"I must look after you," said Captain Brown; "for had you not gone, I
should most certainly have been murdered with the rest of the poor
fellows."
The news I brought naturally excited the greatest indignation,
especially amongst the officers and men of the regiment of the Cauca.
All hoped that the Pastucians would attack us that night. The troops
were got under arms, and every preparation was made for the battle,
though the tents were allowed to stand, in order to deceive the enemy's
scouts.
Juan, hearing that I was wounded, came to see me, and expressed his
sorrow.
"I thought I should have had you by my side in to-morrow's fight," he
said; "for, from what I can hear, if the Pastucians do not attack us we
shall attack them, and I hope to punish them severely for their
treachery. It is in keeping with their character, and our poor fellows
should not have trusted them."
Neither Juan nor Mr Laffan could stay with me long, as they had to
attend to their men, and every officer was needed. Captain Brown and
Antonio looked after me, however; and the doctor assured me that, if I
remained quiet, I might be able to sit my saddle again in a few weeks.
"A few weeks!" I exclaimed; "I thought a few days would put me to
rights, doctor."
"For the sake of getting another bullet through you," he observed.
"Well, I will patch you up as far as I can; you must do as you think
fit."
I lay awake, expecting every instant to hear the rattle of musketry and
the booming sound of our field-pieces, but the night seemed to be
passing away quietly. At last I dropped off to sleep.
"If the enemy intended a night attack, they had thought better of it
when they found that you had escaped and given us warning," said Captain
Brown, when he awoke me in the morning and gave me the breakfast that
Antonio had brought. "When they do come, I must go out with my
regiment, whether ill or well; but you, Sinclair, must remain in camp--
you will be unable to sit a horse for many days."
From the excessive weakness I felt, I feared that he was right, but I
was much disappointed at the thought of being unable to take part in the
expected battle.
I had been sleeping for some time, when I was awakened by the sound of
firing. No one was in the tent, for, in spite of his illness, Captain
Brown had joined his regiment and gone to the front. Weak as I was, I
thought that I could manage to crawl up to some neighbouring height,
from whence I might see what was going forward. The sound of the
rattling of musketry now came up the valley, with the louder boom of our
artillery, so I could resist the temptation no longer. Supporting
myself on a stick, therefore, with a spy-glass hanging by a strap over
my shoulders, I left the tent and made my way on, sometimes crawling on
my hands and knees, until I reached a rock overhanging the camp, where I
could lie down and rest the glass on a ledge just above me.
Our troops crowned the heights of the opposite side of the valley. It
was not of sufficient elevation, however, to prevent me seeing over it
on to the plain beyond, where the Pastucians were moving, endeavouring
to force their way to the northward--their main body attacking our
centre, while other divisions were marching to the right and left,
evidently with the hope of outflanking the Patriots. I could clearly
distinguish the different corps. The centre stood their ground. Juan
with his cavalry drove back the enemy on the right; while the Cauca
regiment, charging, prevented the body threatening our left flank from
gaining the advantage they expected.
Frequently the Pastucians were so near that their shot came flying
across the valley; but, their powder not being of the best, the bullets
had by that time expended their force. Among their leaders I saw
several friars; and, mounted on a fine horse, I recognised the bishop.
He and his stalwart secretary had crucifixes in their left hands and
bright swords in their right, which they kept vehemently flourishing.
Now the bishop would hold up his crucifix, and now point with his sword
at the Patriots. Then the enemy, with shrieks and shouts, would charge
right up to our men; but on each occasion they were driven back with
dreadful slaughter. Two or three monks were knocked over; still the
bishop and his lieutenant seemed to bear charmed lives. Perhaps
superstition had something to do with it, and our men were afraid to
fire at a right reverend prelate.
At times I feared that the Patriots would give way, and on one occasion
the bishop and his followers had nearly succeeded in breaking our line;
but the regiment of the Cauca coming up, flushed with their previous
success, charged the enemy and drove them back headlong--the bishop and
his secretary, the ex-captain of dragoons, setting the example, and
scampering off at a rate which made it difficult to overtake them. I
expected to see Juan's troopers in pursuit, but he was meanwhile hotly
engaged with a body of the enemy's cavalry, which after a sharp contest
he defeated,--though they rallied again to cover the retreat of the
bishop.
Soon after this I lost sight of the main body of our army, which had
advanced; but small parties were seen coming to the rear, bringing in
the wounded. I observed one party going towards the cavalry tents,
which were directly below me. The men were carrying an officer on a
stretcher, and as I brought my glass to bear on them I saw, to my grief,
that the wounded man was Captain Laffan. Anxious to low whether he was
much hurt, I immediately began my descent from the position, though in
doing so, in my weak state, I nearly rolled to the bottom. Fortunately
I met one of the camp-followers, who assisted me along, and by his help
I got to Laffan's tent, and found my friend in the hands of the surgeon.
"You are where you should not be, young man!" exclaimed the latter when
he saw me.
"But I want to know how my friend is," I said.
"What, Duncan, my boy!" exclaimed the captain, who recognised my voice.
"I appreciate your kindness, but I wish you had remained in bed. I have
only a bullet or two through me, and a sabre-cut on my arm dealt by one
of those six rascals whom I was attacking. If there had been one less,
I should have cut them all down. As it was, three bit the ground.
Don't fear! I shall be all right, with a little plastering and
bandaging,--shall I not, doctor?"
"Yes, yes, captain, you'll do very well; but you must keep quiet for a
few hours.--And you, Mr Sinclair, must get back to your tent."
I endeavoured to obey the surgeon, but, overcome with exertions for
which I was ill-fitted, I sank down in a dead faint.
"Now this is too bad of the boy, when I want to be attending his
friend," I heard the doctor say, after he had poured some cordial down
my throat, which somewhat restored me. On this, two men whom he
summoned took me up and carried me back to Captain Brown's tent.
Towards evening, a portion of our troops returned to guard the camp, but
the main body was advancing in pursuit of the Pastucians.
The next day less satisfactory news arrived. The enemy had been
reinforced, and the Patriot army had had no little difficulty in
maintaining its position.
The surgeons now advised that the wounded officers who could bear the
journey should be carried back to Popayan; and as neither Captain Laffan
nor I were likely to be fit for duty for some time to come, we gladly
availed ourselves of the opportunity. We were put into litters hung on
long poles, supported on men's shoulders; and the journey occupied
several days, though I can give very little account of it. Some of the
time, indeed, I was in a semi-somnolent state, caused by weakness.
The only striking scene I can recall was our passage on a bamboo bridge
over a river in our course. The army had crossed by a ford lower down,
where the water was shallow and the current slight. Here it was of
great depth, and the banks of considerable height. As I looked at the
slight structure, however, it appeared to me incapable of bearing more
than the weight of a single man, while a few cuts with a manchette would
have sent it into the torrent below.
I heard Captain Laffan, who was in advance of me, cry out to his
bearers, "You don't mean to say that we are to go over that spider's-web
affair! Why! it looks as if it would give way with the weight of that
woman going along it."
"Have no fears about the matter, senor captain; cavalry have charged
over it before now," was the answer. And, in spite of the captain's
protestations, his bearers tramped on and crossed in safety.
I followed, and though the bamboos creaked ominously they held fast, and
no accident occurred to any of the party. It was along such a bridge as
this that the gallant Colonel Mackintosh rode at full gallop, when
leading on his brave Albions to the capture of La Plata, some time
afterwards.
The path we took would only allow of one litter passing at a time, and I
had no conversation with the rest of the party; so, when we stopped at
night, Laffan ordered his litter to be placed alongside mine. He was in
excellent spirits, and seemed to feel his several wounds scarcely so
much as I did the single one I had received.
"You are not so well accustomed to it, my boy, as I am. I have no extra
flesh to be annoyed, you see; and my parchment-like skin soon unites,"
he observed, laughing.
At last we arrived at Popayan. My father looked somewhat horrified when
he saw me and heard of my narrow escape.
"I am sorry I allowed Mr Laffan and you to go," he said. "However, you
are here now, and I hope you will soon be brought round."
"Faith, doctor, but I'm mighty glad to have seen a little more service;
and as soon as you can patch me up I'll be off again to fight for the
right cause!" exclaimed our Irish friend.