"I have a job for you, Mike."
"What is it, your honour?"
"I want you to take off all the marks of a field officer from my
clothes. I am going to be a captain again."
Mike looked with surprise at his master.
"Well, your honour, it is ungrateful bastes they must be. Sure I
thought that the least they could do was to make you a full major,
though if they had made you a colonel, it would be no more than
you deserve."
"I was offered the majority, Mike, but I declined it. It would be
absurd, at my age, to have such a rank, and I should be ashamed to
look officers of our brigade, who have done nigh twenty years of
good service and are still only captains, in the face. I would
much rather remain as I am."
"Well, it may be you are right, sir, but it is disappointed I am,
entirely."
"You will get over it, Mike," Desmond laughed.
"That may be," Mike said doubtfully, "but I should have felt
mighty proud of being a colonel's servant."
"I don't suppose you will ever be that, Mike. You know that, after
the last war was over, several of the Irish regiments were
disbanded, and no doubt it will be the same when this war is
finished, so you could not count upon seeing me a colonel, at any
rate not for another twenty years."
"Ah, your honour, I hope we shall be back in old Ireland years
before that!"
"I hope so, too, Mike. I have only been out here for two years,
and yet I am beginning to feel that I should like a quieter life.
No doubt the loss of my hand has something to do with that, but I
would give up, willingly, all chance of ever becoming a colonel,
if I could but settle down in the old country, though I fear there
is very little chance of that."
"But sure there may be fighting there, too, your honour," Mike
said; "and if King James goes across the water, there is sure to
be divarsion that way."
"I hope not, Mike. It is not that I do not feel as loyal as ever
to the cause of the Stuarts, but if they cannot come to their own
without Ireland being again deluged with blood, I would rather
they would stay away. Twice Ireland has suffered for the Stuarts:
first, when Cromwell came over, carrying fire and sword through
the land, and divided half the country among his followers; next,
when Dutch William did the same. I am loyal to the Stuarts, as I
said, but I am still more loyal to Ireland, and would rather that
King James remained all his life at Saint Germain, than that those
scenes should ever come again."
"That's true for you, sir; and when I come to think of it, I
should be just as easy and comfortable in a snug little cot in
Killarney, which is my county, whether King James or Queen Anne
was ruling it in England."
"Quite so, Mike; and if I had, as you say, a snug little cot to go
to, and an income to live comfortably in it, and no fear of being
hauled off to prison and hanged for joining the brigade, I should
not be sorry to settle down.
"We start back for Badajos tomorrow morning."
"Faith, your honour, it has been so hard getting away from there,
that I should not have thought you wished to put your foot inside
the place again. You might not be so lucky in getting off, next
time."
"We are going in a different way, Mike. Colonel Crofton's regiment
of Irish dragoons is going with us, and a French infantry regiment
from Toledo."
"Then I am well content to go back, your honour, and I hope we
shall see that murthering governor hung."
"I think you have a good chance of seeing that, Mike, if he has
not taken himself off before we arrive there; which I think he is
pretty sure to do, directly he hears we have got through safely;
for he will know that, as soon as my report is handed in, he is a
lost man."
"Bad cess to him! At any rate, I hope I shall light upon him some
day, sir, and pay him out for sending those fellows to kill you at
night, and to hinder us in the hills. As to his cheating the
Spaniards, that is their business, and they can reckon with him
for it; but I should like to pay our debt myself."
"I don't suppose there is much chance of your having an
opportunity of doing that."
"Then why are we going back, your honour?"
"To carry out my original orders, Mike--survey the roads, and
passes, and bridges. The duke cannot rely upon Spanish testimony
in these matters, and it is most important that we should
ascertain, accurately, how good are the roads by which he would
advance with the army into Portugal, or where best to oppose the
enemy if they cross the Guadiana."
"I am glad to hear you say so, sir, for I was afraid that we were
going to have a long stay here again, and I would rather be on
horseback, riding all over the country, than walking up and down
these streets till my feet fairly ache."
"That is my opinion, too, Mike. We have had a good many rides with
despatches, but between times it is stupid work, hanging about the
general's quarters waiting for orders."
The next morning, Desmond joined Colonel Crofton's regiment as it
was on the point of starting from the barracks. It was in the
service of Spain, and had taken a brilliant part in several
engagements. Desmond was acquainted with the colonel and his
officers.
"Good morning, Kennedy!" Crofton said, as he rode up and saluted
him. "I had a note from the Duke of Orleans, last night, saying
you were going on special service, and would travel with us as far
as Badajos. King Philip sent for me, later on, and himself gave me
instructions, besides handing me the written orders. It seems you
have discovered that the governor is mixed up, with a lot of
contractors, in swindling the state by supplying earth instead of
powder and flour."
"So far as the governor goes, Colonel, there is no absolute proof.
I have not the smallest doubt that he was the prime mover in the
matter, and that the commissaries only received a small portion of
the bribes paid to him. It is hardly possible that every one of
them should have betrayed his trust, unless sure of the governor's
protection. I cannot prove that he had all these men shot in order
to silence them, employed men to assassinate Colonel Mendez, or
set men to murder me in my hotel and afterwards to intercept us in
crossing the sierra. Still, I have no shadow of doubt in my mind
that it was so.
"However, I do not think you will find him at Badajos. No doubt,
as soon as he heard I had got safely down into the valley of the
Tagus, he made off. There is just a possibility that the
contractors, knowing that their lives will be forfeited by the
discovery of the frauds, might at once have sent in supplies of
powder, flour, and other things, to take the place of the casks
and sacks of earth; in which case he would probably deny the truth
of my statement altogether, and declare that I had simply invented
it in order to do credit to myself. But I hardly think that
possible. In the first place, there are the soldiers both of my
escort and of Colonel Mendez, who assisted in the work of
examination; besides which more than half the commissaries escaped
while this was taking place, and, on an offer of pardon, would no
doubt gladly come forward and give evidence, especially as the
execution of their comrades will have shown them that the governor
is determined to throw them over."
"Yes; I don't suppose we shall find the arch-scoundrel there,
unless, indeed, he can rely upon the support of his garrison; in
which case he may have ridden to Portugal, offering to surrender
the place at once to them, and will close his gates against us."
"I don't think there is any chance of that, Colonel. In the short
time during which I was there, I was able to see that the troops
were deeply discontented. They were almost in rags, and the
landlord of the inn told me that they were kept on the scantiest
rations, and those of a very inferior kind. So I do not think, for
a moment, he could trust them to act against a royal force."
Desmond's anticipation proved to be correct. As they descended
into the valley of the Guadiana, they met an officer of the
garrison, who was bearing a despatch from the senior military
officer, saying that the governor and his family had suddenly left
without issuing any orders, and, as he had taken all his portable
property with him, it was supposed that he did not intend to
return. Under these circumstances he wrote to ask for orders.
Colonel Crofton sent him back with instructions, to the colonel
commanding the troops, that he was coming with a regiment of
dragoons and one of infantry, and had full authority from the king
to take all measures that seemed to him desirable. Accordingly,
when they arrived at Badajos they were met, at the gate, by the
colonel commanding the troops, and a party of his officers.
"I have the king's authority," Colonel Crofton said to him, "to
act as temporary governor until another may be appointed. I do not
know whether you are aware of the circumstances that led to the
flight of Don Juan de Munos?"
"No, sir, we have heard nothing. Rumours were current, among the
men, that some strange discoveries were made when the stores were
examined, but beyond that I know nothing. In fact, at the time,
the assassination of Colonel Mendez of the artillery created such
an excitement that nothing else was spoken of."
"Well, Colonel, if you will accompany me to the governor's house,
I will enter into the matter fully with you. You may well believe
that it is serious, as I have been despatched here with my
regiment, and with one of French infantry, for both of whom
quarters must be found at once."
"There is plenty of room, sir. The barracks will contain ten
thousand men, and at present we have but four thousand here."
"Then I beg, Colonel, that instead of coming at once to my
quarters, you will tell off officers to conduct the troops to the
most convenient of the buildings now empty. After that, I shall be
glad to see you and the commanding officers of the other
regiments.
"You will, of course, take up your quarters at the governor's
house, Captain Kennedy," he went on, as he rode forward. "As you
are going to be employed in surveying duties, you will naturally
be a good deal away. But your presence here will be absolutely
necessary, as a witness against any of these rascally contractors
we can lay our hands on."
When the four colonels arrived, after seeing that the troops were
housed, Colonel Crofton obtained from them the names and addresses
of the various contractors; and, half an hour later, parties of
the cavalry regiment in garrison were despatched, under officers,
with orders to arrest and bring them into Badajos. During the
meal, Colonel Crofton explained to the four colonels the discovery
of the frauds, which naturally excited the greatest indignation
among them. He then requested them and Desmond to accompany him to
the stores. This they did, after sending to the barracks for a
party of fifty men for fatigue duty.
The gaps made during Desmond's explorations had been carefully
filled up again, but upon fresh openings being made, his reports
were fully borne out. Some hours were spent at the central
magazine, and orders given that the other magazines should be
opened and examined on the following day.
Desmond did not join in this search, but started early, with Mike,
to carry out his own mission. He had been furnished with reports,
sent in by the provincial and local juntas, as to the state of the
roads, but, as he had expected, he soon found these to be grossly
inaccurate. The roads marked as excellent, and fit for the passage
of artillery and trains, were found to be mere bridle roads.
Others, marked as highroads, were almost impassable lanes. The
bridges across the streams were, for the most part, in such a bad
condition as to be unsafe for a country cart and, until repaired,
impossible for the passage of artillery.
He carefully noted all the points at which work was required to
render them in any degree practicable for the passage of troops,
and reported fully to Colonel Crofton. The latter, who was
provided with full authority, despatched the greater portion of
his troops, with a large number of peasants, with materials to
fill up the deep ruts, repair the bridges, and make the roads, as
far as possible, fit for the passage of an army.
In ten days, Desmond had surveyed all the roads down both the
valley of the Guadiana and that of the Tagus, and had sent off his
report to Madrid, together with his observations as to the points
at which a defensive position could, in his opinion, be best taken
up. Having done this, he prepared to undertake the second part of
his mission, and to investigate the roads on the Portuguese side
of the frontier.
"Now we shall have to keep our eyes open, Mike," he said. "So far
as we have heard, there are no bodies of the enemy's troops
anywhere in this neighbourhood, but there is a bitter enmity
between the Spanish and Portuguese, and we shall be liable to be
attacked by the peasants."
"Are we to ride in our uniforms, your honour?"
"Certainly we are, Mike. If we are captured in uniform, we should
be dealt with as prisoners of war and have a right to fair
treatment. If we are taken in disguise, we shall be shot as
spies."
"Faith, your honour, the alternative is not a pleasant one. If we
go as civilians, we may be shot as spies; if we go in uniform, we
may be murdered by the peasants."
"That is so, Mike. But, you see, we are not likely to fall into
the hands of the peasants. We are both well mounted, and the
peasants will be on foot, and a great proportion of them unarmed;
so that, beyond the chance of being hit by a ball, the risk is not
great."
Accordingly, on the following day they rode out, and for nearly a
week examined the lines of route across the frontier. They
followed the roads between the foot of the mountains and the
frontier, as far as Portalegre, but avoided the towns of Campo
Mayor and Arronches; crossed the hills, and struck upwards by the
bank of the Zarina to Frontiera, and thence west as far as Lavre.
They met with no interference by such peasants as they saw working
in the fields, or by those in the small villages through which
they passed, these supposing the uniforms to be those of English
or Dutch officers.
They found that the roads were fully as bad as those of Spain, and
would present great difficulty to any army with artillery and a
long train of waggons. In one of the places they heard from a
peasant, with whom they conversed, that there was another pass
over the mountains from Elvas. Of course, the man spoke in
Portuguese, but the language sufficiently resembled Spanish for
Desmond to understand its meaning.
"We must investigate that road, Mike, for, if it is practicable,
it would be the most direct for an army coming from Lisbon. Of
course, we shall have to make a wide circle round Elvas, as there
is sure to be a strong garrison there, and any soldiers riding
about the country would be certain to know that our uniform was
French. When we have done that road, we shall have finished our
work."
Accordingly, they passed round the fortress at a distance, and
presently came upon the road. It showed signs of having lately
been repaired, in some parts, but these were so badly done that
they increased rather than diminished the difficulties it
presented to the passage of troops. They had ridden some ten
miles, and were already among the mountains, when they dismounted
to rest their horses and to eat the food they carried with them.
Suddenly, looking down the road behind them, they saw a squadron
of cavalry coming along.
"This is awkward, Mike. There is nothing for it, now, but to ride
on, and when we have reached the foot of the mountains on the
other side, strike across country until we come upon the road
running direct to Badajos. They are a good two miles behind us, so
we need not blow our horses."
Mounting, they proceeded at a trot up the road. As far as they
could see, the cavalry behind them did not quicken their pace,
which showed that they were on some ordinary duty and not, as
Desmond at first supposed, in pursuit of them, some peasant
having, perhaps, taken word that an officer and soldier in strange
uniform had been seen riding round the town. They therefore took
matters quietly, and indeed, sometimes the road was so steep that
it would have been impossible for the horses to go beyond a quick
walk.
Suddenly, on reaching the crest of the rise, they saw, at a
distance of a hundred yards ahead of them, a party of officers,
followed by an escort of dragoons.
"We are caught this time, Mike!" Desmond exclaimed. "Escape is
impossible. I will ride straight up and surrender. Fortunately
they are English uniforms, so we are certain to get fair
treatment, which we could not be sure of, had they been
Portuguese."
So saying, he rode forward at a trot. The party had drawn rein at
his approach, and he rode up to one who was evidently a general
officer.
"Sir, I surrender as a prisoner of war. My name is Kennedy, and I
am a captain on the staff of the Duke of Orleans."
"And what are you doing here, sir?"
"I am surveying the road, General, by which the allied army is
likely to advance. Our information on that score is very
defective, and I believe the duke wishes to ascertain, from my
report, the state of the roads by which the advance would most
probably be made."
The general's question had been in French, and he replied in the
same language.
"You do not bear a French name, sir," the general said.
"No, sir, I am an Irishman," Kennedy replied, in English. "I
belonged, before I received a staff appointment, to one of the
regiments of the Irish Brigade."
"You are a daring fellow, thus to venture so far across the
frontier."
"I simply obeyed my orders, sir; and, had I been ordered to
reconnoitre Lisbon, I should have attempted to do so."
"Well, sir, I shall have an opportunity of talking to you, later
on. I, as you see, am engaged in precisely the same work as you
are; namely, in ascertaining, for myself, the state of the roads
across these mountains."
"Then, General," Desmond said, with a smile, "I should say that
your investigations are hardly satisfactory."
The general also smiled.
"Not so much so as I could wish," he said. "And now, may I ask
why, seeing that you are well mounted, you did not turn and ride
for it, when you first perceived us?"
"The reason is simple, General. A squadron of cavalry were coming
up behind me, and there was evidently no possibility of escape."
"No doubt they were sent out to meet me. Well, sir, if you will
give me your word not to attempt to escape, you can retain your
sword, and ride with us."
"I give my parole, sir, with many thanks for your courtesy."
"And now, Captain Kennedy," the other went on, "it is probable
that you have, about you, the result of your investigations along
these roads, which I must request you to hand to me; as it may be
as useful, to me, as it would have been to the Duke of Orleans,
and may save me a good deal of trouble."
Desmond took out the notebook in which he had, each day, jotted
down the result of his observations, with suggestions as to the
points where repairs were most needed. He had each night, on his
return to Badajos, written up his reports from these, intending,
when he had completed the work, to take it himself to Madrid.
The general glanced through the notebook.
"You have done your work very thoroughly, Captain Kennedy, and
have rendered me considerable service. Now, we will move forward
again. Please follow with my aides-de-camp."
These were two pleasant young men, who were glad of a talk with an
officer from the other side.
"How long have you been riding about here, if it is fair to put
the question?" one said.
As the notebook contained all the particulars of his journeys on
that side of the frontier, Desmond replied at once:
"Eight days, I think. I have been up the road to Portalegre, and
by that to Lavre; and if I had not, unfortunately, accidentally
heard of this road over the mountains, I should now be on my way
to Madrid; but luck has been against me."
"Promotion must be very rapid in your army," the other
aide-de-camp said, "or you would hardly be a captain already."
"I was fortunate enough to attract the notice of the King of
France, and the Duke of Berwick, on various occasions, and when
one has such a piece of good fortune as that, promotion is rapid."
"It is lucky for you that you fell into the hands of the Earl of
Galway, instead of into those of the Portuguese generals, who
would probably, in spite of your uniform, have made short work of
you."
"I did not know that the general was the Earl of Galway," Desmond
said. "Certainly, it was lucky that I fell into his hands. Indeed,
if I had not seen the English uniforms, I should have turned and
charged the squadron behind us; preferring very much to be killed
fighting, than to be hanged or shot like a dog."
In a few minutes they met the squadron of cavalry, who had, as the
general supposed, been sent out by the Governor of Elvas to meet
him. Half of these now took their place in front, and the
remainder, drawing aside to let the party pass, fell in behind.
Mike had, without orders, fallen in with the earl's escort; and
more than once Desmond heard his laugh, as he chatted with the
troopers. On arriving at Elvas, the general directed his
aides-de-camp to obtain a room, for Desmond, in the house in which
they were quartered; and as no one attended to him, Mike undertook
his usual duties as his servant.
The next morning, one of the aides-de-camp came in, and said:
"The general wishes to speak to you, Captain Kennedy."
On entering the general's apartment, the earl asked him to take a
seat.
"I could not see you yesterday evening," he began, "as I was learning
from the Governor the state of the stores here. I should like to have
a talk with you. May I ask you, in the first place, how you have so
early attained the rank of captain? My aide-de-camp tells me that you
said you had attracted the notice of the King of France. It must have
been by some singular action, and as I have an hour to spare, before
I ride out, I shall be glad if you can tell me some particulars about
yourself; unless, indeed, they are of a private nature."
"Not at all, sir. The story is generally known to members of the
court at Versailles, and indeed to all Paris;" and he then related
to the earl the story of his release of Anne de Pointdexter from
her imprisonment, the journey to the south, the attack on the
party by the Vicomte de Tulle, and her second rescue from him.
"Thank you, sir," the general said, when he had concluded. "I am
not surprised that, after so romantic an adventure, the King of
France took notice of an officer who had shown such courage and
intelligence. You see, sir, that you and I are, to a certain
extent, in a similar position. From motives of religion,
principally, you Irish have left your country, and are fighting
for a foreign monarch. I, as you are doubtless aware, belong to a
French Huguenot family, and, being forced to leave France by the
severe edicts, entered the service of Holland, and followed the
fortunes of King William, and am now fighting against the troops
of the country of my birth. In other respects, there is a
similarity. We have both lost a hand in the service of our adopted
countries; I at the siege of Badajos, and you at--?"
"Oudenarde, sir."
"I have been thinking it over," the general went on. "I might, of
course, send you to Lisbon as a prisoner, but one extra prisoner
would not largely benefit my government. You have not been taken
in action. Your papers have saved me an immense deal of trouble,
for we are no more able to rely upon the information given by the
Portuguese than, I should think, the Duke of Orleans can upon that
of the Spaniards.
"Therefore, sir, I think that, in the present case, I can make an
exception to the rule. In an hour I shall mount and ride down the
road to Badajos, and I shall there restore your liberty to you,
and permit you to recross the frontier. It would be a thousand
pities that so young and gallant an officer should waste, perhaps,
some years of his life in an English prison, for the number of
prisoners taken in Flanders is so great that it is impossible for
the French to find officers to exchange for them. You will
understand that, dealing with allies so jealous and susceptible as
the Portuguese, I can hardly take the step of releasing you, as it
would be at once rumoured that I had been in communication with a
French officer, doubtless from some sinister motive.
"I think, Captain Kennedy, that it would be as well," he said with
a smile, "that you should withdraw your parole, and do so before
we start, in the presence of the officers of my staff. Of course,
you must be placed under a very strict guard, and although so near
the frontier, you will find it very difficult to escape. Still,
such things are managed."
"I thank you most deeply, sir," Desmond said, understanding the
tone in which the earl spoke, "and I shall ever retain a deep
feeling of gratitude for your generosity."
When the party assembled, in readiness to mount, Desmond walked up
to the earl, and said in a tone that could be heard by the
officers round:
"Sir, I have changed my mind, and beg to be allowed to withdraw my
parole."
"You are at liberty to do so, Captain Kennedy; but nevertheless I
shall take you with us today. I shall not, of course, ask you to
give any information as to matters on the other side of the
frontier, but there are points on which you could inform me,
without detriment to your friends."
"That I shall be happy to do, sir."
The earl called up four troopers.
"You will place this officer and his servant between you," he
said, "and keep a vigilant lookout upon their movements."
Desmond had not even told Mike of the conversation with the earl,
thinking it better that he should remain in ignorance that this
escape was connived at by an English general, and his follower was
therefore greatly astonished when he heard that his master had
withdrawn his parole, and that they were henceforth to be strictly
guarded. The party rode until they reached a rise from which they
could obtain a view of Badajos, and of the country extending far
up the valley of the Guadiana. The ground in front of them sloped
gradually.
The earl took his place with two or three officers of his staff,
fifty yards in front of the rest, and, dismounting, examined
Badajos with his telescope. Then he asked one of his aides-de-camp
to bring Captain Kennedy to him.
"You may as well bring his servant, too," he added. "No doubt he
knows the country as well as his master does, and may not be so
unwilling to answer questions."
The order was carried out, and Desmond and Mike rode up with the
aide-de-camp, followed closely by the four troopers. The earl at
once began to question Desmond as to the names of the villages
visible up the valley. He had remounted now, but his staff, who
had dismounted when he did, remained on their feet, as it was
evident that he had no intention of moving forward for some time.
While they were speaking, the earl, accompanied by Desmond, rode
forward some twenty yards, as if to obtain a better view. Mike had
followed him, but the four troopers remained behind the group of
officers, having no orders to follow the general so closely.
"This is good ground for galloping, Captain Kennedy," the earl
said quietly. "You are within two miles of Badajos."
"Thank you deeply, sir.
"Now, Mike, ride for it!" and, spurring his horse, he dashed off
at a headlong gallop.
There was a shout of surprise, the officers of the staff ran to
their horses, which were being held by the orderlies, and the four
troopers at once galloped forward, snatching their carbines from
the slings.
"Do not fire," the earl shouted as they passed. "Take them alive."
As the officers came up, the general signalled to them to stop.
"Don't go farther, gentlemen," he said. "The troopers will
doubtless overtake them; but for aught we know, there may be a
Spanish force in the village just on the other side of the
frontier, and, instead of capturing two prisoners, you might be
taken or shot yourself; and I am not disposed to lose any of my
staff, just as we are about to commence operations in earnest."
Desmond looked back. He saw that only the four dragoons were
following.
"They will not overtake us, Mike," he said, "our horses are
certainly better than theirs."
Indeed, they had increased their lead fast. A few minutes later,
they heard a trumpet call in their rear, and their pursuers at
once checked their horses, and rode back in answer to the recall.
"Tare an' ages," Mike exclaimed, "but that was nately managed. Who
would have thought that they would have let us give them the slip
so easily!"
"Well, Mike--but this you must never mention to a soul--the earl
gave us this chance of escape, I believe. He had, you know, a long
talk with me, and said that they had so many French officers
captured in Flanders, that one more or less would make little
difference. He had asked about my adventures, and seemed much
interested in them, and remarked that our positions were somewhat
similar, both being exiles on account of our religion, and so
serving in foreign armies against our own countrymen. At any rate,
it was on his suggestion that I withdrew my parole not to attempt
to escape."
"Then he is a rale gintleman, sir, and mighty obliged I feel to
him, for I have had enough of English prisons, though indeed, it
was only three or four days that I stopped at Harwich."
The party on the hill had watched the pursuit, until the earl
said:
"Well, gentlemen, I fancy he has slipped from our hands. I admit
that I am hardly sorry, for he was a very fine young fellow, and
it would have been a pity for him to be spending, perhaps some
years of the best part of his life, in prison.
"Captain Chetwynde, will you order the trumpeter to sound the
recall? They are leaving our men behind fast. It is no use losing
four troopers as well as two prisoners."
More than one quiet smile was exchanged between the English
officers, for, from the tone in which the earl spoke, they had no
doubt that he was by no means sorry at Desmond's escape, and that
possibly he had even taken him forward with him to afford him a
chance of making it. They had, indeed, been a little surprised
that, when Desmond withdrew his parole, the earl had not ordered
him into strict confinement, instead of taking him with him on his
reconnaissance.
The pursuit over, Desmond rode on at a canter to Badajos, and
reported to Colonel Crofton that he had been taken prisoner, but
had managed to effect his escape, as he was but carelessly
guarded.
"I shall now, sir, return to Madrid. I have completed the work I
was told to carry out, and shall finish writing up my report this
afternoon, and start tomorrow morning."
"I congratulate you on your escape. The Portuguese are not very
particular, and might, as likely as not, have paid small regard to
the fact that you were in uniform."
"Fortunately, sir, it was not by them that I was captured, but by
a small party of English dragoons, who were, I fancy, like myself,
investigating the state of the roads."
Desmond had not been called upon to give evidence before the
commission of enquiry, it being found that all the contractors had
left their homes, a week before the troops arrived at Badajos,
taking all portable property with them. Some had apparently gone
to Andalusia, while others had made for Catalonia. All had
unquestionably made a considerable sum of money by their frauds,
and would take good care not to fall into the hands of the French.
"They will never be able to return here," Desmond remarked to
Colonel Crofton.
The latter smiled.
"You do not know these people yet, Captain Kennedy, or you would
not say so. Some of these fellows are certainly among the richest
men in the province, and we may be quite sure that, in a very
short time, when the affair has blown over, they will, partly by
influence and more by bribery, obtain from the central junta an
order that no proceedings shall be taken against them. Anything
can be done with money in Spain. There are many upright and
honourable Spaniards, but very few of them take any part in public
affairs, and would not associate with such men as those who are in
the ascendant in all the provincial juntas, and even in the
central body in Madrid.
"In France there is distress enough, and no doubt the men who farm
the taxes are no more scrupulous than they are in Spain, but there
is not the same general corruption, and the French nobility,
haughty and despotic to their tenants as they may be, are not
corrupt, and would scorn to take a bribe. Now that there is a
French king on the throne here, there may be, when matters have
settled down, some improvement; but it will be a long time,
indeed, before the nation can be regenerated, and even the king
will soon find that, if he is to reign peaceably, he must not
interfere too violently with methods that are so common that they
have come to be accepted as inevitable, even by the people who
suffer by them.
"I can assure you that I, myself, have been many times approached
by men who supply forage and other things to the regiment, and
when I have indignantly refused to entertain any proposals
whatever, they have not been at all abashed, but have said boldly
that it was the general custom. I do not believe they thought any
the better of me for refusing even to listen to their offers, but
regarded me as a sort of Don Quixote, with ridiculously
exaggerated ideas of honour."
On the morning following his return to Badajos, Desmond started on his
way to Madrid. Although this time he had no apprehension whatever of a
planned attack, he thought it safer and better to travel north from
Badajos, and skirt the foot of the sierras until he reached the banks
of the Tagus, where there was a strong garrison in each of the towns,
and the country was, in consequence, free from the incursions of bands
from the hills. The journey passed without an incident, and on reaching
Madrid and presenting his report, he received high commendation from
the Duke of Orleans, and spent a long day with the general's staff,
explaining his report, and going into details as to the nature of the
roads, the repairs necessary, and the positions which were, in his
opinion, most suitable for battle.
On the following day, the members of the staff were all summoned
to meet him by the Duke of Orleans, who informed them that he had
received a sudden summons to return to Paris, and that Marshal de
Bay would, in his absence, be in command of the French troops. The
announcement came as a great surprise to Desmond, but was not
unexpected by the other officers.
During the winter, the King of France had been engaged in efforts
to bring about a general peace, and had offered terms that showed
he was ready to make any sacrifices to procure it. The allies, on
the contrary, were bent upon continuing the war. The victory of
Oudenarde, the capture of Lille, Namur, and other fortresses,
opened the way to Paris, and knowing the general distress that
prevailed in France, they raised their demands higher and higher,
as they perceived the anxiety of Louis for peace.
One of the obstacles to this was the situation in Spain, and it was
reported that Louis was ready to yield on this point also, and not
only to consent to the cession of the Spanish dominion in Spain,
but to his grandson Philip surrendering the crown to the Archduke
Charles; and that, ere long, the French troops would be withdrawn
altogether. While, during the month that had elapsed since Desmond
first left Madrid, these rumours had increased in strength, it was
known that couriers were constantly passing to and fro, between
Madrid and Versailles, with private communications between Louis and
Philip; and there was great excitement, in Madrid, at the rumour of
this desertion of their king by France.
The rumours were indeed correct. The king had informed Philip
that, great as was the affection he bore for him, the state of
France, which was necessarily his chief care, would compel him,
ere long, to recall his troops from Spain. Philip had entreated
him not to desert him, and declared that, in any case, he would
remain in Spain, confiding in the support of the people who had
selected him as their monarch. At present, however, the
communications were proceeding, and nothing definite had been
arranged.
The whole of the staff were to remain with Marshal de Bay, in the
same position as they had held under the duke, and, except for the
departure of the prince, matters went on as before.