention, and they again went on, until

suddenly they were challenged with the usual "Who comes there?"

"A staff officer, with despatches," Desmond replied.

He heard the butt of the soldier's musket drop upon the ground,

and rode forward.

"Can you tell me, my man," he said as he reached the sentinel,

"where the Duke of Marlborough is to be found?"

"I don't know, sir," the man replied. "Only our regiment is here.

I know there are a number of cavalry away there on the left, and I

heard someone say that the duke himself was there. There is a

crossroad, a hundred yards farther on, which will lead you to

them."

Thanking the man, Desmond rode on. A few bivouac fires had been

lighted, and these were already beginning to burn low, the troops

having dropped asleep almost as soon as they halted.

"I hope we shall meet no more of them, Mike," Desmond said, as

they went on at a brisk trot. "I sha'n't feel quite safe till we

get to Mullen."

They met, however, with no further interruption. As they crossed

the bridge, they halted, took off the borrowed uniforms, threw

away the headgear and put on their own hats, which they carried

under their cloaks, and then rode on up the hill, after having

first satisfied the officer commanding a strong guard placed at

the bridge that they were friends.

Another ten minutes, and they were upon the plateau. Desmond had

no difficulty in finding out where the headquarters were

established at Hayse, and, riding there, he at once went into the

house occupied by Berwick, and reported his return.

"I am glad to see you back again, Kennedy," the duke said,

heartily. "It is something to have recovered one friend from the

wreck. Now, what is your news?"

Desmond related what had happened to him from the time he left,

and said that a large proportion of the troops at Diepenbeck had

already left, and, as he heard no outburst of firing, he hoped

most of them had got safely away.

"I see you are wounded."

"I have had my wrist smashed with a musket ball, fired by a party

on a hill to the right, belonging, I suppose, to the force that

came up from Oycke."

"You had a narrow escape of your life," Berwick said. "If you had

been hit a little farther back, the ball would have gone through

your body. Sit down at once. I will send for my surgeon."

And he instantly gave orders for the surgeon of the staff to come

to his tent, and then made Desmond, who was suffering terribly

from the agony of the wound, drink a tumbler of wine.

"I know you are all busy, doctor," the duke said, as the surgeon

entered, "but you must do something for Mr. Kennedy, who is badly

wounded in the arm."

The surgeon examined the wound, and shook his head.

"Both bones are fractured," he said, "and I am afraid that there

is nothing for it but amputation."

"Then leave it till tomorrow, doctor," Desmond said faintly.

"There must be a number of poor fellows who want your attention

much more than I do."

"That would do, if I could make you a cradle, but we are badly off

for all surgical appliances."

"Could you cut one out of one of my jack boots?"

"A capital idea, Mr. Kennedy. Nothing could be better. And I will

put it in operation, at once, with some of my other patients."

"Mr. Kennedy is full of expedients, doctor, and it seems to me

that this may be really a valuable one. All the cavalry men have

jack boots, and I will give you an order to requisition as many as

may be required. The men can get new ones from the stores at

Ghent."

The surgeon at once cut off the foot of one of Desmond's boots,

and then divided the leg longways. "There," he said, taking up one

of the halves; "you could not wish for a better cradle."

He took out some lint that he had brought with him, together with

some flat splints, bound the hand in its proper position, and then

laid the arm from the elbow to the fingers in the cradle, round

which he tightly put a few bandages to keep it in position.

"Now for your scarf," he said, and with this made a sling to

support the arm.

The whole operation did not take five minutes.

"Now, Mr. Kennedy, you had best lie down and get what sleep you

can. I will take the other half of your boot, and the other boot

also. It will be no use without its fellow. It will make three

wounded men comparatively comfortable, and I will send for some