THE CAMPAIGN COMMENCED--WE JOIN THE PATRIOT ARMY--ORDERS TO HOLD THE
FORT OF GUAMOCO AGAINST ALL ASSAILANTS--A THUNDERSTORM--SURVEY OF THE
FORT FROM A HEIGHT--THE ENEMY IN THE DISTANCE--WE TAKE POSSESSION OF THE
FORT, AND REPAIR IT--SPANISH OFFICERS APPEAR--TWO OF THEM SHOT BY OUR
MEN--THE SPANIARDS ATTACK US FIERCELY, BUT ARE DRIVEN BACK--THEY RETURN,
TO MEET WITH ANOTHER REPULSE--THE ENEMY AT LENGTH RETIRE--WE EXPECT
ANOTHER ATTACK.
Important events had meanwhile been taking place. Bolivar had assembled
a considerable army, of which upwards of two thousand foreign troops--
mostly disbanded British soldiers--formed the most serviceable part.
Whenever they met the enemy, the English exhibited the hardihood and
courage which they had displayed on many hard-fought fields in the
Peninsula, and lately at Waterloo. We heard, too, that they were led by
several experienced officers who had taken part in those campaigns.
The fearful atrocities which had been committed by Murillo, Boves,
Morales, indeed by almost all the Spanish generals, had aroused the
spirit of the people throughout the country, and we looked forward to
the time when we should free our beloved land from the presence of the
hated tyrants.
At length being considered in an efficient state, with wild delight we
received orders to join the Patriot forces. Before long we had several
skirmishes with the enemy, and in a gallant charge--in which Mr Laffan
distinguished himself--we put to flight a superior force of King
Ferdinand's hussars. These hussars were the scorn of our wild horsemen,
and the contrast between the two was great indeed. The arms and
appointments of the hussar were a sad encumbrance in this climate. He
had his lance, sword, carbine, and a brace of pistols; and his clothing
and trappings were those of a Hungarian trooper. He was obliged to have
his horse's tail cut short, for on several occasions a Llanero was known
to have galloped up to the rear of a trooper, dismounted in an instant,
and seizing the horse by its long tail, by a sudden jerk contrived to
throw it on the ground, and then despatched the rider. Our fellows,
when charging, used to lay their heads and bodies on the necks of their
horses, carrying their lances horizontally in the right hand about the
height of the knee, so that when the Spaniards fired they seldom managed
to hit them.
I was seated with Juan in the hut which formed our headquarters. We had
not troubled ourselves with tents, for our men slept on the ground
during the dry season, except when we were quartered in a farmhouse or a
village. We had been talking over the prospects of the campaign, when
an orderly, riding up to the entrance of the hut, delivered a despatch
to Juan. He read it eagerly.
"We are ordered to ride on to the Pass of Guamoco, as no infantry can
reach it in time to prevent the Spaniards--who are marching towards it--
obtaining possession," he said. "Order the assembly to be sounded,
Duncan."
While I hastened to carry out his order, he hurriedly wrote a few lines
on a rough piece of paper, which had not a very official appearance, and
gave it to the orderly, directing him to deliver it to the general. In
a wonderfully short time we were in the saddle, and moving towards our
destination.
Juan then told me that he had been directed to take possession of a fort
of some strength, which guarded the entrance of a pass through which
Bolivar intended to make his way, but which, if occupied by the enemy,
would be impracticable. It was thus of the greatest importance that we
should take possession of it. "The general orders me to hold the fort
until an infantry regiment arrives to garrison it," added Juan.
"I hope they will put the best foot foremost, then, for I have no wish
to be cooped up in a fort when we should be doing service in the open
country," said Mr Laffan.
We pressed forward at a rate which none but light horsemen such as ours
could have kept up. Nothing stopped us: up hills and across valleys we
scampered; pushed through forests, or waded over marshes; forded or swam
rivers when they crossed our way, without a moment's hesitation. We
ran, indeed, a regular steeplechase. We were obliged to camp at night,
however, to rest and feed our horses; but during the day we halted not a
moment longer than was absolutely necessary. Hardy as were our steeds,
they at length began to show signs of fatigue, but Juan encouraged the
men to proceed.
"They will have time enough to rest when they get to the fort," he
said,--"provided the enemy are not there before us."
We had gone on all day, and were still about four leagues from our
destination when night overtook us. The road ahead, our guide informed
us, was worse than any we had yet passed over, and that had been bad
enough. It would be dangerous, he said, if not altogether impossible,
to get our weary steeds over the ground in the dark. Still Juan,
obedient to orders, would have continued the route, when a thunderstorm,
which had been for some time gathering in the sky, burst over our heads.
We were, fortunately, near a farm with a number of outbuildings and
sheds about it, beneath which we took shelter. The rain fell literally
in sheets of water, which quickly flooded the road; the lightning
flashed with a vividness I had seldom before seen; and the thunder
rattled and crashed as if huge rocks, rather than impalpable clouds,
were being hurled against each other.
Juan now saw that it would be impracticable to advance until daylight;
but he also knew that the enemy would not venture to march, so that,
even if they were at an equal distance from the fort, we should get
there first. He accordingly announced that he should remain during the
night; so the men employed themselves in cooking their supper, rubbing
down their horses, and in other ways, until they lay down to sleep in
the driest spot they could find. The officers occupied one of the rooms
of the house.
It was somewhere about two or three o'clock in the morning when Juan
roused me up.
"I intend to ride on ahead of the party, in order to reach an elevated
spot by daybreak, from whence I can take a survey of the fort and the
surrounding country, and therefore learn the ground on which we may
possibly have to operate," said he. "You will come with me, Duncan?"
I sprang to my feet. "I am ready to set out immediately," I answered,
giving myself a shake.
Juan's servant brought us some cups of coffee, which we drank while our
horses were being got ready, and in less than five minutes we had
mounted. The storm had passed away, and innumerable stars shone out in
the blue sky with wonderful brilliancy. We were obliged, however, to
walk our horses, as it was with difficulty we could in many places see
the road. Our last day's journey had been over ground of a considerable
elevation, and we were still ascending.
Daylight broke while we were still on the road, and pushing on our
horses, we reached the spot for which we were aiming. It was a lofty
bluff with precipitous cliffs below us, beneath which there were several
lesser elevations, and beyond, a wide valley opening into a vast plain.
We here found ourselves far above the clouds, which spread like a canopy
over the scene at our feet--a few tree-tops, the tower of a village
church, and here and there, perched on heights, the roofs of some
farmhouses. Immediately below us was the fort we were to occupy. It
seemed as if we could almost leap down into it; though it was in reality
too far off to be commanded from the height on which we stood, even had
the enemy dragged up guns; but the path by which we had come was
altogether impracticable for artillery, so we had no fear on that score.
A short distance beyond the fort ran a rapid stream, which, descending
from the mountains on our left, passed through the valley, and
contributed materially to the strength of the position, as troops
marching to the attack would have to ford it in face of the fire from
the garrison. As far as we could see, the fort was still unoccupied;
but the mist prevented us ascertaining positively if this was the case.
"I would that the clouds were away," said Juan, "to learn whether they
are now concealing our approaching foes!"
Here and there the mist appeared to be breaking or rising, and we
watched eagerly for the moment when the whole face of the country would
be exposed to view.
"Our men ought by this time to have got nearly round to the fort,"
observed Juan, looking at his watch; "and once inside, I hope that we
shall be able to defend it against the Spaniards, though they may come
only a few minutes after we have taken possession."
The sun now rose over the mountain-tops, his beams gradually dispelling
the mists which had obscured the view. Still they hung over the valley,
and we remained uncertain as to whether the enemy had had time to reach
the fort below us. While we were thus eagerly watching, we caught sight
of the head of our column rounding the foot of the mountain; but though
visible to us, it could not as yet be seen by any one in the fort, and
we were thus still in doubt as to the important fact we wished to
ascertain.
"I gave directions to Captain Laffan to send forward and find out
whether the fort was occupied, before exposing the troop to view," said
Juan.
As he spoke we saw two of the horsemen ride forward, and Juan resolved
to remain until the result was known. We now took a careful survey of
the country before us.
"I can nowhere see a body moving which has the appearance of troops,"
observed Juan. "But there are so many woods and inequalities in the
ground by which they might be concealed, that we must not trust to that.
If, however, they have not already got possession of the fort, we shall
have ample time to make such preparations as may be required for our
defence. Duncan, take you the glass and see if you can discover
anything which may have escaped my eye."
I did as he requested, and swept the surrounding country again and
again. At last I saw what I thought looked like a dark shadow creeping
slowly along over the brow of a hill from the westward, and descending
towards us. Here and there was a slight glitter, as if the sun's rays
were playing on polished steel.
I handed the glass to Juan, who was soon satisfied that what we saw was
a body of troops. As, however, they were still some leagues away, and
as they had a river to cross and some heights to climb, it would be
several hours before they could reach the fort. We now felt sure that
it, at all events, was not yet occupied. Dismounting, therefore, we led
our horses down a steep path, by which we were at length able to rejoin
our regiment. About the same time the scouts came back with the
information that the fort was unoccupied. We accordingly rode forward
and took possession.
It consisted of a strong stockade composed of whole logs of wood, with a
deep trench in front of it. The huts were in a very dilapidated
condition, but they would still afford some shelter to the garrison;
while a stone tower in the centre, also surrounded by a trench, formed a
sort of citadel as well as a storehouse. It comprised a ground floor,
with a vault beneath, which served as a magazine, and two stories above
without any divisions. In one of these were a few rough articles of
furniture, which had been intended for the use of officers; and in the
upper story, which had been used as an hospital, were a number of
bedsteads covered with hides; while above the roof was a loopholed wall
running all round, for musketry. Behind the fort was a wide space
completely protected by impracticable heights and the fort in front, on
which our horses could be turned out to graze. The Spaniards had most
unaccountably left behind three guns, which, though spiked, were
serviceable in other respects; and in the storeroom we found shot for
them.
We had brought, I should have said, nearly two dozen horse-loads of
ammunition--including powder for the guns which we had hoped to find--as
well as the same number of animals laden with provisions. But, of
course, as they had to travel as fast as our horses, they could carry
but a very limited load.
Not a moment was lost in setting to work to repair the fort. Juan told
the men how we had seen the enemy approaching, and consequently they
laboured away with might and main. Trees were cut down from the
hill-side above the fort, and dragged in to repair the stockade. The
trench was cleared out; and shelter erected for the horses, which it
would be absolutely necessary to retain inside in case of requiring them
on an emergency. The men, accustomed from their earliest days to hard
labour, toiled away without cessation. By night we had repaired the
fort, and were ready for our enemies should they appear; but as yet we
had not got a sight of them, and I began to fancy that Juan and I had
been mistaken. Under Mr Laffan's directions, our farriers had
contrived to extract the nails with which the guns were spiked, and all
three were mounted and got into position during the night. A vigilant
watch was kept, for should the enemy really have been approaching, they
would very probably attack us before daylight.
Morning, however, came, and no sign of the foe being in sight. Though
we had a flag with us, and a flagstaff stood in the fort, Juan would not
have it hoisted; while the men were directed to keep as much under cover
as possible, so that the Spaniards might not discover we had possession
of the fort.
All the work outside had been finished, but we continued strengthening
it, and making such, improvements as were necessary in the inside.
It was about noon when one of the sentries gave notice that he saw some
people on the opposite side of the river. We watched them. Evidently
they were Spanish officers reconnoitring the fort, and from their
movements they seemed to doubt whether it was already occupied. At
last, apparently satisfied that they were in time to take possession,
two of them began to ford the stream. Before they had got half-way
over, however, several of our men, without orders, fired, and they both
fell, being carried down by the current. Juan rebuked his followers for
this wanton act--at which the men seemed very much astonished. Several
others who were following, and of whom we caught a glimpse, immediately
retreated.
We now expected every moment to see the main body approaching to the
assault, as it was not likely they would allow us to retain peaceable
possession of so important a post, if they fancied they could capture
it. Mr Laffan had charge of the guns, with the few men among us who
had ever had any practice with artillery. There were, however, no more
than two to each gun who had loaded and fired one before. Mr Laffan
had to keep running backwards and forwards, to see that they put in the
powder first and the shot afterwards, and rammed it home. In a short
time the Spaniards advanced under cover, showed themselves on the bank
of the stream, where they extended their line, and commenced a hot fire
at the fort. We, keeping under shelter, did not reply to it until they
commenced crossing the stream, when we opened on them with our guns.
They evidently had not supposed that we possessed artillery; for they
were at once thrown into confusion, and began to retreat, when numbers
were brought down by our musketry, while our guns, being reloaded, again
sent their shot among them.
We now ran up the Republican flag and shouted "Victory;" but we were
mistaken in supposing that the enemy were put to flight. In the course
of a short time a far larger body appeared, led by other officers, who
behaved with great courage. At once they dashed across the stream,--we
receiving them with a hot fire, our men loading and discharging their
pieces as fast as they could, while our guns, considering the
inexperience of the gunners, were well served. I could scarcely help
smiling as I saw my old dominie spring from gun to gun, and point it at
the thickest of the foe. One of the officers who appeared in command
must have fallen, and although the others behaved with considerable
gallantry, they failed to induce the men to come up to the stockades.
Once more they retired across the stream, and many lost their lives.
After this they contented themselves with getting behind such cover as
they could find, and firing at the fort. Had they possessed guns, the
tables would, I suspect, soon have been turned, as our comparatively
light defence must quickly have been knocked to pieces. The thickness
of the stockades, however, prevented their bullets from entering, and a
few only of our men who exposed themselves were hit,--two being killed,
and three wounded. Out of our small garrison, however, that number was
of consequence.
We continued firing away with the guns and musketry at the points where
the Spaniards were concealed, but what damage we produced among them we
could not tell. This style of fighting lasted several hours, while we
every moment expected to be again attacked. Not a Spaniard who had
fallen wounded was allowed to live, for our bullets quickly put them out
of their pain.
At length the firing ceased, and we saw the enemy retiring--a round shot
or two sent after them by Mr Laffan expediting their movements. The
victory was decidedly on our side; but we knew full well that we might
again be attacked by a superior force, and perhaps that very night.
Therefore, as before, a vigilant watch was kept, so that, should they
attempt a surprise, we might be ready to receive them.